Letters From Iroh

Letter

Dear Bao,

It has been a while since I last wrote to you. I have had so much to say, and so little time to write. I found the time in between the solstice's passing and the current day. It is mid-day, the sun is at its zenith, and realistically, I should be training now. Firebending training has gotten less rigorous since my grandfather's re-introduction of classical techniques, yet I still find it difficult to rise in the morning so early for the duties of the ship, and then engage fully in training by noon. Surprisingly, it is cold here, though the sun beats strongly upon the deck of the ship. We are closing in on the northern water tribe, to plan a visit with the avatar. The icy blue waters remind me of our last encounter. I will always remember that day fondly. The sun on that day shone brightly as well, though it was warm, warm on the sands of the beach. You remember don't you? Can you find the time to write me back this time? I miss your frequent correspondence. I know things are busy now for you, with your brother getting married. I know you most likely don't want to waste your time pursuing me, or whatever you think of me. My offer still stands. Please consider it, and write me back soon.

With Love,

General Iroh II

I looked down at the letter in my hand, wet again from my immediate neglect to dry my hands before eagerly, yet cautiously opening it. Iroh. He always wrote to me at the worst times. Matki was getting married. I was happy with my life again. I was home. I couldn't leave my family another time. Not again. No. No. No. I squinted my eyes shut, thinking back to the encounter Iroh mentioned in the letter. That wasn't the first time we met. It was a happier time than the first, but it wasn't sad the first time either. What was it with this man? He was nice, loyal, brave, and everything I wanted, but was unable to understand how I felt about him. He was so far away, and I wanted to be with him, but I just simply could not fathom how he'd want to be with someone like me. Someone so, average.

I looked into the sky. Here, it was mid-evening. The sun was just starting to dip below the mountains, and a slight chill blew in from the north. Little blips of dragon-fire-fly light speckled the scene. I could smell the roast my father was cooking on the balcony of the deck of my family's house. I wasn't that hungry. Sometimes the smell of food is better than the taste. I looked down at my feet. They were muddy, yet warm. At least I had remembered to bend the water off of them after I practiced the same move I couldn't get down. It wasn't snowing here, but I still was trying to make the water-runner board with my bending. "Iroh is all the way in the northern sea, and I'm stuck here, trying to waterbend a nonexistent piece of ice. Great. I'm the winner in this situation." I mumbled to myself. I glanced to my left, and saw my brother Matki approaching with his... fiancé. "Well at least he can get someone to love him...someone that is here and not half a world away." I thought.

Matki shot a clever look over his shoulder and belted "THINK FAST SIS", before chucking a glob of semi-frozen water at me.

"Ugh, Mat, why? Can't you see I have a piece of paper here? You're gonna ruin it!" I yelped, using my right hand to bend the water slowly out of Iroh's letter. "The ink bled."

"Sorry B, I guess I was just super pumped. Dad's making his oh-so-wonderful pork-beef-chops tonight. Aren't you just enthralled?"

"Obviously." Dad's pork-beef-chops were terrible. He was usually a good cook, but these weren't good.

"Who's the letter from? You boyfriend? "Matki cooed, sarcastically mocking me. "You know, that one who so valiantly rescued you that day and after you dated him for a while you got scared and ran away from commitment and moved back here. The handsome, sexy, valiant, wonderful, am-"

I had a small amount of water still in my waterbending bag, which I managed to chuck at Matki's head. I froze it over his mouth, but, like always, that didn't last for long. He melted it without even lifting a finger.

"Watch it sis. You know I could whoop your ass without even trying. Don't push your luck."

"I used to beat you up all the time. When did you get so good at waterbending? You used to not care about it at all. I spend most of my days here learning about spirits, and meditating, and practicing forms till my arms are sore. You don't even lift a finger and you've bloodbent so many hamster-gerbils into submission that I think you've turned into a Noatak-ish jerk who doesn't care about ANYTHING! I try so hard and you...you just...excel without doing ANYTHING! I hope one day I get something on you. I really do. "My voice was quivering. I felt like hitting him.

"Woah, sis. Calm down. Why so glum? I'm getting married in a few days and Kyaala has made you her maid of honor. What's all the fuss about?"

Oh. Crap. I forgot about Kyaala standing right there. Oops.

"Sorry, Ky. I forgot you went out of your way to make me feel included. I really appreciate that."

"Bao, I didn't go out of my way." Kyaala sternly said. "You're the nicest girl I know. You have such a big heart."

"My dad always says that..." I said limply.

"Well it's true!" Matki said with emphasis. "You're amazing. Don't cry, sis." Matki walked over to me, putting his arm around my shoulder. "Why are you sad anyway?"

"Iroh wrote me again." I quivered. "I love him Mat, I don't know what to tell him. He writes me all the time, but I just can't write him back. I'm scared to say that I love him, but I'm scared to lie and say I don't. I just don't want to make anyone mad. He's so famous it's gross. So many girls love him. What made him like me? I suck at waterbending, and I can't even keep a job due to fear that I'll fail. Why would he like me, Mat? What could possibly..." Matki had started walking me toward the house, luring me to the food. He knew it'd cheer me up to see my dad's own face when trying to eat his terrible meat.

"B, you're beautiful and nice. Let me see the letter." I handed it to him, and he scanned it up and down, stopped halfway and stared at me. "Sis. It's obvious this guy thinks you're as amazing as we do. What's so bad about writing him back? What could go wrong?"

"I could lose. I could look stupid to the public. People would hate me because I'm with a man who's way better than me. Remember that one girl he liked a while ago? She was flawless. She even dated the avatar's ex-boyfriend. I'll look like he settled. I'm average, and I just feel like if I write him, he'll stop caring because he'll see that I'm too normal for him."

"Bao, I mean this in the nicest way possible. You are so far from normal it's gross."

"Very funny. Oh okay... I trailed off, looking fondly at the moon. By this time, the sun had set, and a glowing full moon shone through the small wisps of clouds covering the tips of the mountains. I bet it looked huge out on Iroh's ship. Maybe he was writing by candlelight. Ew... I thought. sappy stuff...that's something I can't deal with either. I turned back to look at Matki. "I guess I can write him back...later... Let's go eat some burnt-to-a-crisp dead cow-pig."

"See? not a normal thing to say."

I could hear Kyaala's bell-like laugh as we started climbing the stairs up to the deck. A chill breeze weaved through my hair, blowing it back off my face. "I will write him." I thought. "I just hope he still writes me back."