I wandered through the streets of Ba Sing Se, trying to find the apartment. My head was spinning, I was feeling dizzy and I felt the need to vomit. Did my parents get what they deserved? Should I even try and find my mom? What will she say when I confront her with this? Iroh knows, I'm sure he can explain... tell me that this isn't true.
After asking several people, I found the tea shop and I went upstairs to the apartment. I opened the door and slammed it behind me. I stood down against the door, looking from Zuko to Iroh. I walked up to Iroh and stood down in front of him. "I-I need to t-talk to you." I stammered. "Alone." Iroh looked down and sighed. We walked out to one of the bedrooms and Iroh closed the door behind him.
"What happened?" Iroh asked.
"A lot, actually," I said breathlessly, "I saw my aunt and uncle, they weren't very happy to see me," I started, my eyes tearing up, "instead, they told me that my father took my mother and forced her to marry him, and that my mother sought out revenge by betraying him and that it is all her fault that they now live in poverty. Is this true?"
"Istari..."
"Is it true?" I repeated. "Is it true that you took me to the firebending masters so that I wouldn't be thrown off the palace walls?!" I yelled angrily. "I had no choice," Iroh said calmly, "I learned from the firebending masters myself, I knew you had it in you. I just needed to prove it... The firebending masters only blessed you because they knew you had purpose and destiny in you to use it."
"I could have died! Many people didn't return from there!" I asked panicky.
"I know I had more chance to be able to firebend than to fly, but...This is ridiculous! How can they do that to me?!"
"Your parents had very different opinions about your upbringing..." Iroh said calmly.
"I just don't understand," I said, shaking my head, "we were a happy family... I never saw them argue."
"Your mother did start to love your father, but as the war grew, and more land was taken by the Fire Nation...'" Iroh started, "I guess something must have snapped."
"My father would never agree with a genocide... Wiping entire families out...." I said determined. Iroh sighed and looked down. "Right?" I asked carefully. "We all make the wrong choices sometimes." Iroh said quietly. I stood back against the door and sank through my knees. "Why didn't she take me with her?" I asked him.
"I don't know Istari," Iroh said quietly. "She probably didn't want me," I said, shrugging, "I was supposed to be turned into some firebending monster, raiding villages and arresting people on the mainland, destroying their lives and tearing families apart."
"Istari, I understand that you are angry-"
"Angry? Anger doesn't even come close to what I feel, I don't think there's even a word to describe how I feel!" I cried, sobbing uncontrollably. "I am outraged!" I yelled, flames coming out of my fist, almost setting the bed sheets on fire.
"Okay, that's it, what is going on?" Zuko asked angrily, storming into the room. He looked at my face and walked up to me. "What did you say to her?" He asked alarmed. Iroh looked down. "Only what she needed to hear." He replied. "It's gonna be okay, Istari. Calm down, tell me what happened." He asked.
"S-sh-e... t-thought... I'd... b-be... a-a mo-hon-ster." I cried in his arms.
"What?" He asked confused.
"Istari visited her aunt and uncle who now live in the city." Iroh said.
"Bojing?" Zuko asked surprised.
"They turned me away, because my parents made some big mistakes... And for that they hate me." I sniffed.
"Oh..." Zuko mumbled awkwardly, "that's rough."
"Gosh, you're so awkward," I said, shaking his hand off me. "I am only trying to help." He replied offended. "I know, I'm sorry." I replied, shaking my head.
Zuko grabbed my hand and took me to the bedroom.
"It's okay, Iz. As long as we have each other, we will be fine. You are amazing, don't you every forget that." He said with a smile. "T-thank you." I replied and I rested my head on is shoulder. "I am so happy that we're back together. I have missed you terribly." I cried, squeezing in his hand. "I have missed you too." Zuko replied.
After sitting a few minutes in silence, I stopped crying. I still felt very uncomfortable and I wanted to go out, to be on my own and to process what had happened. "I-I'm gonna go for a walk, I need to get out for a bit."
"Want me to come with you?" Zuko asked.
"No, it's okay." I said as I stood up. I kissed him and walked out of the room.
"Don't be back late, we have a job to do. We got hired in the tearoom downstairs." Iroh said quickly.
"Oaky." I replied and I swung my bag over my shoulders walking out of the apartment.
It was very depressing, everyone looked at me... As if they were judging me. And I can understand, they are in the same position as me. Most of them are refugees, they had to leave their home.
