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It was Bolin's eighteenth birthday, and the day that he moved away from home in the hopes of a better future than the one he had now. Sure, Mako had done a great job taking care of him, but he could only expect his older brother to be in charge of him for so long. Now it was his turn to do something for his brother; to make him proud of his little brother.
So, while Mako was making a good life for himself working his way up the corporate ladder from where he started in the factories, to where he is now as the assistant to a supplies dealer Bolin would start at his own bottom as a ship's cabin boy. He felt that he knew enough from Mako's girlfriend Korra - the heiress for a large merchant fleet - to get himself hired on any respectable ship. Or, so at least he hoped.
"It's okay Bolin," he muttered to himself, fists clenched in fierce determination, one around his letter of introduction written by Korra and the other clenched around the strap for his dufflebag. "You've got this. You can do this. Korra told you the ships that were looking to hire people, you just have to go talk to the captains." After this small pep-talk Bolin's spirits seemed to have lifted enough for him to charge forward through the sailors on he docks, going through all of the ship names on the hulls to find some of the ones he was looking for.
It only took him a few hours to realize that none of the ships Korra had recommended were currently at port.
"Ooh this is hopeless!" he cried, tossing himself down onto a cargo crate and shoving his hands into his hair in hopeless desperation. Bolin didn't know what to do next. There were no ships he was familiar with, and none that would take him out of the ones that he had asked.
Just as Bolin was considering turning back and going home a tenor voice interrupted him, "Actually, this is The Dauntless, but some would say that her goal is in fact hopeless."
The Dauntless... where had Bolin heard that name before? It sounded familiar but- Wasn't The Dauntless a pirate ship? Pirate ships weren't allowed at this port and Bolin was pretty sure that pirates were the bad guys, right? At least Korra always said that they were and Korra tended to be right about these kind of things-
A small cough interrupted his thoughts, "Sir, you happen to be sitting on my ship's cargo."
Bolin darted up in embarrassment, and as he was turning up his gaze to see whom he had offended he was greeted by the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. Prettier than Korra's and Asami's combined and- oh he was blushing, he just knew he was. "I- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. It's just, you see, I was-"
"Looking for work?" the other man provided, before deftly slipping Korra's introduction letter out of Bolin's hand and unfurling it so that he could read it.
Bolin stared. He couldn't help it. Before him was a man in finely tailored clothes, full of reds and golds, polished buttons and ginko leaf embroidery - something that only near-royalty could afford - and here this vision of dapper taste, cleanliness, and beauty was reading his introduction letter!
Once it was read, the man rolled it back up and pinned Bolin down with those piercing eyes. "Well Bolin, it looks like you're a little old for a cabin boy, but how would you feel about helping my chef? He's in need of another hand, and my sailors get hungry fighting off pirates all day."
"But- but I thought The Dauntless was a pirate ship?" Oh, oh now he'd done it. He'd just made himself look like an idiot and- and he was laughing. Why was he laughing?!
"Actually," he smiled and corrected Bolin, "The Dauntless was a pirate ship until a few weeks ago. Now, by rightful capture, she is mine and I, Admiral Iroh, am in fact a privateer. We keep pirates out of these waters." Bolin's jaw snapped shut with a small click, from where it had been hanging open in shock at the man's- no, Admiral Iroh's beautiful laughter, only to be dropped when the Admiral leaned forward and asked, "Now, Bolin, would you like to be a part of my crew?"
Oh there was nothing more for him to ever want- "Yes, yesssir!" he stammered out with a quick resettling of his dufflebag.
Admiral Iroh's eyes shined in amusement as he turned on his heel and started towards the ship, "Good, then come with me." Bolin was only too happy to oblige.