#azula really does spend the first three or so chapters living the Bilbo and the party routine

[lightdancer1]

That said the one person in the Gaang who point blank tells Zuko "No this is a bad idea and fuck you for asking me"

In the 'please bring my sister back' montage is Sokka. Who as the person holding three quarters of the Gaang's collective brain cell takes one look at the letter, figures out quite accurately that a 25 year old Azula living in peace having it interrupted is the exact worst outcome that could happen, especially if they do it, and then tells Zuko this in almost this exact phrasing and tone of voice.

There will also be at least three of them who read the letter and with a wee bit of condescension at times go "Zuko, iroh already said he's going to the Fire Nation to help, so why do we need to bring Azula in at all? If this goes bad, we reserve the right in advance to tell you we told you this when it was foresight."

And Zuko, meanwhile, is too deeply stuck in his guilt to listen to all of this until it's hindsight and resolutely convinced the magic of the Field Trip With Zuko will fix all things.

Of course the irony that none of them predict is that those that do go to Karakorum might have their abilities to persuade people who are done with the bullshit somewhat more limited than they ever bothered to anticipate might be the case. Which then bruises egos in the 'Oh come on, I go thousands of leagues to this shithole and I get told no?' fashion because they never anticipated people would react to the call to adventure Bilbo Baggins style.