Azula stepped back stage, her ridiculously large earrings bobbing annoyingly against her neck with each step. The clanking of her heels finally came to a stop upon reaching her dressing room. "Honestly I don't know whose idea these earrings were. I had half the mind to pull them out on stage and toss them into the crowd." She grumbled more to herself.
"I think that they're pretty." Sokka shrugged.
"And you're supposed to be?"
"Your new bodyguard. The one your uncle hired for you…because of the letters." Sokka held out his hand.
Azula refused it, "you mean the one I told him not to hire?"
Sokka scratched at his head.
"Because I don't need one." She quirked an eyebrow.
"From what I hear those death threats have gotten pretty serious." Sokka let his hand drop. "I'm here to help."
Azula rolled her eyes. "I told daddy and Iroh both, that I can take care of myself." She paused and turned around to face her new bodyguard. "And besides, I don't think they're serious at all anyhow." With her hands on her hips she held her stare for a moment longer before slipping into her dressing room and slamming the door.
"Hey! Hey! You can't just lock me out."
"And you can't just watch me change. Perhaps it is your ass that I should be kicking." She called from within.
"Wow." Sokka huffed.
"She can be a bit of a handful." Iroh came up behind him. "But she means well."
"How do you figure that?" Sokka mumbled.
"I know her. And I've gotten to know you, and I know that you'll take care of her well."
"She just told me that she didn't want my help." Sokka pointed out.
"Our family has a history of doing that. We say it when we mean it the least." Iroh explained. "Don't let her scare you off."
"Too late." Sokka muttered under his breath. He gave the door a quick knock. "Come on, please let me in."
"I'm…" she huffed, "a bit…busy." She finished, her voice tight and labored.
"What are you doing in there." He dared to pick the lock, readying himself to turn away if she was still changing. To both his relief and dismay she had indeed finished changing. He, however, had not planned on walking in on her wresting a man twice her size and weight to the ground.
Sokka's jaw dropped. "He's got biceps the size of my head!" He threw his hands in the air, "and a creepy on on his head."
"Don't worry, that was the first thing I chi-blocked." Azula released her hold and the man went limp. "TyLee taught me that. I told you, I didn't need your help." She shrugged nonchalantly and sauntered over to him. "Perhaps I should be your bodyguard."
"Who do I need protection from?" Sokka asked.
"I would imagine that you've intercepted a lot of murders. Any one of the culprits could want revenge."
"Thanks for the encouragement." Sokka muttered.
"Anytime bodyguard." Azula replied, taking extra care to put a set of air quotes around 'bodyguard'. She patted him on the shoulder and breezed past.
Truly she had been the strangest diva he'd ever have to look after…and he didn't even have to look after her.
