WHO Iroh and Zuko •
WHERE Tifa's old shop •
WHEN Just after the holidays WARNINGS Tea and family issues.
Can I suggest 'Death Trap'?
The bar front sat on a corner, its windows a bit dusty and largely concealing the dim interior. The lights were off, likely the power shut down for now, but the lettering Seventh Heaven remained clear and easy to read. Iroh and Zuko stood on the sidewalk, regarding the small place. Since Tifa had disappeared, the place remained unoccupied; Iroh had been happy to handle the tea sales but had no interest in the bar that Tifa also managed. However…..
“Hmm.” Iroh contemplatively stroked his beard, his eyes roaming over the simple storefront. Quiet and abandoned now, it needed a good cleaning before he could reopen it. And, he thought as his gaze snagged on some of the decor, perhaps a facelift into a proper tea shop. “It makes my heart sad,” he opined, his booming voice saying he was anything but sad, “to see a once bustling place of commerce shuttered and alone. But we can fix that!” He clapped Zuko on the shoulder, cheerfully. “Some hard work, and patience, and we can have it up and running. What do you think, nephew?”
Zuko stared at the building, frowning as he imagined how much 'hard work and patience' would be needed to get the place back up and running. Ultimately, though, he turned and gave his uncle a soft smile because he knew that no matter how much there'd be, he'd still have Iroh there with him. There were lots of regrets in Zuko's relatively short life, but he was ready to move forward, Mostly.
"It's dirty and probably smells like a cheap bar," he answered, turning his face back towards the shop. The design definitely wasn't something like back home, it really looked like something you'd find in some small town in the middle of nowhere. But, honestly, that just gave them more room to get creative. He was tempted to suggest they just burn it down and start over, but Iroh's optimism continued to win out. "When do we get started?"
When Zuko mentioned the smell, Iroh took a breath to mount a proper defense, but reconsidered. It was dirty, although through no fault of Tifa’s, given that she hadn’t been around to manage. Smell, he could handle. Of course. Probably. “You are being uncharacteristically agreeable,” he told Zuko, with a chuckle. “No ‘Uncle, why must it always be tea?’ or any such thing, hmm?” He smiled, widely, his hand squeezing Zuko’s shoulder before he dropped his arm. “But then, you proved to be a very deft hand with a pot.”
Stepping to the door, Iroh tugged it open and gracefully stepped inside, letting Zuko follow. “Cleanliness often reveals a gem beneath the dirt of the world,” Iroh mused. “Such as it shall be here. According to the city, since Tifa is not here to claim it, we may renovate.”
Shrugging, Zuko followed his uncle into the building. "I thought you wanted me to be more agreeable, Uncle." He stopped after he entered the building, though, stunned at how absolutely correct he was. It didn't smell great, though yes it was clearly from lack of upkeep, but it was just a few beat up tables and chairs, a bar, and some kind of game on the wall where you threw darts of some kind at it. Not much else of note.
"I'm not sure the name fits. Are you going to change it? Can I suggest Death Trap?"
Iroh again stroked his fingers over his beard, a sign that he was more concerned than he let on. “Yes, I am not sure about the existence of seven heavens,” he mused, distractedly letting Zuko’s jibe go by. “We will have to be creative….and yet it must convey the very essence of what we wish to do here.” He bundled about the room, making humming noises here and there. “As for agreeable,” he added, showing that he had been listening closely to his nephew (and when was he ever not?), “would you agree to trying out some new teas of your creation?” He slanted a look at Zuko, curious.
Continuing his shoulder motions, Zuko's slumped a little at the suggestion. "My tea isn't very good. Are you sure you'd want to open a business with that? Maybe I should wait until you're more established. In the meantime, I can just serve tea and practice more." A lot more. Because he'd been practicing on his own at the Stone House, and while his friends were clearly being supportive, he more than suspected that tea was being dumped into plants or just directly onto the ground when his back was turned.
Making a dismissive noise, Iroh rounded on his nephew. “Come now, your work shows great promise!” Iroh wouldn’t admit that Zuko was partly right, that some of his creations could be….undrinkable. But only some! “No great tea maker was born as such. They all studied and practiced.” Iroh graced his nephew with a broad smile. “You just lack patience. Tea takes time. And you never know...each palate is different.”
