#and even if zukos opinion is different from lu tens opinion then its still cool

[mugentakeda]

i think zuko and lu tens dynamic was like. if lu ten told zuko the sky was green and grass was blue zuko would believe it due to how he admired his big cousin. and lu ten knew that and found it funny and cute. but he never told zuko anything like that

[firelxrdsdaughter]

A Foolish Undertaking Chp 8

Read it on A03!

We’re getting close to the end I think. It’s exciting!! This is the chapter in which Iroh has trouble reconciling with how Ozai has treated his kids 8D

Something inside of Iroh snaps. It rears its ugly head, making him nauseous and rage filled all at once.

VIII

Iroh

Azula is feverish. Iroh wrings out the cloth he has been using to blot at her forehead into the container of cool water that he’d sent Zuko to get the moment that they’d gotten far enough away to stop and make camp in the wood. He places it back on her forehead, and watches her wince at the sudden cold of it.

The slice of iris that he can see past her eyelashes is bright as it settles on him, watching. She’s waiting for something. Perhaps for the other shoe to drop. Azula has learned to be cautious of him and Zuko in the last eight hours of her life, and though Iroh doesn’t think he would have handled the situation quite like this…Zuko had done what worked best at the moment, he assures himself. It makes him feel no better about the state of things.

“How are you feeling,” he asks his niece. Her eyes slide closed momentarily, and he thinks perhaps the pain has finally caused her to lose consciousness, but her eyes open again not long after, wider and more alert than they have seemed since the three of them made camp.

“How do you think,” she answers after a moment. Her pale face is far whiter than usual, skin waxy, covered in a thin sheen of sweat. Iroh feels the tight knot in his belly grow harder. His niece is not prone to admitting her weaknesses, or allowing others to see them, this much he knows. She’s cautious at best with her true feelings.

“Your wounds are not good,” he admits to her quietly, glancing down at his cursory splints where they keep her leg immobile to prevent further damage “They are far beyond my abilities to treat effectively. If we do not bring you to a healer then you will likely never be able to walk the same again. It could permanently affect you.”

Perhaps it is cruel to worry her, but Iroh wants Azula to understand the full gravity of the situation. It will make the next leg of their journey together easier on all parties, in Iroh’s opinion.

Azula’s eyes close again, but this time it’s obvious that it is merely because of the pain, and perhaps mental anguish, of her wounds. Iroh tries not to think about the pang in his chest. The sapling that’s grown out of the sympathy that he learned for his niece the moment he heard her say that her mother had called her a monster. It is foolish and sentimental, and he can afford to be neither where is niece is concerned.

Still, Iroh had not been a good man in his younger years, but none of his family members had ever called him a monster.

Perhaps this is exactly what Azula wants, however; this feeling of sympathy. The need to prove to her that he’s not all bad. He hates that it is a gamble with the child. He wants to treat her as a young girl, and not an adult threat, and yet he has little choice in the matter.

“You’re being very brave,” Iroh tries, watching her. Her eyes slide open again, steeled.

“I am a soldier,” she says flatly, “I have endured worse.”

A soldier. The word curls at the base of Iroh’s tongue. He thinks of his beautiful Lu Ten, and the words coming from his lips too. Too young. Too inexperienced in battle. He should not have sent him to command at the front. He had been too willing to let his son play soldier.

Something inside of Iroh snaps. It rears its ugly head, making him nauseous and rage filled all at once.

“No,” he spits the word out, setting aside the bandages he has picked up to re-wind, the turf smacking under his wide palm, “you are not a soldier, princess Azula you are a child.”

The girl seems genuinely surprised, looking at him askance, leaning back into the bedroll that he’s set her upon to do his work. The words spill out of Iroh unbidden but he lets them come as they will.

