Long time, no see, I suppose.
I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender
Year Fifteen
At some point, when she was not quite fifteen years old, Kian fully mastered earthbending. She had taken to her firebending training, as well, learning from Zuko and Hattori. She decided she liked firebending the best, because the fire was something that was purely her own. It was made from her own energy; she could control how strong it was. There weren't a lot of things in her life that Kian could fully control.
She couldn't control what she looked like, but she wished she was beautiful. She wished she looked like the woman in her dreams, the Water Tribe woman who she imagined was her mother. She wished she could look professional and experienced, like the Avatars she dreamed about. Like Yangchen and Kyoshi, who had probably saved the world at least ten thousand times during their time as the Avatar.
It was the Avatar's duty to save the world, sometimes from an outside force and sometimes from itself. Kian wondered how it was possible to save the world from itself, to stop it from eating itself alive. She knew she had to save it from the Phoenix King. Her family had told her that. It was her duty to undo the years of pain and suffering that the world had gone through.
They had suffered because of the last Avatar, Aang. When Kian thought about it, she knew it wasn't his fault. Part of her felt that it was, because he hadn't been strong enough. She remembered his memories that seeping into her dreams and made her cry, all because he hadn't been strong enough.
If Aang hadn't been strong, how could they expect her to be? She wondered what would happen if she failed, if there would be even a world worth saving when the next Avatar came along.
The day before she turned fifteen- the day Aang died- they took her to Wulong Forest. It was in the south western tip of the Earth Kingdom and Kian had expected real trees that were lush and green. Not dead and gray, and made of rock like this place.
There was nothing living here, except for a few animals, and Kian understood. This was where it started, Suki whispered to her, where Aang died. A day before she was born, he died.
It was all burned and charred, and singed. Ugly and sad. So terribly sad.
Kian looked over her shoulder at her family. They were all standing clustered together, except for Ipitok. He was standing just a few steps away from her, his arms crossed in front of her chest. He nodded his head at her and had she blinked at that moment, she would have missed it.
Bending down, Kian pulled off her shoes, digging her feet into the dust around her. Toph always went barefoot and she was always connected to the earth. Kian breathed and she remembered that fire came from the breath. Zuko had told her it came from the breath, not the muscles. He said he learned that the hard way.
She stepped forward, letting the energy of the world around her surge up through her heels and resonate through her being. She closed her eyes and focused instead on the earth and the warmth, and the dust, and all that was.
There were footsteps around her, soft and faded, and Kian knew that the others couldn't see them. It was just one pair and they were not quite the same size as hers. Kian set her heel in one of the footprints, aligning her toes and then stepped forward.
The energy of the earth surged and Kian gasped as it pulsed around her. The world around her spun and she wondered if she was going to faint, but then she saw it. She saw the mound of rock before her, where it overlooked the rest of the forest.
Fire and air were colliding together, splitting each other. The fight was useless. No. Not useless, the world was at stake. The whole future depended on victory. On her victory.
Not hers. His.
Kian walked forward towards the mound of rock and outstretched her hands. Something dug into her foot and she realized she had stepped on a sharp stone. That wasn't important now, because she had found it, found the place where he closed his eyes.
That was his memory. His memory that had crept into her dreams and made her cry. It came rushing back to her. What a horrible way to die. What a terrible, terrible death.
"He died here," Kian whispered and knelt down, pressing her hands to the earth beneath the bolder. The dirt was soft and cool, as opposed to the warm soil around it. She looked up at the rock and she knew where the singe mark was before her eyes found it. "He died right here." She pressed her cheek against the ground, closing her eyes.
She couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe and everything was so hot. She ached everywhere, but she decided it wasn't just sore muscles. It was pain and every hair on her body was on end. Her throat was sore and she could still feel the electricity coursing through her veins. Maybe she could jolt herself back to life.
"I'm sorry," she murmured and stretched herself onto her back. "Please, forgive me. And make things right. Please?"
Something cool and wet lapped at her cheek and Kian opened her eyes. Taji leaned over her, her paws on either side of her head. The beast nudged her with her nose, urging her to rise. Katara and the others stood behind her, wide eyed. Concerned.
They didn't know anything.
