Chapter 33
Despite acknowledging the necessity to meet Jet and put their severed relationship behind them, Suki wasn't looking forward to the meeting. On some level, Suki had been hoping for some excuse to avoid going through with it. But Suki was also aware that she had a reputation of being someone as tough as nails, someone who never backed down from a challenge, and she didn't want to shed this reputation. They were in Yu Dao, and with Azula, Katara and Yue having already met up with Jet two months ago, Suki didn't want to appear evasive and cowardly. Suki knew that she had to face Jet, look him in the eyes and agree to move past whatever they had shared.
Mai also presented another reason why Suki knew that she had to go through with it. Mai hadn't commented on this whole idea of seeing Jet, but Suki could tell that her girlfriend was visibly anxious. If Suki couldn't face Jet, then it was possible that Mai would interpret it as Suki still having complicated feelings for her ex-boyfriend and Suki didn't want her girlfriend to feel threatened for no good reason. And sure, Suki did have complicated feelings towards Jet, but also, she was not looking to rekindle the spark between them. Suki was truly happy with Mai and she fully expected Jet to have moved on with either one or perhaps even multiple steady girlfriends.
The boring third round of play of the world championship finals robbed Suki of all excuses, such as not having enough time to go and see Jet. All three games of the day had ended up in a draw, making it very easy for Suki to compile her report and fax it back to The Harmony Ring offices. Despite talking enormous amount of trash at each other a few days ago, Zuko and Toph had decided against taking too many risks this early in the tournament. Zuko had made a couple of attempts to break through Toph's defenses, but with Toph defending well, they had soon agreed on a draw.
Piandao had attacked Yue very aggressively from the start, but Yue had weathered the storm and almost succeeded in turning the tables on the reigning world champion. Aang and Zhao had circled each other cautiously, trading the occasional weak punch, but with neither of them feeling confident enough to commit to a more decisive attack, their game had also ended in a draw. It made sense that this early in the tournament, none of the competitors were keen on taking excessive risks. Nobody wanted to dig themselves in a massive hole they would struggle to crawl out of and as a result, Suki had enjoyed a rather short day at the office, making her report.
It was around seven in the evening when Suki and Mai arrived at the location of Jet's pub. The Last Straw was situated in one of the very few districts of Yu Dao that had remained somewhat intact and by sheer miracle had somehow escaped the worst of the shelling. With the adjacent districts being rebuilt from the ground up, these little islands consisting of pre-war buildings looked charmingly quirky and out of place. The Last Straw was smack dab in the middle of one such island, a slightly dingy looking place that nevertheless felt curiously inviting.
Suki and Mai didn't waste any time before entering the establishment. This early in the evening, there were maybe a little more than a dozen patrons, but even so, there was a light fog of cigarette smoke hanging in the air. Suki had to admit that the interior of the pub matched its quirky exterior. The place had a slightly by design rundown feel to it, and the amount of slightly macabre war memorabilia on the walls created a certain vibe that Suki found appealing despite not having any sort of firsthand experience with the war.
"There's our target," Mai spoke with a slightly strained smile as she pointed towards the cigarette smoke enveloped bar area. Indeed, there was Jet, standing behind the bar and speaking with a short, tomboyish girl of an age that was difficult to ascertain. As they made a beeline for the bar, Suki caught herself thinking that this wasn't how she expected Jet's new girlfriend to look like.
Jet noticed them before they had reached the bar, not appearing too surprised to see them. Of course, Jet would know that she was in town for the finals and perhaps Azula, Katara or Yue had already told him about her intentions to meet and have a chat. "Okay, I need to know if I should get ready to duck," Jet called out to them, grinning awkwardly.
"Don't flatter yourself, dumbass," Suki snorted as together with Mai they walked up to the bar. "I'm not as obsessed with you that I'd carry a grudge for two years, okay?"
"Fair enough," Jet grinned. "And yes, I've heard rumors about a girlfriend? Any chance I might get to meet her?"
Suki burst into laughter. Even Mai was smirking at Jet's obliviousness. "You're so funny, Jet," Suki chuckled. "Mai is the girlfriend, dork."
Jet's eyes went impossibly wide as he kept glancing from Suki to Mai and then back to Suki again. "You're shitting me," he eventually gasped. Mai let out a bored sigh and turned to Suki, leaning in for a kiss. It was a lengthy affair with plenty of tongue that left Suki panting lightly.
