The trip to the South Pole would take a little under two weeks by air if everything went well. Flying was faster than taking a ship as long as they were moving, but Asami could only fly for so many hours a day before she had to rest. They'd left Republic City at night to avoid being seen, but soon landed in a clearing well to the south and set up camp.
Asami had camped with her father as a child, but it was obvious to her that Iroh had the advantage of outdoors training. She was still rummaging in her pack when he came back from the edge of the clearing holding an armful of wood. She'd zipped her light jacket up against the chill and was looking forward to a fire. As he set it down, she saw that he'd already unpacked a sleeping bag, some food, and a small mess kit. He'd also moved several stones into a rather misshapen circle. He noticed her looking and nudged one of the stones with one foot. For some reason, he'd also taken off his boots. "I always wanted to be an earthbender," he said. He smiled, looking a tad embarrassed. "No such luck."
She gestured to the pile of sticks as he placed them in the circle and smiled back. "I bet firebending is going to come in handy in a second."
After a few more minutes Asami had made some semblance of her own camp, though her sleeping bag somehow looked a lot more rumpled than Iroh's, and in the dark she hadn't managed to get everything to fit back in her pack. By that time Iroh had a blazing fire and was heating some water in a tin. Asami brought over a ration pack. "Enough water for two by any chance?" she asked.
Iroh looked up from the fire and his eyes widened. "Military rations?" he asked. "Where did you get your hands on those?"
"Panic room," Asami said without thinking.
"What?" Iroh asked.
"Oh," Asami started. It had just sort of slipped out. "Um, well, my house has a panic room. You know, a secure room where we—I—can go in an emergency. It has a ton of these in it."
"I am familiar with what a panic room is," said Iroh. He was looking at her intently, his eyes dark gold in the firelight. "I've just never met anyone outside of royalty who had one. Spirits, why do you need a panic room?"
Asami sighed. She didn't want to talk about her family, or even think about them, but she'd walked right into this one. She was so used to everyone knowing all about her famous father and his tragic story that she'd forgotten that General Iroh wasn't from Republic City. "When I was six," she said at last, "there was a break-in. Attempted burglary. Interrupted burglary, really. My mother was killed. After that, well…" She trailed off and waved the ration.
"I see," said Iroh. "Your father. He built it after."
"Always the scientist," said Asami. "He was determined to learn from his mistakes."
Iroh politely changed the subject, giving his opinion on the best and worst ration options as the packets boiled. After they'd eaten, he surprised her by pulling out a small box of tea bags.
"Tea?" he asked. "I'm afraid I only have bags. Leaves are hard to keep on the road."
"You brought tea?"
Iroh shrugged. "It helps me sleep. I have some for mornings, too." He didn't seem to want to say more, so Asami nodded. "Give me your cup," he said, and gestured to the tin mug she'd brought. He filled it with water, then his own, then cupped one in each palm. The water was soon simmering. "Here," he said, handing her a steaming mug. "But be careful, the bottom is hot."
Asami stared at him. "You… you can just boil water in your hands?" Iroh shrugged. He looked, if anything, a little sheepish.
"So?" he said. He held out the mug again.
Asami took it and a proffered tea bag. "Then why did you make a fire?" she asked. "If you can heat food and water yourself, why go to the trouble?"
"You looked cold," he said. Asami didn't know what to say to that, so she took a sip of tea instead.