my skin has turned to porcelain, to ivory, to steel.

bornaleader:

It was the one last visit he opted to make— well that, before he made his trip back home later for the evening. He had said his last goodbyes to everyone he had the liberty of seeing, but he had one particular person in mind. 

Knuckles gently rapped at the door of her office before he made his way inside— and he was glad he hadn’t made much noise when he saw her there, her ebony locks sprawled over her desk. He too had been familiar with this sight— he too found himself doing the same thing. More times than he would like to admit.

He reached over to her and gently shook her shoulder. “Shouldn’t you be in bed by now?”

        Naturally, those ‘few minutes’ had quickly dissolved into deep sleep.
        Every muscle in her body had relaxed; tension leaving her shoulders
        where she hadn’t even realised it existed. Suddenly the stern lines in
        her father’s face and the bags under his eyes weren’t such a mystery.
        The knock on her door only briefly disrupts her slumber, but the shake
        to her shoulder finally rouses her from sleep.

                                She blinks warily, eyes adjusting to the dim lighting of the
                                office until her gaze finally falls upon Iroh. “G-General, I’m
                                so sorry. I didn’t realise—” Suddenly she’s at rapt attention, back
                                straight and pulling her hair back as though ready to get back
                                to work—- embarrassed that he’d caught her while she had
                                fallen asleep. How professional.

        “Oh— well,” she glances at the clock. “Yes, but I need to finish these papers.               Did you need something?”