A/N: Wow, I wasn't expecting so many people to get into my story so soon! I feel nice and motivated to keep writing, especially since I got such a response for a crack pairing. Anyways, I'm going to try to do this quickly, since I tend to lose motivation fast when I write. However, I think that since this is different than my usual style (usually I go for the happy female and the emotionally damaged male), it might be a little easier to hold my interest. If I stop updating, feel free to ride my arse on it as much as you want. Also, interesting tidbit of info: Microsoft Word does not acknowledge "arse" as a word. Tell your friends.
To bibphile: Yes, the prison that once held Iroh would have been more convenient for Zuko's visits, but from a practical standpoint, the Fire Nation populace would be more comfortable with a volatile person like Azula being contained in the most secluded place. Zuko went along with it for their sake, but realized that his sister's welfare trumped his people's feelings of safety - not that he won't take every measure to ensure their safety, but she is more a danger to herself than anyone else. As for Ursa, you'll see.
Chapter 2: A Little Familial Assistance
"Thanks for agreeing to fly us around like this, Aang," Zuko called to the boy at Appa's reins. "I know it's all really out of the way, and normally I'd take a ship, but I don't want to be away from Azula longer than necessary."
Aang chuckled. The Fire Lord had given him little choice, simply telling him to ready Appa, and where they were headed. Still, if he'd minded, or thought that Appa couldn't handle it, he would have refused. Besides, he thought, the fact that Zuko took the time to thank him showed how much he'd changed over the past year or so.
"Don't thank me," he shouted over his shoulder, the wind roaring in his ears. "Thank Appa. He likes apples."
"Good," Zuko replied, "we've got a royal orchard of red and golden delicious he might like."
"You hear that, boy?" the thirteen-year-old said to his familiar. "A couple days of flying, no tunnels or fire attacks or anything, and we'll be back in the Fire Nation and get you some fresh apples!"
The bison rumbled agreeably at the good news.
"So are you sure you can just leave for a few days?" he directed at Zuko. "You've got a whole country to watch over, not to mention Azula."
"It's fine. Mai is keeping Azula company, and she can handle herself," he elaborated. "As for governing, Jeong Jeong volunteered to watch over things until I come back. He should do fine."
The young leader remembered his conversation with Mai before leaving.
"What happened to her?" his girlfriend asked, staring at the unconscious girl.
Zuko sighed. "You know how she's been the past couple of weeks," he said, and Mai nodded. She had visited Azula more than he had. "I guess she's been hallucinating. She firebended herself into a heat stroke, and burned herself while she was at it. Katara managed to get her coherent again, but she's still not doing too good."
Mai nodded again. "So you're getting Ty Lee to keep it from happening again," she understood. "But why do you need to see your uncle?"
"Because whatever's wrong with her was wrong before our Agni Kai," he responded, remembering her demeanor before the fight. "I might have spent more time with her when we were little, but I'll bet Uncle understands her better than I do. Maybe he can help me figure out what's wrong with Azula, so we can fix her."
"Alright, I'll watch her, but I don't know how happy she'll be to see us," Mai reminded him. "We did turn on her, after all."
Zuko recognized her willingness to help her friend, no matter how well she hid it. "Thanks," he murmured, kissing her. Her hand crept up to rest on his cheek, its customary position. Reluctantly he pulled away, recognizing that the sooner he left the sooner he would return. "Anyway, look at this way: it won't get boring any time soon."
The corners of his love's lips quirked up slightly. "Well, I guess I'll stay with you as long as you keep me entertained, then."
He knew he could count on Mai to keep Azula in line. While she couldn't disable her bending like Ty Lee could, she was a formidable opponent, and Azula was still recovering.
Everything would be fine.
Mai sighed. Zuko had promised her that things wouldn't get boring, but staring at an unconscious person for an hour wasn't exactly the thrill of her life. Honestly, if the guards around here weren't bumbling idiots compared to her, she would have left ages ago. Maybe the local library had some books on topics more interesting than proper etiquette, firebending, and the glory of the fire nation. Unlike her parents' library.
"So now I'm to be babysat like a child, am I?"
Mai's attention focused on Azula to see the princess's amber eyes focused on her. "I guess so," she replied. "It's either this or my little brother, and you've got the advantage of being tied down."
