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miavortice · 6 years

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QWE: The Man She Left Behind - 6

Title: The Man She Left Behind

Summary: Eight years earlier, Ursa divorced and left a man she thought could not love her or their children and returned to the arms of her first love. Unfortunately, things did not work and Ursa decided to leave Ikem. When the jilted man comes back for her while she is staying with her friends, Ozai - the man she left eight years ago - reappears.

“I want to see them! Put them on the screen!” A throaty, rough voice filled the room as Lu Ten set up his phone beneath a large flat screen. He was fiddling with the touch screen, trying to get it connected.

“How’s that?” he asked. Behind him, Azula was sitting on the couch with Katara. On the floor before them were Zuko and Sokka. “Can you see them now?”

A laugh came from the speakers. “Not with you standing in front of the camera, my boy.”

“Sorry, Dad.” Lu Ten had a lopsided smile on his face as he stepped away. On the flat screen, they saw a man with hair more gray than black and a neat beard. He was seated in what looked like an office building, wearing a suit. A rotund old man, but he looked happy and kind, just like his son. “Can you see them now?”

“Ah! Yes, I can.” Iroh laughed once more. “Hello, everyone. I’m sorry I couldn’t join you tonight.”

“You’re in the Fire Nation, Uncle Iroh,” Sokka said. “It’s okay.”

Katara raised her arm, as if to answer a question in class. “Uncle Iroh, thank you for letting us stay at your family’s villa in Ember Island. This year, we’re going to bring Azula and Zuko. Is that okay?”

“Of course it is, Katara,” Iroh said. “I would be very happy to have my niece and nephew visit.”

“Un...Uncle Iroh,” Zuko said, blushing. “I sorry I don’t remember you much, but I hope we can meet you soon.”

“Yes, Uncle!” Azula said. “I left here when I was just a baby, so I don’t remember either.”

“I hope to meet you two in person soon, as well,” Iroh said, his voice softening. “But looking at you two...ah... Zuko, you look just like your father when he was your age and Azula...I can already tell you have that Souzin fire in you.”

Both children seemed to sit up straighter with pride.

Out of view from the camera, outside, on a wooden deck with the other parents, Ursa sighed at the scene. Part of her wanted to go in and greet Iroh, too, but a larger part of her was ashamed to show her face to him. Iroh was such a good man and treated her like his own sister. She didn’t want to face his disapproval for keeping her children away for so long.

In addition, she divorced his precious younger brother and, if Lu Ten’s words were true, broke Ozai’s heart - which she still doubted.

“And you’ll be joining us then, right?” Kya seemed to prod at Ozai from where she leaned against the wooden railing.

Ozai didn’t budge. “I can’t.”

“You always say that.” Hakoda sounded tired of excuses. “Come on, Ozai. This will be the first year Azula and Zuko will go since Zuko was born. You have to be there.”

“Besides, we always feel bad going. It’s your family’s place,” Kya said. Ozai gave her a dull look.

“My brother sent me photos of you all having a BBQ on the beach last year, having the time of your lives. How badly can you feel?”

“Okay, somewhat guilty,” Kya said.

“It just gets really good waves on your family’s beach...,” Hakoda added. “Anyway, that’s not the point. The point is that this year, you’ll all be joining us.”

“Wait, not me, right?” Ursa said, lowering the her glass of white wine and placing it on the patio table. She looked from her friends to her ex-husband with uncertainty.

“You’ll be there, too,” Kya said so confident that Ursa wondered if she already agreed to it and simply forgot.

She shook her head. “Kya, I can’t. I’m still looking for a place and then I have to move things in, not to mention start looking for a job. My prenup will provide just the basics and I won’t get it until after the divorce is settled.”

Kya wrinkled her nose and Hakoda rubbed his chin; a sign that they were both mulling over her valid point.

“Don’t you think you should go with the children. Won’t they feel uncomfortable with you present?” Ozai asked.

Ursa lowered her eyes. She doubted they would. “I’m afraid they may be used to it. I was away more often that I would’ve liked.”