I found a square with a fountain in the middle and I sat down, trying to calm myself down. I played with the water, moving my hand in the cold water. I heard some noise in the street, and the people ran up, celebrating. They passed me, happy and singing. "Cheer up, girl! The Avatar just saved us!" A young woman said happily to me.
It took me a while before I realized what she said. I jumped up and ran up to her. "What?" I asked startled.
"Yeah, he's here, in Ba Sing Se! He stopped the drill on the other side of town." She said with a huge smile.
"Where is he now?" I asked breathlessly. "The upper ring probably, bye!" She shouted when she ran away, following the group.
"Huh..." I mumbled and I turned around. "Upper ring it is."
I wanted to see my friends badly. I needed to see them, hug them, let them tell me it will all be okay. After I calmed down and came back to my senses, I got out of the train station and saw some people standing in line in front of desks. I saw that everyone was showing some sort of passport. It was my turn and I stood down in front of the man. "I need to see your passport." He said without looking at me. I showed him the passport that Iroh gave me.
"Not that one." He said, still not looking up.
"Why not?" I asked blankly. He looked up at me, annoyed. "You need a special passport to be able to enter the middle and upper ring." He mumbled. "Why?" I asked with gritted teeth. "So peasants like you stay here in the lower ring, where you belong."
I gaped at him, trying to calm myself and not pulling him over the desk to smack him. "Listen," I said, forcing a smile, "I am a friend of the Avatar," and I put my hands on the desk, "and I really, really need to see him."
"Well he's everyone's best buddy these days." The man replied, looking back down at his desk.
"Well he certainly is mine and I certainly am his, so I'd very much like you to let me pass."
"You should know all the things I want." The man replied airily.
"Tell him that Ista-" I stopped, remembering the wanted posters all over the earth kingdom, "Izzy is here to see him."
"Okay." The man replied, not looking up. "Maybe you should write it down, just in case." I insisted. "Maybe you should back off before I call security."
"How rude!" I hissed and I snatched my passport off his desk, walking away with my head up high.
I looked back at the station and sighed. I shouldn't rely on other people anyway. I go to the apartment, focus on my job in the tearoom and try to make the best out of it with Zuko.
And yeah, so I did.
The last couple of weeks have been interesting. Working at the tea shop was actually going well. It wasn't much to begin with but with Iroh there it kinda blossomed into a decent tea shop with a lot of customers in just a few days. Zuko was doing the dishes, I was walking around serving the tea and Iroh was making it. We were a very good team. I still had my mind set on trying to reach Aang, as I returned to the station many times, but after I calmed down and Zuko was there to comfort me, I can say I was actually feeling a lot better.
Until now.
The door slammed open and a familiar face walked in. "I am tired of waiting, those three are firebenders!" Jet yelled in the middle of the tea shop and he drew out his hooks. Everyone looked shocked. "I know they are firebenders! The old man and the girl heated up their tea." Jet said. "We work in a tea shop, what do you expect?" I said and some people grinned.
"They are firebenders, I tell you! That girl is named Istari, she's wanted!" Jet said, looking angrily at me.
"She certainly is." One amn said and he winked at me.
I gasped, shocked. "How dare you? I'm only trying to do my job..." I said to Jet with my hand on my chest.
"Okay boy, that's it. Drop your swords." A man who was drinking tea said.
"You'll have to defend yourself, go ahead... show me what you can do." Jet said, walking up to me.
"You want a show? I'll give you a show." Zuko said and he grabbed two swords out of nowhere, starting to attack Jet.
"Lee, stop!" I yelled when he kicked a table towards Jet. They took it outside and continued to fight on the street. "You are confused son, stop it!" Iroh yelled to Jet, still clutching his pot of tea. The whole street came outside to watch the spectacle until finally some special agents arrived. "Drop your weapons." One of them said.
"Arrest them, they are fire benders!" Jet yelled and he pointed towards us. "This boy is confused, we are refugees." Iroh said. "This boy wrecked my tea shop and attacked my employees!" Or boss said angrily.
"That's true sir, we saw the whole thing. This kid attacked the finest tea maker in the city." The man who tried to stop Jet said.
"Oh, that's very sweet." Iroh replied friendly.