Mai waited for the expected snippy retort, but it never came. Instead, Azula turned her head away as far as her restraints would allow. This worried Mai. Azula was easily angered, but she never sulked; she would plot a way to get even, execute it flawlessly and without emotion, and then consider the matter finished. The silent treatment was never one of her tactics. Mai resolved to keep Azula talking as much as she could. Maybe she'd figure out what the problem was, and how to fix it. Besides, she was bored.
"Speaking of brothers, I heard yours saved your life today," she continued.
"Of course you did," Azula muttered.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Azula's head whipped around to regard the pale girl. "It means that he most likely fed you the same lies he fed me, that I've been in the cell for almost two weeks when it's been more like two days, that I gave myself a heat stroke!"
"Yeah, he told me the same thing. And as for the two weeks part, I can vouch for that," she informed her friend.
"And why should I believe a traitor like you?" the princess demanded. "You would lie to me just as easily as he would."
Mai huffed, "You know I don't lie, Azula, it's a waste of my time and makes things too complicated. And as for Zuko, he knows that if he lies to me, he'll spend the rest of his life eating through a straw."
"Then why are you here? To poison me? Gloat over your enemy's defeat? What?!" Her voice escalated more with every word.
"No," the raven-haired girl disagreed. "I'm here because we're worried about you. You're a lot better than you were, but you're acting like we're all out to get you."
"Aren't you?" Azula interrupted. "That's why you and Ty Lee attacked me at the prison, isn't it? Because you wanted me to fail. Tell me," she asked, her voice laced with pure venom, "how long were the two of you planning this? How long did you conspire with my failure of a brother?"
"If you really think it was a preconceived plan, you're acting unusually stupid," Mai informed her friend. "Nothing was planned. I did what I did because I love Zuko, and because you were taking things too far. I was tired of having to be afraid of you all the time, of what might happen if I didn't do everything you asked."
"What do you want from me?!" the girl shrieked, catching Mai by surprise. Despite the younger girl's suspicions, she had been holding a relatively calm conversation until now. "If you're going to kill me, or mock me, or hurt me while I'm helpless, do it now!" Azula's face crumpled and she sobbed loudly as tears ran messily down her face. "Just leave me alone!" she screamed through her sobs.
Mai, knowing the blow Azula's pride was taking right now, quickly left the room, shutting the door behind her. Something wasn't right. Azula was usually such a clear thinker, and emotion never got in the way of what she wanted to do. Other than when she had been reduced to a raving madwoman for two weeks, she had never seen the girl cry before. Even Azula's time in prison had not bothered Mai as much as this, because the animal in that cell had not been Azula. This clearly was.
Mai wandered aimlessly through the halls of the palace (a small part of her mind cataloguing every turn she took), trying to get a feel for the building she might one day help run. She'd never really gotten that good a look at it when she was younger; Azula was a true child of the sun, never wanting to stay inside and making sure Mai and Ty Lee stayed out with her.
An immense set of double doors rose before her, and Mai wondered at them. Obviously not meant for servants or guards, or they would not be so grand, with ruby and gold inlay accenting the ivory-covered panels. Where most of the palace was done up in reds and golds - a nice color combination, Mai thought, but it got old after a while - white seemed to be the focus of this door. Not the throne room, or the war room. Mai knew where those were. And it was nowhere near the living quarters. Well, she was sure Zuko would not mind if she took a look.
Grasping the large brass handle in both hands, Mai gave an experimental tug. It didn't budge. Well, that didn't surprise her; her muscles were trained for speed and accuracy, not brute strength. Still, curiosity along with the physical challenge spurred her on. Bracing her feet against the smooth marble floor, she pulled harder. After some initial resistance, the door grated free, sliding roughly outward. The hinges groaned with the effort. Mai made a mental note to get them oiled. Well, if the room held anything interesting.
Stepping inside, her nose was instantly assaulted with the smell of dust and stale air. Not promising. Still, anything was better than twiddling her thumbs waiting for Zuko to return or Azula to calm down. A quick glance around revealed shelves stacked to the incredibly high ceiling, filled with books and scrolls. Apparently, she had stumbled upon the palace library.
Something akin to excitement sparked in her chest. Granted, Mai was not a big reader; being forced to read history and etiquette all her childhood had ensured that. But after so many years of disuse, she had discovered this place. It was hers. At least for the time being.
