It turned out to be an awfully dreary day to travel, but Zuko was excited none the less. He would have preferred to have gotten his way as far as Azula's presence on the trip went, but this was the best he'd felt since his mother had disappeared and he wasnt going to let anything sour that mood. It didnt hurt that he was now almost positive that Unma reciprocated his own feelings. Just the fact that she'd agreed to come with him served as proof, he reckoned, being that she was never particularly adventurous.

"Zuko," his uncle quietly joined him at the front of the boat. "Perhaps you should check on your friend, she seems a bit... uncomfortable." he motioned behind them to where Umara was sat against the wheel house hugging her knees.

Zuko frowned and went to join her. "Are you okay, Mari?" he asked as he slid himself on to the floor next to her.

She nodded stifly, briefly glancing over to the front of the boat. "just nervous, I guess." she quietly shrugged.

Zuko glanced around suspiciously, but his sister was still in the wheel house harassing the driver, where she had been almost the entire ride.

"Why are you nervous?" he asked, nudging her playfully.

Umara's face flushed just a little bit. "If tell you youre gonna get mad at me." she resisted, smiling in spite of herself.

"I will not!" Zuko protested, slightly offended.

Umara rolled her eyes, "Fine. It's just...your Uncle is kind of scary..." She whispered reluctantly.

He couldn't help but let out a small chuckle, "Uncle Iroh? How is he scary?"

Her face grew grave. "Hasnt he, you know, killed a lot of people?" she whispered, her eyes darting nervously between his uncle and himself.

Zuko thought for a moment, "I never really asked, but I guess he probably did," he shrugged. "But even if he did it was for a good reason. He was only fighting in the war so we can help make the world better."

Umara was deadly silent for a moment, her eyes shifting around nervously. "I really don't want to talk about this anymore."

He leaned closer to her, "No, come on! Just tell me. I want you to be able to have fun, not be nervous!"

Umara grunted reluctantly, "Fine...I was just thinking...if we have to kill people so they'll let us make everything better, then is it really better?" she stared at him intensely as she spoke.

Zuko froze, he hadn't expected her to say that, nor did he really know how to process it. He'd never heard anyone say anything negative about the war before, but she seemed so sure of herself.

"Why would you say something like that?" He blurted, more aggressively than he had intended, averting his eyes.

"I told you you were gonna get mad!" Umara snapped anxiously. "I probably just don't get it yet. I never really learned about any of that until I came to live in the Capital, anyway." She stiffly shifted herself away from him.

He wanted to apologize for getting angry, but he couldn't manage to say anything. There was something extremely conflicting about hearing a friend say something like that, especially Umara. She always seemed so smart and insightful, it almost made him wonder.

"Yeah, you must just not get it yet..." He mumbled absentmindedly, still too uneasy to look at her.

. . .

It was just starting to rain as they crossed the threshhold of the elaborate vacation home. Umara carefully took a seat on the intracately patterned sofa in the great room as Zuko and Azula raced up the stairs to go fight about sleeping arrangements.

She sighed, spending nearly a week in the same house as an esteemed murderer and Zuko's deranged sister wasn't exactly an optimal situation, though, sacrifice was a part of friendship or at least that's what she'd heard. Hira'a was a small village, and there hadn't been many children her age that she could spend time with. It also didn't help that she was always busy with whatever strange kind of trial or test the Natoyi elders were putting her through that day.

She lightly brushed her fingers against the sleeve concealing the tattoos on her right arm. That had not been a fun day: on top of the pain, she wasn't even sure what the symbols meant. Not to mention how inconvenient they were now, she hadn't worn short sleeves in over a year for fear of them being noticed.

"You'll have to excuse my nephew,"

Umara jumped as Zuko's Uncle appeared out of the darkness. "It's been quite some time since he's been here" he smiled at her.

She could only manage to stare blankly in response, though Iroh seemed unphased.

"It's a bit cold in here, don't you think? How about I start the fire?" he asked, already making his way to the impressive looking fire place before them. He never really seemed to expect an answer when he spoke to her, which wasn't unappreciated. For all the trepidation Umara felt toward him, she had to admit he always made it a point to be kind. It was conflicting.

There was a brief silence I'm which Zuko could be heard from upstairs whining at his sister about something.

"Would you like some tea?" Iroh asked as the fireplace sprung to life.

She eyed him suspiciously for a moment before nodding timidly. There was a strange dynamic between the two, a kind of understanding that she couldnt quite put her finger on. Their first interaction at the palace had already revealed that Iroh knew far more than he let on, and she found it exceedingly interesting that he seemed to be so complacent.

"I understand why you do not trust me," he began, not looking up from the kettle he'd hung over the fire. "But I believe we may have more in common than you think."

Umara couldn't help but scoff at that, though it had certainly gotten her attention.

Iroh chuckled at her conflicted expression,
"I was beginning to think it was impossible to surprise you!" he smiled jovially as he took a seat in the chair next to her.

She regarded him carefully. It seemed like this could be some kind of trap, but her curiosity got the better of her.

"Why do you think we have anything in common?" she proded sharply as she quickly glanced at the staircase to see if any one was coming.

Iroh's expression grew grave. "We have both lost people that we loved very much, and it has brought us to question the ways of our Nation. My son, Luten, was killed recently, and it has brought me to question the validity of this war," his eyes glazed over as he spoke. It was bizzarely humanizing.

He took a slow breath and continued, "I empathize with the pain you must be feeling, but I must advise you to choose your words carefully, you never know who may be listening."

Umara gulped, "you mean what I said on the boat? You were listening?" she asked as flatly as possible, wondering if he could hear how loudly her heart was racing.

Iroh nodded. "Neither of us will be of any use if we are inside a jail cell. You must learn to be more subtle: remember, the most vibrant blossoms are also the most impermanent." he raised his eyebrows pointedly.

Umara had follow up questions, though she was too shocked to articulate them. Her eyes narrowed, "Why are you telling me this?" She whispered urgently.

Iroh's demeanor suddenly reverted to the same jovial calm he had exhibited when they first started talking.

"So, you've never been to Ember Island before? Very interesting!" He remarked loudly as Zuko and Azula came running down the stairs. Umara tensed up when she saw Zuko, still uneasy about his reaction to their earlier conversation. Fortunately, he seemed relatively unphased, happily hopping up onto the couch next to her.

"No, I haven't" Umara finally replied. "So far, it's a lot different than I thought it woud be..."