“All the more reason for you to go, don’t you think?” Hakoda asked. “It’ll be good quality time with their mother.” He gave a pointed look at Ozai. “And father.”

“Hakoda-”

“It’s just for a few days and it’s a few weeks away,” Kya said. “At least think it over. Seriously. Ozai.” She gave him a slight glare and he rolled his eyes. She turned to Ursa with a more pleasant expectant look.

“I’ll give it a look, but in the off chance that I get a job-”

“If,” Kya stressed. “Until then, we’ll count you as going.”

Ursa sighed and conceded. “So stubborn.”

“I’m a determined woman,” Kya said, agreeing as she walked towards the open doors. “Iroh! Good news!”

“Kya!” Ursa ran after her, leaving the two men alone on the deck overlooking a freshly cleaned and filled swimming pool illuminated in the dark.

Ozai scowled and turned his irritation to Hakoda seated on a hammock chair. “I told you when you met her that she was trouble.”

Hakoda grinned and lifted his half empty scotch glass. “And what an amazing ride it’s been, my friend. You should get back on.”

Ozai grumbled and snatched the glass from Hakoda’s hand as he stomped back into his house. He paid no mind to his brother’s enlarged head on his flat screen on his way to the kitchen, but couldn’t ignore the humbled joy of Iroh’s voice.

“But Ursa, you must come,” Iroh said with clear insistence. “It would be a good change of scenery for you. I’m sure you’ve been so busy with getting re-settled.”

“Iroh, I’m still so busy. I mean, there are a few drama department positions I’ve applied to for the fall and not to mention looking for a new apartment.”

“Wait, wait.” Lu Ten stood up straight from where he was leaning against the wall. “Didn’t Uncle tell you that you can stay at my townhouse a few blocks from here. It’s not too far from Yang Chen Academy and it’s mostly furnished.”

Ozai looked up from the kitchen island where he was rinsing dishes. Ursa looked cornered and he almost felt satisfied. It would be difficult to reject such an offer now that it was out in the open.

“We can stay with cousin Lu Ten?” Zuko looked excited at the prospect.

“Well, at my place, yeah. I’m usually at my girlfriend’s.”

“You have a girlfriend!?” Zuko looked so impressed, Ozai was almost envious of the attention his nephew was getting.

Lu Ten’s face reddened and his eyes darted away. “Yeah...she’s from the southern Earth Kingdom and is finishing up her studies to be a wildlife veterinarian.”

Sokka was looking up at him with awe. “Is she pretty?”

“Sokka....” Kya frowned.

“Sorry...I mean, does she have a good personality?”

Katara sighed and shook her head at her brother. “See, this is why Suki doesn’t like you.”

He gave her a glare as Lu Ten laughed. “Very pretty and with an even better personality. We get along great, so the town house is yours.”

“That’s very kind of you, Lu Ten, but we still haven’t even discussed the rent-”

“Rent?” A confused look filled his face. “Auntie, I can’t charge you rent.”

“You’ll have to pay for utilities on your own, but no rent is needed,” Ozai said as he wiped his hands on a dish towel. “Besides, the town house has been paid off for years. It’s just property tax that’s due.”

Ursa took a step back and shook her head. “No, I won’t accept any such charity-”

“No one is saying anything of charity,” Iroh said, drawing everyone’s attention back to him. “Zuko and Azula will live there. They are my precious nephew and niece and you are their mother.”

“Didn’t I make it clear?” Ozai asked. “I take care of my own.”

The cornered look on her face fell as she paled and tore her eyes away. She wrung her hands together as a feeling of guilt swept through her. After vanishing from this family’s life, they would still offer her a home? How could she accept it?

Ursa could see the awaiting looks on Azula and Zuko, the concerned expression Lu Ten’s face, and Ozai’s look of calm expectation all fixed on her.

Everyone wanted her to say yes to taking over Lu Ten’s town house. Even Kya and Hakoda, who joined his wife at the doorway behind her, seemed to be waiting for her agreement.

But she bring herself to couldn’t agree.

She felt her eyes dampen. She didn’t deserve their kindness.

