The next two days really proved why it had been a good idea to actually show up in person to change peoples mind.

Ones people had gotten a little demonstration in regards to earth, water and air bending. It was all a very different tune.

It probably helped that none of these people had ever seen any other bending than fire bending. So if you had never even seen earth bending before.

Seeing Toph just raise a boulder out of the ground, shaping it into a statue and Katara pull water from the air then took water from the well to make a beautiful glittering ice sculpture looking like Appa. There was lots of gawking.

Sokka for all his faults was a very good story teller and boy could he tell stories about the frigid colds of the South Pole. How they had to survive with so little but had such a strong sense of community.

And then the group were off to the next city, this time taking a Khomodo Rhino pulled carriage as the ship would simply sail around the island and meet them at the other side of the island.

And at the next city…. The whole thing started over again. With not to many noteworthy differences in how things went down.

The third place they visited though was one of the new settlements where former soldiers and refuges had come to build and settle.

This had Zuko beyond excited as he saw all of the newly build houses, half of them still not finished but thankfully the warmth climate of the fire nation allowed for people to sleep outside.

Also these people looked much more genuinely happy to see Zuko.

They were nervous of course…. But these were the people who hadn't agreed with the previous rule or had been victims of it. Who had been on the run in an unwelcome land and now finally had been allowed to just go home.

An old woman with a wrinkled face had dared to step up to Zuko and look up at him. "I didn't think I would ever be allowed to set foot on my homeland again." she whispered. "Thank you. Lord Zuko." she bowed her head.

Zuko smiled as he gently took her hands. "You should never have been forced to leave in the first place. I'm glad you made it home." he said. "I can relate to what it feels like. Being cut off from your home. Just wanting to feel the soft sand of a fire nation shore under your feet again."

The old woman smiled warmly, true warmth in her eyes as she shook Zukos hands one time and let go.

A few cities and settlements after… They finally ran into familiar faces.

The refuges from Ba Sing Se!

"FIRE LORD ZUKO!" They all shouted as they came running. Ming and Ying with their daughter now waddling and Mings stomach looked…. Pretty big.

Katara screamed in delight by the sight of it. "You're getting another one!" she shouted.

Ying grinned all over his face. "Absolutely!"

"LORD ZUKO!" Rhina the little girl who had given Zuko some of her fire flakes so very long ago before they had crossed the serpents pass together came running and then just blatantly grabbed his legs. "Rhina!" Zuko grinned and Zhau-Li was already far ahead of him.

"Tien! Fuji! Chen!" Zhau-Li yelled excited as all of his fellow former refuges flocked around him. "You all made it!"

"Look at you! All fancy!" Another young man about Zhau-Li's age grinned. "So sucking up to the Prince really worked out for you huh?"

"It's not like that!" Zhau-Li objected.

"Guys it's so great seeing all of you!" Aang beamed.

Tien the old woman who had usually made food for all of them beamed. "Well. Prince Zuko promised us all he would make sure we could come home. It's still hard to believe. He did it. He really did it!" and they all grinned.

"No worries." Zuko smiled a warm smile on his lips. "This honestly makes it all worth it."

"It sure does." Aang grinned.

In the evening everyone was sitting together gathered around a fire place as they recounted stories from their time in Ba Sing Se.

So far this had been Zukos favorite stop by far.

Mai was particularly eager to hear stories from other perspectives at that time and proudly leaned up against Zuko with a smile on her lips.

It was kind of regretful that they all had to leave the day after. But Zuko was pretty happy he now knew where he could find these people.

And then Ming and Ying had revealed that if their new child was a boy he would be called Ruko and if it was a girl she would be called Zukka.

Zuko was not entirely sure what to think about that. Katara told him he should be flattered, they were going to name their kid after him.

Sokka said it made sense. Zuko had played a huge part in their life already.

Honestly Zuko mostly just felt flustered about it. So much so that he was still flustered two days after when they ran into another familiar face who screamed as she came running towards them.

"MAAIIIIIIII!" Ty Lee screamed as she ran straight for her best friend who had no way to defend herself and was then crushed in a tight hug.

"Urgh!" Mai gasped. Then looked down. "Hi. Ty Lee." she gasped.

"I missed you sooooo much!" Ty Lee cried. "Uh!" she let go as she clapped her hands together. "Congratulations on your engagement! I saw it in the newspaper! I'm so happy for you!" she babbled.

Just then a weird roar came from the animal by Ty Lees feet and she gasped. "Oh of course! Sorry! Pongi this is my friends I told you so much about!" she exclaimed to the lion seal that clapped its fins. "And guys this is Pongi! He's my partner!" she cheered. "We have traveled around performing together and people really seem to love it!" she grinned. "I can fill up a whole bag of coins after each performance!"

"That's great." Aang beamed.

"Isn't it?" Ty Lee asked. "Where I go I get to make people laugh! The children especially are so happy! I am turning droopy faces upside down!"

Sokka was starring at the Lion seal… The Lion seal looking back at him.

"Sokka?" Aang asked.

"That's where seal jerky comes from." Sokka informed as he pointed at the lion seal.

"SOKKA!" Katara shouted. "How many times do I have to say it! We do not eat other peoples animals!" she exclaimed as she hit Sokka over the head.

"Auw!"

"You would eat a lion seal?" Ty Lee asked then her eyes turned wet. "How could you?"

"Hey it's normal where I am from!" Sokka exclaimed. "We don't have a lot of wild life except the penguins, tiger whales and lion seals! So we eat them!"

Ty Lee gasped.

"Well…" Zuko hesitated. "Lots of people eat turtleduck around here too. I honestly can't ever make myself to do it either."

"I don't know why any of you would eat meat." Aang stated. "I mean clearly you don't have to. I lived fine as a vegetarian all my life."

"You only had to spend very limited time at the poles Aang." Sokka said. "And there you also complained you could barely eat any of what we had to serve you. Being Vegetarian might be all fine and dandy where there is lots of vegetation. It's really not an option when it's winter at the poles!"

"Oh." Aang looked down.

"Well if that's the case. I guess that's fine." Ty Lee beamed. "Don't you dare touch Pongi though!" she exclaimed and the Lion seal gave a resounding huff.

"That's fine." Sokka shrugged. "Traveling with royalty has benefits. They are always happy throwing us as many banquets as we want!" he grinned. "It's awesome!"

"Really?" Ty Lee asked. "THAT'S GREAT!" she threw her hands up in the air. "I love eating too! We have so much in common!"

Sokka lifted an eyebrow. The two probably barely had anything in common. But who was there to judge? Ty Lee was happy and so was everyone else. So what was there really to complain about?