Dear Sokka,
Thank you for the letter you sent once you arrived at the Fire Nation capital. I appreciate the gesture; even though you're an adult, a father always wants to know his children are safe. Say hello to Suki for me.
The rebuilding of the Southern Water Tribe is going well! Soon, the town will be even bigger than it was before the war. We are truly moving into a new era. When you're ready, I hope you'll make your way back here to join us.
I haven't heard from Katara, but I assume I will see you both when I come to the Fire Nation for the Firelord's wedding in a few days. I'm also bringing Malin; I hope this trip can bring us all together as a family.
Speaking of the Fire Nation—the Firelord recently sent a generous sum to the Southern Water Tribe to help with the rebuilding, as well as an invitation to work together on a new train rail connecting our main city with some of the other settlements on our island. Could you talk to him about the political situation here before we meet formally? I know the Firelord trusts you.
I'll see you soon, son.
Love,
Dad
Sokka set aside his father's letter. He had left the Southern Water Tribe awkwardly, without giving an explanation for why he couldn't stay. The truth was, he had felt restless and dissatisfied. Sometimes Sokka worried he had been gone so long he wasn't even Water Tribe anymore. But if he wasn't, then what was he? He thought of the former Fire Nation colonies, where people were just…people. Not Earth Kingdom or Fire Nation. But something different, something new. Still, it hurt to imagine himself cut off from the Water Tribe. For so long, all he had wanted was to be a warrior like his father, to wear the wolf's head mask with pride. Sokka's hair was still cut in a traditional wolftail, and he still wore the blue tunic that marked him as a tribesman. Even so, Sokka couldn't shake the feeling of discomfort when he imagined settling down in the South Pole for good.
"When you're ready, I hope you'll make your way back here." It was kind of Dad to give him space, even if he clearly thought Sokka belonged in the South. And Sokka didn't want to disappoint his father…Sokka bet Katara would understand. She and Aang would probably be traveling around the world for the rest of their lives; he doubted she would ever return to the South Pole permanently. Sokka felt a rush of homesickness, not for the ice of his hometown, but for the days when he, Aang, Katara, and Toph had travelled around the world on Appa. Those times had been stressful, but they had been simple, in a way. They had had a mission. But then they achieved it, and Sokka was left unmoored.
The sun outside Sokka's palace window bloodied the sky, clouds dyed red and orange in the reflected light. His father had always said a scarlet sunset meant good weather tomorrow, but Sokka couldn't help thinking of how Sozin's Comet had split the sky into a violent orange. He remembered the desperate battle on the airships and the moment when he thought Suki had died. And worst of all, how he had helplessly watched Aang and Ozai battle in the rocks. The sun sullenly sunk below the horizon.
He needed to clear his head. Without knowing where he would go, Sokka left his room, slamming the door behind him as if that would banish his dark thoughts. He'd be glad when Aang and Katara came tomorrow; Aang always knew how to cheer him up. And maybe he just needed a full-body lick from Appa to knock him out of it. As Sokka paced along the hall, he desperately wished he could talk to someone. But Zuko and Suki both had actual jobs, he didn't want to waste their time. It had been a stupid idea to come here.
"Sokka!" Speak of the devil. It was Zuko. He was wearing some sort of robe, and had his hair in a messy ponytail. It made him look younger.
"Hey, Zuko," said Sokka, trying to rally. "What's up?"
"Not much, just going to the kitchen for a cup of tea. I have some work to do." Zuko peered closely at Sokka. "Are you okay?"
"Of course I am!" said Sokka heartily. But even he could tell it sounded forced. "I don't really want to talk about it," Sokka amended.
"Fair," said Zuko. "But come have a cup of tea with me. I could use some company." Sokka nodded, and they turned into a less ornately decorated servant's corridor.
"Why don't you just have tea brought to you?" asked Sokka as they walked through the narrow passage.
"It always tastes better when I make it myself," said Zuko. "And it's good for me to leave my room once in a while."
"Your family is addicted to tea," said Sokka, shaking his head. "You going to get Kazuto hooked as well?"
"As soon as possible," replied Zuko seriously. "Actually, Iroh made some this afternoon. Kaz spat it out, but we'll try again tomorrow." They entered the cavernous empty kitchen, and Zuko made his way to a cistern of water. He filled a pot and grabbed a tin of tea leaves and two cups. But instead of taking the pot to the fireplace to boil, Zuko merely summoned a small flame and heated bottom of the clay pot with his hands. It was oddly charming to see firebending used in such a mundane way, rather than for violence.
"I got a letter from my dad," said Sokka as Zuko added the tea leaves.
"Oh?" asked Zuko nonchalantly, looking up.
"Yeah. I can tell he wishes I came back to the South Pole."
"But you don't want to?" asked Zuko. He poured tea into each of the cups and then dumped the tea back out into a separate bowl. Sokka vaguely remembered Zuko saying that the first round of tea had to be thrown away.
"I don't know," said Sokka. "All I know is that I feel like I don't fit in there anymore. I'm not—" He sighed, frustrated. "I'm not the same. And neither is the Tribe. Everything's different."
"Of course you're not the same," said Zuko. "None of us are. And frankly, that could be a good thing."
"Really?" said Sokka sceptically.