"You don't understand, they're fire nation!" Jet said as he was being handcuffed and thrown onto the wagon. I watched him while he was being carried away, until he was out of sight. I turned to Zuko and walked up to him. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Zuko replied as he picked up the swords. "You?"
"I am okay, I kinda feel guilty. Heating up that tea, that was stupid." I said, shaking my head.
"Well, we all do things we shouldn't do." Zuko said with an undertone. "What's that supposed to mean?" I asked irritated.
"I followed you a few times when you were out for groceries," Zuko said, looking angrily at me, "you try to get into the station, why?"
"You were following me? So much for trust!" I asked angrily. "So, what were you doing, huh?" Zuko asked.
"That's none of your business." I replied and I looked away from him. He grabbed my arm and looked at me. "It's no big deal, okay? I'm trying to contact a lady who helped me before, when I was here. She lives in the Middle Ring. She said I could contact her if I ever came back." I lied at my best.
"Then why are you being so sneaky about it?" Zuko asked, letting go of my arm. "I just- I just didn't want to raise any suspicion by going together or hope that we can move to the middle ring." I said breathlessly. Zuko looked at me and swung his arm around me. "Don't worry, Iz. We are gonna be alright." He said and he planted a kiss on my cheek. I smiled at him and got back inside the tea shop, starting to clean up the mess.
The next day, the tea shop looked as, well I was going to say brand new, but it looked the way it was before it got wrecked by Jet. Zuko and I were running back and forth, as the word got out what had happened and more people wanted to see and taste it for themselves.
I was out in the kitchen when Iroh walked in. "You never guess what happened!" He said happily. "What is it?" I asked, putting down my towel. "There were some business men here, they offered me my own tea shop in the Upper Ring of the city! We can name it ourselves and all, we will just run it for him, put down that towel and get up with me, we need to think about names!"
"What? That's amazing!" I said more relieved than happy as I can finally contact Aang. I put my towel down and removed my apron as I walked upstairs with Iroh. I could not find Zuko as he went outside. We sat down at the table and started to brainstorm.
"What about...." I said while hovering my pencil above the blank sheet of paper, "Mushi's?"
"Hmmm no, I don't like the name."
"The flaming teapot?" I asked.
"No."
"House of the dragon?"
"The Jasmine's pot?"
"I got it!" Iroh interrupted me. "The Jasmine Dragon!"
"The Jasmine Dragon it is!" I said as I wrote it down on the paper.
"Okay, good," I said as I laid the pencil down, "I am gonna pick up the rest of my things downstairs, I'll be right back."
"Oh, could you bring my teapot as well?" Iroh asked. "Yeah, sure." I replied and I walked out of the door.
After another plead to stay from our previous boss, I came back to the apartment. Before I opened the door I overheard Zuko's conversation with Iroh. "The Avatar is here in Ba Sing Se, he has lost his bison." It was quiet for a while, until Iroh spoke. "We have a chance of a new life here. If you start stirring up trouble, we could lose all the good things that are happening for us."
"Good things for you, maybe. But I don't want to spend the rest of my life serving tea!"
"There is nothing wrong with a life of peace and prosperity..." Iroh said, "you and Istari are growing back to each other, you could raise a family together."
"All Istari cares about is getting back to the Avatar, that's why she's been at the station. She knows he is in Ba Sing Se." Zuko replied angrily. I sighed and shook my head. "Shoot." I whispered to myself. Iroh didn't say anything, I heard footsteps fading away and a slam of a door. I waited a minute or so before opening the door and getting in the apartment.
"I got our things," I said when I put the stuff on the table, "is Zuko back yet?"
Iroh nodded slowly, looking at the bedroom. I knocked on the door and walked in. Zuko was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling. "Hey," I said and I walked up to him, giving him a kiss, "how is it going?"
"Fine, you?" He replied short. "I'm okay, I just picked up the rest of our things." I replied slowly.
Zuko didn't reply, he only stared at the ceiling. "Maybe we can go out for dinner tonight? Just the two of us, what do you say?" I said with a forced smile, holding his hand. "I'm sorry Iz, I'm not feeling very well. Maybe tomorrow." He said as he turned around with his back towards me. "Okay." I said quietly and I walked out of the bedroom. I closed the door behind me and I walked to the balcony to sit there. That night, I did not speak with either of them. All I could think about was Appa and Aang, and I kept looking up to the sky for a sign of them but it did not come.