[Rabbithole: Loo and Sokka, post Mikideath]

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The Fire Palace is techincally a series of much smaller buildings grouped together and locked by walled footpaths and ornate gardens. The Imperial audience chambers are in the centre, near where the Royal family live in a smaller, heavily walled domicile. Guests are quartered in expansive rooms in one of the outer rings, a short walk away from the temple, used by all who live in the Palace.

One of the low buildings in the temple itself is dedicated to memorials to the departed. Smoke rises in thin worms from a thousand incense sticks, set before rolls representing the dead, individually or collectively. At the front, facing the worshipper as he enters, are twin rolls representing the parents of the current Fire Lord - one handsome king with his face marked by a hug burn scar, and one exotic looking blue eyed woman, sporting a scar of her own. As only four people in the world have ever met Melaka Fray, no one's arguing the likeness.

The victims of the recent border attack are in a temporary position next to Zuko. Each name is written out in perfect and careful calligraphy grouped by nation, and not one is left out, no matter who they might have been or which element they subscribed to. The sand in front of that scroll burns with more sticks than anywhere else, today.

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"I know," he whispers back, squeezing her hand again with his eyes on Ursa. "Why do you think I've been ignoring Arnook's requests to have Sakari sent back?"

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Ursa pushes forward suddenly, snapping out focused flame from her hands and feet as she dances through a basic firebending kata.

Louise is smiling in pride as she replies, "I just don't know how to tell them... Oh, that's rocketship, Ursa!"

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Sokka laughs abruptly when Ursa goes through her routine, smile wide and proud as he watches. "Look at her - that's you and Iroh as kids, making every training session look like a dance. Jesu."

Her hand is patted again and Sokka glances back briefly to smile. "Tell them the truth. Compromise. It's the only way to get anything done with stubborn kids."

Gee, how would he know that?

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Ursa's beaming in pride as she runs up - not to her new uncle Sokka this time, but to her Mom, who breaks off her thankful glance to her uncle and sweeps the child off her feet.

"Was it good?" Ursa's asking. "Did you see? Did I do it right?"

"Of course you did, sweetheart," Louise said. "That's one of the best I've seen that one done. Well done!"

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Sokka is smiling - not at his new niece Ursa, though she's partly included, but at Loo. It's the smile he gets whenever she particularly reminds him of Mel.

It's a very complimentary smile.

"Perfect," Sokka adds with a firm nod, grinning at the little girl.

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Louise notes the smile out of the corner of her eye, and smirks faintly. Ursa turns to Sokka and she does smirk.

"I'm going to join the army like Mom and Dad," she informs him firmly.

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"Well, of course you are!" Sokka replies, expression and tone as if he never would have expected anything else. "With moves like that, how could anyone tell you no?"

He pauses for a second before ducking a little to look Ursa in the eye, brows up. "Of course, you'll wait a few years until you know everything there is to know about bending, right?"

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"Of course!" Ursa says indignantly. "You're not allowed to sign up before you're fifteen."

"And officer training starts at eighteen," Louise fills in. "So you'll have to wait just that little bit longer, I'm afraid."

Ursa pouts and rolls her eyes dramatically at Sokka.

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"Isn't that just like a mom?" Sokka says, shaking his head in disappointment at the older of the two nieces in front of him. "Always trying to ruin your fun until you're legally old enough to have it. How mean."

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"Uncle Iroh fought in the war when he was thirteen," Ursa points out.

Louise, having rolled her eyes at Sokka, adjusts the child on her hip and says, "Uncle Iroh doesn't always know what's best for himself."

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"Uncle Iroh set a bar on fire with my boomerang once," Sokka confides, shaking his head in long-ago disappointment. "It's possible you should immitate a family member with better judgement skills.

"...unfortunately, Ursa, honey, that leaves very few options for you in this family. Sorry about that."

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"Daddy was an officer at seventeen," Ursa points out. "He's got good judgement."

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Sokka opens his mouth-- and hesitates, closing it again and frowning. "...all right, I'll give you that one. Your daddy's a good man. Maybe it's just my side of the family you shouldn't be immitating."

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Louise just shakes her head. "Things were different then, Urs. Now the General has upped the age to eighteen. You'll have to take it up with her."

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"Besides, if Zheng was such a great officer when he started at seventeen, just think how great you'll be with an extra year of training before you're out on the field. I bet he'll be proud - and jealous, too."

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Ursa scowls. "I spose."

"Suppose," Louise corrects.

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Sokka is smirking when he glances to Louise, but is also polite enough not to point out seven year old Loo's pronunciation and grammar.

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"Suppose," Ursa relents, looking at Sokka again. "Are you coming to family dinner?"

"Of course he is," Louise fills in immediately. "But it's formal dinner tonight, with all the dignitries here for the trial."

Ursas face scrunches up. "I hate formal dinner. Can I sit with you, Uncle Sokka?"

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Sokka's face scrunches up at the same time, looking at Lu in distaste. "Of course you can, honey." He keeps his grimace on Lu when he asks, hesitantly, "I don't suppose I'll be saved from dressing up by claiming to be a leader of barbarians again?"

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"I have to wear a dress," Louise says ("So do I!" declares Ursa)

"The least I could do is say that this is national costume for your tribe."

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"It is, actually," Sokka replies, back to smirking. "The dress robes were just made up after Iroh took the throne, just so we had something to wear to the ceremony.

"But," he sighs dramatically, eyes rolled, "if my nieces have to suffer, I guess I will, too."

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Ursa cheers in amusement. Louise smiles.

"We didn't tell you to invent dress robes," she says.

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"No, Steph did." Sokka's nose wrinkles again, making faces specifically at Ursa. "You try arguing with her when she's got an idea in her head."

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"Who's Steph?"

"She's my aunt," explains Louise. "And the only person ever to win an argument with your grandmother."

That makes Ursa's eyes snap as wide as they will go.

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"Now, that is absolutely untrue," Sokka argues, crossing his arms over his chest and frowning. "I beat your mom on plenty of arguments."