The Jasmine Dragon

The Earth Kingdom city of Ba Sing Se. Today, like every day since I'd arrived here, I scoured the city looking for any clues that might lead to Appa. I missed him so much. I couldn't remember a time where I Appa wasn't with me. I felt the familiar ache in my chest, but I pushed the grief aside. I had to find him.

Katara and Sokka had left a week ago, to go find their father at Chameleon Bay. And Toph had left two days later, after receiving a letter from her mother. They'd all wanted me to go with them, but I had duties here. Go, I'd told them. It'll be fine. I need to stay and look for Appa, you are all needed elsewhere. It was the first time since breaking out of the ice that I'd been alone. But I knew they'd come back. And I had a mission to fulfill.

I spent the early part of the day flying around the city on my glider, looking for, well, anything really. Anything that might put me on the path to finding Appa. So far, I'd found nothing. I decided to land a few miles from the house we were staying at and walk the rest away. Despite the situation I was in, I couldn't help but be impressed by the city. It was beautiful, if not a bit odd, with the way everyone seemed so. . .happy.

"That was the best tea I'd ever tasted! I swear, Chong, you've got to accompany me there sometime. " I caught the tail end of a conversation as I passed by two men. The one wearing a hat pointed to a building across the wide street. The sign out front read 'The Jasmine Dragon'. Just then, Momo circled though the sky before landing with a chatter on my shoulder. He'd been looking for Appa too. I patted his head and looked at the tea shop again. It must be new, I thought. I don't remember seeing it when it when Katara and I came this way a few weeks ago.

"What do you say, Momo? How about a tea break before we continue searching?" The lemur chatted in agreement, and I laughed. "Okay buddy, lets go!"

I walked up the two steps to the door, where I was greeted by a man in a long robe. "Table for one, please." Momo screeched, feeling left out. "Okay, okay," I chuckled. "Make that a table for two."

The man smiled kindly. "Right this way, sir."

I followed as he led me to an open table near the back. The place was quite crowded. The tea must be good, I thought. As we were nearing the table, a figure passed in my peripheral view, a shape that looked vaguely familiar. I turned to look, but the man had his back to me. Medium height, lanky build, with short dark hair. I turned forward again, shrugging, before taking a seat.

"Your server will be right with you," the man bowed before returning to his post.

Momo hopped onto the table to sit in front of me, chatting, demanding more petting. I knew he missed Appa just as much as I did. "We'll find him, buddy," I consoled the lemur, scratching behind his ears again. He purred happily.

A sharp, angry gasp brought me back, and I turned my head automatically, searching for the source. It too, was somehow. . .familiar.

My eyes locked with a pair of furious gold ones. And they were very very familiar, for I'd stared into them in fear at least a dozen times.

Prince Zuko.

Fear shot though me immediately, but my main emotion was shock. Him? Here? How. . .did he follow me here?" Questions raced at a mile a minute. And something else. A flier we'd all seen at small Earth Kingdom town. I wanted posted for Zuko and his Uncle. Fugitives. . .Maybe he's not hunting me after all, I wondered hopefully.

That hope was quickly crushed as Zuko took a hard step toward me. And another. And another. . . I knew I should attack, because that's clearly what he was about to do, but I was still frozen, my hand resting on Momos' head.

A short, heavyset man intercepted Zuko halfway to my table. He too was familiar, and after a second I realized it was Zuko's uncle. Iroh? That sounded right. . .

His uncle grabbed the prince by the collar of his shirt and yanked him back, stepping in front of him again. Zuko leaned to the side, keeping his eyes locked on me. Iroh gave another tug, and Zuko unwilling fixed his gaze on his Uncle. Iroh leaned close to him. I guessed he was talking, but I couldn't here anything. Zuko's eyes flickered between his me and his uncle. Whatever Iroh was telling him, he didn't look happy about it. Not that I'd ever seen Zuko look happy. The prince looked around the shop, then back his uncle. He nodded once, lips stretched into a grimace. Iroh clapped him on the back, then turned, and began walking my way.

I like Iroh, even though I'd really only met him once, at the North Pole. But his act of bravery against the Fire Nation was hard to forget. He saved the moon, and had allowed us leave afterwards. I still owed him for that.

He walked right up to my table, a gentle smile on his face.

"Greetings Avatar," he bowed slightly. "It is a great honor to welcome to my tea shop. My nephew Lee," he stressed the name. "and I just celebrated its grand opening a week ago. " He leaned in, glanced around, and spoke it a hushed voice. "Please forgive my nephew. He is having a hard time adjusting our new life. But he is beginning to see the world for what it really is, and I believe he is changing, for the better. It would be much appreciated if you would allow him to serve you. I promise, no harm will come to you."

I'd been watching Zuko, who was still rooted in place, his hands balling into fists, his eyes glaring hatefully at me. I wasn't sure I entirely believed Iroh's promise, but if they were trying to turn their lives around, I would give them the chance. I looked at Iroh and nodded.

