badfic_manor | Cup 019: Iroh [In Person]

[Jack and zombies definitely don't get along. Especially after his fiasco with some on board the Queen Anne's Revenge that took orders from Blackbeard. He's still trying to figure out how the dead can walk but hey, he's had seen his share of the supernatural. Best not to question it and simply survive.]

I sometimes close my eyes and pretend this is all one bad dream. That's how I get by.

[He smirks and takes the ladle.]

You don't happen to have any rum, do you not?

Would that I could pretend that as well. But we've been at the manor for so long now that I know this has to be real. To some extent, anyway.

[He grins at Jack's question.] Trust me, my friend, if I did I'd be sharing it with you now. But water's all we got and it'll keep us alive. What we also need is food.

[Jack grins and sips the water.]

At the very least, we still have our heads and our lives intact. Cheers, since cheer is all we have left to keep us sane and less heavy, eh?

[He reaches in and pulls out a strip of jerky.]

It's a start.

Indeed. Times like this our will and spirit is what keeps us afloat. I've seen terrible things before in my life, Captain Jack. War and death. And while I kept myself going through those times, I've found that the company and spirit of others is a great help.

[Breaking the preserved meat apart and offers one to Iroh, Jack grins.]

In the case of cases where the will is often broken down by repressive influences, I find that having the shared company of another that happens to know and experience such likely negative helps the understanding of those that never encountered said misfortunes.

A song, if you will, my dear jubobo player!

[Someone forgot what the horn was called.]

Well, that's rather more words than I would have put it in, but I agree.

[Iroh takes the strip of jerky and begins to worry it with his teeth. He manages to get a chunk off and chews.]

I'm afraid my Tsungi horn is back at the manor [despite what the icon may indicate]. But I do enjoy singing. If you know any songs, please, join me.

[After limping through the city on a crutch, beating up zombies, and blowing himself up a few times, the teen had more or less just found a good spot to collapse on and just crashed. Of course he doesn't care. He is currently in face down on the ground in a state of 'everything hurts'. He's covered in blood, dirt, and probably a number of zombie-bits, but hey he's alive!

When he hears Iroh puttering around he lifts his head slightly to watch... did that guy have tea on the brain or something?! And seriously what the hell was he goin' out of his to help a bunch of random shmucks in this place? The teen grunts and lets his head fall back down on the ground.]

Oh dear.

[Iroh scurries over to where Gokudera lies on the ground.]

You're injured.

[He slips his arms under Gokudera's arms and tries to get him up.]

Come on. Let's get you off the floor. What happened to you?

[Oh and he's being touched, while he's injured. Hayato natural reaction is to just flail himself away from Iroh... if it were someone younger Hayato would have slugged them in the gut...]

I'M FUCKING FINE!

[Hayato reaches for his crutch and slowly pulls himself up shakily to his feet. The older injury on his leg from his fight with Gaara a while back was the most crippling of the bunch, but he was going to try and play EVERYTHING off like he was fine.]

I fought some zombies. That's what happened.

[Iroh backs away in a hurry at Hayato's violent outburst.]

Of course. They are dangerous things. Unnatural.

[Iroh hurries to pull out a chair.]

Sit. You shouldn't be walking too much on that leg.

[The teen glares at the chair as though this whole event is all it's fault, then lets out an irritable sigh and eases himself down, leaning the crutch on the back of the chair]

Tch, they're easy enough to kill. If I wasn't so messed up I would still be out there rippin' them apart.

[The teen pulls out a pack of cigarettes and takes on in his mouth, however when he tries to light it up he finds his lighter is out of fluid]

mother fucking thing! Not now!

Easy to kill or not, it's not wise to unnecessarily fight them. There are many of them, and the may eventually overwhelm you. Stay in here, where it's safe. [For now.]

[When the boy's lighter fails to ignite, Iroh kneels down beside him and conjures a lick of flame from his palm, holding it out to the cigarette.]

