Authors Note:
Yes, we are finally doing canon material. A lot of this comes directly from The Beach, but this isn't merely adding in Soren and Claudia. I added a lot of stuff in between, and there will be some major remixes. Anyway, enjoy and leave feedback if you please.
The Beach, Part 1: The Game
Beads of sweat dripped from Azula's forehead down the tresses of hair framing her face, panting as she raised the wooden training sword. She stared down Soren, who held his own training sword out in front of him, looking calm and cool. The princess narrowed her eyes at the boy, waiting for the right opportunity to attack. Soren narrowed his eyes back, waiting, tightening his grip on his sword. Then, Azula saw her window. Soren shifted his weight to his back foot, his stance just ever so slightly off balance, a gap in his guard as he raised his sword up to eye level.
Without warning or battle cry, Azula dashed forward. She focused on the Soren's left side, just under his ribs. With a real blade, she could end him with one stab, and that's how she intended to end their session. The princess was lightning quick, there was no way Soren could react. The tip of her wooden sword thrust forward…only to be knocked aside by Soren's.
The force of Soren's parry pushed Azula's arms up and to the side, turning her body. The princess moved with the force to keep her balance and tried to strike Soren using her momentum, her form practiced and perfect, and yet again he parried. Azula quickly backpedaled, but Soren was on her. Pointing the tip of his wooden blade at her center, Soren prepared to thrust. Azula had just a split second to prepare, but she was more that fast enough for the incoming attack.
Azula angled her sword to parry Soren, and flashed a smirk. She had practiced this technique and knew that Soren was as good as finished once he was countered. Azula swung her blade to parry…only to swipe through thin air. The princess's eyes went wide with shock once she realized it. Soren had not followed through on his attack. He stopped short and dashed to the side, avoiding Azula's strike. Soren deftly hooked his wooden sword around Azula's arm, and with one motion disarmed her. Azula's sword went flying through the air and landed on the stone tiles, and the princess found herself with Soren's blade pressed against her throat.
Azula and Soren panted as they both stared into each other's eye, hot and sweaty and high from adrenaline. There was a tense silence as neither said anything, until finally Soren grinned and pulled away from the princess.
"You're getting faster," Soren said as he wiped his brow and went to retrieve Azula's sword. "But you're gonna need more than speed."
"I had you," Azula almost pouted as she went to take her sword back from Soren. "You left yourself open to attack at least twice. There's no way you could have reacted, I was too quick."
"Yeah, I did," Soren had to keep himself from laughing, trying hard to hide his smile. Azula frowned and gave him an incredulous look. "Okay, kind of. I was just pretending. It's like a fishing, get it?"
"No, could you please explain in it a way that doesn't sound so childish?" Azula asked, feeling annoyed. It was not often that she was bested.
"I just pretended to be open so you would attack," Soren stated as he took the same position as before, with his sword raised to eye level. "You never attacked me when my guard was up, so I had to bait you." Azula's nostrils flared and her face turned slightly pink.
"Are you comparing me to a fish, Soren?" Azula glared at the boy and crossed her arms.
"Maybe an electric eel?" Soren shrugged as he answered. He was too fixated on his analogy to notice Azula's ire. "Same thing with my thrust. I feinted my attack so you would try to counter it. That was bait too."
"Still, you shouldn't have been able to react to my speed." Azula replied back. Soren grinned.
"I didn't react, I anticipated," Soren answered and gave his practice sword a little twirl. "I guessed that you'd try to stab my side, and how you'd try to parry my thrust. You've been practicing those moves, like, non-stop."
Azula blinked at Soren, caught off guard by his insight. He might have acted like a buffoon, but every once in a while, the princess was reminded that he was, indeed, a master swordsman.
"I see. I didn't realize I was so predictable…" Azula said softly, at once feeling frustrated and ashamed, looking down at the floor until Soren gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder, the same way he had become accustomed to doing to her. Azula looked up to see him give her an encouraging smile.
