A/N: Busy, busy, busy. January sure was hectic for me, but stuff should start rolling out more regularly again.

BTW nice catch, my two loyal reviewers, I definitely did put a hint of irony into Azula's words in the last chapter. Nice to know some people picked up on it.

It's finally the time to meet Azula's 'friends'. Up first shall be Ty Lee, with something simplistic (how fitting, I know). It just seems to me, she would make the ideal plaything for Azula. In a way, what Azula puts her through is even crueller than what she does to her enemies. And then, maybe I'll do something with Mai. I've been meaning to explore why exactly Azula thought Mai should have 'feared her more'. And now, on a completely unrelated note, the next chappy! :P

"Doodidoo daadaadum!" Ty Lee sang like a bird with a heatstroke as she skipped down the palace's hallways.

She smiled as she noticed the looks she was given while prancing down the halls jubilantly. Of course, most of the looks came from wrinkly old men clutching their chests and uttering unconvincing complaints, but it still felt nice to be the centre of attention. Not like back at home…

Shadows of less ideal times passed briefly through her mind, but she quickly banished them with a bright smile and sunny disposition, actually saying "Hi!" to an extremely elderly looking man lurching across the hall. He froze in midstride and remained that way until Ty Lee skipped past him and around a corner. He then proceeded to keel over like mighty tree struck by lightning.

"I see you've moved onto bigger game there, Ty Lee. Done with all the little boys in the city, are we?" Azula asked, sporting a seductively deceptive smile while she examined her taloned nails.

"Azula! I didn't see you over there in the shadows," Ty Lee said, brimming with a smile as wide as a bear's behind (yes, just a regular, everyday, normal bear), as she twirled around to meet the princess, who was leaning against a large archway, behind a thin veil.

Azula raised her eyes to inspect Ty Lee in turn, after she was done with her nails. "Aren't you a bit cold? You seem to be wearing even less than usual. I don't think that qualifies as showing midriff anymore."

"This little thing?" Ty Lee asked with childlike innocence as she looked down with arms spread to examine her clothing (or lack thereof, according to Azula's standards… and maybe one or two of those old men she'd passed).

"Yes, little being the operative word here," Azula said as she pulled back the veil behind which she had remained, exposing Ty Lee to the full force of her scrutiny. For some weird reason, the look in her eyes made Ty Lee feel slightly embarrassed, so she did the best she could to cover herself up with her hands. It didn't help much, so she started to blush.

"What's the occasion?" Azula asked, her eyes skimming across the sinuous body of her friend.

"A party, I, uh, I was invited by some guys…"

"Really? I can't possibly understand why…" Azula said, shooting her a nasty look as quickly as the lightning she used, before her face returned to her more usual, refined look. "Why haven't I heard of any of this?"

"It's, uh – you know – past the city walls, uhm, not the more... not the kind of people you , uh, hang around with," Ty Lee stumbled with her words, trying to find a way to say what she wanted while being polite with Azula. It always paid off to be polite with Azula… well, most of the time anyway.

"I see… So that means you wouldn't be available tonight?" Azula asked with a pensive and… possibly distraught look on her face. She crossed her arms and looked away from Ty Lee.

This had the desired effect on Ty Lee, who edged closer like a mouse trying to decide if trying to get the cheese on top of that funny looking thing with a spring was worth. "W-what do you mean?"

"Oh, nothing really. I was just thinking we could – that is – I…" Azula said meekly, turning further away from the approaching Ty Lee, careful not to let the other girl see the gleam in her eyes she was certain was there. What Azula did wasn't always easy, but sometimes it was too easy, which actually made it harder. She was a master at controlling others, but when it came this easily, she had to exert a little more control over herself than usual. She actually had to bite down on her lower lip to prevent a smile from appearing.

"C'mon Azula you can tell me, pwetty pwease?" Ty Lee blathered, grabbing Azula by her turned shoulder gently. "What is it? Tell me." There was a slight hint of desperation in her voice.

Azula cracked a small smile, before she turned to face Ty Lee, employing a more subtle version of what Ty Lee called puppy eyes and the slightest of pouting lips while she cocked her head a little. Few people realized the importance of body language alongside that of the verbal kind, but Azula was the kind to use every weapon in her arsenal to the maximum effect.

"Well, it's just that…"

"Yes?" Ty Lee asked eagerly.

"With Zuko and Mai off together all the time and you… well, I've just been…" Azula trailed off, letting Ty Lee come to her own conclusions as she averted her sad gaze from Ty Lee's eyes. It was always best to let the target come up with the details.

"Ohh," Ty Lee let out a sad, sympathetic whine. "I had no idea. Hey, how 'bout this?"

"What?" Azula asked, faking uncertainty.

"We get together later tonight, just you and me, okay?"

"Really?" Azula allowed her mask to crack a little, letting a little bit of the triumphant smile she had had to hide to sneak out.

"Yes! It's a great idea! You just get ready, wear something a bit more comfortable and I'll take care of the rest!" Ty Lee was practically jumping out of her clothing (which wasn't much) in her enthusiasm.

"Alright, if you insist," Azula said, allowing the rest of her grin to break out.

The warm night was dark, with the occasional sound of insects that had found a place in the wilderness that was called civilization by a bunch of apes. Under a veranda, with food and drink waiting, with candles burning dimly, the sight of a lonely figure was revealed in the flickering light. Sitting on top of the prepared table sat a young girl, waving her legs slowly back and forth, waiting for her friend. Her shoulders sagged miserably, while her head drooped sadly, occasionally rising expectantly at the slightest sound, only to drop back down in disappointment every time.

The sun was starting to rise, painting the sky with purples, oranges, yellows, reds and everything else in between. Normally, the ponytailed girl would have been exuberant at witnessing such a beautiful spectacle of nature, but without her friend, it might just as well have all been painted in shades of grey.

She sighed weakly, before she got up and slouched miserably to sleep, leaving the food and drinks behind, untouched.

"My, Ty Lee, you look terrible. Didn't you get any sleep?" Azula asked innocently as she once again spotted Ty Lee walking down the hallway from her little spot against her archway.

Ty Lee looked gloomily at Azula from behind bloodshot eyes with deep, dark shadows under them. She slowly slouched over to the princess. Once there, she gave her a half-hearted glare. "You didn't show up."

"For what?" Azula asked, once again giving her polished nails a quick inspection.

"Our… party," Ty Lee meekly answered.

"Oh, that… Sorry, completely slipped my mind. Father called me away for some important business," Azula said, coming up with an excuse right there on the spot.

"Really?" Ty Lee asked, eager to accept the excuse.

"Really," Azula answered with absolute certainty in her voice.

"Oh…"

"But now that we're both free," Azula said slyly, putting a hand over her miserable friend's shoulder while leading her through the archway and into a garden. "I've been meaning to ask for a while now; don't you ever feel a bit used? You know, by all those guys?"

"No," Ty Lee answered, letting herself be led away.

"Ah, I see. Maybe it's time you got a bit more assertive."

"Sure, Azula, whatever you say," Ty Lee muttered sorrowfully as Azula led her through the garden.