Dangerous Circumstances
Candlelight lit the dark room as Lee carried boxes across the room, opening them to inspect their contents. He shut the last box, labelled 'Jasmine Tea' and sighed. Looking around the room, he realised that it was getting late.
'I should get to bed soon' Lee thought, 'but where is Mushi? What's taking him so long?'
He was just about to walk out the door to look for his Uncle when Mushi exploded into the room, his face lit up in a huge grin.
"Speak of the devil…" Lee murmured. "What happened to you, Uncle?"
"I bumped into someone on the way back," Mushi grinned, "She said she wanted a cup of tea!"
"I didn't say that…" the girl mumbled. She stood near the door, as if ready to escape, with a veil draped over her face.
"Well come here then," Lee called, beckoning to a small tray of cups. "Let's get this over with," he whispered.
The girl cautiously stepped towards Lee. Just as she stepped into the candlelight, she looked over at him. Her loud gasp broke the silence of the storage room. Standing stock-still in the corner, she stared at Lee's face as the two men, confused, looked at each other. There was silence again. Lee glanced back at the girl and slowly opened his mouth.
"Are you okay - "
"I shouldn't be here," the girl exclaimed, broken out of her trance, "I have to go!"
She turned and sprinted out of the dark room, leaving the two men staring after her.
"What was that about?" Lee asked, curious.
"I don't know," Mushi beamed, "but that just means more tea for me!"
Lee sighed again and turned towards the tray in order to make his Uncle some tea.
I ran out into the alley, my long black hair streaming out behind me in the wind. Only once I had ran at least a few hundred metres away from their lodgings did I stop to catch my breath. Panting, I sat down in the darkness of the alleyway, attempting to get my bearings back.
'I can't believe it' I thought, 'why are they here? Why did I have to run into them?'
Exhausted, I let myself dwell briefly on the appearance of my two former acquaintances. Lord Iroh, or 'Mushi', was older than when I'd last seen him. I tried not to think about the greyness of his hair, or the deep wrinkles that appeared to be slowly setting into his profile. At least he still shared the same cheerfulness as he had before. And the same love for tea.
As for, the other boy, I almost tried to stop myself from remembering his appearance and my impromptu reunion. But I couldn't. He looked so different from when I'd last seen him, when he was 13. Now at the age of 16, he had grown so much. He was as handsome as I had guessed he would be. With his long ponytail gone and his short, messy hair, paired with his sharp amber eyes, I almost had trouble believing that no-one had suspected him of being the banished Fire Nation prince. I almost wouldn't have known it was him. If it wasn't for the scar. I knew, as I watched his 'punishment' being administered 3 years ago that it was certain to leave a mark. I just didn't know that it would remain such an integral part of his appearance. Now, if I ever tried to describe him to any citizen of any nation, I feel as if all you would have to do is explain the scar. Looking at him in that dark room, I almost teared up as I looked upon the results of his father's wrath. It didn't make him any less handsome. It was just that, seeing the scar, all I could remember is the dreadful day it was imposed on him. That was also the day they threw me out. Because he was gone they didn't need me anymore. In fact I'm surprised they didn't kill me.
