Sorry I haven't updated for a while. I've been busy, cut off from the internet, my beta and I were having trouble with our computers. Anyway, enjoy this chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, but I do own this story plot
Lesson 2: An Academic Lady never Falters, Even if she is in the Presence of a 'Suspicious Being'
Curfew
Ty Lee
'This bed feels really comfortable.' Ty Lee thought as she pulled the silk sheets up to her shoulders and closed her eyes.
Soon, she drifted off to sleep. When the moon was high in the sky and there was silence throughout the academy, two people went up the hallway and to Ty Lee's door.
"This is the room?" a voice whispered quietly from outside the door.
"Yes. Here is the spare key." Another voice replied.
The click of a lock was heard and the door silently opened.
A dark figure came through the door and stood next to the bed.
It stood there for a time; taking in Ty Lee's appearance.
She'd taken out her braid and brushed her hair with the 'one thousand strokes before bedtime' tradition her mother had taught her and had washed her face, so she didn't look sloppy.
The shadow made by the window with the open drapes reached its hand out; the shadow's touch barely grazing Ty Lee's face.
"Not bad." The person said.
Not bad at all.
Azula
'I will strangle those girls.' Azula thought as she gripped her 'blanket' tighter.
She was now sleeping in a pile of dirty laundry, and sweat still reeked from them, for Agni's sake!
Those girls pushed her down and laughed and then turned and got ready for bed, and then took no notice of her as they put out all of the lights!
'I will personally mutilate them.'
Mai
She couldn't sleep.
Mai just couldn't sleep.
She tossed and turned relentlessly on her bottom bunk, the one perpendicular to the wall with the giant window.
She needed to sleep, though; tomorrow was the first day of classes and she'd looked over her schedule and thanked Agni that Iroke was in her last class.
If she saw him first thing in the morning, things might not boil over so well.
She couldn't honestly imagine what might happened if their confrontation was so…early after their first impressions. Maybe he would be too sleep-dazed to recognize her? Maybe he would recognize her and then call her out? What if he—?
Mai shook her head vigorously and turned in her bunk.
With the steady sound of Jinai's breathing, she slowly fell asleep.
Wake-Up Call
Ty Lee
Someone was running down the hallway ringing a lot of bells.
Ty Lee woke up to the sound and peeked out her door to see some servant girl running around literally covered in bells which jingled and rung with every movement she made.
Biting back her laughter, Ty Lee guessed that it was the wake-up signal.
But still, why couldn't the academy have used a gong or something else?
At least that didn't cause too much ruckus like those bells did.
Closing the door, she began to dress in her new 'uniform'.
It was only a vertically zigzag black-and-white striped yukata, socks, and platform sandals anyway, and it was mandatory that a girl pins her hair or at least holds it up in some kind of style.
Ty Lee chose to keep her braid rather than put it up in a bun like Mai did.
It was somewhat freakish, but if they wore their hair alike, then they'd be like second shadows of each other.
Speaking of shadows, she could have sworn that someone was in her room last night.
It was really creepy and, she was thankful of the concealing silk sheets, she was literally trembling and on the verge of whimpering but she tried to keep quiet. It was the same routine with her father; feign sleep, be still, and he wouldn't try anything…for that night. Then, the shadow just left.
Chills cascaded down her spine at the possibilities of who the stranger could have been.
Another set of bell-ringing exorcized her thoughts and she slipped on the last of her uniform, took the things she needed for her classes, and ran down the hall to meet up with Mai.
Azula
Azula's morning was not pleasant.
In fact, she herself was very in a very unpleasant mood; not pleasant at all.
Before the sun rose, one of those girls started screaming in her ear and someone threw cold saltwater on her! Then, when she finally got up, her 'uniform' (what she thought was a tacky and bland item which looked better on servants) was shoved in her face and she had to get dressed.
After that, Kiza, Hinagata, and Amaeru enjoyed laughing at all of her flaws. That she was too chubby, that her hair bangs looked ridiculous, that her cheeks overtook the rest of her facial features, she was too clumsy, that she couldn't be a princess; she looked too much like an unhealthy kuwa!
"And you know what happens to unwanted and unhealthy kuwa." Kiza snickered.
"Oh, wait; you honestly don't. How can someone so dumbly naïve like you actually know that?" Amaeru realized and shared a laugh with Hinagata in a language Azula did not comprehend.
After that, she was shoved out of the dormitory.
They didn't even give her a key.
Her first morning with her new roommates; definitely not pleasant.
Mai
Someone was whispering something.
"Iroke…what if…Mai…relax…ruin…hear?" and something else, but her brain was too sleep-deprived and tired to listen in on the rest.
Opening her eyes, Mai saw Aneue, Jinai, and Kokoro whispering frantically again.
What were they talking about? And why did her name and Iroke's always pop up together?
Unable to stifle the pressure in her throat, Mai opened her mouth and let out a yawn.
The three girls turned, a bit surprised and worried (probably wondering if she'd heard everything), but relaxed and asked if she had a nice sleep.
The three girls then gave her the robes and material she needed for the first day after she told them her schedule, and then Ty Lee came in.
"Good morning, Mai." Ty Lee said perkily when Kokoro opened the door.
"Good morning, Ty Lee. These are my roommates; Aneue, Jinai, and Kokoro." Mai introduced.
"Nice to meet you." Ty Lee said politely.
"Let us all go down to the hall for breakfast." Jinai suggested after she, Aneue, and Kokoro were dressed.
Since they were older and therefore had the seniority advantage, they were dressed in more vividly designed robes as a show of their 'elderly' status in the academy.
Breakfast
When they got to the great hall, the 5 girls saw that Azula was sitting alone, looking disheveled, and very sleepy.
They accompanied her at her table.
Breakfast came; tofu soup, fried bread, and honey-milk, and after consuming their meal, Mai, Azula and Ty Lee were talking about the notes they'd received earlier in the morning.
