Firelord Izumi @iizumi - Tumblr Blog

iizumi‌:

“Talk to mom,” she answered pounderously, grinning from ear to ear, “or Grandpa — or if you had no other choice: Aunt Azula.”

“I’m sure you’ll feel better once you’ve corresponded with Uncle Aang.”

“I’ll talk to Aang first, then your mother, then Azula, then Iroh,” he planned aloud, counting each name off on his fingers.

Yes, that seemed like the most practical order.

“I’ll be dammed if Ba Sing Se starts a war, especially after their aggressive insistence that war was definitely not a thing during the last one. Hypocrites,” he grumbled, thinking aloud.

And to think that earlier that day he had been worried about boys.

iizumi

There were some, she thought, who would be pleased by the news that the Earth Kingdom might be on the verge of tearing itself to shreds. Some close to her father, even. Unrest in the Earth Kingdom could mean a lot of good things and a lot of bad things all at once.

There were certain to be those who would want to take advantage. No doubt that was what worried her father the most.

“Don’t let Aunt Azula hear you went to mom first,” Izumi teased finally, “you know how much she likes to be consulted first.”

#Growing Pains #insolxntprince #rp

insolxntprince

iizumi‌:

She smirked at her dad helplessly, letting a soft sigh out through her nose. Alright he’d panicked, but now he seemed back to his more rational self. Izumi reached for her long abandoed tea cup and took a sip of the once again too cold tea.

She sighed again, louder this time, and set to heating the cup between her palms thoughtfully.

A frown tugged at her brow.

“You don’t think Uncle Aang might already know?” Izumi asked finally.

“You think he might?”

He hadn’t thought about that. Maybe Aang was one step ahead of him; one step ahead of everyone! If that were the case, it would be a great relief and massive weight off Zuko’s shoulders.

“Well if he does know and he didn’t tell me, then it can’t be too serious, right?”

A beat.

“Still, I’d better check.”

He had been about to leave the room but paused in the doorway. He looked back at Izumi and smiled, wondering back to press a kiss on the crown of her head.

“Honestly, what would I do without you?”

iizumi

“Talk to mom,” she answered pounderously, grinning from ear to ear, “or Grandpa — or if you had no other choice: Aunt Azula.”

“I’m sure you’ll feel better once you’ve corresponded with Uncle Aang.”

#insolxntprince #growing pains #rp

insolxntprince

iizumi‌:

“Dad – “

Before she could say more, her father had stood, going from the good natured Zuko to the hardened Fire Lord in the blink of an eye. Izumi rolled her lips inward, drumming her fingertips on the table top as he continued to rapid fire questions at her and then make plans aloud.

“Dad!” Izumi didn’t make to move, staying where she was, calm and composed.

“I don’t think that it’s something immediate,” she said, “of course that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t prepare, but I mean – isn’t it none of our business if it’s a civil war?”

After all, the Fire Nation had interfered enough in their storied history. Surely the Earth King and his ministers would be anything other than chuffed if her dad put his fingers in the pie on a ‘private’ matter.

“Maybe you should contact Aunt Azula in Republic City first. I’m sure she’ll have a better idea of the situation. It’s just an inkling that I got after overhearing some ministers. I don’t want you to be unprepared but it’s hardly like a war is going to break out in the Earth Kingdom overnight.”

“I know, I know, I know…” Zuko replied quickly. He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a slow, steady breath.

Okay, so he panicked.

It wasn’t so much that a war would break out overnight but more about nipping it in the bud, about stopping it before it had a chance to start in the first place; a hard lesson he had learned from the unfortunate history of both his great grandfathers.

But Izumi was right. There was an awful lot to consider here. A matter like this needed to be approached tactfully.

“The first person I’m going to contact is Avatar Aang. If there’s any possibility of rising conflict, he’s the first person who needs to know,” he was the nation’s neutral mediator after all. If anyone could keep a keen eye on a possible situation without causing a ruckus or a squabble, it was him.

“And then I’ll contact Azula for enquiries. I still want that boat prepared though. And I know, I know…” he reaffirmed before softening his tone, “I just want us to be ready.”

iizumi

She smirked at her dad helplessly, letting a soft sigh out through her nose. Alright he’d panicked, but now he seemed back to his more rational self. Izumi reached for her long abandoed tea cup and took a sip of the once again too cold tea.

She sighed again, louder this time, and set to heating the cup between her palms thoughtfully.

A frown tugged at her brow.

“You don’t think Uncle Aang might already know?” Izumi asked finally.

