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Chapter 37: Mi-Cha
Iroh and Mi-Cha left the room and town they'd been hiding in the morning after she showed up there, heading back towards Ba Sing Se, reasoning that Liang was probably being held prisoner somewhere in the capital.
The young earthbender tagged silently along behind Iroh, nervously fiddling with the small sack she'd not let go of since running into the old man. She kept up with him easily, used to Liang's longer strides.
However, before the two of them found the smith, they stumbled across another, much larger party: two unconscious young women, an expatriate soldier, a crippled scientist, and a certain very familiar seventeen-year-old. Iroh froze in his tracks.
Mi-Cha looked up at him. "Mushi?" she asked, a bit concerned by the look on his face.
The seventeen-year-old looked up from where he'd been staring listlessly at the ground. "...Uncle?"
This grabbed the soldier's attention, and he turned. "…General?"
Iroh just stared at his nephew, hardly daring to believe what he was seeing.
Teo stared, then wisely wheeled out from between the two Fire Nation princes.
Zuko pushed himself to his feet and staggered over to his uncle, who caught him.
"What--how--" the old man started.
"That's what we've been wondering," said Shang, leaning casually against Sokka.
"Don't know," the younger prince replied. "I thought I was only gone a day, then I woke up and figured out five years had passed."
"The only one who might know isn't here," put in Teo. "Aang's gone to Ba Sing Se."
Iroh arched an eyebrow. "What happened?"
Zuko looked down, and wouldn't answer.
"The Firelady is dead," Shang answered instead. "The Avatar and Bei Fong went to make sure nothing happened to the princess."
"...I see. Well." After five years of fighting for this, it was a little strange to be told so suddenly that his psychotic niece was dead.
Teo nodded to the unconscious Waterbenders. "We're joining them as soon as they wake up."
Iroh nodded. "Do you mind if we join you?"
"I don't see why not. Sokka?"
"Fine by me," the older boy replied.
Shyly, Mi-Cha looked out from behind Iroh, clutching her bag and not saying a word.
"This is Mi-Cha," Iroh said.
"Hey, there," Sokka said, grinning at her.
The girl waved and popped back behind Iroh; so many eyes on her was not something she liked. After a moment, however, she looked out at Sokka again. Shang grinned and elbowed the warrior in the side. "I think she likes you."
Sokka rolled his eyes and didn't rise to the bait. "Sit down. Stay a while."
Mi-Cha edged out of Iroh's shadow and took a seat as a bored Shang wandered to the waterbenders to see how they were faring.
Zuko followed him, and settled back into his seat next to the tree, staring at the ground.
Teo wheeled over to the Duke as Mi-Cha looked up at Iroh. "Is it okay if I work on my bending here?"
"Of course," he said.
Brightening, she took a ruby from the bag and cupped it in her hands, staring very intently at the red stone.
The Duke wandered over to watch, staying far enough away that she couldn't accuse him of trying to steal any other stones she had in the bag.
Curious, Shang also looked on.
Turning her hands so that the ruby was resting in her left palm, she made some slow movements with her right hand over the top, shaping it at a slug's pace. Her brow scrunched up in concentration.
"Wow..." the Duke breathed, impressed.
"Thanks," Mi-Cha said, not looking up. "I've been doing this since I first learned bending."
"That's really neat!"
"Yeah, but I can't do normal bending. I can only shape things."
"Still, it's really cool," the Duke insisted, grinning at her.
Shyly, the girl grinned back at him.
At around that time, Katara stirred and started to wake up.
"Katara!" Sokka cried, running for his sister, to help her sit up.
"Katara!" Teo echoed, wheeling over. "How do you feel?"
"Tired. Um." She turned to see Zuko and Leilani, still unconscious. "A-are you ok?" she asked the prince. He nodded.
Leilani groaned then, opening her eyes.
"'Lani! You're awake!" Katara said, relieved.
"Mm." The older woman struggled to sit upright; her body didn't seem to want to obey her.
"Maybe you should stay down...?" the other waterbender suggested.
"L-Ling Hun…" She gave up and lay back, closing her eyes. "Is he…?"
"I'm here," he replied, quietly.
"Oh." Now Leilani smiled. "Good."
