Potential
Most mornings, she was the first one up. She would make her way through the house, often taking time to stop and look at the gold family portraits. Despite knowing exactly who each person in the portrait was, and despite knowing what each one o them had done, she couldn't help but smile. She couldn't help but think of her own family.
She sighed and then turned the corner into the kitchen to get started with breakfast. What her eyes fell upon could be best described as nothing short of total carnage. Cupboards were open, draws were pulled out of the counters, there was flour spilled on the floor, dirty pots in the sink a tea kettle screaming on the stove , and a very frustrated firebender in the middle of it all.
Before she could stop herself, she smiled. And that smile soon turned into a chuckle. Zuko spun around at the sound of her laugh, his face red aside from a white streak of flour that had found its way onto his cheek. "K—I—I was going to clean it up. I just thought that I could..." He stopped mid-sentence as she walked over to the sick and wet a cloth. She sighed, pursed her lips, and turned to him—rag in hand. He flinched, expecting her to hell at him, but she instead gently dabbed the cloth against his cheek. He stared at her, his heart racing.
"You've got potential," she smiled.