"Don't think she's lying, Jet," the tomboyish girl commented, looking amused. "Anyway, that was hot. Honestly, Jet, you were pretty dumb to listen to us and come here, leaving such a hot piece back in Ba Sing Se."
"What? I did exactly what you wanted! You can't say that now!" Jet protested. He slapped a palm against his forehead. "Anyway, I'm forgetting my abysmal manners. This is Bee, short of Smellerbee," Jet made the introductions, pointing at the girl next to him. Suki was starting to get a feeling that she had made the wrong assumption. Jet and this Bee girl didn't seem to have the dynamic of lovers. "Bee, this is Suki and Mai."
"Good to meet you," Bee nodded at them with a crooked smile. "You seem pretty cool. How about some drinks? On the house."
"Whoa, you've really left a good first impression on Bee," Jet exclaimed. "She's never so quick to offer free drinks."
"In that case, I'll have a whiskey," Suki decided. "On the rocks."
"Same, but make it a double," Mai added.
"Nice," Bee grinned. "Your old friends are so cool, Jet. Try talking them into moving to Yu Dao as well."
"Somehow, I don't see that happening," Jet shrugged. "I think Suki is as good as married to her Pai Sho magazine job." Suki nodded firmly at that. "Anyway," Jet grinned once Bee had handed Suki and Mai their drinks. "I'm just relieved that you're not angry with me. It hurt to know that all my old friends were in town, and I couldn't reach out because I didn't want to stir up drama."
"Don't feel so relieved too soon," Suki said in a mock warning. "Maybe I'll disapprove of your most recent girlfriend when you introduce us and then I'll be angry at you again."
"Well, I certainly hope that won't be the case," Suki and Mai both exchanged confused glances at the familiar voice coming from just behind them. They both turned around to see Kori Morishita standing there and smiling smugly. She then sauntered over to Jet and exchanged a lingering kiss with him before turning to face Suki and Mai again. "Do you disapprove of this, Suki?" she asked.
Suki needed a while to recompose herself. "You certainly kept quiet about this," she finally managed. "Even after you divorced Haru."
"Yes, but you didn't exactly advertise your relationship, either," Kori shrugged. "We ran into each other a few times on Kyoshi Island and I never put the two and two together that you and Mai were more than just good friends. It was only when Azula told me-"
"Wait, you knew that Suki was dating Mai?" Jet gasped at Kori. "And you didn't tell me?"
"I figured it would make for a hilarious surprise. And I wasn't wrong," Kori laughed. Jet grumbled at that, but said nothing.
"Does that mean Azula also knew that you two were dating?" Mai asked.
"Of course," Kori nodded. "And yes, she thought that it would be funny if you didn't know about us in advance. Don't ask me why. I think Azula just loves to mess with her friends."
"Maybe we should mess with her for a bit," Mai snorted. "Although, perhaps we should go easy on the recent birthday girl."
"I guess so," Suki sighed. "Anyway, let's get back to the topic of you two dating," she nodded at Kori and Jet. Suki also noticed that Smellerbee had stepped a little aside and she looked distinctly less happy now that Kori had showed up. It seemed that someone did disapprove of this odd relationship. "How long has this been going on?"
"It's been a while," Jet shrugged. "Who cares about keeping the track of time when you're having fun?"
"Well, Kori, I'd just like you to know that aside from me, Jet's second longest relationship lasted for two weeks."
"That's not actually true," Jet frowned, but chose not to elaborate.
"I don't really care whether it is true or not, because we've definitely beaten that," Kori laughed in response.
"I have a feeling they don't want to be specific about the time, because they got together when she was still married," Mai said, nodding at Kori. "Like we'd care about stuff like that. I can't judge you, anyway."
"But I certainly can!" someone exclaimed loudly behind their back, forcing Mai and Suki to turn around one more time. "I knew it! I knew you were cheating on me!" there stood Haru Tamang, pointing an accusing finger at his ex-wife.
"What is this, a gathering of exes?" Mai groaned. "Does that mean Aang is hiding under one of the tables? Aang? Aang, are you there? Come out wherever you are?" she called mockingly, but Aang failed to present himself.
Feeling forced to defend Kori's honor, Jet abandoned his post behind the bar counter and walked over to stand up to Haru. "You're not welcome here if you're going to sling insults at my girlfriend," Jet threatened.
