@honormarred - FROM HERE.
It had taken him so much time to approach the teashop; he doesn’t want to linger outside and draw any unnecessary attention to himself, but his mind still whirls. The last time he and his father had been near Ba Sing Se they had been focused on tearing down its walls. He could see the Outer Wall after they had broken through, could still remember the way they had all celebrated it as a victory---the sheer horror and power of it all.
Now the man that had planned and lead the attack was brewing tea in the Upper Ring.
He had been hanging around for days, waiting for a good moment to go in. They had closed and Zuko ( he had grown so much ) had gone off somewhere, he hoped it would be easier to handle them one at a time, so he slips through the doors quietly. He can’t help but shake his head when he finally speaks up, unable to force himself smile at another of his father’s stories.
The man in front of him looked like an entirely different person than when they had last seen each other; his eyes needed to adjust to the father in front of him---the one that is older and grey-haired. He takes a few steps forward, but like Iroh, he stops. Lu Ten finds himself unsure of what to say now that they’re face-to-face. His eyes drift to the other employee, just for a moment; he can’t remember the last time someone called him by his name. It’s an odd sound, especially hearing it come from his father, a voice he was so sure he would never hear again.
The silence builds between them and his gaze once again falls to the young man standing behind his father. “ Could we have a moment alone, please ? ” He’s surprised at how steady his voice sounds because he feels uneasy inside. He waits a moment for the worker to excuse himself before stepping closer.
Lu Ten had felt many things towards his father, but fear had not been one of them, so why was he so afraid to step forward and wrap his arms around him now ? They had hugged before. Many times---more times than he had ever even seen his uncle smile at his cousins. The two of them had always been the odd ones in their family, sharing hugs and smiles and laughter.
“ Yes, Bàba. ” he breathes out the words and fights the urge to bring his hands up to bow. He feels like the little boy he once was, the one who had gotten in trouble for doing something he knows he shouldn’t have. Knowing he should apologize but feeling small and unable to. “ Shen---actually. I’ve been. . . ” he searches for the words that don’t make him sound like a coward and looks around the shop, suddenly unsure of how to look his father in the eye. “ trying to keep a low profile. It’s not important, though. It’s a lovely shop you two have. ”
