As it turns out, I'm not actually dead. I just haven't been active with this book much lately. . . I know, I should be ashamed of myself, but whatever. I'm back! Isn't that all that counts?

Has anyone ever really realized how awful Mondays are? I mean, honestly, I don't think that any other work days are much better, but there's just something about being forced to do work after two days of freedom that just really rubs me the wrong way.

Zuko was the one to wake me up, as per usual, so that ended up with me one the floor scowling and Zuko smirking down at me. Then, I got ready- still mad at the world for waking me up from my dream-filled sleep. I just happened to be enjoying tea with some actors- I just couldn't remember their names, or what they played in. Although, I'm almost certain that it was something that I loved a lot as a kid.

The morning went by relatively slowly at the shop, so I was put on sweeping duty while Zuko had to clean tables- which he was very certain to look ticked about being forced to do, so the usual.

I was almost shocked when I saw an upper class man in expensive clothes walk into the shop with what looked like a couple of bodyguards- I wonder who he could be.

I decided to leave the man be and continued my work, moving into the back as I did so. It was when I heard him begin speaking to Uncle that my interest had been piqued, so being myself I inconspicuously listened in on the conversation by opening the door and moving to work out by Zuko.

He gave me a strange glance as he picked up a table someone was previously sitting at. He knew what I was doing, but decided not to say anything.

"Good tea is its own reward," Uncle told the rich man standing in front of him.

"But, it doesn't have to be the only reward," Mr. Rich countered. I furrowed my brow slightly at this. What was he talking about? "How would you like to have your own tea shop?"

I could almost see Uncle's eyes widen considerably as I continued to sweep by Zuko, not daring to look at them, as he repeated the words of the man, "My own tea shop? This is a dream come true!"

Apparently, our boss was listening in as well, because that's when the short, skinny man came running in. "What's going on here?" I couldn't help the smirk that made my way onto my face when I heard him speak- even though I felt kind of mean for doing so. "Are you trying to poach my tea-maker?"

I managed a small glance when Mr. Rich began to speak once more and noticed that our boss was standing in front of Uncle quite protectively. "Sorry pal, but that's business for you, am I right?"

"Mushi, if you stay, I'll make you assistant manager. Wait, senior assistant manager!" Mr. Pao tried to intrigue him. I decided to just sit for a moment and enjoy the show while Zuko began picking up the cups off the table.

"I'll provide you with a new apartment in the upper ring. The tea shop is yours to do with whatever you want- complete creative freedom." Now, that got all of our attention. Even Zuko glanced at the conversation as he finished picking everything up.

"I even get to name the shop?" Uncle inquired with not-so-hidden excitement.

"Of course!"

I could now see Mr. Pao getting desperate. "Executive senior assistant manager?" The poor man tried. He was just making up titles at this point, and I think uncle knew it because he simply handed the kettle that was in his hand over to our boss with a smile.

The poor man looked down at it sadly before walking away. Zuko walked off with the tray of empty cups, but Uncle caught him with his words, "Did you hear, nephew? This man wants to give us our own tea shop in the upper ring of the city!"

"That's right, young man. Your life is about to change for the better," Mr. Rich cut in with a business-y smile.

"I'll try to contain my joy," Zuko snapped back as he sat down the tray on a table and stepped outside. I have a nervous chuckle and stood to make my way over to Uncle.

"Sorry about him, sir. He's always like that," I apologized lightly before turning to Uncle. "Congrats, by the way. I knew you'd make it somewhere with those tea skills!"

Uncle gave me a knowing smile and rose an eyebrow, but said nothing. I knew that he knew that I was only glad to not have to deal with another adult anymore. Don't get me wrong, I respect Pao, but I really don't like working for strangers, and he just. . . set me off somehow.

The man smiled, "You better head back to your place and pack, for tomorrow is when you move to the upper ring!"

Uncle quickly nodded, undid his apron, grabbed my wrist and ran out of the shop in a blur of excitement.

The moment we arrived at the apartment, Uncle pulled out a trunk and began to pull out the things that we'd take with us.

"Oh, this is exciting, Aiko. Things seem to be looking up for us now." Uncle called from the other room as he walked back in with a separate attack of clothes.

I couldn't stop the smile that appeared on my face. "They do, Uncle. They do." A small moment of silence passed between us before I spoke up again. "So, your own tea shop, huh? What are you going to call it?"

Without even missing a beat, he responded, "I'm tossing between a few. The Tea Dragon or, maybe, The Gold Fleece."

It was like something had begun to knock on my skull at that. Percy. But, as soon as it was there, it was gone again. Like a wisp of steam, it had dissipated from me. Apparently, my confusion showed on my face because Uncle looked at me.

"Aiko, are you okay?" He asked slowly and kindly. I shook off the strange feeling and turned to face him completely.