"Hey, listen, your form is perfect," Soren told the princess. His choice of word helped brighten her mood. "I've never seen anyone get the stances and the motions down so fast, and you drill them like a machine. You're already a really good sword fighter, you just have to mix things up. Right now, you're just a little too rigid. Don't just wait for your opponent to slip up to attack, try and force an opening with some feints, and remember that they'll try to do the same to you. Study your opponent, learn their patterns, anticipate what they'll do and force them to react to you."
"Hmm, you actually sound rather intelligent," Azula smirked at Soren as she considered his advice. "I should try to be more deceptive even in combat, less straightforward to keep them guessing. Thank you, that was…enlightening."
"Uh, thanks?" Soren scratched his head and raised an eyebrow. The would-be Crownguard had spent countless hours in practice duels and drilling his own techniques. He may not have been able to articulate it very well, but Soren's knowledge of sword and weapon fighting was already well beyond most of his fellow trainees and even many instructors. He was practically a genius with a blade, but unfortunately that meant sacrificing his knowledge in most other fields of study.
Soren and Azula were about to start another sparring session when a servant holding a scroll entered the training yard. She bowed to them and cleared her throat.
"Princess Azula, a message from Fire Lord Ozai." The servant handed Azula the scroll before bowing once more and leaving. Azula unfurled the scroll and read through it. Soren came up behind the princess to try and read over her shoulder, but he still did not have the Fire Nation's language fully understood.
"What's up, Princess?" Soren asked.
"My father is having an all-day private meeting with his advisors in a few days, without anyone else around…" Azula answered, and a smiled crept over her lips. "He's sending us on a little vacation. Pack your things Soren, we're headed to Ember Island."
Over the rest of the day, Soren and Azula informed Claudia and Ty Lee of their impending mandatory vacation and packed their belongings.
"What's Ember Island?" Claudia asked Ty Lee as they picked out swimsuits in the shopping district, dragging a very bored Soren along with them.
"Only the hottest vacation spot in the Fire Nation," Ty Lee explained as she held a white bikini top against her chest. "Lots of sun and beaches and stuff."
"Huh, Soren and I haven't really been to a beach before," Claudia mused as she found a black one-piece. "We'd go swim in a lake as kids though."
"Imagine a lake, but like, a hundred times bigger and better." Ty Lee grinned ear to ear as she spread her arms out. "And really salty. You'll love it."
Soren wandered off to look for some swimwear of his own. At home he would have just swam in his underwear, but he wanted to look cooler than that, especially in front of Azula. Something caught his eye, and the warrior walked over to a very enticing piece of swimwear. Soren smirked as he held the garment up.
"Perfect."
With preparations made, all the teens got a good night's sleep before waking early. The servants got their luggage, and the six of them were escorted from the palace down the mountain to the plaza and harbor. Soren and Claudia had a chance to see more of the capital since their first outing and encounter with General Murai a week ago. Despite the incident, the Katolians had found most of the citizens to be warm and gracious. They reached the docks where their ship awaited, a massively ornate royal barge. Soren whistled as he scanned the length of it.
"That is one big boat." The blond boy said.
"But how does it move without sails?" Claudia asked. "It can't be paddles, can it?"
"It's steam powered," Zuko explained as they walked up the gangplank and boarded the ship. "We use our firebending to heat up water. That makes steam in the engine which pushes the propellers."
"Fascinating…" Claudia grinned as she stroked her chin. "We don't have that back home."
"I'll be sure to give you a closer look, Claudia," Azula said with a smirk. "In exchange for the magic lessons."
Once all their cargo and luggage were loaded, the barge blew its whistle. The fires within the ship's engines were lit and smoke billowed out of the stacks as it began its voyage. Within an hour at sea, Soren was already turning green. The Katolian boy was hunched over the rails and groaning when Azula approached.
"What's wrong Soren, feeling a little seasick?" Azula sneered. Soren glared back.
"I'm not seasick, I'm just not used to being on a boooOORF!" Soren threw up over the side before he could finish. "Yeah, okay, I'm seasick."
Azula scrunched her face in disgust as Claudia came over to pat her brother on the back. "Here eat one of these." The sorceress said as she took out a little pale white berry from her bag. Soren popped it into his mouth and managed to swallow, letting out a sigh.
