Categories > Cartoons > Avatar: The Last Airbender > The Chimeras
Chapter Three: Reminisce
Iroh's morning consisted of wandering the house itself. The old general was quite pleased to discover a very old Pai Sho board shoved in the back of a closet. He pulled it out and set it up on a table in the sitting room, but he could not find any tiles. With a sad sigh, he sat down at the board and simply stared into space.
"Feeling out of place, Dragon of the West?"
Iroh looked up and smiled when he saw Mimiko leaning against the doorway. She smiled back and entered the room to sit across from him at the board. "You've never been one to sit idle, Iroh," Mimiko said, tilting her head to one side.
"Hm. Yet it seems the older I get, the more I find myself idling," Iroh replied.
Mimiko chuckled. "Am I hearing this correctly? General Iroh admitting he's growing old?" Her smile faltered slightly. "I spoke with your nephew earlier."
"Oh?"
"He's a hard-headed lad, Iroh," Mimiko said with a sigh. "But I think I got my point across." She ran her finger absentmindedly through the dust on the Pai Sho board. "He's aware that Cade isn't the only 'chimera' on the island. Has he really never met a half-breed before this?"
"None that I know of," Iroh said. "I'm afraid that this island is a bit of shock for him."
"That is obvious," Mimiko replied blandly. "Were we ever so close-minded, my friend?"
"To be so young is be to be so provincial, my dear," Iroh told her with a smile.
__________________________
(Approximately 40 years earlier)
She watched him walk across the camp and decided at once to follow him. Before she stood, though, one of the other girls grabbed her arm and pulled her back down. "Don't even bother, Mimi. That's Iroh. He's snubbed every one of us girls. You won't be any different."
Mimi shook her head and pulled free. She smirked at the skeptical girl and took Iroh's path through camp until she watched him disappear into a tent. She waited a moment and then pulled back the flap to peek inside. The young solider was sitting on the edge of his cot, an open scroll in hand. He looked up at her and frowned. "I'm not interested. I've already told your friends."
Mimi snorted. This made Iroh stare at her a moment. The women who 'entertained' the soldiers usually made an attempt to be charming and demur. This one, however, simply smirked at him from the tent entrance. "They aren't my friends," she told him. "I don't have friends, just my livelihood." Iroh raised an eyebrow at her. She gave an inner leap of joy when he slowly set aside the scroll. He was now staring at her as though contemplating her. She looked a bit younger than the other women; couldn't have possibly been older than 17. She wore a short, dusty red tunic, and dark leggings. Her black hair was cut very short right at her earlobes. Like all who traveled, she wore her fortune in the form of jewelry. She had three thin chain necklaces, rings for almost every finger, and numerous bracelets. And very unlike the other girls, she wore no makeup, not even a trace of it.
She waited as he looked her over, never taking her eyes away from his face. When he looked away from her suddenly and reached for the scroll, she felt a little panic. She glanced around his tent and then grinned. "You play Pai Sho?" she asked, nodding to the board. Iroh stopped mid-reach for the scroll and stared at her again.
"Why do you ask?"
She shrugged. "Fancy a game?"
"You're joking," he replied. Her grin widened as she shook her head. Iroh looked at her hopefully and she stepped into the tent and started setting up the board. They moved it to the center of the tent so he could remain on his cot and she sat on the ground.
"I'm Mimi, by the way."
"Iroh."
"Nice to meet you, Iroh."
She'd made the first move. Now it was up to him to decide where this game would go.
_________________________
(Present )
"Found them!" Iroh called from the hall. He came back into the room, now carrying a bag holding the Pai Sho tiles. Mimiko laughed and clapped her hands together. He sat down again at the board and smiled as he began to set the tiles. Mimiko watched with a soft smile, thinking back to their first game together.
We're still playing that game, aren't we, my love?
She sighed lightly and they began the game.
_________________________
Cade set the swords back in the rack and wiped the sweat from her brow. Suoh came up behind her and patted her shoulder. "You did well today," he told her.
"Thank you, Master Suoh," she said, nodding. She bowed to him quickly and then started back up to the house. Before she reached it, she saw the Fire Nation prince sitting at the edge of the forest, staring into space. She felt a coil of anger in her belly seeing him, but quickly looked away before her temper broke.
As her hand touched the door, she heard her name and turned back. She scowled when she saw that it was the prince who'd called her. He ran up to her and held up his hands in a sign of wanting a truce. "I saw you training earlier," he said. Her scowl deepened. He'd been watching her? He seemed to sense her anger and took a step back. "Look, I just wanted to ask if you'd spar against me."
Cade stared at him a moment. "Why?" she finally asked.
He shrugged, "Pure curiosity. I've trained with similar swords and I want to see if you're better than me." There was a challenge in his voice that she couldn't help but take up.
"And if I am?"
"Then you are."
