Meant to upload this on Sunday like usual, but I spent last week moving to another state... and I was tired... so I forgot. Sorry guys.

It's a bit late, but enjoy!

While most of the students dispersed across the Academy, Louise brought Iroh directly to her room. She had questions, as did he. The privacy of her room would allow them to speak freely without the interference of her nosy classmates.

"This room is quaint," Iroh said as he stepped inside.

In his honest opinion, the room was surprisingly spartan for a noble child. While the materials of everything in the room, from the wardrobe, the table, the chairs, the bed and its drapes, all looked like they were well made, the room lacked the excessive furnishings Iroh had come to expect from nobility. Rather than belonging to a young noble girl, Iroh would assume this to be the room of a well-off merchant's daughter. And even then, the room was severely lacking a famine touch.

Not that he would say such a thing out loud, of course. The humility of the room actually set the old man at ease. There was a lot that could be determined by a person's room, and the practicality of this one meant that its inhabitant was unlikely to be a pampered, belligerent child.

Hopefully.

"Have a seat," said Louise, indicating the table and two chairs in a corner of the room.

Iroh took the closest seat, leaving Louise with the one farthest from the door. Several moments quietly passed as Louise took stock of the old man she had summoned, as if trying to unravel the mystery around him with her eyes alone.

Hoping to break the silence, Iroh took note of a tea set resting on the table. "Do you brew your own tea?" he asked conversationally.

The girl flinched slightly as she snapped out of her trance and finally realized that she had been wordlessly staring him down. "No," she replied. "A servant brewed it this morning an delivered it to my quarters. It's probably too cold to serve by now."

The wrinkles around Iroh's lips crinkled into a smile. "I don't think that'll be a problem," he said, rising from his seat. He waved his hand in a circular motion over the teapot, and steam began blowing from the spout. Iroh picked up the teapot and poured a cup of steaming tea, pushing it over to Louise.

Louise's eyes widened. "So you are a mage! I knew it!"

"A what?" Iroh asked. His wrinkled brow crinkled in confusion. "I'm an old man, not a fair young maid. Have you seen this belly on a maid before?" He tapped his stomach for emphasis. It wasn't bulging since he had lost quite a bit of fat before entering the Spirit World, but with the way his robes draped across his body, he knew she would get the picture.

The pinkette shook her head vigorously. "You can use magic!" she exclaimed, as if that explained everything.

Iroh raised an eyebrow as he poured himself a cup of tea. "Like pulling a coin from behind someone's ear?" he asked. He set the teapot down and returned to his seat. "I can do that much, but I'm afraid that's the extent of my skills." The firebender took a sip of the tea. He frowned. It wasn't hot leaf juice, as there was some level of care put into brewing it, but there was something very off about its flavor.

Louise looked offended at Iroh's example. "Not commoner street tricks!" she exclaimed. "Real magic! Using your willpower with a focus to cast spells!"

Iroh took a second sip of the tea. It was some type of green tea, but not a flavor he was familiar with. It was also slightly bitter, which indicated that the brewer did not know the proper temperature for brewing green tea leaves. Green tea needed to be brewed at a high enough temperature to extract the flavor from the leaves, but not too high otherwise the flavor would literally be burned away. Despite the flaws, it wasn't the worst tea he had sampled.

Iroh suppressed a grimace as he took a third sip. Now that he had time to mull the taste over his tongue, he could tell that this tea was a blend of two flavors. One was jasmine, or at least a leaf with a similar flavor, and the other was a mysterious unknown. It had a sharp, fresh flavor that complimented the jasmine well. However, the improper brewing made the combination largely a waste, as the individual flavors were competing with bitterness, resulting in a tangled mess that left his taste buds braided into knots. "Do you know who brew this tea?" Iroh asked Louise curiously.

"What?" Louise was caught off guard by the arbitrary question. "One of the servants. I don't know who. More importantly, your magic! Where's your wand? Which noble family are you—" The student cut herself off when she realized the personal nature that question. "Never mind that last one. That was insensitive of me to ask."

