The thing about a formal dinner is that expectations run high.
The food should be of the finest quality.
The china flawless.
Impeccable service.
The most important aspect of a formal dinner is the guests.
The Royal Ballroom has hosted generations of formal dinners for all occasions. Never before has it been privy to such a diverse group of guests.
Azula does not scrunch her face at the ..are those swamp people?
Fortunately they are seated farther down the table and if the looks on the faces of the unlucky Earth Kingdom officials beside them are any indication, she should feel blessed for it.
She is near the head of the table. Not because she is the sister of the Fire Lord and this is his wedding dinner. There would at least be some honor in that. Not much but some.
"Avatar Aang," the voice of one of the Earth Kingdom officials catches her attention, "How go things in the Air Nation?"
It's a polite question but she can see the way the man and his wife look at her curiously.
The Avatar smiles that boyish grin he gets when asked how the temples are.
"Quite well. The Northern Air Temple is coming along. It's a small start but a good one."
"Splendid," the man smiles. The others nodding in agreement.
Azula takes a drink to hide her own smile. She knows what's coming next.
"Any luck finding more Air Benders?" The question draws more than a few conversations to a halt.
The quest for more Air Benders has been a hotly debated subject. Azula has heard more than a few discussions between the Avatar and the Fire Lord about possible hiding locations for the lost people.
Zuko should know better. The Fire Nation left no stone upturned.
Unless they are all hiding in another chunk of ice, that is.
The Avatar smiles gently but she can see the sadness behind it.
"Unfortunately, no."
The table is silent considering the implications of no hidden sects of Air Benders in the world.
What if the Avatar really is the last Air Bender?
If that is the case then the pressure is really on him to save his people.
Azula bites back a laugh. They really will think she is insane if she laughs too hard at her own jokes, especially the ones she doesn't voice.
"Perhaps there is hope for the future." The man continues. "Maybe one day soon we will be dining at your own wedding."
Ah, there it is. She had been waiting for someone to bring that up.
Every wedding is fraught with talk of who is next. This one is extra juicy because not only is it about whose wedding is next but it's about one of the most powerful men in the world, who is the last of a lost people, and who has his enemy's daughter in his bed.
War trophy indeed.
Honestly and truly, she tries to resist but she fails miserably and years of etiquette training go out the window.
Azula bursts out laughing.
The Fire Lord and his new Fire Lady glare at her. The other dinner guests stare in shock.
The Avatar raises an eyebrow at her reaction but is soon laughing himself.
When he laughs, they laugh with him and it diffuses the tension from her outburst.
Once the laughter settles down, he takes a drink with one hand while the other finds hers under the table.
"That is a thought." He says diplomatically. "Actually, the Air Nomads didn't have formal wedding ceremonies."
This gets more than a few eyes on him.
"What did they do?" a lady with bright green eyes asks.
"Well," he grasps for a polite way to phrase it, "they skipped the festivities." A blush spreads across his face.
They ponder this one.
Azula takes a drink of wine.
Licking a few stray drops off her lips, she leans close to him, "So you mean instead of going through all the fuss of dress and dinner, they just got right to the fun part?"
If possible he blushes more.
"Azula." There is reprimand in the Fire Lady's voice.
She meets her sister-in-law's gaze unapologetically.
The Avatar intervenes. "I'm sorry, Katara. It was out of line for me to bring up certain customs of my people."
He's apologizing but at the same time his words have a sobering effect on the Fire Lady.
"It's okay, Aang." She smiles at him but glares at Azula.
Azula leans back in her chair, smiling.
The Avatar is more manipulative than she gave him credit for.
