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"I think," the Fire Lord starts saying, "that the palace is haunted."

Mina prides herself in being a professional maid who served the royal family for years, which is why she doesn't make the blunder of dropping the tray of tea set she's carrying. She does, however, snap her head to look at her Fire Lord, who is currently staring blankly at an array of Serious Business papers on his desk. Which is unprofessional of her. Not to mention rude. But the Fire Lord is unaware of her stomach jumping to her throat, because he simply moves to steeple his hands under his chin with a contrite expression.

"Huh," the Avatar, who is lounging on the couch in the Fire Lord's study, is the one who responds. He pauses twirling marbles with his airbending to look at the man behind the desk. "Okay?" he says, with the question mark audible.

"I'm serious, Aang," the Fire Lord stresses. Mina slowly puts the tray on the low table, recognizing that they're mostly speaking to each other and not her. But they're not kicking her out, so she busies herself by pouring the tea into two cups. As slowly as humanly possible.

"What makes you think that the palace is… haunted?" Far be it for Mina to assume their dynamics, but the Avatar sounds like he's simply humoring the Fire Lord. From the Fire Lord's frown, maybe she's not that far off the mark.

"First of all, I hear these noises." The Fire Lord stares at his papers again, as though they would start moving on their own to prove his point. They don't. "Late at night. And when I check there's no one there."

The Avatar sits up. His marbles fall from their stagnant flying position to his palms as he narrows his eyes to the Fire Lord. "You didn't have other assassination attempts that you're hiding from everyone, aren't you?"

"No, no. I made the guards check. No intruders." Mina knows she can't be pouring tea forever. She still wants to hear more. "But there's the voices."

"Okay," the Avatar is back to sounding vaguely intrigued. He starts spinning marbles with airbending again. "What kind of voices?"

"Some stomping. Something like fabric dragging against the floor." The Fire Lord shudders. Shudders? Mina blinks. She didn't think their newest Fire Lord could surprise her anymore, but here they are. "Sounds of fire bursting. Even though the hallways stay dark."

"Uh huh." The Avatar says.

"Aang," the Fire Lord clicks his tongue. He points a menacing finger at the Avatar, which a few nations might find offense in. The Avatar simply continues airbending his marbles. "You're the spirits expert. Help me out here."

"I think you're almost as bad as Sokka." There is almost amusement in the Avatar's voice. Mina has no idea what the story is behind that statement involving the Water Tribe Warrior. "Also, spirits and ghosts are different."

"How is that helping?" With all due respect, the Fire Lord is starting to look like he's losing his marbles. And the Avatar is, undoubtedly, looking very amused.

"You were born here. You lived here for years, despite your, well, adventures." The Fire Lord's only eyebrow twitches, but the Avatar barrels on. "If they really are ghosts, why would you only notice them now?"

Which Mina thinks is a very solid logic. She's heard many ghost stories around the palace, of course, as do any place will always hold their ghost stories. But of all the years she worked here she never experienced anything of sorts. So they stay as that for her. Just stories.

The Fire Lord doesn't sound convinced. "I don't know, you tell me."

"I think you should take a break and have some tea," the Avatar says, in an exaggerated deep voice that is clearly supposed to be an impression of General Iroh. Mina runs out of tea to slow-pour and he grabs a cup for himself, giving her a smile and polite nod. He turns back to the Fire Lord to give him a pointed stare, patting the spot on the couch next to him. "You're neglecting your guest, and this old man is wounded."

The Fire Lord sighs. He seems to give up on the matter for now. "You invited yourself here to bother me."

"You love the company."

"Unfortunately," the Fire Lord acquiesces easily. The Avatar sends him a bright smile as the Fire Lord stands from his desk to join his company. Mina takes that as her cue and stands up. "And thank you, Mina."

For all the years she has worked here, that one simple change that Fire Lord Zuko started never stops to feel gratifying. She bows to the both of them before she takes her leave. She thinks of unidentified sounds in dark hallways and wonders.