From Louise's brief outburst, Iroh was able to deduce a few things about her. She, just like so many young folk, was so focused on her own inquires that Iroh's shift of the conversation easily flustered her. She had dismissed his question about who had served her tea, which meant that she, like most nobles, didn't truly pay attention to servants.

However, Louise wasn't completely without humility or social grace. She recognized that she had asked him a sensitive question, and had immediately redacted it. While her temperament appeared to be pretty typical as far as nobles went, Iroh could see potential in her. And, if Iroh was being honest with himself, she couldn't be any worse to handle than Zuko had been.

Iroh slowly set his teacup down. "Miss Louise, you need not apologize for your curiosity," he reassured her. "Asking questions is the first step in the pursuit of knowledge." Louise seemed appeased by his response. "To answer your other question, I'm afraid you're going to have speak plainer. I am but a frail old man, and now I fear I am growing hard of hearing. What does wands and magic have to do with my firebending?"

"…Firebending?"

Iroh was confused how Louise repeated the word as if she had not heard it before. Firebending couldn't be that rare in this part of the world, could it? "You wished to know how I could heat up the tea, correct?" Seeing Louise nod, Iroh continued, "That was my firebending. Not everyone can use it, but I'd be surprised if no one from this land has ever heard of it."

A look of comprehension came over Louise's face. "You wouldn't happen to mean fire magic, would you? Manipulating the element of fire with your willpower?"

Iroh's eyes widened as he came to a similar realization. "Oh! So magic is what you call your bending! I should have realized it sooner. I am curious though, why is it that you refer to it as magic? Referring to such an art with the same word as parlor tricks is… unexpected."

"Magic has been called that way for the past six thousand years," Louise said pointedly. "If anything, your way of referring to magic is incorrect and insulting."

"Truly?" Iroh took another sip of the mediocre tea, grimaced, and set it down. Too many things weren't adding up, but he could tell that this child was not the best source for his inquires. Also, the novelty of tea's flavor had already passed, leaving a literal bitter taste in his mouth. "Well, when in Ba Sing Se, do as the Earth Kingdom citizens do. Magic it is then."

"Bah Sing Say?" Louise echoed, struggling to properly pronounce the words. "Earth Kingdom? Did a powerful earth mage set up a kingdom?"

As much as it pained him to do so, Iroh bought himself some more time by taking another sip of tea. He made sure to make it long and slow so he could have time to process his thoughts. There was no way a noble would not know of the largest country in the world. Additionally, the girl claimed that this "magic" had existed for six thousand years. Bending was ten thousand years old, and Harmonic Convergence had happened quite recently. It was impossible for anyone to miss or forget such a notable event. The portal Iroh had gone through—and now he was certain it was a portal—had brought him to a place where nothing made sense.

But Iroh could still bend. He could breathe. He could feel. The body he had right now was indistinguishable from the one he had when he entered the spirit world. In fact, if anything, he was healthier now than he had been during the end of his life. The old firebender was currently living through several impossibilities.

Iroh's thoughts grinded to a halt as he found no more tea flowed down his throat. Taking a glance into his cup, he realized that he had finished the rest of his tea in that one, continuous sip. "Ah, it appears that my mind slipped away," he apologized. "What were you asking, Miss Louise?"

"It wasn't important," Louise said dismissively. She had noticed the faraway look in Iroh's eyes as he had finished his drink. As much as she would like to find out more about Iroh, she didn't want to probe rudely, especially when his mind was so easily distracted. Instead, she decided to ask, "Just to be certain, you don't have any objections to being my familiar, do you?"

"Hmm? I suppose not," Iroh replied. "But just to make sure we are the same page…"

"Yes?" Louise prompted.

"What is this familiar you speak of?" the old man asked, his puzzlement on fully displayed on his face. "Does it have to do with this mark on my hand? Familiar runes, I believe you called them?"

