Fire and Ice: An ATLA Fanficion

Chapter Six: The Jasmine Dragon

Kaori

We walk around a bit more, stop for food, and check out some shops. Azula refuses to tell me why the girl's interactions with her parents bothered her.

"You're not my therapist." Azula snaps and we leave it at that.

We arrive at the upper ring and I marvel as I look at all the fancy looking businesses and homes.

"You like tea?" Azula asks.

"I like tea." I say.

"Come on." Azula grabs my hand and leads me up to a plaza to a big building.

"What's this place?" I ask, as we arrive at a shop called the Jasmine Dragon.

"Supposedly this is the best tea in the capital city." Azula says.

"Wow, you've been here before?"

"No, but I've heard."

"Okay, well what are we waiting for, lets go inside!" I say.

"You go, I'll wait out here." Azula says.

"Why, you don't like tea? Come on Azula!"

"I said I'll wait out here!" Azula yells.

"Alright, alright." I back away slowly. "I'll be back in a bit."

I sit down at a table by myself. An old man comes to take my order.

"You're not from around here, are you?" He asks.

"No sir." I say with a smile. "I'm from the north."

The man hums. "Your cheery disposition will bring you great joy in life, what is your name, kind stranger?"

"Kaori." I say. "What is yours?"

"Iroh. I am the proud owner of this establishment." Iroh says. "How may I help you?"

"Uh, I'll have the white lotus tile." I say.

"Excellent choice." Iroh replies, before walking off.

I look around and fidget with my fingers. I wish Azula would come in.

Iroh returns with my tea and sits down opposite of me.

"So, what brings you to Ba Sing Se, weary traveller?" Iroh asks, passing me my tea and taking a sip out of a cup that he made for himself.

For some reason, I feel like I can trust this man.

"Well, in my tribe back home, I'm supposed to marry this man, Kaholo, and train to eventually become queen someday. And my tribe forbids women from bending, except to heal!" I frown. "But I wanted to travel the world, so I ran away."

"Ah, and the Jasmine Dragon is on your list to stop? I am honored." Iroh says.

I take a sip of my tea. It's the best I've ever had. "Actually, my friend told me to come here, but she didn't want to come inside."

"Is she from your village?" Iroh peeks around my shoulder.

"No, actually." I say.

Why am I being so honest with this man?

"I met her along the way."

"A walk taken without friends is a lonely one." Iroh says.

"It's great to have her around." My eyes sparkle. "She knows so much, and she's so smart. She can be kind of abrasive at times, but I feel that she's a good person."

Iroh nods. "I have a nephew who reminds me of the person you just described. For years the forces of good and evil battled within him, but good finally won out."

"You're a good listener." I say, and then jokingly. "I should bring my friend in here, I was prying too much for her earlier and she told me 'you're not my therapist!'"

Iroh laughs. "Well I'm no therapist either so I'm afraid that your friend might not be too fond of my prying either."

"We're kind of both on the run, she's been on edge all morning, she thinks we're too exposed."

"Is that why she stands guard now?"

I nod.

"He who works and does not play is he who is alive but does not live." Iroh says with a twinkle in his eye.

I think about cold, angry, Azula, and I wonder if she's ever played a day in her life.

"She's the first friend I've ever made by myself." I admit. "Back home, everyone treats me differently because of who my family is, they all want something out of me or want to avoid me because they fear my father. But she...she's just so bold and she doesn't really step lightly around me."

Iroh nods.

We both take another sip of tea.

"The best thing the world has to offer is to be known by another. This friend of yours, do you know her?"

Do I really know Azula?

"I don't know much, I know that she has a lot of anger, that she's being hunted by her brother and that she challenged a northern spirit looking for power, and now she has a star inside of her, burning her." I say. "The spirit said we could help each other, so she is guiding me around the world while I try to help her find a cure for the star within her."

Iroh nods. "Each day we spend with one another, we fill in another piece of the other's puzzle."

"She is a doozy, I don't understand her sometimes." I sigh. "Sometimes it seems like we're bonding, like we're getting close, but then she just pulls back all of a sudden! It's like she doesn't know what she wants."

"Has today been good?" Iroh asks.

"What?"

"Has today been good?" The old man repeats.

I think about walking the city with Azula, seeing the sights with her and meeting new people.

"Yeah, today has been good." I say.

"Take life one day at a time, there is no one whose heart cannot be reached with a little bit of time." Iroh hums.

I finish my tea and pull out money and a generous tip. "Thank you for the tea and advice, this truly is the best tea shop in Ba Sing Se!"

"No, thank you." Iroh says. "The pleasure was all mine."

I look around the Jasmine dragon fondly, to all the people chatting and having a good time.

"I hope to come back here someday!"

"And I hope to see your face again!"

I leave the shop to find a grumpy Azula exactly where I left her.

"Who were you talking to?" She asks shrilly.

"I met the owner of the shop!" I say. "He gives such good advice, are you sure sure that you don't want to go in there and...."

"Oh, I'm sure sure." Azula says, and starts walking off.

I sigh. This girl sure is a mystery.

But I push away the negatives and happily trot along to catch up to her, remembering the good memories I just made.