Tch! I'd rather be out there doing something then bein' stuck in here like a worthless pile of meat!

[Hayato jumps when all of a sudden, out of nowhere- THE OLD MAN IS ON FIRE. The cigarette falls clear out of the boy's mouth from the shock]

H-HOLY COCK!

[The teen scrambles for his cigarette... and his composure... and tentatively holds the cigarette to the flame, lighting it. Before he puts it back in his mouth, he examines it... it was... really on fire.]

H-how'd you do that?

[Iroh closes his hand to extinguish the flame.]

I apologize. I suppose you've never seen my Bending abilities. I am used to them and I forget that there are some who are not...

[Iroh holds his hand out again, palm up, and a small fireball appears over his hand as he exhales.]

I am a Firebender, gifted with the ability to create and control flames. Where I come from, many have the ability to control one of the four elements.

[Approval rating has risen 50 points]

Fire bender? Is that an ability you're born with? Can you teach it to someone? what are the other three elements?

[Hayato doesn't take his eyes off the fireball, his attitude just dissolving and replaced with a passionate nerd-like interest. IF ONLY HE HAD HIS NOTEBOOK! He would have to commit this whole conversation to memory and record it when he got back]

[Iroh can't help but smile at the boy's sudden enthusiasm.]

I'm afraid that it is not something that can be taught. You are born with Bending abilities, but birth alone does not make a skilled Bender. The art must be learned and mastered for many years.

The other elements are water, earth and air. Together with fire, they make up everything in our world. Each type of Bender has their own unique connection to their element and derive different strengths from them.

[...Damn that means he can't learn to ~~set himself on~~ control fire. Of course he's not done asking his questions yet. He's pooling all his knowledge on the subject of strange powers (which stems mostly from video games)]

Wait, what about lightening and trees and shit like that? Can those be "bended" or whatever too?

Very astute. All living things are filled with water, and a powerful Waterbender can harness the water in plants or animals and control them. Things like glass, crystal and metal is all just various forms of earth.

As for lightning...well, some call it 'the cold-blooded fire'.

[Iroh closes his eyes and moves his arms around him in slow circles. The lights seem to dim from the room as electricity crackles between his hands. He exhales slowly, a long controlled breath, and the lightning dissipates into the air, leaving the hairs on Iroh's arm standing up.]

The elements are everywhere.

[The teen listens intently, making a mental note of EVERYTHING Iroh is saying. Of course his eyes just about pop out of his head at that totally badass display right there]

THAT WAS FRIGGIN' AWESO-

[And in his excitement Hayato springs to his feet, completely forgetting that he is currently incapable of standing upright without help. Naturally his leg wobbles and gives out causing him to topple backwards, falling spectacularly over the chair.]

Cazzo!

[The lightning snaps out as Iroh springs to his feet and goes over to Hayato.]

You're going to have to be more careful with your leg like that. Easy.

[He eases his arms under Hayato's and tries to help him back up.]

Oof.

[He re-situates himself on the chair, still smiling like an idiot...]

So, what's your world like...

[And then it dawns on him... he didn't know this guys name.... if he had heard it... he didn't pay enough attention to remember it. He rubs the back of his neck awkwadly]

uh.... I don't think I caught your name....

No? Well, I suppose that is my fault for failing to introduce myself properly. I am Iroh. May I have the honor of knowing your name...just to be sure?

My world...well, things are difficult there now. There is war. The people of my homeland have been attempting to subdue the rest of the world for one hundred years. I wish it were not so. My home is a place of great beauty and wonder. There is so much to be seen there that even I in my old age haven't seen it all.

Hayato Gokudera!

[He leans forward, hands on his knees, but winces again, Iroh's awesomeness distracting him from the fact that he is in pain. He shifts so that his arm is draped over the back of the chair instead.]

A war? Your homeland? Where is your homeland? [That was a retarded question, obviously it was in his world] What's it called? Why are they tryin' to subdue the rest of the world?