"Kian," Katara said and moved to kneel down beside her, putting her hands on her shoulders. "Kian, what did you see?" She asked Kian looked up at her. Aang had known her too, she remembered, and she knew that he had loved her. Not like Kian loved her, not like a mother.
Like…he had loved Katara like Katara loved Zuko.
Kian laced her hands together and cleared her throat, "He spent a whole hour trying to stay alive…but he died here. I died here." The words didn't come out quite right, but they were true. Aang had died here in this spot, and it was her duty to set things right again.
We died here, Kyoshi's voice said, and then we were reborn.
This can't happen again. That was Aang. Now you know. I'm sorry.
"I understand now," She said and looked at her family. They watched her, their eyes filled with concern and she nodded. "Now I understand. There's so much at stake now," she told them and glanced down at her hands. "I don't think I can handle that much responsibility. What if…what if I lose too?"
Katara folded Kian's hands into her own, shaking her head. "You won't. You won't lose, Kian. Know that you know what's at stake; we all have to try harder and be strong. I know you're scared, we all are, but that's okay. There's still time and we'll make the best of it."
The Avatar looked at her and willed a smile to spread across her lips. "Thanks, Katara," she said and wrapped her arms around the older waterbender. I don't get scared. Aang wasn't scared when he went to face his death. He was thirteen. I don't get scared. She straightened. "I need to go to the Fire Nation."
What a great day before my birthday.
Ty Lee wondered how Azula would react if she learned that Ty Lee had paid for every single one of the Kyoshi Warriors to be released from prison. They'd been locked up for fifteen years and when Ty Lee first started visiting them- when Azula was asleep at night, only when she was asleep- they looked more like skin and bones.
But Ty Lee was a noblewoman and she knew how to pull strings. She had managed to buy extra meals and outside time for the Warriors and after years of scrapping up her own money, she'd bought one of the Fire Nation's best lawyers to defend them.
In a matter of days, Ty Lee thought as she brushed Azula's hair, the Kyoshi Warriors would walk out of Capital City prison as free women. She'd made a deal with them: if she freed them, then they would be loyal to Azula.
Azula was watching her in the mirror. Ty Lee flinched a little when Azula's gold eyes met hers in the glass. The acrobat- well, she wasn't much of an acrobat anymore- ran the brush over the Fire Lord's hair and smiled softly. "It's all coming together, Azula. Just think about it."
"I have," Azula said and Ty Lee thought that her friend looked more at peace than she had been in a while. "I've always been good at being patient, Ty Lee. It was one of the things I was good at. I was good at a lot of things, Ty Lee. My father was a brilliant teacher."
Ty Lee had seen Azula's back enough times to know that there was a pale, glittering scar on her skin. She knew that Azula hated it, hated that she had finally realized that her father didn't love her. "When your father is defeated, what are you going to do?" Azula was funding the rebellion against the Phoenix King. Ty Lee was surprised that the Phoenix King hadn't placed an embargo on the Fire Nation in an attempt to choke Azula.
Maybe he realized that he had trained Azula too well, that she wouldn't go down easily.
Azula paused, looking back at Ty Lee in the mirror. "Before, I would have taken his place. Before, I would have crowned myself as Phoenix Queen." She smirked slightly, "I'm certainly not handing my crown to Zuzu. We may be on the same side, Ty Lee, but I wouldn't dare let Zuko touch my throne."
"He probably doesn't want to rule anyway," Ty Lee said as she set the brush down. "I think that Zuko's happy, Azula. I think that he fell in love with that Water Tribe girl and now he's happy." She grinned and stepped away from Azula, looking down at Kaz. "Maybe one day, you can be happy, too."
Azula reached up to touch her face, tracing her cheekbones with her fingertips. "Perhaps," said the Fire Lord, "but only if I keep my crown."
Azula had worked hard for that crown, Ty Lee thought, and she deserved to keep it. Ty Lee didn't think that Zuko could have ever done what Azula did, even though he had a big heart. Azula did, too, but she never showed it. Maybe one day, Ty Lee decided, someone would record her as Azula the Great. That sounded befitting of her.
They found the Freedom Fighters almost by accident. When Katara thought back about it, she decided it was probably fate. Or maybe it was luck. They had set up a network at a seaport that sent ships from the Earth Kingdom to the Fire Nation. It was a rebel city and a vital one.