“Your father has stolen your innocence from you and turned you into a woman before your time! When will you see that an injustice has been done to you and that you do not deserve to have been treated this way? That you are not a weapon, but a person who has yet to figure out who they are? Your brother already struggles with this but at least he had a fighting chance, with your father’s disdain. You have never had a chance in your life simply to be you. And you would go back there? To him? To the life you have been forced to lead so far?”

She searches his face still, swallowing hard. He watches the bob of her throat up and down with the motion.

“Is it so wrong to have a purpose?” She’s still defiant, her chin raised in pride for what has been done with her. Iroh’s grief threatens to overcome him. She is just a child. Agni she is just a child.

“There is nothing wrong with having a purpose, but that purpose should be decided upon by you,” he says. “You should have the right to choose what you wish for your purpose to be, instead of being told what it is by someone who does not have your best interests at heart!”

“You know nothing of my father’s intentions!” Her voice echoes around the clearing. This burst of emotion from Azula is new and unexpected, but it’s what Iroh has been searching for the entire time that he has had her under his care. He might have celebrated under different circumstances.

“Don’t I?” He gives her a pointed look, eyebrows raised as the level of her voice raises to match his previous one, denial thick in her tone. “I watched him grow up. When Fire Lord Azulon could not be there to raise him, I was the one to do it. I know your father very well, young lady.”

Iroh takes in a deep breath, levelling out his emotions, loosening his shoulders.

“You have two options before you, Princess Azula.”

She presses her lips together into a pale, thin, line, and fixes him with a look. Iroh forges forward.

“Either you can decide that you will not cause us more grief, that you will cooperate and not attempt to reinvent what happened in the village today, and I can find you a proper healer who will set the bones well, ensuring that you will have very few complications.” He sets the options out before her like a map, “Or, you can continue to be difficult and cause us problems, and I will leave the bones set as they are, and you can spend the rest of your life handicapped by this injury and likely unable to ever come back as you were. Useless to your father’s cause.”

This last has her face paling yet further, and Iroh nearly feels sorry for saying it, but he cannot afford this emotion, he knows. He has to push it away, and pretend that the idea that she might legitimately choose the second option does not cause him anguish.

“Well?” He sits stone faced, waiting for her answer.

Azula looks away from him, brow furrowed, her lips pursed in that familiar expression of displeasure that she has displayed so often since they kidnapped her. Then she takes a breath, lips parting.

“I will behave myself, uncle,” she promises, voice flat again.

“Good. Then I will take you with me into the next town over and we will find a healer.”

“And until then?”

“Until then, I can only hope that your discomfort will not be overtly intolerable.”

“That’s your drastic measure, is it?”

“I think you should count yourself lucky that it was your brother who took the drastic measures and not me.”

“Says the man who has just informed me that I may never be able to regain normal use of my leg again.”

“I only wish to arm you with the truth, so that you may make an informed decision on the matter,” he tells her truthfully enough. “I will not deny that Zuko’s solution was a little on the extreme side, but you were warned.”

Azula scoffs, disdainful, but does not argue back again. Iroh soaks the cloth in the water once more, wringing it out methodically, and placing it back on the princess’ forehead with a huff and then silence. His amber gaze turns pensively out toward the dark trees surrounding them beyond the scope of the campfire, searching the shadows for any signs of danger.

There are none. He is surprised that they were able to shake the soldiers that Azula had alerted, but he is grateful. He knows well enough that they have only hindered themselves more by wounding her. She cannot move quickly now, and it will mean that only one of them can fight at a time without a handicap.

It feels like the bars of a cage closing around him. Iroh shakes the sensation off.

There is a crunch of undergrowth, the slither of a footfall, and then Zuko reappears from the woods, looking between his uncle and his sister silently, grim. Iroh lets out a breath, and settles himself, smiling briefly at his nephew.

“Any sign of someone following?”

“No. I think we’ve finally lost them. For now.”

Iroh nods, feeling a sense of ease return to him despite his previous rage at the young girl lying at his knees. So he had been right.

