Iroh seemed to be taking it all in his stride, as he always did, at least. Zuko was grateful for that; it made his explanation far easier. To his questions, Zuko replied, "The Forces have still been operational without you, remaining on standby should any more spiritual threats attack the city again. If you wish to resume your post, I and the Forces would be glad to have you. But... there is another problem."

A worried frown passed across his face. He had bad news to give his grandson. "Your mother is amongst those missing," he said quietly. "We're doing everything we can to find her, but it seems she's vanished, just as you did. I'm sorry, Iroh."

He'd hoped never to have to give Iroh news like this, that his mother was gone. It struck painfully close to what he himself had been through as a boy, and that broke his heart.