Roku had spent the last few minutes tightly latched around his mother's waist, expressly forbidding her from ever leaving him again. Mai was attempting to follow Roku's laments while simultaneously listening carefully to the hushed conversation on the other side of the room.

"No..." Zuko was saying, looking suspiciously between his uncle and his son.

"He hasn't technically produced lightning...yet... but he's produced sparks," Iroh couldn't hide how impressed he was. "With proper training, he could produce lightning in another few months or a year. He could be a master before he turns 14."

"But even Azula..."

"Azula was a natural... your son is not. But he works and studies harder than I would have thought possible; I have never met anyone more singularly focused on their firebending training. If Azula had pushed herself half so hard... Well, it's a good thing she didn't."

After a contemplative pause, Zuko continued, "What should we do?"

"Well, I would be happy to continue training him, but I need to make a quick trip back to my shop and make arrangements for a longer departure. It should take no longer than a month. I can leave instructions for him while I am gone."

"Thank you, Uncle."

"He really is incredible, Zuko." Iroh chuckled. "Though there is the matter of the girl..."

Zuko nodded. "Mai has agreed to foster her."

"He may need to be separated from her for a little while if he is ever to truly master these techniques. Right now, like his emotions, they are difficult to control."

"Right." Zuko glanced at Mai and she gave him a curt nod. "I think we'll find a way to give him a little distance."

Iroh gave Zuko a quick pat on the shoulder, and left to make arrangements.

"Well, at least I'm on Roku's good side for now," Mai sighed. "I gave him a private demonstration of the knife throwing, so he has that on Kara. Not that she might care a whole lot about that these days." Tom-Tom continued to hang around, though Mai had been dropping increasingly unsubtle hints that he had worn out his welcome. She collapsed onto the bed, exhausted and fully dressed.

Smiling warmly to himself, Zuko set about gently removing Mai's shoes.

"Careful. I'm wearing more of the knives than usual."

"Reminds me of when we were newlyweds," Zuko said, casually nursing a small cut on his finger.

"What am I going to do about my brother?" Mai sighed, beginning to remove the ornaments from her hair.

Zuko moved to assist her. "I've taken care of it."

"What?" Mai sat up.

"I thought he could help with the airships. I have Sokka coming up to oversee things, but I thought he could use an assistant. Tom-Tom's certainly not the worst choice, and he really likes those ships..."

"You're brilliant," Mai said, the words free from any hint of sarcasm. Zuko looked at her skeptically. "Have you spoken to him about this?"

"Yeah, yesterday. He'll be coming out to the site with me tomorrow."

Mai leaned over and kissed him. "Brilliant."

As Mai predicted, Kara was coldly furious with Tom-Tom for giving her no notice of his trip. Roku was in better spirits than usual, stoically accepting Iroh's and Zuko's departures. Kara watched them leave, standing beside a thoroughly put-out Toph, who, though she generally enjoyed the girl, had little patience for teenage angst and boy-related troubles.

"Toph?" Mai asked. "I was wondering if you would be willing to help Roku with some of his bending training. The exercises Iroh left for him are more theoretical than anything, but he could use the guidance of an exceptional bender like yourself."

Toph extracted her arm from Kara's grasp and readily agreed. "Come on then, Sparky." Roku had raised no objections to the nickname since he had produced the beginnings of lightning. "Let's see what you've got to work with."

Roku led the way excitedly. Mai had gathered from one of his rambling descriptions of the previous few weeks that Toph had performed some incredible feats of metal and earthbending to entertain him, inspiring Roku to continue his training with new vigor, and earning herself another devoted fan. Though she had delighted in annoying Roku, Toph seemed to be enjoying the hero-worship even more.

"We have lessons," Mai said abruptly to Kara, who straightened and followed. Mai had to admit that she looked forward to Suki's arrival; Mai had little idea how she would navigate any potential outward displays of emotion from her pupil. Besides, her own teenage years had offered her little reference for dealing with such trivial matters as this, set as they had been against a backdrop of war and turmoil that somehow (perhaps coupled with youth's egoism, perhaps not) made everything seem much more serious and important than whatever this could be. Regardless, Mai would be relieved if she were not asked to empathize, and prayed Kara knew better than to try.

