[ Zuko has changed quite a bit in some ways - he's matured into a hard-won reserve that he needs in order to function as the Fire Lord, for one thing - but in others, he hasn't changed at all. It's completely beyond him to imagine someone else might be worried he doesn't care about something, or someone.
It's always been his problem that he cares too much.
Another thing that hasn't changed is his gracelessness when he's surprised. Zuko abruptly halts painting characters as the words begin to appear, and he stares dumbly for a few long moments. It doesn't immediately register for him that this might be related to the community. It's been years, and weird stuff does happen when you get involved in Avatar business.
So his eventual response is a flat, unpunctuated: ] What
no subject
It's always been his problem that he cares too much.
Another thing that hasn't changed is his gracelessness when he's surprised. Zuko abruptly halts painting characters as the words begin to appear, and he stares dumbly for a few long moments. It doesn't immediately register for him that this might be related to the community. It's been years, and weird stuff does happen when you get involved in Avatar business.
So his eventual response is a flat, unpunctuated: ] What
[ Or, as Zuko writes it, 什麼 ]