Chapter 28: Meeting Iroh
Accelerator hadn't slept that long, perhaps only a couple of hours or so, and now he lay awake in the bed, staring up at the ceiling. It wasn't that strange for him to quietly sit alone in silence for several hours - there wasn't particularly on his mind, but the continuing strangeness of the situation he had been put in for the past few days made him let out a light chuckle. He was currently living in another world, a world dominated by Fire Lords and Earth Kingdoms; he hadn't had that much time to himself to actually think about this. How did it happen? Why did it happen?
The young esper let out an exasperated sigh, knowing he wouldn't just happen upon a satisfying answer; he glanced to the body that lay next to him on the bed. Azula slept soundly, the calm rising and falling of her chest operating in a repeating lull of serenity. The room that they slept in only had one bed, and the floor looked far too uncomfortable to sleep on; the two of them had argued for at least 30 minutes before finally agreeing to both use the bed. Now, several hours later, it was strange to see how different Azula looked while sleeping in comparison to her awake self. She no longer wore her standard Fire Nation combat wardrobe that Accelerator had become quite used to seeing. Now, she had on a simple shirt white shirt and green pants that stopped just at her ankles. Her hair was also in an uncommon state, no longer held in a tight ponytail at the back; it now messily fell across the side of her head and draped onto the surface of the bed, framing her smooth face in the process. Accelerator wasn't really one to become flustered at the sight of girls, but he may have been staring at the softness of her features for far longer than he cared to admit. He recalled the night where the two of them talked, where he called her 'beautiful'; perhaps it was a spur of the moment type thing, but that didn't mean he hadn't meant what he said - he truly did think she was beautiful. Deciding that he wasn't tired, and also realized that he might continue to stare at the sleeping princess otherwise, the white-haired esper slowly sat up in the bed and stood up, cracking his neck to release some tension. Walking over to the bedroom door, he opened it, careful not to awaken the slumbering Azula - given how she normally acted around him, Accelerator didn't care to see how she behaved due to lack of sleep.
Closing the door behind him, with a gentleness that was uncharacteristic for him, the esper then turned around and headed for the kitchen. He wasn't expecting much, but he had to mentally slap himself in the face for forgetting that this world wasn't as technologically advanced as his own - so that meant no refrigerators.
"Damnit," Accelerator silently cursed.
"Looking for something?" called a voice from behind him.
Whirling around, the esper couldn't do much to hide his surprise upon coming face to face with Iroh.
The old man seemed a bit tired, but he stood up straight and cautiously held a small cup of hot tea in his hands.
"Uhhh...no. Not really," Accelerator finally responded, getting over the shock of the old man's sudden voice, "I was looking for some food, though."
The old man gave him a bright smile, "Well of course. Would you like some tea as well?"
"Uh, I mean, I'm not really a 'tea' kind of guy-"
"I'll start brewing some right away," Iroh said, his smile widening even further.
Accelerator opened his mouth to protest, but stopped upon realizing that it wouldn't do much to change the situation.
The man hobbled over to a set of pots and cups that had been splayed out on the counter; Accelerator couldn't help but stare confusingly at the man. His curiosity from the night before still lingered - "how could this man….this old man…...be so powerful?"
Iroh was quite short, barely coming up to Accelerator's shoulders, and his eyes held bags that sagged slightly due to old age; his skin was showing the early stages of becoming leathery, like an in-between phase of old and ancient. His fingers were relatively short and stubby, but they also seemed to be worn and callous - the mark of a hard worker.
He didn't know how long he had been examining the older gentleman, but it must've been quite a while because it seemed like Iroh was just beginning to finish up with the tea.
"I've never seen you in the Fire Nation before," Iroh finally spoke, his back to the esper as he catered to the tea.
"Huh?" Accelerator.
"When I lived in the Fire Nation, I don't think I've seen anyone like you. How did you come to work alongside Azula?"
Being focused on his tea, Iroh's questions seemed simple and rushed on the surface, but Accelerator sensed a sort of pointed form of interrogation; the old man was fishing for answers, and he was asking the right questions to do it.
"It's sort of a long story," the esper responded, not wanting to play a stupid game of questionarre.
"Ah, then I assume you have your reasons?"
"Yeah,"
"And what exactly do you hope to accomplish by working with Azula?"
Accelerator's eye twitched in irritation. Geez! This guy asks a lot of questions.
"I don't know. What's it to you?"
There was a silence for a moment, but Iroh continued to tamper with the cups and pot; the quietness was then filled with the distinguishable pouring of liquid into a container. Iroh then turned around, the same smile still spread across his face as he offered Accelerator a small, porcelain cup that had been half-way filled with a greenish tea. Tiny leaves floated atop the surface of the liquid, and the steam from the cup slowly drifted up into the air, permeating it with a pleasant scent.
"Forgive me for asking so many questions, but you don't seem like the sort of person who would be working alongside Azula," the man said, lightly tapping on the sides of the cup.
"How do you know what kind of person I am?" Accelerator asked. The question came off as rude, but he intended for it to be genuine.
"Ah, it's true," Iroh chuckled, his grey beard moving in tandem with his open mouth, "We just met yesterday, and this is technically the first conversation we've had with one another, so you must be confused. You're probably wondering: how can someone who doesn't know me claim to know so much about me? Well, i'm afraid the answer will be slightly disappointing. I really just...have a feeling about you. That's it."
Accelerator blinked in confusion, "You...have a feeling about me?"
Iroh took a sip of tea before responding, "Yep."
The esper watched the old man enjoy the tea before looking down at his own cup, staring at the reflection of his red eyes in the ripples.
"You know," Iroh began, causing Accelerator to glance back up at him, "This is a beautiful place."
