Recently, Zhuge was finding that the only activity on the island which began to even closely approximate what he did back in China was hunting. A green thumb he had never really been, and weapon design only went so far when the majority of the island was peaceful, only rudimentary tools necessary for catching food. The only area of true unpredictability and need was actually heading out on a hunt, learning the habits and tendencies of an animal before finally catching it with the least amount of effort possible.
That morning, he'd been following a large boar. Not wanting to give it too much grief, and knowing full well that there were enough hunters that catching the boar was not of dire importance, Zhuge had followed happily along for a couple of days, seeing that the boar tended toward digging up shallow roots of trees in the area. Only when the boar strayed from its regular path did Zhuge's brow raise curiously from where he sat, on the branch of a low-hanging tree. And then he noticed an elderly man not far from the beast.
Fortunately, Zhuge thought to himself, the man was closer to him than the boar. With a well-aimed leap, the chancellor placed himself between the boar and the man, waving for the man to step aside. "Do not worry," he said amiably, pulling out a crossbow to (hopefully) make short work of the boar. His accent, while still thick, was smoother thanks to steady practice. "I can kill the boar."
There had clearly been some gaps in his prison training; Iroh had absolutely no sense of another person nearby until his bowed savior had leaped between him and the creature. The man spoke with a familiar accent. Wherever Iroh was, he was clearly still in the Fire Nation.
The creature - the boar, the man had called it - pawed the ground, clearly gearing up for a fight. Iroh could no doubt dispatch it easily with his bending, but perhaps for now it would be best for him to keep that a secret. His bending abilities would only give him away as the Fire Nation's second-most-wanted prisoner.
He clutched his hands to his heart melodramatically. "THANK GOODNESS YOU'RE HERE!" he cried.
Pulling a crossboar from where it was previously tied against his back, Zhuge aimed one of his arrows toward the boar, hoping that an accurate shot would either take the beast down, or at the very least send him running in the opposite direction. His eyes narrowed as he raised the weapon, one that was already loaded with five arrows that it could shoot in quick succession, Zhuge stiffened when a cry sounded from behind him. Bemused, he peered over at the elderly man.
One who didn't seem quite as nervous or unprepared as his words were meant to sound.
He raised a finger to his lips, and the boar pawed its hooves some distance away. "You will scare it," he warned.
Zhuge's expression relaxed into a subtle smile, even as he directed most of his attention toward listening to the boar's heavy breathing in the distance. Although his eyes did not rest on his crossbow, Zhuge held it impossibly still, deciding that the best course of action was, at least, to explain to this man why it was important that they not move too much, nor suddenly.
"And we have bow and arrows, we have... guns," Zhuge considered, tilting his head just a fraction- he still had yet to familiarize himself with guns, but knowing the general mechanism they used, he knew that they could prove extremely deadly. "Most important, we have this."
"True enough," Iroh agreed. He also had another weapon up his sleeve.
...or not. Iroh reached inside to touch his bending, an instinctive comfort, and found it blocked. It was completely out of his reach. For the first time, a true expression of fear crossed his face, just for a moment. How had this been done to him? By who?
Catching the change in expression on the other man's face, Zhuge's own brow raised in turn. Something had changed, although he wasn't sure what. His gaze dropped down to his weapon, then back to the boar, before Zhuge gestured for the man to step behind a large tree nearby. He needed to make short work of the boar before the two of them could discuss much of anything else.
"Be careful. You do not want to become..." Zhuge's brows knit as he tried to find the right term, then reverted to Chinese when he couldn't. "Pig bait."
He took closer aim with his bow, then sent an arrow at the boar's thigh, watching it turn in the other direction.
Iroh watched the boar run away, but he did not see. His gaze was focused inward, trying to clear his chi. He focused on his breathing, on centering himself, but he couldn't. No matter how hard he concentrated, the pathways remained block.
Carefully setting down the crossbow and tugging his feathered fan out from inside his sleeve, Zhuge fanned himself lazily, most of his attention focused on the older man, who seemed to be meditating. Channeling energy, perhaps. Zhuge didn't want to interrupt, so instead he watched closely, waiting for the man to finish, after which the chancellor imagined that he would be looking for a more thorough explanation of the island.