Rama has learned his lesson about kicking Fire Lord Zuko from the kitchen years ago. It boils down to a simple: it won't work. Best to let him do his thing. Don't get him wrong, he doesn't dislike the current Fire Lord. And he's not one to care about having treasonous thoughts, because the previous Fire Lords were obviously, non-debatably, absolute dickheads. Those Fire Lords gave hell to the previous head cooks and chefs alike: his grandfather, his mother, and then many others, and so on. He's sure a lot of the palace staff even outside the kitchen would agree, albeit maybe they would be more careful about voicing it out.

So, no, Rama doesn't hate Fire Lord Zuko. He likes him quite a lot, in fact, because he's the first Fire Lord to go out of his way to appreciate their food and their cooks. Rama can get behind that. Besides, he's very tidy, for such a frantic person. He never leaves the kitchen a mess during and after using it, despite Rama's staff's insistence on cleaning after him. That's another thing, Rama's team love him. He's never seen them so readily accept someone to their so-called "gossip ring". The Fire Lord is awkward on a good day, but he has this indulgence about him that the nosy staff adore to have around.

Speaking of, the Fire Lord is raiding his kitchen again. It's early in the morning, and they're supposed to be preparing breakfast. Fire Lord Zuko flits around the kitchen, greeting everyone he passes like he belongs here. And, sure, maybe this is the Fire Lord's kitchen since this is his palace the same way that this is his nation. Rama just doesn't think he will ever get used to the sight of the man that they're supposed to serve letting his casual royalty robe be stained with garlic and dish soap.

Also, the Avatar is here too.

It's another thing he's observing in his kitchen this morning. He follows behind the Fire Lord, not quite sleepy since he can firebend and the sun is out, but seemingly not happy about it. He wipes the corner of his eyes back and forth, manoeuvring always just shy behind the Fire Lord's back. The kitchen staff leave him be just as they leave the Fire Lord be.

"I think you're being paranoid," the Avatar says, probably to the Fire Lord and not Yin, who is making omelettes next to him. The girl looks over, says her greetings, and gets back to her work. The Avatar and the Fire Lord just nod at her.

"I think you're purposefully pissing me off," Fire Lord Zuko says, to a few cough-disguised laughs around them. He irritably continues heating water, graciously only sending the kettle his stink-eye. "You heard it."

"Nuh uh," Avatar Aang approximately denies. He floats a little so he can put his chin on the Fire Lord's shoulder. The Fire Lord tries to shake him off. He doesn't put his heart in his effort, and the Avatar stays where he is.

"...What do you mean, nuh uh?" The pause before it sounds like the Fire Lord wanted to insert a curse word there. Rama's not sure if it's for the staff or for the Avatar's benefit that he held back.

From Avatar Aang's eyeroll, the Avatar has heard the Fire Lord say worse.

"I'm saying it proves nothing." The Avatar is finally jostled from his perch when the Fire Lord storms off to find tea leaves. He takes over the job of watching the kettle. "It's probably just a baby hog monkey that somehow got in."

Fire Lord Zuko comes back and smacks the back of Avatar Aang's head with the tin can of tea leaves. Yin jumps, but the Avatar barely reacts.

"Sorry, Yin," the Fire Lord mutters to the cook, even as he continues exercising violence to the Avatar by kicking him to the side.

"Should I notify the palace animal control, My Lord?" Rama offers. A stray baby hog monkey finding its way to his kitchen is nowhere in his to-do-list. He'd like to avoid that. Besides, Lingga, the head of the palace animal control, has frequently talked Rama's ear off about his supposed lack of job. Maybe that's just his nature that he can't stay still, but Rama would still like for there to be a different conversation topic whenever they hang out.

"No need, Rama," the Fire Lord shoots him something of a grimace over his shoulder. Then he glares at the Avatar again. "Because it's not a hog monkey. Hog monkeys don't sound like that when they move."

"Well, maybe it's a very stealthy hog monkey." The Avatar shrugs. "Or a viper bat. Have you considered that? It may be a viper bat in your palace."

