When the grandmother saw what her granddaughter was carrying, she turned pale. "No, don't, he's not worth it," she said, moving to intercept her granddaughter. "Your father should never have taught you the old ways."
The shabby gentleman only had time for a widening of the eyes, a quick glance at the old woman, "Is she--" Then the grandmother had the girl locked in her arms, preventing her from whatever action she had in mind.
"Don't," she said.
And the shabby gentleman laughed. "This is perfect," he said. "Per--"
That was the moment when something big underneath the house gave way.
Iroh found himself stumbling across the porch like a drunkard on the high seas, like a sailor without his land legs, like a newborn deergiraffe trying to learn the use of legs. Nothing he could do but try to keep on his feet, try not to fall into one of the sudden cracks in the floor. A column supporting the roof of the porch cracked and fell toward him. He used fire to incinerate a large chunk of it before it could knock him out; the rest fell in front of him as he pulled the fire back before anything actually caught. Then he had to move fast to escape the collapse of the roof of the porch.
Breathing hard, he looked around and saw the cook had made it out. "Was that earthbending?" he asked her, though she didn't seem in a state to respond. With a sense of dread, Iroh turned back to the house to see -- well, to see what he would see.
no subject
The shabby gentleman only had time for a widening of the eyes, a quick glance at the old woman, "Is she--" Then the grandmother had the girl locked in her arms, preventing her from whatever action she had in mind.
"Don't," she said.
And the shabby gentleman laughed. "This is perfect," he said. "Per--"
That was the moment when something big underneath the house gave way.
Iroh found himself stumbling across the porch like a drunkard on the high seas, like a sailor without his land legs, like a newborn deergiraffe trying to learn the use of legs. Nothing he could do but try to keep on his feet, try not to fall into one of the sudden cracks in the floor. A column supporting the roof of the porch cracked and fell toward him. He used fire to incinerate a large chunk of it before it could knock him out; the rest fell in front of him as he pulled the fire back before anything actually caught. Then he had to move fast to escape the collapse of the roof of the porch.
Breathing hard, he looked around and saw the cook had made it out. "Was that earthbending?" he asked her, though she didn't seem in a state to respond. With a sense of dread, Iroh turned back to the house to see -- well, to see what he would see.