The Fire Lord's Ward // MakoxOC

Who Knows Where

"Take it easy little flame."" A kind, deep voice cut through the dark. Eri rubbed her eyes and sat up, instantly feeling woozy. 

Eri squinted in the bright sunlight and made out a figure she recognized from the palace portraits and Zuko's many descriptions; "Iroh?"

"It seems you've found yourself in a tricky situation," Iroh gave a hearty chuckle. "Nothing a little Jasmine tea can't solve. Come with me."

Iroh walked away from the clearing she was sitting in, expecting her to follow. She stood and swayed on her feet. It was difficult to keep up with Iroh's pace, it felt like her feet weighed 100 pounds. She was grateful their walk was short lived as a small hut sat amongst a field of what looked like overgrown lily pads. Out front were two iron chairs and a small round table, a steaming tea pot and two ceramic cups waiting for them.

As Eri went to sit she was over come with an even stronger feeling of nausea and practically fell into the chair.

"Another dose it would seem," Iroh said pouring the tea for them both.

Eri groaned through her foggy brain, "What?"

"The Red Lotus is dosing you with a sleeping draught but it's mixed with something more I cannot place." Iroh rubbed his chin, "Sugar?"

"They're dosing me with something? I need to get out of here! Where... where is here?" Eri tried to stand but felt her feeble legs weren't much help.

"Why would you want to wake up? There's nothing happening now you need know about. Your body is safe, enjoy the spirit world." Iroh dropped a cube of sugar in her tea, "I think you'll like it better with this. Why don't you tell your uncle what troubles you."

"I'm not - I'm not sure. I know the Red Lotus has me, but I'm not as worried as I think I should be. I should be fearing for my life right now," Eri said, focusing her energy on lifting the tea cup to her mouth.

"Why should you be worried? You know how they see you, and what you are to them. P'Li cares for you even now, in her own demented way, but she still cares." Iroh leaned back in his seat.

"That doesn't make me feel better. How will I do what I know needs doing when I know they're still human and kind deep down? I should hate them, I do hate them, for all that they've done," Eri finally got the cup to her lips, savoring every drop of tea she could sip down.

Iroh chuckled, "How do you know that seeing them as human beings is a bad thing? Even Azula had a soul that was worth saving, even if she never fulfilled that side of herself. Seeing a person as only evil and not acknowledging all that they are is a crime in itself. You see the good with the bad, that is a good thing. When the time comes for judgement and decisions, you will be able to make a fair choice because you see all that is within them. Not just the bad."

"Zuko was right, you are full of advice," Eri let out a soft laugh, grateful for his kind words.

Iroh's eyes widened, "How is my nephew? Does he still burn his tea leaves?"

"Every time! I refuse to drink his Ginseng, it's an atrocity every time," Eri grinned widely.

"What a waste of good tea leaves, I am glad he still tries to comfort others with the power of tea. Will you tell him I'm proud of the man he has become?" Iroh asked, his eyes glistening with tears at the thought of the man he once shared so much of his life with.

Eri nodded, "If I ever get out of this mess I promise I will. How long do you think I'll be here like this?"

"That's up to you!" Iroh smiled.

"What do you mean? They're dosing me with something, it's not just as simple as waking up," Eri grumbled.

"Of course it's that simple! How do you get sickness out of your body?" Iroh questioned with a glint in his eye.

"You... burn it off through a fever?" Eri asked, not fully trusting her answer.

"Exactly! All you need to do is burn it off. If you can focus on your body temperature here it will likely translate to your body back in the physical world. But first you must finish your tea." Iroh watched as Eri had the final swallow of her tea, "Perfect! Now go, find yourself and prepare for making the necessary judgements.

Eri stood, the weights in her legs were still present but not quite as crippling, "Thank you Iroh. It was an honor to meet you."

"And you, my niece,"  the knowing look in Iroh's eye set off a stream of questions in Eri's mind but she knew she had to leave as soon as possible.

She turned around and walked back to the clearing Iroh had found her in earlier. She sat on the ground crossing her legs. Focusing on the fire within herself she felt the flames. She felt the power of her bending rushing through every fiber of her being. Soon her skin felt like it was going to melt off, the heat was nearly unbearable, even for her. The heat grabbed her all the way down to her core. Eri's heart beat was quick, pumping as fast as it could to spread the heat and energy until finally the soft wind in the lily pad forest was gone and replaced by a feeling of a hard, cold surface against her face.

Eri opened her eyes and she couldn't believe where she was. Somehow she was laying just inside a metal clan enclosed housing district. Before she could really grasp where she was, alarms were ringing and spot lights shone all over the area, she knew the Red Lotus had started something she was unwilling to become a part of