There was a 'welcoming' letter and their schedules.
From the Desk of the Academy Council
Dear Student,
On behalf of the Royal Academy, we would like to welcome you to our school. We hope that you will find your academic stay pleasant.
But do not be smug; all of your actions are recorded and a file is sent home monthly to your parents, which they will need to sign verifying that they saw the document. An Academic Lady must protect her reputation.
As part of the Academic procedures, we expect you to follow the schedule attached and also to obey all of the rules and traditions, both of the academy and of etiquette, listed in the document also attached. Disobeying the rules will have dire consequences, we assure you and it is best that you do not break them in the first place.
We hope that you will respect our rules as we will respect you.
Sincerely,
The Royal Academy Council
Underneath, there were just a bunch of signatures indicating who some person was and their job.
Schedule to be followed from Monday to Friday
6:30-7:00, wake up and get to breakfast
7:00-8:30, first class
8:45-10:15, second class
10:30-12:00, third class
12:00-1:00, lunch and leisure hour
1:00-2:30: fourth class
2:45-4:15, fifth class
4:30-6:00, sixth class
6:00-7:00, free time (at this time, a student can revisit teachers to ask questions, start on homework, go to the library, et cetera)
7:00-7:45, dinner
7:45-8:00, tea time
8:00-9:30, free time or to start on nightly process (shower-taking, hygiene, bathroom, et cetera)
10:00, all lights out and every room will be locked
Saturdays will be half-days for Academics and on Sundays classes starting at noon, after lunch, and are half-days also
The Fire Nation Royal Academy Rules, Etiquette, and Traditions
Rules
One's schedule is always to be obeyed
Never be late to class, except for a few exceptions
There is to be no jests such as fighting anywhere
There is no tolerance for poor work in classes
Always be prepared for classes
Never stay out beyond curfew, when the gates of the FNRA close
There is to be no alterations to your uniform; not even spilling ink on it
You must perform the chores and tasks expected of you
There is to be no cheating or 'help' from senior students
Anyone caught after curfew, with the exception of paying a small nighttime visit to the restroom, will have a demerit on their name and be sent to the headmistress's office
Anyone behaving inappropriately will be sent to the headmistress
There is to be no occasion where one can think it is alright to act superiorly
Anyone found with illegal substances in the academy shall be sent before the council
Always respect those of your seniority
Unless on the special occasions listed in 'traditions', no one is to go further than 5 miles from the Academy at any time
Never disobey the rules set out by your teachers or by the academy
Etiquette
An Academic Lady must never appear sloppy
An Academic Lady must never be late for anything
An Academic Lady never falters around others, no matter what
An Academic Lady speaks only when spoken to
An Academic Lady is never bawdy
An Academic Lady never drinks spirits unless invited or required to
An Academic Lady must maintain good posture
An Academic Lady must control their carnal peccadilloes of gluttony, lust, envy, sloth, wrath, vanity, and avarice
An Academic Lady is proud and confident of herself
An Academic Lady is always modest
An Academic Lady is a chaste and quiet woman
An Academic Lady dare not disobey any rules set by mentors or people of seniority
An Academic Lady never participates in lewd acts, such as fighting
An Academic Lady must always pay attention in class
An Academic Lady must be kind to all around them, even if they are complete strangers
An Academic Lady is always level, even in the most pressured and embarrassing situations
An Academic Lady must never let her emotions betray her
An Academic Lady follows her heart…when the timing is correct
An Academic Lady must always look good; physically and personally
An Academic Lady does not the chaser, she is the chased
An Academic Lady is graceful under pressure
An Academic Lady is elegant; just like her aristocratic upbringing has expected her to be
An Academic Lady never shames her parents
An Academic Lady is educated in many ways instead of only one
An Academic Lady must be entertaining and such
An Academic Lady does not get embarrassed, to the contrary; she turns an awkward moment into laughs
An Academic Lady, when entertaining a group, is talkative yet quiet to let others speak
An Academic Lady is always polite
An Academic Lady is always honest…but only to the point of beguiling
An Academic Lady must never be easily cajoled
An Academic Lady must speak when there is a silence directed towards her
An Academic Lady should endure what she must with grace
An Academic Lady is always obedient, in control of herself, and a role model woman
The Etiquette rulebook actually went on longer, but Ty Lee, Mai and Azula didn't bother to read all of it; they were sure that they could pull it out later and read it.
Turning another page, the three began to read the traditions.
Traditions
Fifteenth day of the Eighth Month: A welcoming party for the new students
Fourth Day of the Ninth Month: A Day of Rest and Atonement
Last day of the Ninth Month/First Day of the Tenth Month: the Fête de l'autome, the Fall Festival
Last day of the Tenth Month: la jour du Toussaint, a Masquerade with the Royal Academy for Boys
The last Fourth Day of the Eleventh Month: A Day of Atonement and counting one's blessings
The last Twelve days in the Twelfth Month: Kurisumasu, in which the twelve days will involve socials with the Royal Academy for Boys and optional, but limited, visits to home
The First day of the First Month: The New Years Festival
The Fourteenth day of the Second Month: Red Day, in where ladies may make or purchase presents and present them to boys of the Boys Academy they met or another desired suitor
The Fourteenth day of the Third Month: White day, the reversed of Red Day
The Twenty First day of the Second Month: Mardi Gras, a day to indulge in our carnal sins if only for the day, with a social ball with the Boys Royal Academy later the following night
The Twenty Second day of the Second Month to the Ninth Day of the Fourth Month: Lent, the forty day period after Mardi Gras in which ladies must give up a cause of their carnal sin of gluttony and attendance of morning, afternoon, and evening Mass is mandatory.
