A/N: This will be a sci-fi AU for scattered Tyzula Month prompts. I don't think I'll do all of them, but I do want to do as many as I can. I hope you enjoy!
GAME NIGHT
PROLOGUE PART ONE = LATE
A teenage girl in a blue dress toyed with her neon drink. She was leaning against the bar in a packed nightclub. She shrugged off all attention as she waited for her birthday party guests. Her invitation to the game night was obviously not clear on the time.
The bartender vanished before she could ask for anything else. He was there one second, and erased from this reality in the next. Back to the boring, dreadful real world.
Wonderful. What a fantastic birthday.
She screamed when she was attacked by a surprise hug from behind.
"You're late," Azula said coolly as she pulled away from another teenage girl garbed in bright pink.
"I had homework," Ty Lee whined. "I'm so failing Fire Nation history. War is very boring!"
Azula set down her drink.
"I suppose I can be forgiving. Mai and Zuko are later anyway," she said, offering some cold consolation to the girl who made her heart flutter.
"We're ten minutes behind schedule," said Azula's brother. He pushed his way through the crowd with his girlfriend at his side. "You're overreacting, as usual."
"I appreciate punctuality," Azula snapped. "No one will leave, fall asleep, remove their band for any reason, or ruin my birthday game night in any other way now, will they?"
She spoke like an empress, and they couldn't help but react like she was. No one ever said Azula was friendly, in real life or here on the internet.
Her friends and brother say variations of sincere agreements.
"Good!" Ty Lee interrupted, smiling with hopes to diffuse the tense situation. "We'll have so much fun! I love Endurance!"
"Can we leave this awful place now?" Mai requested.
Azula sighed.
They found the door and took off to start their long, long game of Endurance.
PROLOGUE PART II = PROMISE
In a white room with two monitors and one sealed door, the foursome stood and debated their game.
"You two are obviously a time," Ty Lee said, pointing at her favorite couple. They were so newly in love and it was cute as could be.
Mai and Zuko exchanged a glance of wordless agreement.
"Wait, wait, wait," Azula said with a laugh that was not remotely happy. "Mai is far better at Endurance than either of you, and I want her on my team. It's my birthday, remember?"
Ty Lee looked at Mai with pleading eyes.
Mai sighed and gave in. She set her hand down on the monitor near her and tapped the two usernames.
"I already locked Zuko and I in as the Red Team," she said.
Azula rolled her eyes while Ty Lee smiled. After locking the Blue Team in, Azula grabbed Ty Lee by the arm. Their noses nearly touched.
"Promise me you will not let us lose," Azula said severely. She took this all too seriously, but Ty Lee really didn't care.
"I promise," Ty Lee said sincerely with a dreamy look in her eyes.
Azula decided that it was better than nothing.
"Well, if you lovebirds are done gazing longingly into each other's eyes, you can pick your starting equipment. Azula can go first," Mai said, nodding her head at the now open armory.
All four passed through the now open door into a room of weapons, shields and four monitors displaying four usernames.
Azula walked to choose her initial gear from the many glimmering options. She chose a syringe and removed it from its white stand. Unflinchingly, she injected it into her left arm. She did not move as blue flames burnt on her fingers. She took a second syringe and injected lightning.
Her monitor buzzed. She took the second best shield and her screen turned bright blue.
"Ty Lee, come take these two guns. And the strongest shield," Azula ordered. Mai held back a sigh; Azula was as good at crushes as a fourth grader. "We can at least beat Zuko, I suppose."
Zuko did not even bother to respond as Ty Lee obeyed the birthday girl.
"I'm super good at gymnastics. Way better than Mai ever could be," Ty Lee said. "And fast. I'm fast."
Mai took knives and a crossbow before her monitor buzzed. Zuko took broadswords and a sole injection of flames. He did not flinch either, but his eyes did not have the same cold hunger that Azula's did.
Zuko unlocked the armory door and it began counting down.
Ty Lee excitedly grabbed Azula by the waist. Mai couldn't help but smirk when Azula jumped and blushed. Even alone with a band on, Azula was not immune to that bubbly brunette.
The game announced, "LEVEL ONE," and it all began.
This was a very promising game night, in everyone's opinion.