“Give her time to think about it.” Kya broke the silence and Ursa snapped her head back to her friend. A serious look was in Kya’s blue eyes as she met Ursa’s. “It’s close to the school, but there is still a work commute to take into consideration. It may be better to wait until she finds a job before committing.”

It was an excuse.

Ursa never thought about her commute; only that her children remained close to their friends and now, Ozai. However, it was a valid concern and while it didn’t matter to her, she was grateful to Kya for saving her once again. Kya gave her a slight nod of her head, a subtle que to agree.

“I’d like to be able to spend as little time in traffic as possible,” Ursa said, turning back to Lu Ten. She offered him a weak smile. “Not to mention get home at a reasonable time.”

“Well, at least come take a look,” Lu Ten said. “Check out the area and see where it stands. When you get a position, you can decide if the location works for you.”

That was the best she was going to get. At the very least, it bought her some time.

“That is a good idea, my boy,” Iroh said. “But in the meantime, Ursa, where will you and the children stay?”

“They can stay with us as long as they need to, Iroh,” Hakoda said as he put an arm around Kya, who nodded in agreement.

“But they can’t stay with you forever,” Ozai said.

“I don’t mind if they stay forever,” Katara said. “I like having them around.” Azula looked pleased by this and Zuko nodded.

“Yes, Kat, but you can’t be greedy,” Ozai told her, his voice a bit softer as he addressed the little girl. “I’d like to spend time with them, too.”

“Then we should move in with Dad as soon as possible!” Azula announced, as if it were the answer to all their problems. Her eyes were lit up as she stood up on the couch.

Her words were a blow to Ursa. “Azula, we can’t-”

“It’s perfect.” Azula continued on, her brows furrowing as they did when she was planning something. “If we move here, we’ll see Dad without him having to come to your house. And since he works a lot, we won’t miss him when he comes home because we’ll be here.”

Ursa ran her hand down her face.

“And we’ll be close by!” Now Zuko was voicing his approval and Ursa felt another blow. “We can walk home from school.”

Her children finally had their father in reach. She knew why they wanted to stay at his house, but she couldn’t. She could barely get through an afternoon with Ozai, how could she live with him day after day?

“And we can move in soon. Uncle Iroh, did you know we’re going to go furniture shopping for our bedrooms this weekend?” Azula said, looking up at the screen. “Zu-zu and I already picked our rooms.”

“We helped!” Katara added.

“Well, that’s wonderful to hear!” Iroh laughed, smiling with eyes filled with mirth.

“When can we move in?” Azula looked over the couch, to her father still in the kitchen. She looked so excited.

Ursa looked to Ozai, unsure of what he would say. To her surprise, he looked just as unsure. He lifted his eyes and met hers, as if asking what he should say.

And of all the things he had said and done that evening, his uncertainty was what overwhelmed her. Even then, after leaving him for another man and taking their children away, he would not make a decision on them without her approval.

“Ursa!” She heard Kya’s voice behind her as she ran down the hall.

“I forgot something at the house!” she said, shouting as she ran to the front door. She fumbled with the locks, ignoring Kya yelling for her as she ran out of the house on unsteady feet.

“Ursa!” A chill shot through her as she looked over her shoulder from the driveway. That wasn’t Kya’s voice. “Ursa, hold on!”

Every fiber of her being told her to do the opposite. She looked straight ahead and continued her attempted run in wedges to Hakoda and Kya’s house as Ozai ran after her. She could hear him catching up. Longer legs and an athletic body closed the gap between them in a matter of moments.

“Ursa!” She was nowhere near the other house when his hand grabbed her wrist. “Wait a moment! What is wrong with you, suddenly running out of the house?”

She glared at his hand rather than meet his face, knowing it would show unfamiliar concern instead of a stoic expression she associated with him.

“Nothing, I just remembered I forgot something at the house,” she said as she pulled back, trying to free her wrist.

“And so you’re running there now?”

“It’s my phone!”

