Chapter Text
The most profitable tea shop in the city, The Jasmine Dragon, was bustling during rush hour, which always picked up in the afternoon. The proprietor, Iroh, remained busy brewing dozens of teas despite the chaos. Meanwhile, his son, grandson, and his grandson's best friends tried to keep up with the influx of customers. Finally, Zuko, Iroh's grandson, managed to sneak away for a few moments to a private family room.
Zuko found his great-grandmother, grandmother, and his great-grandmother's best friend inside the room. His Granny Ilah looked up from her game of Pai Sho. "Zuko? Are you alright? Please take a seat before you collapse from exhaustion!" she ordered firmly, and he nodded in response.
Even in her old age, Ilah was still one of the most captivating women in the world. His equally beautiful grandmother, Kimana, frowned with concern. "Zuko, dear, you look like you're about to drop! Why haven’t you taken a break? You're entitled to a half-hour rest."
"It’s been too busy for me to take a break today, Grandmother. I know you and Granny are worried, but I can handle it," he stubbornly replied. His grandmothers were not amused, as their reactions showed.
"You and your stubbornness!" Granny Ilah shook her head. "Listen to your elders, Zuko," she gently scolded. "I know you don’t give up easily, but everyone needs to rest occasionally. I’ll speak to your grandfather if necessary, but I’m ordering you to nap briefly. I won’t allow you to work yourself to exhaustion."
"Come now, I’ve already set up the cot for you. We thought you could use it," the person with albinism Calypso said, guiding him to a small adjacent space. Inside were a few comfortable cots. The walls were painted in calming hues, and rainforest sounds played from the speakers, creating the perfect environment for a quick catnap.
Once Zuko's head hit the pillow, he was out like a light. Calypso made sure to lock the door securely. "I hope your son, Ilah, doesn’t get upset that Zuko is napping," she remarked as she returned to her seat.
Ilah smiled warmly. "Iroh is very understanding, Calypso. Unlike Ozai, who never offered anyone compassion." The mention of Ozai still brought resentment to Ilah's voice.
"Dear Mother, please don’t bring up Ozai. We all know that only angers Father and makes you sad," Kimana tried to console her mother-in-law. Ozai was a sensitive subject for the entire family.
She took Ilah's hands gently. "We all agreed that disowning Ozai was the best choice for the family. He and his clan made their decisions, and now they must face the consequences."
"Darling daughter, it’s still not that simple. Yes, we’ve disowned him for his actions," Ilah replied, dabbing her honey-colored eyes with a tissue. Composing herself, she continued, "He has committed terrible crimes against our family. Plus, he is a dangerous abuser. Yet, I can never forget that he is still my child."
"You are a good mother, Ilah. You should never feel like yourself the day he made his own choices. He alone is responsible for the repercussions of those actions," Calypso reminded her best friend.
Ilah sighed. "It’s hard not to feel that I let him down. I know every parent has expectations of their children, but we also place expectations on ourselves as parents. I can’t help but feel I have failed in the expectations I set for myself."
"Dear Mother, we can't hold ourselves to unrealistic standards. Please remember that no parent knows what they do when they start a family. While it is important to teach our children vital life lessons—like how to treat others with respect, maintain a good work ethic, and set boundaries—we must also remember that children are not born to fulfill our expectations. They deserve to be loved for who they are, not for what we want them to be."
"That’s true, Kimana. I’ve heard too many stories about parents playing favorites or resenting their children because they didn’t meet their unrealistic expectations or because they weren’t the gender they wanted. It’s all so appalling! Every child deserves unconditional love for who they are!" Calypso asserted firmly. Ilah looked at her best friend. "Did you read or listen to a Reddit story about such behavior?" she asked, knowing her friend frequented the platform.
"One involved parents mistreating their second-born son because they wanted a girl. Ugh, it's disgusting! If there's a lesson to learn from Reddit, it’s to be mindful of these stories. So you don't end up becoming a dense, entitled, narcissistic parent. Instead, practice empathy, love, and consideration."
"I concur with Calypso. I've listened to many Reddit stories on YouTube and learned much from them. However, I've also long accepted that reality is stranger than fiction, so I don't believe people are making things up. It's often too unbelievable not to be true.
Regardless, all stories share one common element: the message they attempt to convey. We need to pay more attention to the lessons they teach, as even the smallest ones can make a world of difference," Kimana said as she sipped her tea.
"Life and time are the only genuine teachers we can all agree on. But, back to parenting. While we didn’t show Iroh favoritism, Ozai believed we did. Azulon and I were firm with both of our sons and had the same expectations for each of them. We wanted them to be respectful, empathetic, hard-working individuals.
We expected them not to blame others for their shortcomings or mistakes but to take ownership of them. We wanted them to be self-sufficient and to understand that nothing is handed to them.
You have to work for what you want. It has no value if you don’t put in the effort. We also didn’t do anything to spoil either son; their birthdays were celebrated the same way, ensuring no one felt favored over the other.
Yet, I still need to understand how Ozai evolved into such a monster or why those undesirable traits had to be passed down to my only granddaughter. I’m flabbergasted that Ozai and his family are so rotten despite being good parents." Ilah couldn’t stop crying as she said this.
Kimana was silent for a moment before offering her best words of comfort. "I genuinely don’t understand it either, dear Mother. However, you raised both of your sons right.
Iroh is an incredible individual whom I adore with all my heart. Plus, Lu Ten turned out terrific as well. He and Ursa are doing an outstanding job with Zuko and Kiyi. So yes, I’m also baffled by my brother-in-law’s behavior. I don’t understand it either," Kimana confessed in defeat.
Calypso refilled everyone’s cups before explaining her thoughts. "Some might say he’s just a rotten egg, but I don’t believe this is solely a case of nurture. I suspect it’s in Ozai’s nature to behave like a demon.
So, I highly doubt that your nurturing had much influence on him. Sometimes, it all comes down to nature. I’m sorry, but that’s the only conclusion I can draw from this," Calypso offered.
"That makes the most logical sense. It’s clear how much Ozai’s entire family could benefit from therapy. Sadly, they’ve never received any. It makes you wonder how much of a difference it would make if they did," Ilah said, looking bittersweet. She finished her cup before continuing.
"Therapy only works if you genuinely want it and actively engage with your therapist. Speaking of therapy, do you think we should consider signing up for family therapy or perhaps one-on-one sessions? I’d rather not risk my great-grandchildren’s mental health. What do you think, Kimana?"
"It’s an excellent idea. We can discuss it with the rest of the family later this week. For now, let’s try to rest. It has been far too stressful here at the tea shop, as well as at my flower shop. I can convince my husband to close the shop for a week because Zuko looks about to collapse."
"Agreed. We’ll talk about it over dinner this weekend. Now, we need to wake Zuko. Hopefully, a quick catnap will help him get through the rest of his shift," Ilah said, praying aloud.
They quietly woke Zuko, who still looked worn out, but he felt he could finish his shift without collapsing now. He hugged his family tightly before heading back to work. Kimana managed to convince Iroh to close the tea shop for a week, and she also closed her flower shop for the same duration. A week of rest was exactly what everyone needed!