#vatabender

The forest had been unusually quiet since @vatabender came. The other spirits kept a cautious distance, but not Bruni. The little salamander perched itself on a nearby boulder, its tongue poking out to lick its eye, committed to not breaking focus on the bag he was certain contained snacks. Humans always had the best snacks, and this one looked like he knew what a good snack was.

[ @vatabender liked for the inbox call, but Zuko had a lot to monologue about, so it's a starter now. ]

The palace kitchens were quiet at this hour, save for the low crackle of the stove and the soft hiss of steam escaping the kettle. Most people expected the Fire Lord to eat in grand dining halls beneath dragon-carved beams, but Zuko had always preferred this room instead. The smell of jasmine and ginger hung in the air as he poured another cup of tea with practiced care, the motions automatic after years of watching Uncle.

For a while, he just stared into the curling steam, seemingly lost to his thoughts until one slipped out. “I miss Ba sing Se,” he admitted, his voice quieter than usual, worn thin around the edges. “I know that sounds strange.” A faint, humorless smile tugged at his mouth. “I hated it when I first got there. I was angry all the time. Suspicious of everyone. We were hiding in a cramped apartment, barely scraping by, and I thought every day there was another humiliation waiting for me.” He glanced down at his teacup, thumb brushing absently against the ceramic. “But then… it stopped feeling temporary. I had a job. Customers who knew my name. A place to come home to.” His shoulders shifted slightly as though the memory itself weighed on him. “Uncle was happy there. I think happier than I’d ever seen him before the war ended. And I met a girl, Jin.”

His expression softened despite himself, something distant in his golden eyes. “She didn’t see the crown prince or a banished son. Not even the future Fire Lord. Just… Lee. Some awkward guy working in a tea shop who didn’t know how to talk to girls.” A quiet breath escaped him, almost a laugh. “She liked me anyway.” The kitchen fell still again except for the faint clink of porcelain as he set his cup down carefully.

“Sometimes I think about what would’ve happened if I’d stayed.” The words came reluctantly but honestly. “If I’d ignored Azula and never gone back home. Maybe I would’ve married her eventually. Maybe we would’ve had a small apartment somewhere in the Lower Ring. I’d work in the tea shop while she went to school.” Another faint smile flickered briefly. “Uncle would’ve lived upstairs and complained we never visited enough even if we saw him every day.” For a moment, the picture seemed painfully vivid to him. Ordinary. Peaceful. A life untouched by crowns or wars or destiny. Then his expression dimmed.

“And sometimes I hate myself for missing it.” His fingers tightened slightly around the warm ceramic. “Because it wasn’t real. None of it was. I was lying to everyone there, especially her.” Shame crept into his voice, old and familiar. “She cared about me, and I disappeared without a word. Then I came back as the prince of the nation destroying her city.” He exhaled slowly through his nose. “I don’t think I ever deserved the kind of normal life she offered me.” His eyes lowered again to the tea between his hands. “But sometimes…” He paused, voice softer now. “Sometimes I still wonder who I would’ve become if I’d chosen it anyway.”

It was Appa that sensed the change first. Something that slithered through the ground like a swarm of angry serpents, digging deep into his marrow and filling him with a strange unease. He paused from where he was grazing, nostrils flaring in agitation. The sky bison’s tail raised up high and then slammed down into the earth—an act of intimidation.

Momo chattered, clinging to one of Appa’s horns as he attempted to get a higher vantage point. To scout out what possible threat could be coming. The skies seemed to darken, as if a great storm was about to roll in upon them. The air felt colder, the flying lemur hugging himself and rubbing at his arms to keep warm.

The grass around them wilted in a perfect circle. Life dying in the dark.

“Welllll…” A low voice slurred from around them, a million mouths speaking from the shadows in every direction. “I was waiting for the chance to have a conversation with you, oh dearest Avatar.”

A low chuckle.