"Thanks, Clauds, I feel better already." Soren said as he wiped his mouth and grinned.
"Anytime," Claudia replied as she took out a few more berries and handed them to Soren. "Now try not to vomit on anyone Sore-bear." Claudia ruffled Soren's hair. Azula rolled her eyes at the display of sibling affection.
"Pfft, Sore-bear…"
They sailed for a full day and night, Claudia spending most of her time examining the steam engine. Azula, Soren and Ty Lee busied themselves with training while maintaining balance on a swaying ship. As usual, Zuko and Mai spent their time together relaxing, though Zuko was unhappy with being sent away. They all ate dinner together, then slept, and when morning came the ship was docked at a new harbor.
"Is that Ember Island?" Soren asked as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He looked out from the main deck to see the land before them stretch as far as he could see. "Because it looks really big for an island."
"That's still the mainland," Mai stated flatly. "We're not there yet."
"Then what are we doing here?" Claudia asked as she adjusted the strap of her satchel.
"We're here to switch boats," Zuko answered impatiently. "The water's too rocky and shallow for a ship this big, so we're getting on a smaller one to take us to the island. Now come on."
Claudia stuck her tongue out at Zuko behind his back as the six teenagers walked down the gangplank, followed by the servants carrying their luggage. They traveled down the pier until they came upon a small, docked boat.
There appeared to be no sails or engine, just one large canopy in the back for passengers. In the front was another, smaller canopy, with several lengths of rope running from inside it and down into the water. Claudia peered down into the water to see what the ropes were attached to when it began to bubble. Claudia yelped when a large, maroon-brown sea lion emerged from the depths, the ropes tethered to it. It barked at her, and reached its long neck up to lick her face. Claudia could not help but laugh.
"Down girl!" Came a voice. Off from the side came the owner of the ship and animal. "Sorry, she loves meeting new people." He bowed to the royals and gestured to his vessel. "Prince Zuko, Princess Azula, it is an honor to take you to Ember Island."
The luggage was loaded on and the passengers boarded. The animal handler untied the boat from the dock and gave the sea lion's reigns a flick. The sea lion barked and began to pull the boat away from the docks and towards a little speck of land in the distance. The teens got comfortable as they waited out the ride.
"I'm so excited to spend the weekend on Ember Island," Ty Lee said as she leaned against the railing. "It's gonna be great to hang out on the beach and do nothing."
"Doing nothing is a waste of time," Zuko retorted angrily. "We're being sent away on a forced vacation. I feel like a child." The prince stared out across the churning waves, scowling and brooding.
"Lighten up," Azula said. "So dad wants to meet with his advisors alone... without anyone else around. Don't take it personally."
"Yeah Zuko, lighten up!" Soren reclined on his bench as Claudia got out her spyglass and scanned the horizon. "You know how many vacations our dad forced us to go on alone? Zero."
"Doesn't your family have a house on Ember Island?" Ty Lee asked.
"We used to come every summer when we were kids." Azula answered.
"Sounds fun!" Claudia said as she continued to look through her spy glass. "Reminds me of when our family went to the banther lodge for winter when we were little. Remember, Soren?"
"That was a long time ago…" Soren muttered, crossing his arms and breathing in deeply the salty sea air. Zuko glanced at the blond boy out of the corner of his eye and wondered if perhaps there was something they had in common. That moment was cut short when Claudia jumped out of her seat excitedly.
"Hey, I see houses!" She shouted. Ember Island was coming more clearly into view. The sea lion pulled their vessel onward and approached the rocky shoreline where several summer homes were lined up. Even from a distance, they seemed large and luxurious.
"Huh, maybe staying here won't be so bad," Mai said as she imagined lounging around in the spacious beach home and enjoying the sunset and jelly tarts with her prince. "Where are we staying anyway?"
"Lo and Li are accommodating us." Azula replied.
"Who are they?" Claudia asked. She did not have long to wait for an answer as Azula pointed to the dock they were approaching. Standing at the end were twin shrunken, shriveled old women, wearing pink robes and wide straw hats. The vessel pulled up to the dock and the teenagers prepared to depart.
