He was still thinking about what Cable had told him a few months back. How many real friends did he have here, who'd have his back when it came to it. Luke, possibly, but who else? Not that he needed anyone, but well it nagged at him a little.
So he was happy to run into a distraction, drawing his gun-blade with relish as he approached the man and the boar.
The boar started pawing the ground, clearly gearing up to charge. Iroh slowly rose to his feet and adopted a fighting stance, preparing to use his firebending to scare the creature off.
"Don't worry," he told the stranger. "I've got this."
He focused his breath and let loose his Breath of Fire -
But nothing came. Something, somehow, had blocked his chi and all access to his firebending. He felt a moment of bone-chilling fear.
"On second thought, help would be very much appreciated!"
Seifer charged at the same time, sliding in front of Iroh, with his blade raised, to meet the animal head on.
The flat of the blade met the boar's lowered head with enough force to drive the animal to the ground and, as Seifer raised his gunblade for the finishing blow, the boar turned tail and fled.
"Yeah, you better run," Seifer shouted after him triumphantly, Iroh seemingly forgotten for the moment. "Coward."
And then he turned back around to greet the new arrival.
Iroh would have been more impressed if he hadn't been distracted by the blockage of his chi. The only time he had ever been without his firebending was in the spiritworld. He felt...bereft without it. Incomplete. How had it been blocked? Why?
He forced such thoughts to the back of his mind when the stranger turned to him.
"Thank you very much for your help, kind sir," he said. "I was very lucky you happened to come by."
"It's a prison island," Seifer explained briskly, eager to get this dull conversation over with. "You arrive here and then you leave. Noone knows how long it will take or why you were picked. It just happens."
"Most people live over that way," he added with a gesture of his arm. "I'm sure you can find someone to show you around."
Normally, Iroh would have let the other man go, since he clearly had no interest in helping further. But hunger and the change in climate had drained him, and he didn't really want to spend another few hours wandering because he didn't get proper directions.
"How much farther that way, if I may ask?" he asked, rubbing his (quite toned, now) belly. "It's been awhile since I've last eaten, and I'm feeling a little weak."
Well that was all of Seifer's knowledge about Fire Nation politics pretty much used up, not that he would let it stop him.
"Well," he continued casually, "maybe we can't afford to wait him out, maybe it's time the old man took a long retirement. Gave the Fire Nation some new leadership."
He was still thinking about what Cable had told him a few months back. How many real friends did he have here, who'd have his back when it came to it. Luke, possibly, but who else? Not that he needed anyone, but well it nagged at him a little.
So he was happy to run into a distraction, drawing his gun-blade with relish as he approached the man and the boar.
"Need a hand there?"
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"Don't worry," he told the stranger. "I've got this."
He focused his breath and let loose his Breath of Fire -
But nothing came. Something, somehow, had blocked his chi and all access to his firebending. He felt a moment of bone-chilling fear.
"On second thought, help would be very much appreciated!"
The boar charged.
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The flat of the blade met the boar's lowered head with enough force to drive the animal to the ground and, as Seifer raised his gunblade for the finishing blow, the boar turned tail and fled.
"Yeah, you better run," Seifer shouted after him triumphantly, Iroh seemingly forgotten for the moment. "Coward."
And then he turned back around to greet the new arrival.
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He forced such thoughts to the back of his mind when the stranger turned to him.
"Thank you very much for your help, kind sir," he said. "I was very lucky you happened to come by."
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"Most exciting thing to happen here in weeks," he added bitterly.
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How tedious.
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"So it would seem," Iroh agreed.
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"Most people live over that way," he added with a gesture of his arm. "I'm sure you can find someone to show you around."
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"How much farther that way, if I may ask?" he asked, rubbing his (quite toned, now) belly. "It's been awhile since I've last eaten, and I'm feeling a little weak."
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He remembered ending up here himself and he wasn't completely heartless.
"I was just heading to the compound for a meal myself, if you think you can keep up," he added slowly. "Name's Seifer, from Balamb."
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But...that question. "Zuko is Ozai's heir," he said, confused.
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"Well," he continued casually, "maybe we can't afford to wait him out, maybe it's time the old man took a long retirement. Gave the Fire Nation some new leadership."
"You get me?"
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"I do not involve myself in politics, really," he said carefully.
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