"Maybe we should wait a little longer before following the others into the city," Sokka suggested, still clinging to his sister's hand.
"Probably a good idea." Shang knelt beside Leilani and helped her sit, leaning her back against his leg. "I'm not sure when they'll be able to move entirely on their own."
"We could get moving in the morning," Iroh suggested.
"What about Liang?" Mi-Cha asked quietly. "If Azula is dead…"
"He left this morning to go look for his apprentice," Sokka told her. "Is that you?"
Mi-Cha dropped the ruby. "Yes! He was here? Where did he go?" She was all ready to run off after him.
"He went to go talk to Bian, then to look for you," the Duke told her.
"Which way?" she asked eagerly.
"You can go look for him later," Iroh said, resting a hand on her shoulder. "It's getting dark now, anyway. You'd only get lost searching now."
The girl visibly deflated. "All right," she said reluctantly, ducking her head.
"You'll find him," Iroh promised her. "Now that Azula is no longer on the throne, he probably doesn't need to hide anymore."
She picked up the ruby and nodded. "Then I should work more on these, so I'm ready when he goes back to work," she declared.
"Good idea," he said, smiling at her.
She grinned back and knelt to her task.
"I'm hungry," said Leilani softly.
"Me, too," Katara said, as well.
"I'll find some food for you two," Sokka said.
"I'll help," Shang added, leaning Leilani against a tree.
"We'll be back soon," the younger man promised the two young women, then went off to find food.
"You should eat something, too, Zuko," Iroh said. His nephew didn't answer.
Frowning, Leilani looked up at the former Blue Spirit, worry in her eyes.
He wouldn't look at anyone, staring down at the ground.
"Ling H--Zuko?" she tried.
"Yeah?" he said, still not looking up.
"Are…are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
"…oh. Okay." Then why won't you look at me? she didn't ask. Not now, not in front of everyone.
Katara frowned. "Are you sure?" she asked. There was something about his tone that worried her--and she wasn't sure she and Leilani had managed to heal all of the damage from his fight with Azula.
"Yes," he said, still not looking up.
Liar, thought Teo, watching over Mi-Cha and the Duke.
Katara bit her lip. Then why won't you meet anyone's eyes?
The Duke was watching Mi-Cha's hands--and her jewels--with avid interest. Wisely, the girl had tucked the bag into her inner clothing, where she would know if someone tried to take them. The ruby held all of her attention otherwise, as she shaped multiple tiny facets in the stone.
"What's that going into?" he asked, after a moment.
"A ring," she replied. "Some official or other is proposing to the girl he likes."
"Nice of him."
"Nah, he's an idiot," she said absently. "She doesn't like him at all, but the marriage is advantageous to her family. He figures jewelry will win her over, but she hates rubies. She likes sapphires more, and emeralds."
"How do you know all this stuff?" he asked, wonderingly.
"Easy. I watch and I listen. I like to get to know the people who gifts are intended for, so Liang and I can make 'em the best."
"Wow. That's really impressive."
Mi-Cha made a face. "Liang says I'm just nosy."
"Well, do you ask a lot of questions, or do you just listen?" the Duke asked, reasonably.
"I listen, and only ask sometimes."
"Then that's not nosy."
Mi-Cha beamed at him.
He grinned back.
"That's too adorable," said Teo, softly enough that they couldn't hear him.
"It really is," Iroh murmured back.
Startled, Teo looked back; he hadn't realized the old general had gotten so close to him.
He smiled slightly, then turned a worried frown on his nephew, who hadn't moved. "Do you know what happened?"
"Uh-uh," Teo said. "Soldiers took Leilani and Ty Lee this morning; Zuko, Haru, Toph, Sokka, and Katara went after them. When they came back, Haru was carrying Leilani and Katara and Sokka was carrying Zuko. Haru only told us that Ty Lee and Azula were dead, then he left."
Iroh bowed his head. "What a nightmare."
"Yeah…" Teo leaned his head against the back of his chair and looked up at the sky with a hint of longing. "But the nightmare is almost over. I can't wait to see my dad again."
Iroh nodded, but said nothing.
"Hey, watch this!" said Mi-Cha to the Duke, covering the ruby with her hand. "Now it's a ruby…" She moved her hand, and a blue stone winked up at the Duke. "And now it's a sapphire!"