"Welcome to Ember Island, kids." Lo and Li said in unison. The teenagers all looked up from the dock the old crones were standing on to the house it was connected to, only to find a tiny little beach cabin dwarfed by the surrounding houses. They all frowned to varying degrees of disappointment.
"Never mind…" Mai muttered as her hopes of luxury were dashed and she realized how cramped their lodgings would be.
"Soren, be a dear and get the luggage." Azula said as she stepped onto the dock. Soren slung their bags over his shoulders and lifted up a couple more before following after. "These are my mentors, Lo and Li. Lo, Li, these are Soren and Claudia. They're from out of town."
"Hello! So Nice to meet you!" Claudia smiled brightly and waved at the two old women. Soren gave a curt nod. Then the twins were on them.
"Well aren't you just lovely." Lo said as she reached up to pinch Claudia's cheek, making her giggle. Soren tried to avoid it, but he was hindered by the luggage and could not escape Li's boney old fingers finding his cheek.
"Oh, what a handsome young man," Li said with a smile, then reached up to tug at his hair much to his continued annoyance. "And rare too. Quite the catch, don't let this one slip away." Li and Lo cackled as they led the teens towards the house, leaving Soren in an uneasy sweat as Azula eyed her old mentors suspiciously. The group made their way up the dock and into the beach home.
The inside was ornately decorated with all sorts of small trinkets. Soren let down their luggage with a loud sigh, and his heart sank further when he saw what the house was like, all tacky and kitschy. Zuko examined a shelf of nick knacks and grimaced.
"It smells like old lady in here…" The prince whispered to Mai.
"Gee, I wonder why…" Mai muttered back sarcastically.
Ty Lee spotted a painting on the far wall and pointed to it. It was of twin girls, standing back to back in a seductive pose, hands on their knees.
"Who are these two beautiful women?" Ty Lee asked. Claudia squinted her eyes at the painting before deducing the answer.
"No way, is that…?"
"Lo and me." Answered Li.
"Li and me." Lo replied.
The two old women grinned as they mimicked the pose in the painting. Ty Lee and Claudia gave each other a quick glance, then did the same pose back to back. All four of them laughed together. Zuko and Soren looked at each other, both feeling their stomachs churn in disgust.
The teens explored more of the house, finding the similarly decorated bedrooms. Ty Lee flopped down onto one bed, rubbing her face against a pillow.
"Oooh, I love this seashell bedspread!" The acrobat cooed happily.
"Are you serious?" Mai chided. "It looks like the beach threw up all over it."
"Hey, how many beds are there?" Claudia asked. "I think we're a little short."
"We apologize, child," Lo said. "We weren't expecting you and your brother."
"But don't worry, the boys can take the couch," Li continued. "And we have a hammock outside too."
"What? I'm not sleeping in a hammock," Zuko complained. "Much less the couch."
"Oh, get over it Zuko," Soren waved the prince off. "I'll take the hammock. It'll be like camping again."
"We know you're upset that you were forced to come here this weekend," Li said. "But Ember Island is a magical place. Keep an open mind…"
"Give it a chance," Lo piped up.
"...and it can help you understand yourselves and each other." The twins said in unison, gaining everyone's attention. Li picked up a smooth, black stone from a nearby table and passed it to her sister.
"The beach has a way of smoothing out even the most ragged edges." Lo rubbed her palm against the stone to demonstrate, its surface gleaming in the light.
The teens each observed and listened with varying levels of apathy and interest. Soren gave a shrug and Azula yawned. Zuko simply crossed his arms defiantly while Mai seemed to heed their words, but with no visible reaction. Ty Lee listened with curiosity, while Claudia was enraptured with their poetic words, nodding and smiling.
"So wise…" The sorceress whispered. Lo and Li then clapped their hands and undid the sashes holding their robes together.
"Time to hit the beach!" The twins exclaimed as the robes fell off, revealing their pink swimwear covering their old, saggy bodies. Soren shuddered, and Mai put a hand in front of Zuko's eyes to shield him from the horror.