Louise took a deep breath and sighed. The longer she spoke to Iroh, the more curious she became about the old man's origins. It should have been impossible for a mage such as himself to not know what a familiar was. Then again, he called magic "bending" of all things, so she could only assume that he hadn't been exposed to the true teachings of the Founder. That, or he was getting senile in his old age.

Deciding to give Iroh the benefit of the doubt, Louise gave him a brief summary. "A familiar is a creature that serves a mage," she lectured, unconsciously letting her annoyance slip into her voice. "During the ceremony that we just had outside, all of the second-year students, including myself, were summoning our familiars. The familiar runes serve as visual proof that you are my familiar."

"A familiar serves, eh?" Iroh said as he looked the markings over again. On closer inspection, the runes did resemble written symbols, though not ones he had seen before. "While I don't mind serving others—I've been up and down in society over my life—this rune is more than a mark of servitude. It was literally burned into my skin. Seems more like a slave brand than anything else." Slave branding wasn't common in the Fire Nation, nor were they authorized on a national scale. However, it wasn't unheard of for Fire Nation official to enslave or brand some of the inhabitants of the colony they were occupying. And as long as the colony was running smoothly and no Fire Nation citizens were involved, a blind eye was turned to the cruelty.

Iroh's tone was that of idle conversation, but Louise flinched nonetheless. "They're normally meant to be used on animals and magical creatures. Human aren't normally summoned as familiars," she explained.

"Ah, yes. I believe your teacher—Mister Colbert, was it?—said something like that," said Iroh. "And yet, you went through the process anyway, knowing you were branding another human to serve you. One you had abruptly pulled away from his home only minutes prior, no less."

Louise hung her head. "Yes," she said quietly.

"And why did you do that?"

Iroh's voice remained perfectly calm during their entire conversation, but that only made Louise feel worse. While the hints had been sprinkled throughout the conversation, now Louise was certain that Iroh was a former noble. His demeanor demonstrated his full control of himself and the situation despite the ridiculous circumstances. And yet, the man had yet to complain about his situation. He only asked questions with more politeness than Louise deserved.

"I-I…" Louise struggled to get find some words to defend herself, but found she could not. What was she supposed to say? That she made him her familiar because it was tradition? Because she needed one? Because she didn't care what she summoned as long as she had a familiar? Her head bowed as a flush of shame crept up her face.

Louise, hearing Iroh rise, slumped. She fully expecting him to leave her dorm and file a formal complaint to the Headmaster. Any noble who had tolerated her for this long would surely move to punish her at this point.

Iroh, however, stepped toward the sullen girl.

Hearing the sound of tea being poured, Louise slightly raised her head up to see the elderly man refilling her half-empty cup. With a gentle wave of his head, the tea was reheated to a lightly steamy temperature. Louise's gaze rose higher to look at the kindly old man, who smiled back at her.

"I find that a good cup of tea helps soothe the nerves and clear the mind," he advised. He poured himself another cup as well before sitting back down. "This tea isn't ideal, a bit bitter for my tastes, but I think it will help all the same. Take your time, Miss Louise, I'm not going anywhere."

Louise gave him a long look of surprise. Her expression slowly morphed into relief and she gave him a grateful nod. Taking the cup in her hands, she took a hesitant sip. The flavor rolled on her tongue as the aroma filled her nose. After taking a moment to let the sensation linger in her mouth and nose, she did feel better. "Thank you, Mister Iroh," she said appreciatively.

"Think nothing of it, my child," Iroh replied. "It is my goal in life to bestow wisdom to youths who seek it."

"…Even people like me?" Louise asked hesitantly.

"Of course," Iroh replied. "Why would you be any different?"

"I basically kidnapped you."

Iroh shrugged. "It happens."

Louise gave him a disbelieving stare.

The old man coughed awkwardly before admitting, "Well, it doesn't happen often. But it was an accident, I'm sure."

