Wild At Heart (Zuko)

Chapter One

Kali follows Iroh as he leads her through the little village. She gets a few looks from those that they pass. She has no shoes and she bears the collar and gauntlets that mark her as a slave. They know where she stands in the order of the world. At the bottom. Right down there in the dirt. She lets out a breath and wraps an arm around herself. He leads her to a small hut, though it is in a lot better condition compared to Raya's. A little on the larger size too.

........

Zuko sits meditating inside the hut, his legs crossed, his hands resting palm up on the tops of his knees. A lit flame on the table in front of him rises and falls with his breaths. He can hear footsteps on the other side of the door and assumes it is going to be his uncle, who else would have a reason to come to this house? He stands from where he has been meditating and pulls on his shirt as he moves to the door.

"Uncle, did you get......?" Zuko pauses when he opens the door. It is not his uncle on the other side of the door. It's a young woman with green skin and long red hair. Very much a far cry from his father, but he has no idea who she is. He frowns. "Who are you?" He asks. "What are you doing here?" She turns and looks at Iroh as he climbs the little step to join her.

"Ah, I see you've met Kali" Iroh offers with a smile. Kali gives Zuko a tense and nervous smile when she turns back at him. "Go on in," Iroh tells her and motions for Zuko to let her through. Zuko frowns but does it, mostly because he's too confused to argue about this.

.....

Iroh monitors a cooking pot set up over an open fire. Soup cooking away. Zuko hovers nearby, his eyes on Kali. Just cautious about her. He turns back to Iroh and gives him a look. Wanting answers as to why his uncle has brought this female into his hut.

"The last of our money, you spent on a..." Zuko looks at Kali as she sits on the edge of the bed, looking rather out of place. "Slave girl?"

"And food" Iroh defends as he stirs at the pot over the fire before replacing the lid. "I did get us food" Zuko lets out a breath and looks at his uncle.

"And why the girl?"

"Who knows" Iroh answers, Zuko lets out a breath in annoyance. Because Iroh knows. He knows full well why he bought that girl.

"Do you know why is she green?" Zuko asks, Iroh shoots him a look.

"Youth today" Iroh comments. "They never remember anything they are told" He goes back to setting up dinner whilst Zuko just stares at him. Nothing is ever straightforward with his uncle. Kali moves towards them, not happy sitting and doing nothing.

"You shouldn't be doing that" Kali comments, Iroh frowns. "They...I normally have to....cook"

"Not today" He argues and motions to a pillow on the floor. "Sit...I'll bring it over" Zuko watches Kali as she paces instead of sits. She seems unable to sit and do nothing. Iroh focuses on his soup.

"She looks about ready to implode, Uncle" Zuko comments. "Maybe you should have let her cook" Iroh looks at Kali who really does look about ready to explode. She's not used to doing nothing. She is usually given a list of tasks that she is meant to do. She knows it's her first day and everything.

"Sit," Iroh tells Kali firmer, she clenches her jaw and her hands before she drops onto the pillow immediately and hangs her head. "Did you see that?" Iroh asks Zuko who sighs and shakes his head. "She doesn't like orders" Iroh comments. "She's not built to be a slave, Zuko...And she's not here to work" Iroh scolds Zuko.

"Then why am I here?" Kali asks him. Iroh and Zuko look at her. "Why did you buy me?" Iroh stands and moves to where Kali is sat, he kneels in front of her, her eyes calm but cautious. Studying him. Watching him. He reaches up and she leans back, he gives her a look, wanting her to trust him here. She lets out a breath and nods. He moves his hands to the back of her neck where he undoes the collar around her neck and she reaches up, touching her throat. Unsure about what he's doing.

"I....." Iroh starts and then sighs. "I didn't buy you to continue keeping you as a slave" She frowns at him. "I bought you...to free you," He tells her. "Stay here if you wish....or leave.....it's up to you now"

"I don't understand" She whispers. "You bought me....but you don't...want to keep me?" He hums and nods, moving back to sit with Zuko who is just as confused as Kali about all of this. She touches her neck, she can't see it but she feels as though there is a mark where her collar had been. Iroh grabs three bowls and ladles out the soup into them, holding one out to Zuko who takes it.

"Now, come and eat with us" Iroh offers, holding out a bowl of soup towards Kali. She lets out a breath and moves closer to them, taking the bowl from him as she sits cross-legged on the floor with them. "You can take them off too, if you want" He taps the metal gauntlets on her wrists. She looks at them before shifting her eyes to the soup. She doesn't know about this. She feels like it's wrong. That this is some kind of test. She doesn't want to get it wrong.