“What are you talking about? It’s in your back pocket-”

“You know what I’m talking about!” She lifted her head and watched him jerk his back. His hand released her wrist and she stumbled backwards. She rubbed her wrist as she looked away once more.

“I’m sorry to have pushed you.” Ursa looked up once more. “I know being around me bothers you; I was unaware of how much. The children are of course welcomed at the house any time, but if you feel that uncomfortable-”

“How could I not feel uncomfortable?” Her voice was low and filled with unexpected anger. “Hospitality from Kya and Hakoda is one thing, but from you...from you and your family? After what I’ve done?” She shook her head. “How can you be so welcoming to me after I left you?”

Ursa almost missed the look of pain on his face at the reminder. Ozai took a deep breath, as if to collect himself before he answered.

“I take care of my own, and Azula and Zuko are my own.”

She pursed her lips. “And since I’m there mother, I just happen to be extended that care?”

Ozai said nothing as he seemed to study her. His eyes narrowed into an irritated glare. “Do you have a problem with that?”

“I’m not your wife any more. There’s no reason for you to be so...so....” She grit her teeth and her hands clenched. “To be so kind! I hardly know you. Since we got here, you’ve been kind and attentive. You’ve done nothing but show that if you were in their lives, you would’ve been a great father.”

“We don’t know that,” Ozai said. “When they were in my life, I was hardly around. I was a terrible one.”

Her eyes began to water. “You would’ve been a better one than Ikem.”

The words slipped from her mouth before she could stop them and Ozai’s face became unreadable.

“This is my chance to be their father,” he said, his voice almost unheard. “Agni knows Kya and Hakoda are drilling that into my head. I want to be their father. I want my daughter to call me to ask for souvenirs when I’m on business. I want to have water gun fights with my son. But I’m not going to ask you to come back to me and pretend we’re one happy family when you don’t want to be with me. If you’re worried that I’m going to make you live a life you don’t want, let me put your mind at ease. I don’t want to. I’m not going to, and I won’t use ‘trying to be a good father’ to make you.”

For a moment, Ursa felt the pit of her stomach drop. Was she disappointed? Was she angry at him?

Ursa lifted her hand and wiped her eyes. “I just don’t understand how you and your brother and Lu Ten can be so welcoming to me. I left you. I took our children away from you. You should hate me. Iroh and Lu Ten should, too.”

Ozai took another deep breath and gave her a small shake of her head. “Have you ever stopped to consider that perhaps we are so welcoming because we don’t want you all to leave again?”

Ursa stiffened, her hand stopped wiping her eye. “What?”

“It might not have changed anything, but perhaps if I had been more attentive and not so focused on work and my father’s approval....” He trailed off and his lips tightened into a line. “Mistakes were made on both our parts and I’d like to get over them so I can be the father they deserve. Iroh and Lu Ten were saddened and disappointed when we divorced, but they harbor no ill will. You saw how happy they were to see the children.”

“I wouldn’t deprive Zuko and Azula of there father now, or their uncle and cousin, so you don’t have to worry about us disappearing again,” she told him. “You don’t need to give me a place to live and take me on vacation just so you won’t lose them.”

Ozai’s eyes narrowed. “Is that what you think? If you are adamant on refusing any assistance, fine, but don’t assume I’m only offering help because I’m afraid you’re going to leave with them again. They’re my children and it’s my duty to care for them.”

Ursa inhaled a sharp breath, her wide gold eyes staring stunned at Ozai. “Your duty?” She almost choked. “Is that all?”

“Of course not-”

“Why can’t you just say you love them?”

“Why can’t you just accept that I do.”

She drew her head back. A voice in her mind answered: because she wanted to hear him say it. She just wanted to hear it...that maybe hearing him say he loved someone would confirm that he wasn’t an emotionless, single-minded man who valued work over family.

“Fine,” she said. “I would like you to remain in their lives; they can’t go back to how it was before. But I want to be clear: I can take care of myself and our children without your help if I had to.”

The stern look on his face never faltered. “I never said you couldn’t.”

“Well...you’re making it appear like I can’t.” His lips were still tight, but she could see a small flicker of surprise in his eyes.

