I tie my apron around my waist and set off into the shop. I bob and weave between customers with a tray full of cups of tea.
"Chamomile," I place a cup of tea in front of an elderly woman who smiles up at me, "Such a beautiful girl." I feel my face heat up slightly, "Thank you." I turn away but am faced with a man speaking to Iroh.
"So, you're the genius behind this incredible brew. The whole city is buzzing about you! I hope Pao pays you well."
"Good tea is its own reward." Iroh returns.
"But it doesn't have to be the only reward. How would you like to have your own tea shop?" The man suggests which perks my interest.
"My own tea shop? This is a dream come true!" Iroh exclaims. Pao runs up to the two, "What's going on here? Are you trying to poach my tea-maker?"
"Sorry Pao, but that's business for you, am I right?" The man replies.
"Mushi, if you stay, I'll make you assistant manager. Wait, senior assistant manager!" Pao tries to compensate.
"I'll provide you with a new apartment in the Upper Ring. The tea shop is yours to do whatever you want, complete creative freedom." The man continues with his offer.
"I even get to name the shop?" Iroh gets even more excited.
"Of course."
"Uh, senior executive assistant manager?" Pao pushes to keep Iroh working for him. Iroh however, hands the pot of tea to Pao and bows to the man agreeing to his terms. Zuko follows quickly.
I stand alone near Pao and he glances at me with hope but I take off my own apron and put it in his hands, "Sorry, Pao. This is an offer I can't turn down."
"Did you hear, nephew? This man wants to give us our own tea shop in the Upper Ring of the city!" Iroh informs Zuko.
"That's right, young man, your life is about to change for the better!" The man says to him.
"I'll try to contain my joy," Zuko grumbles, slamming the door on his way out of the tea shop. I open the door slowly after him and stand next to him but suddenly from the sky papers begin to rain.
"What are those?" I try to get a hold of one of them but Zuko beat me to it. I move closer to him to look over his shoulder. It's a poster of Appa the sky bison. He's missing.
"Zuko," I start, pushing the paper away and looking at him from the front, "You can't."
"You can't stop me." He frowns and jumps up onto the roof of a nearby house, searching the sky for any sign of the Avatar. I follow him up there.
"We have a fresh start here." I grab his hand from behind, "Don't you want to forget all those things from your past?" I squeeze his hand but in response, he pulls it away.
"I have a chance to get the Avatar's bison which will lead me to the Avatar. I can get my honour back."
"And what about me?" I cross my arms.
"You can come with me." He says without thinking.
"I don't really think the Fire Lord wants me, a banished girl, waltzing into his home with her arm entangled with his son's. I don't have any honour to gain, the Fire Lord would just kick me out or imprison me."
"I wouldn't let him." Zuko asserts.
"No offence, but I don't think you would be able to win an argument with the Fire Lord." I turn away from him, "Just forget it..." I jump on the roof and walk off.
-
A soft knock on our front door awakes me from a light slumber. My mother's footsteps lead to the door and there is an audible creaking of the door.
"Hello, Iroh." My mother greets him. I rise out of my bed, knowing that Iroh must be here for more than just a friendly hello.
"Is Li Mei here?"
"Yes, but she's sleeping right now. I can-"
"I'm not sleeping," I open my door to reveal myself to my mother and Iroh, "You wanted to see me?" I ask, walking over to the open door.
"It's Prince Zuko,"
"Is he in trouble?" I panic slightly. Iroh smiles at my worry but assures me he is fine, "Zuko has gone looking for the sky bison," I shake my head in disapproval, "And you want me to come to look for him with you?"
"Yes. I know where he has gone. Under Lake Laogai." Iroh grabs my arm and gently guides me through the door, "I will return her in one piece, Nuwa." Iroh informs my mother.
"You better, Iroh." My mother retorts, "Not a scratch." She closes the door on the two of us.
-
"How can Zuko be under Lake Laogai?" I ask Iroh as we walk along the edge of the water.
"Like this," Iroh pulls me away to hide behind a rock. A Dai Li agent approaches and earthbends a path up from under the water. Iroh surprise attacks the agent and leaves him unconscious in the sand.
"How did you know all this?" I ask.
"I asked a friendly Dai Li agent." We run along the path and down a hatch into a dank tunnel.
"Which way are we going?" I look at the dark branching tunnels.
"This way," Iroh instructs, leading the way.
We run into a Dai Li soldier and with some 'convincing' he tells us where to find the sky bison. The tunnels wind around and around and I have no idea how Iroh can tell where we are going and if we are even going in the right direction in the first place. We reach a large door.
"Is he in here?" I question in a whisper not wanting anyone on the other side of the door to hear me. Iroh pushes the door open to reveal the large sky bison with the Blue Spirit standing in front of it.
"Uncle?" Zuko's voice speaks from under the mask, ignoring my presence at the moment.
"So, the Blue Spirit. I wonder who could be behind that mask..." Iroh says sarcastically.
"It was you all along," I mumble to myself, remembering what the merchant said to me at the fire festival all that time ago about the Blue Spirit.
Zuko sighs deeply and removes the mask, "What are you doing here?"
"I was just about to ask you the same thing. What do you plan to do now that you've found the Avatar's bison? Keep him locked in our new apartment? Should I go put on a pot of tea for him?" Iroh continues with his sarcasm.
