𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 || 𝐀𝐧 𝐀𝐓𝐋𝐀 𝐅𝐚𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐜 ✔️

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟖

"I can't believe how much this place has changed," Sokka said, admiring their high school.

Uncle Iroh- or Principal  Iroh walked out of the administration office to the group, who were standing at the front of the school.

"Good afternoon," he said.

"Uncle Iroh!" Zuko exclaimed, wrapping his Uncle in a warm embrace.

"Thank you for making time to see us," Aang said. "We know that it must be difficult with your busy schedule."

"Nonsense. When I heard that some of my former students were coming to visit, I figured why not come out and greet you all. An old man needs to stretch out his legs every so often, anyways," the principal said, giving them a warm smile. "Let's catch up over a cup of tea, shall we?"

They casually walked across their campus, noting the several new additions Iroh made.

"...we've changed nearly everything here, from the outdated curriculum to the type of vegetables they serve in the cafeteria," the principal said, gesturing to the very fancy modern-looking fountains.

"Dang, this nearly brand new campus almost makes me want to go to high school again," Sokka said.

"Almost?" Iroh asked, glancing at Sokka over his shoulder.

"Yeah, almost. High school is bad enough. I don't want to relive it again," he said, shuddering.

The principal chuckled, "Don't worry, I've talked with the Board of Education. We're thinking about making changes to the school schedule, so that school doesn't start so early in the morning." He yawned, as if to emphasize his point, "Even I can't handle waking up at 6 every day in the morning."

Once they reached Iroh's office, they all took a seat. Of course, it was a bit cramped in the office, but they managed to make it work.

Uncle Iroh had his back to them, brewing tea at the back counter. He'd clearly reorganized the office. Photos from every single graduating class since the school was built were lined up in a column on the back wall. There were maps of the campus, important contacts, and photos of his family on the wall next to his desk. He even had a picture of the Gaang when they were at their homecoming dance a few years ago.

Iroh turned around, holding a tray with 7 cups of tea and setting it down on his desk. He took a seat.

"You put a kettle in your office?" Zuko asked, a hint of surprise in his voice.

"Of course. It's not nearly as good as making tea over a fire, but it's easier than having to go to the teacher's lounge every time you want some tea," Iroh said.

Everyone gratefully took a cup of tea, taking small sips. The weather was getting awfully windy these days, and the tea warmed their bodies.

The principal clasped his hands together on the table, "Now, what brings you all to Ba Sing Se? Surely you didn't travel all the way here solely for the purpose of seeing me."

"I mean, who wouldn't want to visit Uncle Iroh?" Toph said with a smile. "You're like a second father figure to all of us," she said, to which all her friends nodded in agreement.

"I'm flattered by your kind words," he said.

"We came here to find Toph's parents," Katara explained, setting down her teacup. "Toph received a call from them- or someone pretending to be them. We're not quite sure why or how, though."

"We did some investigating of our own, and found out that her parents were on their way to Ba Sing Se," Sokka continued. "I don't know if I'm just being paranoid, but I have a feeling this may have to do with Ozai, especially since they made a deal with him."