#rp #growing pains #insolxntprince

insolxntprince‌:

iizumi‌:

“Oh that’s — another thing. I heard whispers about them trying to unite all of the Earth Kingdom under Kuei alone…” she said, brow furrowing just a little, “it might be we’ll see an Earth Kingdom civil war in the near future…Maybe it was just rumblings but I thought it was something you might like to know about now…”

She sighed.

“I don’t think the ministers who were talking about it realized I was nearby.”

“What?”

That wiped the smile straight off his face.

“We can’t afford another war; we’re all still in tatters after the last one! How long ago was this?!” Alarmed and wide-eyed, he set the cup down firmly down on the table. Before Izumi could answer the question, Zuko had quickly stood and briskly made for the exit.

“We need to send some hawks out immediately and have a boat made ready waiting to set sail for the Earth Kingdom at a moments notice.”

He’d be damned if he saw another war in his time.

“Dad -- “

Before she could say more, her father had stood, going from the good natured Zuko to the hardened Fire Lord in the blink of an eye. Izumi rolled her lips inward, drumming her fingertips on the table top as he continued to rapid fire questions at her and then make plans aloud.

“Dad!” Izumi didn’t make to move, staying where she was, calm and composed.

“I don’t think that it’s something immediate,” she said, “of course that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t prepare, but I mean -- isn’t it none of our business if it’s a civil war?”

After all, the Fire Nation had interfered enough in their storied history. Surely the Earth King and his ministers would be anything other than chuffed if her dad put his fingers in the pie on a ‘private’ matter.

“Maybe you should contact Aunt Azula in Republic City first. I’m sure she’ll have a better idea of the situation. It’s just an inkling that I got after overhearing some ministers. I don’t want you to be unprepared but it’s hardly like a war is going to break out in the Earth Kingdom overnight.”

#Growing Pains #listen to your fifteen year old daughter zuzu #jeeze #xD #rp #insolxntprince

insolxntprince

I wonder if he’s proud of me...

Send your muse’s thoughts about mine on anon.

“Izumi, you are my heart and my proudest accomplishment and I want you to come and slap me on the wrist immediately if I ever give you reason to doubt it.”

He smiled warmly and stood with outstretched arms.

“Hug...?”

iizumi

She stood from where she’d been sitting, not having realized that her dad was even in the courtyard with her. She flushed deep crimson, cheeks heating palpably...

But despite the embarrassment of being found out the Crown Princess found that she was relieved. She’d been being silly.

Her firsy few steps forward were tentative. She wasn’t used to showing affection in public and Bumi WAS sitting right there but — if anyone wouldn’t care Izumi realized it was probably the Avatar’s oldest son.

She hurried her last few steps and threw ber arms around ger dad.

#rp #insolxntprince

insolxntprince

iizumi‌:

“ — Of course…I see what you mean but — “ Izumi pressed her lips together into a thin line, breathing out a sharp sigh through her nose, “I don’t think…I think it’s hard for King Kuei. Sure, that’s definitely something he should have thought of, and sure he causes messes that you and the other leaders have to fix a lot of the time but — “

She ran her tongue over her teeth, feeling the tug of her brow as it furrowed while she tried to think of exactly what it was she wanted to say.

“I don’t think that’s his fault, necessarily. He doesn’t know any better because no one ever taught him another way of doing things.” She shrugged her shoulders, her lips pursing helplessly.

“I just think you could have a little more pity on him, that’s all.” She drew a hand through her hair, looping one of her curls around the length of her finger.

“Anyway. Of course I don’t want to marry him, and no harm was done, so I’m sure we can lay this all to rest, even if it is annoying that he overstepped his bound this time around.”

Zuko let out a loud groan and rubbed his temples as a way of quelling the sudden temptation to hit his against the table.

“Izumi, my love…pity and politics don’t mix. Either you get the job done or you don’t and that’s what it all comes down to in the end. It’s not about he and I, it’s about his people and when a leader is being incompetent, they need to be told.”

As a world leader himself, he really couldn’t get his head around why so many he knew couldn’t see eye to eye with him on this. Kuei was nice enough and his naivety as an individual could have even had the potential to be endearing, had he not been in charge of one of the largest and most powerful empires known to them. In a position like naivety became harmful. Zuko had spent enough time in the Earth Kingdom himself to witness its corruption first hand.

“Think of it as tough love,” he added to try and soften his point a little, “honestly, you really do take after your mother,” he cracked a smile at that. Izumi certainly didn’t get her level-headedness from anyone on his side of the family, except possibly Iroh.

