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The Jasmine Dragon was rather pretty, Azula allowed – a grand building with lavish furnishings facing a court with a little fountain. Its location in the upper ring must be rather convenient for keeping the vengeful lower and middle classes of the city from defiling the infamous Dragon of the West’s retirement home. Why the Ba Sing Se aristocracy tolerated him she had no idea. Azula announced her presence with a delicate cough.
'Oh hello!' the waitress exclaimed, 'We were just closing but I’m sure we can fit one more order in, what would you like?'
'Spiced tea, please' Azula replied, taking a seat in the centre of the empty teahouse. As the girl bustled off, Azula fell deep into thought, wondering how this would play out. She even considered leaving before the waitress returned or Iroh appeared. Before she had made up her mind however, Azula heard her uncle’s voice from the back of the shop.
'Don’t worry Jin, I’ll take care of this last order, see you tomorrow!' this was soon followed by the waitress reappearing. The waitress, Jin, smiled as she passed.
'Your tea will be over soon, have a nice day.'
Azula frowned. The waitress might have been useful as a hostage to ensure that this encounter didn’t turn ugly. On the other hand, Azula needed to keep all her focus on Iroh and the waitress was an unnecessary complication. There was also the risk that she could alert the authorities. Azula waited impatiently for her tea serving uncle, adjusting her sun hat so that it shadowed her face before tapping her foot repeatedly under the table. She still had no plan, no idea of what to say.
After a time that seemed far to long for a simple cup of tea, Iroh emerged from the back, carrying a small tray for the tea and humming a tune as he made his way over.
'Ah, our final customer. I hope you-' he cut off. Stopping dead a meter from the table, Iroh searched her face beneath the hat. Their golden eyes met. He gasped.
'You took your time with my tea, Uncle. You really ought to serve your customers better.'
'Azula,' Iroh spoke, his voice low. 'why are you here, how are you here?' He gently placed the tray on the empty table next to him, leaving his hands free. Azula watched his every move.
'I came to have tea, and I entered through the front door. Can a niece not pay her dear uncle a visit?' Azula made no attempt to disguise her contempt, the mere sight of him lit a flame of anger in her chest and it seeped into her voice, try as she might to sound calm. 'I had thought you might be more polite after all these years but I suppose some things never change.'
'Azula, everyone has been so worried, Zuko looked for you everywhere. Where have you been? Your mother has been so worried.'
'I’m sure they were most concerned that I escaped their clutches.” Azula retorted, dismissing his lies with a careless wave of her hand. 'Was it you who poisoned them against me? It’s clear that you always hated me.' She narrowed her eyes, daring him to contradict her.
'I never hated you Azula, I-'
'Hah!' Azula shouted, leaping to her feet, fury blazing in her eyes. Iroh stepped back into a defensive stance, ready to bring up his hands. 'You pathetic liar, you’ve disliked me since I was a child! You never cared for me as you did for Zuko. He was always the one you liked and supported, even before he was banished. You stood by him and forgave him even after he betrayed you.'
'Zuko needed me Azula,' Iroh protested, 'he was scarred and banished by his own father and when you next saw him you tried to kill him!'
'After he attacked me, yes. Yet beneath this city I redeemed him in father’s eyes when I didn’t have to, but that doesn’t matter now.' All the anger she had kept within all her for years was boiling over, threatening to break loose. 'I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised you could only care for Zuko and never me. After all, you didn’t even care about your own son!'
Iroh’s eyes flashed with rage as they both brought their hands up, ready to engulf the teahouse in their conflagration. Azula and Iroh glared at each other over the table, neither moving, muscles tensed.
'How dare you say that?' Iroh spat, shattering the brief quiet, 'You will not insult me like that!'
'Is it not true?' Azula shot back. 'When he died in that assault which was your fault, you weren’t angry. You didn’t avenge him. I had to! Even now you are here in the city that killed him serving tea!' Her shouts shook the room before silence returned.
'Of course I cared, of course I loved Lu Ten.' Iroh said, his voice quieter, rough with emotion. 'He died because of my mistakes, and I shall have to live with that for as long as I live.'
'Then why weren’t you angry? Why didn’t you avenge him?' demanded Azula.
Iroh seemed to sigh and he lowered his hands, Azula tentatively did the same. 'Of course I was angry, I have never been more angry, but I was angry at myself. Sacking Ba Sing Se would not have changed anything – you must have known that yourself, as you did not destroy the city when you took it. Lu Ten was gone and there was nothing I could do. Trying to avenge him would only cause more suffering in this world which has seen too much death. That’s why I lifted the siege. That’s how I realised that the war had to end.'
'You let him die in vain, crawled back to the palace, and gave up.' Azula spat. 'If you cared about Lu Ten you would have avenged him. If you cared about ending the war you would have fought for the throne. You didn’t fight the Earth Kingdom. You didn’t fight my father. You gave up and did nothing, you coward.'
There was another pause, they both were breathing heavily. Iroh hesitated, seeming to weigh his words carefully before eventually responding. 'I could not bring myself to fight, the grief broke me. I wish I had, but I didn’t – I know I could have stopped so much, I could have taken Zuko away from his father, perhaps I could have ended the entire war – but I didn’t.'
Azula gave a hollow laugh, 'Ah yes, you could have saved poor Zuko, isn’t there someone else you are forgetting? Tell me, dear uncle, did you love Zuko more because he reminded you of Lu Ten? Did you help him so much and love him as your own, while not sparing a thought for me, because you were ashamed that you failed your son?'
Iroh closed his eyes, then sighed again. 'Maybe I did. I was lost and broken after my son died, looking for meaning. I eventually found purpose in helping Zuko, and trying to help the world.' He looked sadly at the forgotten cup of tea before turning back to Azula. 'I had to go with Zuko when he was banished, but I should have done more for you long before then, I should have cared for you as much as I did for him. I am sorry you were left in the court with Ozai. I am sorry I did not help you as I should have.'
Azula stood there as he finished, considering his words. He had apologised. Part of her had craved those words for so long. The rest of her, knowing words could never undo the past, wanted to throw his apology in his face. Yet Azula knew there was so much that she herself should apologise for. So much that she was ashamed of. Time stretched on. Azula felt the urge to say something, anything, but her chest was clenched, constricted. She couldn’t speak, so Azula simply nodded and let her uncle interpret it however he wanted.
He gave a small smile. 'I hope you have been well. I can offer you shelter if you need. This is not a safe city, the Dai Li are everywhere and would surely arrest you if they knew you were here'.
They could try! Azula thought to herself.
'That will not be necessary', she answered coldly.
Iroh’s smile faded. 'Would you at least consider returning to the Fire Nation? Zuko and your mother want you back, they have been so worried about you ever since you disappeared.'
'Are you hoping I will simply walk back into my cell?' Azula snorted. 'Zuko being worried for me is absurd. He surely wants me locked away again or worse after what happened in Hira’a, or don’t you know?'
'I do know,' Iroh spoke carefully, 'and I know that your brother and mother both want you back and free, not imprisoned. Ours is not a harmonious family, but we want it to be. They love you Azula, they want you to be safe.'
Her chest was tight again, her head was spinning, but this time Azula forced herself to speak. 'Goodbye, Uncle.' Before he could protest, Azula turned on her heel, left the building, and melted into the crowd.