When the house stopped shaking entirely, the shabby gentleman spoke irately into the radio and received a terse answer. It appeared that the delicate earthbender was too busy to deal with asinine interruptions. Something about earthbenders and the [burst of static] machine was acting up.

Which didn't make the shabby gentleman any happier, though it did energize the grandmother of the house. As the argument between the two continued, it began to sound more like bickering between people who knew each other rather than extortion.

Iroh, meanwhile, was thinking about the car that was parked on the street outside the gate, and about whether it had a trunk, and whether he really wanted to see if he would fit into that trunk. The situation here seemed under control (though he didn't know it was due to Korra's intervention), so the answer was yes, though it was a sacrifice. Who would have thought he would spend his day off voluntarily submitting to such discomfort?

Iroh had reached the front door and was easing it open when he glanced back and saw the granddaughter descending the central staircase. At least, Iroh quickly decided that it must be the granddaughter, based on her hair and dress. The dress was quite fine, in the latest style, and the hair was elaborately arranged in a fire nation style -- not a court style, something from one of the further islands.

But from what the cook had said in the few minutes Iroh talked to her -- "She's so elegant" and "All the boys are intimidated by her" -- Iroh had imagined a somewhat older girl. This girl was twelve or thirteen, carrying a mud pie, and headed for the parlor.

Iroh had already noticed that the parlor windows were open to let in the morning breeze, so he went out the door and around the side of the house to keep watch over the parlor through the window.