Sokka rubbed his head sheepishly as Zuko stared at him, weary annoyance clearly visible on the scarred man's face.
"In my defence, it was really funny," Sokka said.
"That isn't a defence, Sokka. I can't have you harassing my generals. I have enough trouble trying to keep Azula under wraps and out of the public eye without you two making more of a nuisance of yourselves," Zuko said irritably.
"Hey, it's good for her! Better that she has a little light-hearted fun with no real damage than she burns someone's face off, right? It's progress."
Zuko scowled heavily, rubbing at his uninjured eye. After a moment he shook his head in bemusement, turning away from his friend to read some reports.
"Just don't do it again, please. I need my troops in top condition to fight the last remnants of Ozai's army, and if you're allowed to run around causing havoc unchecked, it lowers morale," he muttered.
Sokka shrugged, but nodded his acceptance.
"Alright. Anything else?" He wondered.
Zuko put down his piece of paper for a moment, contemplating his next few words.
"How is she?" He inquired.
Sokka held out his hand, his palm facing the ground. He tipped his hand up and down slightly.
"You know… better, I suppose. She's not set anything on fire since you found those old clothes of your mother's. I think Hawky's been good for her."
Zuko smiled ever so slightly.
"I knew you'd be able to help her. Just keep at it Sokka, I have faith in you."
Sokka chuckled, grinning back.
"I still think you're crazy for putting me up to this. But who knows? It might work out in the end."
Zuko nodded, picking up a brush and dipping it into a pot of paint.
"I guess I'm dismissed then. See ya, Your Royal Highness," Sokka mocked, turning around and exiting the room.
The cool water lapped at her feet, soothing her skin. Little fish swam within the pristine pool, but paid her no attention, going about its business.
But her interest wasn't on fish, but instead the family of turtleducks that glided across the pond. A mother and her two little turtleducklings. She watched as the bigger of the two nudged his smaller sister, pushing her ahead of him when she began to fall behind.
Her eyes followed the birds, her face devoid of any emotion. Her mother had loved these little creatures, but Azula had never cared for them. Dimly, her mind recalled the pleasure she had taken in throwing things at the tiny animals.
It had been her own way of showing defiance against Ursula. To prove to herself that she had no need of her, or the things she enjoyed.
Something welled in the back of her mind. It felt suspiciously like regret, and she quashed in ruthlessly. The past was in the past, and she couldn't change any of it.
The sound of footsteps alerted her to another's presence.
"They're cute, aren't they?"
She was good at recognising voices, but his was especially easy these days.
"I'm not one to be taken in by looks," she said archly.
He chuckled, standing closer to her side.
"Well, there goes all my plans then," he said sarcastically.
"Even if I was, you had no chance anyway," she derided him.
He clutched at his chest, faking an injury.
"You really know how to hit where it hurts."
She chose not to reply, still watching the feathered family as they nuzzled one another.
"Zuko used to like hanging out here too. Is there something significant about it?" Sokka wondered.
A flash of annoyance crossed Azula's face, she stood up, stepping out of the pond.
"Not any more," she replied. "What do you want?"
"Me? What does anyone want, really? A long life, happiness, a hot meal, a place to sleep, that sort of thing. I'm pretty easy to please, honestly."
She stared at him before shaking her head once.
"No. What do you want from me, Sokka?"
He raised an eyebrow, running his hand through his wolf tail.
"Nothing. This wasn't my idea, remember? But I have a job to do, and by Tui and La I'm gonna see it through. This isn't gonna be easy, Azula. We both knew that from the start. But we're gettin' somewhere now. We just have to continue until it's all over."
She considered his words for a moment.
"And what then, when Zuzu has seen fit to let me go about without a watchdog?"
Sokka eyed her strangely, confused by her sudden curtness.
"Well, I suppose I'll head back to the South Pole."
His answer didn't seem to please her as much as he'd expected.
"What's the matter, Azula? Isn't that what you want?" He asked.
Her golden gaze burned into his, before she turned away.
"What I want doesn't matter," she mumbled. "It never has."
He reached out, lightly grasping her shoulder, and she twitched but otherwise didn't respond.
"Hey. I'm here to make sure you're as happy and well-adjusted as is humanly possible, provided that there's no conflict between the two, of course. What you want is pretty important. If you ever need anything, make sure you tell me, alright? I'll see it done."
She stared at him, a hint of a smirk curling at the tips of her mouth.
"Anything?" She purred lightly.
He took a step back warily, letting his hand fall to his side.
"Well, within reason, obviously. I can't go and give you the sun or something."
She smiled lightly, a spark of mischievousness glinting in her eye.