The Ninth day of the Fourth Month: the Fête de Haru, the Spring Festival; a ball with the Boys Royal Academy
Twenty-Ninth day of the Fourth Month: Teacher Day, in which ladies can optionally give their teachers tokens of appreciation
The Eighteenth day of the Fifth Month: May Day, a day of socializing and events at the middle of the island along with the Royal Academy for Boys
The Last Week of the Fifth Month: Exams and performances for all students
The First day of the Sixth Month: Graduation for the seventh-year students
The Nineteenth day of the Sixth Month: The Summer Festival, another rendezvous with the students in the Royal Academy for Boys
The Eight day of the Seventh Month: A holiday honoring the birth of our country
The Twenty-Ninth of the Seventh Month to the Third day of the Eighth Month: All returning students come back to the Academy and help prepare the academy for the new girls
It was too bad that they had missed the Welcome Party; Mai, Ty Lee, and Azula had come a few days after the Fifteenth of the Eighth Month so there was nothing to look forward to until the Fête de l'autome
The three girls each looked at their schedules.
Mai, First Year:
First class: Literature
Second class: Etiquette (The Arts)
Third class: Math
Fourth class: History
Fifth class: Weaponry
Sixth class: Dance
Ty Lee, First Year:
First class: Math
Second class: Literature
Third class: Etiquette (The Arts)
Fourth class: History
Fifth class: Acrobatics
Sixth class: Dance
Azula, First Year:
First class: Dance
Second class: Math
Third class: History
Fourth class: Literature
Fifth class: Firebending
Sixth class: Etiquette (The Arts)
"Look, Mai. I have dance and history class with you." Ty Lee pointed out as they shared schedules.
"I have nothing with either of you." Azula pointed out.
Inwardly, Mai and Ty Lee sighed with relief. Azula wasn't the best friend in the world and her company wasn't always positive; you could say that she was a bit of a control freak. Without her, both could probably breathe easier and make new friends without Azula scaring them away.
A loud gong resounded through the Great Hall. Aneue and her friends volunteered to take Mai and Ty Lee to their first classes of First Year Literature and Math; saying that it was on their way to their own classes, but could not help Azula.
Her class was all the way on the opposite side of the building.
Dashing hurriedly amongst the crowd, the three girls separated and could do nothing but hope that their first day wouldn't be a complete hell.
First Class
Mai: Literature
"Welcome."
Apparently, Molady was teaching the Literature class.
Ty Lee had told Mai about her the night before, but she'd never expected the mole to be…that huge. And noticeable.
"Th-thank you." Mai stuttered; trying hard not to stare at the mole.
"There is a seat besides Caro." Molady said; pointing to a stout girl at least a year Mai's junior.
Mai took a seat and Caro turned and smiled shyly. Molady passed out assigned books, told the girls to take out their textbooks, and began the lesson.
For the rest of the class, Mai tried to focus on the lesson itself but that mole on her nose was making it difficult.
Whenever Molady walked, there seemed to be a spring in her step and that made the mole jiggle. A lot. It was as if it was dancing.
All Mai heard before the gong was sounded was Molady yelling out the assignment one last time.
"Read the first chapter of 'The Tale of Orofino' and be prepared to discuss it tomorrow!"
Ty Lee: Mathematics
Math wasn't so bad; a man from the Royal Academy for Boys had come here temporarily, while the normal lady teacher went to the Boys' Academy as part of a gender-mixing program the Academic Council had agreed on.
They were studying the term of 'borrowing when in subtraction.'
Most girls of high standings were educated beforehand, so when the girls came to the academy, most of them came when they were six to eight, they should have already known how to do basic addition, subtraction, read and write well, speak the Fire Nation languages, know manners and etiquette, know a big of history, and should be able to dance; or at least know the basic box step.
Ty Lee turned to a page in her 'book', which was mainly pages with holes on the left side and the holes were slipped through opening and closing metal rings, and began to take notes.
Calligraphy was supposedly a work of art and they taught that in art class in Year 3, so in lieu of writing with ink and brushes, there were quills and also a new type of writing material called a 'pen'.
The class mainly took notes and the teacher called on students once in a while to do some problems on the blackboard.
Math class was nearing to a close when the teacher called Ty Lee up to do an Order of Operations problem.
Ty Lee answered 3, the correct answer, just as the gongs rang again.
Time for Literature class.
Azula: Dance
'At least the teacher isn't butt-ugly.' Was Azula's first impression of Iroke; and it was actually a male.
Looking around, she saw that most of the other first years weren't paying as much attention to his 'welcome to dance class' speech as they were to him.
"…please form rows of fifteen; I would like to see how much dancing you already know and will pull those who are stumbling aside." Iroke instructed.
Dance was practically the only class in the academy which did not group girls by year or experience; practically by random, actually.
It was a huge catfight to determine who would stand in the front rows and there was almost a 4-way all-out brawl for the center spot in the first row, but after the chaos died down and some girls continued to sulk because they were in the middle, the rows were finally formed. Iroke motioned for the person turning the handle on a machine called the Victrola, which was like a record-player except that there was a hand crank, to start playing.
Immediately, the music for a basic waltz began.
Everyone danced in a different way; the older students mainly had more experience, while the younger ones could only dance what they were taught with a primary governess. T
here were 5 basic moves used throughout the dance: the box step (step back with one's right foot, step to the side with one's left, join one's feet together and stop. Step forward with one's left foot, step to the side with one's right, join one's feet together and stop), traveling (do the first half of the box step, and then step back with one's left foot, step to the side with one's right, join together one's feet, and stop. Continue repeating until it is time for the female to step forward), pirouette turns (turn in a half or complete circle on the balls of one's left or right foot; lamentable if done on the heel), the jétèe (jump upwards while spreading your legs as far apart as one can in midair), and half-turns (put all of one's weight on the balls of the left foot, turn halfway around, repeat with the right foot, and then do the inverse).