The Freedom Fighters weren't exactly a large cell of the rebellion, but they were influential. They had a whole town under their thumb, offering their protection to the people who lived there. The other cells of the rebellion were more involved in the fighting, but Smellerbee's army was skilled in guerilla warfare and recruiting soldiers.
Katara caught the smell of the sea as they walked along the street. Kian was walking in front with Ipitok, pulling Taji along. They had found the Freedom Fighters almost by chance when they stopped in the city. The first thing Katara had noticed was that there were no Fire Nation soldiers. The second thing she noticed were the three flags flying atop a building. A Water Tribe flag- she knew that flag anywhere, it was her father's. There was an Earth Kingdom banner and a Fire Nation flag. Azula really was aiding in the rebellion. All the nations had united for a single cause.
They were all helping each other.
That was the way it was supposed to be.
In the very front was a young man. He looked younger than Toph, maybe about twenty-three, and he wore a metal helmet on his head. He called himself The Duke, and Katara remembered him. He had just been a child when she had seen him last and he had grown up over the years.
Katara looked at Kian and Ipitok. They were fifteen and eighteen years old now and she felt extremely old when she looked at them. She had seen Kian grow up from a baby to a proud young woman. Aang, Katara remembered, had never turned fifteen. He had never even reached fourteen. But maybe, she thought, he had celebrated every birthday with Kian. She knew he was there. She remembered the day at Wulong Forest.
He died here. I died here.
Kian's words rang through Katara's head and the waterbender cleared her throat.
"We need to catch a boat to the Fire Nation," Sokka said to The Duke. "Preferably today or tomorrow."
For a long time, the Fire Nation had transformed into a place that seemed distant and forbidden. They had avoided the Fire Nation, avoided Azula. Now, they were heading towards her. To the Fire Nation and to Azula.
Katara wondered what had happened to the young Fire Lord. She was on their side now, and Katara still couldn't quite wrap her head around that. A lot had changed.
The Duke nodded his head. "There's a ship leaving at dawn tomorrow. It's manned by Fire Nation sailors, but I'm sure we can…arrange something. Just be ready at dawn." He shrugged and smiled at them. "Do you want to see your dad?"
Before Katara could open her mouth, Sokka had nearly shouted, "Yes!" They were still little kids in that aspect- always excited to see their father. She smiled at him as the Duke laughed and led them through the town. It was hard to believe that the little boy with the oversized helmet was now the man walking in front of them.
People changed.
There was a restaurant that smelled like Earth Kingdom cooking, and when Katara inhaled deeper, she could just faintly catch the smell of Water Tribe food. She looked over at her brother and smiled. "Kian, Ipitok," she said, "I don't think you remember Water Tribe cooking."
Sokka nodded and draped his arm over Ipitok's shoulder. "Let me tell you, Water Tribe food brings back memories."
The Duke held the door open for them as they stepped in the restaurant and Katara was reminded of her time as a waitress in Shintashi. This one was different, though. The lights were brighter and there were more people.
Sitting at one table were two Water Tribe men and a woman. The Duke let out a shout and all three of them looked up. Katara grinned when she saw her father and Tartok, her adopted brother. He was a grown man, too. The last time she had seen him, he had been a teenager. The last time she had seen her father…
He'd aged.
Hakoda stood when his children approached and Katara saw that his smile was the same. She ran into his arms, feeling much like a little girl when he put his arms around her. "Katara!" The Water Tribe chief said and extended his reach to Sokka. He put them both out at arm's length and smiled softly, sadly. "You get older every time I see you."
"It's been five years, Dad. I think that's what happens," Sokka said and grinned. He grabbed Tartok by his arm, pulling him into a hug. "I haven't seen you in a while, lil' bro."
Tartok laughed and Katara realized that she never really interacted with Tartok. Part of that was because she hadn't seen him very much, or known him very well, but part of her felt awkward around the boy. "I could say the same to you," Tartok said.
"Come on, Zuko, Suki. You're part of the family, too." Hakoda said and Katara grinned when the two of them stepped forward to hug the older Water Tribe man. He looked over their shoulder at Toph and Hatori, and Kian and Ipitok. "And all of you, as well."
"Why don't we just have a group hug?" Sokka suggested and threw his arms around Suki.
The woman sitting at the table cleared her throat and Katara jumped. She looked vaguely familiar, like someone she had seen before, but she had seen so many people that she couldn't place the woman's face. They were about the same age, though.
