On the first day of Christmas
Title: Merry Dies Natalis Solis Invicti
Fandom: Avatar the Last Airbender
Characters: Ursa, Ozai, Mai, Azula
Rating: G
Word Count:
Summary: Ursa does not enjoy family holidays.
Merry Dies Natalis Solis Invicti
***
Ursa hadn't yet figured out if this was Zuko's plan or if this was Iroh's plan. As soon as she figured out which, though, she was nailing one or both of them to the wall outside. Possibly she would dump Ozai out in the snow with them, if he didn't stop trying to climb into the damn fireplace. On the other hand, at least it was better than anything else he could be doing, up to and including interacting with either of their children.
She hadn't wanted a family get-together for Dies Natalis Solis Invicti. That was because she was the only sane person in the family, it seemed. She had known this was a bad idea from the beginning, and she had argued strenuously against it in the letters to both her son and her brother-in-law. (Her husband, unsurprisingly, had agreed with her completely.)
Neither her son nor her brother-in-law had actually listened to her, of course. So now Ursa was in the back of the teashop with Ozai, the fire, and the rum Bato had gifted to her in one of his more Fire Nation-loathing moments.
"If your hair catches on fire, I am just going to laugh," she growled, tipping the rum into her coffee. She eyed the coffee critically, drained it down to half, then filled it to the brim again from the bottle.
Ozai grumbled something at her that reduced down to "too cold" if she ignored all the swearing.
There was a brief brightening of light and a blast of noise as someone pushed open the door into the kitchen. Ursa lifted her head to glare at the invader, but her expression softened as she saw Mai standing there. The young woman shut the door behind her, then clenched her fists. Two long needles flashed out of her sleeves and slammed into the floor, digging a quarter of the way in.
"I'm going to kill Zuko," she said as calmly as if she were discussing the weather.
Ozai leaned out to look at her with something too like interest. Ursa tossed a glare his way on general principle, before picking up her rum-and-coffee. "Why is that, Mai?"
"This," she said flatly. "All of this. We should be in the Fire Nation right now, not in Ba Sing Se of all places."
"I know," Ursa said. "Would you like some coffee?"
Mai frowned at her.
"When my wife says coffee, what she means is rum," Ozai said drily.
Mai paused, and her frown changed as she looked at Ozai. Then she glanced at Ursa. "-Does he normally climb into the fireplace like that?"
"Only during the winter." Ursa frowned at her mostly empty coffee cup, then topped it off with rum again. "Apparently he'd rather burn than be cold."
"Understandable," Mai said softly and crossed the kitchen to pull down a pair of teacups. She set one aside and held the other out to Ursa.
Ursa poured it half-full of rum, then frowned at how empty her bottle was getting. She would perhaps have to go drape herself all over Hakoda again. Maybe convince Ozai to do the same. It really was very good rum, and she had no idea how Bato thought it was supposed to punish her. But Water Tribesmen were strange.
The door opened again, and Azula surveyed the kitchen. She scowled silently at Mai and Ursa both, then kicked the door shut behind her. She ignored them both and lurched over to the fireplace, crawling inside and curling up next to her father. The flames turned blue and surrounded them both.
For a moment, Ozai looked so taken aback that it tugged at Ursa's heart. Then one hand settled in the middle of Azula's back, and her daughter smiled softly.
Ursa smiled herself and poured the rest of the rum into her empty coffee-cup. "Have you been enjoying the party, Azula?"
"No. Why did I have to be here?"
"Because so did I," Ursa said at the same time Mai said, "Because I had to be."
Azula snorted and nestled closer to her father. "Stupid."
Ursa saw no reason to disagree at all.
-End-
Fandom: Avatar the Last Airbender
Characters: Ursa, Ozai, Mai, Azula
Rating: G
Word Count:
Summary: Ursa does not enjoy family holidays.
Merry Dies Natalis Solis Invicti
***
Ursa hadn't yet figured out if this was Zuko's plan or if this was Iroh's plan. As soon as she figured out which, though, she was nailing one or both of them to the wall outside. Possibly she would dump Ozai out in the snow with them, if he didn't stop trying to climb into the damn fireplace. On the other hand, at least it was better than anything else he could be doing, up to and including interacting with either of their children.
She hadn't wanted a family get-together for Dies Natalis Solis Invicti. That was because she was the only sane person in the family, it seemed. She had known this was a bad idea from the beginning, and she had argued strenuously against it in the letters to both her son and her brother-in-law. (Her husband, unsurprisingly, had agreed with her completely.)
Neither her son nor her brother-in-law had actually listened to her, of course. So now Ursa was in the back of the teashop with Ozai, the fire, and the rum Bato had gifted to her in one of his more Fire Nation-loathing moments.
"If your hair catches on fire, I am just going to laugh," she growled, tipping the rum into her coffee. She eyed the coffee critically, drained it down to half, then filled it to the brim again from the bottle.
Ozai grumbled something at her that reduced down to "too cold" if she ignored all the swearing.
There was a brief brightening of light and a blast of noise as someone pushed open the door into the kitchen. Ursa lifted her head to glare at the invader, but her expression softened as she saw Mai standing there. The young woman shut the door behind her, then clenched her fists. Two long needles flashed out of her sleeves and slammed into the floor, digging a quarter of the way in.
"I'm going to kill Zuko," she said as calmly as if she were discussing the weather.
Ozai leaned out to look at her with something too like interest. Ursa tossed a glare his way on general principle, before picking up her rum-and-coffee. "Why is that, Mai?"
"This," she said flatly. "All of this. We should be in the Fire Nation right now, not in Ba Sing Se of all places."
"I know," Ursa said. "Would you like some coffee?"
Mai frowned at her.
"When my wife says coffee, what she means is rum," Ozai said drily.
Mai paused, and her frown changed as she looked at Ozai. Then she glanced at Ursa. "-Does he normally climb into the fireplace like that?"
"Only during the winter." Ursa frowned at her mostly empty coffee cup, then topped it off with rum again. "Apparently he'd rather burn than be cold."
"Understandable," Mai said softly and crossed the kitchen to pull down a pair of teacups. She set one aside and held the other out to Ursa.
Ursa poured it half-full of rum, then frowned at how empty her bottle was getting. She would perhaps have to go drape herself all over Hakoda again. Maybe convince Ozai to do the same. It really was very good rum, and she had no idea how Bato thought it was supposed to punish her. But Water Tribesmen were strange.
The door opened again, and Azula surveyed the kitchen. She scowled silently at Mai and Ursa both, then kicked the door shut behind her. She ignored them both and lurched over to the fireplace, crawling inside and curling up next to her father. The flames turned blue and surrounded them both.
For a moment, Ozai looked so taken aback that it tugged at Ursa's heart. Then one hand settled in the middle of Azula's back, and her daughter smiled softly.
Ursa smiled herself and poured the rest of the rum into her empty coffee-cup. "Have you been enjoying the party, Azula?"
"No. Why did I have to be here?"
"Because so did I," Ursa said at the same time Mai said, "Because I had to be."
Azula snorted and nestled closer to her father. "Stupid."
Ursa saw no reason to disagree at all.
-End-