"Why do I always get myself into things that take patience?" asked Zuko, meeting his uncle eye to eye. "Practice isn't a problem. That's been my whole life. But the patience part has never-- no, I'm not going to complain. I am going to be better, Uncle."
With that admission and commitment, Zuko turned away again to look at the room and gesture. "We can put a stove right there, behind the bar. Polish the wood to a nice golden color and add a stone countertop. Toph will help. Maybe we can talk her into some gold filigree to make it look good. You'll have your Jasmine Dragon in no time."
A little misty-eyed, Iroh smiled at his nephew. “The Jasmine Dragon…..I never thought I would live to see it again.” He folded his hands over his belt, satisfied at the mental picture. “Not that I am that old or infirm, but…” He left off the depreciating comment. “Don’t be afraid to voice what displeases you, nephew. How can we strive for better if we are merely satisfied with what we have?” Puttering around the space, he seemed to be mentally picturing Zuko’s suggestions, turning his head this way and that.
“It is a big decision,” he finally said, perhaps a bit softer. “To put down roots. To accept this place as our home, as much as we can, in there here and now.” Iroh folded his arms over his stomach, contemplative. “To live in the present. But then, you do have your friends here. That is good...it makes me happy.”
"Me too. A little," confirmed Zuko. He'd once said he's never happy, and while it wasn't completely true anymore there were still moments where he bounced from a smile to depression to floating somewhere in between. He didn't have anything to prove in this place and that was a good thing, but it also took away his motivation to prove he could do things.
"But you say it's a big decision. I don't think it's a decision at all. What other choice do we have, uncle? Run into the forest and hide from everyone until this place sends us home? We might as well make the best of it. And I can't think of anything better."
Iroh nodded, just a little, although his expression remained a little drawn. “I do miss my friends,” he answered, contemplative. “But you are right. I have new friends here, as well. And hiding is not our way.” Ignore, of course, all the times they spent hiding from the Fire Nation, from the earthbending people in Ba Sing Se, from Ozai’s troops, and so on. “Still, I worry about you, nephew. What is it that you want? Surely it cannot be just serving tea. Noble profession that it is,” Iroh added, loyal to his work.
Zuko only shrugged. "I don't know. But I don't think it's something I have to figure out right now, either. I just want to spend time with my uncle, with my friends, and trying to make sense of everything. Worrying about my future or what I want can wait." While he was talking, he had strolled over towards the bartop and ran a finger through the dust, absent-mindedly drawing a few elemental shapes.
"Besides," he said, looking at his work and frowning. "Tomorrow could throw a new challenge at us that would dash any plans I made, anyway."
Iroh’s brow wrinkled as he frowned, but he studiously tried to keep the expression from Zuko, smoothing it out a moment later. This was a tricky one. “Certainly, there is little fair about the future and how soon it is upon us,” he agreed, “but you should be challenging yourself. You have great potential to do many things. And this place is unlike any other we have traveled to. You could be learning new things, like….how to drive one of those….fancy transports!” Iroh made a gesture like holding a wheel, which conveyed that if he’d forgotten what a car was, he’d at least checked one out.
"That's actually not a bad idea," answered Zuko, turning in time to see his uncle's gestures and smiling despite himself. "They can't be more complicated than some of the Fire Nation machinery and I could manage those by myself. And I could drive you around whenever you need something or want to see the city." His uncle was right about that, though - giving Zuko something to challenge himself was absolutely the best way to get him out of any kind of mental funk he was putting himself through at any given time.
“Yes, I was told it is a combustion engine,” Iroh emphasized. “You will be a natural! And I would love to be driven around. I think it makes one look very important to do so,” he added, smoothing down the front of his robe. He did silently hope that Zuko’s driving was better than his tea, or else it might be hazardous to his health. But anything that would get Zuko using the fire that fueled him. Iroh never wanted it to go away, just be properly channeled.
“Come, let’s see how we acquire one of these transports,” Iroh urged, just as glad to have a goal for his nephew. The tea shop was one thing; this would more solely be Zuko’s accomplishment. He could use the boost. “Surely, it can’t be too hard to learn how to drive…”