Ursa - A snippet thus far:
My goal is really just to write a story that lets me delve into the Fire Nation as much as possible without being composed of oneshots, but if I can't manage to make it work out, I'll oneshot series the heck outta the Fire Nation.
I keep changing my mind about what I want. I started off telling myself this would end up Zutara, but then I rewatched the finale and realized that that wouldn't make sense with Mai around, and I could come up with no excuse to not have Mai, and her character is so damn difficult that I hate writing her because I'm afraid I won't get it. So it became Maiko and Kataang by virtue of it starting DIRECTLY after the finale, but I suck at writing Kataang even more than Maiko and I was GOING to have ZK bffery but then somehow Zuko ended up asking TOPH to help find his mommy because he was a right dick about their "field-trip" and he shouldn't have been, and of course Mai would go, and then Katara was going to end up being a nosy bitch and going too because she has a mommy complex and then of course AANG would go, and then suggest EVERYONE should go, and I gave up at Toph and I mentally told aang to stop being such a whore in canon because when I try to write him IC he ends up making my story so damned complicated that I give up.
ARGH. I was just like "TOO MANY PEOPLE. THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE JUST BFFERY. AND MAYBE MAI. MAITARA BFFERY TOO. STOP FUCKING BFFING WITH EVERYONE. GODDAMN AANG, CAN'T YOU BE A HORRIBLE PERSON, FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE?"
Normally writing the whole gang would be not such a big deal, but I had plans for OCs and that was just like "too many characters fuck with a writers sanity."
This was all before I tried to work out a legitimate plot besides "Find Ursa."
Here it is thus far:
寧三天不食莫一日無茶
“You can live without food for three days. But you cannot live without tea for one day.”
- Inscription on a sign in Iroh’s tea shop, The Jasmine Dragon.
Zuko wasn’t quite sure how long both Katara and Aang had been missing from the party, but he did notice when they finally walked back in, both blushing hotly.
Figures…
He glanced over at Uncle, who lifted a brow and poured himself another cup of tea, nodding over at the two who had walked back in. Zuko shrugged, although he suppose it should’ve been obvious to him sooner- he had been the one tracking Aang down for the last year. He said nothing however, as Mai was leaning over the table, and plucking the paintbrush from Sokka’s hands with a swift and practiced grace. She pulled out another sheaf of paper and dipped the brush in ink, ignoring Sokka’s cries of indignation as she began to paint the gang her way, which knowing Mai, was going to turn out a lot better for Zuko, if no one else.
At least he wouldn’t have bor-q-pine hair anymore.
He snorted, his mouth twitching into a smile, before it settled, and he walked towards Uncle, and pulled on his sleeve gently. Iroh set down his pot, and followed after Zuko, to the far end of the room. Mai paused briefly, brush hovering above the paper as she watched the two of them for a moment, and then she looked away, finishing the stroke across the page.
“If this is about the Fire Nation, Nephew-“
“-No.” Zuko shook his head. “That’s not it.” He hadn’t left the Nation behind because he had wanted tea, after all. Even if it was with friends. No, in truth his reasons for coming here were much more selfish than that. Jeong Jeong and Piandao might have been perfectly fine over seeing reconstruction on the damaged buildings in the Caldera, but he still hated the idea of leaving the Fire Nation without any other person set to rule.
Zuko exhaled softly, feeling Mai’s gaze upon him once more. She knew this was coming, she knew that he would have to bring this up…
“This is about my mother.” Zuko said quietly.
“Nephew…”
“I spoke to my fa-“ Zuko faltered. “I spoke to Ozai. He said she’s alive.” Perhaps. But then again, he had been taunting him. And when he went back to demand where Ursa was- “He wouldn’t tell me where she is. I don’t think he knows.” If Ozai did know, he wouldn’t tell Zuko. On the other hand, if he didn’t know, he was getting immense joy out of torturing him with ambiguity. The idea that he could know, and just wasn’t saying. A lifetime of practicing one’s cunning and manipulation wasn’t suddenly going to be stopped now that the man was lacking in inner fire. It seemed the only danger Ozai now posed in that cell was to Zuko’s sanity. And considering Azula’s own stay in a facility, Zuko would rather avoid future visits, if necessary.