They watched each other for a long moment and then Cade nodded slowly.
Iroh's morning consisted of wandering the house itself. The old general was quite pleased to discover a very old Pai Sho board shoved in the back of a closet. He pulled it out and set it up on a table in the sitting room, but he could not find any tiles. With a sad sigh, he sat down at the board and simply stared into space.
"Feeling out of place, Dragon of the West?"
Iroh looked up and smiled when he saw Mimiko leaning against the doorway. She smiled back and entered the room to sit across from him at the board. "You've never been one to sit idle, Iroh," Mimiko said, tilting her head to one side.
"Hm. Yet it seems the older I get, the more I find myself idling," Iroh replied.
Mimiko chuckled. "Am I hearing this correctly? General Iroh admitting he's growing old?" Her smile faltered slightly. "I spoke with your nephew earlier."
"Oh?"
"He's a hard-headed lad, Iroh," Mimiko said with a sigh. "But I think I got my point across." She ran her finger absentmindedly through the dust on the Pai Sho board. "He's aware that Cade isn't the only 'chimera' on the island. Has he really never met a half-breed before this?"
"None that I know of," Iroh said. "I'm afraid that this island is a bit of shock for him."
"That is obvious," Mimiko replied blandly. "Were we ever so close-minded, my friend?"
"To be so young is be to be so provincial, my dear," Iroh told her with a smile.
__________________________
(Approximately 40 years earlier)
She watched him walk across the camp and decided at once to follow him. Before she stood, though, one of the other girls grabbed her arm and pulled her back down. "Don't even bother, Mimi. That's Iroh. He's snubbed every one of us girls. You won't be any different."
Mimi shook her head and pulled free. She smirked at the skeptical girl and took Iroh's path through camp until she watched him disappear into a tent. She waited a moment and then pulled back the flap to peek inside. The young solider was sitting on the edge of his cot, an open scroll in hand. He looked up at her and frowned. "I'm not interested. I've already told your friends."
Mimi snorted. This made Iroh stare at her a moment. The women who 'entertained' the soldiers usually made an attempt to be charming and demur. This one, however, simply smirked at him from the tent entrance. "They aren't my friends," she told him. "I don't have friends, just my livelihood." Iroh raised an eyebrow at her. She gave an inner leap of joy when he slowly set aside the scroll. He was now staring at her as though contemplating her. She looked a bit younger than the other women; couldn't have possibly been older than 17. She wore a short, dusty red tunic, and dark leggings. Her black hair was cut very short right at her earlobes. Like all who traveled, she wore her fortune in the form of jewelry. She had three thin chain necklaces, rings for almost every finger, and numerous bracelets. And very unlike the other girls, she wore no makeup, not even a trace of it.
She waited as he looked her over, never taking her eyes away from his face. When he looked away from her suddenly and reached for the scroll, she felt a little panic. She glanced around his tent and then grinned. "You play Pai Sho?" she asked, nodding to the board. Iroh stopped mid-reach for the scroll and stared at her again.
"Why do you ask?"
She shrugged. "Fancy a game?"
"You're joking," he replied. Her grin widened as she shook her head. Iroh looked at her hopefully and she stepped into the tent and started setting up the board. They moved it to the center of the tent so he could remain on his cot and she sat on the ground.
"I'm Mimi, by the way."
"Iroh."
"Nice to meet you, Iroh."
She'd made the first move. Now it was up to him to decide where this game would go.
_________________________
(Present )
"Found them!" Iroh called from the hall. He came back into the room, now carrying a bag holding the Pai Sho tiles. Mimiko laughed and clapped her hands together. He sat down again at the board and smiled as he began to set the tiles. Mimiko watched with a soft smile, thinking back to their first game together.
We're still playing that game, aren't we, my love?
She sighed lightly and they began the game.
_________________________
Cade set the swords back in the rack and wiped the sweat from her brow. Suoh came up behind her and patted her shoulder. "You did well today," he told her.
"Thank you, Master Suoh," she said, nodding. She bowed to him quickly and then started back up to the house. Before she reached it, she saw the Fire Nation prince sitting at the edge of the forest, staring into space. She felt a coil of anger in her belly seeing him, but quickly looked away before her temper broke.
As her hand touched the door, she heard her name and turned back. She scowled when she saw that it was the prince who'd called her. He ran up to her and held up his hands in a sign of wanting a truce. "I saw you training earlier," he said. Her scowl deepened. He'd been watching her? He seemed to sense her anger and took a step back. "Look, I just wanted to ask if you'd spar against me."
Cade stared at him a moment. "Why?" she finally asked.
He shrugged, "Pure curiosity. I've trained with similar swords and I want to see if you're better than me." There was a challenge in his voice that she couldn't help but take up.
"And if I am?"
"Then you are."
They watched each other for a long moment and then Cade nodded slowly.
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