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Iroh has been around the farm (really!). Mostly drinking tea and getting used to this world and, when no one's watching, keeping in shape. Today he sits out on the front porch with a steaming cup of tea simply watching and thinking. He's been nursing the same cup for an awful long time, but somehow it's still just the right temperature.

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"They..." Iroh hesitates, eyes full of memories, "Remind me of someone I know."

Mel steals a quick look up at Iroh, but drops back to Hana instead, taking a few steps so she can sit with them on the edge of the porch.

It hurts, somewhere she told herself she couldn't hurt anymore, to be talking to an Iroh who doesn't call her daughter, and doesn't love the girls any more than the way he cares for what seems like every one.

"They're babies. Most of them all look alike."

She doesn't believe that, not anymore.

"Only to those who do not see what is in front of them," Iroh shakes his head. "Though I will admit that there seem to be many who fit that description."

Mel smirks, partly to herself, as she eventually relents to Hana's protests at being held and set her down on the floor.

Loo's protests fall on deaf ears, and she's held tight. But there's smiles and finger games even while Mel keeps an expert eye on her sister.

"So who do they remind you of?"

Might as well get it out of the way.

"My nephew and niece," Iroh says sadly. Both of whom he fears are lost to him now, even before he arrived here.

"No!"

That's Loo's objection to the way Mel's hand tightened over her fingers when he mentioned his niece.

Mel sticks out her tongue and beeps her nose.

(Hana wants to show Iroh Dino. Look!)

"How old are they?"

It's totally an innocent question, and not trying to work out when Iroh's from.

Iroh's grin returns as he examines Dino and appears suitably impressed.

"He is sixteen. She's fourteen." Then he adds with a slight grin, "Teenagers."

The age Zuko was when they met, Mel notes. It -

- wow, that means he's still crazy -

It's almost a relief. She doesn't have to deal with a whole alternate life.

Instead she smirks quickly for Iroh's grin.

"Only there was a way to keep them babies."

Iroh laughs deeply and waves a handful of his beard at Hana. "It's not all bad, and... sometimes growing up they can make you so proud."

Beard!

Hana bats at the beard with Dino, then reaches a grabby hand on the other arm. Mel's keeping one eye on her, but Loo keeps punching her in the face for attention.

"Have they?"

She can't help it: she wants to know.

"Occasionally," he says quietly. But... not as often as he might like.

"Oh," is all Mel says.

She's not sure what she wanted; an alternate Zuko who did make Iroh proud, most likely.

"Sure he - they want to."

"They're teenagers," Iroh says quietly as he reaches out to gently brush fingers across Hana's cheek. "They rarely know what they want."

Hana giggles and falls backwards, which is an impressive feat when one is already sitting.

As she does so, she chokes on her laugh, and smokes a little.

Mel doesn't consider this weird in the slightest. She's grinning.

"Not many people do."

Iroh's eyes narrow minutely for just a moment before nodding, "That is certainly true." He makes a show of looking around, "Is their father here too?"

"No," Mel says soberly. "He got left behind."

"I'm sorry," Iroh says quietly, voice full of sympathy as he reaches out to help Hana sit back up.

Mel starts to move, to Loo's annoyance, but she stops and sits back, watching Iroh with his great-niece, and wondering why she doesn't just tell him.

Erin managed OK, after all.

"May still show up," she says, trying to sound hopeful. "It's not the first time this has happened to us, and most of the family managed to stay."

"Not the first time you've traveled between worlds?" he asks with interest.

Mel nods.

"This is the third time, for me. Second time with them."

"Sounds like a disruptive sort of life."

"One way of saying it," Mel says, agreeing in frustration. "Maybe this time we'll stay more than a year."

"You look a bit young to recognize the allure of settling down," Iroh teased.

Mel almost laughs.

"Don't feel young," she remarks. "haven't been young since these two were born."

Or, before that, possibly.

"I believe you," Iroh laughs. "They do seem like a handful."