He swallowed. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t realize our pushing made you feel as if that were the case, especially in front of the children. That was not our intention.”

Ursa forced herself to keep her eyes on his and not to waiver. “I won’t stop you from being a father and supporting them, but you don’t need to provide for me, too. That’s all, Ozai.”

Ozai nodded. “I’ll speak to Lu Ten about the town house. However, the trip to the villa...please seriously consider it. I’m sure Azula and Zuko want you to go and besides, when was the last time you went home?”

Ember Island hadn’t been her home for years. Her eyes crinkled up. She couldn’t remember. Did she ever go back with Ikem? It was their home island and yet they never went back. Her father died shortly after she and Ozai were married and her mother moved to Republic City to be try to be closer to them before she died.

Ikem left the cremation early to shoot a film in the desert and her uncle flew her mother’s ashes back to the island. She hadn’t visited.

Ursa closed her eyes. “We didn’t go when I was with Ikem,” she said. Her voice was oddly flat and she was cold, as if she were empty.

Ozai cocked his head. “What about when Rina died?” He always referred to her parents by their first name, as they insisted. “Didn’t you take her back?”

“No, the cremation was in Republic City,” Ursa said. “Uncle Ran brought her ashes back.”

“I see.” His voice was strained. “I thought that since she was placed with your father, you had arranged it.”

“I did, but Uncle Ran brought her.” She paused for a moment and stared at him. “How did you know their ashes are together?”

“Someone mentioned it,” he said, nonchalant. Ozai looked over his shoulder, back towards his house. “What should I tell them?”

Ursa followed his gaze and saw the curtains in the front window move and the door close. “Azula will be crushed when I tell her we’re not moving in.”

“You’re not moving in,” Ozai said. “They will be, even if they’ll only stay here every so often.”

“Fair enough.” She took a deep breath and released it slowly. She reached into her back pocket and found her phone. She turned on the camera and used it to check her eyes. “My eyes are red.”

“Just a little.”

“Let me stay out here a bit longer...until it clears.”

Ozai nodded. He took a step to return to the house, only to stop and look back at her with a quizzical expression.

“By the way, what did you want to talk to me about?” “What?”

“Earlier, you said you wanted to talk to me. Was it about the town house?” he asked, once more sounding as if it were business.

Ursa furrowed her brows, trying to remember. At once, her face began to heat up. Lu Ten’s voice echoed on her ears: ‘he loved you’. She looked away, embarrassed, and shook her head.

“It was nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

He looked a bit sceptical, but nodded. “All right.” He began to walk back to his house. He made it three steps before she opened her mouth.

“Wait, Ozai.” He looked over his shoulder and she cursed her curiosity. “This is a ridiculous question, or rather thought, but earlier, when we arrived...Lu Ten mentioned that you were devastated when I left. I think he got the wrong idea. I know you were angry, but I don’t think you were devastated.”

Ozai looked as if he were ready to lecture his nephew. He turned to face her once more. “If you must know, Lu Ten doesn’t have the wrong idea. I was indeed devastated when you and the children left.”

Of course - because she took the children. Seeing how he was around them now, it made sense. Ursa nodded. “I see.”

Ozai gave her a nod and turned back to the house. “No man wants to see the three people he loved most leave.”

She stood outside for a few moments longer, trying to dissect his words, but not coming up with any satisfying answer. Ozai said the ‘L’ word. The last time she heard him say it, it was during their wedding vows and she was sure he only said it because he thought he was supposed to.

Days passed since she returned to Ozai’s house that night, assuring her children that she didn’t forget something as she thought. Kya and Hakoda didn’t pry, but sooner or later, Ursa knew she’d crack and tell Kya.

After all she told Kya everything. Everyone told Kya everything. She probably knew things that people didn’t know about themselves, so that afternoon, a day before they were supposed to leave for Ember Island, Ursa recounted Ozai’s words and received and an unimpressed:

“I told you.”

“That’s not what he meant.”

“How else could he mean it?”