In doing one of her usual afternoon sweeps of the palace, ears alert for news and gossip, Mai spotted Roku storming down the hallway, his arms loaded with scrolls.

"Roku? Shouldn't you be at lessons?"

"I was but I couldn't concentrate..." Roku frowned. "I asked to be excused to read in my own room. Alone."

"Does this have anything to do with-"

"She won't stop talking, Mother! She's been whining all week that he hasn't written her yet, and now that he finally has, she's still unhappy that he didn't say the right things! Then I just agreed with her and said Tom-Tom was being kind of a jerk, and she got all angry with me! I just don't get why she's still..." Roku muttered a few incoherent words. "Girls are crazy."

Mai had to fight the urge to smile. "You didn't just storm out of your lessons, did you?"

Roku sighed. "Of course not, Mother. I just excused myself." He looked at her, almost challenging his mother to try and scold him.

Mai just nodded approvingly.

"If it's all right, I'd like to just go to my room and read." Roku was scowling at the floor.

She silently moved out of his way and watched him continue down the hall, amused. Mai then continued in the direction from which Roku had come. Excusing the tutor, Mai seated herself beside Kara, who was attempting to hide the signs that she had been crying. She seemed to want to preemptively apologize, but held herself back, waiting for Mai to speak first.

Mai took her time, observing the girl carefully. "What does my brother say?"

Kara began to speak, but her voice wavered on the first word it attempted, so she just passed Mai the letter, short and uninformative as it was.

"And you've been writing him daily?" It was hardly a question. Mai knew.

Kara nodded, stifling a short sob, not even pausing to ask how Mai was aware.

Mai surprised herself by feeling some pity for the girl. "This is pretty typical of him. He never sends more than a few lines to his own family, even if we haven't heard from him in months. He's sixteen, Kara, and idle and free, as he prefers himself." She resisted imparting some of the more bitter truths regarding Tom-Tom and girls; her brother was generally pretty shameless and open about such things.

"But he said..." Kara managed.

"Yes. He'll do that." It came out harsher than Mai intended, but she was all too familiar with this story. In recent years, her brother's departures from the palace had left a wake of similar laments. She was honestly just relieved he hadn't done more damage this time.

Kara stifled a couple more sobs. "And now Roku is mad at me, too..."

Mai had to make a conscious effort not to roll her eyes. "He isn't mad. He just doesn't understand and that frustrates him."

Kara seemed to be steadying herself; Mai's impassiveness often seemed to make that easier for people. "What should I do?"

"I suppose that depends on what you really want. You can continue writing my brother as you have been, knowing that this is really the most you can expect to receive and it may be a while before he returns. I wouldn't object; correspondence is a fine exercise for you. Or you may choose to spare yourself the trouble of attempting to hold my brother's attention." Mai shrugged indifferently.

"And Roku?" Kara ventured.

"Ah, Roku... well, I think he would like to know how to help improve your mood, provided that can be done without any mention of Tom-Tom." Kara smiled weakly. "He may also need time," Mai continued, "which is fortunate, as I've arranged for the two of us to travel to the Earth Kingdom when Iroh returns."

Kara's face was unreadable to Mai. She was clearly surprised, but whether she was disappointed or excited, Mai couldn't guess.

"We'll be visiting Ursa while Iroh works with Roku."

The girl just nodded. Mai wanted to say something more, to fish for more clues about what was going on in her head, but instead rose and left the room, allowing Kara her privacy.

Kara's mood was not improving as the date of Iroh's return grew closer. Roku had been keeping his distance, working alone, and with Suki's arrival, Kara was devoting more time to training with her mother. Mai had been able to steal Suki away for some evening company, however, and found herself asking, "How is Kara doing?"

"I don't really know," Suki answered casually, contemplating her next move. Mai was better at pai sho, but winning was rarely really the object. She enjoyed playing with Suki and Iroh most because the two of them could consistently surprise her.

"She seems very withdrawn," Mai pressed.

"Of course she does; she's thirteen."

"Aren't you worried?"

"About what? She likes a boy more than he likes her, and now she's upset about it and trying to figure things out. I'm not going to meddle with that. It's her mistake to make." Suki made a move that predictably surprised Mai. "Sorry, I know he's your brother and everything, but he's kind of a jerk."