"All the way from Earth Kingdom?" The Fire Lord is busy pouring hot water into the pot, because otherwise he looks like he wants to hit the Avatar again. "You're killing me, Aang. You were there with me and you're still stubbornly a skeptic."

Avatar Aang valiantly holds back his laughter. "You'd rather believe it's a ghost than a lost viper bat from the Earth Kingdom, Zuko."

"Is this about the Fire Lord's ghost?" Guo joins in, leaning over from his station while still kneading his dough. "Did it appear again?"

"It's not my ghost." Fire Lord Zuko sniffs. "I'm right here."

"No, yes, My Lord, I mean the ghost that's following you."

The Fire Lord stares at his tea pot like it has personally wronged him. "I'm not being haunted. It's haunting the palace."

"Or, you know," the Avatar says around snickers that he no longer tries to hide, "it's a viper bat."

Ping pushes a plate of freshly baked egg custard tarts the Avatar's way. Bribery so he will stop their Fire Lord from spiraling further.

The Avatar gets the clue quickly enough. He grins, accepting the plate and bumping his shoulder to the Fire Lord. "I do still think it's just some animal. Or something in the building, like, an air draft or something?"

"Really convincing, Aang."

The Avatar huffs a laugh, holding his plate of bribery with one hand and pushing the Fire Lord's back with the other. "If it helps calm your mind, I can investigate later. Sokka would probably say something like, it's time for detective work!"

The Fire Lord lets himself be gently pushed out of the kitchen, waving off everyone who offers to take the tray of tea set from his hands. There's a small smile on his face now, sour as it is. "Sokka hasn't said that in years."

"Detective Aang is taking over his work," the Avatar announces solemnly. He puts one tart in his mouth before anyone can warn him. "Ah! Hot, hot!"

The Fire Lord snorts. "Careful," he says, despite knowing it's a late warning. He closes the kitchen door behind him. The constant chatter didn't stop when they entered, continued as they were inside, and goes on after they leave.

Rama thinks he'll contact Lingga to check around the palace, anyway. He doesn't mind the Fire Lord and the Avatar raiding his kitchen, but he draws the line at hog monkeys.

It's getting harder to ignore the two other people in the garden.

Yoko is supposed to sweep this particular garden today. So far, she has done every other maintenance a gardener can possibly do. Even ones she isn't instructed to do. All except, you know, actually sweeping the garden. Because the two other people in the garden with her are sitting on the grass near the pond, under the cherry tree. If they were anyone else, she would politely ask them to move so she can finish her task already.

Unfortunately, those are the Fire Lord and the Avatar.

They're sitting hunched near each other, a tea set next to them. It's ignored as they make… flower crowns. White wisteria flowers pile between them with some snipped stems littering their laps. The Avatar's lemur snores around the Fire Lord's topknot. It's honestly annoying because no one else will believe Yoko when she eventually tells the story. Or maybe they will. It's hardly the weirdest thing the Fire Lord and the Avatar has done.

Yoko has really run out of things to do. Reluctantly, she picks up the broom and starts sweeping. From the outer ring of the garden, keeping her distance from the cherry tree.

"And Lingga and his team reported that they didn't find anything," Yoko overhears the Fire Lord saying. She isn't trying to listen in, swear on Agni's merciful light. But this garden isn't that big and the Fire Lord isn't particularly having a hushed conversation.

"What about the property division?" the Avatar asks. He's starting on his third flower crown now.

The Fire Lord continues fiddling with his unfinished flower crown. The one and only. "Han also said he found nothing weird in the building's structure and stuff."

"Well, Avatar Aang's reporting to you that I don't find any weird spirit activities either."

The Fire Lord groans. He throws his head back, causing the Avatar's lemur to be shaken awake. He chitters in protest before moving to settle atop of the Avatar's head instead.

"You're right, Momo, Zuko isn't being a very good bed, isn't he?" The Avatar tuts. The Fire Lord shakes his head.

"What should we do next?"

