Nava stood in the backroom of the tea shop, scrubbing dishes. In the last week or so, business at the shop exploded and Pao, the owner, needed all hands on deck. They barely had enough cups for the amount of patrons coming and going.
She was halfway through a stack of dishes when Iroh came into the back, looking delighted.
"I've just been offered my own tea shop in the upper ring!" he said excitedly. "You and Zuko are my first employees!"
"So we don't work here anymore?" Nava asked and Iroh shook his head.
She dropped the cup she was washing in the washbasin and dried her hands off on her apron. Then she untied it and set it on the counter. "Good timing, I'm pretty sure my fingers are permanently pruned."
She followed Iroh outside and bid a tearful Pao farewell, and made their way back to their apartment.
They packed their things as soon as they got home. Iroh muttered to himself about potential shop names.
"How about Dragon's Breath Tea?" he asked Nava before promptly shaking his head. "Never mind, that doesn't sound as good out loud."
The front door opened and Zuko came in with a rolled-up piece of parchment in his hand.
"How about the Jasmine Dragon?" Iroh said to both teenagers. "It's dramatic, poetic, has a nice ring to it."
"Oh, that sounds good," Nava nodded.
"The Avatar's in Ba Sing Se," Zuko said and held out the leaflet to his uncle. "And he's lost his bison."
Iroh took the paper and examined it with a frown. Nava peered over his shoulder. Sure enough, there was a painting of Appa with the words MISSING: PLEASE REPORT ANY SIGHTINGS TO THE CITY WATCH.
"We have a chance for a new life here," he said. "If you start stirring up trouble, we could lose all the good things that are happening to us."
Zuko rounded on Iroh with an irratated expression.
"Good things that are happening for you! Have you ever thought that maybe I want more from life than a nice apartment serving tea?" he snapped.
"There is nothing wrong with a life of peace and prosperity, Prince Zuko," Iroh said calmly. "I suggest you think about what it is that you want for your life, and why."
Zuko turned his back to them. "I want my destiny."
"What that means is up to you," Iroh said, setting the poster on the counter. "But do not think of only yourself, you are not the only one who is affected by your choices."
"I'm going for a walk," Zuko huffed and left the apartment, slamming the door behind him.
"I'll go with him," Nava said and followed him outside. She spotted him up the street and jogged to catch up with him. When she did, he shot her a glare.
"Did he send you to talk to me?"
"No, I came on my own. I want to walk with you."
They walked in silence, turning down random streets, and eventually found themselves in a greenspace area, with kids and their parents lounging about. Zuko sat on a bench under a tree and Nava sat beside him. She watched a group of kids play a game of tag.
"What do you want to do with your life?" he asked her. "Do you want to run a tea shop with my uncle and collect a modest paycheque?"
"Not particularly, but what else am I going to do?" she shrugged. "My entire life has been me moving from place to place; maybe it's time to hunker down and have a proper life for a bit. I'll probably miss the adventure after a while and that's when I'll return to wandering."
"Why don't you come with me? To capture the Avatar, return to the Fire Nation. I'll have you excused from your crimes and you can reinstate yourself as a Yuyan Agent."
"Zuko, capturing the Avatar isn't my mission, if that's something you think is your destiny, then you need to do that yourself."
"What do you mean, 'if I think'? I know it is!"
"Are you sure? Are you sure that isn't someone else's burden put on your shoulders? Do you really want to do this, or are you just desperate for your father's approval?"
Zuko ran his hands through his hair. "I want to do this. I need to do this. I'm going to go tonight and try to find the bison, are you coming?"
Nava shook her head. "Someone's got to cover for you when your uncle asks where you are."
He gave her a small smile and put his hand on hers, giving it a light squeeze. "I owe you one. I'll see you later tonight."
"Where are you going? You're going to go in broad daylight?"
"No, I'm going to get my Blue Spirit uniform. I rented a storage locker the week after we got here and put everything in there. I'm going to get it and then gather some intel before I go. I'll see you and uncle tonight, or tomorrow morning at the latest."
"Okay," Nava said softly. She didn't move as he released her hand and stood up. Her fingers tingled where they had touched his. "Good luck, Prince Zuko. Be careful."
"I will," he said automatically, but then added. "For you."
///
Iroh was trimming the flowerbed outside their front window when Nava returned.
"Where is Zuko?" he asked her.
"He wanted to spend some time alone," she said idly. Her lips pursed.
Iroh set down his clippers and regarded Nava for a long time. "Is that it?"
"Mhmm," she hummed and busied herself with tidying up the kitchen.
"Nava," Iroh said firmly. "There is something you're not telling me."
"No, I believe I've told you everything," Nava said. She was normally an expert liar, but she didn't like lying to Iroh. She grabbed a rag to wipe down the kitchen counter.
"Very well," Iroh said, and she knew that he didn't believe her. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about his storage locker, would you?"
"Storage locker?" Nava played dumb. "No, I didn't know he had one."
"Right, right. Well I found an unfamiliar key on the floor yesterday morning with the logo for a storage place here on it. I put it on the trunk and noticed it was gone last night. You do not know anything about that?"
Nava shook her head.
