Irrel's AU #031 - #040 (Closed)
031 Mail
The first letters Zuko sends her aren't so much as letters, but more a testimony of the way he feels and of his growing progress in therapy. Here and there he has written notes; like "This is my girlfriend" or "I didn't make that up; Uncle really wore that dress last Halloween".
Eventually, Zuko's drawings shift into the side margins of his letters and the words he writes down - and that she reads - are both apologetic and daring. He talks about the future, about careers he thinks are interesting, and about the past.
The first words she reads are "I swear I replied to you as soon as I could" and although she rants about his rotten lack of timing and his forgetfulness, a part of her that has grown much faster than it should celebrates his courage.
* * * * *
032 Interview
The woman is petite, nearly fragile. But she seems like the kind that can cook an exclusive dinner for a party of 12 with one arm bound behind her back, keep an eye on the dogs and deliver a child at the same time while humming the national antheme. Flawlessly. She might be 60 years old, but she looks at least 20 years younger and has the vibrant aura of youthful energy his daughter lacks.
Ozai wouldn't be surprised if she knew how to make authentic okonumiyaki, as well.
Her only flaw dangles around her neck in the form of a golden cross.
"Very well, Mrs. Hernandez," he begins.
"Rita," she interrupts him.
"Very well. Rita. Why should I hire you?"
"You put out the want-add, young man, so you obviously cannot do it yourself."
The answer is given promptly, without hesitation and with a heavy spanish accent. Ozai frowns a little.
"Did you bring any referals, by chance?"
"I do not need refecereals. You are a lousy housekeeper, I am a good one. Anyone is a better housekeeper than you, in fact. Even the little girl hiding behind the curtains is. Should she be eating candy at this time of the day?"
* * * * *
033 Mourning (Demise and Rebirth of a Dress)
Eversince she's been working for "Mista Ooh-say", Rita has come to realize several things.
For example that both he and little Azula have not only lost a wife and mother in those flames that destroyed half of their house, but in fact their entire family. They've lost their brothers, too. Both through the father's fault.
Maybe that is why the reconstructed house does not have a little shrine to pay their respects to their ancestors and deceased, as she has come to expect from a family with obvious Asian roots as the Sozins. Because paying respects cost "Mista Ooh-say" his wife.
Still, Rita believes that this is no reason whatsoever to forbid a little girl to mourn. She doesn't care what "Mista Ooh-say" does with his heart and soul (although she knows that as a good catholic she ought to) because he is old enough to take care of himself, but she can't sit back and just watch him cripple the heart and soul of a young girl like that.
"Girl's stick together," she tells Azula in an attempt to befriend her, but the girl merely laughs. It is a cold laugh that does not suit someone so young.
"You? A girl? When was that, Mrs. Hernandez? When dinosaurs still ruled the world?"
She talks to a couple of friends about the girl because Rita understands that Azula Sozin is not so much a difficult child as she is a scared and hurt one. They all agree that what the girl needs is a miracle.
Now, anyone else would claim it was an accident that came to her aid, but Rita knows it is the answer to her prayers when Azula comes home crying one day, her favorite dress ruined because of a food fight in the school cafeteria.
"There's never going to be another dress like this! It was made just for me! And Smellerbee ruined it," she wails while Rita holds her in a comforting embrace. "I've worn this dress all day as good as possible.. with the horrible stain! Oh I hate her I hate her I hate her!"
But after a while, the tears are exhausted and so is Azula. She changes into a pair of jeans and a plain black tanktop and hesitantly joins Rita in the kitchen, the ruined dress still clutched in her hand.
"You have calmed down?" Rita asks casually while chopping vegetables.
"Yes," Azula replies quietly.
"Good," Rita says and wipes her hands on a towel. "Then we can go. Non non non... the dress comes with us."
First she takes the bewildered girl to a friend - because Adrianna McGuinness still owes her a favor and happens to be the best seamstress Rita knows. She promises to have an exact copy of the dress ready in two days' time. As they leave Adrianna's shop, Rita is certain that having kept the incense in her glove department all these weeks has finally paid off.
