"Oh please," he replies, rolling his eyes. "The only thing I should be leading is an engineering department, with people who know my skills and who have studied my work. I don't have the qualifications to lead anything else. I'm the only person in the family that dad has said is NOT in the running to lead the empire when he steps down or passes. And that's for the best."

You're not telling him anything he doesn't know here, Zuko.

"Unfortunately, they way things are, we've got to rely on our strengths to get us through this," he tells her, shaking his head. "We haven't got the luxury to step out of our comfort zones for self-improvement. We've got enough of that just trying to survive. What I wouldn't give to be able to attend one of my department's continuing education seminars right now..."