Avatar: The Wheel of Time | Book One: The Earth Kingdom |

Chapter 18: The Tale of Kiyan

"Just boil, already!"

The loud exclamation woke me rather suddenly from an enjoyable dream. I'd been surfing with Aimi and Toph Beifong while Zuko flew along overhead. Every once in a while, he'd gently float down to touch on the waves and spring back into the air.

A flying Zuko. Now that was something you didn't see every day, even if it was just a dream.

I yawned and fumbled my way to the living room, where I saw a sight almost as rare as a flying Zuko.

Was that Zuko...cooking? I rubbed my eyes, just to make sure they were still fully functional. Then I pinched myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Okay, maybe Zuko cooking wasn't quite as rare as I made it out to be, but it still wasn't exactly common.

"Where's Iroh?" I asked. He usually did all the cooking.

Zuko didn't even glance at me. "He'll be gone all day."

"He's not working, is he?" I asked. We had the day off today, but I wouldn't be surprised if Iroh went in to serve tea anyway.

Zuko shook his head. "It's my cousin's birthday," he said. "Lu Ten. Iroh's son."

"Oh." Iroh's son who'd died in the war. I felt a pang of sympathy for Iroh. "Are you okay?" I asked. Lu Ten was Zuko's cousin.

"Fine," he muttered.

"Is that mean old porridge giving you trouble?"

He glanced over his shoulder to scowl at me.

"Here," I said, nudging him out of the way. Ahnah had taught me a few tricks. I hovered my hands by the sides of the pot and heated the water with my bending until it bubbled merrily. I patted Zuko on the back. "There you go."

"Thanks," he said, looking away.

He stirred the porridge, draining the pot when it was done. I got us bowls and he spooned a glob into each.

"Just like old times," I smiled.

His scowl lightened a fraction.

"What are you gonna do today?" I asked, swallowing a mouthful of lumpy porridge.

Zuko shrugged.

"Come on, nothing?"

"Maybe I'll buy more food or something," he said halfheartedly.

I nodded. "Right. What you need, sir, is a good old fashioned shopping spree."

Zuko frowned, unconvinced.

"Come on, it'll be fun!" I grinned.

He just stuffed another mouthful of porridge into his mouth.

***

"This is what you were trying to do?" Zuko stared at the rows of little statuettes.

"Aren't they awesome?"

He picked up a statue of a turtle duck. "Yeah," he said quietly.

I'd decided to show Zuko Master Yang's statuettes, partially because I was in awe of them and partially to show him why I thought bending as art was a worthwhile enterprise. Maybe those two objectives were the same thing.

"Tao!" I exclaimed, spotting the man shuffling papers at the counter. He looked up and smiled.

"Hello! I was wondering if I might see you again." He made his way out from behind the desk to join us in the shelves. "I never actually caught your name," he told me.

"Oh! I'm Lin. This is my friend, Lee." I gestured to Zuko, who gave a terse nod. "Lee, this is Tao. I met him while I was...away."

Tao gave a small bow. "A pleasure to meet you. If you need anything, just let me know." He left us to check on the other two customers perusing the racks.