He sighed softly and shook his head, “I miss King Bumi. He may have been a bit wild but he certainly knew how to get things done…”

iizumi

“Oh that’s — another thing. I heard whispers about them trying to unite all of the Earth Kingdom under Kuei alone...” she said, brow furrowing just a little, “it might be we’ll see an Earth Kingdom civil war in the near future...Maybe it was just rumblings but I thought it was something you might like to know about now...”

She sighed.

“I don’t think the ministers who were talking about it realized I was nearby.”

#rp #insolxntprince

insolxntprince

iizumi‌:

“I think he was just hoping that if I was interested then it would solidify our political ties,” she offered.

And he was right, it would. Tying a Prince of the Earth Kingdom to the Crown Princess of the FIre Nation would ensure their nations stayed at peace at least for the forseeable future…Regardless, Izumi couldn’t deny that her father’s reticense to get on board was relieving for her.

She had no desire to marry any of them.

Izumi hesitated for a moment.

“Do you really dislike him that much?”

“While that’s technically very true, King Kuei knows I place the happiness of my family above political appearances. I dare say he would do better to listen once in a while.”

With Izumi’s question, Zuko sighed and set down his tea.

“It’s not that I dislike him per se. The mans just so…incompetent. He didn’t know even the war existed until a few months before it ended and it was a century old! Now, you’d think one would learn from that big of a blunder, right? Nope! He continues to allow his ministers to run circles around him. He’ll believe anything they tell him.” He rubbed his temple. Just thinking about it was giving him a headache.

“He may be well-intended but because of his naivety, he’s always making messes which are then left to me, Aang and Anrook to clear up.”

“Take what you just told me as an example. While the decision falls entirely to you, Kuei should have presented his proposition to the family as a whole. Supposing you had been a bit younger, or less experienced and agreed to the political marriage out of pressure or duty. Had that been the case, the Earth Kingdom would have arranged a family marriage behind the backs of the family themselves. That would be a scandal and a half and the perfect recipe for a political rift, as well as a personal one.”

“See what I mean?”

iizumi

“ — Of course...I see what you mean but — “ Izumi pressed her lips together into a thin line, breathing out a sharp sigh through her nose, “I don’t think...I think it’s hard for King Kuei. Sure, that’s definitely something he should have thought of, and sure he causes messes that you and the other leaders have to fix a lot of the time but — “

She ran her tongue over her teeth, feeling the tug of her brow as it furrowed while she tried to think of exactly what it was she wanted to say.

“I don’t think that’s his fault, necessarily. He doesn’t know any better because no one ever taught him another way of doing things.” She shrugged her shoulders, her lips pursing helplessly.

“I just think you could have a little more pity on him, that’s all.” She drew a hand through her hair, looping one of her curls around the length of her finger.

“Anyway. Of course I don’t want to marry him, and no harm was done, so I’m sure we can lay this all to rest, even if it is annoying that he overstepped his bound this time around.”

#growing pains #rp #insolxntprince

insolxntprince

iizumi‌:

“Oh my — ! DADUH!” Izumi felt her whole face go red, and she desperately attempted looking anywhere but at her father’s face. “No I don’t need you to explain ‘the facts’!”

She took a long drink of tea.

“It was embarrassing enough the first time,” she muttered into the cup.

“Anyway…” Izumi cleared her throat, “That’s the other thing I thought I should bring up, come to think of it. The Earth King and his ministers seemed…interested in offering one of the King’s nephews for like — I dunno…marriage for diplomatic ties? I didn’t say yes or no but…Obviously I’m not…really sure how to proceed on that…?”

Well, she knew what she would say given the choice. She’d met some of them while she was at the court, and Izumi honestly couldn’t say that she was a fan of the princes.

Zuko nearly choked on his tea from snickering with Izumi’s reaction. It reminded him of his teenage self when Iroh had tried to teach him the facts of life: all annoyed, red-faced and flustered. Of course, he was eternally grateful to him now. After all, nobody would have bothered.

“I’m just letting you know I’m here if you need me. And you can always talk to your mother if that’s any easier.” He added. He figured it may be more comfortable to talk about such delicate things with a parent of the same sex, “We both just want you to be safe and happy.”

Though what Izumi said next took him wildly by surprise, “What? He never mentioned anything of the sort to me. Why am I the last to hear about this?” Once again he found himself feeling exasperated with King Kuei. Who the hell did he think he was, trying to marry off his only child behind his back?!

“King Kuei knows that such marriages are hardly traditional in the Fire Nation, so I don’t know what was going through his head when he suggested such a thing.” Or rather what wasn’t going through his head, “In any case, unless you’ve fallen madly in love with one of these boys, there’s no reason as to why you should be making any lifetime commitments to any of them.”

He scowled a little and sipped his tea.

