The Only Hope

Book 2: Chapter 6

Knock, Knock.

“Come in.”

“You wish to see me?”

“Yes, yes, come here child, have a seat. I just made a pot of tea, do you care for a cup?”

“Yes, please.”

Taking a seat on the opposite side of the table, I turned my head to face my grandfather. His home was well sized, though I had only seen the main living area. He was taking a cup of after-dinner tea on his back porch, and it gave a beautiful view of the glowing city. Seeing the sight, made me think of Air Temple Island and Republic City and surprisingly it made my heart hurt. I never thought I’d be one to miss one place so much, but in a sense, it had become my new home.

Holding his cup of fresh tea, he looked out to the city. I copied him, taking a sip of the tea. It was not the worst tea I had ever tasted, but by far was not the best.

“It is a lovely sight, isn’t it?”

“Yes… truly beautiful.”

I took another sip of tea, at which my grandfather laughed. Lowing my cup to my lap, I glanced to him.

“What’s funny?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. Only, when I was your age, I hated tea. Yet there you sit, not only loving it, but you have the ability to brew it better than myself.”

“How do you-”

“I tried the pot you made yesterday for Izumi after dinner. It was wonderful; I hadn’t had a cup of tea that magnificent since… Well, my Uncle Iroh.”

“Oh- thank you.”

It was no hidden fact that my great uncle had been an avid tea drinker and maker. He even had his own tea shop after the war, and it was his pride and joy.

“You’re welcome… you’re not planning on staying, are you?”

“Well, I, um, no, no… I never planned on staying, I mean, this was just- I thought-I-I…I’m sorry.” Bowing my head, I looked away. I couldn’t help but feel like I was bringing pain upon my grandfather.

“You miss Republic City, don’t you?”

“I do.”

“And you miss Avatar Korra and your friends?”

“I do.”

“You also miss Tenzin and his family.”

Closing my eyes, my heart weighed heavy with pain. “Yes.”

“You see them- love them, as your family.”

My head shot up, and I met my grandfather’s gaze. “Yes, but please do not think I love you or cousin Iroh, or Aunt any less-”

“How can you say that?”

“What? What do you mean?”

“You have grown with Tenzin and his family, you know them. You barely know Izumi, Iroh or myself. How can you claim to love us more than them?”

“It would be a lie, if I said I knew you as well as I once did, but though time has passed, you are my family. My flesh, and blood, how could I not love you all? Knowledge is nothing, as long as the feeling comes from within the heart.”

He nodded his head, and said nothing as he looked out to the city. I turned my gaze back to the night, as we sat there for a few minutes in silence.

“I knew you would return one day… it seems to be in our blood. We feel out casted from our home land, yet the land is in us. We cannot stay away even if we wanted to, it’s impossible… I had hoped though, when you returned, that it would be to stay for good… But you did not grow on the land as I or your mother, your aunt, or even your cousin did. You grew on the soils of the City. This land is not in you as it is with me.”