"I just thought he would have told you something, given how close you two have become over the last few weeks. But if you didn't know, then I suppose I will be stepping out for a little bit tonight. I have reason to believe that Zuko will be sneaking around somewhere he shouldn't be."
Nava was in disbelief. How did Iroh always seem to know what was happening at any given point? Her feelings must have shown on her face because Iroh let out a rumbling laugh.
"I have been around for a long time, Nava, you'll have to work a little harder to trick me. And I know my nephew well enough to know that he doesn't like to wait for things," he said. "There is an underground fortress beneath Lake Laogai. Men that were captured during my siege were taken there and put under psychological duress, some of them were forced to retire after they got out. I wouldn't put it past the government to use it to hide the Avatar's bison in there."
"Wait, you don't think he's actually missing?" Nava asked.
"No, the Earth King is a weak ruler, I've heard mumblings in the tea shop from city guards that the Dai Li runs everything. The leader, Long Feng, is the one that makes all the important decisions, and he would want the Avatar in the city for as long as possible."
"Do you know how to get to Lake Laogai?"
Iroh nodded, setting his cup of tea down on the counter. "We'll go after dinner, make sure you have comfortable running shoes."
///
After a tense dinner of potatoes and some fried duck, Nava dressed in her black clothing and pinned her hair back. She pulled the neck of her shirt over her nose and slung her bow across her back. Iroh was on his fourth cup of tea, practising some breathing exercises he said he picked up from the airbenders. Once the full moon was high in the sky, Iroh gave Nava the right of way.
They stuck to the sparsely lit streets and snuck past tollbooths. Eventually, they made it outside walls. It was a bit of a walk from there, but at least they didn't have to sneak around anymore.
Lake Laogai was seemingly in the middle of nowhere, in the centre of a ring of hills. There were no guards, which was odd to Nava. She and Iroh found their way in through an exposed tunnel and followed it deep below ground.
The hallways were expansive – nearly twice the size of Appa. They went down a series of twists and turns, passing cages, doors with people screaming behind them, and groups of similar-looking women chorusing 'My name is Joo Dee'. The whole thing made the hair on Nava's neck stand up on end.
Peeking down a corridor, Iroh nodded for Nava to follow.
"The largest cells are down here."
They went a ways down the hallway, coming to stop in front of a huge metal door that was cracked open.
"You're mine now," came Zuko's voice.
Iroh and Nava stepped into the cell and shut the door behind them. The Blue Spirit whirled, swords raised to attack.
"Uncle?" he asked as he lowered his swords. "Nava?"
"So, the infamous Blue Spirit," Iroh said, tugging on his beard. "I wonder who is behind the mask."
In response, Zuko removed the mask and looked between his uncle and Nava.
"What are you two doing here?"
"I didn't even have to say anything," Nava said. "He figured it out on his own."
"You are predictable, nephew. What do you plan to do once you get the Avatar's bison out of here? Keep it locked in our new apartment? Should I get a pot of tea ready for him?" Iroh said.
"I just need to get it out of here." Zuko responded.
"And then what?!" Iroh yelled and his voice echoed in the room. Nava flinched. She had never seen or heard him angry like that before. "You never think these things through! This is exactly what happened at the North Pole: you had the Avatar and then you had no where to go!"
"I would have figured something out!" Zuko shot back.
"No! If his friends hadn't found you, you would have frozen to death!"
The Prince turned back to face Appa. "I know my own destiny, Uncle."
"Is it your own destiny? Or is it a destiny someone else as forced upon you?"
"Stop it, Uncle. I have to do this."
"I'm begging you, Prince Zuko," Iroh pleaded. "It's time for you to look within yourself and begin asking the big questions: who are you? And what do you want?"
Zuko was still for a second before he cried out in frustration. He threw his swords and mask to the ground and they landed with a clatter. With his face in his hands, he sighed.
"Help me unchain it. We need to get it out of here before someone finds us. We'll leave it outside where the Avatar can find it himself."
Relief crossed Iroh's face.
Nava went towards one of the shackles around Appa's leg.
"Hi, Appa," she said soothingly. "We're going to get you out of here, okay? We'll get you back to Aang."
The bison growled in response but didn't try to attack her as she knelt and used her arrow to pick the lock. Once they got all six shackles off, Iroh led Appa out of the cell while Zuko and Nava kept watch.
They made it outside substantially quicker the second time around, emerging from the tunnel they entered through. There was a fight going on – Dai Li agents versus the Avatar and his friends. Appa broke away from the trio, hurtling through a wall of rock. Nava watched as he grabbed one of the agents by the leg with his teeth and tossed him into the lake.
After a brief reunion, Aang, Katara, Sokka, and the same girl in green piled onto Appa and took off back towards the city.
Zuko, Nava, and Iroh came out of the tunnel once they were gone. Iroh laid a hand on Zuko's shoulder.
"You did the right thing, Zuko," he said proudly. Zuko held up his Blue Spirit mask and stared at the face for a long time. "Leave it behind."
Zuko walked to the edge of the lake and dropped it into the water. He watched it sink into the depths and Iroh gave him a hug. Then Zuko went up to Nava and hugged her tightly, burying his face in the crook of her neck. She returned his embrace, patting his back a few times before he released her.
"I'm proud of you, Zuko," she whispered.