“I’ll have that man one day, I swear…” He muttered.

iizumi

“I think he was just hoping that if I was interested then it would solidify our political ties,” she offered.

And he was right, it would. Tying a Prince of the Earth Kingdom to the Crown Princess of the FIre Nation would ensure their nations stayed at peace at least for the forseeable future...Regardless, Izumi couldn’t deny that her father’s reticense to get on board was relieving for her.

She had no desire to marry any of them.

Izumi hesitated for a moment.

“Do you really dislike him that much?”

#Growing Pains #rp #insolxntprince

insolxntprince

iizumi‌:

Izumi knew all of that, of course. It was a basic principle that not only her father had taught her at a young age, but that had been drilled into her since then by masters and by her aunt Azula herself.

The older woman may not have been able to make a flame herself anymore, but that didn’t mean that she would suffer Izumi to face the same fate…Or to be sloppy.

She couldn’t help the warm smile that spread itself over her mouth at how proud of himself her dad looked though. And then the question of the evening. Izumi took a deep breath and then let it out in a sigh, feeling a little weary.

“No,” Izumi said, voice level, “just…” Another sigh.

“I met a boy that I like,” she said matter-of-factly, “just like you met a girl that you liked when you were my age…or I guess — younger. Anyway, I don’t know where it might be going or whether I’ll like him forever and you and mom demanding to meet him kind of makes it all just feel…Too official. Fire Nation parents meet boyfriends and girlfriends when things are getting serious.”

Izumi looked up over the rim of her glasses at her dad, “And I don’t even know if it’s…serious or not.” She felt her cheeks burning.

As result of Izumi’s calm and direct honesty, the idea of all this didn’t drum up nearly as many thoughts and fears now as it had initially. She was giving him a straight forward and reasonable explanation and Zuko was more than happy to listen. He appreciated it.

“I see what you mean.” He said and gave an understanding nod, “I’ll tell your mother that an audience with the general won’t be necessary.” Despite a huge part of him still wanting to give this boy a good wake up call as to just whom he was dealing with, should he ever cause his daughter any grief whatsoever.

He pushed all that aside for now and gave Izumi a knowing look, “I’m sorry if we scared you, Izumi. I know these things are hard and the last thing I want to do is make them harder. I just worry about you. All the time.” He trusted Izumi wholeheartedly and knew she was clever beyond her years, but letting go of that innocent image of a child was a hard thing for any loving parent and Zuko was no exception. But now with his daughter midway through her teens, it was about time he adapted.

“Just…don’t do anything rash, okay?” He drummed his fingers momentarily against the table before clearing his throat, “Remember the things that your mother and I talked to you about a few years about? You know? About…life. Well, if there’s anything you need to ask or go over, we’re both here for you.” He took a sip of his tea, trying to remain totally casual, “Do you need me to explain…???” He trailed off and made an awkward gesture, “the, uh- facts?”

Yeah, that was probably the best way of putting it.

iizumi

“Oh my — ! DADUH!” Izumi felt her whole face go red, and she desperately attempted looking anywhere but at her father’s face. “No I don’t need you to explain ‘the facts’!”

She took a long drink of tea.

“It was embarrassing enough the first time,” she muttered into the cup.

“Anyway...” Izumi cleared her throat, “That’s the other thing I thought I should bring up, come to think of it. The Earth King and his ministers seemed...interested in offering one of the King’s nephews for like — I dunno...marriage for diplomatic ties? I didn’t say yes or no but...Obviously I’m not...really sure how to proceed on that...?”

Well, she knew what she would say given the choice. She’d met some of them while she was at the court, and Izumi honestly couldn’t say that she was a fan of the princes.

#Growing Pains #insolxntprince #rp

insolxntprince

iizumi‌:

Being left to her own devices before dinner was probably worse than continuing to be in her parents’ presence for the duration of the time between her arrival and the evening meal. It meant that Izumi got the time to stew and imagine all worst case scenarios where her dad was concerned.

He was over protective. He’d always been that way…But now that she was older and she had begun showing interest in boys, suddenly it seemed all the worse. At least her mom wasn’t losing her mind. She waived off the servants and unpacked her own things, to keep her hands busy, and then paced the length and breadth of her room too many times to count before her lady’s maid arrived in time to dress her for dinner.

Her travel clothes would hardly do, after all…Even if it was just a private family affair. Uncle Iroh, Agni bless him, had wandered in from town and left his tea shop in the hands of one of his assistants so that he could join them for their evening meal. He talked about nonsense things, and observed that the palace’s tea blend had slipped a little in quality, made suggestions about what to buy next time.