"Excellent," he grinned, the adorned a stern expression. "Lee, would you come here please." He called over his shoulder. Zuko began walking forward immediately, his gaze unflinching. I slid all the way back in my chair, unsure how this would play out. Zuko stopped a foot behind his uncle, still starting. Still watching.

"Look Lee," Iroh said, gesturing to me. "The Avatar has decided to join us here. And I'm sure," He gave his nephew a hard look, "that if you treat him kindly, he will do the same for us, and keep our identities a secret." He looked to me for confirmation, and I nodded again. "After all, the shop is very busy today. If you attack" Iroh lowered his gaze at Zuko. "things would end up very badly for the both of us. Understood?" Zuko took a few seconds to answer. When I just beginning to think he didn't care how badly things could end up, he nodded once.

"Wonderful!" Iroh boomed. With another smile at me, and another hard glance at Zuko, Iroh left.

Leaving me alone. With Zuko.

As soon as his uncle as gone, Zuko stepped up to that table and stood there. His hands were balled around the pad of paper and brushed he'd taken from his apron. The paper was crumbled, and it looked like the brush was about to snap in two, his hands were shaking so bad. His expression hadn't changed since he first saw me. Anger and fury and hate, all poured out of his fierce golden eyes. I didn't know how it was even possible to look that angry, but Zuko made it look easy.

I waited for him to say something, anything. Or for him to attack. Because it was one of the other. Either he was going to play along like his uncle had told him too, or he was going to unleash a fireball any second. My heart pounded in my chest, and anticipation curled in my stomach.

Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, he spoke.

"What's your order?" His voice contained almost as much anger as his expression.

"Uhh. . ." I took the briefest look at the menu, afraid to let my guard down for even a second. "White jade, please."

He made no move to write it down. Actually, it was like I hadn't even spoke. He just stood there. Staring at me.

With no warning, he pivoted on his heel and stomped to the counter, slamming the paper down with enough force to knock a tea pot off. He pushed though a door in the back, where I thought I saw his uncle go. A few of the customers glanced up at the sound, but none paid much attention.

Maybe I should leave. . . I thought to myself. I couldn't afford to get hurt right now, especially since I was alone, and no easy way to escape. But maybe this is a good thing, I contradicted. After all, Zuko and I had just been a few feet apart, and had almost had a conversation, with no fireballs exchanged. It was obvious his uncle didn't want him to attack me, and suddenly I doubted that he ever had. So if Iroh was on our side, maybe Zuko could be too? Alright, perhaps that was a little too optimistic.

A loud crash from the back room brought me back from my thoughts. A bunch of people were looking now. That had to have been Zuko. A moment later, Iroh popped his head though the door with a big smile.
"My apologizes everyone. One of the shelves of tea cups somehow came flying off the wall and crashed into another shelf of cups. These things happen sometime," With a laugh, Iroh ducked back into the room.

After another couple of minutes, Zuko emerged, a tray of tea cups in his hands. His eyes immediately found me, although he didn't come this way. Instead, he turned his head away and began serving the cup to the customers, taking tips, and returning to the counter for more trays. He didn't look at me again, although I got the feeling that it was on purpose.

He looked a lot different than the last time I'd seen him, at the North Pole. He'd cut off his hair and let it grow out, and it now covered his entire head, nearly hanging down to this eyes. And he was definitely thinner. I remembered when I'd slung him over shoulder, after Katara and knocked him out, how heavy he'd been .Not fat, of course, but built and hard muscled. Even under the layers of Earth Kingdom robes and apron, it was obvious he'd lost a lot of weight. The life of a refugee, Iroh had said. They must have had a few hard months.

Iroh emerged from the back room with another tray, this time holding a single cup. He handed it to Zuko with terse nod, his eyes flickering to me. I took a deep breathe, preparing myself. Zuko took the tray and headed my way, his gaze burning into me again. He stopped a foot away and set the tray down with enough force that a little bit of tea splatter the side of the cup.

"Thank you,' I told him, please with how calm my voice sounded.

His eyes narrowed in response, the scarred one barely open. I expected him to turn and leave, but he made no move to leave. He looked like he was trying to decide on something, and what it might be worried me. What had Iroh said to him in the back room? Whatever it was, it had apparently made him angry enough to tear down a few shelves. I gulped.

He closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breathe. When his eyes reopened, he didn't look any closer to being calm. But, he did speak, and what he said shocked me.

"My uncle wants me to talk to you," he stated. His expression made it very clear that Zuko didn't like or agree with what his uncle wanted.

Well, this was my chance. What's the worst that could happen? I tried not the answer that.

"Okay," I tried to say cheerily. "So. . .let's talk."

He frowned, expecting a different response. I gesture to the chair across from me with a small smile. He made a sound, almost like a growl. I thought for sure he was going to storm off, but after a short internal debate, he sat down reluctantly.