“We must discuss where we will go from here, Zuko,” he informs his nephew then. The young man nods in return, settling himself at the far edge of the camp, away from Azula and her sickbed.

Iroh glances down at her. “Don’t go anywhere.” He can’t help but smirk at his own joke. She rolls her eyes at him, but says nothing.

The old man stands, crossing the clearing to sit next to his nephew, a package of dried meat in hand to share with Zuko. The former prince of the Fire Nation murmurs his thanks and takes a bite of the jerky, staring over Iroh’s shoulder at his sister’s still form on the sleeping roll. Cautious.

Even injured, Azula can pose a threat.

“She seems to have seen sense,” Iroh tells him in low tones, “and to understand the gravity of her situation. We will head toward the nearest town starting in the morning. We need to find her a healer, and I must make contact with some old friends in order to make our way easier…”

“Old friends?”

“Yes. I have traveled the world before now, and I have made many friends and acquaintances in my lifetime. They will no doubt be happy to help us out. Especially now that we are truly fugitives from the Fire Nation and not simply…banished Royalty.”

Zuko closes his eyes, breathing out sharply through his nose. Iroh reaches across the short distance between them, squeezing his nephew’s shoulder. The boy cracks an eye open, staring at Iroh in a way that he has not seen before. The old man’s brow screws up in bemusement, wondering at the troubled look on Zuko’s pinched features.

“What is the matter, Zuko?”

For a long pause, the former prince does not answer, but then his lips part, and he takes a breath. “Nothing. It’s…nothing.” He looks away briefly.

“What exactly is your plan, Uncle?”

“To find us somewhere safe to live.”

“Okay but what does that entail? I mean where exactly do you imagine is safe for us now? We can’t really just waltz into any towns without the need for extreme caution. Even if the next town isn’t a Fire Nation colony, that doesn’t mean our wanted posters won’t be out and ready for any bounty hunters that want to bring home a big prize.”

“This is true,” Iroh agrees, “but it is unfortunately something we will have to face regardless. We either face death in the Earth Kingdom if discovered, or we face death in the Fire Nation if we are captured. There are precious few options left to us other than to disappear, at least for a while.”

“But I don’t — !” Zuko presses his mouth into a thin line, much like his sister has a tendency to do. Much like their father in his youth. “I don’t want to disappear into obscurity. I want my throne. I want to be forgiven for — “

“For what, prince Zuko? You never did anything wrong to begin with.”

“Yes I did! I spoke out of turn. Dad banished me to teach me a lesson, not to get rid of me permanently.”

Iroh feels himself sink a little. Zuko is still so naive about this. So blind to the truth. It feels wrong to dash his hopes, but Iroh cannot so easily allow him to continue living in an illusion as he had done before. There had been hope before. There is no turning back from what they have done now.

“I know that that is what you wish to believe, Zuko…But the truth of it is that your father sent Azula to come and arrest us. His intentions were to lock you away in the Fire Nation, not to bring you back into the fold.” He reaches out, pressing his hand to his nephew’s wrist. He squeezes.

“Your father…is not a good example of what a father should be. I know that it is hard for you to accept because you want nothing more than to please him. To be accepted for who you are…But your father is not going to do that. He has demonstrated as much. There are still those in this world who care for you, though, and you are not alone.”

“People like you?” There’s sharp anger behind the question, though it borders on dull and hopeless. Iroh’s brow furrows.

“Yes. People like me.”

Zuko is silent, staring off into the wood, his hands still as they hang over his knees. Iroh cannot quite read whatever slips over his beleaguered features, the conflict within him rising and falling like waves on a remote shore.

“Zuko…”

“I’m tired,” he says glumly. “I’m going to sleep. We should start early if we’re gonna make it to the next town over in good time. Wouldn’t want Azula to be permanently damaged now, would we?”