Stepping inside more fully, she took a good look around. Books were piled haphazardly on tables and even the floor. Even the books in the shelves looked poorly organized. Add to this the thick layer of dust covering everything, and the sight of the library was indeed a pathetic one.
Well, Mai thought, rolling up her sleeves, it was no trek across the world to capture the Avatar, but it would keep her busy for a few hours.
Zuko leaned over the side of Appa's saddle, gazing down at the city below. The wall was well on its way to being rebuilt, but it was obvious that it still needed a lot of work. Still, the fact that such a tall, strong wall was already well underway showed just how dedicated the people of the Earth Kingdom were to their country and capital.
"Alright, I'm going to drop you off at the Jasmine Dragon. Then I want to go see if the Earth King's returned yet. Is that okay?" Aang asked.
Zuko nodded. "Yeah, that's fine," he said. His eyes slid to the west, noticing the sun already half hidden by the horizon. "Take your time," he added. "Looks like we'll be spending the night."
"Yeah," Aang agreed. "We'll probably spend tomorrow night in Kyoshi, too."
Zuko sighed with impatience at the delays. Still, he couldn't deny that a trip to Ba Sing Se and back on boat would take longer than flying to the city and Kyoshi island on Appa. He would just have to be patient.
He hated having to be patient.
As Appa landed them in the middle of the street in front of Uncle's tea shop, people ran to get out of the way. Really, Zuko reflected, it paid to have such high titles as Avatar and Fire Lord.
Of course, the prospect of being crushed by a giant bison probably didn't appeal to the average person, either.
Zuko slid expertly down Appa's furred hide, glad he had chosen to wear casual clothes rather than his Fire Lord regalia as he came off covered in long white hairs. With a wave, he watched the pair take off again, before walking through the open doorway of his uncle's shop.
And promptly leaped back out. Jin! How could he have forgotten about Jin? He smacked himself on the forehead, wondering how he was going to get himself out of this one.
...No good. He could hear his Uncle's singing drifting through the open door. Nothing short of a direct confrontation could distract the man while he was singing. Azula had better get better after this, he thought, gritting his teeth. Fully better. No more lying, no more manipulations, no more power obsession.
A few passersby were staring openly at him, probably wondering why the Fire Lord (if they even recognized him as such) was standing outside of a tea shop like a stalker.
He entered again, fully this time. There was Jin, her eyes locked onto him immediately. Great.
A weak, forced smile made its way onto the scarred teen's face. "Oh, uh... hey Jin."
A cheerful smile and finger wiggle wave. "Hi, Zuko. It's been a while."
The use of his real name was not lost on the boy. "Yeah." Hoping it was Jin's turn to talk, Zuko fell silent. No such luck. "So how'd you find out?"
"Your uncle told me," she replied.
"Oh." Zuko said the only thing that he could think of, the only thing that seemed appropriate. "I'm sorry."
Jin waved again, this time in dismissal. "Don't worry about it. I mean, I was pretty angry at first, but I can see why you did it." She smiled playfully. "Looks like I missed my chance to bag me a rich guy, huh?" Snapping her fingers in mock disappointment, she asked, "So are you still with that girl who put the fish on your head? What was her name again?"
Zuko shuddered at the memory of the cold, wet, limp thing on his head, and then the terror of seeing several pointed objects headed straight for his face. "Mai," he answered, "and yeah, we're still together."
"That's nice." How could she be so okay with all of this? Well, it had been several months, he guessed. No need to dwell on things like that. "Anyway, I won't take up any more of the Fire Lord's super-important time," she said. "Go ahead, talk to your uncle."
"Thanks. It was good seeing you." Awkward, yes, but good.
Heading behind the counter, Zuko called out to his Uncle. The singing stopped, and Iroh soon emerged from the back room.
"Zuko! Well, this is unexpected," the older man exclaimed, wrapping his nephew in a hug. Zuko returned it. It had been only a week since he and his friends had gathered here, but he had missed his uncle dearly.
Once they broke apart, Zuko asked, "Can we talk in private?"
"Of course." After calling to his assistant to watch over things for a bit, he lead Zuko into the back room. Each took a mat at the long table, and Iroh poured them each a cup of tea. "What was it you needed to talk about?"
"It's about Azula."
Iroh nodded. "I thought you might come to me about that eventually."
"How?" Zuko asked. As far as he knew, his uncle had not seen Azula since he had been locked in prison months ago.