"The sun? No, I have something more interesting in mind," she said, taking a step towards him.
Sokka gulped.
Heat washed over his skin as he narrowly dodged the blazing flame.
"This isn't what I was expecting!" He called, ducking to escape another strike.
"Maybe you should have been more careful then," Azula replied, firing another jet of flame at him.
Around Sokka, piles of wood burned brightly. He cursed, wishing he had kept his mouth shut. He hunkered down behind a handy boulder, gasping as he tried to get air back in his lungs.
Azula walked out of the raging fire, unconcerned by the flames. He looked up into the most devilish grin he'd ever seen, and instantly put his hands up.
"I surrender!" He called desperately.
She snuffed out the flame in her hands, smirking down at him in obvious amusement.
"All talk and no action again, I see," she remarked casually.
He stood up, frowning at her.
"When you said you wanted to play a game, I was thinking Pai Sho, not some sort of sparring match!" He defended himself.
"Maybe you should have spoken to my Uncle, then. I prefer to put my time to more useful pursuits," she said, examining her nails.
"Burning people is not a useful pursuit, Azula. We've talked about this."
"You mean you talked about it and I ignored you. But very well, if you're going to be such a bore then you can leave me to firebend in peace."
Sokka pursed his lips, staring at her with heavy eyes.
"I'm not supposed to leave you for long periods of time. Especially if you're going to firebend. I'm sure there's something we can do together that won't involve someone getting hurt or Zuko telling me off."
Azula gave no indication that she had paid his words any attention for a moment, before she suddenly froze, eyeing him with interest.
"What?" He asked.
She stared at him for a long minute, and then a small smile began to emerge.
"I've heard tale that Zuzu is planning on hosting a little get-together, one of his many attempts to prove to the world that the Fire Nation is no longer a place to be feared."
Sokka nodded warily.
"He is. What of it?" He said.
"Oh, nothing. Are you attending?" She asked airily.
Sokka's eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"I might be. Zuko says it'll help foster international relations," he admitted.
Azula was looking more and more self-satisfied by the moment.
"And are you aware that having a date to this little soiree is mandatory?" She continued, with the air of a mooselion sneaking up on its prey.
He glared at her, unable to figure out what she was getting at.
"He didn't tell me that," he muttered eventually.
"I rather thought not, seeing as how your last relationship… well, you know."
Despite himself, Sokka couldn't help but growl under his breath. What had happened between him and Suki was just another point on the ever-growing list of things he didn't want to think, talk or hear about.
"How do you-" he cut himself off.
"Oh, you know what the servants are like. You'd be amazed what you can hear, if you're careful. Such a tragedy, of course." Her voice was anything but sympathetic.
"Does this have a point?" He ground out angrily.
"I was simply curious, that's all. Of course, I will be going as well. Perhaps we will see each other there - I trust you know how to dance?" She asked.
He blinked in bewilderment, shaking his head to clear it.
"What? Dance? Now, I know for a fact that people in the Fire Nation don't dance."
Azula sighed, as though he had said something incredibly stupid, and she could do nothing but pity his ignorance.
"Certainly we don't frolic about in that ridiculous display the Avatar presumes is dancing. We're much more refined. Dancing is a dignified affair."
A tinge of fear ran along Sokka's spine. This was going to be incredibly important, what if he made a fool of himself (and by extension, Zuko) in front of the world? He'd never live it down.
He focused on Azula, slightly irked by her smug demeanor. His mouth opened, but he was finding it hard to get the words out.
"…You know how to dance, don't you?" He practically spat out.
Her smirk widened.
"I am a princess of the Fire Nation," she said, as though that explained everything.
Sokka supposed it did. She would have had pressure on her to represent her family and country from a young age, with no mistakes allowed.
He was dreading the following question, but his only other option was either fleeing back to the South Pole, or attempting to weasel out of it some other way. And he very much doubted either plan would succeed.
"Can you teach me? Please?"
The words hung in the air like a death sentence.
"What an interesting prospect. Could I teach a barbarian snow savage proper etiquette? You know, I'm not even sure. But there must be challenges even I can't accomplish," she laughed.
Sokka grit his teeth, already regretting approaching her earlier, let alone opening his mouth. Perhaps he should have left her in the forest to deal with those bandits.
"Very well, I accept your proposition. You will need suitable clothes, of course."
His brow creased.
"What's wrong with the ones I've got?" He asked.
Azula's expression could have flattened a mountain.
"Fine, whatever. I'll get some new clothes," Sokka said, scowling unhappily.
He strode off, muttering unpleasantries about the world in general as he went.
Azula watched him go, a satisfying warmth building up in her chest. This was going to be much more fun that she'd imagined.