Deep in thought, Zuko paced back and forth. His footsteps against the wooden boards created a hollow-sounding rhythm that echoed around him quietly. On the corridor walls, nearby landscapes were eloquently painted with colored ink. Incense burned on a shelf, attacking his nose with the sultry aroma. Admittedly, it gave him a headache. Well, made his headache worse would be more accurate. The halls of the Beifong's large manor were much slimmer than the wide passages of the Fire Nation Palace, and they were uncomfortably muggy because of the overly-flowery incense. Not like the nice warm atmosphere of the Fire Nation air that he had grown up with. This air was heavy, over-bearing, and it made him feel claustrophobic. The walls could close in on him at any moment.
Despite his discomfort, he remained in this cramped, heavily perfumed wing of the manor. It seemed to be the only place where he could get any privacy while the generous Beifongs hosted him, his friends, and several other dignitaries for an end-of-the-summer festival. It was purely political, but Sokka, Toph, and Katara were constantly calling it a vacation when they thought he wasn't listening. There was nothing he loved more than spending time with his friends, especially when they actually sat down to help him make heads or tails of his work, but right now, privacy was exactly what he needed to think things over, to make a plan. Not that his plans ever worked, but it was all he could to do just organize his thoughts.
His mind was chaos. Every time an opportunity seemed to arise, it would feel like he had finally figure something out, a new obstacle appeared and he would have to start over from the ground up. Aang's voice would sound in his head:
"Approach it from another angle!"
Zuko huffed out loud. At this very moment in time, Aang's advice wasn't exactly the best thing to have in his head. In fact, none of the scenarios that Zuko was coming up with involved a pacified, peaceful word of advice from his best friend. His best friend…
Clasping the hair on top of his head, Zuko nearly shouted in frustration. As his elbows flew up, he almost knocked over a decorative incense burner. Why did it seem so much easier to be in complete charge of an entire country full of people?! Figuring out which merchant deserved a tax break and what some new policy had to be was a piece of cake in comparison. He felt like his advisers should be here, breathing down his neck and noting every single thought he had in their scrolls so they could-
Wait, that was brilliant!
Think of this as a pilot episode to a new tv show. If people like it, I'll continue writing