Chapter Text
Well, if Katara was honest, it could have been a lot worse.
Yes, her boyfriend (or should she say ex-boyfriend) cheated on her on multiple occasions and she had to find out about this on her birthday, surrounded by friends and family.
Yes, she had to leave her hometown and move to DC for a new job.
Yes, the only prized possession she had — her car — had just broken down in the middle of nowhere (well, it was still DC, but you get the point).
And still, she forced herself to smile and keep up the whole “Don’t worry, be happy” mindset as she got out of the car to look at the damage she had to deal with.
It was a good thing she had a day off today, otherwise she wouldn’t hear the end of it about being irresponsible and late. It’s not like she knew anything about cars, but there was nothing some internet research couldn’t fix. And even though she wouldn’t like to admit it, for the past couple of months the most conversation she’d had was with her next-door neighbour, an old lady named Jin, and ChatGPT. At this point it felt as if he knew more about her than any living person — herself included.
As Katara opened the hood to snap a picture of the engine she suddenly heard movement behind her and turned to see an elderly man looking at her expectantly.
“Miss, I am sorry for disturbing you, but it seems like you are having some trouble with your car. Do you need any help?” he said warmly.
The man seemed trustworthy, but Katara was still a woman alone in an unknown neighbourhood, so you couldn’t blame her for being wary. He seemed to notice her hesitation and continued:
“I have a little shop just around the corner — you can’t miss it. My son is there right now, and between you and me, he used to be a mechanic before he decided I needed help with coffee.” He smiled. “He’s better at engines than espresso, but don’t tell him I said that.”
Katara still couldn’t form a response. The man just smiled before adding:
“Well, if you decide that you need help, just go that way and find the Blue Spirit shop and ask for Iroh — that’s my name. Goodbye, miss.”
He turned around and slowly made his way in the direction of the shop.
“Wait!” Katara called after him. It wasn’t like her to accept help from strangers. But something about this felt right. “I would really appreciate it if you could help.”
“Alright, dear. Then follow me.”
• • •
And that’s how Katara ended up drinking her first latte of the day in a small coffee shop somewhere in DC.
As it turned out, Iroh had only opened it a couple of months ago, and even though he was still working on the menu, the shop already had many loyal customers. “It’s all because of the great tea — my speciality,” he told Katara. But the more she sat at the Blue Spirit, the more she thought that people came to talk to the owner as much as they came for the drinks. The pastries were a great bonus, if you asked her, but Iroh’s company was better. And his son — Lu Ten, Katara learned — had clearly taken after his dad, immediately agreeing to help fix her car without hesitation.
She was looking through her phone when an older woman entered the shop, smiling warmly. Iroh immediately went to the register to greet her. They talked excitedly while he worked on her drink, the woman showing him something on her phone, the two of them laughing at whatever it was. Katara watched the pair and felt something quiet settle in her chest — she hadn’t realised how much she had missed this. Not conversation exactly, but the easy warmth of people who were simply glad to see each other.
Iroh seemed to notice her watching and came over as soon as the woman left.
“So, miss Katara, what brought you to our neighbourhood?” he asked.
She thought for a moment, fidgeting with her phone, before answering.
“Well, I was just driving around the city to pass time,” she said. “I moved here a couple of months ago and I don’t have many…” She paused. “Well. Any friends here. So on my days off I usually just drive around and try to find new places.”
He hummed, waiting for her to continue.
Katara wasn’t sure how much she should actually say. She was normally a terrible judge of character. But something about Iroh made her want to keep talking.
“I turned into your neighbourhood by mistake. I just missed the turn and, well — you know the rest.”
“It seems like you were meant to come here, then,” he smiled softly. “I could use a new friend as well.”
The two chatted more, Katara sharing details about her new job, her colleagues, her boss. It felt good to talk to someone other than her neighbour — even if it was a little strange that Iroh seemed older than her father. He was easy to talk to, asking questions at the right moments and cracking a joke whenever the conversation got too heavy.
“I think we have some time before your car is fixed,” Iroh said. “You remember that lady who came in earlier?”
Katara nodded.
“She ordered cookies for her birthday tomorrow. Do you think you could give me a hand in the kitchen?” He gestured toward a small door next to the register.
Katara hesitated. She genuinely wanted to help, but it had been a long time since she’d used anything other than a microwave.
“I can’t promise I’ll be much help,” she said. “But I’ll try my best.”
• • •
It was around noon when Lu Ten came back, seemingly satisfied.
