Is This Love? (Han Shu and Prince Eldunar)

It is nice to visit this place once in a while, Han thought as she saw Ember Island appearing on the horizon. The young waitress was taking a ferry to visit Ember Island hoping to relax for a while. Her boss had given her time off specifically to travel. "I hope Mister Yo is alright by himself..." she muttered thinking of her boss. The ferry began to slow and stopped at the docks of Ember Island, causing Han to forget her worries about the tea shop back in Ba-Sing-Se. Just as she stepped off, Han took a moment to take in the sights, the island had a nice atmosphere and the view was simply beautiful. Then again, to Han, anything that wasn't the slums was wonderful to her. After walking around and exploring for a while, Han looked down to realize she was still wearing her Earth Kingdom clothing. "Oh...I forgot about that...And I don't have enough money to buy new clothes unless I wanna go hungry while I'm here..." she muttered looking in her purse. Han never really worried about money in the past, if her boss couldn't help her, usually one of her regular customers would help. "What am I going to do? I stick out like a sore thumb..."

Eldunar watched the new arrivals get off the boat. This boat was filled entirely of people who were non-Imperial, meaning that the entire crew and passengers needed to be searched and cleared before they were permitted clearance onto the Island. Ever since the attack at the Summit and the declaration of war, Eldunar had implemented strict new security measures on Ember Island, to prevent another incident like that at the Summit.

His soldiers were tasked with the job of searching through baggage, livestock, and crew and passangers to assure they are members of the 6 Nations, and not magicians in disguise. Anybody who arrose suspicion was shut down and dragged off to an interrogation room--since the start of the war, Eldunar was no longer inviting prisoners and rulebreakers to his house for lunch, for safety reasons. He did miss entertaining the rulebreakers, and trying to interrogate and rehabilitate them himself, but such was the ways of war.

Eldunar always advised and watched over his soldiers as they searched the ship; he would check passports his soldiers had missed and make sure that no stone was left unturned. As Eldunar walked through the crowd, scanning people, he noticed a poor looking Earth Kingdom girl. "You there!" said Eldunar, when he realized nobody was checking her passport, "Come here please! Passport and baggage at the ready! I want your passport in my hand and your bags on the table if you have any."

Han was caught off guard as someone called out to her. She quickly turned and saw a man in a rather regal looking outfit approach her, asking to search her belongings and check her passport. "Of course sir. I only have these two bags," she explained placing her small bag of clothes, earth kingdom of course, on the table with her coin purse on top of it. She then pulled her passport out of said coin purse and handing it to the man. The young fire bender failed to notice her sleeve had risen up revealing the burn scar the enveloped her left arm. He's kinda cute...Much cuter than any of the guys in Ba Sing Se, she thought as she waited for him to finish with her belongings.

Eldunar scanned over the woman's passport and smiled, her picture didn't do her justice. She was rather good looking, very good looking actually."You are Imperial born? Yet you live in Ba Sing Se? Is that correct?" asked Eldunar, "Something wrong with the Empire? Ba Sing Se can't really be all that can it?" Eldunar was part doing his job, part joking. Only because this girl was rather good looking, okay well, maybe also because she was Imperial. If she was from the nation, she was safe, but the fact that she had moved to Ba Sing Se meant Eldunar would need to be careful.

Eldunar then scanned through her belongings; there wansn't much in here. But what did Eldunar really expect? This was a boat normally meant for refugees and third class citizens. They never had that much. The good thing was that it meant less work for Eldunar and his soldiers; much less baggage then on an Imperial Class Ferry. And god forbid any noble came to visit.

"Is this all you have?" asked Eldunar as he scanned through her coin purse, which was--of course--empty except for personal effects and the usual menagerie of items one would see in a coin purse. Eldunar took one last look at the girls passport, Han Shu, that was her name. Eldunar was going to remember that name, simply for the sake of tracking her down after. Eldunar needed some fun lately, and when a pretty girl is delivered to him, he never turns her away. "And may I ask your destination?" he asked finally.

"I am Imperial born sir. As far as ending up in Ba-Sing-Se...I have no idea. I don't know my parents, or why they left, the young woman explained as a light blush came to her cheeks. While he looked through her things, Han dazed out for a moment. "Is this all you have? Quickly she snapped back, "Yes sir...that's everything. As for my destination, I just wanted to see where my families origins lie." It was when he handed her back her passport, Han's hand gently touch his. Blushing a tad more, she tried to play it off, "Perhaps you could help me."