"And now, we are going to do something very important. We are going to mourn."
Azula argues that she's shed enough tears over that dress, but when they pull up in the cemetery's parking lot, she turns big, watery golden eyes to Rita.
Two days later, Azula asks the housekeeper whether she may join her when picking up the new dress, incense in hand.
* * * * *
034 A matter of taste (or lack thereof)
It's perfectly alright for his grandmother to have a different taste in music than himself.
It's perfectly alright that she and her friends sit together on saturday afternoons to listen to music that must have been old fashioned already when it was released and swoon at the faded record cover of some lounge singer. It's also perfectly alright that they do not make him sit and listen to their music or make him put the old vinyl records on the record player.
Until the day the record player is sort of accidentally and most definitely not purposefully hit by a random shoe flying across the living room during a party qualified to fit the category "a little more lively than expected and I swear I didn't invite anyone to do THAT on the front lawn". Sokka concedes that the most damage is not done by the shoe but rather the foot still covered by it when flying - which does not serve to calm down Gran-Gran (who doesn't really have to know 1. that it was more of a kick and less of a flight and 2. that the bath tub was involved in there somewhere). Neither does the fact that he doesn't know who's shoe (or foot) it was - he recalls having invited 20 people, not 200.
As a punishment, his personal stereo replaces the one in the living room until he has bought a new one for Gran-Gran. And it is a punishment because it means that Gran-Gran's music takes a leap into the present and someone has to buy (thank god not pay for) all the records in Gran-Gran's collection and that someone is... him.
It's only mildly emberassing to browse through the appropriate CD racks in his usual record store (it feels a bit like he imagines buying porn would) but checkout brings a whole new meaning to the term "emberassment".
"Tom Jones, Sokka?"
(Why did he have to remark that when the cute new girl in the green dress was standing behind him?)
* * * * *
035 Dreamer / Top 10 worst moments in the life of... (White IV)
It's a ruin - and he's spent all of his savings on it. A ruin, for Pete's sake! How could anyone voluntarily spent such an amount of money on something as broken, withered and ruined as that!?
Because it's a dream, that's how and Zuko can't find it in his heart to scold his uncle athough he knows he ought to. Jin is still holding on to his hand, smiling tentatively. He isn't sure whether she (too) doubts the sanity of his uncle or whether she (too) worries about their relationship.
If only she hadn't seen that kiss...
"And this is where I'll have the counter - see? We'll be selling tarts, pies, cakes, muffins and cookies of all sorts. Of course only the kind that will enhance the experience of being served truly excellent tea! Ah it will be wonderful," Iroh says excitedly and he keeps on talking and spinning and running from one end of the run down shop to the other as if he were 15 years old instead of 51. He talks of furniture, of golden walls and flower images, of teapots and cups, of plates, of napkins and table cloth, of flower arrangements and uniforms for waiters and and and... and suddenly he doubles over, deathly pale, his face sweaty, one hand clutching his heart.
"UNCLE!!!"
"Uncle Iroh!"
Blue and red lights flash in the dark. The siren echoes through the nightly streets. The van is white - the blue and red markings cannot change that.
"He'll be alright," Jin says, but her voice is hollow and she avoids his gaze.
Zuko's car stoically follows the white monstrosity that swallowed his uncle.
"It's only a heart attack and the ambulance was there fairly quick. You'll see... he'll be alright. It's nothing these days... a heart attack."
"Jin?"
"Yes?"
"Shut up."
* * * * *
036 An expert in all things Katara
Jet knows when Katara is sad and tries to pretend otherwise. He can tell by the arch of her brow whether she thinks something is interesting or peculiar, ridiciluous or amusing. The tilt of her head when she laughs tells him whether it's "one of those days". He knows that the dark blue peasant blouse is her comfort top in summer (just as the white turtle neck is in winter) and that she wears it only when here cycle is giving her a hard time. He knows how she prefers her coffee and her "sanity-in-a-cup" Starbucks order inlcuding which muffin goes with it and when it is required to prevent gruesome murder on her roommate/brother/teacher etc. He only needs to take a look at a shop window to know which one of the displayed items would appeal to Katara and he can tell from the top of his head which bands are featured in her CD rack.