The Avatar tilts his head to the side. The lemur doesn't even stir. "Try… asking the Fire Sages?"

The Fire Lord makes a face. "I'm not making the Fire Sages do that, Aang. Besides, no offense to them, if the Avatar can't find anything, what good are they gonna be?"

The Avatar grimaces. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Well, it's worth a try? Honestly, I've run out of ideas."

They settle to a somewhat sullen silence. Yoko feels like her broom scraping against the grass might as well be the sound of stomping soldiers.

The Fire Lord's little ghostly problem is still the hot topic around the palace. Several servants and guards also reportedly have had encounters with the unidentified noise and shadows. Yoko wouldn't know a thing, because she works at the garden during the day shift and goes home after her work is done.

Saika, her friend from the palace's hospital wing, has invited her to accompany her night shift a few times. Saika said she hasn't seen or heard anything weird around her place, but all the fuss is making her paranoid. Yoko loves her friend dearly. She also refuses going to work more than her wage pays her. Saika isn't even alone in her night shift. There are other healers with her. Besides, they both know how bad Yoko is with staying awake late.

She did, however, join Saika when she invited her to watch a night theater play on one of their shared day-off. It was by a group from Earth Kingdom, the first one to ever perform in the Fire Nation since the war. Coincidentally, it's about ghosts. Ghost hunting, in fact. The characters asked help from the spirits to help them uncover the ghost that is bothering them in their home. It turns out the ghosts were the neighbor's kids that liked to crawl in the character's attic. Yoko thought the play was pretty silly, but it was enjoyable enough. She's not much of a theater person, really. That's Saika.

She feels like the garden has grown even more silent, somehow. When she looks up, she finds that both the Fire Lord and the Avatar are looking at her. Ah. She must be mumbling again. Between that habit of hers and their increased proximity they must have heard her thoughts very clearly. She drops her broom to the ground and drops her body to a bow.

She has heard stories about Fire Lord Zuko being nothing like their Fire Lords from the past century, but. Again. They are stories and she has no reason to believe them until she sees it for herself.

"I beg for forgiveness, My Lord; Avatar, Sir," she says, and her voice comes out steady, if not too loud. She thinks of what it is that she's sorry for. She's sorry for getting caught, she supposes. She says, "I couldn't help but to overhear your conversation. Forgive me for my intrusion. I swear your conversation will not leave this garden through my mouth."

"Please, uh, Yoko, right?" The Fire Lord knows her name, wow. Saika will flip. She nods without raising her head. "It's okay. Please rise." She does as she was asked. The Fire Lord and the Avatar are looking at her, with concerned and amused expressions respectively. The Fire Lord glances at the Avatar, who just raises an eyebrow at him. "And our conversation wasn't really… confidential or anything. You don't need to do that."

Yoko nods again. There's some grain of truth to the stories of their Fire Lord, now she knows as much. "Understood, My Lord."

"Actually, we overhear you—sorry about that too, by the way—" the Avatar doesn't sound particularly sorry, he just looks really enthused, "about the play? Can you tell us more about this ghost hunting thing?" He elbows the Fire Lord, like that is a perfectly normal thing to do. "Maybe that can help Zuko's little problem here."

Yoko smiles, thinking back to Saika gushing about the play for a few hours after it ended. "I'm afraid telling you would spoil the play, My Lord; Avatar, Sir. If you don't mind it, though, certainly I can tell you."

"Ooh, wait, wait, no, don't tell." The Avatar gets this wide grin on his face. He slings an arm around the Fire Lord and pulls him to his side. "What do you say, Zuko? A night at the theater, like old times?"

The Fire Lord looks at him with his own smile, exasperated and fond. He gives up tidying his flower crown, and settles it on the Avatar's lemur's head. "Like old times, you sure like to forget we have jobs to do."

"It's settled, then!" The Avatar cheers. The lemur wakes again with another protest, and flies to lay down on Yoko's pile of sweeped leaves. Ah, she forgot about that.

The Avatar laughs. "Momo! Oops, sorry, we must be in the way of you doing your job."

