"So, what's this legendary surprise?" Anastasia asked as she was walking around town with Iroh the next day.
"You'll see," he laughed. "Patience, my phoenix, you must have patience."
"You know that's not one of my virtues," Anastasia said glaring upwards, and he gave her a smirk before pulling her aside and out of the way of two very rushed teenagers who were trying to get through the throng.
"I can tell," he laughed. "Why don't we go to the Air Temple? I'm sure your family would like to see you."
"Let them think I'm dead," she said nonchalantly, and he raised his eyebrows but said nothing.
"Well," he hedged as they reached the restaurant where he and Korra were going on a double date with Anya and Mako, "I see no reason to at least go on a double date with Mako and Korra."
"Three – oh, never mind, pure firebenders, is that it?" Anastasia snapped as he led her in.
"Whoa, I thought you were bluffing!" Korra said as her eyebrows shot up at the sight of the royal duo. "I had no idea you were telling the truth! This is awesome!"
"So, this is Anastasia Romanov?" Mako asked, and the brunette turned to him.
"Anya, no," Iroh said putting a hand on her arm. "No Agni Kai's for you, not when you're not ready yet."
"Then when will I be ready?" she demanded.
"Whenever your mentor says that you are, and as your mentor, I say that you're not," he said calmly, and she shot him a glare. "Mako and Korra are stronger than you. You can't even create lightning yet, you wouldn't stand a chance."
"Some support you are," she snorted, and he shot her a look. "You're telling me I can't fight?"
"No, I'm telling you that you can fight, but that these two are too skilled for you to be able to fight," he clarified. "Besides, there isn't nearly enough room to have an Agni Kai here, or anywhere nearby."
Anastasia sighed before taking a seat in the strange triangular booth that they were in. Anastasia found herself seated between Korra and General Iroh, with the latter of the two being on the end. Korra was seated next to Mako. The Romanov sensed a strained relationship between Mako and Asami, and also between Korra and Bolin. It didn't take a genius to put two and two together, she figured. They ordered their food relatively calmly and without any more qualms, with Anastasia looking around her warily. She could have sworn that someone's eyes were constantly watching her.
And watching her they were, as Olga, now with a large wad of gauze over half of her face, was glaring angrily at her sister jealously. But as angry and jealous as Olga was, she'd learned her lesson about an Agni Kai within closed quarters. She had followed her sister here, and was ready to slip something into her sister's food, but was now forced to fall back and regroup for a later time.
"So, are you sure this is the best place to go get food?" Olga heard Tatiana ask Bolin, who was grinning like an idiot.
"See, Mako and Korra come here, too," he said pointing to the booth that they were in. "Whoa, is that General Iroh?"
"Don't even bother. Apparently nobody here is good enough for him," Olga said turning her nose away from the firebender.
Bolin and the rest of the Romanov family wondered when Iroh had turned her down, right as Anastasia saw them. She turned her head away from them and began muttering to Korra, with her hair up in the classical firebender style. She was quite glad for this as well, since it meant that her family would not recognize her.
"This is bad, my parents are here," she hissed, and Korra looked over.
"Relax, we're all the way in the back where most people don't come and approach people for fear of their strength – you're in good hands," Mako assured. "Not, not mine, I meant Iroh's."
Anastasia nodded, and was relieved to find that the rest of the meal went by extremely quickly and peacefully, with all four firebenders getting to know each other well and their different bending styles for combat. It was only after they'd eaten their fill and completely exhausted most of the topics about each other that didn't involve personal history that they decided to call it a date.
"That was fun," Anastasia laughed, "We should do this again sometime."
"We should," Korra beamed. "There are so many things that we can teach you in the training rooms of the arena!"
"Ooh, can we go there tomorrow?" Anastasia asked, and Iroh shook his head.
"We're going back to the Fire Nation tomorrow," Iroh said, and Anastasia looked crestfallen. "But I'm sure that Korra will eventually come by for her Avatar duties to the Fire Nation. When she does, she will be more than welcome to stay with us."
"Us?" Korra and Mako asked, and Anastasia looked at Iroh with a raised eyebrow.
"My family and me," Iroh explained, and they nodded in understanding.
"Makes a lot more sense," Anastasia said as she stood up. "It was great being able to spend some time with you guys."
"You too," Korra and Mako agreed as they also stood up, with Mako and Iroh quickly paying the two tabs and the latter of the two dragging Anastasia out so she couldn't protest.
"What the heck was that?" Anastasia asked and he smirked.
"A detour," he said vaguely. "That was part of the surprise. The second part of the surprise is actually up here down the street."
Anastasia took a deep breath and let it out through her nose, accidentally creating a very hot steam. She jerked towards Iroh in surprise, who simply shook his head and kept walking. As they neared the veterinary office, they saw five people arguing outside – two metalbenders, Lin, Ty Lung the store manager that Iroh had seen the previous day, and the assistant from the store.
"I'm telling you, that was not me! that was all him," Ty Lung insisted.
"He told me to," the assistant persisted.
"The assistant is telling the truth," Lin and Iroh said in unison, and she turned to him confused.
"How would you know?" Anastasia and the two metalbenders shot back.
"I saw and heard Ty Lung arguing with his assistant, and then the former telling the latter to dispose of one of the animals," Iroh said calmly.
"Well, Ty Lung, you are hereby sentenced to a fine," Lin said calmly, and he jerked in surprise. "Don't even think about cutting me off before I finish. We have multiple animals brought in here because of injuries to them in the street behind your work, and the evidence is clearly working against you. For every animal that comes into this veterinary clinic because of your methods, you have to pay the vet for all of the animal's expense, as well as the fine to the city for creating strays. This will be the method that will be enforced not just to you, but to all pet shop owners that think that leaving an animal in the streets to die is a good idea."
"I'll just show you the surprise tomorrow," Iroh said weaseling his way back and towards the docks.
"What? No, what were you going towards?" Anastasia demanded, and he looked off in the distance at the ship.
"It was past Chief Bei Fong and the little quarrel," he said calmly, "I didn't want to disturb or interrupt them while at their work."
Anastasia wasn't convinced.