"Oh, what? Um. . . Yeah. I was thinking the Tea Dragon was pretty close. What if you did 'The Jasmine Dragon' instead?" He looked at me suspiciously for a second before smiling at me.

"That's a wonderful name. I'll think about it."

I smiled and continued to help him pack until Zuko finally walked in the door.

What took him so long to get home?

"So, I was thinking about names for my new tea shop." I looked at Zuko strangely as he seemed to be pulling something out of his shirt, completely ignoring Uncle. "How about The Jasmine Dragon? It's dramatic, poetic--"

"--And stolen. Stop pretending like you were the one to come up with that one, Uncle," I cut him off with a playful smirk. I caught Zuko smiling at me for merely a fraction of a second before it disappeared once more. The item that he had retrieved from his shirt had been a slip of paper and when it unfurled I immediately knew what it was for. It was a picture of Appa professionally drawn with some sort of written description, or perhaps instructions, in their native tongue.

Honestly, it would be so useful if I actually spoke the apparent universal language here.

"The Avatar is here in Ba Sing Se, and he's lost his bison," my brother explained simply before walking towards the window. I furrowed my brow. He hadn't even mentioned the avatar since we had reached the city. And, now, just because some flyer has shown up, he wants to start his search again?

Apparently, Uncle thought the same way because we sighed at the same time. "We have a chance for a new life here. If you start stirring up trouble, we'll be throwing away all of the good things that are happening for us."

Apparently that wasn't the right wording, because Zuko snapped back around to look at him, "Good things that are happening for you! Have you ever thought that I want more from life than a nice appartment and a job serving tea?" Anyone else notice that I have been completely excluded from this conversation? No, just me? Okay.

"There is nothing wrong with a life of peace and prosperity. It's time you figure out what you want from your life, and why."

"I want my destiny."

"What that means is up to you," Iroh attempted, but Zuko wasn't listening anymore. He walked out and I frowned.

"The Tea Weemo!" Uncle exclaimed suddenly, causing me to jump.

"No, you should just stick with mine," I smirked.

He scrunched his face in disgust. "You're right. That's stupid."

I smiled and turned my attention back to Zuko's retreating form, debating whether or not I should follow him. I decided to, and stood up.

However, Uncle shook his head and grabbed my wrist. "Let him work this out himself, my niece. This is something he must try to work out on his own."

I looked down at him for a moment. I knew he was probably right, but it just didn't feel right. Something was almost forcing me to go and talk to him. It was like a tug in my gut. My foot began to shake with the need to speak to my brother. I glanced in the direction he had gone and no longer saw him. "I know, Uncle. It's just. . ." How would I explain it? I bit my lip, but sat down nonetheless.

It had been nearly ten minutes before I couldn't bear it any longer. That tug had only become more prominent the longer I sat there doing nothing. Eventually, I stood making an excuse for me to leave and then went to go find him.

It only took a few moments before I spotted him sitting on the roof, a spot I noticed he tended to retreat to when he thought. I wasn't quiet enough, though, since he didn't even turn when he acknowledged my presence.

"I suppose you've come to lecture me, too?" I smiled slightly and took a seat next to him.

"I figured I'd find you here. You are too predictable sometimes,"I responded. If he noticed that I had dodged his question, he didn't mention it.

"I suppose I can be." He looked at me slightly curiously. "Only sometimes? Am I unpredictable the rest of the time?"

I couldn't stop the smirk the spread across my lips. "You're a teenage boy, as far as I'm concerned you are the least predictable person I know."

He smiled slightly at the comment before frowning, "Do you suppose I'll ever make the throne, Aiko?" I frowned at the sudden change of subject and prompted him to explain further. "I've been a fugitive for the past three years of my life, and even before that it wasn't as though I had the favor of father. If he so desired, with a single word, he could easily make Azula ruler."

He sighed deeply, "Sometimes I wonder if I was ever meant for the throne. . ."

My frown deepened. "I--I think you're thinking about it too hard, brother. You are the first born; therefore,it is your birthright to be ruler. Just because yo-- Ozai is a blind man, doesn't mean it isn't meant for you. If I remember correctly, Mother thought you had what it took to be king. And, if it means anything, I think you'd make a fine ruler one day."

His face remained impassive as I spoke, so I couldn't be certain if what I said to him meant anything. He could be so hard to read sometimes. After a few moments of complete silence, he spoke once more, "What makes you think that?"

I looked out towards the now setting sun. "Honestly? I'm not completely sure. But, it feels weird to think of anyone other than you becoming firelord. Besides, you have experienced the world on the outside. I feel like you'd be capable of better choices. It also helps having a couple of wise people to help."

More silence. The two of us simply enjoyed the sunset. Well, I was enjoying it. Who knows what goes through Zuko's head?

It wasn't until the sun was nearly completely set and a chilled breeze began to blow that he spoke again, "Tell me of your world."

