𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 || 𝐀𝐧 𝐀𝐓𝐋𝐀 𝐅𝐚𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐜 ✔️

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟕

so like I promised, here's a chapter

I still haven't gotten my shit together but that's okay

enjoy ✌️

─✧─

"Okay, what have you found yet?" Katara asked. Yue and Sokka were also sitting at the large table in the office room, looking at the papers scattered across the floor. They'd been sitting there since morning, investigating and researching.

"Let's start from the very beginning," Sokka said. "The police showed up on our porch exactly 4 days ago at around 10 in the morning."

"Do we know these are legit officers and not 5 year olds playing dress up?" Katara asked.

Sokka nodded, "Yes, Gran-gran said they held up their ID's-"

"What if they printed out fake badges or something?" Yue asked.

"Are you telling me that they stole a police car, uniforms, guns, with tasers and whatever crap they carry around their hips, and printed out ID cards?" Sokka asked. They remained silent.

"There you go." Sokka continued, "Back to what I was saying, they showed up at around 10 in the morning and said something along the lines of 'you are being taken into custody for failure to collect taxes in this district of the Southern Water Tribe-'"

Sokka was cut off by a phone ringing. Katara rifled through all the papers littered across the floor, trying to find the center of the noise.

Amidst some papers, Katara found her phone. It was Aang calling. She quickly accepted the call and brought it up to her ear.

"Hey sweetie!" Katara said.

Sokka gagged in the background, earning a deprecating look from Yue.

"How are you doing? Have you eaten breakfast yet?" Aang asked.

"Yeah we did," Katara sighed. "I didn't realize how much I missed being back at home. But I really miss you guys."

"Me too," Aang said. "How about the investigation?"

Katara left out the part about Hakoda's new girlfriend, "Uh, pretty good, more or less. What about you guys?"

Aang hesitated for a moment, "Uh, perfectly fine-"

He was cut off by a large crash in the background, followed by multiple voices yelling. Katara cringed, holding her phone farther away from her ear.

"Get off the coffee table, Toph!" said one voice in particular.

"Is that...Zuko?" Katara asked, turning back to Yue and her brother. They only shrugged in response.

"Aang? Are you sure everything's fine?" Katara asked, turning back to the phone.

"Yeah, perfectly fine! We're making lots of progress!"

"Lots?"

"Yeah, lots! Now, we uh, we've got to get going. Lots of businessy-stuff to do! See ya later sweetie!"

The call ended.

"They're clearly not making progress there. What do we do?" Katara asked.

─✧─

Aang hung up. He felt bad for hanging up so quickly, but she was already stressed out enough. The last thing she needed was more stress.

"Why did you guys choose the exact time I was on the phone with Katara to fight?" Aang calmly asked. "Dancing around the living room isn't going to help."

"That's rough, buddy," Zuko said. "But we've accomplished nothing here. Azula's already left, so let's go do something else. I don't see why our life needs to revolve around this."

"Sokka and Katara and counting on us-"

"They're not counting on any shit," Toph said. "What we need is a break."

"Yeah! Like uncle would say, 'how about we take a break and get some massages?'" Zuko said, attempting to lighten up the mood. All that was left was an awkward silence.

Zuko nervously chuckled, "Heh...I'm just going to go grab something...."

"Sparky's right," Toph said. "Let's go do something to clear our heads."

They filed out of their dorm room and piled into Aang's car.

"So...where should we go?" Aang asked, his eyes fixated on the road.

"Go-kart racing?" Suki piped up from the back.

"I like the sound of that," Toph agreed. Aang glanced in his rearview mirror, and saw Zuko and Sokka nod.

"Go-kart racing it is.'

Aang zoomed off to the go-kart arena. His heart contracted as he remembered the last time he'd been here was with Katara.

They'd buckled on their helmet, hopped in separate carts, and let their worries fly away as they raced around the track.

─✧─

"Damn, that was fun," Zuko said, flopping down on the couch. They were in their dorms again after a fun night of racing and eating at their favorite restaurant.

"Sure was," Toph agreed.

"But it would've been more fun with the others," Suki said. "Sokka would've been super competitive about winning and all."

Toph nodded, "Right, Honestly-" She was cut off by the buzzing phone in her hand.

"Who's calling you right now? It's super late," Aang said, returning from the kitchen with a glass of water.

"None other than my parents," Toph grumbled, accepting the call and putting it on speaker.

"Hey dad," Toph said. Her friends silently waited in anticipation in the living room.

"Toph, we have something urgent to tell you," her dad said. "The business hasn't been getting any better."

"Well no shit," Zuko said.

Lao ignored Zuko and continued, "Ozai has decided to make a final proposition instead. If we accept, he will forego our debts."

"Which is?"

Toph's dad sighed before continuing, "He would like for us to transfer the ownership of Beifong Corporations to him."

"In other words, he wants to buy the company," Suki simplified.

"Tell him that the company is not for sale," Toph said. "He can't just go around buying whatever he feels like."

"But it's a generous offer!" Lao pointed out. "I don't want to give up the company, but if this is what it all narrows down to, then don't you think you should give it a second thought?"

"I'm- we're not going to let Ozai win," Toph said. "We're not going to do as he wants, and we're certainly not handing over the company. We'd already be letting him win if we did that."

"So what are we going to do?" Aang questioned. "We can't sit and do nothing."

"You're right, Aang," Toph said. "Me and my friends and going to talk something out. We'll have an answer by morning."

Her father agreed, and they ended the call.

"We don't even know how we're going to save your parent's company," Zuko pointed out. "Let alone, have an answer by morning."

"Exactly," Toph said, the corner of her mouth curling. "Which is why we're going to contact our other friends."

─✧─

y'all idk why tf everyone in my family is pissed off right now. Like what are they mad at me for? existing?? 

I need some sleep