“I don’t know, Kya, but I’m sure he didn’t mean it that way!” Ursa scowled as she folded laundry into three separate piles for her, Zuko, and Azula on her bed. Kya was pulling out the children’s suitcases from the top of the closet in the spare bedroom Ursa was in.

“Is it that hard to believe that he loves you?” Kya asked as she put Sokka’s blue spinner next to Katara’s, which bared some sea creature print.

“As a friend, no. I think after how long we have known each other, he had some affection for me, if only nostalgic.”

Kya snorted. “Some affection...please....”

“He probably cared for me, but it wasn’t like he was in love with me.”

“I can’t believe we’re middle aged women who are mothers and we’re actually discussing whether or not a guy likes you,” Kya said with a roll of her eyes.

“Fine, let’s change the subject. I’m more than happy to.”

“Okay, then. When do you start the drama department gig at the Ba Sing Se University Extension?”

“My first official day is in exactly a month and a half.”

“Then why aren’t you coming with us to Ember Island if you’ll be back a good three weeks before it starts?” Kya gave her an expectant look and Ursa sat up straight on the bed.

“I still have to go to some faculty meetings and talk to the other staff members. They’re in and out in the coming weeks, so I need to stay here to be able to catch all of them.”

Kya didn’t look convinced. “Uh-huh.”

“The department head wants me to be as caught up as possible.”

“I thought you’re working with first year students.”

“I am, but there is a rigorous curriculum they need to follow and I need to know the ins and outs of it before we start. I can’t go in there blind. I’ll look like an idiot and none of the kids will respect me. If they don’t, that’s it. Authority gone. No one will listen. They won’t get the education they deserve,” Ursa said.

“And you can’t do any of this at the villa?”

“I won’t get anything done. You know I’ll focused on the kids.”

“Hakoda, Iroh, Lu Ten, and I will all be there to watch them, so you’ll have time to go over coursework,” Kya said.

“With how awkward it will be staying at my ex-husband’s family’s beach villa? Every red column and tile will scream the Sozin name.”

“Is that so bad?”

“Yes, because I divorced from it.”

Kya sighed. “Your children are still legally Sozin.”

“I never got the chance to change it to Hiraa,” Ursa said,squirming in her seat on the bed. “Anyway, they won’t miss me. I’ll call in the evenings, Sokka and Katara are there for them to play with, and besides, Ozai will be there and I’m sure they’ll be clamouring for his attention.”

“Yes, but he’ll only be there the last week and a half.”

Ursa snapped her head up. “What? I thought he was going with you.”

Kya shook her head. “They just won a bid they put in with a Western Nomad Territory transportation firm and Ozai has to go over the final details with their executive committee. Their sales team just closed it last night.”

Ursa’s face fell. “Azula and Zuko will be so disappointed.”

Kya glanced out the window, where screaming could be heard from the pool as another water gun assault was in the midst of taking place. “Ozai is said he would break it to them himself when he comes for dinner this evening.”

“He did?”

“Yeah...I mean, Hakoda told him to, but he said he would.” Kya looked back at Ursa. “There is still a chance for you to come if you tag along with him.”

“Not going to happen,” Ursa said. “Besides, he’ll be in in the Nomad Territories.”

“No, he won’t. Their executive committee is coming here so they can tour the data center.”

For a moment, Ursa panicked at the thought that she’d be alone with Ozai, but logic quickly quelled it. “Still, it’s not like I’ll see him. We’ll both be working. I doubt he’ll drop by if you and the kids aren’t here.”

Kya sighed, resigned. “I suppose you’re right. Anyway, did you make an appointment with Lu Ten to see his town house yet?”

“No, I didn’t get his info. I was hoping you could call him?”

“So, you’re actually interested?”

“I just want to give it a chance. He already thinks badly of me, I don’t want to make it worse.” “Ursa, he wouldn’t be offering his home if he thought badly of you.”

“I would think badly of me.”

“Okay, you have to stop. No one here hates you,” Kya said, about to drag the luggage out of the room to have the children pack them under her supervision. “Just accept some help from old friends.”