All started to feel better. Normal even. Izumi forgot, for a time, that she still had an impending talk with her father about…boys.

But of course the evening meal ended. Uncle Iroh went home. Mother left Izumi and Zuko to themselves…And Izumi was once again face to face with the Fire Lord and the reality that she couldn’t just duck out of answering questions forever.

Izumi screwed her mouth up in consternation, taking a sip of tea that had now gone cold.

“Thank you…for sending me to the Earth Kingdom. It was a wonderful opportunity for me to learn how other governments work.” Izumi traced the wood grain of the table with the tip of her index finger absently, watching the swirling pattern as she did.

Despite all that had been going through his head, Zuko made the most of their time together. Peaceful moments with his family were precious, especially with his beloved Uncle here and there were some lengthy goodbyes when everyone parted ways. Zuko always felt a little sad inside when his Uncle left, but being able to sit down with Izumi straight afterwards was of great comfort to him.

“I’m glad it was helpful to you.” Zuko said happily when Izumi spoke of her trip, “I don’t expect you to be entirely invested in it all straight away, of course. But with you growing up and all that, I thought now might be a good time to start giving you an idea of how this goes, y’know? So uh, do you think you would be open to going again? And it’s okay if you’re not ready, or you if need some more tuition.” He added quickly, “You’ve got plenty of time, after all. Pretty sure your old dad’s got at least a few decades left in him.” He chuckled.

He watched as Izumi sipped from her stone-cold tea and smiled, “Remember that technique I taught you?” He picked up Izumi’s cup and clutched it in both hands, “Remember, firebending is about mastering control over the flow of one’s chi, extending it through your limbs and out of your body. For millennia, it’s been used for offence, defence and as a unique and complex art form.” He seemed rather serious as he spoke. He took in a quick breath and within a seconds, steam began rising from the cup and Zuko broke into a cheesy grin.

“Its also extremely handy if you happen to forget about your tea!” A little trick that Iroh had taught him. He offered the cup back to Izumi, looking terribly pleased with himself.

He then poured himself a fresh cup of tea, “Speaking of forgetting things,” He said, “is there anything about your trip you’ve forgotten to tell me?”

iizumi

Izumi knew all of that, of course. It was a basic principle that not only her father had taught her at a young age, but that had been drilled into her since then by masters and by her aunt Azula herself.

The older woman may not have been able to make a flame herself anymore, but that didn’t mean that she would suffer Izumi to face the same fate...Or to be sloppy.

She couldn’t help the warm smile that spread itself over her mouth at how proud of himself her dad looked though. And then the question of the evening. Izumi took a deep breath and then let it out in a sigh, feeling a little weary.

“No,” Izumi said, voice level, “just...” Another sigh.

“I met a boy that I like,” she said matter-of-factly, “just like you met a girl that you liked when you were my age...or I guess — younger. Anyway, I don’t know where it might be going or whether I’ll like him forever and you and mom demanding to meet him kind of makes it all just feel...Too official. Fire Nation parents meet boyfriends and girlfriends when things are getting serious.”

Izumi looked up over the rim of her glasses at her dad, “And I don’t even know if it’s...serious or not.” She felt her cheeks burning.

#Growing Pains #rp #insolxntprince

insolxntprince‌:

iizumi‌:

Oh thank Agni.

Even if Izumi did find her mother’s motivations a little suspect, at least her usual calm and level headed responses to things had quelled the situation for the moment. At least a week gave Izumi some time to mentally prepare for her parents meeting a boy she wasn’t even really certain was someone serious yet.

Yet.

She could manufacture a few lies where she needed to, and try to make Sakchai look even better than she was certain he already did. Appealing. A good choice. He was definitely a good choice, right?

The relief showed a little on her face as she took her dad’s hand. And then he gave her that look.

Her stomach dropped into the cavity of her torso once more. Izumi swallowed.

“I’m…sure I don’t need a masseuse…” she said, even as she felt the tension growing in her shoulders at her father’s obvious indication that their conversation was hardly over. She cleared her throat.

“The journey wasn’t that stressful…Actually I thought it was kind of fun?” The Earth Kingdom nobles and generals, and the King himself had been…stubborn at times, and certainly they were uncompromising, but figuring out how to manipulate each of their strengths to her own advantage had been a challenge…and had made it easier to deal with their contrariness.

She wondered if this was why Aunt Azula liked her job in Republic City so much. It was a challenge, to make everything work for everyone.

“King Kuei and his ministers were all so nice and accommodating.”

