The Warrior's Gambit (Zutara)

XXII

How are people still holding up? Me? Oh, well, I'm not crazy yet... at least, I don't think so...

--

Zuko arrived back at the palace with a headache the size of the Northern Water Tribe. The ride home had been silent, to say the least. Toph was given so many fluffy things to rest upon that the other girls nearly hadn't been able to fit into the carriage. Zuko noticed Toph wasn't setting the record straight, annoying little imp.

The girls were in a pissy mood. Sokka was in a pissy mood. He was beyond a pissy mood; he was ready to bite the head off of the next person who asked him about the Fire Nation's next little pride and joy.

He hadn't heard anything else from Aang either, and that was frustrating.

The girls scurried inside the doors of the palace, sending hateful looks toward Toph. He was pretty sure he heard one girl mutter something in a mean tone, but he actually couldn't tell who it was between the three, so he let it go.

"You," he said, pointing a finger at Toph, "My office. Now."

"Sure we should be meeting alone?" Toph teased.

"You are this close to getting cut," Zuko growled, and it seemed that for the first time the severity of the situation dawned upon her. She gulped.

"I was just...I didn't..." She began to bluster. "Look, man, you gotta-"

"You're lucky I'm even looking at you right now. Yes, you were instrumental in our issue last night, but spirits above, Toph," he snarled, "You're nothing more than a child sometimes!"

"Hey!" Sokka said, trying to step between them. He was glaring at Zuko, as though he was the bad guy!

"I can handle this myself," Toph said, wrenching out of Sokka's light touch. "Say that again, I dare ya."

"You have no care about anyone but yourself. No sense of the wellbeing of the rest of us. You do whatever the hell you please and leave me to pick up the pieces! Give me one good reason you should be allowed to stay by my side. Give me three good reasons to convince my mother or father of that once this whole mess is sorted out!" Zuko thundered, fists clenched, and steaming.

"I can't go back there! You saw my parents!" Toph threw out her hands. "Sorry if I thought quick on my feet. It worked, didn't it? Shut Nadhari's trap up."

"At the expense of a huge deal! Toph, you just...you..."

"Look, maybe we shouldn't be doing this out here," Sokka said, forcibly shoving himself between the pair. Zuko retreated, realizing he was still on the steps of the palace. Though the guards would not talk, he knew that they were one slip away from saying something truly incriminating.

"Lady Bei Fong," Zuko said, summoning a tone, not unlike the one his father used. "My office. Now."

Toph had the good sense to vanish in front of him.

Jee was waiting just inside the doors.

"An eventful trip?"

"Like you don't already know," Zuko groaned. "Why is it whenever I return, things seem awful?"

"I cannot say, sir." Jee blinked. "My Lord...it's not..."

"No. It was something that got away from the truth. Far from it." Zuko was short to cut him off.

"Right. I just..." Jee coughed. "A missive came for you. Well, quite a few...as you can imagine."

"Oh? And what's special about this one?" Zuko questioned.