Too Far Away

Chapter Fourteen: Did You Ever Get Warm?

The Eighth Letter

The next time Tongyi came, Zuko was once again preoccupied. He had finally found a use for the Water Tribe girl's necklace, and he and Iroh had hired a bounty hunter named June to use her shirshu to help track her, and by extension the Avatar. It was his first real lead in months, and when Tongyi landed without any warning at all on Zuko's shoulder, all three of them startled.

"Did your girlfriend write to ask for forgiveness?" asked June. She was referring to the Water Tribe girl.

"Be quiet," said Zuko. The thought of being romantically entangled with anyone that close to the Avatar made him feel nauseous.

"Is it Song Lee?" asked Iroh.

"That's not relevant," said Zuko as he slid the letter out of the carrier, though he knew that Iroh probably recognized the distinctive falcon.

June held her hand out, and Tongyi snapped at her. Zuko smiled, and she rolled her eyes and said, "Well, it's a handsome bird."

"Go home," said Zuko, launching Tongyi back into the sky. He wouldn't be able to reply this time, either. To June, he said, "What did we stop for? Keep going."

She rolled her eyes again, but she complied.

Making sure that Iroh wouldn't turn around to look at the letter, Zuko unrolled it, anxious all at once to see how Song Lee had reacted to his lack of a reply to the seventh letter.

Prince Zuko,

When Tongyi returned without a letter in his carrier, I had no choice but to conclude that your letter was intercepted and that you are in danger. Tongyi is an excellent messenger falcon, too good at his job to simply lose a letter. In my many months with Tongyi by my side, he has never once lost a letter. He was intercepted once, however; my aunt was sending me a reply to a question I had asked about Fire Nation politics. Neither of us are sure why her reply was confiscated.

I very much hope to know if you are all right. Are you in immediate danger? What in your reply could have been confiscation-worthy? Is General Iroh all right? As always, how goes your search for the Avatar?

I eagerly await your reply.

Song Lee

Once again, Zuko found himself unable to read the letter through again. It really wasn't fair at all to Song Lee that he wouldn't send a simple reply when she put in so much effort. Next time, he promised himself, he would reply, no matter what. In the worst case scenario, Zuko could just keep Tongyi with him until he could reply, assuming he was in the middle of something again.

Zuko shook his thoughts out of his head and turned his attention back to the task at hand.

It didn't take long to get Song Lee home. About halfway back she seemed to regain the ability to support herself, but she still hung onto his arm. The whole way there, she didn't stop shaking, which continued even after they made it back and she retreated to her blanket-nest. Zuko gave her some of his blankets, which she quickly incorporated into the nest, but she still didn't seem able to calm down. Her eyes, though they didn't meet his, were wide as they analyzed and reanalyzed the apartment, and instead of sitting down, she remained in a crouch. Furthermore, her sword remained drawn and in her hand. The reflection of light off of the metal kept distracting him, and even though he didn't think Song Lee was planning on using her sword, he wasn't entirely sure what she would do if she didn't calm down.

When Iroh returned, he set about making a pot of jasmine tea. Zuko focused on trying to help her recover from the whole Mio experience, though he wasn't doing a very good job. The area on her throat she kept shielding from him had yet to stop darkening as it bruised, which was noticeable even on her skin, and loud or sudden noises made her flinch. She didn't stop shaking, either.