"Whoo, yeah, let's get changed!" Ty Lee said as he grabbed her white bikini from her bag and went inside a room for some privacy. The rest of the teenagers did the same, and in minutes they all returned to the living room wearing their swimsuits. Ty Lee and Azula both wore two-piece bikini skirts, the princess in red and the acrobat in white. Mai put on a red tube top and sarong with leggings underneath. Zuko wore simple red swim trunks and covered his chest with a red robe with gold trim. Claudia came out wearing her black one piece and a loose shawl around her shoulders.
"Soren, you coming?" Claudia called out to her brother as she picked up a small skim board that leaned against the wall.
"Yeah, just hang on," Soren called back from the hall. He joined the group wearing a long, white, sleeveless robe and sandals. "Okay, ready."
"You're going swimming in that?" Azula asked skeptically. "I didn't think you were one to cover up so much."
"Oh, you'll see…" Soren chuckled to himself knowingly. Azula rolled her eyes. The warrior boy took a moment to examine the princess's swimwear, and his face turned a slight shade of pink. It was the most revealing clothing he'd ever seen her in, and by a wide margin at that. "Your swimsuit is really nice Azula…"
"Of course it is," The princess said impatiently, without noticing Soren's blush. "Come on, we're wasting daylight."
The teenagers left the beach house with Lo and Li, and took a path out back. They followed it up the hill, and when they reached the top, they found a view of the beach below, filled with beach goers and vacationers enjoying fun in the sun. Children were building sandcastles, teens were skim boarding, and off to the side there was a long net strung up. Two groups of teens were lobbing and kicking a ball back and forth over it.
"Hey, what's that?" Soren asked with immediate interest as he pointed to the ball game.
"That's kuai ball," Ty Lee answered. "You'd like it."
The group reached the sandy shoreline shortly after. Zuko took out a parasol from his bag and opened it up, using it to shield himself and Mai from the sun. Lo and Li went off to sunbathe by themselves with the other old folks, leaving the teens to have fun on their own.
"Race ya to the water Soren!" Claudia shouted as she bolted ahead of everyone. Soren grinned as he ran after his sister, not even noticing the sandcastle he stampeded through to catch up. The two little kids who had been building it began to wail before Azula glared down at them. The children froze in fright, then screamed and ran in terror as Azula kicked their bucket away.
Azula laid out her own beach blanket while Zuko laid out one for him and Mai, setting the parasol over them. The princess watched with envy as a skinny, freckle faced boy volunteered to unpack Ty Lee's bag for her, whom the acrobat was happy to oblige. Meanwhile, Claudia and Soren took turns with the skim board, leaving Azula feeling alone and bored. Her envy and unease only grew as she watched more boys fawn over her best friend, and she glared at Zuko and Mai sitting pretty together.
The princess could tell that Zuko and Mai were not exactly getting along. Her brother, clueless dope that he was, was trying and failing to impress his girlfriend with romantic, albeit shallow gestures and gifts, like a seashell or ice cream. Not the kinds of things Mai liked. As intelligent as Azula was, Zuko and Mai's relationship was a mystery to her sometimes. They could be sickeningly sweet together, or they got along like tiger monkeys and koala sheep.
Azula could have a much better love life than her brother and Mai did, she told herself, if she could just get a boyfriend. Ty Lee attracted boys like spider-ants to sugar, and it always annoyed the princess how easy it was for her to gain affection, the tease. Ty Lee could at least put up a little more of a challenge, to weed out the weak males from the real men, if any even existed. Azula was smart and pretty and perfect. Boys should have been lining up for a chance to even talk to her, to look at her, but instead they acted like she was about to do something horrible to them and avoided her. They were all so intimidated. Well, except for Soren…
The sound of a ball being slapped and hitting the sand caught Azula's attention. She glanced over to where kuai ball was being played. The teens all seemed to be very engaged and quite competitive. Azula smirked devilishly as she figured out exactly what would cheer her up.
"Hey beach bums," Azula called to her friends. "We're playing next. Ty Lee, Soren, Zuko, get over here now."