"Ah, the illustrious Mr. Patel," Haru spoke haughtily. "Well, if you think that as your intellectual superior, I would be afraid to get involved in fisticuffs, then I urge you to think again. Perhaps it's time someone taught the likes of you a valuable lesson. Put up your dukes, Sir, I challenge you to a fight!"
"With pleasure," Jet growled, getting ready to fight as the pair began to circle each other, cheered on by the pub's patrons.
"Before we begin in earnest," Haru spoke up. "I have heard that you have a poor sight in one eye. An old war injury, I take it? I wouldn't want to aggravate it by a punch, that would be ungentlemanly."
"Kind of you to ask, even if you don't stand a chance of landing a hit on me," Jet chuckled, relaxing. "It's my right eye that's barely functional."
"I see," Haru remarked before throwing a quick jab. The sucker-punch caught Jet squarely in his left eye and he went down in a heap, like an embarrassed sack of turnips.
"Damn it, Jet!" Kori shouted, rushing to aid her boyfriend while Suki and Mai watched the unfolding drama feeling petrified.
Haru didn't get to enjoy his victory for very long, however. Whatever smug satisfaction he had gained from knocking out Jet evaporated when the Freedom Fighters came to the aid of their fallen leader. Working in perfect unison, the elite team attacked all at once. Longshot broke a bottle over Haru's head at the same time as Duke broke a chair over Haru's back. As Haru was already going down, Smellerbee rammed a pool cue into his groin, eliciting a pained scream. Pipsqueak then picked up the barely conscious Haru, carried him up to the exit and unceremoniously threw him out.
"This is exactly what you deserve for trying to act like a ridiculous white knight," Kori chided, helping Jet up and then guiding him back to the bar where Smellerbee was already preparing a cold compress.
"Well, excuse me," Jet sighed, accepting the compress from Bee and pressing it against his left eye. "Got to say, though, he actually got me good." Jet briefly removed the compress, revealing an eye that was rapidly starting to swell shut. "Wonderful, it's going to close almost completely so I'll be as good as blind."
"I still think this might all be staged just so you can get a few days off work and spend them with your old friends," Bee remarked, looking skeptical.
"Thank you, I will take those few days off, Bee, nice of you to offer," Jet shot back. In the meantime, Suki had also ducked behind the bar counter. She had spotted a phone which she now used to call the ambulance because Haru was probably in need of some medical assistance.
"I was afraid that things might get a little heated, but this wasn't what I had in mind," Kori muttered as she continued to fuss over Jet.
"Hey, for once I feel like we can't be blamed for crazy things happening," Suki said after the emergency services operator had informed her that an ambulance was on its way. "That was your ex trying to start some ill-advised stupid shit," she added, looking at Kori.
"Perhaps we can still take some credit because our presence was a catalyst for crazy things to happen," Mai suggested.
"All's well that ends well, and that's coming from the guy who currently sees everything through a fog," Jet laughed. "After all, there's nothing that forges bonds of friendship better than a good old fashioned bar brawl, am I right?"
"And a round of drinks," Suki agreed, picking up her glass of whiskey. Despite the unexpected fight, she couldn't be happier about the reunion. Before meeting Jet after all these years, Suki had been panicking that seeing her ex-boyfriend again would bring back all those powerful feelings that had once made her wait for him to come back throughout the entire war for Yu Dao. And Suki had desperately hoped that these feelings wouldn't return, because she loved what she now had with Mai. This had been the ultimate test to see whether she had truly moved on and whether her feelings for Mai were as real as she thought they were. And much to Suki's relief, it truly felt as if her relationship with Mai had overcome this final test.
Despite the previous two rounds not bringing Yue much joy, she was full of hope and excitement ahead of her contest of the fourth round with Zhao Sakamoto. Throughout the season of qualifying tournaments, Yue's record against Zhao had been rather abysmal, even if there were good reasons behind her poor performances. Crucially, Yue had trashed Zhao in the final competitive game between then on Kyoshi Island. That, together with the knowledge that she had prepared very well for Zhao, made Yue feel confident, but not arrogant ahead of their game.