He knows which smile or look is simply irresistible to her, which eau de cologne keeps her glued by his side all night and which one won't even let them leave the house. He knows when she is trying to hide something from Sokka, how much beer it takes to get her relaxed (no more than two), how many tequila shots until she is drunk (precisely three) and how many margheritas are required to get her completely smashed (only one). He can tell which piece of pizza she will avoid because it has too little or too much cheese and how long it will take for her to try and steal his fries. He also knows which one of his pillows is her favorite, which towel she usually grabs when she showers in his bathroom and how long her resolve to "only cuddle" will last when he nuzzles her neck.
He knows the precise date of her mother's passing and that Katara becomes sullen a week before it, just as she does when the anniversary of a certain fire nears. He knows that she grudgingly agrees to help at the church basar and that she ends up enjoying it, which is why he has never failed to help as well (mostly to keep some of those punks away from her - at least those, that sneak past Sokka's radar).
Jet knows all those big and little things about Katara, can answer almost every question asked about her in a heartbeat. Perfectly.
And Zuko hates him for it.
* * * * *
037 Girl talk I
She is petite and feminine, dressed in a jeans mini-skirt, a red halter top showing off her flat stomach and a flash of silver (the belly chain for which Jin feels too dumpy to wear). Her dainty feet are clad in a pair of red heeled sandals that wrap around her calves and her silky black hair gently falls over delicate pale shoulders. She has a presence of simply being there and she smiles at Jin in a sort of compassionate manner.
"So you're Zuzu's girlfriend," she drawls and extends a hand. A charm bracelet clinks and clanks, sunlight ghosts over red painted fingernails (matching the top, sandals and the purse Jin would murder for in color, precision and refinement). "I am Azula. The terrible baby-sister come to make your life hell," Azula says bemusedly and although they both laugh about it, it is nothing but the truth.
* * * * *
038 Runaway
She's not sure where she can/should go, sitting behind the steering wheel of her car and driving mindlessly. It's a coincidence she ends up in the spanish part of town right in front of Mrs. Hernandez' house.
Azula eyes the apartment building warily. It's the kind of apartment building build in the 1920s with narrow stairways and pretty mosaic floors, housing no more than 7 families. And it is entirely rented out to Mrs. Hernandez and her relatives.
She steps out of the car and hesitates, wondering whether it would be better to just leave again, but the moment she lingers about is enough to be spotted and called on.
"Azula! Up here!" Mrs. Hernandez yells and waves as if there were no bones in her arm. "Come up! Come!" she calls and Azula follows, quickly wiping away the last remnants of tears. She climbs the stairs to the third floor (marveling at the party decorations, the smell of food everywhere and the sound of life music) and is greeted with a hug and a shove.
"Ah! La cocina! Immediatamente!"
"I wouldn't want to intrude," Azula says and is pushed in front of the kitchen table and a cutting board by Rita.
"You do not... please cut the bell peppers to squares, will you?" the houseaid says. Her instruction is met with the giggling of three young women. "This are my nieces... Rosalie, Anna y Madalena," she says and points at each of the women in turn. "This is Azula, la filial de Mista Oooh-say," she explains and nods, quite satisfied with herself.
"Auntie Rita has told us a lot about you," Anna says smiling and the way she says it makes Azula slightly uncomfortable.
"Not so big chunks, Azula... tiny ones, por favor. It is for the salad," Rita admonishes gently.
She stays to cook, to serve and for dinner, too. She dances well into the evening and once the last plate and the last bowl are empty, she helps with the dishes. It is then, that she and Rita are finally alone. Long enough for Azula to explain and not wanting to stop once the other women - Ritas nieces, her sisters, children, friends and every other female present - start to pour into the tiny kitchen as well. Those not proficient in the English language listen intently do Madalena's hurried whispers in Spanish.
