"Grr," Zuko growled, tossing down a map atop the growing pile of papers that was stacked next to his paper-strewn desk. "This is impossible," he mumbled to himself, scowling at the weathered and torn papers around him. They were all maps, charts, and notes of nearly every place or town that had ever been visited by the Fire Nation. They ranged from the tiniest towns in the Earth Kingdom to the Spirit Oasis in the North Pole. And none of them were telling him the slightest hint as to where his mother would have fled during exile.

He'd been staring at these pieces of paper, trying to read the faded or torn away words written in different writings that were hard to read even with a flame held just inches away. When he read yet another piece saying how the town was no longer in existence due to Fire Nation invasion he had to restrain himself from just letting the piece burn in his hands. With a frustrated groan he slammed the chart onto the desk and stood up, short, deadly fire daggers shooting from his fists. Taking a few stomps away from the desk Zuko let off a few punches, flame extending and billowing out only to stop just short of the walls.

He stood there, panting slightly as he tried to quell the sea of fury and frustration that raged inside of him, dying to be released to burn and destroy anything around him. With a few more deep breaths he calmed the fire in his veins, the daggers on his hands slowly burning out.

A soft knock on the door caught Zuko's attention. He thanked the gods he'd calmed himself down before whoever it was had called on him. Adjusting his tunic he peered through a small peephole, cleverly disguised in the carved dragon outside his door. Standing in between the two Imperial Guards was Uncle Iroh, humming and holding a tea pot. "A nice day, no?" he asked the guard to his right.

The armored guard grunted noncommittally. Zuko opened the door and smirked at his uncle. "They don't get paid enough to talk, Uncle," he joked. The guard to Iroh's left chuckled slightly, covering it up with a loud cough. The retired general breezed past his nephew, picking up a large map from the piles of papers on the desk. Zuko nodded to his guards and shut the door behind him. "Pardon the mess, Uncle. I'm just a bit...frustrated," he said lamely.

Iroh eyed the strewn maps with interest and skepticism. "I'm not sure if frustrated is a strong enough word, Nephew," he commented. "Perhaps a nice calming cup of tea would be best?"

Zuko exhaled shortly through his nose, pinching the bridge of it and throwing his other hand up in the air. "Fine Uncle, I'll have a cup of tea," he agreed. Sighing, he sat down, resting his back against the bed stand. Iroh sat as well, tossing the map he'd taken from the desk to Zuko and setting up his tea set.

Zuko unrolled the map, finding it to be no different from the world maps he'd used when traveling, either with "Team Avatar" or with his Uncle during his banishment. He raised an eyebrow at Iroh, who was now heating the water, but said nothing. A relaxed silence fell over the two of them and Zuko found himself to be realizing just how cramped his neck had been getting, craning over the desk like that. When the retired general had the water boiling sufficiently he looked over at his nephew. "So are you planning a vacation or something, Firelord Zuko?" he asked jokingly.

Zuko snorted, shaking his head. "As much as I would love to get away from all of my advisors, Uncle, I don't believe a vacation would be a smart idea for a new Firelord," he retorted.

Iroh laughed, pouring out the tea and passing the cup to his nephew. "Well that is true, I suppose. Then why all the maps and records, nephew?" Zuko gulped down a mouthful of the hot tea, his eyes bugging out as it was still nearly boiling.

After a moment of fanning his mouth and gasping for cool air he replied, "I'm looking for my mother, Uncle." Zuko looked down at his cup of tea and scowled. "I still don't know where she is and Father isn't telling me," he murmured softly.

Iroh sighed heavily. "Well my brother is not one to make things easy for family," he said sorrowfully. Zuko looked even more dejected until Iroh added, "Thankfully I can be of some assistance where your father wasn't." Zuko jerked his head up, looking at his uncle with hope in his eyes.

"You know where she is?" he said quickly. This was too good to be true. He cursed himself for not asking his uncle before searching through the piles of records he'd dredged up.

Iroh shrugged his shoulders noncommittally. "Well, I know where she might be. That map you're holding is a lot more helpful when you look at it in the right light, nephew."

Zuko picked up the map, leaving his tea to be forgotten on his left side. "What do you mean the right light? It's just a map, Uncle," he insisted.

His uncle extended his hand and took the map from him. "Watch just for a moment and you may learn something, nephew," Iroh remarked. With just a tiny flame cupped in his hand he put the light behind the map. Some of it shone through though most of the map was still dark. "There," Iroh pointed out. One city was encircled by a brown loop that stood out from the other markings.

Zuko shuffled over to lean over his uncle's shoulder. "That's Gaoling, right?" he questioned. "In the Earth Kingdom?" Iroh nodded and put the map to the side. Zuko stood up and paced hurriedly back and forth by his bed. "Gaoling's only two week's voyage from here, barring weather and fuel issues. They remained outside of the war and if I had any such sort of diplomatic reasoning to visit them there would be no outcry from the Council," he mused softly to himself.

Iroh sipped on his tea as his nephew murmured plans and ideas to himself. After he let Zuko mutter to himself for long enough Iroh cleared his throat and recommended tentatively, "Zuko, if I might suggest that you take this opportunity to show your support for the Avatar and the reconstruction of the Earth Kingdom? You could visit Gaoling specifically to deliver Miss Bei Fong back to her family, as well as speak with the families there which could contribute quite nicely to the reconstruction effort."

Zuko stopped his pacing mid-step. "Toph's family lives in Gaoling?" he interjected. Iroh nodded and Zuko continued fervently. "Well then if we took Aang and Appa then getting there would be even quicker."

Iroh stood up, gathering his tea set and sipping from Zuko's forgotten cup. "It sounds as if you will be leaving for a few days. I suggest you inform the Council before you get too far along, nephew. Don't forget about your duty to this nation," he reminded gently.

Zuko nodded, still partially engrossed in his thoughts. "Right, the Council." Iroh was halfway out the door when Zuko called out quickly, "Oh, and Uncle!"

Iroh turned and looked at his smiling nephew. "Thank you."