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

Chapter 27

Chapter 27

"Aang. We're back." Zuko said, gently nudging his friend awake as they began their descent towards the Fire Nation Palace.

Aang stirred with a groan to signal that he was awake. They had only stopped for the night to let Appa get some rest. They'd gotten up early and set off again, making good time since the weather had been perfect for travelling. Since neither of them slept very well while they were away, it was nice to doze while travelling. Surely, plenty of work awaited him when he got home, so he couldn't spend an entire day in bed to recover.

When they landed in the courtyard, Katara came out to greet them, hugging Zuko and kissing Aang on the cheek. She didn't leave Appa out, giving him a pat and a snack, consisting of a basket of fruit she must have prepared beforehand. The sky bison immediately enjoyed the snack, and Momo appeared abruptly to share it with him after running across Aang's arm and shoulders.

"How did it go?" She asked in a bubbly tone, pleased to have them back.

"Actually, it went well. A couple that owned a restaurant really helped us out." Aang grinned when he mentioned the men, and Zuko nodded in agreement.

"I don't think we'd have returned on time if it wasn't for them. I probably would have burned someone if it wasn't for them." Zuko added with a tired sigh.

"Was it that bad?" Katara asked with concern, glancing between the two of them.

"I yelled at everyone on the third day," Zuko answered and glowered at the memory of everyone yelling at each other across the room.

"He went full Fire Lord on them. It was kinda cool." Aang said with a laugh, and Zuko rolled his eyes.

"The couple overheard us talking over dinner while we were eating at their restaurant. They didn't even want to charge us for our meals even though we sat there until they had been closed for at least an hour." He relayed more information while Aang put his arm around Katara affectionately. "They spoke to all the townspeople to get them on our side. I have no idea how they managed it, but they did."

"Aw, that's so sweet of them. You should send them a thank you gift or something." Katara suggested to Aang, who turned to her and nodded in agreement.

"We should. I'll think about what to send them." Aang said with a thoughtful glance at Zuko.

"Spices. They said that spices from the Fire Nation had helped their business to become more popular." Zuko abruptly remembered that part of the conversation, pleased to know that the Fire Nation exports had been good for them and also gave his citizens a piece of home despite being so far away.

"Yes!" Aang exclaimed loudly in agreement and thumped Zuko on the shoulder excitedly. "That's a great idea."

"Where are the other two?" Zuko asked about Sokka and Suki after he'd recovered from the surprisingly solid thump from Aang.

"They're with your Uncle. He's moving some furniture into the new shop." Katara answered, and Zuko was pleasantly surprised.

"He found somewhere suitable? I'll have to go check it out." The Fire Lord smiled since this meant his uncle would stay to get the new Jasmine Dragon up and running for the foreseeable future.

"I think the owner was happy to sell the place quickly when he learned it was your uncle buying it. We can go and see them now if you want. Why don't you guys put your stuff down, and I'll take you there?" Katara suggested, and the two nodded in agreement.

They headed inside and put their packs down in their respective rooms to be dealt with later. Afterwards, they met in the hallway and approached the new Jasmine Dragon premises in the Capital. Katara talked about what had happened while they'd been away, catching them up on anything and everything of importance. Most of it was all just general everyday occurrences, and thankfully, nothing too chaotic. She mentioned that Izara needed to speak to him about something rather urgent, but nothing pressing was required from him right now. Her tone was cryptic enough that it gave him pause, but he figured everything was under control since Katara wasn't panicking.