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three:
LITTLE (LIAR) DRAGON
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on the summer of 92 AG
THE SUN IS SETTING WHEN EMBER FINALLY LEAVES THE PALACE. Zuko doesn't say goodbye to her when both of their mothers reappear in the gardens after a long time being inside the palace—a long, long time, as the sun once above the sky is already on their backs and Ember has been glancing the last minutes at her shadow in the grass. Zuko can't come to a clear idea of how on the name of Sozin could it be that hard to look for his sister when Azula is always there even when you don't want her to, so he is not oblivious at the fact that his mother lied again. He doesn't like it, though. Why is she suddenly lying so much? Zuko has enough with his father's and Azula's lies, and he had believed his mother considered the same— lying is wrong. As a prince he is very aware of that, and yes, that doesn't mean he is not a liar, but his mother is another different thing. She is better than him; better than anyone in there.
When Ember leaves, instead of properly saying goodbye to the little girl his mother has obliged him to spend his afternoon with, Zuko only sends a briefly shook of head that Ember replies with a full bowing of courtesy. Even if he's used to people bowing at him, Zuko wants to roll his eyes at the gesture, but he holds the urge to do so when he notices another thing: Ember is still holding the tangerine that he gave her. A question itches in his throat wondering what she is going to do with it if she is obviously not going to eat it. If he were her, Zuko would've simply left it in the garden and pretended he had forgotten it there. Zuko wouldn't have minded at all.
He decides that Ember is pretty odd.
Zuko doesn't like her yet. When is summer coming for him?
"She was lying, wasn't she?" he tells his mother once they are gone, "Ember doesn't want to be my friend."