His eyes lit up. "How'd you do that?"
"I don't know," she admitted. "I just do it. I think it's 'cause rubies are just red sapphires."
"What d'you mean?" he asked, confused.
"Different stones feel different," she explained. "Usually an Earthbender knows what kinda ground they're standing on, even if they can't see it. It's like that for me with jewels, and rubies and sapphires feel the same."
"Neat!"
She grinned and changed it back. "I can't make the colors change too much, though," she added. "It makes me tired."
He nodded. "Are you going to leave it changed when you give it to the lady?"
"The customer ordered a ruby," she replied with a sigh. "So when he comes back complaining about how he really meant a sapphire, I'll change it then. And Liang will charge him." She grinned then. "He calls it 'Idiot Tax'."
He giggled. "That's a good word for it."
"Yeah. He doesn't show it, but Liang's got a really short temper. You can tell when people are starting to make him mad, 'cause his shoulders go all tense and he starts to give you this look, like he's setting you on fire with his eyes. It creeps all the locals out 'cause he looks Fire Nation."
"Yeah, that does sound creepy," the Duke admitted.
"That's why I don't make him angry." She grinned at him, shaping some more facets.
"Sounds smart." He grinned back.
"It is. Liang is scary when he's angry. I think he could beat one of the Dai Li without any weapons."
The Duke's eyes widened. "Wow."
She nodded. "He's amazing. I wish he was my uncle or brother or something."
He nodded. "I don't blame you."
Mi-Cha scowled. "An' people will probably try to go around him when I'm old enough to get married, since he's not my legal guardian."
"You could always lie and tell everyone he is."
"Wouldn't work," she sighed. "We live in Ba Sing Se. There are records, and they show that I don't have a legal guardian."
"...Oh. That sucks."
"Yeah. Maybe I'll just run away when I'm sixteen."
"Or you could ask Toph," Zuko said, unexpectedly.
"Huh?" Mi-Cha turned to look at the prince, confused.
"She's in charge now, at least until someone challenges her. She could make him your legal guardian."
The girl's hands fell into her lap as she considered his words. "Hm…"
"Yeah! That would work!" the Duke said.
"Worth a shot," Mi-Cha said at last, smiling at Zuko. "Thanks!"
He shrugged, and turned back to his listless contemplation of the backs of his hands.
Mi-Cha returned to her work as well, apparently pleased by the attention she was getting from the Duke.
Sokka and Shang returned about then, with food. "Just give us a few minutes, ok?"
Leilani nodded tiredly as the Fire Nation soldier and the Water Tribe warrior began preparing the meal.
Katara just curled up, trying to stay awake long enough to get food.
Between the two of them--miraculously not arguing--Sokka and Shang got food to the exhausted benders, then passed around to everybody else.
Zuko ignored them, still staring at the ground.
"Thank you," Iroh said, with a little smile.
Shang grinned impudently at him. "Glad to help, general."
"Who were you serving under?" the old man asked after a minute.
"Immediate, or overall?" the soldier asked.
"Either. Or both. Just making conversation."
"My CO was Captain Zheng," replied Shang. "My unit, however, was ultimately under the command of General Hao."
"I never knew Zheng. And I never liked Hao."
The soldier shrugged. "We don't get to pick 'em."
"Which is, perhaps, unfortunate."
Shang nodded, and was silent for a moment before asking, "Sir, you traveled with Prince Zuko during his exile, right?"
"Yes, I did. What's on your mind?"
"My cousin, Li Yan, served aboard the prince's ship," explained the corporal. "We haven't heard from him since Admiral Zhao's siege on the north. I was wondering if you knew…?"
"Ah, yes, I remember him. He was captured, at the North Pole. He's probably still there."
Tension flowed from Shang's shoulders. "I see. Thank you."
The old man smiled. "You're welcome."
Immediately after eating, both Leilani and Katara fell asleep again; Mi-Cha wasn't far behind them, having used up far too much energy showing off for the Duke's benefit.
Zuko remained leaning against his tree, staring at nothing, until he drifted off as well.
Shang drifted away from the group a short distance and began an evening workout while Teo stared at the night sky, wishing he had his glider.