Zuko’s hand slips out from under Iroh’s grasp, and the old man retracts his touch, letting his hands settle in his lap as he watches Zuko unfurl from where he’d been seated to trudge over to his sleeping roll. The boy hits the ground with a solid thud, grabbing the fabric to pull tightly over his shoulders, a defiant ball staring off into the woods beyond their camp.

Iroh bites back a heavy sigh, taking a piece of jerky for himself, and then returns to his vigil at Azula’s side. When he sees her face he finds that she appears to have fallen into a fitful slumber. He will not bother her for now. She will need this rest and more if she is to heal.

Iroh settles his back against the tree, closing his own eyes.

He surrenders to the peaceful dark of meditation.

[spirit-science-blog]

Hey there, welcome back! Today we’re going to talk about everyone’s favorite Saturday morning Grandpa...or I guess Uncle would be more accurate...that’s right..we’re finally going to dive into the Sagely Wisdom of Uncle Iroh and the immense spiritual knowledge that he teaches the main characters….and us in the process...so sit back, grab a Tsungi horn, heat some Jasmine Tea, and one more thing before we get started, on the subject of Wisdom - we do a live event every full moon, every month called the Wisdom Moons. The next one is coming up soon! Use the link below to see how you can join our live event. I hope to see you there!

For those of you who haven’t seen the show, Iroh is the oldest main character that we follow actively through the series.... and is pretty much your Lao Tzu or Mystical Buddha kind of guy. He was a general of the Fire Nation and one of its greatest warriors, having the title “The Dragon of the West,” laying siege to the Earth Capital, but retired after his son Lu Ten was killed in action, and he became disillusioned with the war effort. When we first meet him though, Iroh is introduced as the uncle of Zuko, and acts as a father figure to him, as well as a moral compass, giving him great advice -which Zuko often ignores…..and accompanies him on his hunt for the Avatar, slowly teaching him to accept his true nature and become more in balance with himself.

Despite his fire nation origin, though.. he’s not a bad guy...in fact, he’s probably one of the beating moral hearts of the show, who -in stark contrast to Zuko, is easygoing, friendly, and dryly good-humored….let’s face it, aside from Sokka, he’s probably at the top of the list for most peoples favorite characters growing up. Exceptionally… when I’m old and grey, I want to be just like Iroh… and Gandalf… and Dumbledoor anyways right from episode 1, we see Iroh’s greatest virtue and wisdom...patience. Iroh doesn’t have it easy on the show, for, in the beginning, Zuko treats him pretty poorly, ignoring his advice and shouting at him a fair bit. Yet Iroh is there for him, no matter what, as he understands the importance of family and being there for the people who matter, undoubtedly coming from his son's loss.

As the series progressed and he got more screen time, we started to see his actions' real wisdom, but season 1 set his groundwork up as embodying patience, serenity, and mindfulness. Unlike most of the fire nation, he’s a man who sees beauty in the most superficial aspects of life, treating his self-imposed exile almost like an extended vacation to see the world. As Colin Mchannan points out...Iroh is a great man, sure, but what makes him truly wise and believable is his journey. He didn’t start as a mystical Buddha with life all figured out. He was broken….having lost the thing that mattered most to him -his child, and it defined him. The best part, though, and the ultimate lesson, is that Iroh let it define him in the best way. He could have been bitter and angry, but he instead chose to live the remainder of his life to the fullest in an attempt to avoid the mistakes and regrets from his earlier life….

In fact, in "Tales of Ba Sing Se" (one of the best episodes ever…), it’s suggested in that section where he sings Little Soldier Boy that some of that great optimism and generosity that he’s known so well for are a form of post-traumatic growth coming from the loss of his son. Like the waterbenders, he embraces the concept of flow and learns to move with the tide of life rather than stay stagnant and bitter.