The question caught me off guard. I mean, every once in a while he'd ask about my life beforehand, but I hadn't been expecting it at this moment. It had been a while. I only chuckled, "What is there to tell? It's pretty boring compared to here. No control of the elements, no massive wars have happened for over a half a century--"

"You say that often, but I think it would be fascinating. Tell me a story from there."

My mind went blank, my memory of the place had become so faded, I didn't think there was much left to tell. I remembered the common bible stories from Sunday school, and maybe a few moments from when I was young, but there wasn't much more than that. It took a moment, but the perfect story came to mind.

"Well, I loved movies. Stories like books, but you watched it happen in real time. I remember one that was about a young man who wanted his kingdom's throne. He had been raised to become king, but so had his younger sibling. However, after making a horrible mistake that he had thought been the right decision, he was banished. Out into a world with nothing and no one, he was to stay there until he had become worthy for the throne once more."

He rolled his eyes slightly. "Is this about me?"

I smiled and rested my head on his shoulder watching as the last of the day's light began to fade. "No, now shush. I'm telling a story. Anyways, after being banished he was lucky enough to find a few people willing to help him on his journey. He spent most of his time looking for his worth in the wrong way; however, towards the end he saved the life of another by sacrificing himself from the attack of his younger sibling. He should have died, and for a moment I think we all thought he had, but through some form of magic he had been revived. It was his act of selflessness that truly proved he was worthy of the throne once more. He was once again given his title of Prince and I'm certain nearly everyone had a happy ending."

"What about the younger sibling?"

I took a moment to remember. "The younger had gone mad with the desire to be the one their father found worthy, but ended up lost. If I remember right, the younger was in prison last we'd seen."

"What's it like?" I didn't know what he meant, so I kept quiet. "What's it like not being in a war? What does true peace look like?"

I frowned realizing something that I had yet to think of. No one here had the chance to live in a time of peace. It had been warring for nearly a century. I smiled wondering what it would be like to live in peace here. "It's a bit mundane, if I'm honest. You go from day to day and everything is relatively calm. There is no constant threat of attack. Talks of war are distant, if nothing but empty threats. As for you, weren't you sheltered from things like that growing up in the most secure city in the world?"

He just barely shrugged. "Even when things were alright, in the back of my mind I feared if Uncle and cousin Lu Ten would be alright. It had been sort of quieted, but after we received notice of his passing, it was that much scarier. I was so relieved when I learned Uncle was coming back, but it wasn't long after that Mom disappeared into the night. I never really knew true calm all that well."

I pursed my lips, surprised to have yet to think about it like that. "And, if you were firelord? Would you put an end to the war?"

"I never really thought about it. But, if I'm honest, I'd love to end the fight. Let everyone just go home,"he paused as if remembering something. "There was a little boy. Back in one of the towns I had stopped in while I was off on my own, he lived with his parents. While I was there, he got news that his older brother had been captured by Fire Nation soldiers. I fear that his older brother may never return alive."

"If you want to end the fight, then why take the world's last hope for peace to the man who wants nothing more than to continue the torture?"

His nose twitched slightly, showing irritation. Oops, I had ruined the moment by hitting a nerve. "Even if I did just let him go, I wouldn't be able to end it. The war would continue with my sister on the throne. What's one less person in the way of that? Don't the ends justify the means?"

"I'm not certain that's how it works, Zuko. Allowing someone to be killed or tortured, no matter the reason, should never be revered as a good thing."

I took the ensuing as a hint that I had over-stayed my welcome. Without another word, I stood and climbed down from the roof back into the apartment. The night air had become unbearably cold without having the excess warmth of my older brother there, so I was quick to get back inside.

"So, how did your talk with Zuko go?" Uncle asked with false innocence as I passed him by heading towards my room. Apparently telling him I went to the bathroom didn't work very well as an excuse.

"We had a nice chat. I enjoyed the sunset. You know, the usual." I began to walk forward once more, before I decided to tell uncle of what happened.

"And he didn't snap?" He wondered inquisitively.

"No, he seemed to quite enjoy it. You know, until the end. But, that was entirely my fault. I brought up a touchy subject."

He smiled kindly, "He has changed quite a bit, hasn't he? All right, thank you, Aiko. You can go to bed now, if you'd like."

I nodded gratefully and went to my room. It wasn't as though I was yet tired, so I decided to use scrap paper and a writing utensil I found lying around to sketch a drawing. I wasn't capable of recognizing what it was until it was completed. It had become a picture of what I imagined a happy family here would be like. I smiled softly down at the picture, and left it on the writing desk and went to sleep peacefully dreaming of a good life for my friends and family.

My word!! 2.24k reads!! This is astounding! I can't thank you guys enough for the support on this book. Please, tell me how you're liking the book, or even if you don't like it.

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Again, thank you so much!

Architect out.