Yue felt that it was about time she made some progress in cutting the lead that Zuko and Toph were holding over the other competitors. Toph had already sat down to face off against Piandao, and Yue believed that there was a good chance that Toph might lose some points today. Zuko was still chatting with Aang ahead of their game, both men looking content and relaxed. At this point in the tournament, Zuko, Aang and Toph were still supposed to play each other hard, and even though so far, all games between them had ended in draws, Yue had to admit that the matches didn't appear prearranged. If Aang could prevent Zuko from scoring his third win in four matches, it would certainly help in Yue's attempts to cut into Zuko's lead.
The tournament was shaping up very differently from Yue's first experience more than ten years ago, but then again, they had expected and prepared for it. In her first appearance at the finals, there had been only four serious competitors, herself, Katara, Ozai and Gyatso. Zhao and Long Feng had only been there to help Ozai and hinder the others. It had been similar the year Azula had won the title. Zhao wasn't there to seriously compete and Aang had been too young and inexperienced to be a serious contender, so the real battle had been between Azula, Zuko, Ozai and Piandao. This year, the tournament was contested by six professionals who were more or less each other's equals. Even if Aang wasn't supposed to go for the title himself, he was still very dangerous and capable of winning every game he played. This was the reason why Yue and her wives expected that the tournament standings would remain very tight all the way through and nobody was likely to break away from the pack.
Having exchanged curt greetings with Zhao, Yue eventually sat down and waited for their game to begin. The officials soon gave the signal and Zhao made the first move. Yue wasn't surprised that Zhao immediately went for the Pathik variant of the Si Wong opening, something that had worked for Zhao in earlier games against her. It took Yue most of her willpower not to break into a smile at Zhao's decision. Azula had guessed correctly that Zhao would stick to his guns, and Yue was glad that she had listened to Azula's advice. She was very well prepared for this turn of events and Zhao would discover it soon enough.
For a good while, the game followed along the same pattern as their Ember Island encounter which Zhao had won. Zhao was once again trying his best to lay clever traps for Yue as he invited her to attack, but Yue was not biting. Of course, she still planned to attack, but she wasn't going to do so on Zhao's terms. As Yue evasively maneuvered her pieces into position for her attack, she kept a close eye on Zhao's trapping attempts, preparing to turn Zhao's clever plan back on him. Once Yue felt that her tiles were positioned just right for the attack, she pushed ahead with her plan, which was to deliberately trigger one of Zhao's traps by sacrificing her flower tile. Zhao immediately took the bait, actually believing that Yue had genuinely committed an error. Zhao even allowed himself a smug smile as he savored the material advantage which he had gained… an advantage that would prove very brief, when Yue now struck with lightning speed on the opposite side of the Pai Sho board.
Yue had disguised her attack well and it took Zhao completely by surprise. Zhao was known as a slippery player who was very difficult to pin down and deliver the knockout blow, but there would be no escape this time. Yue kept her eye firmly on the prize, maintaining her focus as she carried out her plan, breaking through the weak point in Zhao's defenses on the left flank. Yue felt confident that she had calculated all the potential lines correctly, and she was soon proven right. Even by choosing all the optimal moves, Zhao would be at a huge disadvantage once Yue's breakthrough was complete, and pressed for time, some of the moves Zhao went for were weak as he merely tried to buy himself more time. Yue knew that Zhao's attempted counterplay was a bluff and so she ignored it and simply kept up the pressure. It worked. Even if Zhao successfully limped to the time limit of forty moves, when the tournament official approached them to reset their clocks, Zhao decided not to continue, instead offering his surrender to Yue.
As Zhao made a hurried departure, Yue was more than happy to take her time before leaving. The Yu Dao public appeared to have really enjoyed the fireworks in their game and the elegant combination that had finished off Zhao, and Yue was given a roaring applause. Having noticed that the game between Toph and Piandao was still ongoing, Yue decided not to engage the crowd, instead giving a brief wave as she quickly departed from the stage. Yue had no interest in running into Zhao in the press zone, however, so she decided to do something she hadn't managed to do during her contest with Zhao, namely checking out the other games.
Yue was a little surprised to see that Toph was really struggling with Piandao, but then again, Piandao was the reigning champion. Just because he had started off the tournament with two losses didn't mean that he could be discounted. Piandao's three world titles had come as a result of his competitors underestimating him. Piandao had almost beaten Yue in the previous round, suggesting that he was far from done in this tournament. Now he was about to score his first win of the finals, while handing Toph her first loss.