"But binding you afterwards wasn't," Louise confessed. "I was so desperate to have a familiar that I failed to consider your personal feelings on the matter. I offer you my most apologies for my poor judgement." She bowed her head to Iroh as she said this.

Iroh nodded. "Your apology is accepted," he said warmly. "As long as you are willing to admit your mistakes, you are on the right path to fixing them. Though," he said slowly as his mind started to wander. "You could have done much worse."

Louise nodded. If she had treated Iroh like a common creature instead of recognizing him as former noble, she would have done something disgraceful. This old man deserved far more respect than any familiar she could have summoned.

Iroh was on a very different line of thought. "Very few people take kindly to being forcibly bound to others. If you had summoned my nephew, he probably would have tried to duel you for his release. My niece… well, the less said about her the better." Iroh could not hide the shiver that traveled though his body. "And that's not even considering some of the spirits you could have summoned. I dread to imagine what Koh could have done to a child like you."

"Koh?"

"Ah, that is story for another time," said Iroh as he returned to the present. "At least, if you wouldn't mind listening to the ramblings of an old man."

"…I wouldn't be opposed," said Louise politely. "Familiars are supposed to serve their master to some capacity, and I suppose storyteller will be your role."

Iroh tilted his head. "Is that an actual role in your society?" he asked in disbelief.

"Well… no," Louise confessed. "But I have other servants to take care of the day to day duties. While I'm a student here, I don't have much for you to do." She could have him help with laundry and such, but Louise didn't feel comfortable having a former noble old enough to be her grandfather serving as a housekeeper. That was wrong on too many levels.

"Might I make a suggestion?" Iroh offered.

"Certainly."

"You see, I am but an old man from a faraway land," Iroh began his dramatic tale. "To many countries I have traveled. Many sights I have seen. Many things I have learned. But now I find myself without a student to teach. Woe is me, who longs to guide the seeking! If only there was a bright, young person to whom I could pass on my knowledge and wisdom." Iroh clasped his hand against the front of his face, then pried apart his fingers to look at Louise with one eye. "You wouldn't happen to know where I could find such a person, would you?"

Louise was stunned, then she put a hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle. Iroh's display had been unsightly for a dignified man of his age, but it had done wonders to ease her tension. "I believe that I can assist you in your endeavor," she said formally. Her smile was hidden behind her hand, but Iroh could feel the renewed ease from Louise's voice. "There's something I want to learn, and no teacher has been able to help me so far."

"I will teach you what I can, but my teachings will probably not directly apply to your school curriculum," Iroh replied. "I'm pretty sure History of the Four Nations isn't a required subject."

"Only you can teach me what I want to learn," Louise insisted.

Iroh leaned forward in his chair, his curiosity peaked. "And what might that be?"

"You magic," said Louise, excitement bubbling within her. "You're using magic without using a wand, which is principally considered impossible. I've only heard rumors of mages casting without a focus, and those individuals were suspected to be elves. You're clearly not an elf, which means you know about a magical technique that most people don't know about."

While Iroh didn't fully understand the points to Louise's argument—like what an elf was—he had to admit that her deduction was swift and fairly accurate. "I would gladly teach you all I know about my 'magic', as you call it," said Iroh openly. He rolled his palm forward, conjuring a small flame in its center. "However, the ability to firebend is passed by blood, and has been this way for over ten thousand years."

The elderly bender clenched his fist, causing the flame to burst into wisps of smoke. "The techniques I teach you can be applied to your own element of magic, but unless you were born with this power, it is unlikely that you will be able to use it as I do."

Louise's face became despondent while her eyes filled with desperation. "But there's still a chance, right?" she asked hopefully.

Iroh tugged at his pale beard as he considered the prospect. "There have been cases of people gaining abilities that were considered impossible to acquire, whether by a gift from the spirits or through their own efforts," he said thoughtfully. Eventually, he shrugged. "You managed to summon me from the spirit world, which is an impressive feat of energybending already. At this point, learning to bend one of the four elements isn't too farfetched."