“I’m glad they were, otherwise they would have the Firelord and Lady to answer to. After all, I had King Kuei quivering in his boots last time he disrespected a member of my family.” He snickered at the memory, his overly innocent smile returning, knowing damn well Izumi had read his face like a book just now (exactly as he had wanted her to).

He continued the idle chatter with wife and daughter as they returned to the palace. When they arrived, Zuko ordered that Izumi’s luggage be taken to her bedroom before turning to place a kiss on his daughter’s forehead.

“Well, we’ll leave you to unpack, my love. I’ve had some hot towels placed on the kotatsu and the masseuse is still available should you change your mind. Just shout if you need us, alright?”

Being left to her own devices before dinner was probably worse than continuing to be in her parents’ presence for the duration of the time between her arrival and the evening meal. It meant that Izumi got the time to stew and imagine all worst case scenarios where her dad was concerned.

He was over protective. He’d always been that way...But now that she was older and she had begun showing interest in boys, suddenly it seemed all the worse. At least her mom wasn’t losing her mind. She waived off the servants and unpacked her own things, to keep her hands busy, and then paced the length and breadth of her room too many times to count before her lady’s maid arrived in time to dress her for dinner.

Her travel clothes would hardly do, after all...Even if it was just a private family affair. Uncle Iroh, Agni bless him, had wandered in from town and left his tea shop in the hands of one of his assistants so that he could join them for their evening meal. He talked about nonsense things, and observed that the palace’s tea blend had slipped a little in quality, made suggestions about what to buy next time.

All started to feel better. Normal even. Izumi forgot, for a time, that she still had an impending talk with her father about...boys.

But of course the evening meal ended. Uncle Iroh went home. Mother left Izumi and Zuko to themselves...And Izumi was once again face to face with the Fire Lord and the reality that she couldn’t just duck out of answering questions forever.

Izumi screwed her mouth up in consternation, taking a sip of tea that had now gone cold.

“Thank you...for sending me to the Earth Kingdom. It was a wonderful opportunity for me to learn how other governments work.” Izumi traced the wood grain of the table with the tip of her index finger absently, watching the swirling pattern as she did.

#Growing Pains #insolxntprince

insolxntprince‌:

iizumi‌:

“Wh — of course I’m alright!” She half whispered-half hollared, “and yes! You are very. Very. Embarrassing!”

Izumi shot a pleading look at her mom. Mai sighed heavily.

“Izumi’s right,” she said at length, “now’s not a good time. Maybe we should invite the General and his son to dinner sometime next week, that way everyone can be prepared for the encounter.”

Izumi wasn’t certain she quite liked the look in her mother’s eye either.

“Yeah!” The suggestion wasn’t really any better, but at least a dinner could be a privat affair, “Besides we have lots, lots more important things to talk about! Sakchai is hardly at the top of the list!”

She tried on a cheery expression, hoping to encourage her dad to stop what he was doing this instant.

Zuko folded his arms and looked sceptically at Izumi. The more she panicked, the more he felt that she was hiding something and the more he wanted to go over to that boat and resolve the issue face-to-face, right there and then, right now. But the more he thought about that, the more he wondered if he really was overreacting? Maybe it was just an innocent teenage crush? But then on the other hand…

Praise be to the spirits that Mai was there to talk him down.

“Alright, fine.” He said, relenting at last. “For now, let’s just go inside and have dinner prepared and you can tell us all about your trip.” He smiled and offered Izumi his hand, “In the meantime, I’ll have a masseuse sent to your room, Izumi. I’m sure you’ll need to unwind after your journey.”

Just before they turned to leave though, Zuko sneaked a look at Izumi. It was a look that provided a discrete addition to his sentence, a look that said:

And then we’ll talk.

He may have spared her confrontation, but she certainly wasn’t off the hook.

Oh thank Agni.

Even if Izumi did find her mother’s motivations a little suspect, at least her usual calm and level headed responses to things had quelled the situation for the moment. At least a week gave Izumi some time to mentally prepare for her parents meeting a boy she wasn’t even really certain was someone serious yet.

Yet.

She could manufacture a few lies where she needed to, and try to make Sakchai look even better than she was certain he already did. Appealing. A good choice. He was definitely a good choice, right?

The relief showed a little on her face as she took her dad’s hand. And then he gave her that look.

Her stomach dropped into the cavity of her torso once more. Izumi swallowed.

“I’m...sure I don’t need a masseuse...” she said, even as she felt the tension growing in her shoulders at her father’s obvious indication that their conversation was hardly over. She cleared her throat.

“The journey wasn’t that stressful...Actually I thought it was kind of fun?” The Earth Kingdom nobles and generals, and the King himself had been...stubborn at times, and certainly they were uncompromising, but figuring out how to manipulate each of their strengths to her own advantage had been a challenge...and had made it easier to deal with their contrariness.