"She has tried to kill us, especially you, many times," Iroh explained. "No normal fourteen-year-old would be able to do such things, no matter how skilled. She is deeply troubled."
Zuko had never really thought about it that way before. Yeah, he'd known something was wrong with her before he faced off with her during the Agni Kai, but it had never occurred to him that her past behavior was the result of anything other than natural cruelty. The thought that whatever they were dealing with was that deep-rooted did not bode well for their ability to help her.
Iroh said nothing while Zuko digested this new information, waiting patiently for him to speak.
"She's gone insane," he finally said. "Until earlier today, all she would do was scream and cry. Katara managed to heal her mind a bit, but we think she's still hallucinating. She doesn't trust any of us."
"And why not?" Iroh asked rhetorically. "From what I have heard, her only two friends betrayed her. And as for you, you have been stealing from her all her life."
Zuko bristled at his uncle's words. "What do you mean?" he demanded. "I've never done anything to her! She's the one who wrongs me!"
"Calm yourself, Zuko," the former general placated him. "I meant no offense. However, if you cannot figure out how Azula's mind works, you will be unable to help her."
"Then why don't you do it?" the teen muttered, sulking.
"Because she is not angry with me," he replied. Chuckling, he added, "At least, not as angry as she is with you three, among others. I will offer you this, though: a phrase you should be quite familiar with, one that might help you to get into her head."
"Okay." Zuko waited, wondering what wisdom his uncle would impart on him.
" 'Azula always lies.' "
The teen blinked. "That's it? That's all you have to say?"
The older man shrugged. "I have every confidence that you'll figure it out on your own," he assured his nephew.
Mai wrapped herself in a towel, still pleasantly relaxed after her long bath. Her hair, for once not in the complex style she had taught herself years ago, fell down to her hips.
She had spent the past four hours in the library, beginning to go through all of the books. She had already separated one immense shelf's worth into several categorized piled on the floor, including the expected etiquette, history and genealogy. She had also been surprised to find a few children's books in there, along with books filled with sheet music and dance steps she had never seen before. In fact, she'd bet her best set of shurikens that no one knew these songs or dances.
The work she would have to do was going to be ridiculous, but it wasn't as though she had much better to do. Sure, she'd do her part to help Azula - because she wanted to, not because Zuko asked - but there was only so much she could do on her own. So, for now, she would work on this.
Besides, even though Zuko definitely owed her for saving his life, he was letting her stay at the palace so she wouldn't have to go back to living with her parents. She might as well do something to earn her keep. She'd save his debt for some time when she could get something really good out of it.
A sudden knock on the door startled her out of her thoughts. "Miss Mai! Your presence is required in the infirmary!"
"Alright, I'll be there in five minutes," she called through the door.
A hesitation, and Mai could tell the guard was fighting between his loyalty to his absent lord, or the woman he had been ordered by said lord to obey. Her lips quirked in amusement.
"But... My lady, the matter is most urgent!"
Possible, but doubtful. Typical guards had much lower standards than Mai for what qualified as "urgent."
"Alright," she said. "If it's urgent enough for me to run out there undressed, then I'll go. Happy?"
Mai could almost hear him gulp nervously through the door. "We shall expect you in five minutes, my lady."
Mai was already in her undergarments before she heard his footsteps receding in the distance. Next came her hakama and matching turtleneck. Her overtunic came last - before all of her concealed weapons, that is. Obviously the matter was under control enough for her to bring her weapons, and in any case she would never risk being anywhere near Azula without them. Not bothering to put her hair in its customary style, she left her room and ambled her way to the infirmary. She heard Azula's yelling long before she got there.
The scene before her brought another smile to her face. A nurse was attempting to spoonfeed Azula, who was having none of it. Between the yelling and cursing, the writhing on the bed, and spitting what little food made it in her mouth back into the nurse's face, Azula was acting like a child. Mai was surprised she hadn't tried to burn anyone yet.
This was what the fuss was all about? Apparently Zuko needed a more competent staff.
"I'll take it from here," she said, wondering but not really caring if the nurse would hear her over the din.
Apparently she did, because she instantly put down the plate of chicken, rice and spiced apples and fled.
Mai, meanwhile, wasn't going to sit around forcing her to eat like a ten-month-old. She'd had to do that for her brother this morning, and it had taken an hour for her to get the overcooked peas out of her hair. Revolting.
"Do you want this?" she asked, holding the plate in Azula's line of sight.