Aang and Zuko had already finished their game, and immersed in her own encounter with Zhao, Yue had completely missed them departing from the stage. Their game had ended in a draw, but looking at the end position on the Pai Sho board, Yue could see that it had been anything but a quiet and boring affair. Aang and Zuko looked to have inflicted insane amounts of devastation on each other, decimating each other's resources to such a degree that there were no longer enough tiles to form a Harmony Ring and a draw remained the only option.
After observing the game between Piandao and Toph for a few more minutes, Yue finally departed from the hall in a very good mood. Toph was losing her game, which meant that the results of this round had really gone Yue's way. She had overtaken Toph to claim the second place, only half a point behind Zuko. At the same time, nobody was still falling too far behind, confirming what they had suspected all along, that this tournament would be extremely tight. Every game was sure to be hard fought and none more so than Yue's encounter with Toph in the upcoming round. As Yue readied herself to answer the inquiries of the press, mentally, her preparations to face Toph had already begun.
Zuko was not in a good mood following his game of the fifth round. Try as he might, Zuko had simply felt too distracted throughout his encounter with Zhao. He'd been forced to defend throughout the most of the game, and by putting up a scrappy effort, Zuko had somehow made it a little past sixty moves before Zhao had finally found a breakthrough. And just like that, Zuko had seen his claim on the sole leadership of the tournament disappear.
Yue had failed to take full advantage of Zuko's stumble as she and Toph had agreed on a draw. Zuko had noticed that Yue hadn't shown any great appetite in storming Toph's defenses in a particularly aggressive fashion, but it was only understandable in the early stages of the tournament. Nobody wanted to take too many risks just yet. In the latter stages, Zuko fully expected to see Yue playing far more aggressively. Still, this result meant that Yue now ended up sharing the tournament lead with him, with both of them on three points.
Toph was shadowing them only half a point behind, and by now Aang and Zhao had also caught up with her. Only Piandao was lagging a little behind with one and a half points to his name, but he was certainly not out of it. Aang had made another statement of intent by defeating Piandao in a game that had ended with the Yu Dao public giving Aang a standing applause.
Zuko was still being interrogated by the press when he noticed Azula, Yue and Katara speaking with Toph nearby, probably discussing the game between Yue and Toph. Azula was looking all business as usual, which didn't really surprise Zuko because he knew his sister and he was aware of how convincingly she could wear various different masks to hide her true feelings. Still, given the circumstances, Zuko felt like he needed to speak with his sister, and so he quickly shut down any more questions from the press and hurried to catch up with Azula and their friends before they left the premises.
"Zuko, what's your excuse for-" Azula began upon seeing him, but she didn't get to finish her sentence as Zuko pulled her into a bear hug, holding his sister tightly. "What the-… what's wrong with you? Let me go!" Azula immediately began to squirm and fight to be released.
"Umm, sorry?" Zuko tried, realizing that he probably should have expected that Azula would deny being affected by what had happened. "It's just that I don't believe that it wouldn't affect you at all. I know he wasn't always abusive, certainly not with you."
"What are you talking about, Zuko?" Azula narrowed her eyes at him. "Why are you dredging up this old stuff with Zhao?"
"With Zhao?" Zuko blinked in response. Something suddenly occurred to him. "Wait, have you not read the morning news?"
"Of course not," Azula sighed, shaking her head. "We are keeping ourselves, and Yue in particular, insulated from all recent events. Newspapers are banned at the estate, and so are radios and news channels on TV. I have no idea what's happening in the outside world and I'm all for keeping it that way."
"That's what I'm trying to do as well," Zuko nodded in understanding. "Still, Sokka needs to stay in touch with the outside world, and so he sneaks in the morning paper, but he hides it from me."
"You are all so laughably frail," Toph snorted. "I'll read as many newspapers I want and I don't give a shit, it doesn't affect me in any way."
"That's great, Toph, but I think Zuko was trying to tell me something," Azula said impatiently. "Weren't you, Zuzu?"
"Yes, I noticed that Sokka was a little weird this morning after he had read the newspaper. I pressed him about it and he eventually spilled the beans," Zuko sighed. "It's our father, Zula." Azula immediately tensed like a coil at his words. "He died last night."
"Oh…" Azula's expression immediately changed to almost confused, as if she had no idea what was the correct response to the news. Her entire posture relaxed, however, which was a powerful statement in itself. "I don't know what to say," she confessed.
"I don't know what to say or feel, and I think my brain was still trying to process that, which is why I ended up losing to Zhao so embarrassingly," Zuko admitted.
