Where There Is Smoke, There Is Fire [Avatar: The Last Airbender Fanfic]

Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Zuko and Aang returned to their accommodations after an absolutely exhausting day. They walked in the door, and Aang shoved it closed behind them before they both practically collapsed into the nearest comfortable surface. This couch had seen better days, but it was better than nothing.

"Ugghh." Zuko let out a long, drawn-out groan.

"Ugghh," Aang answered with his own. "That was nuts."

"So nuts," Zuko responded.

All day they had been stopping people from bickering, and even Aang's famed patience was on its last legs. Zuko had yelled a few times, his temper flaring in frustration. Neither side was listening to the other and mostly just hurling insults instead of trying to resolve the problem. Thus, he had lost his cool and yelled for them all to be silent. He told them how short-sighted they were once they'd all shut up out of shock and fear. He explained that he had desperately hoped that with the War over, everyone could show each other the importance of unity.

As Zuko had many times before, he talked about how he used to be and how unhappy he was chasing the Avatar, and it took him a long time to realise it. Now he and Aang were best friends, but he would never have been able to develop that bond if he hadn't pulled his head out of his ass and looked at the bigger picture.

They had listened, and Aang beamed at him on cue as if he was showing how close they were now. The offended parties thought over what he had said, and although tension was still high in the room, it had eased somewhat. Aang suggested that everyone take the night to think over all they had talked about, and they would reconvene tomorrow morning.

It was their third day of negotiations since the first day mainly had just been getting to know their surroundings and inspecting some homes and businesses. Zuko wanted to ensure that the Fire Nation people hadn't been relegated to one part of the town and ostracised there. Fortunately, that wasn't the case, but they had to fight to earn their place in the town, which was also expanding due to the increased trade between the four nations. The population had probably increased two-fold since he and Aang were here last. It was a perfect, natural harbour and thus was a good stop-off point for merchants making their way along the coast.

A job boom had erupted with the construction of new homes and businesses, which all needed people to complete. With the economy better than ever, it seemed silly for them to argue about every little thing. There were two main troublemakers, the two men who had gotten into a fistfight in the marketplace. They were both in their 40s with a family, and both Aang and Zuko could understand the importance of their passions. However, they essentially tried to turn everyone else to their side and poison everyone against their perceived enemy.

The other townsfolk were neutral but could be swayed either way, depending on their mood. It had unfortunately become Zuko and Aang's job to adjudicate everything since they had no elected leadership. With the growth in the town, it had become necessary to organise some sort of hierarchy to stop the infighting, which they would try to finalise tomorrow.

With a muttered agreement, everyone left the town hall and returned home. Zuko and Aang walked back to their accommodation, a guesthouse belonging to one of the locals, who had happily offered it up for them to stay in. Thankfully he was one of the reasonable people in the town, and they thanked him for his kindness and accepted his offer.

"You wash up first. I can't be bothered to move yet." Zuko told Aang, and the airbender nodded lazily and groaned as he got up from the couch.

The guesthouse had its own bathroom, but there was only one, so they had to take turns using it. Aang didn't take long to clean up, returning to flop on the couch when he finished. Zuko got up and did the same but spent a little longer there since he was lost in thought as he sat in the bath. He didn't quite know how to figure everything out but was glad Aang was here. He couldn't have handled all of this on his own.