Magma

Magma 4

Magma

Volcano I: Earth

Eruption 28: Plans for the Future

An uncomfortable silence settled into the tea room, as a maid entered with small cart with snacks and dishes. Her dark red hair was pulled into a bun, and her blue-green eyes showed that she was alert and wide wake, unlike someone who supposedly just rolled out of bed the serve an unexpected midnight snack. She must have been quite fast to change into her uniform and fix her hair on such short notice, or she could have been awake all along.

"Terra, please bring a bag of gold," Mr. Bei Fong requested.

"Yes, sir." Terra bowed politely and swiftly brought the bag of gold. She stood beside Mr. and Mrs. Bei Fong holding it.

"This is an incentive," Mr. Bei Fong addressed the guard seriously, "for your absolute silence. You are not to speak to anyone about what you saw or about this young man's identity. Do we have an agreement?"

Terra stepped forward and gave the guard the bag of gold, which he graciously accepted, bowing deeply. "Of course! I thank you for your kindness."

"Very well," Mr. Bei Fong continued, "you may return to your post now. Inform us right away if anything suspicious is seen."

"Yes, sir!" The guard left the room and both Toph and Zuko became more confused with each passing minute.

After the guard left, the maid, Terra, casually moved the cups to the table, placing one in front of each guest. Taking her time, she picked up the tea pot and started serving tea.

"What's going on?" Toph asked, unable to wait any longer. Zuko kept quiet, certain that anything he said would surely make things worse.

"Do you honestly believe we would not recognize the prince of the Fire Nation?" Mrs. Being Fong asked.

"I thought you were up to something," Toph stated, while Zuko simply stared at them.

Terra finished serving the tea and lifted the glass lid off a cake dish. She ten picked up a silver knife and began to cut the chocolate cake in equal pieces, serving a generous portion to each guest.

"We were pushing him towards revealing his identity during the tour," Mrs. Bei Fong admitted.

"I noticed," Toph revealed, "so did you, right, Dancing Dragon?"

Zuko nodded even though he wasn't as suspicious back then as he should have been, "I thought there were a lot of questions. But I assure you I have no bad intentions. I'm traveling with the Avatar to teach him fire bending. I want the world to be back in balance and in peace."

"Even if that means going against your own father?" Mr. Bei Fong spoke harshly.

"Yes," Zuko was firm in his decision. "But to be honest, Fire Lord Ozai was never truly a father to me. It was my uncle Iroh who acted towards me like a father should."

"Has it been decided what will happen to the Fire Nation throne after the avatar's duty is completed?" Mrs. Bei Fong inquired in a delicately neutral tone.

Terra finished the task of serving the cake and quietly left the room, taking the cart she used to help carry everything. She paused at the double doors, and closed them silently. The Bei Fongs were not bothered by the maid's presence at all, which indicated that she must have already been informed of the situation, and thus she would not hear anything she did not already know.

"No, I haven't been thinking about that. I suppose I should discuss it with Aang," Zuko answered honestly. He had been thinking about the immediate future, but not the far future.