Who: Azula and Iroh Where: the office What: accidentally outing Azula, serious discussions When: 2/19, evening Warnings/Rating: R for prolonged staring at naked women Status complete
Iroh was tired after the long day he’d had. He was an old man, it was well past his bedtime. Still, the work was done, all he had to do was make a drop, write up a report, and get out of there.
The dropbox was in the office next to Auzla’s. He wasn’t surprised to see the light on, Ozai was a hard worker, it was the one trait they both shared.
Azula's work had ended hours ago. She'd decided to celebrate by once again attempting to bring a girl home. And for once, she'd succeeded. It might have helped that she had a fancy office and wasn't afraid to impress to gain success, as her usual method of sticking her foot into her mouth tended to fail miserably. Maybe Rarity was rubbing off on her.
Didn't matter, she had a half naked girl on her desk and was shrugging out of her own top.
Iroh made the cash drop and decided to pay his favorite niece a visit. It was Friday night, she should be out being young and enjoying herself, not stuck in the office all night. He didn’t bother to knock, even though he should, because he was used to running the show, and still hadn’t adjusted to the idea he didn’t anymore.
He was smiling as he went in, but his expression turned to shock when he saw the scene laid out before him. “Oh, Azula. Good evening.”
Azula froze, her eyes widening as she recognized that voice. The brunette who's breasts she'd been so interested in turned to gasp at the intruder.
She covered her own chest as she straightened. Her hair was only the slightest bit tousled and her voice sounded bored, with an undercurrent of ice. "Uncle. What a pleasant surprise."
“It is indeed. I’ll. . .” He was staring a little at the stranger on the desk. How long had it been since he’d been in Azula’s position? It didn’t bear thinking about. “Show myself out.”
“Oh, no, stay,” Azula said sarcastically. She buttoned her shirt back up, and glanced at the girl. “Uncle Iroh, this is...I forgot your name. Did I get your name?” She looked mildly annoyed at that. She thought that she should have gotten that.
“It’s not important, Azula. Enjoy your evening.” This time, he actually did leave, because the poor girl looked like she wanted to die of shame.
He loosened the collar of his shirt. “Hmmmm, perhaps I need a hobby or something similar.” His paperwork could wait, he’d no doubt get a lot of grief over this, so he might as well try to relax.
The brunette hopped to her feet, retrieving her shirt and pulling it on hurriedly. She gave Azula a look. "Don't call me." She stormed out. Azula leaned against the desk, squeezing her eyes shut.
The girl brushed past Iroh, though she gave him an appraising look. He was rather hot for an older gentleman.
Iroh shook his head. “Keep walking.” He went back into the office, because it was the right thing to do. “I’m sorry, Azula. I only intended to encourage you to enjoy yourself.” Which he’d then messed up by getting lost in some strange girl’s cleavage. It was embarrassing for them both. “Are you alright?”
She lifted her head, and shrugged her shoulder. “I’m fine, Uncle.” She wondered if he’d tell Ozai. If he had already about Zuko. She didn’t think he would have, but there was always a risk and she couldn’t talk her way out of this one. She was too put out to really even try to manipulate it. “It felt wrong anyway. She was just the only one to fall for my charm.”
He nodded and sat down across the desk from her. “It’s difficult finding the person you really connect with. Obviously she wasn’t the right person.” His tone was understanding. He’d been young once, himself. “Is she the kind of person you’re looking for?” Despite himself, his tone was a little sad. Their family line would die if Ozai’s children didn’t have children of their own. If what she’d said about Zuko was true, that seemed to be a distinct possibility.
"Brunette, cute and cheerful? Yes." Azula sat down, pulling out a mirror to make sure her hair was just so. "Boys are okay, I guess. I can never talk to them very well." Or girls for that matter, but at least with girls she felt something more than boredom. She looked at him over her compact. “If I had to choose a life partner, I know what she’d be like. If I was forced to choose a husband, then I know what sort I want.” She had no illusions that her father wouldn’t try to arrange something if he had to, for political reasons if nothing else.
Iroh’s face remained calm, but that was the moment he decided Ozai was going down. No matter what he had to do, for the sake of his niece and nephew, he was going to regain control of the family. What was the point of having children with someone you couldn’t love? “Is there a particular woman you’re interested in?”
She's not here, Azula almost said, and there was a sudden, unexpected sadness in her eyes. She lied, "No. No one." She knew me better than I knew myself and was always smarter than she let on.
Iroh nodded. “Well, the only advice I can give is that it is not worth being with someone you don’t love. That one was cute, but the difference between being with someone you love and being with anyone else is the difference between a silk robe and a burlap sack.”
Azula chewed on her lip for a moment, then sighed. She set her compact down, and tapped her finger on the desk. “I may have to settle for a burlap sack if I’m to have anyone at all, Uncle. It’s better than being alone.”
Iroh shook his head. “Perhaps. If you do find someone who means a lot to you, don’t let them go. It’s the best way to turn into an old person with many regrets.” He stood up again. “I am up past my bedtime, Azula. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Uncle.” Azula said it as a sort of half-command and half-question. She got to her feet, peering at him with intense eyes. The coldness in them seemed to melt a little. “When you look at me. Really look at me, what do you see? Mother used to think I was a monster.”
“I see my niece.” He said, giving her a level, even stare. “A young woman with a life ahead of her which she can build in whatever direction she wants. Someone whose inner strength is enormous, a strong woman who could be a great leader. We all have faults, and those that I see in you are not monstrous if you don’t let them become so.”
He moved around the desk, so he could put his hands on Azula’s shoulders. “I see someone who deserves love and happiness, who had no way to get either, and suffered for the lack.”
“I see who I could be, if the world were different. I see it when I sleep.” She looked into Iroh’s eyes. “You’ll dream, too, Uncle. I’m sure of it. And you’ll think me a monster too.”
Her voice didn’t shake, and was filled with a great deal of certainty, and resignation.
“There is only one monster in this family, dear girl, and it is not you.” His voice was certain, and he held her gaze. “I’m sorry I was not there for you more, that I let distance come between us. You and Zuko are the only children I will ever help raise, and I have failed you both.”
“You’ve done better than you think, old man.” Azula favored him with a smile. For once it lacked any malice or manipulative intent. “Especially with Zuzu.”
“I worry about him.” Iroh admitted. “He’s not like us, I don’t think he’s cut out for the duties he must take on in this family.” He sighed. Zuko was a little bit of a sore subject, since Iroh still hadn’t heard a word from him. “I really must go now. Get some rest, we’ll have a lot on our hands tomorrow.”
She nodded, a little stiffly. She still didn’t know how to approach some people, and Iroh was one of them. Seeing herself in a virtual mirror had made her more cautious, with herself and with others. She wondered if her uncle would really be an ally, or if that was a bridge that had been burned too much.
Iroh gave her one last fond smile before he stepped out into the hall. He needed to make a few more calls before bed. He hoped to never see such a lost and sad face on a child again. “How could someone so blessed take it for granted, when others are looking with envy at the things he’s abusing?”