SEVEN
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Sleuthhounds
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"What do you mean she is not there?"
The dangerous flash in Azula's eyes is as clear as day as she whirled around with a startled jerk, her painted lips curled into the beginning of a snarl. She looked worse for wear, her shoulders slumped and her once neatly-combed hair in disarray. In his wake, Ozai left his daughter as exhausted as though she just attended several rigorous war meetings. He was after all the external personification of the pressure placed on her shoulders, the heavy weight she singlehandedly had to bear. The sight before her made it easy for Mai to remember why they all dreaded the arrival of the Fire Lord, why she preferred loyalty to the Princess any day.
In the Crown Princess Palace, nobody called him The Phoenix King. It was a self-proclaimed title, one that Azula's subjects, her real subjects which only consisted of her personal servants and her Dai Li agents tacitly agreed that he did not deserve. If Azula noticed, she did nothing to dissuade them of this blatant disrespect. But there had been relative serenity in the past twelve years, the only semblance of peace in the war that had lasted for a thousand years. The Princess' injury and Fire Lord Ozai's audience in the home that he had left two decades ago for the fancier palace in his colony (which Azula herself conquered) were what shook their foundations and the composure of their enigmatic ruler and the world she had created.
"She was not there." Mai repeated and crossed her arms. She let a frown grace her features, unsurprised about how natural it felt these days. Azula was not the only one, it seemed. She had to take care of that. "I assumed she would be there waiting for us for the next morning. I told her so."
"Really, Mai. You and I both know about Ty Lee's attention span."
"Or lack thereof." The assassin rolled her eyes. It was a familiar dance, the sentiment shared. Mai would like to think it did not sound like they were doting on the little pink troublemaker. Ugh. Gross.
"Indeed." The princess purred, eyebrows delicately raised. "I wouldn't be surprised if she was playing some sort of hide and seek game with us. But it has been two days." This was said in the same silky, haughty tone that Mai was accustomed to. But there was a pause of breath there, a slight nuance that let the perceptive knife-thrower detect hints of worry. Worry. Azula. Hmmm. "Wouldn't you think she would be sulking around the portal right now waiting for you to come fetch her?"
"Perhaps she made some friends." Mai would not put that past Ty Lee. The human could make even the uptight Lo and Li joke about going to the beach.
For some reason, this evidently made Azula uneasy. A scowl crunched on her haggard features. The bags under her eyes seemed darker "Or enemies." She feebly suggested, still seething. Fists were clenched. Lips were being bitten. Azula looked like she was pondering on a possibility she would rather not acknowledge. This time, Mai cocked an eyebrow in curiosity.
Something is up...
"You are withholding something from me, Azula." Finally, Mai voiced her thoughts, watching as the fearsome Fire Demon internally plan on the torture and demise of some unfortunate soul. "Whatever happened last time in the surface?"
"I can say the same thing to you." Sharp golden glare. Mai sighed. So Azula noticed. Of course, she did. "You found something in the human world too, didn't you?"
"I was wondering when you would ask." Is her nonchalant response.
"You did not tell me." Already a full day after her father set back for the Earth Kingdom, Azula remained cranky, irritable and with a temper that was more volatile than that of Zuko's. Tendrils of smoke were coming out of her slightly red nostrils, her eyes an indecipherable swirl of growing ire and impatience. This was one of the infrequent moments that Mai would gladly admit she missed Ty Lee, the only one that could actually turn the Firebender's deathly flames into harmless steam.
Ty Lee was the type who could annoy someone enough to calm them down.
Mai shrugged. "I thought it was something that you would prefer not to know."
Azula glared harder at her. "I'll be the judge of that." She spat accusingly.
It seemed then that indeed there was no escape from sparing her. Mai exhaled, braced herself. "Fine, we can trade secrets." She fixed her eyes on Azula, watching as the younger demon defiantly stared back. She gave the Princess one more chance. "Are you sure you want to know?"
"I'm waiting."
"I saw your mother."