The more experienced dancers tried more advanced moves such as the grande jétèe.
Azula, stuck in the dead center of seventy-five girls in total, barely did a thing.
Not only did she never honestly take an interest in dancing in her early life, she barely knew a thing.
As an observer, she saw many girls mess up on purpose as an attempt to catch Iroke's attention.
It was honestly laughable, until she got pulled out herself.
Iroke led her to the side and bent down to talk to her.
"Why do you not dance?" he asked her.
"I do not need to learn how to dance." Azula replied sharply.
Iroke only smiled.
"If you are so sure, then. Go out to the attendant's office and get a transfer if you wish." He said and got up without another word.
Some girls stared at her; why was she standing in a corner? Was she in trouble?
Despite that she had now avoided a class time to humiliate herself, Azula felt uneasy; had Iroke just now kicked her out?
Second Class
Mai: Etiquette (The Arts)
Etiquette was taught by a woman named Rimé.
Rimé, who looked to be in her thirties or so, was a very strict and cold person; many girls called her a witch behind her back.
She was very thin; the kimono she wore barely showed any curves, and always wore white face paint with the skin around her eyes sharply painted blood red and her eyebrows drawn at such an intimidating and deep slant that it always looked like she was mad. Her eyes, colored sharp bullion, rarely showed anything save for spite and displeasure at a mistake.
On the first day, the girls were to learn how to play a basic flute.
Throughout the lesson, she had snapped at many of the girls and rounded off on many of them.
"You! Does your flute smell bad? Then why are you wrinkling your nose like that?"
"Are you fingers stone? Move them!"
"Have you eaten lemons lately? Then why are your notes so sour!"
"You are off-tune, you stupid Mao!"
She even struck a few girls with the bamboo stick she held in her hand that day.
For such a bony woman, she seemed to have a surprising amount of strength.
Suffice to say, Mai was very grateful when the lesson was over.
Ty Lee: Literature
'Don'tgapeatthemoledon'tgapeatthemoledon'tgapeatthemoledon'tgapeatthemoledon'tgapeatthemole…" Ty Lee repeated the mantra in her head for the past hour or so.
She'd sat in the way back, kept her sight on her notes, and did not raise her hand to answer any of Molady's questions.
"Ty Lee? How about you?" Molady's voice suddenly rang out.
She'd forgotten her mantra for a moment and looked; there was the frightening MOLE MOUND!
"M-M-M-M-M-M-M-Mole." She automatically said when making eye contact with that mole.
Molady sighed.
"I am aware that I have a large mole on my nose." She said.
"Just let it all out; everyone will be much more comfortable after that." Molady told her.
Ty Lee jumped up on her chair.
"MOLE! MOLE MOUND! WE'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO TALK ABOUT IT, BUT THERE'S A GINORMOUS MOLE MOUND JUST STARING AT ME IN THE FACE! IT'S SO BIG THAT IT COULD PRACTICALLY BE CONSIDERED A PERSON! YOUR NAME EVEN CONTAINS A MOLE! MOLADY! WHO NAMES THEIR CHILD MOLADY? YOU NEED TO BURN THAT THING OFF AND MAKE SHISH-KA-MOLE WITH IT!"
By the time she was finished, Ty Lee was gasping for breath.
"Better?" Molady asked; unfeigned.
"Yes, thank you." Ty Lee said politely as she sank back into her chair.
"Anyone else?" Molady asked.
At once, the other seventy-four students jumped up and started shouting similar things and it took until one minute before the gong rang for them all to calm down.
"Your assignment is to read the first chapter of 'The Tale of Orofino' and be ready to discuss it tomorrow." Molady called as the students left.
Azula: Mathematics
Iroke was bad enough, but now the math teacher was picking on her because she was the only person sitting in the front row!
It wasn't her choice.
Unluckily, Kiza, Hinagata, and Amaeru were also in her math class and they'd told the other students to fill up the seats from the back downwards so that Azula, as they knew, would have to sit in the front row and she would be picked on by Reikou-sensei.
"I expected better from the princess of the Fire Nation." He clucked disapprovingly.
Reikou-sensei, though not as young-looking as Iroke, was about the same age as him, at least that was what they both said.
While Azula was being tormented by the teacher, the other girls near the back began to gossip.
The topic was mainly why Reikou-sensei didn't look as young as Iroke.
"It's because Iroke is more laid-back and takes time off to enjoy the pleasure of life. Think about it; it is like Iroh and Ozai. Iroh always took time to relax and take his pleasure with his wife while Ozai had a humongous bamboo stalk up his ass. Even if Ozai looks taller now, Iroh still preserved his age longer than his younger brother."
Azula caught that sentence, but not many of the others as Reikou-sensei thought it was time to pick on the students in the back instead.
Thank Agni.
Third Class
Mai: Mathematics
Math wasn't so bad for Mai; she was taking the class with Kokoro and Jinai and sat between them.
About halfway throughout the lesson, Kokoro and Jinai began to whisper to her.
"Did you know that he and Iroke are said to be the same age?" Jinai whispered with a giggle to Mai.
Mai's eyes shifted to Reikou-sensei; he looked to old to be about Iroke's age!
He had salt-and-pepper like hair which was rarely tamed, twig-like mustaches between his upper lip and nose, and looked to be balding. And not to mention that he had many what-looked-like liver spots on his face and his skin was saggy around the neck like a turtle's, and his teeth! They were crooked, yellow, and Mai would bet a bag of gold coins that his breath smelled disgusting.
"That's impossible." Mai whispered back.
"Iroke is too…" her voice trailed off upon realizing what she had intended to say.
Jinai and Kokoro giggled.
"Sexy?"
"Good-looking?"
"Toned?"
"Kind?"
"Graceful?"
"Fabulous?"
"Perfect?"
"Well-endowed?"
