Chapter Text
I exhaled softly as I finally hauled the last box into my new bedroom. I pulled the soft gray knit beanie from my head and scrubbed a hand through the soft, short waves atop my head. Gyatso poked his head into the room. "Are you all done with the boxes, Aang?" he asked. I nodded, stretching my sore arms over my head.
"Mm-hmm, all done."
"Good, now I have something for you since you helped with all of the boxes!" he said, gesturing for me to follow him to the kitchen. Sitting on the counter was one of Gyatso's fruit pies, with two plates sitting stacked next to the delicious pastry.
"Fruit pie? Yes! You're the best, Gyatso!" I cried, rubbing my hands together and licking my lips.
Gyatso laughed. "I know how much you love my fruit pies, Aang. Consider this my special treat for getting into the university," he said, carefully cutting a piece out of the fruit pie for me. He offered me the plate and a fork, which I quickly grabbed from his hands.
I downed the slice in record time, making Gyatso laugh again.
"Take it slow, Aang. You don't want to accidentally hurt yourself, do you?" I swallowed the bite in my mouth, before mumbling a muffled "right. Sorry Gyatso." He gently ruffled my hair, smiling affectionately at me.
"I have to go take care of something. Why don't you go out and explore the city for a bit?" he suggested. "Once you finish your fruit pie, of course."
"Alright," I replied, setting the now empty plate in the sink and grabbing my car keys from the hook by the front door. I glanced back at Gyatso as I opened the door. "I'll see you later, Gyatso!" I called, making my way out to my old car, which I had named Appa the moment I'd gotten him.
I pulled out of the driveway, driving through the large city streets. I stopped in front of a cafe, The Jasmine Dragon. I felt a small smile work its way onto my face. "This place seems nice," I said aloud to myself.
I pushed open the door and a bell dinged, signalling my arrival. A short man with gray hair smiled at me from where he was serving a table. "Welcome to the Jasmine Dragon! How may I help you young man?" he asked, crossing the room to stand in front of me. I returned his smile.
"Oh, I'm just exploring the city. I'm new in town," I replied. The man nodded.
"Well then, welcome to the city! My name is Iroh, and that grumpy young man over there is my nephew Zuko," Iroh explained, gesturing to a tall dark-haired boy around my age, with a eye-catching scar across his left eye, standing behind the counter. Zuko grumbled something under his breath in response before calling out, "I'm not grumpy, Uncle."
Iroh shook his head with a faint smile. "He always says that, yet he has a small temper," he whispered to me. "Now, let's get you a cup of tea! On the house!" Iroh said, clapping his hands together.
"You don't have to do that-" I started but Iroh waved a hand to cut me off.
"Nonsense! It's alright, young man. I don't mind," he said, "what is your name, young man?" he asked. I smiled, rubbing the back of my neck.
"My name is Aang."
Iroh smiled wide. "It's nice to meet you, Aang."
I waved to Iroh as I left the cafe with a wide smile on my face. Iroh was a very nice man, and gave great advice. All of a sudden, I crashed into someone in front of me. Suddenly I was sitting across from a girl with long flowing dark hair, warm milky-brown skin and dazzling blue eyes. I felt my face heat up immediately.
"S-Sorry-"
"Hey, watch where you're going!" a voice called out. A boy, with the same dark hair, complexion and blue eyes as the girl. "You could've hurt my sister!" he shouted. I flinched and the girl whacked the boy's hand.
"Sokka, be nice! I'm sure it was an accident!" she said, giving me a bright smile as we got to our feet.
I nodded. "Yeah, sorry about that. I guess I was lost in my own world and didn't see you," I said sheepishly, rubbing the back of my neck in embarrassment. "It's alright," the girl said, "I'm Katara by the way. And the rude guy is my brother Sokka."
I smiled. "I"m Aang."
Sokka folded his arms and stared at me with an intense look. "What's that thing on your head?" he asked, poking the arrow tattoo in the center of my forehead. "It's my arrow tattoos," I replied. Katara's eyes lit up with delight, and she clasped her hands together.
"You're an airbender, aren't you?" she asked and I nodded.
"Yeah, me and my foster father Gyatso just moved here so I could attend the university."
"We go to the university too! Maybe we'll see you!" Katara said, giving me a bright, dazzling smile. I smiled as well. "Maybe."
Sokka took Katara's hand, tugging her forwards on the sidewalk. "C'mon, we're going to be late meeting Suki!" he muttered. Katara waved at me as her brother dragged her down the sidewalk. I waved back, watching them until they disappeared into a large building with a sign that read Kyoshi's Martial Arts Academy for Warriors.
I sighed softly in happiness.
I patted the hood of my car. "I think I just made my first friend in this city, Appa," I said to the car, not caring if people thought I was crazy. I climbed into the car, and turned the key before driving off towards my house.