“Katara, your car is good to go. It was just a—” Lu Ten stopped mid-sentence.
He had walked in to find Katara and Iroh in the middle of a flour fight, both of them red-faced and laughing.
“…dead battery,” he finished. He looked between the two of them. “What exactly is happening here?”
“You see,” Iroh started, “miss Katara challenged me and I simply couldn’t refuse.”
“That is completely untrue, it was his idea,” Katara said, then immediately went quiet, surprised at herself. She wasn’t normally like this.
Lu Ten tried not to smile and failed.
“Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter now. Dad, you have someone waiting. Katara — you and I are on cleanup duty.”
• • •
“Thank you for helping with my car,” Katara said, as Lu Ten handed her a broom. “Really. You’re a lifesaver.”
“Don’t mention it.” He picked up a dustpan. “Let’s just get this cleaned up.”
They worked in comfortable silence, and for the first time in a while Katara didn’t feel the need to fill it. The whole day had been like that — unexpected and a little chaotic, but it had left her feeling something she hadn’t felt in months. She thought of her grandmother, and how they used to spend Sundays together in the kitchen without saying much of anything.
“Do you mind if I put on some music?” Lu Ten asked. “Fair warning — I can’t promise you’ll like it. But we can change it.”
“Go ahead,” said Katara. “I listen to pretty much anything.”
She went on cleaning while music drifted from the speakers.
February, and the flowers haven’t even wilted
It’s crazy how fast you tilted
The world that we were busy building
Mid-November, and I’m sipping on the half-cold coffee
Staring at a girl who’s not me
On your arm, a carbon copy
Feels like we had matching wounds
But mine’s still black and bruised
And yours is perfectly fine
Feels like we buried alive
Something that never died
So God, it hurt when I found out
Katara's hands slowed on the broom without her noticing.
“Hey.” Lu Ten was watching her. “You okay? You went somewhere for a second.”
“Sorry.” She laughed, a little embarrassed. “I’ve just never heard that song before. It’s… a lot.”
He smiled. “They’re not very well known. But this one especially — it feels like someone went through your specific situation and wrote it down.”
“Did you go through a breakup recently, if you don’t mind me asking?”
He was quiet for a moment, then nodded.
“Eight years. We were actually engaged. Then she got close with someone from work and things kind of fell apart from there.”
“I’m really sorry.” Katara thought for a second. “I broke up with my boyfriend a couple of months ago. So I think I understand, at least a little.”
“Honestly, I feel a lot better now,” Lu Ten said. “The breakup helped me figure out I don’t want to stay in DC. I’m leaving for Europe next week — just to travel for a while. I’ve wanted to do it for years.” He smiled. “So hopefully you find your new path too.”
“Hopefully you’re right.”
Still Katara reached for her phone to look up the song that was still playing:
The song you are looking for is The Exit by Sozin's Comet
She added the song to Favorites before getting back to cleaning.
• • •
It was close to evening by the time they finished, and Katara was back in the main room when Lu Ten reappeared carrying a large cardboard box stuffed with an odd assortment of things — a baseball bat, a red-leafed hat, a rolled-up poster, a tangle of cables.
“Since I’m leaving next week, I figured I’d give away what I don’t need,” he said. “Take a look — you might find something.”
Katara didn’t need anything. Her apartment was already full of things she’d accumulated without purpose. But she looked anyway.
She was almost at the bottom of the box when she stopped.
“Is that a vinyl player?” She lifted it carefully, as though it might disappear. “You’re actually giving this away?”
“It’s my old one,” said Lu Ten. “I offered it to dad for the shop, but he’d never remember to look after it. And the customers would break it inside a week.”
Katara set it down and turned to the small stack of vinyls beside it.
“Do you want it?” Lu Ten asked.
“The player?”
“Yeah.”
“I can’t take that,” she said. “You’ve already done enough today.”
“Then let’s make a deal.” He leaned against the counter. “The player is yours, and in return you come visit my dad at least once a week and let me know how he’s actually doing. Because he’ll tell me everything is fine no matter what.”
Katara looked at the player, then at Lu Ten.
“You have yourself a deal.”
• • •
Later that night, Katara sat on the floor of her apartment next to the player, listening to a random vinyl from Lu Ten’s collection. She was working through one of the pastries Iroh had pressed into her hands on the way out. The music was slow and a little scratchy through the old speakers.
It was the best day she’d had in a long time. She hadn’t seen it coming, which somehow made it better.