"That's Smellerbee," The Duke said, seeing her confusion and Smellerbee lifted her lips in the beginnings of a smile.
Smellerbee extended her hand. "It's a pleasure to see you again," She said. She waved her hand at the empty tables surrounding them. "Please, have a seat." To Katara, it seemed like Smellerbee had changed more than anyone. Then again, she didn't know her very well.
Katara sat down between Hakoda and Zuko, across from Smellerbee and Tartok. The leader of the Freedom Fighters cleared her throat again. "That's the Avatar?" She asked and nodded at Kian, sitting at the other table. When Katara nodded, the woman raised her eyebrows. "I guess you stumbled here by chance or luck. That's good."
"My sister is helping you," Zuko said and Smellerbee's gaze snapped over to him. If she recognized him, she didn't show it. "The Fire Lord, she's been funding you. You and all the other rebels." The firebender met the rebel's stare.
Smellerbee nodded. "That's true." She put her elbows on the table and she smiled once more. "Then, I decided that if she's related to you, she can't be too bad for a firebender."
The Great Gates of Azulon came into view. To Katara, they weren't nearly as intimidating as they had been when she had first seen them. The waterbender turned around and looked at Kian. "Look," she said, "Now you're officially in the Fire Nation."
Kian nodded and looked up at the statue of the old Fire Lord. "Why do they still call it great, if Azulon was such a bad person?"
"Because, he did a lot for the Fire Nation." Zuko said as he came up behind them. "And his death set off the catalyst for a lot of things. My mother killed him." He murmured it quietly. "And she was banished for it. If she hadn't been banished, I wouldn't have been burnt. If I wouldn't have been burnt, I wouldn't have met Aang." He looked over the Avatar, "I wouldn't have met Katara."
The Avatar wrinkled her nose and stepped back. "Okay," the teenager said, "Ew."
Katara stuck out her tongue as the ship began to draw ever closer to the caldera. They would meet Azula soon. She wondered if they would have to fight their way through to the palace, or would the Fire Lord welcome them with open arms.
It looked the same. Certainly not as scary, though. Normal.
Peaceful.
The ship approached the docks, nestled in between two much larger boats. There were Fire Nation flags floating lazily in the air and Katara saw the usual makings of a port. She gathered her bag and reached for Momo. The lemur had grown increasingly lazy, but he hadn't died yet. He'd taken to everyone carrying him around.
Kian strapped her bag onto Taji's back and held onto the leopard bear's harness. "When we go see the Fire Lord, where are we going to put Taji and Appa? We can't just walk through the city with them, can we?" She asked, stroking the beast's fur.
Katara looked first at Taji and then extended her gaze to Appa. "We can hide them," She suggested and ground her teeth. "But they have to be within our shouting range in case there's trouble." She turned her attention to Sokka and Suki. Sokka was tugging the bison towards the ship ramp, patting his nose.
"Appa knows where to go," Sokka called out to her. "Right, buddy?" He guided Appa onto the pier, ignoring the looks that the sailors gave them. "And Taji won't go far from where Kian is."
"Sokka's right," Toph said. "Appa's been with us long enough to know the routine. We've been through this enough times before."
That was true.
It felt awkward though, walking through the Fire Nation without having to worry about being identified and killed on the spot. People looked at them, though, and Katara realized that they were a strange bunch. They looked at Zuko, the only one who was stereotypically Fire Nation, and at his scar. Katara wondered how many people recognized him.
"It's not as oppressive as I thought it would be," Zuko said quietly and Katara glanced at him. That was true. The people in the streets seemed at ease and comfortable, happy even.
"Yeah, there aren't any public executions."
Katara glanced at Hattori, who had spoken, and laughed.
"Azula," Ty Lee said as she approached the Fire Lord. "Um…Zuko's here."
Azula uncrossed her legs, but didn't rise from her sitting position. She looked down at Kaz, curling up at her feet, and then lifted her gaze to look Ty Lee in the eye. "I know. I've been expecting Zuzu, you know. You know he can't stay hidden forever. He can come in."
Ty Lee decided now wasn't the time to tell Azula that the Kyoshi Warriors were free. Perhaps later, she thought. "How'd you know?" She asked.