"No arguments here." Mai countered the move, and Suki responded quickly with another. "Are you playing with any kind of strategy?" Mai had to ask.

Suki only smiled.

"I'm surprised you're not more concerned. Kara seems to be taking this incredibly hard."

Suki laughed. "Of course she is! Don't you remember being thirteen, when the whole world was ending when something went wrong?"

"When I was thirteen, Zuko was burned and banished and left without saying goodbye. My family moved me away from the palace and everything I knew to keep me from getting dragged down as well."

"Okay, so maybe not when you were thirteen... "

Mai made a move. "How can you tell that this is one of the trivial issues?"

"Just a hunch, really. Kara puts on a brave face, around you especially, and it's easy to forget sometimes that she's still a little girl. I think quite a bit of Toph rubbed off on her that way." Suki smiled and almost carelessly moved one of her pieces. "She hates being reminded that she's still young and inexperienced. Something like this, where everyone else could see it was a bad idea, and she somehow just went charging in, oblivious? It's one of those reminders. If I make a big deal out of it, she'll just get more angry."

Mai examined the board. She felt she had made a misstep along the way. "Should I not have talked to her about my brother?"

Suki arched an eyebrow. "I don't really see you charging in and speaking to my daughter about boy troubles."

Mai hesitated. "It was affecting Roku's studies." She felt Suki contemplating her, but feigned indecision over her next move instead of meeting Suki's eyes.

"Well, that might be why she's in an especially sour mood; she hates disappointing you."

Mai glanced up to meet Suki's eyes.

Suki shrugged. "It's been years since Sokka and I were really among her role models, but you're right at the top of the list. She adores Toph's attitude and Katara's grace, but I think she really looks up to you because you're not a bender, either." Suki glanced at the board and moved a tile.

"But... neither are you." Suki had, as usual, surprised Mai.

"Yeah, but Sokka and I are pretty ordinary. You are certainly not. Someone like you would never get lost in a crowd. I think that's what Kara wants to be like."

Mai was at a loss.

"Don't let that get you thinking you should be going easier on her or treating her like a princess at all or anything special; she gets enough of that from her father and me. One of the things she likes about you is that your approval has to be earned; it's more genuine in her eyes."

"Not like that cheap, indiscriminate kind you and Sokka hand out?" Mai lightly moved her tile.

"Right. Exactly." Suki grinned. She picked up a piece and set it down decisively. "Now, pretend you never heard any of that."

"Just one more question... Would you be disappointed if your daughter turned out like me?"

"I mean, there are worse things she could do. Obviously I'd prefer it if she smiled a little more, but... I wouldn't be disappointed." Suki smiled. "Anyway, she'd have a hard time being Fire Lady if she wasn't like you."

"What?"

"Hm?"

"How... what makes you think...?"

"Oh, come on, Mai. If you were anyone else, I'd apologize for being presumptuous, but this is you. That's the only reason you ever agreed to let her come back here in the first place, let alone foster her."

Mai was genuinely taken aback. "Does Sokka know?"

Suki shrugged. "Sokka can figure it out for himself." She looked up at Mai, who still looked a little stunned and nervous, and continued a little more gently, "I'm not mad, Mai. I know it's nothing official or you would have brought us in on it ages ago. And Kara doesn't stop talking about Roku and this place whenever she's away, so I figure that unless anything changes drastically, she'd be happy. That's all I really care about. I mean, obviously I'd prefer if your scheming could be a little more delicate about that... but I know you have your reasons for what you do, and you'll make it up to her, if only by making your son a good man as well as a good prince." Suki scanned the board before making one last move. "And since we'd had all these hopes for Kara being some kind of warrior, hopes that Sokka still clings to despite everything, you get to be the one to tell him when the time is right."

Mai had been away from home for months, and it was starting to get to her. She had hoped she would be allowed to go back before winter, but that was seeming more and more unlikely. And now this.

"Iroh had no right," she was insisting to Ursa.

"I'm sure he felt it was a valuable lesson."

"But Roku isn't ready..."

"He asked, Mai."

"Even so... it could have gone... He might be their kin, but he's Zuko's son."

"Iroh was there to supervise. He would never let any harm come to Roku."

"Not physically, no. But... Ursa, I haven't been there myself. Not since I first saw what happened to them."

