Letters From Iroh

Never Going Back

It was an odd time to be on a United Forces ship, then, for anyone. Since we all were meant to be enjoying the benefits of deserved leisure, our time off (though more for the crew that'd been working for the entire year than me who'd been off for more than my fair share of days) we followed hybrid rules. The usual standards governing what we were and were not allowed to do took on more loosely-interpreted forms.

Some examples were more trivial than others. There were typically regulations against bending on the deck for anything other than fighting, if it was an order to do so for another reason it was okay, but that was common sense. Basically, bending in the open was permissible for all relative military aspects, not for what it was being used for momentarily. Now, both on the top decks and within the covered areas of the ships, people were fraternising. Firebenders were 'grilling out', an expression I'd only ever heard my father use, typically in jest, too, using their gifts to impress others, while groups and pairs partnered together to initiate impromptu cooking contests. Some of the world's strongest benders of each of the four elements had come together with non-benders to have fun.

Of course Rian and Kayo were first to choose sides. They were funny, and some of the best at the playful banter that I'd like to try myself. However, for both our sakes, my attempts would have to wait until I was directly involved in the situation.

Another less important relaxation of the typical strict rules, which as I actually spent more time here, realised were in fact, stricter than I thought, involved romance and relationships on board the vessels. I'd come here before during a time somewhat like this, and now, I was back in the same lifestyle, only to one day understand how serious and dedicated we all were, and dedication, honor and love really did seem to motívate people simultaneously. The Avatar and her ex-boyfriend (or boyfriend- I wasn't really sure what their current standing was anymore) had fought together all the time, and though he'd dated his other ally, it didn't stop them from being a team. They trusted each other, and I remembered Korra mentioning her predecessor, Aang, and his friends. He'd fallen in love with his right hand woman, and though I doubted it was to the degree people wanted to believe, there had been some arguments of a love triangle with Iroh's grandfather.

Oddly enough, I remember most of the "facts" (I could see Maatki making those little air quotes now, as he did when he'd mentioned it to me) concerning such questionable history came from a terribly inaccurate play. Anyway, the rule we were allowed to freely exploit was making the most of our "relationship rights", (a term I loathed, but Kayo kept using solely because it angered me- at that point I don't even remember it being a real one. It didn't seem like it, but I didn't pay much mind to semantics. It wasn't important.) and that meant I could be alone with my boyfriend without other people really caring.

Everyone was doing that sort of thing it seemed. I hadn't seen anyone alone, even if they weren't head over heels in love. It was apparent more than ever that we were united, connected. I saw camaraderie everywhere- from friends to siblings, to the evidently present couples forced to remain professional at work- some were even married, their children either grown or not yet conceived (or conceived of) the idea alone was strange to me, that all this time people had been living this way happily, and weren't afraid of it. They adapted, and I now was learning how to do so myself.

"Took you long enough." I blinked, rubbing my eyes. The sunrise was blinding, and I turned back over, searching for the blanket which had been covering my legs.

"Hmm stop..." I pawed around for it, noticing I was stripped of any covers at all. "Where's the...stupid sun...give me that!" I opened my eyes, slowly rousing in full. I went to stand but got dizzy, which happened to me sometimes when I'd been enjoying my rest only to be rudely wrenched from sleep. "I'm serious!" I groaned and sat up. "Iroh, you're like a giant kid!"