bornaleader-archive ASKED: When he felt the weight of her press against his shoulder briefly, Iroh glanced down. Momentarily to find the heiress fast asleep. And were it anyone, he would have shaken them awake, but he refrained from doing so with her. He remained by her side in order to give her that tiny moment of peace he felt that she deserved.
My muse falls asleep on your muse while they’re sitting together. What does your character do?
Honestly, he knew nothing about cars. That was one particular fact that he had overlooked until now, and he didn’t feel comfortable in his ignorance. Even now as he took a seat into the driver’s seat of her Satomobile. It was sleek and shiny, and it just that kind of signature that screamed Asami Sato.
Even the interior looked as flash as did the exterior. “No— not at all, actually.” He admitted with a sheepish smile. With his bag in place and the door finally shut, he turned his attention to the young woman and the gears and the tiny fixtures of the car. “Are you willing to help me out? That is— whenever you can?”
“Well, we’ve got a few hours to kill, right? If you like we can take a drive around the city. I’ll drive and show you the ropes and then I’ll let you take a go at it after you’ve watched me for a bit,” she’s already pulling the car onto the road as she says this. For Iroh’s sake, she tries to drive a little safer and not speed– as much as she’d really like to.
She glances over to him, gauging his expression. It gave her sort of a giddy feeling, the idea of teaching him to drive. Asami loved when people took an interest in her dad’s– in her – work. “–It’s not that hard, I promise. If you can fly one of my biplanes in the midst of a crisis, you can drive one of my cars.”
He had to stop and admire the sleek and shiny satomobile stationed out in front. With each and every one of their encounters, he found himself admiring another of her collection, and he was always left speechless. Granted— he still didn’t know much about cars, but he was winging it based on looks. And of course, Asami’s superior skills and talent.
All he had with him was the uniform he had on, and a duffel bag in his left hand. Just some clothes and some other important things that he would need for the long voyage ahead.
“Anywhere?” Now that question was just asking for trouble. With that car parked out and with nothing to do for hours— “Well I need to be at the docks no later than 0100 hours. Perhaps you could show me how she runs?” He questioned her with a lifted brow.
“You wanna break that down into hours I can understand? I don’t speak Military,” she teases lightly, but nods nevertheless. “—But sure. I can do that. Come on,” and she’s already reaching the car and climbing into the driver’s seat.
For Asami it’s like a warm hug– the seat conforms to her body as if it was made for her or an extension of her very being; a second skin. She puts the key in the ignition and the Satomobile comes to life with with an easy purr. One hand rests lazily over the steering wheel, the other wraps around the clutch and shifts it into reverse, her foot remains on the brake though; waiting for Iroh to get settled.
“Do you know anything about cars, General?” she asks. She has the inkling he’s not familiar with them, but – from what she had gathered when he piloted her biplanes – he’s a fast learner.
The heel of his boots sounded loudly as he followed the Heiress out of her office. It’s much darker than he had imagined— with nightfall close to rolling in, he was sure that he had about a few hours time before he could catch the ship waiting for him at the port.
Long weeks of settling down into the city was beginning t wear him out, and his patience was wearing thin. Not that he had a particular reason for not wanting to stick around long, but he too had family waiting for him. Family that he hadn’t seen in person since the day they were called for the Equalist Raids. Then almost immediately— not even a good couple of months, and a small problem in the Southern Water Tribe became another catastrophic, world-wide event.
“I suppose you can say that,” he remarked— a hint of sarcasm seeping into his voice.
With all the various machinery turned off, the factory is pleasantly quiet. A rare moment that Asami actually gets to see – mostly because she’s hulled up in her office. As an afterhthought, she really ought to do something to repay the General for his kindness. Even if it was just convincing her to get some rest, she still felt obligated to do something nice.
His sarcasm wasn’t lost on her, and she did her best to hide an amused smile.
Pulling her keys out of her pocket, she leaves the factory, locks it behind her and then gestures to the sleek Satomobile parked out front. “—Did you need a ride somewhere? I could drop you off at the docks, or– wherever you want to go, really,” she offered.
By all means, he was doing in this aid of a friend, but he couldn’t help but hold back the grin that worked on his lips. Through his weary features, it showed that he was genuinely proud for having swayed her decision to rest and relax in her own ambiance. It was what he thought she needed the most now.
There was also that nagging thought at the back of his mind— he wanted to see the young heiress well before heading off.
“In a couple of hours, yes,” he remarked as he helped her up from her desk. That same haughty grin irreplaceable when he heard her comment.
As soon as she’s on her feet, Asami grabs her coat and turns off the lamp that sat neatly at the corner of her desk splaying shadows across the room. Then she pulls her keys from her pocket to lock up after they’ve both exited the office. When she feels the tumblers fall into place, a sense of relief washes over her. She’s actually going home to rest and get some much needed sleep.
The factory is all but dead; the rest of the employees having gone home hours earlier. “You know,” she says, studying his features briefly as they walk. “You look like you could use some sleep yourself, General.”
And it’s true, the lines of fatigue are visible in his face. If she’d looked in a mirror, she probably would have seen the same thing in her own features. Fatigue, weariness, too much weight upon thin shoulders.