"Kokoro!" Jinai nearly shouted; her face also red from giggling as well. Luckily, Reikou-sensei seemed to pay them no heed.
This conversation was leading in a way that was too uncomfortable for Mai's liking, so she tried to pay more attention to Reikou-sensei.
But that niggling voice in the back of her head screamed for her to turn around and ask Kokoro how she knew that Iroke was well-endowed…if she wasn't just making that up.
Ty Lee: Etiquette (The Arts)
Rimé didn't like 'girls like her', so she told Ty Lee.
But really; she couldn't understand why Rimé chose to hate her as soon as she walked in the door.
As they were playing their flutes, Rimé would always yell at Ty Lee for doing something, even if it was as little a thing as 'holding her flute at the wrong angle', and make her class miserable; no one would stand up for her in fear of angering Rimé.
Ty Lee thanked Agni when the gong rang at the end of class, signifying lunch.
Azula: History
History was not boring in Azula's opinion, but with this weak-constituted woman teaching it; the subject suddenly seemed repulsive to her.
Kasuka-sensei taught the class, and she would squeal at the mention of even someone slapping one another on the back!
She would always stutter and sometimes her visage would become such a tint of green or white that she had to leave the room.
For most of the class, the girls only copied notes from their textbooks and then gossiped for the remainder of the class period.
Once of twice, Azula heard her name being mentioned; often with a tone of malice.
She felt insulted and angry; shouldn't those girls be bowing at her feet?
What was it that made her become 'just another girl' at this academy, and, from the way Hinagata, Kiza, and Amaeru treated her, almost inhuman?
So far, her first day at the academy was met by scorns and sneers from many of the girls who said that she was just a spoiled bastard and her weak and impotent father only kept her because she showed that she was a female; further proving that she was not truly part of the Fire Nation Royal Family.
The teachers always expected her to answer some advanced questions, like she was actually a smart aleck or something, and would scold her when she answered something incorrectly or not reply at all.
When she did get the answer right, the teachers would just exaggerate over and over her so-called intelligence and tell their students to be more like her; earning more glares from her classmates.
'At least Lunch will be smoother.' She thought when she heard the gong ring.
Lunch: The Great Hall
Lunch, at least, was not more seafood.
There was a very well-done yet juicy slice of char-broiled lamb cooked in a delicious sauce, three rectangular slices of potato-bake (a Fire Nation specialty which involved first boiling and mashing the potatoes and then baking them until they were crispy and often one could add many kinds of other things to it such as vegetables, cheese, or meats), a small cup of gravy and other toppings for the potato bake, vegetables cut into unique shapes, and two slices of hot and crusty bread.
Of course, the goblets and pitcher for water were set out in the middle of the tables.
As fruit and sweet crème was being passed out, the door to the room opened to reveal Iroke-sensei and Reikou-sensei.
Iroke wore a red silk top that was ornately stitched with richly-colored thread (how he had gotten to purchase such a top on a teacher's salary, even if he taught at an elite upper-class academy filled with rich heiresses who were fawning over him, was a mystery for many girls), flowing pants, traditional booties that were worn by females and males alike for dancing, and silver-wire rimmed bifocals and was laughing at something Reikou said, but Reikou still looked utterly sulky and unsmiling.
At once, Mai felt a blush of embarrassment cross her face.
Last night, she remembered that she had left her diary in the carriage, but when she went to where the carriage master and his horses were staying for the night, he told her that there was nothing in the carriage.
Iroke must have had her diary; and she even wrote the most embarrassing things in there too!
Ty Lee closely observed her friend, Azula was stuck sitting at another table again, and her glance darted to Iroke.
Maybe this was why Mai was delayed; the man had met up with her and Mai, probably unused to such attentions, might have done something ridiculous in front of him and is now too embarrassed to say what it was.
Azula only felt a surge of anger and unwanted remembrance at what had happened between her and both of the teachers when in their classes. J
ust as the two teachers were about to exit through another door, an older girl ran up to the two.
"Ano…Iroke-sensei; these are for you." She half-murmured, half stammered; holding up a carved wooden box with a bow tied from a silk ribbon at the top.
Iroke did not even look a bit surprised. He began to untie the bow with a smooth and experienced motion and lifted the top off of the box.
"I thank you graciously, Atsu-kun; I am fond of chocolate lace." He said, but to Mai, his voice seemed formal; detached of almost all personal emotions, but Atsu did not seem to notice it.
Iroke took a small piece of it out and popped it into his mouth.
He leaned forward; his face a respective length from Atsu's face.
"Thank you again…" He said in that velvet-smooth voice; suddenly, Atsu looked as if she would faint. Iroke straightened his posture once more.
"…but I regret that I cannot indulge in such gluttonous treats; no matter how much I wish to. It is a personal day of mourning for myself and I feel that it would be an insult for me to have such joy in sweets." His tone had a sting of iciness to it and Iroke looked from himself to his companion.
"But Reikou-sensei does have a sweet tooth." He added; turning and flashing his colleague a brilliant smile.
"I will see you in fifth class." He told the girl; placing an air kiss on Atsu's cheek and walking off.
For a second, Mai could have sworn he looked her way, but she brushed it off; she was probably only familiar to him because he had her diary. Didn't he have her diary? She would have him for the last class of the day and then she could spend part of her free-time trying to convince him to give it back to her.
Atsu now looked very embarrassed; only holding the box before Reikou-sensei with her head down and Ty Lee could tell that she was suppressing tears and disappointment.
Reikou-sensei looked at the box for a moment, and then took it from her.
"I will give it to Iroke." He said in a stiff manner and then walked off.
When the gong rang again, students filed out for their next class; full of new gossip and things to talk about.
Fourth Class
Ty Lee and Mai: History
Kasuka wasn't so bad of a teacher; she probably just would have been better off teaching etiquette in lieu of the bloody history of the world.