In the end, it is Rita's mother-in-law who tells Azula (through Madalena):
"Your mother would not want you to fight with your father about something like this. He is a lonely man and lonely men are easy prey to no good women. It is good of you to tell him that you disapprove of his girlfriend. It is not good that you try to force him to seperate from her. Give him time. Show him patience. You will see, it will all work out."
"And if it doesn't?" Azula asks tentatively.
"Then you will make it work out. You are a woman. We are strong," Madalena translates.
A telephone is pushed into Azulas Hand.
"It is time you call home and tell your father that you are fine," Rita says as the clock strikes midnight.
* * * * *
039 Empty hands (for old times' sake)
He's walking home that evening with his mind full of impressions and colors, trying to subdue the images of blue eyes and tanned skin, the feel of lips he shouldn't be kissing. Night has fallen over Ba Sing Se like a black curtain bedecked with stars and disco lights. Even at this time of the eve the streets are busy and so he thinks nothing of steps just behind him. He passes a chinese take-away - Eww... that rice looks odd..
"Sozin!"
He halts. That was his name, he's pretty sure. Slowly he turns. Just in time to see Jet charging at him. A fist collides with his jaw.
"I told you to leave her alone!"
Dizzy. Head spinning. That jaw hurts. Another fist comes flying, but he evades.
"What the... Jet! Stop it!"
"Bastard! You had your chance! Stay away from my girl! Stay away from Katara!"
A punch. Jet staggers backwards, caught by someone in the rapidly forming ring of onlookers.
"Why you..."
They're both in stance now - Zuko feels as if he were starring in a Hong Kong B-movie. A punch, a chop, a kick, a spin - waiting for someone to call Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan to show them how it's done. The crowd chants - someone's started to take bets on "the guy with the furry head" and "scarface".
Whooosh - that punch must have hurt. Jet doubles over but even as he does so, he tries to wipe Zuko off his feet. Fists grabbing his shirt, tearing holes into the fabric.
Suddenly, there are sirens. Someone yells: "The cops!"
The ring dissipates, everyone is running - so are Zuko and Jet. Down the alley, into a backstreet. And another, and another - side by side, fight forgotten.
After two blocks, they stop to catch their breathe.
"I'm telling you for the last time, Sozin... stay... away... from.. my... girlfriend," Jet hisses. Zuko moves his head, but he's not sure whether it is a nod or a shake. "If you don't," the other man says and - SNAP! - draws a jack knife out of his pocket. "I'll be using this to make you understand."
* * * * *
040 Redecorating (Confrontation, revisited)
Their house has many guest rooms. Her father has chosen the nicest one for redecoration. It's not that the room needs to be redecorated - it's something to keep Sarah, his current girlfriend and former secretary, busy. Azula refuses to be of any help, despite Sarah's efforts to include her. The blonde has been given free reign to create her own domicile within their house. Azula doesn't have to be told to know that (and her father hasn't told her anything about the sudden need to redecorate a room).
Sarah brings craftsmen to the house and keeps them there for 2 weeks. Azula doesn't even bother to acknowledge their existence - just as she doesn't bother to acknowledge Sarah as her fathers steady girlfriend. She ignores the smell of paint, the sound of hammers and powered tools, the many boxes being brought in and stored in the entrance hall of her home. None of that is there for Azula, but of course one can trip while carrying a bottle of orange juice to her room and spill it over up to 3 parcels and boxes at the same time. (She's been practicing.)
Her father retaliates by sending her and Sarah to a beauty farm the following weekend - together. It is the first time Azula has to be forced to use the Spa.
That sunday night, after having dragged her suitcase up to her room, Azula can hear them talk in the entrance hall.
"How did it go?" (Anxious, hopeful. That's Sarah.)
"I ruined it... he's not coming home."
Her father's answer sounds so utterly defeated that Azula can't help but wonder. Something tugs at her heart, a strange feeling. Something guides her feet, a certain foreboding. She ends up at the redecorated room and carefully turns the handle. The lights flicker to life and Azula is astounded.
The walls, the furniture, the pictures, the PlayStation 4plus, the plain sign resting on the desk, mirroring the one on her bedroom door, stating "Zuko".