"I'm not sure whether to offer my condolences when it's Ozai Nakamura," Katara said stiffly. "But they're there if you need them."
"Ozai was still their father," Yue said, giving Katara a conflicted and almost reproachful stare. "We'll help with the preparations if you want to attend the funeral."
Azula let out a sharp, slightly forced laugh at that. "I love you, Yue, but you are being ridiculous right now," Azula said. "I am not attending the funeral and neither is Zuko. I daresay nobody from our family will attend. I doubt even Iroh will go to the Fire Nation."
"I haven't spoken with mom or uncle, but I don't see them making the journey, not for Ozai," Zuko shook his head.
"Well, regardless of your feelings for daddy dearest, I guess you two are now stinking rich," Toph chuckled.
"I have no idea," Azula shrugged. "I haven't seen the will, if there even is one. Knowing our father, I suspect he might not have bothered with it. Ozai was very much the 'after me, the deluge' kind of man."
"I have no interest in his money," Zuko said, feeling disgusted by the idea of benefitting from his father's blood money. "I will not accept a single yuan."
"Well, I don't want any of his money for myself," Azula said. "I just know that there are still so many people out there who have not seen any compensation for our father's cruelty. And I know that it would be a massive undertaking, but should some of his fortune come into my possession, I would set up a fund and review all these cases of compensation, paying out victims where it's appropriate. And I would make sure that people like Ty Lee continue to receive their just compensation."
"I could get on board with that," Zuko spoke, feeling impressed by his sister's plan. "I like the idea of using our father's unethically obtained fortune to do some good in the world, especially because I know how much he would hate it."
"When did you two become such embarrassing white knights?" Toph laughed. "Not that I disapprove. It sounds like the best possible use of Ozai's money. I'm just used to Azula being more selfish in her decision making."
"I'm still plenty selfish," Azula said, sounding defensive. "I mostly care about my last name no longer being synonymous with cruelty and treason, okay?" Zuko only smiled at Azula's unconvincing attempt to pretend being more selfish than she was.
"Of course, Azula," Katara smiled, nodding as she exchanged looks with Yue. Zuko wasn't at all surprised that Azula's wives saw through her protestations just as easily as he did.
"Yes, yes," Azula spoke up dismissively. "Anyway, Ursa knows my address here in Yu Dao… and I guess so does Iroh since he sent me a gift. My point is that they know how to get in touch with me if I'm needed for anything connected to father's death. Other than that, I would prefer to remain completely uninvolved. And I would advise you to do the same, Zuzu. You don't want the repeat of what happened today when you face Piandao in the next round."
"I don't see this still bothering me in a few days," Zuko said with confidence that wasn't actually based in anything. He had no idea how he would feel in a couple of days and whether the turmoil of Ozai's passing would have subsided.
"That's good," Azula nodded. "I know Yue would prefer to defeat you when you're at your best."
"You're damn right about that," Yue grinned brightly, looking annoyingly confident.
"Anyway, we best get going," Azula said a moment later. "Kori has made a restaurant reservation and we don't want to make her wait, do we, girls?" Katara and Yue both shook their heads and then they were off, heading out of the museum.
"Confident, isn't she?" Toph smirked.
"Well, she has a good reason to be confident," Zuko admitted reluctantly. "Yue has been playing well."
"I'm not denying that," Toph shrugged. "I'm just saying that surely at least Azula understands that Yue needs to be at least a couple of points clear of the pack if she wants to win this thing."
"Because one of us is going to get four free wins in the latter stages of the tournament," Zuko nodded. "Yes, I'm sure they understand that."
"The only question that remains is which one of us will be getting those free wins," Toph grinned.
"That really is the million-yuan question," Zuko agreed. "Love you, Toph, but I hope it'll be me."
"Well, if it's going to be you, Zuko, then I sure hope you won't blow that golden opportunity for the second time in a row," Toph said, no doubt trying to score a mental blow by referring to his collapse two years ago. "But I'm sure this year you're mentally in a much better place. See you later, buddy," she added before turning to walk away.
Zuko merely sighed, shaking his head. This just didn't feel like his day at all, and by now, all he could think of was to track down Sokka and spend some alone time with his boyfriend, and then later make a phone call to Ba Sing Se and speak with Kya. It was time to get back to the tried and trusted methods to restore Zuko's peace of mind.