Mai and Ty Lee had a theory that maybe she and Rimé accidentally applied for each other's intended jobs and got them.
"A-A-and so, in the year of the Eagle, in th-th-the twenty-seventh zodiac of the Kanzo dynasty of the Fire Nation, a b-b-bloody…"
At that moment, Kasuka-sensei looked as if she had fainted. Ty Lee passed a note to Mai.
'She and Rimé should really switch jobs, don't you think?' she scrawled.
'Definitely; they would both be much happier, to the least.' Mai replied.
When Kasuka ran out the door, she said she needed some air, the students leaned back on their chairs and began to relax and chat until the period relented.
Azula: Literature
She wanted to burn that mole off of Molady's nose.
Thinking the better of it, Azula unhinged her stiff fingers from the edge of the table and tried to focus on the lesson, but a so-called henchman of Amaeru was not making it easy. I
n the past hour, she had gotten many of the students to throw little wads of chewed-up paper at her; apparently, it was one point if you hit her in the back, three points if the wad landed in her hair, and five points if it slid down her neck and into her shirt.
All the while, Molady seemed blind to it; only continuing to talk about all of the 'such wonderful descriptions in the story'.
Azula was not amused.
When class let out, many other girls took last-chance shots.
And people wondered why she left a trail of spitballs from her shirt while she walked down the hallways.
Fifth Class
Mai: Weaponry
There must have been some mistake; she had not signed up for a weaponry class.
But Ijin-sensei kept repeating that she had her name, Tengtang Mai, on her attendance list.
Ijin-sensei, though it is not sure, seemed to be in her thirties. But the older academic girls have said that she told some students that she had taught here for many years; maybe even forty, as shown by the list of teachers carved onto plaques with each one made after every year, or more! Ijin was said to have been a very successful female warrior in the Fire Nation, but upon the request of her princess, she came here to teach fighting and weaponry to the girls.
For the first few minutes, as required, there was orientation, and then Ijin requested that the girls change into their dojos for their first lesson in basic martial arts.
Mai did not do too badly, but really; weaponry wasn't exactly what she had in mind when it came to 'exercise'.
She couldn't throw, her muscles were practically non-existent, and she was more or less weak and a bit clumsy.
After it was time to change back, every girl had a layer of sweat on them by then, Mai confronted Ijin-sensei.
"Tengtang Mai; it's such a pretty name." Ijin said; smiling down at the younger girl.
"Thank you. But I do not remember choosing this class; there must be some—." Mai began again, but Ijin pressed a finger against her lips.
"Your parents specifically ordered it. Besides, I have a feeling that you will excel in this class." She told the much younger girl.
It took Mai all of her strength not to roll her eyes; the day she would excel in weaponry was the day Iroke would confess that he was a long-lost prince.
Ty Lee: Acrobatics
This was her kind of sport; she had always been interested in acrobatics since she was young.
The teacher, a young woman who had once been in the circus, was very nice too. Katou-sensei, a retired performer in her late twenties, was a sensible woman who had a sweet and youthfully preserved face to match.
Whenever a girl would feel uncomfortable talking about something such as menstruation or sex, she was the one they came to for help and advice.
Her hair fell in dark ringlets around her ashy skin and dark eyes and she always wore loose clothing; mainly loose pants and a small top to match.
In lieu of lecturing the group of girls about acrobatics, she was telling many humorous stories about her days in the circus.
"And then the ringmaster shouts out the wrong thing while the fools in the act pull down his robes as a response to that!" Katou laughed; the other girls joining her.
To Ty Lee, the circus seemed more than just a place for visual amusement; it was a life of leisure, amusements, friendships, and freedom.
Such a freedom that, until now, she had never known.
Azula: Firebending
This was her best class; Azula obviously excelled in Firebending, so the girls there would all be green with envy before fifth hour was done.
Her teacher, Nachizumu-sensei, was a very strict lady; her hair was always stiff and coarse; a wide range of black and pure white, with a face that would have turned Medusa herself into stone.
Nearly every visible inch of her skin, which she would usually cover up in with a winter-like army uniform by Fire Nation standards, was covered in some form of a scar.
Some of the students started that if you actually got her to smile, her entire face would fall off. Another group of students say that Nachizumu-sensei hides her body and puts on a fake mask with scars on it because she had such beauty, but she did not want attention from males just because she looked good.
There were plenty of rumors, but no one honestly believed them; though it was very fun to speculate.
The minute the gong rang, signaling class had begun, she made the girls change into their dojos and stand up straight; chest out, stomachs in, chins up!
As she examined each one, she would occasionally push one or another aside for some reason.
"Too delicate. Too fat. Too short. Too ugly." She murmured; glaring down at a girl with her signature 'evil eye'.
Some of them squirmed under her critical gaze, one of them even broke down crying, but when Nachizumu got to Azula, she did not do a thing.
She had been taught pride, just tipping on the brink of arrogance, and she refused to back down to some scar-deformed lady; toughness built character.
"You have potential." Nachizumu said and then walked away without another word.
When she was done, she went back to her original spot.
"Let us start with seeing how much you know about Firebending already." Nachizumu called out.
On cue, many girls began to Firebend in a synchronizing matter.
Azula, feeling that she did not need to do such a basic move, began to show her what her private teacher had taught her.
Nachizumu slammed down her whip on Azula's back.
"All wrong, you cocky little Catin!" she barked.
The girls around her giggled; some of them scoffed at her, others just basked in her humiliation.
Azula just couldn't understand it; whenever she perfected a move that was advanced, her teachers would almost drown her with praise; why was Nachizumu-sensei yelling at her for doing better and harder moves?
By the end of class, Nachizumu had taken back her comments about her having potential and said that Azula would be nothing but a failure at Firebending in the end; dying because of her own arrogance.