The Avatar jumps from his seat. A swirl of air sweeps the rest of the garden, putting the rest of the dried leaves to their pile. The lemur's head peeks up from it, flower crown askance.

Another swirl of air swiftly places a flower crown on top of her head.

"Sorry about him, Yoko," the Fire Lord says, when he shouldn't have to. The Avatar places the other flower crown on his head. The four of them are matching, now. Saika will absolutely flip. The Fire Lord's eyes crinkle around his smile.

Yoko thinks it's good that some stories can be proven as true.

"I don't think anything's gonna happen," Fire Lord Zuko grumbles, where he is crouching behind the wall and peeking his head to the other hallway.

"Shh, Fire Lord Hotman." Avatar Aang, who leans on his back and is also looking to the same hallway, slaps his head. "You're gonna scare the ghost away."

Fire Lord Zuko turns his irritated expression to where Endo is standing a little to their side. "Your Fire Lord is being assaulted. Shouldn't you, as a palace guard, you know. Do your job?"

Endo smiles. Apparently his helmet doesn't hide it well enough, because Fire Lord Zuko scowls harder. "With all due respect, I'm afraid the Avatar has diplomatic immunity, My Lord."

Avatar Aang snickers. He pats Fire Lord Zuko's shoulder, with a little more force, to make a point. Fire Lord Zuko bats his hand and tries to invent a new form of firebending to attack the Avatar from his glower alone.

Like this, quietly bickering while they're clearly up to no good, they might as well be any two of Endo's seven younger brothers. Which might be preposterous of him to see the Fire Lord and the Avatar as such, but he can't shake the image from his head. He has no intention of belittling them. It's just a bit difficult to see them as the leader of a powerful nation and the bringer of world peace when they are arguing and hitting each other well past their bedtime.

They almost look their age, Endo thinks. Brothers huddled together around the corner instead of infallible figures standing on a pedestal.

"What if this doesn't work?" Fire Lord Zuko is saying again.

"Try the next thing on the list, obviously."

"I am not doing the next thing on your stupid list, Aang." Fire Lord Zuko argues, with a voice that tells Endo they have had this argument many times before. "At this point you're going to convince me the ghost doesn't exist before you convince me to continue this whole thing."

"Aw, don't say that, you're gonna hurt the ghost's feelings." Avatar Aang leans more of his weight to Fire Lord Zuko's back. "Maybe that's why they're not appearing. Because you have that attitude. Ever thought of that?"

"Ever thought of the fact that maybe it's because we're trying to lure them out with," Fire Lord Zuko straightens up. Avatar Aang clings his arms around his shoulders to follow. "Meat buns and incense?"

Endo tries to keep himself from laughing. He peeks to the hallway the other two are watching, and sure enough, there is a plate stacked with meat buns on the floor of the dark hallway. The only reason they could see it is because the burning incense on either side of it gives what dim lighting for it to be visible. The smoke drifts quietly and nothing weird appears or makes a sound. They've been here for a few hours and it's past midnight already.

"Do you think the offering is not enough?" Avatar Aang frowns. "I told you we should've added fireflakes and tea."

Fire Lord Zuko throws his hands up. It jostles Avatar Aang from his perch. "I'm going to sleep." And with that, he starts walking to the direction of his chambers.

"No you're not!" Avatar Aang grabs to the back of Fire Lord Zuko's sleeping robes. The Fire Lord keeps walking, only this time with the Avatar dragging his feet behind him. Endo just watches them, still with a smile. "We haven't caught the ghost! Zuko! You can't give up yet!"

"Argh! We're wasting time and I have a meeting tomorrow morning! Just accept that you win, maybe there's no ghost after all—"

Fire Lord Zuko freezes. Avatar Aang stops himself from hitting his back with airbending. They're staring with wide eyes at the still dark hallway. Where they put the offering. The smile disappears from Endo's face, and he steps to their side.

