Tea Time With Old Friends

The wind blew past Korra as the boat sliced through the calm waters surrounding Ember Island, she stood near the bow of the ship simply enjoying the sea breeze. It had been months since she had last visited Ember Island and she cherished the feeling of seawater splashing up and landing softly on her skin.

Unlike the frigid waters near the Southern Water Tribe's territory, the sea was warm and strangely soothing to the skin, perhaps an effect of being near Ember Island. There was a unique combination of water slapping the sides of the boat, balmy sunshine, and the distinctive salt in the air that just felt so comforting to Korra as she relished the experience.

After a short time basking in the sunlight, Korra turned her heel to watch as Naga, her trusty polar bear dog, had laid on the desk of the boat seemingly sunbathing as well. Surprising for a creature whose natural habitat was the snowy Arctic but alas, the sea truly did offer a calming atmosphere.

Before long, the golden shores of Ember Island were in sight and Korra could feel the purring of the engine as it slowed to a stop, she had to fight the urge to hop off the side of the boat and waterbend her way to the beach. As the boat meandered its way closer, Korra heard the crew of the boat quickly prepare for landing and she stepped over to the dozing Naga to wake her up.

"Come on sleepyhead, up you get", motioned Korra as she took the reins off Naga's back to guide her towards the side of the boat. Naga snorted in reply and slowly stood up, shaking her head as if to clear the feeling of post-nap fogginess, Korra smiled and said, "Attagirl, time to go!"

Korra quickly hopped on Naga's back and gestured to Naga for her to move, as if in sync with Korra's mind, Naga took a few bounding steps forward and gracefully sailed over the edge of the boat. Imagine the looks of awe from the boat's crew as the polar bear dog cleared the railings of the boat and landing on the beach.

Following the well-worn path away from the beach, Naga loped her way over some volcanic stone and galloped the rest of the way up the island towards Korra's destination. While Ember Island is full of beautifully crafted beach homes and uniquely Fire Nation-inspired architectural structures, there is one house that stands out from the rest of them all.

Built near a modest beach on the tip of Ember Island was an astoundingly charming beach house or perhaps a mansion overlooking the rest of Ember island, with the distinctive sloping roof style of the Fire Nation and well, a less than subtle red dragon bathing in the sun.

Korra knew the moment she saw Druk resting on top of the beach house that she had come at the right time, for she knew that where Druk went - his master would go as well. As she was approaching the house, Korra could see attendants waving at her and she smiled as she waved back at them in reply.

By the time Naga slowed to a stop by the foot of the stairs towards the entrance of the beach house, Korra was vibrating with excitement at the thought of seeing her old friend after so long. Patting Naga's flank in thanks, Korra dismounted and whistled to Naga to let her know she could do whatever she wanted.

"Welcome back to Ember Island, Avatar Korra", greeted a trio of Fire nation attendants as they bowed in reverence to the Avatar.

"Thank you! It really has been a while since I've visited, is he in?", asked Korra as she accepted a cold towel from one of the attendants to wipe her hands with.

The lead attendant nodded and motioned for the Avatar to follow her inside the house, as she did so she chuckled a bit as Korra took the time to toe off her boots and walk barefoot inside the home. She lamented, "His Lordship has missed your company, but he often regales us with the stories of your achievements in Republic City."

"Woah, I didn't think he would take the time to follow those things. I mean, shouldn't he be enjoying retirement?", queried Korra as she continued to follow the attendant down the hall of the home, she noted to herself the volume of artifacts and souvenirs that were carefully framed or mounted around the home. She could recognize a pair of Dao swords mounted on one wall, a Southern Water Tribe boomerang nearby, and a beautiful set of framed knives, stiletto blades, and sai.

Without realizing it, Korra had paused to admire the weaponry and she could feel a certain pull towards a wooden cabinet by the mounted boomerang. She carefully stepped towards it as if drawn by some magnetic force, it was as though there was something inside that called out to her. She began to reach out but stopped herself and turned to regard the attendant to ask, "May I see what is inside?"

The attendant stepped close, grasped the handle, and gently pulled to door open to reveal an intricately carved Air Nomad glider. She grinned and explained, "I am impressed Avatar, I did not think you would be able to sense this as acutely as you did. This was gifted to the Lord a few years prior to your predecessor's death, it is a hand-carved glider complete with a snack compartment at the insistence of the Avatar."

Korra cautiously traced the carvings of the glider and she noticed that instead of Air Nation symbols or patterns, the engravings were akin to graceful flames swirling around the shaft of the glider. Satisfied with her careful examination, she nodded to the attendant to shut the cabinet door and she quietly shuffled along towards the tea room.

Seeing that the Avatar knew her way around the home, the attendant bowed and walked away. Korra lightly rapped the frame of the door as a courtesy and then tenderly pushed the sliding door into its recess, as she did so the man inside stood smiling widely, strode over, and hugged Korra. She warmly returned the hug and let herself be enveloped by Fire Lord Zuko.

Now in his late-eighties, Fire Lord Zuko continued to maintain a muscular yet lithe figure perhaps one of the more subtle remnants of his youth. While his face had deeper wrinkles, his eyes betrayed a sense of peace and happiness that he never had in his younger years. Of course, he sported a flowing white beard as was customary of elderly Fire Nation men but his just naturally seemed more regal than most.

Breaking the embrace first, Lord Zuko exclaimed, "It has been a long time Korra, I am overjoyed to see you again! Come sit, I have prepared jasmine tea for us" as he gestured for her to sit on a cushion.

"Yes it has, and I too am delighted to be here, thank you for inviting me", replied Korra as she moved to sit down and she adjusted the cushion to fit her more comfortably.

As Zuko poured steaming tea into two porcelain cups he remarked, "Well you know you are always welcome to visit Druk and me in our humble abode, we don't get as many visitors as you might imagine we do. So tell me, how's firebending training?" He ushered one of the teacups towards Korra who graciously bowed her head in thanks.

"Good, though I didn't expect Iroh to be such a tough tutor. How was the West?", replied Korra as she sipped the pleasantly warm jasmine tea and rested her elbow on the wooden tea table.

Zuko nursed the warm cup of tea in both his hands as he recounted to Korra, "Colder than I remember, these old bones just aren't how they used to be." He then leaned back to enjoy the view of his veranda as it overlooked the beautiful greenery and landscape of Ember Island.

As Zuko sipped his tea, he heard Korra quietly confess, "I missed this." and he gently lowered his tea and agreed, "Me too."

And at that moment, he knew that his old friend Aang was there with them in spirit as well.