Sixth Class
Mai and Ty Lee: Dance
"Welcome to dance class at the Fire Nation Royal Academy for Girls. My name is Iroke-sensei, and I will be your dance teacher in this academy until you graduate." Iroke began; his eyes sweeping the crowd of already-giggling girls.
Some of the older students were bold enough to send 'the eyes' to him, but he mainly ignored them.
He was searching for Tengtang Mai.
He had found her name in the diary after skimming the little book, only stopping to read about the parts about the royal family; particularly about Iroh or Zuko.
"Please form rows of five rows of fifteen; I would like to see how much dance you already know and will pull a few of who are stumbling out and correct them." He ordered.
There were many other catfights and scampers for the first row and to be on the outside, but fortunately, no one was hurt.
Ty Lee had observed Mai for the entire lapse of Iroke's speech; seeing that her friend would not look Iroke in the eye.
Was Iroke the teacher she ran into?
What was going on between those two, if anything?
She had infinite questions for Mai, but thought it was much better to keep her mouth shut.
When the girls began to form lines and rows, she and Mai stayed where they were and, somehow, they were standing exactly where the front row was.
'Poor Mai.' Ty Lee thought as she glanced at Iroke and knew that he had noticed them.
He was coming towards them; closer…closer…closer.
He was much taller than the seven-year old, so he kneeled down and leaned forward even more to glimpse her blushing face.
"Hello again, stranger." He half-teased; speaking in a soft, yet clear tone.
"G-Good Afternoon, sir." Mai mumbled; still looking down.
Scandalous whispers already broke out between the older girls; some sprouted from envy, others sprouted from rumors, and a few sprouted from curiosity.
"Are you a friend of Mai?" Ty Lee interjected; stepping in for her friend.
"You can say that. And you are…?" Iroke asked politely; holding out his hand.
"Akuro Ty Lee; Mai's best friend. Pleased to meet you Iroke-sensei." She said in her usual perky manner.
"Nice to meet you." Iroke said; then turned to his helper and signaled for him to start the Victrola.
It was still basic steps and Ty Lee easily knew what to do, her acrobatics training involved dancing, but Mai was needed a bit of help.
Her mother and father have always been overprotective, and somewhat strict, of her and they believed that dancing wasn't a very necessary thing to learn, as opposed to other things, for her future as a courtesan. As a result, her steps were faulty and ill-timed, she was constantly tripping over her own legs, she was always knocking into another girl or so, she grew dizzy after only one spin, and she felt even more self-conscious.
A warm hand enveloped hers and she found herself being gently pulled aside by Iroke.
"Where should I even begin?" he asked with a smile.
Her legs froze up, as did her arms, and she looked down again; stupid shyness habit.
He really did scare her a bit, maybe it was better that he told her the truth; especially after such crude rumors were being spread about them. Pushing away that thought, Iroke focused on helping Mai a bit more.
"You should take a step no bigger than one length of your head." He said; gently grasping Mai's leg from behind her knee and trying to get her to budge, but to no avail.
She must have heard some of them, judging by her stiffness.
"Come; part your legs." He said; cursing himself upon realizing the innuendo in his words.
"I am sorry you had to endure such rumors and talk about yourself and me, but please—do not be that way; I am not the man everyone thinks I am." He whispered gently; feeling her muscles slightly loosen.
Back in the group, Ty Lee and many other girls watched the two curiously; more 'hmph's of envy came from them while others speculated that the two were in love.
Others contradicted that by saying that Iroke was much older than she was; and it would be statutory for them to 'be' be together.
After he sent Mai back, he pulled out a third-year girl; telling her that she shouldn't do the double-spin so quickly if she wanted to appear graceful.
After the song was over, Iroke divided the girls by years they had trained with him and began to teach the oldest ones while the other groups taught the younger girls.
Thank Agni that Iroke did not choose her as his volunteer when he got to the first-year group; Mai shoved Ty Lee in front of her and he apparently got the message.
She just wanted to get out of the dance room, this second encounter with Iroke freaking her out even more, as soon as possible.
The gong rang and Mai was about to dash out the door when his voice called out.
"Mai; please stay for a moment. I would like to talk to you about a few matters."
Azula: Etiquette
"I expected better from a princess." Rimé snapped at Azula.
Princesses, in her opinion, should have been able to play a flute from when they could actually move their fingers individually and blow their breaths.
Azula, about to burn her flute, only grit her teeth and kept looking at her music sheet.
As she learned in her previous five classes, it was not good to snap back at the teacher; she could complain to her father, but he probably wouldn't do anything; he always supported the idea of his prodigy getting lessons that would make her into a 'well-rounded' princess.
Rimé did not stop, though; all throughout the lesson, she pushed Azula to the front of the class and made her show the class what a lady should NOT do when entertaining guests with music.
At last the gong rang.
As Azula dashed out of the room and to her dormitory, she remembered what, at least who, she was going back to; her three hellish roommates with the names of Amaeru, Hinagata, and Kiza.
Terrific.
Free Time
Ty Lee: Her Room
Ty Lee sat down on her bed; feeling something prodding at the back of her thighs.
Lifting the sheets off of her bed, she saw that it was a sweet wrapped in red foil and a letter from her mother.
She tossed the candy aside and broke the seal on the letter reading it.
She could not believe her eyes.
Azula: Her Dormitory
Azula, now, was locked out of her room; courtesy of Kiza, Hinagata, and Amaeru.
Damn them all!
The teachers had prohibited her from going into the suite hallway, which meant that she could not visit Ty Lee, and Mai was still in the dance class, as Ty Lee told her.
Despite the situation, Azula smiled wryly.
Mai had always been the terrible dancer; Iroke would probably kick her out as well.
Mai: Iroke's 'office'
This was becoming a bit uncomfortable for her; he was now holding her hand as if she were a little child!