She wondered if this was why Aunt Azula liked her job in Republic City so much. It was a challenge, to make everything work for everyone.

“King Kuei and his ministers were all so nice and accommodating.”

#insolxntprince #rp #Growing Pains

insolxntprince

iizumi‌:

“Dad…” Izumi grit her own teeth, smiling through the motion as well, stepping deliberately between the Fire Lord and his path back to the boat she’d just disembarked from, “please let’s go and talk somewhere private.”

Beside them, her mother had rolled her eyes in a disparaging fashion, settling her hand delicately into Zuko’s with a look of resignation flickering briefly over her features. Izumi knew what that meant. She felt panic swell in her breast a little more sharply.

“Please,” she repeated again, her head bowing slightly in her desperate embarrassment.

When Izumi stepped between them, he sensed something quite raw. She really was panicking. But in Zuko’s quick thinking and impulsive mindset, the panic only made him worry more, which made all the determined to confront the situation right there and then. Nevertheless, he didn’t want to do anything that would cause his daughter any hurt. So, determined as he was, he managed to pause himself for a moment.

“Izumi, I’m not going to eat him alive.” He chuckled, “C’mon, you’re not embarrassed by your old dad, are you?” He had managed to make his smile look a little more genuine, but then Izumi’s mention of wanting to go somewhere private…that really did give him pause, for real this time.

“Why?” He asked genuinely, his expression changing and lowering to a softer level. A thought occurred to him. A thought that made him panic. A thought that made him feel so many things, “Izumi, are you alright?”

iizumi

“Wh — of course I’m alright!” She half whispered-half hollared, “and yes! You are very. Very. Embarrassing!”

Izumi shot a pleading look at her mom. Mai sighed heavily.

“Izumi’s right,” she said at length, “now’s not a good time. Maybe we should invite the General and his son to dinner sometime next week, that way everyone can be prepared for the encounter.”

Izumi wasn’t certain she quite liked the look in her mother’s eye either.

“Yeah!” The suggestion wasn’t really any better, but at least a dinner could be a privat affair, “Besides we have lots, lots more important things to talk about! Sakchai is hardly at the top of the list!”

She tried on a cheery expression, hoping to encourage her dad to stop what he was doing this instant.

#Growing Pains #insolxntprince #rp

insolxntprince

iizumi‌:

Izumi felt warm all over, happy to be home, but as soon as that warmth and happiness had taken over it was gone again, replaced by a hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Oh, Agni’s balls! She should have known better. Of course he’d seen that. Everyone had probably seen that. What was wrong with her?

Mai made a noise in the back of her throat next to them, offering her dad a tight smile. Izumi cleared her own throat, her cheeks flushed.

“Oh, you know Lord Arthit and his son are probably…not prepared to have a personal audience with the Fire Lord…today…” she said lamely, tucking her hands at her back as she did so. Her shoulders reached the bottoms of her ears as she retreated into herself an inch at a time.

“I’m probably not — ready for that…” she continued in a mutter. This was probably one of the stupidest things she’d ever done.

“Besides!” She tried to sound brighter, the edge of a laugh at the end of her exclamation, “we have…SOo much to talk about alone. Together. Together alone.”

His heart leapt and he felt in his stomach something akin to butterflies.

“General Arthit’s son…?” His brow twitched and his voice had begun trailing off before the name had been fully uttered.

No? It couldn’t be… Arthit??? The man was an imbecile!

“Oh, its Arthit, is it? I thought the boy a little looked…familiar.” He said, both gritting his teeth and smiling at the same time. And for once, Zuko found himself completely unmoved by the messages his wife was so very good at getting across through facial expressions alone.

“Well, he will just have to get ready, won’t he? You can introduce me if you want to give them a few seconds headstart.”

He offered his hand to Mai and gave her the sickliest of smiles, “Would you care to accompany us, dear?”

iizumi

“Dad...” Izumi grit her own teeth, smiling through the motion as well, stepping deliberately between the Fire Lord and his path back to the boat she’d just disembarked from, “please let’s go and talk somewhere private.”

Beside them, her mother had rolled her eyes in a disparaging fashion, settling her hand delicately into Zuko’s with a look of resignation flickering briefly over her features. Izumi knew what that meant. She felt panic swell in her breast a little more sharply.

“Please,” she repeated again, her head bowing slightly in her desperate embarrassment.