Ursa watched her friend walk out of the room, two bags in tow, and let out a heavy sigh as Kya closed the door behind her. “Easy for you to say...you didn’t take your kids away from their father.”

She fell back on the bed and released a heavy breath. She still had to pack Azula and Zuko’s things for their trip, though Azula already had a packing list ready. She had Ozai look over it for his approval and “in case she forgot anything”.

Ursa knew that they wouldn’t want for anything at the villa. Snorkel gear? Done. Life vests? Check. One word and Iroh would have a boat ready to set sail for his niece and nephew. Lu Ten would arrive later along with his girlfriend, but he’d probably spoil the children, too.

A small knock sounded at the door and she remained laying on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

“Come in.”

“Ursa, I apologize for bothering you.” She shot up in bed at the sound of that deep, solemn voice that seemed to haunt her as of late. Her wide eyes stared at the door as it opened enough for a person to peek through. “May I have a moment of your time?”

Her first thought was there was no where for her to hide, but she quickly shook it out of her head. She was a grown woman, such a thought was unbefitting. Yet, her eyes still darted around the room or a place to dive into and avoid coming face to face with her ex-husband.

“Ursa?” He called out again and she tensed, still seated on the side of the bed. How long was she panicking?

“Sorry, yes, can I help you, Ozai?” Good. Her voice wasn’t shaking. She could do this.

The door creaked open a bit further and part of her died a little.

He was still dressed in his business suit. It was three pieces that time, most likely to deal with the the Western Nomad Territory transportation firm Kya mentioned. Of course he wouldn’t wear it to impress her.

“It doesn’t,” she muttered under her breath, despite knowing it was a weak lie. She always thought men looked good in suits and Ozai in black with a slight hint of blood red and gold in his tie and pocket square was no exception.

“What?”

“Nothing. Did you need something?” She forced herself to look attentive and ignore the blush on her face.

“Yes, actually you can. Did Kya tell you that I won’t be able to go with them on Friday?” he asked. She nodded.

“Congrats on landing the transport firm, but it looks like you’ll be stuck here for a while.”

Ozai shifted uncomfortably as he gave a small nod. “It’s a win for the company, but inconvenient. I haven’t told the children I’ll be arriving later.”

“They’re going to be very disappointed.”

“I know,” he said, frowning at the reminder. He met her eyes with firm ones. “I was hoping you’d help lessen the blow.”

She cocked her head to the side. “How so?”

“I’d like you to go to Ember Island.”

Ursa was already shaking her head. She stood up and dusted off her pale gray cotton jogging pants. “I’m sorry, but I have meetings and trainings to go during that time.”

“Surely you must have some time to spare.”

“I don’t. And even if I did, I wouldn’t have time to get ready and arrange a flight.”

“Don’t worry about the flight.”

She almost wanted to scoff. She shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. She was almost insulted. Didn’t they just discuss this? “You don’t have to pay for my flight, Ozai.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Pay? I offered no such thing.”

Ursa had to check herself to make sure she didn’t jerk back in surprise. Her proud stance faltered a bit. “Then what are you saying?”

Ozai remained standing tall at the doorway. “I’m saying you’ll fly there on the Sozin jet.”

“That’s even worse!” Ursa couldn’t hold it back, her face reddening with embarrassment. “I can’t accept the jet coming just to pick me up!”

“Who said it’s picking you up?” The corner of Ozai’s lip curled upwards and her irritation flared. Was he amused at her frustration? “Iroh is sending it to pick me up,” he said in a matter-of-fact voice. “You’ll just happen to be there with me when it does.”

Notes: So you thought I was dead, huh? You’re only partially correct. I’m sorry for taking so long; I know this is just an exercise and I’m not under any promises to complete it, but I still kind of really do. Anyway, since it has been over a year, I’m going to try to make it up with a borderline-smutty chapter, I guess? Or maybe just have them hang out. IDK. Anyway, thank you for reading!

#ursai #urzai #ursa #ozai #au #atla fanfic #fanfiction #atla #fanfic #miavwrites #qwe #miavortice

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