"Oh come on, who are you trying to fool, you like it here, don't you?" Sokka slung his arm over Azula's trembling shoulder.
"Not at all." Azula spared a glance at the landscape around her. "It's cold, I hate seafood, the scenery is drab, and the people are too friendly." She burrowed deeper into her parka. "Did I mention that it's freezing?"
"Only if you're not strong enough to handle it." Sokka shrugged.
Sokka had never seen someone get to their feet so abruptly. "Excuse me!" She tore her mittens off and threw them to the snowy ground. "It actually isn't that cold. But I still hate seafood. And everything here is dead." She pointed at the nearest tree. "That sorry excuse for plant life doesn't even have leaves." And to herself she murmured, "because it also knows that it's absurdly cold."
"Actually isn't that cold?" Sokka held up her left hand. "It's already turning red."
"I am not cold because I am not weak." Azula crossed her arms.
And yet Sokka could make out the chattering of her teeth and the pink hue settling on her cheeks. Even beneath the bulky bundles of clothing, he noticed her trembles growing into all out shivers. "I was just messing around, it's cold as balls out here…and I've been living here practically my whole life. Put your mittens back on."
"Don't tell me what to do." Azula muttered, sweeping her eyes over her hands. Bright red and starting to sting. She slipped her mittens back on and tucked her hands under the bend of her knees. "This place blows more than the air temples."
Sokka snickered. "That's not true and you know it. I mean everything here is blue. Our clothes, our hair beads, our jewelry, our flags, I think that sometimes even the snow looks blue."
Azula crinkled her eyebrows. "So, everything is blue. What's your point?"
"Ya know what else is blue?"
Azula rolled her eyes. "What else is blue?"
"Your fire. I think that, by making your fire blue, you are trying to tell everyone that deep down…you." He paused and let it sink in, "want to be a waterbender."
Azula raised an eyebrow. "I think that if we were in Ba Sing Se you'd have been arrested for your idiotic conspiracy theories. My fire has been blue far longer than I have been in this dreary place."
"You keep telling yourself that." Sokka shrugged.
Azula put her hands on her hips. "Well perhaps you're right. Maybe I do secretly like it here. After all…" she leaned in closer to Sokka. "I do like you."
"Okay, too close." Sokka nudged her away.
"Am I?" She slowly tapped Sokka's chest.
"Was that supposed to be sexy?"
"I fully acknowledge that it is hard to be sexy wearing mittens." Azula replied.
"Whoa, whoa, who said anything about sexy?" Sokka shot her a coy smile.
"You are the one who was talking about secret desires." Azula gave him a shrug of her own. "And I can't think of any other reason why I'd like it here if not for you. I think that I'd like it here a lot more if we went inside." She pointed with her thumb, to their hut. "…Alone." She smirked.
She picked up a snowball and whipped it at him, "where do you think you're going?"
"Far away from you!" He shouted.
Azula stumbled after him through the snow. She had to admit, the man had a certain grace in the snow that she couldn't quite manage. He hopped through the stuff like it was nothing. Likely because he was used to it and equally as likely that he was simply taller.
The princess herself had just seen snow for the first time six days ago. It didn't help that the snow was level with just above her knees. But she'd be damned if she just let him get away. It wasn't much of a chase; more or less Sokka skipped ahead of her—pausing on occasions just long enough for her to catch up, only to dart away. And her trudging embarrassingly slow, falling whenever she tried to pick up the pace.
"This." Azula huffed. "Is. An unfair. Playing. Field."
"I know." Sokka ginned.
"I hate it here."
"No, you don't." Sokka smiled smugly. "We've already established that your blue fire is a symbol of your love for Water Tribe culture."
"Your logic is impeccable." Azula muttered sarcastically as she made another grab for him. "Truly impeccable."