(no subject)

[issarok.livejournal.com]

Issarok has finished the morning classes and is now free to roam around the palace.

Unfortunately, it's nearly Midwinter, so the palace is dark, and there are Southerners and Firebenders everywhere, all of whom he'd really rather not run into in the dark.

He's sitting in the throne room instead, reading over a scroll of military theory and frowning whenever he finds something he disagrees with.  Which appears to be fairly often.

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[weighandbalance.livejournal.com]

The time with her family, which Sakari had hoped would calm all the butterflies in her stomach, has actually just multiplied them. Except for Lu - Lu, who is rapidly becoming Sakari's very favorite person in the world. Lu, who she can talk to without worrying about someone getting punched or agonizing over where they went wrong with Sakari herself.

And who has some rather good ideas.

After her morning training and heading back to her rooms to get cleaned up, Sakari is walking smoothly down the halls. She has some lessons to catch up on, though they're more for her free time than anything. After combat and healing sessions, the Northern tutors didn't have much interest in teaching her history or politics, so she often wanders into the library to do some reading by herself.

Today, though, on her way over there, she catches sight of the prince in the throne room. And, well... Lu was right. You don't get to know anybody without talking to them first.

She steps into the room and curtsies, as deep as is considered respectful, for both of their stations. "Prince Issarok."

[issarok.livejournal.com]

"Princess Sakari." Issarok puts his scroll aside quickly and gets to his feet, bowing.

[weighandbalance.livejournal.com]

Sakari-- hesitates for a moment. For once, her attendants and his are off. This might actually be the first time they've been alone together-- ever. And if she doesn't talk to him now, she may not have another chance before they're married, or at least before they're invited to the Fire Nation.

Straightening, she smiles. Her eyes fall on the scroll and she relaxes a little in relief. A topic! "Are you studying?"

[issarok.livejournal.com]

"Yes." He looks at the scroll as if it might provide escape. Or at least, a topic. "General Mako's military theorems."

... that appears to be his entire response.

[weighandbalance.livejournal.com]

Crap, he's going to make her work for it, isn't he?

"Oh?" She approaches slowly, hesitant, but still smiling hopefully. "Which edition?"

[issarok.livejournal.com]

She isn't leaving. Why isn't she leaving? She's a girl. Girls don't care about tactics.

"... the third," he says hesitantly, and offers her the scroll, both hands, polite and serious-faced.

[weighandbalance.livejournal.com]

Her smile actually widens a little. Because if he's offering her the scroll, he must think she's at least capable of understanding it. Her father is wrong, he just doesn't know it yet.

Bowing her head slightly in thanks, Sakari takes the scroll and looks over it with interest. "I'm only on the second," she admits after a moment's perusal, glancing up at him with a somewhat self-deprecating smile. "I've heard there were vast improvements in the third. But the North relies more on General Anuun's theorems now, don't you?"

[issarok.livejournal.com]

Issarok looks at her, blank and polite.

"Well, yes. Mako is Fire Nation. We learn their tactics, but we don't use them." Dear girl might as well have been added to the end of that sentence.

[weighandbalance.livejournal.com]

Sakari blinks at him, taken off-guard by the tone.

"Oh." She frowns a little, confused - why learn the tactics of the Fire Nation if not to learn from them, for possible future use as much as defense - but nods all the same. She tries for another smile, and a joke of sorts. "Well, you're not using any tactics at all at the moment."

Or anywhere in the near future!

[issarok.livejournal.com]

Issarok laughs, politely. "Well, no. We're not at war now." Dear.

"May I?" He reaches for the scroll. "These are quite valuable, and rare. I could show you the library, if you'd like."

[weighandbalance.livejournal.com]

Sakari hesitates again. There's something about his tone she's not sure of, but it's too alien for her to really react to it. It kind of makes her want to slap him.

She's never been spoken to like that before.

But... well, if she's going to learn anything about him, they need to spend time together. Nodding, Sakari carefully rolls the scroll back up the proper way and hands it back to him. "I would like that very much, thank you."

[issarok.livejournal.com]

She's not too bad, Issarok decides. A bit slow, and she's obviously been listening to men talk about Anuun and Mako's work, but that's OK, he guesses. She's not improper.

He offers her his arm and smiles. "Just this way."

[weighandbalance.livejournal.com]

She smiles back at him and takes his arm gracefully. This is good - this will work. At least until her handmaidens realize she's missing and come looking for her, they'll have time to get to know each other.

"Do you often study alone?" she asks as they step into the hallway, looking up at him. "I'd think it'd be easier to use all the tutors available."

[hearth-nhome.livejournal.com]

There is an eleven year old girl standing in the doorway, looking at him.

[issarok.livejournal.com]

Issarok stares back at her for a moment before realising something is expected of him and getting to his feet to bow.

(ugh, a child. unsupervised, too.)

"Good morning."

[hearth-nhome.livejournal.com]

Oh fine, if he's going to bow, she's going to bow, too. It's perfectly executed, but there's no grace behind it.

"It's afternoon," she says, judging it by the fact that's she's had lunch. "If you can call it that without any sun."

[issarok.livejournal.com]

"There's never any sun at this time of year," Issarok explains. "It's how the world works. If you were to go South" - small grimace of distaste - "there wouldn't be any night, right now."

[hearth-nhome.livejournal.com]

"Then how do you know whether it's morning or afternoon or when to go to bed or get up?"

She's grouchy because she's tired and she's tired because her solar battery isn't being recharged. Is this what it's like to be a normal person?

[issarok.livejournal.com]

"We know by the position of the stars," Issarok says, "and by the colour of the sky. See, it's a little lighter around the horizon now than it was this morning? That means it's closer to midday."

At least it isn't being outright rude or crying or anything. It's just being a child.

[hearth-nhome.livejournal.com]

She scowls a little. "It doesn't feel like midday," she tells him. "Though I suppose you have no idea what midday feels like."

Because he's not a Firebender.

Bored with standing in the doorway, she walks straight in towards his table. "What are you doing in here?"

[issarok.livejournal.com]

"I'm studying," Issarok says, looking slightly confused. He's never noticed that midday felt much different to any other part of the day. "I'm sorry, I didn't get your name."

He doesn't think to offer his. Everyone knows who he is.

[hearth-nhome.livejournal.com]

The girl raises her chin and gives him as close to a haughty look as she can manage.

"I'm Princess Meila," she says like this shold have been obvious. "I was named for my grandmother, who was the greatest warrior in the whole spirit world.

"My uncle is the Fire Lord so you should know who I am, Prince Issarok."

So NYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYAH.

[issarok.livejournal.com]

Oh shit oh shit oh shit that was unforgiveable. Issarok blanches a little.

"Forgive me, Princess Meila. It's dark. I didn't recognise you."

Of course she'd be a haughty little brat. Firebenders. He's pictured her something more like her brother, who's civil.

Issarok feels it's quite fair to blame Luwei for this. She would have needed him to take her kids to the toilet just so he didn't meet Meila formally, just so that he was embarrassed now.

Firebenders!

[hearth-nhome.livejournal.com]

Meila affects a sniff, because forgiving people who have done the unforgiveable is what Princesses do.

"It is dark," she admits, forgiving him in exchange for blaming his stupid city that doesn't have any sunlight.

"What are you studying?"

[issarok.livejournal.com]

Issarok hesitates. He's studying The Craft Of War. It's a classic, and he's trying to memorise it. But he's not sure that he should admit that to a Firebender, even if she is only a girl.

"Just work. It's complicated."