Soren slipped off the skim board when he heard Azula's command. He sprinted over to the princess as Ty Lee walked up on her hands, leaving the harem of worshipping teenage boys she had quickly accumulated. Zuko grunted in annoyance as she sat up and walked over, while Mai and Claudia observed from the sidelines as Azula, Ty Lee, Zuko, and Soren all huddled up on one side of the net.
"Alright, time for some kuai ball!" Soren said excitedly. "How's it played?"
"Just keep the ball from hitting our side," Zuko explained. "and get it to hit theirs."
"See that girl with the silly pigtails?" Azula motioned her head to an opposing player, who was juggling the kuai ball with her feet.
"You mean the one with the bad leg?" Soren asked in turn. "Yeah, we should serve to her left. Good thinking Azula." The other three teens stared at Soren with a mixture of shock and surprise. "What? I notice these things."
"Right, good eye Soren," Azula said, feeling somewhat impressed but a tad annoyed at the Katolian boy for stealing a bit of her thunder. "Do that, and we'll destroy her and the rest of her team!"
The four of them broke the huddle. Zuko flung off his red robe, exposing his lean chest as his hair blew in the breeze and a flock of rock doves flew behind him. A group of girls who were spectating began to giggle and coo at how handsome and alluring Zuko was. Soren scoffed as he stepped in front and grabbed the hem of his own white robe.
"Oh, you like that?" Soren called out with the biggest grin. "Then get a load of this!"
Soren flung his robe off in the same fashion as Zuko, only this time the effect was even more dramatic. There was an audible gasp from the crowd that had gathered to watch. What the blond boy revealed underneath was not merely lean muscle and swim trunks. Soren was wearing a tight black and white speedo, showing off as much of his gleaming, chiseled, body as possible, and especially his well-toned thighs. There was barely an ounce of fat on his bulging muscles, and Soren stood proudly as he showed off his perfectly sculpted physique.
After a second of stunned silence, the spectating girls erupted in squeals and cheers of delight. Soren flashed them a toothy smile as he flexed for them, making them cheer even louder. Claudia caught Soren's robe and buried her face in it in embarrassment as Mai raised an eyebrow.
"Soren, why…" Claudia bemoaned.
Ty Lee stared in fascination while Zuko glared at the spectacle with apathy. Azula gaped in shock at Soren, having never seen him show so much skin before. It was a long moment before she regained her senses without even realizing how much she was blushing. Catching herself, Azula coughed loudly to gain attention.
"Enough, let's go!" Azula commanded.
"Yeah, let's get this game started!" Soren shouted as he swaggered up alongside the rest of his team. Azula grabbed the ball, a sphere made from white and red leather. She tossed it high into the air, and as it came back down, the princess jumped up and struck the ball with a kick, serving it to the other side. Just as planned, the ball flew to the left of the pigtailed girl and right between the other players, hitting the sand before they could react and scoring Azula's team a point.
With a few grumbles, the opposing team fetched the ball. Now it was their turn to serve. Their team lead, a tanned boy, served the ball towards Zuko. The prince ran at the ball and slid to bounce it off his shin and into the air before it could touch the ground. Azula followed up by smacking the ball with her wrist. The ball fell towards the pigtailed girl, who dove to catch it with both fists, but came up short. The ball bounced off the sand and Team Azula scored.
The kuai ball whizzed past the spectators, almost knocking one boy's head off. It landed and rolled across the sand towards two boys relaxing on the beach, one tall and tanned and the other with long hair. They glanced at the ball, then at the teams with intrigue before the long-haired boy hit the ball back over towards the net. The two silently decided to watch the rest of the game.
The two teams hit the ball back and forth, the opposing team finally putting up more of a challenge, but not for long. Ty Lee leaped into a somersault, and struck the ball with an axe kick before landing on the top of the net, balancing on it as perfectly as a cat. This got the attention of the two teenage boys watching from afar, their interest piqued.
