𝑯𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆

𝑻𝒊𝒍𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒖𝒍𝒊𝒑

Chapter seven
Aang

"Lead with what?" I asked as I stepped into Zuko's office, the door creaking slightly behind me. My gaze darted between Zuko and Inara, who was standing rigidly in front of his desk, her back to me.

She turned around quickly, her expression shifting from surprise to something more guarded. Typical. Inara had always been hard to read, and today after so long was no different. The air in the room felt tense, though I couldn't tell if it was because of what they were discussing or simply because I had walked in unannounced.

Zuko leaned back in his chair, clearly more at ease than Inara. "Good morning, Aang," he greeted, but his eyes flicked briefly to her, almost like he was checking her reaction. Meanwhile, Inara was still staring at me, her expression unreadable. It wasn't like I expected a warm welcome from her, but the way she was looking at me—like I'd just thrown a wrench into whatever she had planned—made me wonder what exactly I had interrupted.

Honestly, it was hard not to think about how she always had that guarded look whenever I was around. Maybe it was just her way of keeping everyone at arm's length, or maybe it was something more specific to me. Not that it mattered. We had never really seen eye to eye, and I wasn't here to make things comfortable for her. If anything, her unease made me more curious about what had her so on edge.

But that curiosity was just that—a passing thought. I wasn't about to dig into whatever was going on with her. I had my own reasons for being here, and Inara's guarded nature wasn't going to change that. Still, I couldn't deny the slight irritation that gnawed at me. She always had this way of making it seem like my presence was an inconvenience, like she had to brace herself just to be in the same room as me.

"Good morning, Your Fireiness," I replied to Zuko with a grin, though my attention quickly shifted to Inara. She stood there with that same familiar, guarded expression, the kind that always made it hard to tell what she was thinking. Part of me wondered if she'd even acknowledge me, or if she'd just brush past me like I didn't exist. But there was something about the way she held herself—rigid, almost like she was bracing for a storm.

"Aang," she finally let out, her voice tinged with that familiar disappointment, "you're here. I was wondering why all the birds had stopped singing."

I couldn't help the smirk that crept onto my face. Classic Inara—sharp as ever, even when we hadn't seen each other in so long. I wasn't sure what I'd expected from our reunion after all this time, but a part of me was relieved that she chose to slip back into our old rhythm of bickering. It was familiar, and in a strange way, comforting.

"Funny," I shot back, crossing my arms with a smirk, "I thought they'd gone into hiding now that the town's lizard witch is back."

As the tension in the room lingered, the door suddenly burst open, and a whirlwind of excitement blew in with it. Little Kiyi, Zuko's younger sister, bounded into the office, her eyes bright with joy.

"Inara!" Kiyi's voice rang out as she ran straight towards Inara, her arms wide open. Without hesitation, Inara bent down and caught Kiyi in her arms, lifting her effortlessly. The coldness that had lingered in her eyes melted away as she hugged the little girl, a rare warmth in her expression.

"You're back! I missed you so much!" Kiyi squealed, clinging to her as though she might disappear again if she let go.

Inara's expression softened instantly, her cold exterior melting away as she wrapped her arms around the little girl. "I've missed you as well, sweet girl," she replied, her voice warm and tender—an inflection I rarely heard from her.