The younger girl's lip curled, and Mai thought vaguely that it looked less threatening without the lipstick. "Of course not," she snarled. "It's obviously poisoned or drugged."
Mai shrugged. "Suit yourself." She lifted a blob of rice to her lips with the chopsticks. Just the act of chewing and swallowing made her realize how hungry she was; she'd spent hours in the library, and had skipped dinner. Still, she had the option of going to the kitchens for something, unlike Azula. "Sure you don't want it?"
"Positive." Just then her stomach growled, but she ignored it. "Either it's been tampered with, like I said, or you're just trying to lull me into a false sense of security for the future."
"Whatever you say." She wouldn't be the one to coddle Azula. First of all, she didn't believe in giving in to people like that, and secondly, Azula would never stand for it. Helping herself to some of the chicken, she winced at how spicy it was. She would never understand how people could like food that burned their throats. Another scoop of rice helped take it away.
"So where has my idiotic brother run off to?" the princess asked in the meantime.
"He went to talk to your uncle."
She snickered. "Two days as Fire Lord, and he's already in over his head, hmm?" Another derisive chuckle flowed from her lips. "I bet if you'd known what a pathetic leader he is, you would have ditched him in a heartbeat."
A normal person, especially with her history and weapons expertise, would have at the very least threatened Azula for her constant uncooperative behavior. Fortunately for Mai (and possibly for Azula), she had been trained to ignore feelings like those. Along with all others.
"Two weeks as Fire Lord, and he's already done a better job than you ever could," she retorted without rancor.
"So we're on that again, are we?" came the rhetorical reply. "When are you going to learn that I can't be convinced?"
Mai didn't reply, her gaze flickering to Azula's back. All it would take was a couple of mirrors for Azula to see the scarring on her back and make a more educated judgment. Of course, in her current mindset, it was likely that she would think Zuko had burned her to continue the death conspiracy.
Besides, she didn't want to have to be the one to show Azula her newly-acquired imperfection. She might be justified in hating Azula, but she couldn't bring herself to.
Learning from her past mistake, she decided to just sit and wait. If Azula wanted to talk, she could start the conversation. Otherwise, she would prepare herself for the long haul.
Zuko groaned in frustration. They had been on Appa all day! When Avatar Kyoshi made her island, couldn't she have made it a little closer?
"Don't worry," Aang called over his shoulder. "We're almost there. Maybe another five minutes or so."
"Ugh, I'm just so sick of waiting!" Zuko cried. "I know this is taking a lot less time than it would by boat, and I appreciate that, but I just want to be back home." Back with Mai, he added silently. They didn't have one of those relationships where one couldn't get by without the other, but now that he was with her, no reservations, no regrets, he missed her. He missed her a lot.
"Did you get any advice from your uncle?" Aang asked.
There was that, too. Zuko had thought that, for once, Iroh would take a problem seriously enough to just tell him what to do. Instead, he was just as vague and cryptic as ever. "Not really," he replied.
"Well what did he say?"
"He said I'm always stealing from her," Zuko repeated. "I need to get into her head, and that 'Azula always lies.' "
"That last part seems kind of obvious."
"No kidding."
"Maybe..." Aang hesitated. "Maybe there's some deeper meaning behind it."
Zuko snorted. "With Uncle, there always is. Sometimes I wonder if he's vague on purpose, so that if he's wrong nobody can prove it."
"Aang laughed, then pointed ahead and down. "There it is," he announced. "Kyoshi island."
Zuko winced. Now that they were here, he remembered a time when he had chased Aang here. It had not ended well for the village, and if not for Aang's quick thinking, every last building would have burned to the ground.
"Do you think the villagers will be mad?" he asked guiltily.
"Who can say?" Aang replied. "They seemed like pretty easygoing people to me. Besides, I'm sure Suki and Ty Lee will vouch for you."
Zuko made a mental note to send some money and workers to help out once he returned to the Fire Nation.
Another minute found the pair landing in the middle of town in front of a large statue of Avatar Kyoshi. Glancing around the town, Zuko found it much the way he remembered it: dirt roads, wooden huts. The only exception was that some of the house had obvious patches of new wood, and most bore scorch marks.
Both boys slid off of Appa to the ground, facing the awaiting throng of villagers.