So far, the other team had avoided serving the ball towards Soren, and the blond boy was itching to show off, having only managed to touch the ball a few times to keep the other team from scoring. His height had proven to be an advantage, as Azula hoped it would when she chose him to play instead of Mai. Soren kept his eye on the kuai ball, and then he saw his chance. The ball went high towards him, and he jumped.
"Gotcha!" Soren shouted with a manic smile as he raised his hand high, tongue flailing out. With one mighty blow, Soren smashed the kuai ball with his palm and spiked it. The poor player below had but a split second to gasp in fright before the ball slammed into his chest, knocking his down. The ball bounced back up, and the pigtailed girl managed to hit it back over the net.
"Soren!" Azula shouted as she ran towards him. The Katolian did not even need instructions, knowing just from instinct what Azula needed. Crouching low, Soren held his hands out. Azula placed her foot down on them. Soren boosted Azula high into the air, and with a spinning kick, Azula sent the ball rocketing back towards the earth. It caught fire, and struck the sand with an explosion and a shockwave that knocked down the surrounding players and even a few spectators. Soren watched with awe as the net was set on fire, and there was Azula, basking in the glory of her victory.
"Yes, we defeated you for all time!" Azula gloated as the net burned to ashes, an evil grin on her face. "You will never rise from the ashes of your shame and humiliation!"
Soren blinked at the princess, his face turning pink again. "So hot…and cool…" He whispered under his breath.
"Well that was fun." Azula said as she turned to her teammates while Claudia and Mai rejoined them, her mood completely changing from maniacal to casual.
"That was insane." Claudia said, holding her head with both hands as she processed the game.
Soren's ear twitched as he heard giggling from afar. He turned to see the girls from earlier had remained and continued ogling him. Soren grinned at them and struck a pose, flexing his arms and making them squeal and blush. It was now that the two boys who had been watching with interest approached Ty Lee.
"I'm having a party tonight," The tall, tanned boy told her. "You should come by."
"Sure," Ty Lee responded as she turned to him, smiling innocently. "I love parties!"
The long-haired boy glanced over at Mai and Claudia and nodded to them. "Your friends can come too."
"What about me and my brother?" Azula asked, crossing her arms and clearly annoyed that even after her display of prowess at kuai ball she was being left out. "And our big meathead? Aren't you going to invite us?" The two boys glanced at each other skeptically, clearly uneasy with inviting the overly competitive firebender. This did not go unnoticed by Azula. "You don't know who we are, do you?"
"Don't you know who we are?" The tall boy asked, smirking at Azula confidently. "We're Chan and Ruon Jian."
"Yeah." Ruon Jian chimed in.
Zuko glared at Chan and Ruon Jian, growling angrily as he stepped towards them, feeling insulted by their insolence. Azula just smirked back at the two boys as she held an arm out to stop her brother from doing something foolish. Chan watched with bemusement before relenting.
"But fine, you're invited," Chan said. "Just so you know though, some of the most important teenagers in the Fire Nation are gonna be at this party so...try and act normal."
"We'll do our best." Azula replied as Chan and Ruon Jian left, smirking to herself. She looked around for Katolian boy, but did not see him. "Where is our meathead?" The princess asked.
"Over there being stupid." Mai answered and jerked her thumb in the direction behind Azula. The princess turned, and what she saw made her livid. Soren was surrounded by teenage girls, posing and flexing his muscles to the sound of their cheers.
"Pecs! Ooo! And the biceps, ah! And the glutes, hooha!" Soren grunted with every movement. He was soaking up all the attention and adoration the girls were giving him and his hot body. Azula did not know why, but the sight of it all made her face red. Ty Lee getting boys was one thing, but this made Azula's blood boil.
"Uhg, can you believe him Ty Lee? Ty Lee?" Azula glanced around for her friend, and was horrified to see her poking Soren's perfect abs.
"Wow, they're so hard!" Ty Lee exclaimed. "Come feel them Azula!"
"HAHA! Stop, that tickles!" Soren laughed and tried to bat Ty Lee's prodding hands away.