When Iroh finally gave up, he saw his rescuer watching him. It was more important than ever that Iroh not reveal his identity. He had lost a critical weapon.
"You drove it away!" he cried, immediately resuming his helpless act. His best defense was to appear completely innocuous. "Oh thank you, thank you!"
The lie probably would have fooled most people. It might even have fooled Zhuge, had he not been specifically watching the man for inconsistencies in behavior, drawn in by the accent that was just short of familiar. Tilting his head, Zhuge weighed his options briefly, before letting his lips curve into a small smile.
"Has your weapon disappeared, then? You don't have the look of an average man," Zhuge replied, speaking in his native tongue to test the waters.
Iroh was surprised when the man switched languages; he hadn't thought anyone still spoke it outside of the cursory training given the Fire Nation royalty.
"I do not carry weapons," he said, his words halting but otherwise understandable. He spoke truthfully enough. "But you are right; I am not your average man. I am the best tea maker in Ba Sing Se!"
Bringing his thumb up to carefully brush against his goatee, Zhuge's lips were still quirked. No doubt that the man was still hiding something, but whether or not then was the right time to broach the topic wasn't entirely clear. So if he put up resistance, then Zhuge decided that it probably wasn't worth poking too much just yet.
"You must share with me your secrets. I have never been to Ba Sing Se, but I wouldn't mind having a taste of the region," he smiled broadly. "I do enjoy tea very much."
Iroh clasped his hand to his heart. "A man after my own heart!" he said. "Give me a pot and some tea leaves, and I will make you the finest tea you have ever tasted!"
That morning, he'd been following a large boar. Not wanting to give it too much grief, and knowing full well that there were enough hunters that catching the boar was not of dire importance, Zhuge had followed happily along for a couple of days, seeing that the boar tended toward digging up shallow roots of trees in the area. Only when the boar strayed from its regular path did Zhuge's brow raise curiously from where he sat, on the branch of a low-hanging tree. And then he noticed an elderly man not far from the beast.
Fortunately, Zhuge thought to himself, the man was closer to him than the boar. With a well-aimed leap, the chancellor placed himself between the boar and the man, waving for the man to step aside. "Do not worry," he said amiably, pulling out a crossbow to (hopefully) make short work of the boar. His accent, while still thick, was smoother thanks to steady practice. "I can kill the boar."
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The creature - the boar, the man had called it - pawed the ground, clearly gearing up for a fight. Iroh could no doubt dispatch it easily with his bending, but perhaps for now it would be best for him to keep that a secret. His bending abilities would only give him away as the Fire Nation's second-most-wanted prisoner.
He clutched his hands to his heart melodramatically. "THANK GOODNESS YOU'RE HERE!" he cried.
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One who didn't seem quite as nervous or unprepared as his words were meant to sound.
He raised a finger to his lips, and the boar pawed its hooves some distance away. "You will scare it," he warned.
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"And we have bow and arrows, we have... guns," Zhuge considered, tilting his head just a fraction- he still had yet to familiarize himself with guns, but knowing the general mechanism they used, he knew that they could prove extremely deadly. "Most important, we have this."
He tapped his temple.
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...or not. Iroh reached inside to touch his bending, an instinctive comfort, and found it blocked. It was completely out of his reach. For the first time, a true expression of fear crossed his face, just for a moment. How had this been done to him? By who?
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"Be careful. You do not want to become..." Zhuge's brows knit as he tried to find the right term, then reverted to Chinese when he couldn't. "Pig bait."
He took closer aim with his bow, then sent an arrow at the boar's thigh, watching it turn in the other direction.
Reply
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"You drove it away!" he cried, immediately resuming his helpless act. His best defense was to appear completely innocuous. "Oh thank you, thank you!"
Reply
"Has your weapon disappeared, then? You don't have the look of an average man," Zhuge replied, speaking in his native tongue to test the waters.
Reply
"I do not carry weapons," he said, his words halting but otherwise understandable. He spoke truthfully enough. "But you are right; I am not your average man. I am the best tea maker in Ba Sing Se!"
Not that he looked it.
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"You must share with me your secrets. I have never been to Ba Sing Se, but I wouldn't mind having a taste of the region," he smiled broadly. "I do enjoy tea very much."
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