fire in your eyes • zuko

xv

Nava stood in the backroom of the tea shop, scrubbing dishes. In the last week or so, business at the shop exploded and Pao, the owner, needed all hands on deck. They barely had enough cups for the amount of patrons coming and going.

She was halfway through a stack of dishes when Iroh came into the back, looking delighted.

"I've just been offered my own tea shop in the upper ring!" he said excitedly. "You and Zuko are my first employees!"

"So we don't work here anymore?" Nava asked and Iroh shook his head.

She dropped the cup she was washing in the washbasin and dried her hands off on her apron. Then she untied it and set it on the counter. "Good timing, I'm pretty sure my fingers are permanently pruned."

She followed Iroh outside and bid a tearful Pao farewell, and made their way back to their apartment.

They packed their things as soon as they got home. Iroh muttered to himself about potential shop names.

"How about Dragon's Breath Tea?" he asked Nava before promptly shaking his head. "Never mind, that doesn't sound as good out loud."

The front door opened and Zuko came in with a rolled-up piece of parchment in his hand.

"How about the Jasmine Dragon?" Iroh said to both teenagers. "It's dramatic, poetic, has a nice ring to it."

"Oh, that sounds good," Nava nodded.

"The Avatar's in Ba Sing Se," Zuko said and held out the leaflet to his uncle. "And he's lost his bison."

Iroh took the paper and examined it with a frown. Nava peered over his shoulder. Sure enough, there was a painting of Appa with the words MISSING: PLEASE REPORT ANY SIGHTINGS TO THE CITY WATCH.

"We have a chance for a new life here," he said. "If you start stirring up trouble, we could lose all the good things that are happening to us."

Zuko rounded on Iroh with an irratated expression.

"Good things that are happening for you! Have you ever thought that maybe I want more from life than a nice apartment serving tea?" he snapped.

"There is nothing wrong with a life of peace and prosperity, Prince Zuko," Iroh said calmly. "I suggest you think about what it is that you want for your life, and why."

Zuko turned his back to them. "I want my destiny."

"What that means is up to you," Iroh said, setting the poster on the counter. "But do not think of only yourself, you are not the only one who is affected by your choices."

"I'm going for a walk," Zuko huffed and left the apartment, slamming the door behind him.

"I'll go with him," Nava said and followed him outside. She spotted him up the street and jogged to catch up with him. When she did, he shot her a glare.

"Did he send you to talk to me?"

"No, I came on my own. I want to walk with you."

They walked in silence, turning down random streets, and eventually found themselves in a greenspace area, with kids and their parents lounging about. Zuko sat on a bench under a tree and Nava sat beside him. She watched a group of kids play a game of tag.

"What do you want to do with your life?" he asked her. "Do you want to run a tea shop with my uncle and collect a modest paycheque?"

"Not particularly, but what else am I going to do?" she shrugged. "My entire life has been me moving from place to place; maybe it's time to hunker down and have a proper life for a bit. I'll probably miss the adventure after a while and that's when I'll return to wandering."