@zutaramonth day 27: Tea Shop
“Why did you decide to retire here, sir? Why not closer to Zuko?”
This had been bothering Katara for months, especially since Zuko and Mai’s break-up. Zuko was lonely. He had made loyal friends and allies in his court, but his letters were still wistful and taciturn. Knowing this, Katara had jumped on the opportunity of representing her family in King Kuei’s wedding, knowing that Zuko would be there, but her anxiety hadn’t receded. She still hadn’t gotten to see him. He’d been in the Royal Palace for hours in a meeting of heads of state.
Katara had come to wait for him at the Jasmine Dragon, and that was where she’d stubbornly stayed. The tea shop had long closed for the day, but old General Iroh was still kind enough to sit with her for a cup of tea before performing all of the closing duties, and was now pondering her question with the gravity it deserved.
“An old man has his dreams too,” he said after a long pause. “My nephew has his own path to follow, and he won’t think on his own if he expects me to do all the thinking for him. Unfortunately,” the man went on with a sigh, “that old habit seems to come back whenever I’m around.”
Katara shook her head. This wasn’t about the Fire Nation, or honor, or anything royals and nobles concerned themselves with.
“I think he really needs you.”
When the old man put down his cup of tea, Katara was surprised to discover that he was smiling.
“Do you wish for your father to be with you all the time, Katara?”
She wanted to say yes, of course she would, but the words got stuck in her throat. After having so much responsibility thrust upon her, after seeing so much of the world, going back to the role of a daughter hadn’t been as much of a relief as she’d thought it would. Her father had been glad to make up for lost time, but Katara wasn’t the little girl he’d left behind. His form of support, while welcome, wasn’t always what she needed. Katara sometimes felt they got along better the more distance there was between them.
“No, I suppose not,” she conceded, and decided to drop it. If General Iroh understood her point, he was deliberately avoiding it. Zuko himself never acted sad or resentful over his uncle’s choices, so anything else she could say would be overstepping.
“My nephew would be a fool if he let you go. You could make each other very happy.”
Katara choked on her tea, coughing furiously and feeling her face grow hot. Where did that come from, now? Had her true feelings been so obvious? It wasn’t like she tried to conceal them, not particularly. Zuko was her friend, and deserving of affection. But having the truth so plainly out in the open was a whole new level of terrifying.
“It’s not-I mean, sir, Zuko… your nephew… he’s, well, great, and all, but…”
The door to the tea shop opened. Zuko stood there in his full royal garb, and Katara could do nothing but stare, her mouth still open from the sentences she’d struggled to get out. It had only been a few months, but his hair had grown longer, his posture more confident. He embodied his role as the Fire Lord with a naturality that astounded her. As focused on him as she was, it was hard to miss the precise moment in which he noticed her. Zuko’s face lit up so vividly that Katara’s heart melted, her senses tingling, and he walked toward her
“Katara! It’s so good to see you.”
Anything she could have said was lost in his embrace. She just held him tight, hoping this gesture would get the right amount of feeling across. Had she dared to open her mouth, Katara would have had no chance of convincing General Iroh of her indifference.
“When did you get to Ba Sing Se?” Zuko was asking her, searching her face for answers to questions he wouldn’t voice. “It’s a long trip for you. Shouldn’t you be resting?”
“No, I’m fine. Got here this morning, got plenty of rest. I… I just came here to see you.” Wanting to gloss over after what she’d just said, she gestured toward the empty cups. “We were talking over tea.”
“Right,” he said with a smile. “Let me get that.”
“No, no.” General Iroh got up from his seat, cup in hand. “You sit down and rest, Fire Lord Zuko. I’ll get back to work.”
“If you want to make yourself useful, please walk Katara to her apartment when she wishes to go. Even in the Inner Ring, a lady cannot be too careful.”
As General Iroh walked away, Katara and Zuko exchanged a glance. His cheeks were red, his expression mortified, and his eyes jumped away from hers as if they burned.
Katara’s stomach clenched. Zuko knew exactly what his uncle was up to, and they were not going to see the end of it until the old man got his way.
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