Ursa squeezed Mai's hand. "They are not your blood, Mai. They are where Roku comes from, and it may have been important to him to see. What did he have to say about it?"

Mai laid the scroll flat on the table; her hands were shaking too much to hold it properly. "He seems to have handled it well. He saw Ozai first, in the prison. He didn't speak to Roku, only to Iroh." Mai skipped the physical description of Ozai. The one still in her mind, from before his decade in prison, was haunting enough. "When he saw Azula, he says she talked to him like he was Zuko, but Iroh took him away before she got too violent. Roku says he had never seen rage like that before, from anyone, the way he sensed it with them." Her voice wavered slightly, threatening to break. She calmed herself quickly. "Iroh's lesson on power and its corruption of the mind seems to have landed, but I just wish he could have done it some other way..."

"Did you plan on hiding them from Roku forever, Mai?" Ursa asked gently.

Mai sighed. "I don't know..."

"They shaped the world Roku lives in. They shaped his parents. He was naturally curious. And with his firebending gifts emerging as they are, he needed to see how they could be mishandled."

Mai nodded, but her feelings of unease would not be shaken.

Mai had the distinct impression that Ursa had somehow gotten the word out about Mai's distress, as it wasn't long before letters from Zuko, Iroh, and Roku arrived, each attempting to put her at ease in their own way. Zuko's was apologetic, though this had clearly been important to him. Mai knew he had been slipping out to see his father and sister since their imprisonment, but he had only rarely spoken of the visits, and generally only when Mai asked. Iroh, too, had been to see his brother and niece, though not terribly frequently. He explained that he always went looking for some kind of change, a sliver of hope, in either of them, and invariably he came away disappointed. It was important to Iroh that both of them were acknowledged, and not swept away and forgotten; they were still family, dangerous as they were, and should never be dismissed easily. Mai could appreciate that, though her stay in prison under her uncle's care had been relatively short and mild when compared to what Zuko and the rest of his family had gone through: imprisonment, banishment, exile. All of them put aside to be forgotten. Mai knew she had no place to ask Zuko to forget his own family, not when his own banishment had left such a mark on him, and she now realized she could have never expected Zuko to allow his own son to ignore them either.

It was Roku's letter that calmed her the most; he was clearly still himself, more mild if anything. Not long ago, he would have expressed some childish indignation at her concern for him, but this... Roku was assuring her, in more ways than he intended, that he was growing up. Mai didn't even attempt to conceal her pride when she shared the letters with Ursa, who seemed equally pleased with her family.

"I wonder, though... You usually give yourself more time to cool off before writing," Ursa commented.

Mai was speechless for a moment. "I had thought it was you."

Ursa smiled. "That would be characteristic, but no, it wasn't me." She looked to Mai. "How is your pupil coming along?"

"I suppose that's possible..."

"She's easy to underestimate," Ursa conceded.

"She gets that from her parents," Mai added dryly.

Ursa smiled. "You should teach her to use it, and not make that mistake yourself." Ursa's eyes subtly looked to her right, and Mai took the hint.

She sighed. "Kara, we know you're there. Come out."

"You know, it's cheating if you aren't actually sure I'm there," Kara said boldly, gracefully seating herself beside Ursa.

Mai frowned, then gave her mother-in-law a questioning look.

"I may have been teaching her some things besides basic etiquette," Ursa admitted, her smile slightly mischievous.

Mai sighed again, weighing her options. She wasn't in love with the idea of anyone spying on her, let alone teaching them how to do it herself, but she eventually reached the same conclusion she came to when she first caught Kara playing with her throwing knives: if the girl was going to learn, she might as well learn properly.

"You'd think the two of you were preparing for battle," Ursa commented, joining Mai in observing Kara at her work.

"It's her pace."

"I know."

"She's not wonderful with the knives, and she knows it. Her accuracy is actually very good, but unless her speed catches up, they're a fairly pointless weapon to carry. She'd be better off with her sword."

"And yet she trains," Ursa observed, watching Kara practice producing and throwing the knives.

"And yet she trains. Her parents would be proud."

"I'm not at all certain it's her parents she's trying to impress, Mai. Any word from the palace?"