Azula's breath seemed to have been taken away as a gasp was not even heard from the wide-eyed Fire Demon. For once, she was frozen in her seat, rapidly heating fingers breaking off a chunk of the wooden armrest. Mai could not get a good enough read on Azula's expression, for like anything that took the demon aback, Azula processed it differently than most others. While Mai preferred to take things through carefully schooled indifference, Azula took everything either in offence, anger or ego. Pain, especially pain converted the Princess to an agitated mess of fire. Ty Lee once said that Azula's aura was that constant comparable to Mai's eternal gray. Why the human was so fascinated with those colours, she would never know.
Purple.
I want to see the flash of red in her more often.
There might have been shock. There might be the longing of a motherless child. There might be the question arose about a woman thought to have vanished from the face of the underworld for more than fifty years. Azula was barely an imp when the then Princess Ursa was banished, just shortly after she started playing with Mai. But the bodyguard would never really know the extent of what the Princess really felt for her own mother for all that prevailed at the moment was blinding anger and several decades of bottled up resentment.
Well, she internally shrugged. The opposite of love is not hate. It is apathy. Had Azula been more detached and stoic over the news of her mother, Mai would have believed the inevitable lie that she did not care. Azula was the most predictable thing after Zuko. It was just so, so boring.
Her knowledge of Azula's severe abandonment issues was what helped Mai dodge the swat of fire that was aimlessly released from the Princess' swinging arms. in a second faster than the hot trail of blue, Mai jumped off her own seat, took off several yards away from the fuming Princess as the girl all but reacted everything igniting in all directions. Mai was not very concerned about the room catching fire. Everything in Azula's chambers was ensured to be fireproof.
"I thought so." Mai drawled as Azula finally found her calm and collected persona again. But even this reaction was quite extreme than what she expected. Oh fine, perhaps Azula was not really that predictable after all. Frazzled nerves? The company of Ozai must be rather stressful. No wonder Ukano looked older than his four hundred years and Azula was having those wrinkles when she was not even two hundred yet. Ew. Just ew.
The Fire Demon only glared at her in reply, brows knitted together. Mai only sighed, making sure she did not looked as miffed as Azula intended. "I don't know why you are surprised. It has been a long time since she has been sighted here. It only makes sense that—"
"I'm not surprised."
"Angry then?"
"I—" And the Princess who was known to be a woman of words with a smartly tactful tongue that was never short of a witty repartee, trailed off.
"You don't know." Mai observed, effectively masking her satisfaction. Azula's head snapped in annoyance. "You do not know how to feel about the knowledge. You do not know how to feel about your mother being finally in your reach."
"I don't care about her." And there was the answer Mai knew all this time that she would give.
"Tell that to yourself Azula." Mai pointed out, in the most detached tone that she could manage. Azula's fists opened and closed, her teeth gnashing. But this time, the two demons let the silence fill the increasing aggression between them, knowing that evading the issue for now would be the best action for both of them. Several seconds later and Azula's breathing evened out. Mai thought it was high time to proceed. "Well, what else would you want to know?"
"I'm hoping she is suffering."
Mai did not even have to try to suppress her scoff. Of course. She expected that. There was no love lost. "She certainly is not living in a palace."
Azula only looked at her with eyes that threatened incineration and Mai was implored to elaborate. No, she did not fear Azula but she was wearing a favourite dress today, thank you very much. "And well, she was ostracized in the human world, if that is what you want to hear." The run-down shack ran through Mai's mind. The weathered face of a once beautiful woman whose only remaining brilliance lurked behind her golden eyes. "She is what they call a witch, a social pariah. If it makes you any happier, she is probably not having enough meals a day."
Mai did not know what to make of Azula's expression. But there was an unfamiliar glint in her one-hundred-yard stare that only Ty Lee would have made sense of. Ugh. Whatever. Briefly, she wondered whether how Ursa would have felt if she knew her only daughter thought of her this way, whether she blamed herself for how the child she failed to raise has turned out.
"Did you speak with her?" Azula asked, significantly more subdued by the idea of her mother starving. Mai resisted the urge to point out that for all they knew, Ursa might be enjoying the human flesh more than those silly morsel the humans called food. She did not really know Ursa well but since she gave birth to the two of the most problematic imps in history, she must have harboured some issues too, Azula's fingers steepled and legs now crossed. "Did she recognize you?"