[So many questions. Well, an inquisitive mind is the sign of someone bright.]

My homeland is called the Fire Nation. Firebenders, like myself, come from there.

[The rest of the questions are much trickier.]

I cannot really say why there is a war. My grandfather believed that it was the best way to share our nation's prosperity with the rest of the world. My brother seems to believe similarly, but it is a simple show of power, nothing more. My brother does not understand what it means to live in unity with others, and that pains me.

[Hayato scoots to the very edge of his seat, hanging on to every word Iroh says. The whole culture just sounded fascinating! He's taking it all in like a sponge. It was sort of like the elements of the flames... only less diverse and and less sky-based. The thought of it alone causes him to absentmindedly fidget with the Vongola ring on his hand]

Fire nation... so there's a Water, Earth, and Air Nation too then?

[He thinks on it for a moment, with powers like these, it's not hard to imagine that one nation would be threatened by another. It was the same in his world, only what people lacked in powers they made up for with technology and weapons.]

I guess it sort of makes sense... whenever there's a threat to on nations power a war usually breaks out.

[That's what it was like in the mafia, and wars in general. Either you form an alliance or you pit yourself against one another. He had read about it in history and seen it on the streets of Italy on a smaller scale...]

Indeed there are. The Water Tribes, the Earth Kingdom and the Air Nomads. Though there is only one airbender left in the world. The rest were destroyed early in the war. It is something I had no control over; I wasn't born yet. But I regret it still. Balance is what binds this world together, and with the airbenders gone...

It is the real tragedy of this war. So many in the Fire Nation do not see the invisible threads that tie us all. They revere only power.

Ah, but forgive me. You surely don't wish to hear about an old man's sorrows and philosophies.

No, it's alright really! Go on!

[Hayato chuckles a bit awkwardly and rubs the back of his neck]

I only wish I had my notebook with me so I could write some of this down! It's interestin' to hear about another world like this!

Well, if you really want to hear more...

[The boy's interest surprises Iroh. He always figured there was a hidden depth to Hayato that his vulgarity and crass nature concealed, but Iroh didn't expect him to take such an interest in his own world.]

As I said, the Airbenders were all wiped out early on in the war. Amongst them was the Avatar. Most think he didn't survive, but my nephew and I recently...

Ah, but you don't know about the Avatar. The Avatar is the spirit of our world, the bridge between the physical world and the Spirit World, and the only being capable of bending all four elements. The Avatar is reincarnated each life into a new body, cycling through each of the four nations. In destroying the Airbenders, more than just the balance of the world was disrupted: the Avatar cycle was destroyed. There is one Airbender left, yes, but once he is gone...

[He trails off and stares at his hands for a moment, frowning.] There are consequences to each of our actions. A lack of foresight can be most devastating. My grandfather only had victory in mind when he wiped out the Air Nomads, but he changed the world forever, and not for the better.

[The teen once again sits silently, taking in every word. It was just so AMAZING. If dealing with this shit hole that was the manor had any perks at all it was hearing about stuff like this. Other worlds, other powers, all sorts of neat extraordinary stuff! He could only hope that somehow he would be able to incorporate this knowledge in his ~~giant occult nerd hunts~~ work back home.]

A bridge between the spirit world and the physical world? So... what's going to happen when the last Avatar... well... y'know....

When he dies.

Ah, I am afraid that I'm not sure, but I can guess. The cycle will continue as before, and the next Avatar will be reincarnated into the Water Tribe, then Earth Kingdom, then Fire Nation...but what after that? Will the Avatar cease to be? Will the Avatar embody only three elements from now on? And who would teach the new Avatar the art of Airbending? There are no more Air Nomads that we know of.

[Iroh shakes his head.] It is one of the great tragedies of my world.