Speaking of Waterbenders, this brings us to some of his best attributes that countless people have learned from…..his quotes...of everything, he’s probably best known for his words of wisdom as he freely advises most of the characters throughout the series. One passage, in particular, is often brought up as one of his best. When teaching Zuko in season 2 about lightning bending, Iroh explains that “It’s important to draw wisdom from many places. If we take it from only one place, it becomes rigid and stale.” Adhering to this philosophy eventually led him to develop a lightning bending -a technique never before seen, by studying the push and pull of water bending. Equally, he tries to convince Zuko that understanding Earth bending is just as important when he's fire turning to develop a real understanding of the element...which amazingly, Zuko then carries on to Aang during his training later on..

One of the best parts of Season 3 is when we learn that Iroh lied about killing the last Dragon to protect the ancient Dragon Masters Ren and Shaw, and even be their student. Through his compassion, he drove his firebending powers from vitality, heart, and life force rather than from rage as most of his contemporary firebenders did, thereby gaining a power none of them had.

For us, wisdom is essentially the same when applied to any aspect of life. Suppose you learn about something from only one source. In that case, you’ll pick up all the biases and influences from that source and never form your own opinion...but if instead, you look in different places for the inherent wisdom, you’ll end up a much more whole and balanced individual. I think Iroh’s insight here stems from his understanding of the four nations as balancers of each other. See, his nature and the course of his life have brought him to a philosophy that embraces peacefulness, harmony, and mutual understanding rather than conflict….but what’s more, it seems like he would much rather see the four nations live in mutual peace as opposed to single fire nation rule, as each one brings something unique to the table

While people often compare him to a Budhha like figure, I think a much better comparison is Budhai, the Chinese monk who’s often depicted as the fat or laughing Buddha, rather than Sidhurtta himself. Ironically, despite his carefree and detached attitude, he is something of a hedonist in his old age. He likes subtle pleasures, fancy tea, and seems to focus his life much more on relaxation and fun than he does on helping Zuko find Aang or engage in his nation’s nationalistic war. He often flirts with loads of girls in the series and is called handsome a couple of times! And he loves it….maybe he watched our recent episode on materialism and took it to heart…. Or maybe it’s a natural result of his earlier years conquesting, his soul is liberated from war, and all he wants now is to be jolly.

Ironically though, despite his focus on pleasure and relaxation, he does remark in season 1 that “the best tea tastes delicious whether it comes in a porcelain pot or a tin cup,” implying that it’s what’s nurtured inside that truly matters…..but he does accidentally poison himself with a flower in that episode too...sooo...you win some and lose some I guess.

The point is, like the kids of Avatar, he doesn’t take himself too seriously and takes the time to take “moments of quiet” in the face of a decision…..I was joking last time about him being a big kid. Still, the more I look at him, he kind of is…..and it’s excellent...while many of the series' notable characters were maturing throughout the show. Of course, there’s the 14-year-old warlord to boot, Iroh was already a "changed man" who already suffered tremendous loss and "matured" through that it…reminding us that “Failure is simply a chance to start over anew, this time only wiser.” Even when opening his tea shop, he points out that “There’s nothing wrong with a life of peace and prosperity,” advising Zuko to abandon his quest for honor….but even then, he never forces him because it has to be Zuko's decision to understand that on his own

Speaking of starting things, remember earlier how we explained that Iroh liked to draw wisdom from all the elements rather than just fire? A couple of fans have pointed out that his attitude towards tea is the perfect example of this. While Iroh’s love of tea is often played for laughs, there’s an underlying meaning and purpose -and to some extent, lesson, behind his passion for jasmine and ginseng tea that’s not often talked about.  