The Fire Lord rolled her eyes. "I know everything that goes on in the Fire Nation, Ty Lee. I thought we'd had gone over this already." She rose to her feet and stepped down from the dais, parting the blue flames that surrounded her throne. "Do you think they would have gotten as far as this, Ty Lee, without me?"
She didn't give Ty Lee the time to reply before she exited the throne room. The acrobat trailed after her and Kaz leaped to his feet, coming to Ty Lee's side. She reached down and scratched his ear affectionately, digging her fingers through the thick fur around his neck.
Azula looked back at them as she waited at a corner in the hallways. "I wonder what my brother and his waterbender have been up to." Her lips turned upward in the beginnings of a smirk. "You know, Ty Lee, it's been years since I've seen Zuko. And Mother. And Fa…Ozai." Her lips curled into a bitter frown and Ty Lee knew that she was picturing the scar on her back.
They continued down the corridor after that, moving through the Fire Nation palace. Ty Lee followed Azula to the main entrance of the palace. There would be guards there, she knew, and there would be Zuko and the Water Tribe siblings, and the Kyoshi Warrior, and the earthbender, and the Avatar.
But the only one Azula would be concerned about was Zuko. And maybe the Avatar. Mainly Zuko.
As Ty Lee predicted, there were guards gathered around the entrance of the palace. She saw a Fire Nation man with a scar on his face and two Water Tribe women. Really, one was just a teenager and Ty Lee didn't recognize her. There was Sokka- she had remembered his name, and she thought he was still rather handsome- and Suki. She remembered Suki.
"If it isn't my dear brother Zuko!" Azula said and extended her arms as the guards separated. She didn't hug Zuko, as Ty Lee had thought she would do, but she grinned. "It's been quite some time, hasn't it, brother?"
Zuko stepped back and Ty Lee couldn't help but step forward. Kaz lashed his tail, eyeing the animal on the waterbender's shoulder. "I guess it has, Azula." He said. "Long enough that you've switched sides."
Ty Lee thought she saw Azula's smile falter just a bit before the Fire Lord waved the guards away. She straightened her shoulders and then reached behind her, pulling her robe off of her shoulders and turning around so that she was fully facing the acrobat.
"Is she getting naked?" Ty Lee heard the Water Tribe teenager whisper to the dark haired, odd- eyed man on his left.
She narrowed her eyes.
"Look, Zuzu," Azula said softly, almost in a bitter whisper, "Look at my skin." She was gesturing to her scar. "Daddy marked me too. Now we're both the same, both scarred for life by Daddy." She was smiling bitterly as she fixed her clothes, turning around.
There was a look of horror on Zuko's face and the waterbender beside him moved forward, reaching out to touch Azula before she slapped her hand away. "Don't touch me!" She snapped and then laughed, "You see, Zuko, you're not the only one with a permanent, physical reason to despise Ozai. I know you're not here to ask me to join the war, because I've already done that. What do you want?"
The Water Tribe girl stepped forward. "Zuko taught me firebending, but there's one thing he couldn't teach me." She looked up at Azula and from where Ty Lee stood she could see that her eyes were almost gray.
She was the Avatar.
"And what would that be?" Azula said and Ty Lee could see her leaning forward so that their noses almost touched. "What could be so important that you had to learn from me- a monster?" She opened her palm and blue fire danced above it. "Something that the Avatar couldn't learn naturally?"
The Avatar blinked once, then twice. "Teach me lightning."
For a moment, there was silence. Then, Azula laughed. "I can't. As much as I would love to, Avatar, I haven't been able to generate lightning in years. Perhaps you should have come along earlier, when I was…less conflicted."
Azula certainly didn't look conflicted. Her gaze softened and she grabbed the Avatar's hand, unfolding her fingers and examining them. "I suppose I could walk you through the steps however, if you promise me one thing." She leaned in close, "Make the Phoenix King know who taught you that."
"Azula!" The waterbender snapped suddenly, "She's a child!"
The Fire Lord narrowed her eyes and glared at the Water Tribe woman. "Well, so was the last one."
The Avatar cleared her throat. "Alright," She said. "I promise."
"Maybe, Zuzu, when this is all over, we can bicker over the throne like normal siblings."