“I don’t know anything either, Zuko.” Iroh responded after a moment. He put up a hand as Zuko sighed again. “But perhaps you are looking for information in the wrong place. There is an old proverb, that perhaps you should look up in the catacombs.”
Zuko gave a dubious look, and shot another glance over at the rest of the party. Suki was busy smiling- “That’s pretty Mai,” - while Sokka looked slightly defeated due to fact that his doodling was being outdone. Aang’s laugh chimed in at Sokka’s expression, and soon, much of the group was giggling, Suki included.
“A proverb, Uncle?”
“The past may often be better than the present. It has been so long since anything good has come out of the past, but perhaps it is the wisest place to start your search, Nephew.”
“How so?”
Iroh shook his head. “That I am not sure I can tell you. But if you looked among your mother’s things…I am sure my brother kept some of them.”
“My mother’s things…” Zuko said, pondering. He remembered briefly, the soft smell of lotus and jasmine that was his mother’s last, desperate hug before she vanished from his sight. He thought it had been a dream, at the time- normally she smelled like fire lilies, but when he had woken up… “Thank you Uncle.” He said, and Iroh nodded.
Katara glanced upwards from her spot behind Mai as the two of them approached, and then placed a hand on her hip. “Why didn’t you tell us Mai could paint, Zuko?” She asked, with an easy grin.
His eye widened in surprised. “I didn’t think about it.” Was he supposed to have said something to everyone about all the other talents Mai had besides knives? She looked up at him, and set down the brush with a small smirk.
“It was something I picked up awhile ago. From the academy.” Mai responded, gingerly picking up the paper and turning it outwards for Zuko to see the beginnings of each person there. Knowing Mai, there was more ink still to be filled in, but there was clearly Aang, with Katara and himself at his side. Iroh was now more fit looking, and Toph was giving a cocky grin beside him. Mai was to the right of Zuko, beside Sokka and Suki who was holding a stylized fan, despite being out of her Kyoshi dress.
“What do you think?” She asked, calmly, eyes searching his.
“It’s nice.” He offered- and he did mean it, Mai was good at that sort of thing- but he would have to look at it more closely later. Iroh placed a hand on his shoulder, and then he found himself searching for Toph, who was nonchalantly leaning against the wall, looking a little bored by the paints.
“It’s not as good as Sokka’s.” Toph mused, and Zuko couldn’t help but laugh as Sokka began to eek out a “Thank yo- Hey.” Causing everyone to giggle, even Mai. It was good to see her laugh. Really good, considering her little threats right before his coronation. But now that they had had even more time to talk- on the trip to Ba Sing Se, she knew very well what he was searching to say.
It was just a matter of finding out how to say it.
“Toph,” He blurted, loudly enough to garner the attention of everyone present. “- I owe you an apology.”
“Yeah you do, Grump Lord.” She said, easily. “What for?”
“For our field trip. What I said…it wasn’t necessary.” Katara raised a brow at this, but Aang merely shrugged, but Toph waved it off.
“I understand. You were worried about finding Aang.”
“I know but-“ He broke off. “…I know how you feel. I was wondering if you would come with me-“ Mai’s eyes glimmered sharply “-us back to the Fire Nation.”
“On a field trip.” He amended. “I need to find my mother.You can come with me. And you can stay as long as you like.” He offered, wondering just how long Toph was going to want to put off finding her own parents and speaking to them again. It didn’t seem like she was keen on finding them right away, but at the same time, she obviously missed them. They loved her, but they didn’t get it.
Ozai, Zuko had begun to feel, had never truly been able to love anyone.
“With you and needles?” She asked. “Sounds like a plan.”