To make an outstanding cuppa tea, all four of the bending elements are required. You need clay for the teapots and cups or the leaves from the ground, the water for the substance, Fire to heat the Tea, and the air to blow on the hot tea to cool it so you can drink it (even if you leave it out to cool naturally, it would get cold and taste worse). If you take one element out, the tea is either impossible to make or worse without it.. Iroh knew this, just as he knew that the only way to defeat the Fire Nation was for all four elements to work together. When on the boat to Ba Sing Se, Iroh gets a cold cup of tea and heats it with fire breath to the perfect temperature -all the while accidentally revealing to Jet that he’s a fire bender…

Iroh learned several things by watching other bending tribes. He knew that understanding others was the only way to be whole. Tea, then, is a physical manifestation of these teachings. On the surface, Iroh’s love of tea could be viewed as nothing more than a simple character trait, but it also serves as a representation of his spirituality and calming nature. In the context of achieving harmony and balance among the four nations, it's a lesson on the value of tolerance, balance, and listening that Uncle Iroh passed on to Zuko. And while this theory is just Reddit headcanon, it's a deep and meaningful way to look at Iroh's love of tea in a new light….he didn’t enjoy any old cup, only one that was truly and fully balanced with all the elements working together in unison

But the beautiful thing about Iroh is that he also can stand for the intensity of the fiery element and knows precisely how and when to use it. He rarely exhibits such power; one example is when he yells at Zuko under Lake Laogai.

Play clip: It's time for you to look inward and start asking yourself the big question: who are you, and what do YOU want?!

And that’s when he’s delivering compassionate wisdom with intensity! He also liberates all of Ba Sing Se at the very end of the series, after a getting ripped in jail montage, and shows exactly why they called him the Dragon of the West. All in all, Iroh’s philosophy of flow is undoubtedly inspired by Taoist values and helps to bring profound spiritual wisdom to a younger audience. If you haven’t seen it yet, I would recommend wholeheartedly going and checking out the series...even just for him alone….I could have written this entire video made up of just his quotes, and it would be equally as great...so I think Iroh is a modern-day ascended master. Even his bending forms are influenced by Southern Shaolin, Dragon, and Form-intention styles of Kung-Fu, all of which match his personality pretty well.

Interestingly, Kaci Ferrell pointed out in reviews that after the season 2 episode of Legend of Korra where Iroh appeared to her in the spirit world, Korra became a much more likable character with the fans because she took Iroh’s wisdom on board…..even in death he’s bringing the fandom together! So with that, thanks so much for watching! We’ll leave a link to some of Iroh’s best quotes and snippets of wisdom below so you can check them out, but otherwise, totally go and watch ATLA cause there’s so much more wisdom hidden inside it...and always remember, above all else…….that being sick of tea is like being sick of breathing. Toodles!

Sources:

The Lost Scrolls: Fire, page 159 of The Lost Scrolls Collection.

Director: Ethan Spaulding; Writer: Elizabeth Welch Ehasz (April 7, 2006). "Return to Omashu." Avatar: The Last Airbender. Season 2. Episode 3

Ferrell, Kaci (November 9, 2013). "The Legend of Korra season 2 episode 10 review: A New Spiritual Age". Den of Geek.

McMahon, Colin (March 28, 2014). "The Wisdom to Be Learned from Uncle Iroh." The Red Rings of Redemption.

Director: Giancarlo Volpe; Writers: Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko (2006-09-15). "The Drill." Avatar: The Last Airbender. Season 2. Episode 13. Nickelodeon.

https://www.reddit.com/r/FanTheories/comments/gtuca1/avatar_the_last_airbender_irohs_love_for_making/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

[mugentakeda]

"if uncle is sending gifts and stuff, then lu ten must be alright," zuko says into the silence.

the two siblings are sitting side by side beneath a tree in the garden. the palace is only ever quiet lately, unless azula has her friends brought over.

azula sneers, but it's halfhearted. "i don't know why he wouldn't be. he was holding back from going all this time for no reason. what's the point of reaching your peak and breaking bending records if you're not gonna go out and use your bending?" she mutters. her cousin frustrated her sometimes with his grown up weirdness. training and sparring, but not wanting to actually go and fight? is it just a little hobby or game to him?

you know that's not it, she thinks. lu ten is dedicated. his thing just... isn't fighting. she's seen him debating with fire lord azulon's council of old nutcases from behind the drapes. she's seen the exhaustion on his face after an all nighter in the library.

the pearl dagger is light and cool in zuko's hands. he wonders why lu ten didn't send any gifts or write a letter yet.

