#lt jee

CHAPTER 2 1/2 HURT AND COMFORT

Toph stormed away from the dining hall in a huff. She wasn’t sure why she and Zuko hadn’t been talking except to fight more and more.  If they weren’t careful, rumors would begin to spread.  Throwing open the door to the training arena, she began hurling rocks at the targets. The door eased open behind and she scowled before burying herself in a stone igloo.

Hakoda sighed as he saw the rocks rise into place.  “Toph, I’m just here to talk if you want.”

At his words, a small hole bent open and Toph’s voice floated out, “Well, excuse me for my lack of decorum at the breakfast table.”

Hakoda shook his head, “I’m not upset at you. It sounds like you need someone to talk to or someone to listen to you and since my kids aren’t here yet, I’m willing to listen.”

“Yeah, right, old man.”

“How many times did we talk in the temple, Toph? You know I’m not interested in changing you. I just want to help.”

Toph snorted and Hakoda sighed, sitting down and drawing a blade.  Reaching into a pocket, his fingers closed on nothingness. Checking all his pockets, he realized Malina must have taken his whetstone out when she set everything out for him this morning.

“I felt that.” Toph called out to him.

Hakoda blinked out of his thoughts, “Hmm? Excuse me.”

“The disappointment. It radiates through the stone and I can feel you judging me.”

“Ah, sorry. Right emotion, wrong target. I don’t have my whetstone to sharpen my blade while I wait.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

The hole widened a bit and a perfectly formed whetstone leaped out from the hut.

“Thank you, Toph.” Hakoda settled in and let the rasp, rasp, of the whetstone over steel settle his mind.

The sun moved slowly through the sky as Hakoda calmly sharpened his sword, his saxe knife, and his boot knife.  As he finished the last blade, he walked over to the used weapons pile and picked up two swords to sharpen.  Returning to his bench, he settled back down and began sharpening the sword dulled by use against an oaken pillar.  After a few strokes of the whetstone, the hut crumbled and Toph stomped over to him.

“Fine, old man. You win.”

Hakoda nodded, “Would you like to sit?”

 --------------------------------------------------------------

Admiral Jee opened the door cautiously. “You asked to see me, my lord?”

“Drop the ‘my lord’ nonsense and come with me.” Zuko opened a door in the wall that led to a passageway that plunged deep into the caldera and they walked to a platinum bunker held aloft by thick chains.

Jee lifted his eyebrow at the bunker. “I take it, whatever we’re discussing has to do with your fiancée?”

“Good guess.”

Stepping in and sealing the door, Zuko lit the air-warning candle and pulled out a thick packet of papers only to find Jee studying a painting of the Wani. Jee spoke without turning, “Would this have anything to do with the argument at breakfast, my… Zuko?”

Zuko scowled, “Yes and No. I need you to sign this.”

Jee lifted up the papers, “The Fire lord’s official MOST secret protection act? A specialized act even more restrictive than the Secrets protection act?”

“Yes, what I want to talk about is not to be repeated to anybody at all.”

Jee signed his name with a flourish. “Very well…Zuko, spit it out.”

Zuko froze as he debated how to start, but finally blurted out, “I’m in love with Toph.”

Jee nodded slowly, “Yessss… Isn’t that why you’re marrying her?”

“NO! The council invoked the bloodline security act and her father threatened to have her dragged back to the Earth Kingdom if she didn’t marry! This was supposed to give us cover for a few years until we figured something out, but now, RAAHHAGH!!!” The sconces flared as Zuko yelled before he threw himself into a chair and put his head down in his arms on the table.  “I can’t do anything about it either.”

Jee furrowed his brow, “You can’t talk to her about it?  If she’s a good friend…”

“The best”

“Your best friend, then, why don’t you talk to her?”

“It’s not honorable.”

Jee barked out a laugh, “Kid, I was stuck on a ship with you for three years and you’re still going on about honor?” Zuko looked up and scowled at him and he added, “my lord?”

“It’s not honorable because everything she depends on right now, friends, housing, work, leisure, everything she has here, I can snap my fingers and make it all disappear.”

“Pretty sure she’d snap you if you ever tried that.”

Zuko glanced up from the table, “Really? You lack that much faith in my combat prowess?”

Jee snorted, “No, I just have more faith in the ‘Melon Lord.’ How fast did she win the Caldera benders brawl?”

Zuko smiled at the memory, “3 minutes, 44 seconds against 49 benders, 10 of them Imperial Firebenders from my personal guard.”

“I rest my case.”

“Fair enough.”

“Anyway, since she’s such a threat… why don’t you talk to her? She’s your best friend and if you have a chance for this friendship to blossom into something more, shouldn’t you take it.”

Zuko shook his head, “I can’t do that to her.”

Jee shrugged, “Personally, I understand your concerns, but she’s an earthbender. I think she’d appreciate knowing the situation entirely so she can face it head-on.”

Zuko nodded, “I’ll take that under advisement.”