𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐓𝐒 • [ general iroh II x oc ]

Eyes

Iroh was a man of his word, when they set off to the Fire Nation that next morning, he made sure to ensure new clothes and essentials would be there for her when they got there.

Aria didn't really spend most time out of his room, and that was for two reasons.

One, she didn't want to get in the way of anything or anyone on the ship.

Two, she came to the painful realization that she was prone to get sea sick. Badly.

So between her nerves about being in a new nation, with a man, a prince no less, and her physical condition, her stomach was in knots the whole trip without fail.

After three days, she stepped out into the hot sun of the fire nation, the docks busy, her legs shaky. She had gotten new clothes, makeup, everything she needed.

Iroh led Aria through the streets of the Fire Nation capital, his hand on the small of her back as he guided her through the unfamiliar city.

The sunlight filtered through the tall, spiraled rooftops of the traditional Fire Nation buildings, casting a warm glow on the streets below. Aria's eyes widened as she took in the sights and sounds of the city, a mixture of awe and fascination on her face.

She was wearing more civilized fire nation clothing. She wore a sleeveless high cut white shirt that had red and white accents on the seams, it hugged her torso flatteringly. With that, she wore a low waisted, red flowy skirt that fell from her right knee to her left mid calf. Her long dark hair was down and straight.

"It's beautiful." She hummed, looking around, observing the Capitol.

Iroh nodded in agreement, a fond smile on his lips. "It really is," He said, his eyes scanning the cityscape around them. "This city has been a center of Fire Nation culture and history for centuries. It's good to be back." He pointed towards a towering building in the distance, its red and white spiraling rooftops reaching towards the sky. "That's the Imperial Palace," He explained. "It's where the Fire Lord, my mother, and my family reside."

"And you really grew up there?"

"Yeah, I said a lot of space to work with."

She smiled and nudged his shoulder with her own. "Still not enough room to fit your ginormous ego."

"I thought we were passed all of that?"

She shrugged. "Couldn't help myself."

"And it was big, but, not empty." Iroh chuckled at her question, his eyes filled with nostalgia. "It wasn't always just my family living there," He explained. "There were servants, guards, advisors, and all sorts of people working behind the scenes. Growing up there, I had access to anything I could possibly want, and I took full advantage of it. I explored every inch of that palace, climbed every rooftop, and got into a fair share of trouble along the way."

"Sounds like you couldn't hold still." She laughed. Her out his arm around her waist as they walked through town. "Our childhoods were similar in that sense." She smiled. "Only, my home had only two rooms, and causing trouble was a right of passage." Her arm going around his waist as they walked as well.

"One of my fondest memories was secretly training a baby saber-tooth moose lion that I found in the palace gardens. It ended up escaping into the palace corridors."

Aria laughed. "When I was 15, me and my friends hot wired my moms boyfriend's motorcycle, and we drove it into the ocean by accident." She hummed. "Beat that." She smirked. He scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Well, I may not have tried to drive a motorcycle into the ocean, but I did once attempt to ride a komodo rhino through the palace corridors. Let's just say it didn't go as smoothly as I had planned." He chuckled, a hint of mischief gleaming in his eyes.