"Well, yeah," said Zuko. "I'm no longer a murderous asshole. Usually. And as for you, you've led troops into battle, Sokka! You're a leader now. You might not know of whom, or of what yet, but you're not the kid who charged recklessly at a Fire Nation ship anymore."
"Yeah," said Sokka, frustrated. "I'm a 'leader'. So then why am I the only one I know who has no idea what I'm supposed to be doing?"
"You think I know what I'm doing? Or Aang? Or Katara?" said Zuko incredulously.
"Well, at least you know what role you're playing," said Sokka.
"That's true, to a degree," said Zuko, taking a sip of tea. "I'm the Firelord. But what does that mean? For my father, it meant being a warlord. For some Firelords in the past, it meant bathing in wine and letting councillors do the work. I'm still trying to figure out my place in all this, too."
"You're very philosophical today," said Sokka, a little more bitingly than he wanted to. But Zuko just smiled. "I've been talking to Iroh," he said. "That's always very…therapeutic."
"Maybe I should talk to him," mumbled Sokka. Zuko laughed. "Maybe," he replied. Then Zuko made an odd face and lowered his voice. "Sokka…you just need to trust yourself. Your path may not be what you expect, but you will find your own destiny."
"Were you just…imitating Iroh?" asked Sokka.
"Yeah. Did it work?" asked Zuko hopefully.
"Well. Maybe a little," said Sokka. It was nice to have someone to talk to, at any rate. He took his first sip of tea. Jasmine.
"Nice," said Zuko triumphantly to himself.
"Hey, actually, my dad mentioned you in his letter," said Sokka. He had skipped over that part before, lost in thoughts about himself. "He's excited about your proposal to help the Water Tribe build a railroad in the South Pole."
"Oh, really?" asked Zuko, sitting up straight. "I was hoping to tie that in with the Soldiers Relocation program." For the next half hour, they drank tea and discussed the details of how to create a railroad in the icy tundra using Fire Nation technology.
"And you have to phrase everything as a profitable investment," said Sokka. "Don't make it seem too much like charity. The Water Tribe is proud."
"They still took the reparations money," pointed out Zuko. Sokka rolled his eyes. "That was different. You personally ran your ship into our village walls."
"Oh yeah," said Zuko, squinting as if he was trying hard to remember. "I did do that." His eyes suddenly widened. "Sages! Did I ever give money to Kyoshi Island to say sorry for burning down their village?"
"Yes, you already did," said Sokka. "Suki told me about it."
"Good, good," said Zuko distractedly, clearly caught up in other past sins. "I should really buy that family a new rooster-horse," he muttered. When Sokka looked at him questioningly, Zuko explained. "An Earth Kingdom family once took me in and fed me without asking for anything, and in return I stole their rooster-horse." Zuko winced. "That was a jerk move."
"You think?" said Sokka scathingly.
"I know, I know!" said Zuko. "I'll have someone find them. The girl was called Song…" he trailed off, lost in memories again.
"Speaking of girls," said Sokka, waggling his eyebrows. "Excited for your wedding?"
"Honestly, I've just been trying to get ready for all the meetings beforehand," said Zuko, suddenly looking weary. "I have a bunch of papers to look over tonight."
"That is the least romantic thing I've ever heard," said Sokka. "What about Mai?"
Zuko's face spread into a stupid-looking grin. "Yeah," he replied. "Yeah, she'll be my wife soon, won't she?"
"That is what a wedding means, Zuko," said Sokka. He hesitated. "If you don't mind me asking…why get married now?"
"Why wait?" Zuko shrugged. "I love her. I've always loved her. When we were kids, she was the only person I ever saw stand up to Azula. I thought that was amazing." He laughed, and then grew quiet again. "We didn't get together under the best circumstances," he admitted. "When I returned to the Fire Nation after my exile, I was angry. Bitter. Confused. Honestly, I can't believe she put up with me. And that she still loved me after I left her to become a traitor."
"So you're making it up to her by pledging your eternal love in front of thousands of people?" asked Sokka.
"Essentially," said Zuko. "And she doesn't think so, but I think she will make a great Firelady. She's brave, and strong, and fierce…she can take care of herself. I wouldn't want anyone else watching my back."
"Well, I'm happy for you," said Sokka honestly. "I'm looking forward to the wedding." Zuko smiled ruefully, the word 'wedding' evidently reminding him of everything else he had to do. "I should probably go," said Zuko regretfully, rising and taking the teapot with him. "Thank you for your advice about the Water Tribe project. I feel a lot less stressed about it now."
"No problem," said Sokka.
"Actually, you should talk to Akira," said Zuko. "He's been taking more of a lead on finding new jobs for soldiers recently."
"Is that wise?" asked Sokka as they left the kitchen.
"Maybe not," said Zuko. "But he's fought the New Ozai Society twice now. Until he does something suspicious, I have no reason not to give him work to do."
Sokka nodded, and they walked back towards their rooms in silence.
"Thanks for the tea," Sokka said once he reached his quarters. "I-it helped."
"You're welcome," said Zuko. Sokka started to open his door, but Zuko kept talking. "And Sokka? You don't have to have everything figured out right now. But I have faith you will eventually. You're one of the most creative people I know." He smiled, and lifted the teapot in farewell. "Night, Sokka."
Maybe Iroh's fascination with tea was justified, thought Sokka as he got ready for bed. He did feel a little better. And his clothes smelled like jasmine.