The Other Talk
The talk had been good. Zuko now had friends he could go to, people who liked him and had shared in his experiences, but there was still a great comfort in going over it all for Uncle. The new Fire Lord took a sip of tea to refresh his throat.
Uncle took the opportunity to shift the subject. "So, I hear you've taken a lady friend..."
Zuko felt a warmth grow inside that had nothing to do with the tea. "Yeeeeaaaaah."
"Do I know her?"
"I think so. It's Mai."
Uncle's face scrunched as he tried to connect the name to a face. "The acrobat?"
"No! The gloomy one with the knives!"
"Ah yes. Her. I hope you don't call her that to her face." He thought about it a little more. "I would have thought you'd go for the acrobat. You had such a cute little crush on her when you were-"
"That was so long ago I can barely remember it," Zuko informed him. "There's no one but Mai now, and there's never been anyone but Mai."
"Ah. If you say so, nephew." Iroh paused only to a long draw from his cup. "Are you sure you've considered all the possibilities, though? Will she make you a good wife?"
Zuko was proud of how calmly he was taking this. His visit to the Sun Warriors had changed him profoundly, besides giving him a renewed belief in the concept of pants. "Uncle. When you were in prison and I was playing at being Father's prince, I was angry and lost. I was mean, mean to Mai. Eventually, I was able to admit that I was angry at myself. We talked shortly after that, and I told her part of the problem was that I missed having you in my life. She didn't say much; she never does in those situations. But after that, every time I was upset, she'd make tea. Jasmine tea. Just like you brew it. I never, you know, thanked her or anything, but it helped. And she didn't need my thanks." He looked Uncle in the eyes. "Do you understand, now?"
The older man put his cup down. "Yes, nephew, I do. You have made a good start. Pursue it, and see where it leads."
Zuko smiled in thanks.
Iroh picked his tea back up and finished it off. "You and the Waterbender would have made some handsome babies, though."
Zuko's cup didn't survive the fall.
END