"First I have to get it out of here." Zuko ignores the sarcasm in Iroh's previous statement.
"You don't get it!" I shout finally getting Zuko's attention, "What will happen once you capture it!? You won't be able to do anything! Aang would be able to get Appa back without even trying! But you don't see that do you!? Because you don't look at the bigger picture! You're trapped inside of this little world inside your head! The only person that matters to you is yourself!" I yell, not worrying anymore about who may hear me.
I realize that I got carried away and that I wasn't just mad about Zuko taking Appa. There are many other things on my mind. Iroh steps forward with his own rage.
"You never think these things through! This is exactly what happened when you captured the Avatar at the North Pole! You had him, and then you had nowhere to go!"
"I would have figured something out!"
"No! If his friends hadn't found you, you would have frozen to death! And Li Mei would have frozen along with you! You were willing to let yourself and your friend die for what?"
"I know my own destiny, Uncle!"
"Is it your own destiny, or is it a destiny someone else has tried to force on you?" Iroh pushes.
"Stop it, Uncle! I have to do this!"
"No, you don't!" I yell stepping closer to him, "You can change! Don't you want a second chance?" I stand directly in front of the prince. I slowly bring my arms around his waist to calm him down. I press my cheek to his shoulder, "Please," I whisper just for him to hear.
"I'm begging you, Prince Zuko! It's time for you to look inward and begin asking yourself the big questions. Who are you, and what do you want?" Iroh says from behind me. Zuko pushes me off of him and throws his swords to the floor with a loud scream.
I walk over to the large sky bison, "Hey, Appa." He hesitates to trust me. I reach my hand out slowly, "It's okay. I'm a friend. Li Mei, remember?" Appa lets me touch his nose and I gently pet him, "Let's get you out of these chains, okay?"
-
"Aren't you coming?" Zuko asks, standing at the door.
"No. I'm going to wait for Aang," I sit on the ground with my legs crossed. Zuko's face contorts before he makes his decision to leave with Iroh.
Not long after Zuko leaves the door bursts open and Aang appears, "Li Mei?" He asks when he realizes it is me who is sitting on the floor.
"Appa's gone! Long Feng beat us here. But what are you doing here, Li Mei?" Aang looks around the room confused.
"I'm not preparing an ambush if that's what you are afraid of. Appa has been released, he's okay,"
"Appa's alright!?" Aang says excitedly.
"Yes. I was here when he was released,"
"Who helped him?" Aang looks back at me.
"That I cannot tell you. I'm sorry," I move towards Team Avatar noticing that there is now a fourth member to their team but now I feel it is not the time to ask, "I'm afraid that if we wait much longer your friend Long Feng might actually find Appa." I inform the others.
"If we keep moving, maybe we can beat them to Appa," Sokka suggests. Team Avatar goes running out of the room leaving me to follow on their heels. Reaching the beach several Dai Li agents arrive from the tunnel behind us.
"You think we can outrun them?" Sokka asks.
"I don't think it's gonna matter," Aang says, looking in front of us at several more Dai Li agents and who I assume is Long Feng. These agents form rock walls all around us, boxing us in. Momo the lemur starts flapping around Aang's head.
"What is it, Momo?" Momo flies up into the sky before the large sky bison flies down after him, "Appa!" Aang cries, happy to see his old friend again. Appa smashes the rock walls around us. Long Feng squares up to Appa.
"I think I can handle you myself." He says cockily. Appa grabs Long Feng's leg with his mouth and throws him into the water. Team Avatar runs to their bison while I walk back over to the edge of the water letting my feet sink into the sand.
"Li," Katara's voice comes from over my shoulder, "Are you coming?" She points to Appa.
"No, I'll make my way back on my own," I wave my hand.
"Alright then," Katara looks confused but she climbs onto Appa's back and flies off with the rest of them. I walk back over to the main entrance to the underground tunnels. The sound of footsteps makes me turn. Zuko and Iroh emerge from the hole in the ground. I walk over to them and wrap my arms tightly around Zuko.
"You made the right choice," I whisper into his ear. I pull away from the hug and Iroh looks at me smugly. Zuko casts his eyes down to the blue mask.
"Leave it behind." Iroh puts a hand on his shoulder. Zuko walks to the edge pulling me slightly with my hand intertwined with his. He holds the mask over the water before dropping it into the deep water. I move closer to him and rest my head softly on his shoulder.
I return to Iroh and Zuko's apartment for a brief visit before I go back home, "You did the right thing. Letting the Avatar's bison go free." Iroh informs Zuko.
"I don't feel right." Zuko wobbles slightly before collapsing, knocking a vase down in the process.
"Zuko!" Iroh and I both cry running to the boy's side.
"What's wrong with him?" I look to Iroh with worry.
"I believe that he is having a battle within his mind. Doing the right thing in that moment was so against what he believes himself to be that the good is fighting the bad inside him." Iroh explains. I look back down at Zuko's form. I yawn before slowly standing up.
"I can't leave..." I yawn again.
"You can stay here if you wish, we have another bed mat," I listen to Iroh's words before returning to my spot next to Zuko who Iroh has now moved into a more comfortable position. Without a word more, I curl up next to Zuko falling into a deep slumber.