Mai shook her head. "Not since Aang came to visit." Roku had been incredibly thrilled to host the Avatar, and written Mai extensively about it. She gathered that the visit had been positive for Aang as well; he had been rather without playmates lately, and Roku seemed well suited for the job. It seemed a nice vacation for each of them from everything else they were dealing with. When Aang had left, however, Roku once again became singularly focused on his training.

"Zuko and Iroh had written about taking Roku to see the dragons," Mai continued. "I wouldn't consent, but I think they may have gone anyway." Kara faltered with the knife. "If you're going to eavesdrop..." Mai called to her.

"I know. I can't get distracted." She managed to hit her target.

"You don't seem that upset," Ursa noted to Mai.

"I don't plan on ever finding out for sure either way."

Ursa had to smile at her. "You'd be surprised at the adventures a mother can tolerate finding out about."

"I'm not sure I would." Ursa had set the bar very high, after all. "But those are limits I would rather not test."

Ursa nodded, studying Mai's face. "Don't let him go yet, Mai."

"What?"

"He still needs you. Whatever you might think right now, or however well he's been doing these past few months, he still needs you. He hasn't grown up yet. You don't need to let him go." Ursa smiled. "And you should give Zuko an earful if he took my grandson to the dragons."

"What's wrong?" Mai called to Kara, who had stopped.

She hesitated to respond. "You're kidding about dragons, right? Because I'm listening?"

"No," Mai replied immediately. "Zuko and Aang, and Iroh before them, had seen the dragons as part of their firebending training."

Kara frowned. "My dad told me about a silly dragon dance that Zuko did..."

"Of course he did." Mai had to smile. "There were actual dragons, too. But don't go spreading that around... it's more or less a secret."

"Like... real dragons? More than one? And Roku's going to... is that safe?"

"Probably not, but he's in the best possible hands for that sort of thing."

"But what if... How can you just... ?" Kara caught herself and took a few deep breaths. "They're going to be okay, right?"

"I certainly hope so." Mai looked at her curiously. "They're all benders, and can certainly take care of themselves."

Kara nodded, and made an attempt to return to her work.

"I would expect to hear from them soon, though," Mai said, returning to her conversation with Ursa. "Zuko will at least want to assure me that they're all still breathing, so I don't get hysterical," she said dryly.

Ursa grinned. "Well, it should be a short trip... but with Iroh along..."

Mai sighed. "I know. Allowing the time for him to go native and back, I'm not sure when to expect another letter. I'll just have to keep a close watch for birds."

"I'm a little tired," Kara called suddenly. Mai raised an eyebrow. "I think I could just use a walk."

"That sounds refreshing. Might I join you?" Ursa asked, smiling, and the two of them left Mai alone.

She would wait for Ursa's report.

"What on earth did you say to her?" Mai whispered to Ursa, quietly as she could, even after making what was now a habitual check for her eavesdropping pupil. It was still early and she had checked to confirm that Kara was still asleep, but even so, she whispered.

"Nothing, really. She didn't want to talk to me." Ursa smiled, a little mischievously. "She gave me the slip."

"What's going on with her?" Mai sighed.

Ursa had to laugh lightly at Mai's frustration. "She's a teenager, Mai. She should be allowed some privacy to deal with that. She'll come to us when she's figured things out."

Mai nodded, but continued, "She seemed a little upset when I talked about keeping an eye out for any letters... Is she writing my brother again? That might actually explain some things."

"Perhaps," Ursa said thoughtfully. "Could you ask Tom-Tom?"

Mai shook her head. "I think he knows I discouraged it, and he hates it when I pry. If he even responded to the question, I don't think I could believe him."

Ursa nodded. "Kara then? Could you ask her?"

Mai hesitated. "I did. She denied it, of course, but she was a little flustered. I'm not sure if she was lying or the question just caught her off-guard, though... I was hoping you'd know."

Ursa smiled. "She's a faster study than I anticipated. I'm afraid she's become much more guarded under your influence."

"And yours," Mai added.

Ursa shook her head. "No, that's not my doing. I can keep my secrets, certainly, but my emotions themselves are still readable. Kara is learning to hide hers, as you do."

That was more than a little unsettling, and Mai was more bothered by it than she would have expected. "I didn't teach... at least, I didn't intend to teach her that."

"Interesting," Ursa noted.