The man stared contemplatively out through the kitchen window, staring at the rows of other buildings that stretched throughout the city. Accelerator remained silent.
"When you live as a part of the Fire Nation, preparing for battle is almost a passtime; hours of time is dedicated to mastering bending for the purpose of serving your kingdom. Young children are raised from infantry to learn to fight, to serve,...to die. The idea of peace is more a notion of one's silly fantasy - a pointless delusion. For many, serving the Fire Lord is their calling in life; it is their purpose - at least, that's what they think it is. But how can you truly know your purpose without having the freedom to see what COULD be, rather than what IS? That is all I want for Zuko, the freedom to choose his own path."
Accelerator stared quietly at the old man, ignoring the building heat of the cup in his hands; Iroh's words rang in his ears, like an echo of something within himself. There was something about what the man had said that resonated with the young esper; the words seemed pure...pure in the sense that it was both genuine and thoughtful.
Iroh sighed. "Ahh, anyway, how does the tea taste?" he asked, turned back to the white-haired teen.
Accelerator looked down at the cup, realizing that he had not yet even taken a sip of the tea. Pressured by Iroh's look of excited anticipation, the esper rolled his eyes before finally taking a thorough swig of the liquid. Almost suddenly, his mouth was overwhelmed with an intense sourness, almost causing him to spit the drink back out; however, instead of insensitively regurgitating the tea, he decided to buckle down and swallow it, shivering at the taste.
His reaction must've been obvious because Iroh suddenly let out a hardy laugh.
"Hahahaha! A bit too strong for you, eh? Hahahhahaha. Perhaps next time, i'll dilute it a bit more."
Accelerator nodded, "Yes, please do that," he said, holding back a cough.
The old man continued to chuckle at the esper's pathetic state as he took the cup back from him and carefully placed them in the sink.
As Accelerator regained his composure, he heard the creaking of a door and looked up to see Zuko exiting his room. Almost immediately, the Fire prince sent him a glare upon noticing him.
"Uncle, what exactly are you doing?" he asked, walking up next to Iroh.
"Oh, nothing much. Just having a friendly chat," the older man replied with a smile.
"Why are you talking to this guy?" the young prince demanded.
"What?" Iroh potested with a whine, "They're our guests, and we should treat them as such."
Remembering he still had some tea brewing, Iroh gestured to the pot, "Would you like some?" he asked sheepishly.
"No, I don't want any tea, uncle," Zuko said through his teeth.
"Why not? It's a perfect time to have some," Iroh insisted.
"I don't want any tea, uncle!" Zuko resisted.
As he watched the two of them argue, Accelerator wondered if this is how they often acted with one another.
Suddenly, the two of them quieted at the sound of a second door opening; all three of them watched quietly as Azula emerged from the room. She was still wearing the same clothes, but her hair had now returned to the tight bun she often sported.
"Why, good morning everyone," she said with a mocking grin.
"Well, it almost WAS a good morning," Zuko muttered, earning a sharp elbow to the gut from his uncle.
"Good morning, Azula. Would you like some tea? I made it myself - freshly brewed," Iroh said politely.
Azula took a moment, staring at the steaming pot disapprovingly, "No thanks, I'm not really a 'tea' kind of girl" she finally said. Accelerator knew what she meant.
Ignoring the pleasantries of his uncle, Zuko spoke directly to Azula in a tone that bordered on rude and disrespectful.
"So, what exactly are you going to be doing today?" he questioned, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
She smiled back at him, "Wouldn't you like to know," she said.
"If you're going to want to catch the Avatar, you'll have to make your move soon," Zuko began, "He won't stay in Ba Sing Se for very long, which means we'll have to act fast. I just want to know what your plan of action is."
"I'll tell you when the time is right," she said, "but in the meantime, i'll be gone for a few hours. I'll probably be back before dark."
"You're leaving?" Zuko exclaimed, a look of disbelief crossed his face.
"It's going to be for too long," the princess replied.
"Where are you going?" Zuko asked, becoming more impatient.
Azula tilted her head to the side, "Don't know," she said with a grin, "but i'm sure I'll think of something."
Turning her attention to Accelerator, she offered him a beckoning finger, "I'll need you to come here for a minute; I have to talk to you regarding something…..important."
Accelerator raised an eyebrow in slight confusion, but didn't say much to combat her request. The two of them reentered the bedroom, shutting the door behind them.
"Ok, what's so important that you need to talk to me about?" he asked, gearing up for a boring conversation.
"Shhh. Lower your voice," she demanded in a hushed tone, "They'll hear you if you speak too loud."
The confusion on the esper's face deepened, "So?"
"So, they can't know what I'm about to tell you," she said, inching closer to the boy.
"Oh? And what's that?" he wondered.
She looked at him for a moment, almost as if contemplating whether to tell him or not.
"I'm going to meet up with Mai and Ty Lee at the Fire Nation outpost not far from Ba Sing Se's outer wall. If I can successfully escape the city without being caught, I can deliver more information to our troops."
"Why does that matter? I thought all we were doing was capturing the Avatar kid, and that's it? Why do you need to get to the outpost?" Accelerator questioned, becoming more intrigued by the second.
"Because, with my knowledge regarding the inner structure of the city, the Fire Nation will have much more information regarding Ba Sing Se. We've never really had a holistic understanding of the layout of the city - that simple fact can change the tide of the war?"
"What? How? What are you even talking about?"
Accelerator asked the question like he didn't already have an idea of what Azula was planning, but in the back of his head, he had an inkling as to what idea she was considering.
"My plan isn't just to capture the Avatar," she began, a stern and determined look crossed her face, "It's to fully conquer Ba Sing Se."
End of chapter 28
Author's Note: BOO! It's Halloween…..ish.