"Energybending?"

"Another lesson for another time." Iroh waved off her question. "Essentially, yes, you might be able to bend fire as I do, but most likely you would incorporate the techniques I teach you into your normal element."

"My normal element doesn't exist," Louise said miserably.

Iroh blinked. "Come again?"

Louise sighed. "You're going to hear about it anyways, so there's no point in hiding it," she said miserably. "I'm a complete failure when it comes to magic. Every spell I've tried to cast just explodes. The only time a spell hasn't failed was when I summoned you, but since I was supposed to summon an animal or magical creature I can't call that a success either. Everyone knows me as Louise the Zero, a complete, explosive, failure."

Iroh couldn't believe his ears. A girl who could summon spirits from the spirit world was considered a failure? Did these teachers only look at the results and not the methods? Anyone with enough spiritual power to open a temporary spirit portal should not go unnoticed around experienced benders. Sure, bending energy without knowing any elements was unusual, but surely there must have been at least one person who recognized her potential.

Louise misinterpreted his surprise and bowed her head. "If you do not want to waste your time on someone as useless as me, I wouldn't blame you," she said in a soft, pitiful voice. "The Tristan Royal Academy has plenty of promising young students who are worth a lot more than a Zero like me."

Slowly, Iroh took a deep breath in. Louise was clearly no Zuko. She had a different bag of issues he had to address. Iroh let his breath out before speaking clearly, "Miss Louise, you are not a Zero. In fact, you possess a power in you that I took many long years to learn, but you seem to have naturally."

The young mage looked at him with not outright suspicion, but a wary curiosity. "What is it?" she asked. "My useless explosions? My ability to summon old men instead of normal familiars?"

"The latter, actually," Iroh replied immediately, causing Louise to choke in surprise. "Though I do wonder why you would consider an explosion to be useless. A large explosion is great for demolitions, and a small one would be great at causing distractions."

"How is summoning you supposed to be impressive?" Louise shouted. "Kidnapping people is a crime, not a talent!"

"Who says it can't be both?" Iroh asked.

Louise didn't even hear him as she continued, "Kirche summoned a salamander, and Tabitha summoned a dragon!"

"Back in my day, I was called the Dragon of the West!" Iroh boasted. Seeing Louise's deadpan expression, he cleared his throat. "Ahem, but I am being honest. You have the potential to do great things." Seeing Louise still look hesitant, he added. "I can teach you everything I know, but if your mind is clouded with doubts, then it will be difficult for you to move forward. Tell me, what do you want in life?"

"To become a proper mage." Louise didn't hesitate in her response. "I want to be a noble lady that my family can be proud of."

Iroh wasn't sure what the connection was between the two statements, but he nodded encouragingly. "So, what will you do?" he asked.

Louise looked Iroh straight in the eye. "I will learn everything I can from you," she said. "When I master an unknown style of magic, everyone will respect me, and I will no longer be a Zero!"

That… wasn't exactly the answer Iroh had expected. There were some obvious gaps between Louise's goals, actions, and desires. However, it was a start.

I originally wanted to get another scene or two in here, but the last third of the chapter took 4-5 rewrites, so that cut my already limited time. Iroh is a very fun character, but writing him is very difficult. He's wise and eccentric, and they have a delicate balance, just like mixing flavors of tea.

A few quick announcements:

I now have a Ko-Fi under the name "RainEStar". If you want to give me a little support, I'd appreciate it.

School starts for me in 2 weeks. I'll try to keep my updates, but my classes takes priority.

Another story poll will be coming up in September. Since this story won't be updated that month, follow me or my other stories so you can influence what I write next!

Next chapter, Iroh continues to diverge from canon since he's not a teenager or a commoner. I love hearing feedback from you guys! Remember, reviews are food for a writer's soul!