#Growing Pains #insolxntprince #rp

iizumi

Growing Pains | Closed RP

@insolxntprince

The waves of humid heat which punctuated summer in the Fire Nation capital were a blessed reprieve from the mountain temperate climate of Ba Sing Se, and Izumi found herself happy to be ensconced in it once again. It, and of course, Sakchai’s impressively muscular arms.

He was a little dumb, she’d have to admit, but he was a relatively good kisser (not that she had much experience in that department but then again who cared?). Their conversation wasn’t super stimulating but then that hadn’t really been a problem in the time between leaving Ba Sing Se and the Earth Kingdom, and returning home to Caldera.

Having someone who wasn’t a close relative put an arm around her back, tell her she was pretty, and that she definitely didn’t look bad with her glasses on continued to be something of a novelty. A novelty she was going to miss until she could arrange to make her way to Ember Island sometime later that month.

Izumi felt anxious to be home, and anxious to see her mother and father all at once. She might even be a little anxious to see her auntie Azula, who was back from Republic City while the council was on their summer hiatus.

Alright she was very anxious. She always had the best firebending technique tips, and Izumi had felt a little stuck in her bending for some time. She wasn’t getting to exactly where she wanted.

“You’re definitely gonna come to Ember Island, right?” Sakchai’s voice broke through her thoughts, and Izumi turned her face upward to look at him, smiling almost sheepishly at the question.

“I’m going to do my best. I’m not sure what my father might need from me now that I’m home again.”

“Right, right. That makes sense,” the slightly older boy said, nodding his head, “But the end of the season is always the best time to come to the Island,” he added for good measure.

Izumi was fully aware of that. She’d been to Ember Island plenty of times, after all, a fact which she’d reminded him of several times and which he seemed not to have heard every one of them — but he was just excited, she told herself, and as anxious to spend time with her again as she was to spend time with him.

Izumi let out a sigh.

Docking in port was a little difficult. The tides were going out, and the bottom of the boat scraped a little on coming in. Nothing too serious. She heard some crewmen swear regardless. Izumi disembarked with a twinge of disappointment at having to disentangle herself from Sakchai, who kissed her on the cheek before she headed down the plank in as dignified a manner as she knew how.

Some of the people had come to see the arrival of the royal ship. The common folk waved and cheered. Izumi waved back, expression as pleasant as she could manage without actually smiling at them, and then turned back to the waiting members of her family who had assembled to welcome her home.

Izumi tried to remember not to launch herself at her mom and dad who stood patiently. Her footsteps hurried themselves a little regardless.

“Mom, dad!” She couldn’t hold back her smile any longer, “I missed you!”

It was hardly proper, but Izumi threw her arms around her parents anyway.

insolxntprince

Nobody had batted an eye when Izumi had thrown her arms around her waiting parents. No, they were all far too preoccupied with the level of familiarity displayed between her and the young man accompanying her. And it certainly hadn’t gone unnoticed by the two figures awaiting her arrival. Zuko had been dying to ask his daughter about how everything had gone, how she had found the trip, whether she struggled with anything, or if there was anything in particular in which she excelled; ever eager to provide Izumi with all the teaching and support that he, in his early years as Firelord, had to figure out mostly for himself.

But that all went out of his head in one jarring instant with that one quick, but undeniable, kiss.

Mutters were passed between him and Mai before Izumi reached them, Mai being far less phased with the issue than Zuko was; a reaction (or lack thereof) that rather baffled him.

“Izumi! We’re so glad to have you home. You need to tell me everything!” He said excitedly, beaming at his daughter as he leaned in to return her hug. Though with his chin in the crook of her neck, a suspicious scowl furrowed his brows and it was cast directly in the direction of the mystery man.

It took no more than a brisk wave of his hand to keep the boat from relaunching.

“But before we do that, I should love to meet your friend.”

iizumi

Izumi felt warm all over, happy to be home, but as soon as that warmth and happiness had taken over it was gone again, replaced by a hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Oh, Agni’s balls! She should have known better. Of course he’d seen that. Everyone had probably seen that. What was wrong with her?

Mai made a noise in the back of her throat next to them, offering her dad a tight smile. Izumi cleared her own throat, her cheeks flushed.

“Oh, you know Lord Arthit and his son are probably...not prepared to have a personal audience with the Fire Lord...today...” she said lamely, tucking her hands at her back as she did so. Her shoulders reached the bottoms of her ears as she retreated into herself an inch at a time.

“I’m probably not — ready for that...” she continued in a mutter. This was probably one of the stupidest things she’d ever done.

“Besides!” She tried to sound brighter, the edge of a laugh at the end of her exclamation, “we have...SOo much to talk about alone. Together. Together alone.”

#rp #Growing Pains #insolxntprince