"Minister," Long Feng corrected as he shut the door of his apartments. "Lord is inappropriate to use with someone not of the hereditary nobility."
"Lord," the slave-girl said firmly. She was a pretty thing, her skin dark as good soil and her eyes blue as the lake. She wore green bleeding towards dark turquoise, the gold symbol of the Dai Li worked into the patterns along the hems.
Long Feng smiled. "As you wish, Katara."
She crossed the antechamber and reached up to undo the frogs on his jacket. The heavy cloth slithered to the floor, and he stepped away from the girl. She tended to stand closer than he was comfortable with.
"Have you eaten, lord?"
"Not yet." He left his jacket lying on the floor as he strode deeper into his apartments, Katara following at his heels. There, waiting on a low table was a spread of cold cuts. He eased himself onto the couch next to it and picked up his chopsticks. No matter if he was too tired to pick up his own clothes, he was never too tired to eat with his fingers.
His hands shook, though, and the chopsticks clicked together softly.
Katara touched his wrist gently from where she was seated beside him. Blue eyes met and held his as she took away the chopsticks. She picked up a slice of vegetable-lamb so thinly-cut it was almost translucent and held it out to him.
"You push yourself too hard," she said as she selected a bite of cheese. "My waterbending only heals wounds, lord. It can't do anything about exhaustion and stress."
"I'm aware," he said quietly. "But until the Avatar departs, there will be no rest for any of us."
Her hand rested on his knee as she leaned closer to offer a bit of sticky rice. "I hope he finds his sky-bison soon. He must be so sad to be separated from it, just him and Miss Bei Fong all alone."
"They're not alone," he reminded her. "The young rebel has found them again, and they'll likely meet their war-child friend soon."
"That's good. I'm glad." She leaned across him to reach the pickled ginger, scooting closer so that her hands were practically in his lap when she sat up.
He wondered if Xin Wan had done that on purpose, or if it was just a side-effect. "So am I."
Long Feng and Katara, healing is useful
"Minister," Long Feng corrected as he shut the door of his apartments. "Lord is inappropriate to use with someone not of the hereditary nobility."
"Lord," the slave-girl said firmly. She was a pretty thing, her skin dark as good soil and her eyes blue as the lake. She wore green bleeding towards dark turquoise, the gold symbol of the Dai Li worked into the patterns along the hems.
Long Feng smiled. "As you wish, Katara."
She crossed the antechamber and reached up to undo the frogs on his jacket. The heavy cloth slithered to the floor, and he stepped away from the girl. She tended to stand closer than he was comfortable with.
"Have you eaten, lord?"
"Not yet." He left his jacket lying on the floor as he strode deeper into his apartments, Katara following at his heels. There, waiting on a low table was a spread of cold cuts. He eased himself onto the couch next to it and picked up his chopsticks. No matter if he was too tired to pick up his own clothes, he was never too tired to eat with his fingers.
His hands shook, though, and the chopsticks clicked together softly.
Katara touched his wrist gently from where she was seated beside him. Blue eyes met and held his as she took away the chopsticks. She picked up a slice of vegetable-lamb so thinly-cut it was almost translucent and held it out to him.
"You push yourself too hard," she said as she selected a bite of cheese. "My waterbending only heals wounds, lord. It can't do anything about exhaustion and stress."
"I'm aware," he said quietly. "But until the Avatar departs, there will be no rest for any of us."
Her hand rested on his knee as she leaned closer to offer a bit of sticky rice. "I hope he finds his sky-bison soon. He must be so sad to be separated from it, just him and Miss Bei Fong all alone."
"They're not alone," he reminded her. "The young rebel has found them again, and they'll likely meet their war-child friend soon."
"That's good. I'm glad." She leaned across him to reach the pickled ginger, scooting closer so that her hands were practically in his lap when she sat up.
He wondered if Xin Wan had done that on purpose, or if it was just a side-effect. "So am I."