Mai sighed. "I miss Zuko. He's always so straightforward." Ursa looked at her inquiringly, and Mai shook her head. "I still haven't had any word on when we might be able to return. Just a line or two this morning that said that they were fine and still traveling."

"Patience, Mai," was all Ursa said, softly, with a sad smile.

Mai had to remind herself just who she was talking to, and felt suddenly ashamed. Zuko was younger than Roku when Ursa had been separated from him. Even now, it was always a long time between Zuko's visits, and she had not even met her grandson. If anyone knew about patience... Mai sighed. "I'm sorry..."

Ursa shook her head. "No," she said gently. "I told you before, don't let him go yet."

Mai turned quickly, thinking she sensed Kara nearby. She sighed. "Why did we teach her to do that? I'm never going to rest easy."

"You get used to it," Ursa smiled fondly at Mai. "You could just start letting her in on everything; it's so much work to be opponents."

"I don't think that would make us allies. If she knew..." Mai sighed and, feeling embarrassingly paranoid, lowered her voice as much as possible. "I don't think it would make her happy to know that I've had designs on her future. If she's reluctant, it could all fall apart."

Ursa nodded. "What does Kara want out of all of this?"

"I thought I knew, but... She seems a lot more withdrawn around me lately. It might be like you said, that she's just practicing hiding her emotions, but I think there's something more than that, and she's hiding it from me." Mai frowned. "I just don't know what to do."

"Wait," Ursa told her, simply. "Be as predictable as you can be. She'll come to you eventually. I know it's tempting to do something, to force it, but you may just lose her cooperation entirely. Let her lead the way, and follow where she guides you."

With Kara leading, Mai soon found herself out of her comfort zone, and thoroughly lost in Kara's.

Katara had arrived on Appa in a huff, refusing to speak with anyone until she had been granted some distance from Sokka and Suki. Whether it was that Katara had once again rescued Kara's parents from some kind of harrowing danger or that she simply could only tolerate so much time with the pair of them or some combination of the two, Mai didn't bother asking. Instead, Mai preferred retreating and helping Ursa around the tea shop. The shift in dynamic when Kara's family arrived was enough to give a person whiplash, and Mai didn't know her place there. From the sidelines, however, Mai was able to observe as a more comfortable version of Kara reemerged. As different as the girl was around her parents, Mai had to admit she preferred that incarnation. The overly reserved and eerie imitation of herself was starting to annoy her, anyway.

"So I take it Kara invited you?" Mai asked Suki over another game of pai sho. The sound of Sokka training his daughter with her sword was strangely soothing, probably in that it assured Mai of Kara's whereabouts.

"More or less. She just wrote to say how much she missed us, and Sokka immediately freaked out and started making arrangements. I think it's probably safe to say she expected that, though." Suki seemed a little wary. "How have things been going between you two?"

"Fine. Relatively. She's been a little distant, but that's just part of the lessons." Mai sighed and resignedly pushed a tile across the board. "I don't know, anymore."

Suki smiled. "I don't think she knows, either. It might just be that you never really make it very clear where anyone stands with you."

Mai was about to object when the sounds of Sokka's cheering and Kara's delighted laughter erupted from the yard.

Suki laughed. "Sokka and I are a little more blunt about the approval, I think."

Mai attempted a smile, but it fell as she shook her head. "I think it's more complicated than that."

"Well, I hate to disappoint you, but I don't think she's going to talk to me about anything serious. I mean, when you were a teenager, how open were you with your mother? Or anyone, really?"

Mai frowned. All she could remember was hiding everything from everyone. Or trying, at any rate; Azula always just seemed to know things. Mai wondered if that was the role she had taken in Kara's life. "Does she have any friends her own age?"

Suki looked a little sad. "We just never actually settled anywhere... and she's kind of a loner. She seems to sort of... well, she has some trouble making friends. A lot of the time, kids think she's kind of... snobby."

Mai's head reeled a little in a sudden wave of recollection. "I see..."

"I know Sokka and I... mostly Sokka... don't do much to keep her humble, but..." Suki shrugged. "Well, if there's anything you think you can do to make her feel at home again, or any way you can talk to her, we'd appreciate it. She can't hide with us forever."

Nodding, Mai returned her eyes to the board, lost.