AN:

Its been awhile since I last posted, but man, my ongoing projects are burning me out. I love the stories, but god, am I depressing sometimes.

So here's this, something I wrote two months ago and polished today. Writing banter is just so refreshing right now. And, yeah, there would likely be more rooms in the beach house, but for my own intents and purposes, the other rooms are in another building or something. Also, there will be around 3 more chapters. And this occurs after the Southern Raiders but you probably knew that already you smart reader you.

/

2018 update: So, those three other chapters got lost somewhere. I'll try and finish this someday, but it's not a priority and I'm marking this as complete. Sorry, but maybe one day!

A candle flickers to life but only manages to cast another shadow of abandonment into the room. Zuko takes the first step in. The others don't seem too keen on following.

"I call the living room," Sokka's voice rings out, "I feel like it'd have the least bloodstains."

The silence almost hisses at him to keep quiet, but Katara seconds it anyway.

The candles throw their light erratically, and Aang can't tell whether that's ash or shadows painting the edges of the room. The floorboards creak beneath them and the dust in the air is so thick they can almost taste it. They sidestep past a pile of splintered wood, except for Toph, who stays firmly planted in the doorframe.

"Why so quiet?" Her feet vainly shuffle across wood. "Is there something I'm missing? Bones, a dead body, a giant message in red saying get out."

It's Suki who chooses to answer, hoping her voice would ease away the anxiety from the room. "Nothing like that. The place just isn't very homey."

"It looks like someone broke in, trashed the place and then left it to rot." Katara adds in, "Lots of dust and ash."

"Soo… nothing to be worried about."

Zuko mumbles something along the line of, bad memories.

"There's broken furniture everywhere." Katara continues.

"I can take a few splinters. You're worried about nothing. Where do I sleep?"

Zuko lights the last torch. "There's a guest room down the hall and-"

"Called it."

"…Alright." Zuko did a quick scan of the area in his mind. There were three more people, not including himself, and no unnamed rooms left.

"Why don't we sleep outside tonight? This place is too dusty," Katara says, voice hopeful. She must've realized whose rooms they may have to tread on. "All together by the fire, just like old times."

Suki argues it for him. "Too risky. In fact, lighting up the place may be too risky. Making a fire out there is just asking to be caught."

"She's right," Zuko snaps a few flames off, "Katara, you can take Iroh's room. It's the one by the kitchen down there. Suki, you can take Lu Ten's. It's across from Iroh's."

They seem satisfied enough with that, or maybe they had heard the 'no discussion' tone of his voice.

"Lu Ten? I've never heard of him; but maybe that's a good thing."

"He was my cousin. He died." He wants to bang his head on the wall for being so blunt, but he's afraid the house would break apart. They're only three steps in and he's making this place feel even more like a slaughter house.

"He didn't die in the… never mind."

"Never knew Iroh had a son." Toph voices. "Guess he has a wife, too."

"Had." Spirits, help him. He's throwing the mood down the gutter.

"Where do I go?" Aang calls out, either oblivious of Zuko's inner struggle or hoping to pull him out of it.

Zuko shakes himself out. "Uh, you can go down that way, the one on the left. That was my old room."

"You room? Wouldn't it be better if you took your own room, so at least one of us is comfortable? Not that we're not comfortable! It's just, maybe you'll feel more at home."

"Trust me, Aang; I'm not going to be at home anywhere in this house."

"Downer," Toph calls out, "Now take me to my room."

"…Me?"

"Yes, you. Piggyback now, Sparky. You still owe me."

"But I carried you everywhere back at the Air Temple!"

"Wow, rejecting a lady and refusing to pay back a debt. Not very princely if you ask me."

Zuko doesn't have the energy to defend himself. Toph shouts from her perch on his back. "I'm just saying that a field trip might be enough to pay back for burning my feet."

"Might?"

"Well, going on a ninja mission for revenge would definitely get you more points."

They're voices fade into mumbles, and Katara takes the time to whap the back of her brother's head. "Wimp. Why'd you take the living room?"

"I'm not a wimp! In fact, I'm the sacrificing one here; I have to sleep on a sofa!"

"And you make your girlfriend sleep in a dead guy's room?"

"It's okay, Katara, really." Suki butts in, "Sokka in no way needs to protect me."

"And I don't see what we need protection from. Toph's right: there's nothing to be afraid of."

"I don't know what you see in him Suki…"

"Hey, don't make this about me! You know I'm right, you're just scapegoating me 'cuz this place creeps you out!"

"Of course it creeps me out," she reddens a little at admitting it, "It probably creeps you, too."

"Come on, Katara. We've been to the killers' palace, ate their food, went to their towns, worn their clothes. I've even posed as a soldier once! What's it matter if we sleep in their house?"

"It matters, okay!" Katara shouts defensively. They were skirting along that part of a fight where Katara is acutely aware of how emotion based her arguments are. "It's just...we're so close this time."

"Whatever. I for one, find this whole thing completely ironic. I mean, here we are, the most wanted people in the Fire Nation, hiding from the Firelord, in his own house! Priceless!"

He slaps a hand on the couch and sends a cloud of dust into the air. Sokka starts hacking. Katara smiles wryly.

"Yeah. Priceless." She looks down the hall where Zuko had pointed and gives everyone a last glance. "I guess we'll see each other in the morning. Hopefully it'll feel a little bit more homey in the daylight."

Aang, who'd stayed quite silent that night, gives her a smile. "I wouldn't worry about that. We always take our home with us. Goodnight, Katara."