The princess scoffed and looked away. "No thanks!" She said pouting, trying to ignore all the insipid cheers and coos and giggles and squeals. It seemed like no matter what she did, everyone else was having a better time than her. Everyone else was being fawned over and worshipped. No one was stunned by her looks. No one wanted to invite her to a party. No one wanted to be her boyfriend. No one wanted to dote on her unless she ordered them to. Azula knew she was just as impressive and attractive as any of her friends, so how was it that she was not getting any kind of attention from anyone? Her status as a princess could not be all she had going for her, it just couldn't…
"Oh, he's so exotic!" One girl claimed as she felt Soren's hair. That triggered Azula. Claudia watched with concern as the firebending prodigy hissed in anger, and wondered if the princess was about to explode. Azula seriously considered shooting lightning at Soren and the rest of the girls just to put an end to what seemed to be a sick joke being played on her…and then it hit her.
A truly devious, wicked smile spread over Azula's face as she came up with an idea, an awfully cunning and brilliant plan that would solve all her problems in one fell swoop. The princess turned around and looked back at Soren, Ty Lee and the rest of the girls, feeling her self-confidence come back.
"I'm afraid you beach bunnies are out of luck!" Azula declared loudly as she marched up to Soren, shoving one girl aside. Soren blinked in confusion as Azula sided up next to him, linked her arms around his, and gave all the teenage girls the smuggest smirk of superiority she could muster. "This golden-haired beefcake is MY BOYFRIEND!"
Azula made sure to raise her voice so the whole beach could hear her. All the girls let out a gasp, then a long, loud whine of disappointment before dispersing, hanging their heads in shame. Soren was utterly stunned, at a complete loss for words. He had hoped Azula would notice him. He had wanted to impress the princess, to show her how cool and handsome he was, how strong and athletic he could be. The blond boy had thought that he might never be good enough for someone as incredible as her….and now, suddenly, she was telling everyone he was her boyfriend.
Ty Lee's eyes glistened and grew wide as she clasped her hands together. "Boyfriend?!" The acrobat gasped and took Azula's hand in hers. "Oh, I'm so happy for you!"
"Way to go bro!" Claudia said as she came up and gave the very confused Soren a light punch on the arm. "You two make such a cute couple."
"Um…" Soren tried to think of a response, then Zuko and Mai approached.
"What?" Zuko asked skeptically. "Since when?"
"Yeah, since when?" Mai asked, feeling rightfully suspicious of the princess.
"It was right before we left," Azula began to spin her tale. "Soren confessed his undying love and devotion to me in the garden under the light of the moon, and I graciously accepted him. Isn't that right, Sore-bear?" The princess subtly ground her heel against Soren's foot to make sure he knew not to spoil the moment. Soren winced and nodded.
"Aaahhh yep, that's right!" Soren answered through the pain. "Totally undying all the way! I'm so happy…" Ty Lee and Claudia both squealed and fawned over the new couple. Zuko and Mai simply gave each other a knowing look.
"Your dad's gonna love this…" Mai whispered to Zuko. Meanwhile, Azula could not help but feel elated at the way Claudia and Ty Lee were treating her now, and she could not wait to see everyone's faces at the party as she showed off her hunky date. Soren, for his part, just blushed and did his best to take it all in.
"Yes yes, I know, we're just perfect together," Azula said as she waved Ty Lee and Claudia off. "We've still got plenty of time for more fun on the beach before the party. Now come on Soren, I want you to get me some ice cream." The princess pulled Soren by the arm towards the ice cream vendor at the edge of the beach, and the blond boy followed after. Azula was back in the game now, and she would make everyone jealous of what a perfect, happy couple she and Soren made.
Azula slipped her hand into Soren's, squeezing it tightly, possessively…and he squeezed back. It was going to be one wild party…
Author's Note:
Been wanting to do that scene ever since I started writing, and it's going to get even better next chapter when things gets remixed even more, if that wasn't obvious. I hope this doesn't seem out of character for Azula, but I wanted this chapter to be lighter in tone, similar to the episode it's based on. Besides, I think it would be in character for Azula to just claim a guy as her boyfriend, provided they were too dense to be afraid of her (ie Soren). It feels so good to finally get out of the establishing phase and just write these characters as a group of friends.