The three of them stand right at the end of the dark hallway, now. Endo slips into a ready stance, eyes scanning the place. He sees nothing. Still the same dark walls, plate of meat buns and burning incense on one side. He glances at Fire Lord Zuko and Avatar Aang. Their eyes are fixed on one corner of the ceiling. He follows their gaze.

A lump in the darkness writhes.

Endo steps forward so he's a bit in front of Fire Lord Zuko. The Fire Lord is more than capable to defend himself, he knows, in theory and from experience. And if this really is a ghost, the Avatar is anyone's best bet at handling it. Endo is practically useless in this situation. But this is his job, and damn if he's going to do it right.

The three of them seem to hold their breath and not move a muscle.

Then the lump-ghost-thing moves. The three of them tense. It scales the wall from its previous spot on the ceiling, slithers across the hallway, and stops in front of the plate of offering. Something short in height, but long in length. A snout snatches a meat bun from the plate.

Fire Lord Zuko flicks his wrist. A single torch lights up the hallway.

At first, Endo thinks that the viper bat theorists won. But the animal—because it clearly is a living, breathing animal instead of a ghost—is not small enough to be a viper bat. Its scales are a deep red. It's bigger and bulkier than an adult viper bat could ever grow. It flicks its tail, flutters its wings, and swallows the meat bun. Red and golden eyes peer at them. It doesn't cower in fear; it stares at them with its head held high.

"A baby dragon," Avatar Aang whispers reverently. Endo's mouth drops open.

"But—how?" Fire Lord Zuko whispers back. "I thought Ran and Shaw are the last of their kind."

"How am I supposed to know?"

Endo has no idea either. He never thought he'd ever see a dragon, alive, in his lifetime. He thought no one could ever hope to see dragons anymore, period. But it seems that Fire Lord Zuko and Avatar Aang know another two dragons. And they're unaware of this one's existence.

The dragon takes another meat bun. Its eyes are still trained at them. Endo shifts on his feet.

“Should we… do the dance?” Avatar Aang asks. Endo truly doesn’t understand what’s going on anymore. Thankfully, apparently the Avatar is still addressing the Fire Lord and not Endo. Because Endo can’t dance for shit.

“I’m not doing the dance,” Fire Lord Zuko hisses. “Is that the only way to communicate with dragons?”

“I don’t know, you tell me! You’re the master firebender!”

“Aang, you’re a master firebender too now.”

Is it just Endo’s feelings, or is the dragon focusing its attention on him?

Apparently Endo isn't just seeing things. Fire Lord Zuko notices too. He turns to Endo, eyes wide, and motions for him to stand down. Oh, Endo is still in his fighting stance.

“My Lord,” Endo says nervously, “are you, ah, sure, that the dragon will not attack?”

“I’m pretty sure,” Fire Lord Zuko says. He doesn’t sound pretty sure himself.

The dragon tilts its head. Endo slowly drops his stance and forces his body to relax. The dragon flicks its tail and—takes flight.

Endo’s mouth stays open while the dragon approaches them. It hovers in front of Avatar Aang, who blinks and gives it a hesitant smile. The dragon grunts, opens its mouth, and sends a plume of smoke. The Avatar scrunches his face. He doesn’t look hurt, though, if the bright smile he gives after that is any indication.

The dragon moves again. It hovers in front of Fire Lord Zuko, next, and also sends a plume of smoke while the Fire Lord continues to stand stiffly where he is. It circles his head, then lays down around his shoulder.

For Endo, the dragon just stares from where it perches on Fire Lord Zuko’s shoulders and flicks its tail. Endo isn’t offended about it. He knows his status isn’t anywhere near the Fire Lord or the Avatar.

“That’s—another friend,” Fire Lord Zuko hastens to defend Endo anyway. He’s very honored, and it does help settle his nerves if he has the confirmation the dragon is friendly even to a palace guard. “Uh, please don’t attack?”

The dragon huffs, but positively settles its head on Fire Lord Zuko’s shoulder.

“Um,” Fire Lord Zuko squeaks.

Avatar Aang grins. “Looks like the baby dragon likes you, Zuko.”