[The teen sat there in silence for a moment]

W-well, how did your grandfather know he got all the air benders? If they're a nomadic people, they should be scattered shouldn't they? There should be a group of 'em hidin' out somewhere... I mean... y'can't just wipe out an entire people like that... can ya?

[Iroh smiles.]

You've expressed my very hope and desire. I like to think that, but it's been one hundred years and there has only been one Airbender since then. I do not think it likely that any other survived, but there is always hope...

Well, yeah, ain't the point of goin' into hidin' not to be found?

[He shrugs, he's been in hiding before... unless someone was specifically hunting you down, it wouldn't be too hard to stay hidden]

It would be difficult to track down a small group of people over the expanse of an entire world... I mean, before I came here my famigia had been in hidin' in just one city before and we were doin' just fine... before I left anyway...

You have voiced and well summarized my very hopes, and the hopes of everyone who has waited for the Avatar's return. Yet one hundred years of evidence is hard to ignore.

[His comments about his...family...provoke Iroh's interest.]

You were hiding before you came here? From what?

Another mafia family, the Millefiore. They're hunting down the Vongola for-

[...should he tell this guy about the rings? Would that be too much information? Well... it probably wouldn't hurt... it's not like he knew what they could do... or use them. Besides, with Belphegor and Mukuro around that information probably wouldn't be hard to acquire anyway.

The teen holds up his right hand pointing out the ring on his middle finger specifically (because lord knows he's very fond of rings)]

-a set of these. We got a hide out underground. [He smiles proudly] They've been walkin' all over us and have no idea.

Ah. [Iroh takes a closer look at the ring. The craftsmanship is excellent.] They must be very valuable.

It seems so terrible that people are willing to do so much over such things.

They're one of a kind... they're part of a set. If someone gets the whole set....

[He laughs nervously and rubs the back of his neck]

Well, everyone's going to be thoroughly screwed....

[Iroh raises an eyebrow.]

In what way? Nothing so horrible as world destruction, I hope.

I think it's somethin' like that... there's a weird kind of balance with the three sets of rings... I guess it's sorta like the avatar guys in your world... only anyone can get the ring I think.

[he scratches his head and looks at his ring, rather puzzled]

Things weren't really explained fully to me yet...

Then yours is an important mission. I understand.

[Though it would be good to know what those rings could do, exactly.]

I think as long as you are here in the Manor, you and that ring will be safe.

.... unless the Author decides to bring the Millefiore family here... or more of the Varia.

[He laughs nervously and rubs the back of his neck]

Then I'll be all kinds of screwed. Belphegor is enough of a bitch to deal with. Kicked his ass once though, I can do it again.

[and oh? Is that him being a smug little thing? Why yes. Yes it is.]

[Iroh frowns. He's certainly making light of the situation, but that's not surprising.]

I hope it does not come to that. These sound like dangerous people, and the less you have to deal with them, the better.

They are, but at least the Varia is completely dysfunctional without their boss. Don't know about the Millefiore, I only ran into one of their generals... Who kicked my ass to hell and back in a matter of minutes...

[It was just sheer luck and great timing that he had actually survived that encounter...]

Well, it is a good thing you survived. I would not worry about them right now.

[And there's that proud grin again. He did make it, and he was stronger for it.]

Yeah...

[ Tired, the teen lets out a bit of a yawn, and reaches behind him for his crutch. He places it in front of him, and rests his chin on it, beginning to nod off... with a lit cigarette in his mouth.]

Hmmm. It has been a strenuous day, hasn't it?

[Iroh leans forward and plucks the cigarette out of his mouth, stubs it out, and places it on the nearby table. Probably best to leave him like he is, though. For now.]

Mmm-hmmm...

[He would totally recant his little zombie-rodeo stunt to Iroh, if he were conscious enough to do so. But instead he can only get out a series of mumbles before his head slumps forward and he's completely out]

Cup 019: Iroh [In Person]

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A Tsungi horn :)

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[1/2]

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sorry it took so long for me to get back to this...

it's all good! XD

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