A/N: Ahhhh, I am so sorry for not updating yesterday! The irony is that this is the first time in three weeks that I didn't have to rush to finish the chapter on time (I completed it on Monday), but I forgot to update on time. My excuse is that work was extraordinarily busy for me on Wednesday, and it completely slipped my mind till the workday was over. Again, my apologies.

But thank you so much to all you reviewers consistently waiting and reviewing before each new chapter! Sharpe, AsahixMe, Black Dragon Master, KingKaze (hello again!), StevenBodner, Raider, FireLordAziz, Guest, and devilfiredog18 - y'all are awesome! And it's purely thanks to you guys that this story now stands at over 700 reviews. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

62. Hold tight for everyday life

"I thought yesterday went pretty well."

It's become sort of a tradition with them: a debrief at the bar the day after some momentous interpersonal interaction. This time, it was a Team Avatar next-generation gathering with Tenzin's family and Haruko's family — with Iroh representing the Fire Nation side, Lin and Opal representing the Beifongs, and himself and Korra representing the new Team Avatar.

He merely grunts in response to Iroh's claim, taking a drink of his whisky. Yesterday had been a tad too much social interaction for him; being the initial common link between everyone could be quite wearying. Thankfully, Haruko, Zoya, and Misazi seem to have integrated quite well into their unique community. Haruko and Bumi are thick as thieves; Misazi seems to have bonded with Pema; and Zoya gets along with everybody, though she naturally gravitates towards those she can talk politics with — namely, Iroh, Tenzin, and Jinora.

He comments on this, and Iroh chuckles over his pu-erh tonic. "Yes, Zoya's quite the social butterfly. And her insight on social politics is particularly keen. I learn a lot from our conversations." The prince gives him a side glance. "You know, you're quite fortunate that you're able to actually be friends with both of your exes."

"I'm fortunate that both my exes are such great people," he counters.

"Point," Iroh concedes. "How is Asami doing these days, anyway? I missed her at the party yesterday."

"She's good." They've been maintaining their weekly lunches, and sometimes Korra or Bolin or both will join in. "Busy with Future Industries, but when is she not? She's enjoying life, though." Wishing to gauge his friend's reaction, he states casually, "She's dating someone new."

"Oh? Good for her." Iroh takes a swig of his pu-erh, unfazed.

If he'd had doubts before about whether Iroh had relinquished any lingering regrets about Asami, he doesn't now. Since the United Forces/Fire Nation split arrangement was finalised with President Zhol, the prince seems to have achieved a newfound satisfaction with his place in life, having made his peace with the missed opportunities in his past and the restrictions on his future destiny.

"Anyone I know?" Iroh inquires with friendly interest.

"No idea," he replies honestly. "Asami hasn't given us a name yet. All I know is that it's a woman, and it seems to be going well."

"Good for her," Iroh repeats. "And how's your love life? No impending explosions, I trust?" By now Iroh knows all about his and Korra's volatile first relationship.

"We have our moments, but we've learned how to fight without breaking up." He smiles. "We're stable. And happy."

Iroh smiles widely. "I'm happy for you. And Korra. Sounds like you're both in this for the long haul."

He chuckles. "Well, hopefully, but I think it's too early to say."

"Mm, I don't think so."

"Says the 35-year-old bachelor," he teases. "When's the next time you go back to the Fire Nation?"

"Next week." Iroh proclaims it with the air of someone about to face doom.

Thanks to Sulanna, he knows exactly what begins in the Fire Nation next week. He struggles to contain his mirth. "So I see. Are you staying for the whole Fire Lily Season?"

"Unfortunately. Mother insisted."

"Is Sulanna going to be participating?"

"I think so." Iroh's eyes suddenly narrow. "Mako, do not try to set me up with your cousin. I told you, she isn't my type."

"I know," he says calmly. "I wasn't suggesting you court her. But I'm sure she knows young noblewomen who might be your type."

"Perhaps." Iroh's tone is noncommittal. "I haven't attended a full Season since I was sixteen. Maybe I'll find someone this year." He sounds dubious.

"You don't have much faith in Fire Nation noblewomen, do you?" he remarks with amusement.

"With good reason. Most of them aren't like Sulanna, you know." Iroh sighs. "The nobility have been slow to change their traditional mindset. Many of them don't even leave the Fire Nation, so they don't have the opportunity to broaden their perspective. Whereas I sometimes wonder if I have too much perspective."

"I don't think there's such a thing."

"Hm. I suppose not."

"Look, just keep an open mind," he advises. "You never know, right?"

Iroh nods absently; there's a faraway look in his eye. "True. You never know." He shakes himself and glances at him. "How's the therapy going? Any progress?"

He makes a face. "Occasionally." Erin has been working regularly with him, but though he can bend more powerfully now when he is consciously thinking about his mother's training, it still comes less naturally to him than the image of her death. He explains this to Iroh, adding, "I don't get why my brain is so fixated on that. You'd think it'd be something I'd want to remember the least."

Iroh hums thoughtfully. "Maybe that's the problem?'

He stares at his friend. "What do you mean?"

"You spent years avoiding recalling that memory," Iroh observes. "Now that you've rediscovered it, I think you're wary of avoiding it again — because you're wiser now, and you know it's not healthy to simply forget it. But you haven't quite found the closure you need to cope with it, so it still lingers."

He blinks. He's used to receiving this sort of insight from Erin, but it's surprising to have it come from Iroh. "You might be on to something." He huffs. "Unfortunately, I don't think closure is going to be something I can get in this case."

"Closure can come in many forms," Iroh points out. "It doesn't mean that because the murderer was never caught means you'll never have closure."

"No, but it sure does help," he retorts. Then he sighs. He'd be lying if he said he'd never entertained the notion of going on a police manhunt for the Agni Kai who killed his parents, but realistically speaking, he knows that's not in the cards. It would be an unjustifiable use of RCPD resources when all he has to go on is a vague description of the perp — and who knows how accurate his traumatised memory actually is? "I'll keep working on my head. It's all I can do, right?"

Iroh pats his shoulder solidly. "You'll get there."

"Thanks."

A/N: Today's song is 'Everyday Life' by Coldplay - I love how calm and relaxing the melody is - and the lyrics, of course, fit right in. In accordance with the theme, there is no definite 'beginning' or 'end' to this chapter. It was deliberately written as a little snippet of Mako and Iroh's conversation; there's obviously more discussion between them before and after the chapter, but this is all that we get - an insight into their everyday lives. So if you feel that the chapter drops you right in the middle of it, and doesn't quite conclude - that's exactly the point ;)

I promise next week's chapter will be on time on the usual Wednesday!