“Nevermind that, how, why—?” Fire Lord Zuko cuts himself off with a sigh. He pinches the bridge of his nose. “I have so many questions.”

Endo stares at the dragon that has wrapped itself around his Fire Lord’s shoulders. It almost blends in with the red of his sleeping robes, like a shawl around his neck. It’s rather cute, though Endo would never say that to the Fire Lord’s face. It’s also right then that he notices the bump on the dragon’s back, behind its wings.

“Pardon, My Lord, is that… a scroll on the dragon’s back?”

“Really?” Fire Lord Zuko twists his head uncomfortably. Avatar Aang steps closer to take a look.

“Oh, you’re right,” Avatar Aang confirms. He slowly reaches out a hand. “Excuse me, Mr. Dragon.”

The dragon grunts something of an assent. Since when has it closed its eyes?

Avatar Aang takes the scroll from its case. Fire Lord Zuko leans his head to read along. He keeps his back straight enough so the dragon doesn't fall off. Endo stands to the side and tries to tamp down his curiosity, because he doesn't want to provoke the dragon by reading a scroll he's most definitely not privy to.

"Huh," is apparently how Fire Lord Zuko surmises the message. "So that's what's inside the glowing egg."

"Well, that explains the severity of the traps." Avatar Aang rolls the scroll back. He gives the dragon another smile. "Nice to meet you, Druk. I'm Aang. Zuko here thought you were a ghost."

"Don't tell him that," Fire Lord Zuko mutters, even though Avatar Aang already told the dragon that. "What… are we supposed to do now?"

"Well, I'm going to sleep." Avatar Aang stretches his arms and yawns. "I'll keep this scroll for you. Fire palace ghost: case closed! And congratulations on becoming a mother."

"I'm not the dragon's mother, Aang." Fire Lord Zuko looks like he wants to yell it, but is more concerned of disrupting his charge. The dragon is actually sleeping on his shoulders. Endo is seriously thinking that a ghost would make more sense than any of this.

"Sure you are." Avatar Aang waves the scroll like it explains everything. Maybe it does, for those who actually read it. He pats Fire Lord Zuko's arm, still grinning himself silly. His other hand waves at Endo. "See you tomorrow, Zuko. Night, Guard Hotman!"

And with that, Avatar Aang breezes out of there before Fire Lord Zuko can get a hit in.

Fire Lord Zuko, losing his target, mutters something unsavory under his breath. If asked, Endo doesn't hear anything.

"Whatever. I'm going to sleep too, then, I guess." Fire Lord Zuko rubs his temple, after another minute of furious muttering. "Let's go, Endo."

"Well, at least it's not a vengeful ghost?" Endo offers, as they walk to Fire Lord Zuko's quarters. He looks at the dragon, curled around the Fire Lord's shoulders. Druk, the Avatar had called him. The dragon is still sleeping, yet his presence feels like another protective barrier for Fire Lord Zuko. A companion, for the long term, hopefully. "I'm glad to find out dragons still exist."

Fire Lord Zuko blinks at his words. His pinched expression slowly smooths to a small smile. He looks at Druk, before hesitantly raising a hand to scritch the dragon's chin. The dragon rumbles lowly and doesn't wake. Fire Lord Zuko's smile widens.

"I suppose you're right," he finally agrees.

Case closed, indeed.

Though, hours later, after Fire Lord Zuko has settled in his room and Endo is coming back from his toilet break, he sees something strange. He passes the same dark hallway. And something white and vaguely human shaped is floating there, slowly crossing the hallway. The torch that Fire Lord Zuko lit up before is already put out. The incense is almost burned out. It's not really clear.

"Who's there?" Endo calls out. He does his job, no matter what. No matter that his voice shakes a little.

The white figure disappears and the incense suddenly dies. Endo pales where he stands. Then he books it out of there, regretting not asking Kaila to accompany him. Maybe they solved Fire Lord Zuko's ghost case, but he's not interested in finding out if the Fire Palace has more to offer.