Eldunar smiled, trying to aid this girls nerves by ignoring the fact that her hand was brushing up against hers. "Well," said Eldunar, "I have been living here for the past 17 years, perhaps I might remember them, or where they came from. So yes, I will help you." Eldunar waited for Han to finish repacking all of her stuff before signalling to several soldiers that he was leaving, and claimed he needed to escort this girl to his palace for question.

Eldunar had no such intentions, for once he was going to be like his brother Owlan, and live life. For 32 years Eldunar had always beenc cranky, and serious and condescending--except when he was entertaining others. And after all this time, he felt age creeping up on him faster and faster, and it worried him. Besides, ever since his brother Owlan's wedding, Eldunar felt alone, and old. He was unmarried, unattached and uncommited to anything besides his duties. Eldunar had decided at the end of the wedding that he would get a girlfriend within the next year, and start a family and settle down.

Meeting Han here under these circumstances, and at this time, was just a coincidence, but it was one that served his wish and dream perfectly. Perhaps she was the one, who knew.

Really? Thank you so much. You have no idea what this means to me," Han said placing the last of her clothing into her bag and closing the worn brass clasp n the front. She then placed the strap over her shoulder and looked at the man, "I never did catch your name. I'm Han." Inside, Han couldn't help but find herself drawn into his eyes that had a sort of longing hidden within them. After she managed to break her gaze, the young fir bender looked around and noticed several people staring or giving her looks of disapproval which she assumed was due to the fact that she was wearing Earth Kingdom clothing.

"The locals don't take kindly to outsiders," warned Eldunar as he saw the looks people were giving to her, "They're also very suprised to see you with someone like me." Eldunar smiled, hoping she would get the hint, but she had lived in Ba Sing Se most of her life, or so her passport said, she would not recognize him, or who he was. Eldunar was okay with that of course, but it made playing with her not as fun if she didn't recognize him.

"I am Eldunar by the way, it's very nice to meet you Han," he said smiling. He truly meant this, all kidding aside. He enjoyed meeting Han, and she WAS a very nice, beautiful woman. So what if she was 10 years his junior, Eldunar was only 32, and she was above legal age. There was nothing wrong with dating her--if it even got that far.

"So, have you been to Ember Island before? I mean besides when you were a child. Where you very young when your parents left?" something panged in Eldunar as he mentioned parents leaving. He had been but 16 when his parents were murdered, and taken from him and his siblings forever. It was funny though, as much pain as Eldunar felt loosing them now, he did not feel this pain at the time of the news, nor had he felt the pain for many years after. His parents were never really around much to see him and his siblings grow up, or do really anything at all. His father was one of those Fire Lords that went out and did things in the world instead of sitting home on his throne...of course it was at the expense of his family time. Eldunar and his siblings never really knew their mother or father....and throughout the years, Eldunar began to slowly realize why Owlan and Naina had left for so many years.

Tearing his thoughts away from his parents, Eldunar returned his attention to Han. That was ancient history now, his parents were long since dead, and his family's troubles over. The House of Ezofuji had had their problems in the past, since the times of Fire Lord Sozin, but yet they managed to go on. Now was not a time to start numbering and worrying about them.

"I was about three when they left. Sadly, I don't remember them very well as they passed away from an illness when I was about nine. Just out of curiosity...what do you mean, someone like you?" Han asked very curiously, wondering if he was an ex con or something. She paused though, seeing him in deep though. "To answer your first question, no. This is my first time. I mean here..." she explained, though she couldn't figure out why she had to explain herself. Oh man....Don't do that Han...You'll make him think you're some freak, she thought smiling sweetly at him.

"Well, now is a good time as any to explore the place," said Eldunar with a bright smile, "And three years old you say? Well, that was only 18 years ago...hmm, it was before my tenure as--well it was before my time here. I wouldn't know them, but I'm very sure I could find records of where they lived and their lives here. Could I perhaps have their names? We will look up their names once I--sorry, we--arrive at my house again."

Eldunar had decided that he was going to invite Han to live with him while she was hear. He hd noticed back at the checkpoint that she had little money on her, and she still needed a set of Ember Island appropriate clothes, and there was no way she would be able to afford both food and clothes. Eldunar had also taken to notice that the place she was staying was a run down shack that is a lame excuse for a hotel. No, as long as she was here, Han would be staying with him.

"Before you protest," said Eldunar, "It is my pleasure. Believe me, I have more than enough room. It gets rather lonely at my house, and I'm always welcome and willing to have guests. Please, it would be my pleasure and my honour."