"i know he hasn't been gone very long, but... i don't know. i think he didn't wanna go for a reason, don't you think?" he cranes his head.

azula's rolling a sharp pebble between her fingers and glaring at the turtleducks as if they personally offended her. "he told me that uncle wasn't gonna make him. it's just not my style, crabcake," she mimicks his deeper voice and jerks her head side to side in mockery, then deflates. "it's not gonna make a difference, so it's gonna be forever until he gets to come back. lu ten has no war experience. uncle iroh just wanted him there as- as a show pony. someone to make his tea for him because nobody else makes his stupid tea right."

zuko wrinkles his nose and shakes his head. the resentment for their uncle hasn't always been in her tone when she spoke of him, has it? "you thought the letter was funny."

"of course i thought it was funny. i just wish he'd put his money where the mouth is already and finish up out there. almost 600 days and barely any progress," she drawls, gesturing her hands in an exaggerated circle. "i want lu ten back home before our birthdays. we can go down to the city markets and get tanghulu with chili powder and lime."

the two siblings sigh at the thought of all the street food they aren't allowed to eat unless lu ten is at home to sneak it in for them. soon, zuko will get sneaky enough to be able to do that for himself. so when lu ten comes back, he'll get twice as much street food. unless azula finds out and snitches on him. which, she probably will.

it's only a matter of time until he comes back. its just like what lu ten said to zuko about his fire bending.

there's another end to every tunnel in life, squirt. as long as you keep on living and staying strong, time will deliver you to the end of it.

fighting shouldn't have to be lu ten's thing, azula muses next to her brother. she thinks to the future, where lu ten is fire lord and azula is his top general and strategist. her cousin hates the council so much, he'll probably fire all of them. he might hire a new bunch, or maybe he wouldn't, because he'd realize that he has a whole war council of generals wrapped in one person and twice as good in azula alone.

it'll still be decades before lu ten gets the crown, which is a shame. in azula's opinion, the nation would be better off if the crown went to anyone else except the guy that takes almost 600 days to crush a city that's so pitiful it's rationing water. either lu ten or father would be ideal. lu ten has dedication and thinks outside the box all the time. father has willpower and strong authority. both are stubborn as mules but know how to get the job done efficiently.

as far as azula is concerned, uncle has none of those qualities. dedication and stubborness, maybe, but that's only because he even knows how lazy and slow he is, so he has to cut himself some slack.

anger curls in her chest at the thought of the doll. her uncle had no real reason to want her cousin to join, he just wanted him to be there. he's probably stuck in uncle's tent making him tea while uncle is out there genuinely thinking azula would like a stupid toy as a gift. if lu ten was by uncle's side like uncle said he would be, he would've slapped the doll right out of his dad's hands, because he knew better.

a light knock on the door startles her. she's been so wrapped up in her studies the past two hours, reality had fallen away.

lu ten peaks his head in and smiles. there's a tray with tea and a big bowl of azula's favorites- purple sweet potatoes, mooncake, strawberry mochi, a variety of cut up fruit.

'one large order of tooth-achers for my studious little princess,' lu ten chirps.

azula snorts and pushes the scroll away. 'i didn't order anything. you must be going senile in your old age,' she replies. as she comes closer, the scent of mangosteen tea and freshly baked sweet potato eases the tension out of her body.

'that's a big word, i'm proud of you,' her cousin replies dryly, and sits the tray down on her bed. then yelps, as azula pounces and jabs his side at the joke. 'i don't need orders. it's all this cousin's intuiton, you see. i hear these strange voices that tell me when one of my needy little monsters is in dire need to be served and pampered.'

azula rolls her eyes and replies by gracefully jamming an entire ball of mochi in her mouth. the mercy is temporary- once she's done chewing, she'll get right back to hurting his feelings.