An old man with a grizzled beard stepped forward. "Avatar Aang, to what - "
The elder was suddenly interrupted by a young man with long brown hair shoving his way to the front of the crowd. Judging by the look on Aang's face, he was familiar. The young man also seemed to know Aang.
Suddenly, the man started shrieking, pointing a finger back and forth between Aang and Zuko. His eyes were panicked, his muscles tense. As if this wasn't odd enough, suddenly he started to foam at the mouth.
Concerned, Zuko turned to the village elder. "Is he - "
The old man held up one hand to silence him. "Just give him a minute," he said.
Soon the pointing gave way to mindless flailing of the arms, which promptly ceased as he collapsed to the ground with a dull whump.
Zuko glanced askance at his bald companion. "He, uh, he does that," was the boy's only explanation.
"I heard that weird guy screaming, is Aang here?"
"Sokka!" Sure enough, the dark-skinned warrior was jogging toward them through a space in the crowd. Aang grinned and said, "Hey Sokka, I've got a surprise for you!"
"Surprise, huh? Alright, lay it on me."
From underneath his robes (really, he must be better at concealing weapons than Mai, Zuko thought) Aang produced a long, black-bladed sword with a golden hilt.
"I found it a couple weeks ago when we were searching the airship wreckage for survivors," Aang explained.
"Space Sword!" The Water Tribe teen ran forward and grabbed the weapon, hugging it like a long-lost relative. And surprisingly, managed to do it without cutting himself.
"Sorry to break up the reunion," Zuko interrupted, "but have you seen Ty Lee? It's kind of important."
"Oh yeah, she's training with the other warriors," Sokka informed him. "Teaching them all unarmed combat. Want me to get her for you?"
Zuko rolled his eyes. "Sure."
"HEY TY LEE! ZUKO'S HERE TO SEE YOU!"
Zuko flinched at the volume, and again as he was wrapped in a bone-crunching hug. "Hi Ty Lee."
"Zuko! How've you been?" The acrobat-turned-Kyoshi Warrior released the Fire Lord and looked him over. "Your aura's looking nice and bright! Has Mai been being a naughty girl?" she teased.
Zuko's cheeks pinkened instantly. "Shut up. It's not like that," he grumbled.
"So what's this all about, anyway?" she asked, flipping into her hands. Zuko noticed that she had tied the ends of her hakama to her ankles to prevent any embarrassing accidents.
"How about we explain in the air?" Aang interrupted.
"Are you sure Appa can handle it?"
"Sure," the boy replied. "We won't get back 'til early morning, and we'll all be tired, but it'll be worth it. Besides, you're anxious to get home, right? Just make sure you remember those apples!"
"I will," Zuko assured the airbender.
Mai sighed.
Here she was, still in the infirmary with Azula. She had been here for the past twenty-four hours, and she hadn't been this bored since her family had been relocated to New Ozai/Omashu. She must really like Azula if she'd stayed here for all this time.
Neither of them had really slept - Mai because the chair she sat on was uncomfortable, Azula because she thought Mai would do something to her in her sleep. Each had dozed occasionally, but that was it. The weapons specialist had gotten her three meals a day, because Azula had refused to eat anything offered to her, so Mai had eaten it for her. As far as she was concerned, the more people tried to force the princess to eat, the stronger she would believe they meant her harm. Let her stomach sway her mind. Besides, there was no point in wasting perfectly good food on nurses' faces.
The entire night and day had passed in complete silence, which was fine; neither was the type to talk to fill silences. Neither had anything to say, so neither would speak.
She wanted Zuko home. She missed him, and she hated the fact that he was going to an island full of girls. Young, single girls. She'd get the details from Ty Lee later; if he so much as looked at one of those Kyoshi hussies, they'd have her to deal with.
But for now, she would wait.
A/N: Whew! Sorry I cut that a little short. I hate writing chapters over 10 pages, so I was quickly losing patience. I'm sure the fact that I'm irritable and want to eat my weight in chocolate is also a major contributor. Anyway, I had fun with this chapter. Mai was fun to write, mainly because I wanted to give her a teensy bit more of a personality, along with a hobby. Sorry if it seems OOC for her to be restoring a library, but she's got to do something to keep herself busy. Honestly I can't wait for Azula to stop with this paranoia; it's very difficult to write. Still a while to go there, though. As for Space Sword, Sokka made that himself and it was one of a kind; I didn't think it was fair that he should lose it. Anyways, peace out