After he had beckoned her to stay, he suddenly decided that their conversation would be more 'private' in his so-called office.
"Close the door, won't you?" Iroke asked of her when they stepped into his room.
Mai shut it, but not to the point of where she would have to turn the knob in order to bolt out; he probably would have caught her if she tried to run if she had to waste a few precious seconds turning the knob and throwing the door open.
After carefully putting the door in place, she turned and looked around Iroke's chambers.
They looked similar to the ones Ty Lee had, but his were much more grandly made over; as if he were high nobility.
On a table in the lower left corner there were many boxes of sweets; obviously presents from other girls.
"Yes?" Mai demanded; already wanting to get out as soon as possible.
"You are a very peculiar girl, Tengtang Mai, and you intrigue me." Iroke began; his eyes, as Mai felt, stripping her down so he would see all of her flaws, her self-conscious thoughts, so many secrets that she held inside, and her nervousness in being around him.
"I'm…flattered?" Mai said it as more of a question than a comment; sure, probably a lot of other girls would be swooning or jumping for joy if Iroke said such words to them, but when you're creeped out by him; not so much.
He chuckled softly at that remark.
"We'll have to fix that, also. But it seems that you are not formally educated in dance." He told her.
"I'm not; my parents believe that dance isn't exactly necessary for me to…" Mai stopped; if that wasn't the worst thing to say at this time, then nothing was.
"I partially agree with your parents, but nobility should be able to dance for all of the celebrations and fêtes; especially at the academy. Since you have begun to learn dance later than many girls, I propose that you should take private lessons." Iroke said; meaning every word seriously.
It was not going to be anything except for some lessons to try and catch her up to the other girls already coming to the academy.
"Uh—." Mai replied; honestly not knowing what to say.
"I have already spoken with the headmistress about giving private lessons to undereducated students and she has agreed to it. How about you stay for a few extra minutes, say fifteen or twenty, every day after your scheduled dance class and also meet me on Saturdays after your half days are over?" he proposed.
"That is fine." Mai replied; turning so she could see the door.
"Tomorrow, then; you may go back." He told her as he sat on his bed and began to remove his shoes.
Instead of her original intention, Mai did not bolt out of the room; she only walked slowly and soon found herself wandering around the academy.
By the time she had found her way back, dinner was about to begin and she had to hurriedly change into her dinner robe.
There were a lot of clothes for many different occasions; even some for events as little as dinner and tea time.
Dinner: The Great Hall
For Dinner, special tables with rotating tops attached had been moved out and there were large vegetable leaves for wraps and there were standard ingredients for the filling; teriyaki chicken, white rice, green onions, parsley, soft and thinly sliced vegetables, fish, and sauce. Aside from the specialty, there was wanton soup.
Ty Lee, Mai and Azula sat as a group with twelve other girls and, as they filled their lettuce leaves with food, told each other about their first day at the academy.
"And I was locked out until Kiza burst out in her gaudy robe and was about to go to dinner!" Azula ranted.
"So, Mai; what did Iroke-sensei want with you?" Ty Lee asked.
Mai suddenly became focused on her lettuce wrap.
Tea Time: The Great Hall
"I won't tell; I promise." Ty Lee insisted as she bowed in thanks for the tea given to her by the head of the table.
The student of the top seniority of every table was expected to pour tea for her 'younger sisters' to give them an example of what a lady should do.
Mai took her cup of tea and took it a bit too much, too quickly.
She spat it out; sticking out her tongue, and moaned softly in pain; cursing that she had let her thoughts wander too much.
Nightly Process: The Bathhouse
"Really, Mai; tell me." Ty Lee pressed.
The two girls were next to one another on low stools and washing themselves with cloths.
"It was…nothing; really." Mai persisted; rubbing the washcloth against her right arm.
"Then why did you stay for so long; until it was nearly time for dinner?" Ty Lee asked.
"I was wandering around and got lost after what he suggested; that was all." Mai replied; lifting the bucket of warm water next to her stool.
"What did he say, then?"
At that moment, Mai chose to dump the bucket on her head; having an excuse to not speak.
Now, she needed to focus on brushing the tangles out of her soaked hair.
Curfew
Azula
Something was moving beneath her so-called 'bed' made of dirty clothes.
Azula heard something too; like the hissing of a kettle filled with boiling water.
She shifted, and saw a snake poised to strike at her feet.
She screamed, all of the lights in the room suddenly flaring on, and awoke three newly pissed off girls.
"What do you think you are doing?" Hinagata demanded.
Azula pointed to the object at her feet.
"It is your tangled sash." Amaeru said; rolling her eyes in disgust and tugging the sheets over her body again.
"Screechy little bitch, isn't she?" Kiza murmured; extinguishing the lights.
Ty Lee
No matter how much she tried to lull herself to sleep, she just could not believe it.
Earlier that day, her parents had sent her a letter with a traditional sweet that was a sign that she was betrothed; but Ty Lee failed to notice that because she had too preoccupied with doing her homework and wondering about the strange 'romance' involving Mai and their dance teacher.
All she knew about her future husband, her mother had kept him very vague, was that he was in the army, a very rich and prominent man already, and many years older than she was.
She hoped that whatever happened with her father didn't repeat with him.
Mai
"Mai." Jinai whispered. Mai opened her eyes.
"Hmm?" she asked.
"What did Iroke want?" the older girl asked.
"He…said that I should take some private lessons in dance from him since I was undereducated." Mai whispered; a bit ashamed at the fact.
"Oh."
There was silence again.
"Well, if you ever do see him in a state of undress, can you tell me if he is as well-endowed as he is rumored to be?" Jinai asked; giggling when she saw the girl flush redder than Fire Nation armor.
Great; now she, Mai, would lose nights of sleep on pondering about Iroke's…guy part.
Then it hit her; Iroke still had her diary.
Such an exciting first day, was it not?
Review, please.