Author's Note: Apart from this first chapter (the prologue), each chapter will be from the point of view of one of the characters. There will not be chapters for all days, but some days may have more than one chapter. Hope you'll enjoy reading this story!

Day 1, Friday: Arrival

"Wow Zuko, this house is really nice."

Zuko turned to his friend, smiling. "Just a perk of being the new Fire Lord, Aang."

"Is the water warm?" Katara asked, looking down at the ocean below. "That beach looks amazing!"

"It belongs to the house. Speaking of... Our belongings have been placed in our rooms. Toph, you're sharing a bottom floor room with Katara. Figured you'd want to be close to the ground."

"Sweetness."

"Ty Lee and Suki, you're with me," Mai added. "Our room is just next to theirs. The men will be upstairs."

"Well, what are we waiting for?"

The rooms turned out to be large, with plenty of space to move between the thick, comfortable beds. The decor was a stylish mix between the more militant Fire Nation style and the homely colors of the Earth Nation. Zuko had even made sure that the room Katara and Toph shared had stone tiles as flooring, so the earthbender would be able to see properly.

"Man, I can't believe we're gonna be here for seven weeks!" Sokka sighed, flopping down on one of the beds. It yielded easily to his weight, and he sank down several centimeters into the mattress.

"As long as nothing happens," Zuko replied, opening his bag. "Fire Lord duties are rather... time consuming."

"Well, let's hope the Fire Nation can do without you for one summer, oh great Fire Lord," Sokka said, grinning wide. Zuko ignored the jab and simply shrugged.

"Yeah... at least I have advisors taking care of things back home."

"Don't worry too much," Aang told him, smiling. "Even if something happens, you've got me and Appa to take you back quickly."

"I guess. Just haven't been able to relax lately."

"Well, you've got enough time for it now. Seven weeks, guys!"

"Yes Sokka, we know," Zuko replied, looking amused. "I signed the contract for the house myself."

"By the way, how big is this house?"

"Well, there are three bedrooms, four bathrooms... Kitchen, dining room, living room, library, corridors, storage areas... Pretty large, actually. I think it has a small basement and an attic, as well."

"Sounds like it's time for some exploration then!" Sokka said, bouncing up from his bed. "You guys coming?"

"Sorry, I've got to check on some things."

"Aang?"

"I was gonna go see how Toph and Katara are doing in their room."

"Fiiine, I'll explore alone! Maybe I can find Momo and get him to help me."

Zuko and Aang watched as Sokka exited the room, then looked at eachother.

"See how they're doing?" Zuko asked, his voice incredulous.

"Um, yeah," Aang said, looking away. "I don't really have as much time to spend with Katara nowadays, so..."

"I know what you mean. Me and Mai... Let's just say we've both got a lot of duties to attend to, and far too little time to do it in. Well, I'd better get going. As I said, got some things to check. Food supply and such."

"See ya."

"Toph!" Katara shrieked, bouncing back against the wall. Toph blinked innocently, turning in her general direction.

"Yes, Katara?"

"Please warn me before you earthbend... Especially when you do it indoors!"

Toph grinned, turning away again. She would never admit it, of course, but she had been missing Katara for the months since they last saw each other. Just like she had been missing the rest of them.

"Hey, Katara?" she said, keeping her voice fairly low.

"Yea-AAH!" Katara replied, crashing to the floor as a small stone pillar erupted from the ground just next to her. Toph spun around, grinning madly.

"Just wanted to warn you... Earthbending."

"You... You..."

Any response Katara might have had died on her tongue as there was a knock on the door. She shot Toph a dirty look, got to her feet and opened. Aang stood outside, looking curious.

"Hey there," he said, giving a small wave. "What's goin' on?"

"You're saving me," Katara replied, grabbing his wrist and pulling him off, down the corridor. Toph heard her say something about a stroll in the garden. Yawning, she stretched her arms and legs, then moved the small pillar closer to her newly bended rock bed.

"Well Toph," she sighed happily to herself. "Nap time."

They did not gather again until it was time for dinner. Zuko and Mai had been making sure there was enough food and such until they could go shopping next, while the rest of the group had either explored or relaxed for most of the day.

"So," Zuko said when they had eaten dinner, "I figured we'd simply relax this weekend and do some planning Monday... They usually hold a few summer events in this area, so we might want to visit some of them."

"Sounds good," Suki said, and the rest of them murmured agreement.

"We should go swimming tomorrow!" Ty Lee exclaimed, throwing her hands up. "The water seemed warm!"

"Actually, I had planned for us to do some warrior training tomorrow," Suki said. They all stared at her, looking surprised. Sokka put a hand on her shoulder.

"Suki... Vacation."

"Oh, alright," Suki sighed. "But we have to do at least some training, so we keep in shape for when we go back to Kyoshi after summer... Okay, Ty Lee?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Alright, so beach tomorrow, something Sunday and planning meeting on Monday," Sokka said, writing it all down as he spoke. Toph, sitting next to him, raised an eyebrow.

"You're making a schedule for relaxing?"

"Well someone has to!"

"We're all very grateful for your... Valueable services, Sokka," Zuko interjected, giving an amused snort. "Maybe I should hire you to schedule my fire lord duties for me."

"No, don't! You'd never get anything done, 'cause of all the planning meetings," Toph quipped, and the room erupted into laughter.

"Hey, keeping order is important!" Sokka said, sounding mildly offended.

"Actually, I was going to ask you to help with something," Zuko told him. "We need to make a schedule for who goes shopping, and when, so I wanted you to come up with some way of making it fair for everyone... And to have it done by Monday, for the meeting."

"Uh, sure."

"Well, time to turn in," Mai said, getting up. "It's getting late, and we should be up early tomorrow."