"That was amazing!" Iroh exclaimed, shocked to his seat even minutes after the show had ended.
Everyone had already started getting up to leave, but Iroh remained—still very content with what he had witnessed. Unbeknownst to him though, Zuko was one of those leaving audience members. He had scurried off without a word about a minute ago, deciding within himself that he would try to meet with Shei. By the time Iroh had turned to ask for his nephew's opinion, Zuko was already long gone—trying to navigate into what a circus tent would consider backstage. Barely, he caught a glimpse of one of the dancers taking a turn behind a wooden wall and followed him in.
Purpose-wise, it was backstage, but seeing as it was barely built on loose nails and plywood, some could say it was the bare minimum of one. All the performers crowded there, shuffling to remove stage makeup and put away props. Luckily, no one noticed or minded Zuko's presence as he walked through to find Shei. He searched for a few more seconds, before finally catching her figure exit through a door at the back for which he assumed led outside. He hurried over, opening the door just moments after her. But when the cold, night air greeted him with a shiver, he suddenly felt more anxious than hopeful.
What am I doing? He finally thought, What would I even say?
The door slammed shut, and like a deer in the headlights, Zuko stared at Shei whose back was turned against him. Her head perked upward upon hearing the shutting door. She turned around. Suddenly, the air seemed so much heavier for Zuko. He held his breath; the two locked eyes. She was just a few steps before him, Shei: the inexplicable symbol of his past life. He wanted to grasp it and hold on—anything to be an inch closer to normal. But shock had caught his tongue, and the performer had uttered the first words.
"Oh!" She said incredulously before breaking into a fit of laughter, "I remember you! You were the scary one that kept staring at me."
Zuko let out the breath he had been holding and managed to quietly say, "Yeah, sorry."
Silence flooded back in as Zuko found himself a loss for words. The performer tried to smile, wondering if she was accidentally donning an intimidating or unapproachable demeanor. She waited a bit more until she finally decided to simply return to her other performers.
"Right, um...Thank you for watching the show! I hope you-"
Zuko straightened his posture then looked her straight in the eyes. The girl's voice trailed off in response. She was intrigued but could not read his expression. It was stern yet hopeful—almost determined. She straightened up herself, expecting that he was finally about to speak.
"Shei?"
She leaned forward, unsure of what he had just said, "Sorry?"
"It's...Zuko." He said, still unsure if what he had started with was the right approach, "I'm Zuko. You know, the...The banished prince? Fire Nation?"
"Right," She replied, confused, "I-I don't..."
She struggled to find the words to say. She didn't want to sound rude; she also feared to upset him. One wrong word and she could possibly even ruin her troupe's sunshine reputation. It was a tough spot to be in, and she could not predict or read the person in front of her at all.
She scratched her head before donning an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry. I don't think we've met before."
Zuko looked sorrowful, but he seemed to have understood, "Yeah. Don't worry, I get it."
"You...get it?" She repeated, still confused.
"You have to keep your identity a secret to be safe. It's the same for me." He replied, "The fire nation could be anywhere; I know. But it's safe here in Ba Sing Se. I know for a fact that the Fire Nation wouldn't be able to break through those walls. Maybe my sister, but who knows, really?"
She stayed silent, but her eyebrows clearly furrowed.
"My uncle and I—Iroh! General Iroh. We've been traveling together. We barely even came into the city with our necks using those cheap, counterfeit papers and—"
"Wait, stop! Hold on." She interrupted, realizing that his words were starting to get out of hand, "I really don't think I'm the person you think I am, okay? You're telling me a whole lot of things that I think I shouldn't be hearing."
"Shei-"
"And my name is not Shei." She finally said sternly, thinking she could no longer afford to beat around the bush about it, "I'm not going to turn you in for the forged papers, but really, you've mistaken me for someone else. I'm sorry."
"I-" Zuko thought for a moment, wondering what it could be that was preventing her from admitting her identity, "Shei, I get the commitment to the disguise, and I know we were just kids when we-"
"I'm not Shei." She replied, leading up to an exasperated sigh, "Look, I'm not whoever you're looking for, okay? And even if what you're saying is true...Zuko, right? I can't even think of a time I'd ever have met the prince of the Fire Nation."
"That's exactly what I'm trying to say! Maybe you've just forgotten, because—" Zuko stepped closer in protest.
In return, however, she had taken a step back, "Please, I really don't know what your deal is, but I'm not whoever you think I am. So, please stop."
Zuko retreated to his initial position, raising his hands in a careful manner—a silent apology.
"I hope you've enjoyed the show." She said sternly before walking past him to re-enter the backstage room, "By the way, my name is Sora. And I have no idea if anything you've said is true, but maybe you shouldn't be going around telling strangers that you're the banished Fire Nation prince. Good night."
──────⊹⊱✫⊰⊹──────
"Perhaps, those memories were too old for her to remember."