Kian watched as the Fire Lord set her crown aside gently and turned to face her. When she had her back to her, Kian could just make out the pale, puckered scars that seeped from underneath her shirt. She hadn't expected the Fire Lord to look quite like this. She reminded Kian of the woman in Shintashi, Zuko's mother.
After all, she was Azula's mother as well.
"I thought lightning bending was about focusing and having a centered mind…how come you could generate lightning when you were crazy, but not now since you're…not so crazy?" Kian asked as she conjured a flame in her hand, bouncing it back and forth between her palms.
Azula straightened as she came to her side. She didn't answer, however, and instead stared hard at the Avatar. "Breathe," she instructed and stared at Kian's stomach, narrowing her eyes. "Deeper," She said, "Fill your lungs."
Kian knew how to breathe. It was one of the first things Zuko had taught her. It was a fundamental aspect of firebending. She cast a glance at the Fire Lord, who had pursed her lips and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I know how to breathe already."
The glare that Azula sent her was enough to make Kian cringe. She inhaled deeply, closing her eyes once more and pulling her shoulders back so they were straight. She listened as Azula walked around her, lifting both of her arms so they were stretched out on either side of her. "Stop wiggling your fingers," Azula hissed and Kian stiffened.
"Stop thinking," The Fire Lord instructed next and Kian opened her eyes. "Don't focus on me. Focus on your chi and on the energy in the air. There is positive energy and negative, all coming together." She curled in two of Kian's fingers and bent her elbows just slightly. "You can't control it, but you can command it. Tell it where to go. You can't change it, though."
Kian could imagine the energy dancing around her in black and white particles. There were areas of great, like they had come together and she could hear Azula's voice coming from there. She imagined reaching for the particles, separating them from each other and-
"Ow!" Her fingers stung.
Azula wrinkled her nose. "Do you want to be killed again, Avatar?"
Kian rolled her eyes and watched as Azula raised her arms, her golden eyes narrowed in concentration.
Green crystals. Tight, enclosed space. Fear.
The distant feel of chi surging through her veins.
A woman moving her arms, lightning emerging from her fingertips and racing through the sky, too fast, too fast, too fast.
Pain.
"No!"
"You killed me!" Kian screamed and tumbled backward. She saw Azula standing over her, her hands at her hips before she extended one to help her up. "You killed my past life."
"Yes," Azula said calmly, "I did."
Ty Lee came from the room whispered fiercely to someone on the other side.
Katara looked at Zuko and she could see that everyone was apprehensive about leaving Kian alone with Azula. She wasn't exactly the most trustworthy of people. Katara sipped her tea gingerly- she had tested to see if it was poisoned and had found it clean- as Ty Lee spoke to the person in the other room.
"This," Ty Lee said finally, turning to face them, "is a surprise for Suki. And the rest of you. But mainly for Suki." She put her hands over her mouth and bounced on her toes for a moment before breathing lightly and opening the door. "Come on out, girls!"
There was the rustling of fabric and then a green skirted woman emerged. Several others came after her, all dressed similarly. They were all smiling as they turned to Suki, their faces glowing even behind the face pain.
Suki stared at them with disbelief, and then promptly burst into tears. She rose to her feet and threw her arms around them. "My girls!" She said in between sobs, "You guys rescued my girls!"
Ty Lee clasped her hands together and smiled bashfully when everyone turned their attention to her. "Azula didn't know I did it." She grinned at the Kyoshi Warriors, "It took a long time, but they're finally free! I couldn't stand seeing them in jail."
"We can't go with you yet," One of the Kyoshi Warriors said, pulling her hands from Suki's gently. "Ty Lee nearly spent a fortune fighting to free us, the least we could do is stay for a while…as bodyguards. Just for a little while."
Suki smiled sadly. "Of course," She said and looked gratefully at Ty Lee. "She's done so much for you. For us."
"Azula's really gotten better," Sokka remarked as they flew on Appa.
Katara pulled her knees up to her chest and nodded. "Her scar…I wanted to heal it. She was really hurt, if she changed sides. If she agreed to teach Kian lightning."
"We really are just alike," Zuko said and Katara could hear the sharp bitterness seeping into his voice. She knew he was thinking about his own scar and was comparing it to his sister's.
"No," Katara said to him, "not quite."
When Taji skidded to a halt in the middle of Shintashi, Kian doubled over across her pet's back, panting. She looked up.
"You're late," Anil said and laughed.