"She turned me away. I don't think she knew who I am. It was a long time ago since we have had playdates. Ugh. Don't remind me. And she was rather... delirious."
Azula smirked. "Delirious?"
"Uh-uh." Mai made a show of inspecting her nails.
Azula's smirk widened. "Any chance you saw Zuzu?"
This took Mai by surprise. She jerked her head up. "What makes you think I did?" To her disappointment, her uneasiness was apparent in her outburst.
Azula drew a soundless chuckle. Headshake. "I don't know." She crooned, flicking her hair. "Mother and son both in the humanworld. I would think instinct would kick in. Mother always have a sharp nose for our kind after all. She was not great in many things but she was a pretty good tracker."
"I did not see him." Mai did not mean to sound stern or coldly dismissive. Although she would have willingly done so had it been any other topic. Zuko was always a sore subject for the both of them. Azula knew that. The banished prince has not been seen for twenty years. Betrothals could not stand that long without any form of communication.
"But you want to." Mai did not let herself be fooled by the teasing tone. Azula was not that kind of a friend.
"That's none of your business."
This somehow left Azula in higher spirits. "If you say so." She leaned back to the seat, touched her lips on her folded fingers, closed her eyes.
Mai sighed, prompted. "So about Ty Lee..."
Eyes still closed, Azula craned her neck backwards."We have reason to think that we saw her family aboveground."
"Really?" Mai did not expect that. For the twelve years that Ty Lee stayed with them, the most that they knew about what happened was one of the darker elves bringing her down to the underworld. Perhaps even one of the Dai Li. It was their dirty laundry. Like how demons drank blood and pixies seduced young men. How she conveniently ended up in the palace front gates was still a mystery. Mai remembered that for the first two years, Azula had been convinced it was some elaborate plan to usurp her.
There were a couple of elves who lived in the Capital, the smarter ones who sided up with the winning side. Azula had the Dai Li discretely question everyone, even that old nobleman who was the human's inspiration for the mischievous elf who thought his name was impossible to pronounce. But so far, there was nothing. Not that Ty Lee was terribly interested anyway. Azula just hated loose ends.
"Hmm..." was her noncommittal acquiescence. She briefly wondered how Ty Lee's real human family looked like but she did not really want to ask.
"Well, what do you think?" Azula prodded. Mai hated that smirk.
"You sound curious." The absentminded remark did not go past Mai. Azula's head gears were whirring in thought.
"Well, she has not been seen for two days." She noted, restraining a frown from breaking her inscrutable countenance.
Azula opened her eyes, as though she just remembered. "I do not think she is with them though. She hates them. She has six other sisters who looks exactly like her and you know Ty Lee."
Indeed, the human seek too much attention to be willingly part of a matched set. Mai figured that the reason why she only knew this was because Azula knew her cards too well. She was luring her to reveal about what she was hiding. But it did not matter now. Azula could wallow over her maternal angst for all she could care.
"So what do you think happened to her then?" Mai knew she was concerned. If she was anyone else, she would have easily admitted that she was worried. But in an environment where all her actions were being observed as grounds for manipulation, it was better to keep her distance, to pretend that Ty Lee's absence made the servants more bland and unattractive than usual.
"What precautions did you take?"
"I assigned a Dai Li on the portal to escort her if she appears." She waited for Azula to reprimand her that it was not enough.
But the Princess only stood up and there was a familiar flash of mischief in her eyes. "Then we shall go."
...
.
.
It was the moment that she emerged to the bright sun that Azula was finally certain that Ty Lee was safe. Of course, she did not have any doubts. Ty Lee could hold her own against any menace spawned by the rigors of this Agni-forsaken place. But there was still that nagging worry that ate on her until she herself could sniff on the smoggy fumes of London, set her eyes on the ugly city that she did not look forward on coming back to. Ty Lee's unique scent wafted weakly in the air and she finally permitted herself a deep sigh of relief, basked on the smell of her human that she was deprived of for days after Father's visit.
Mai squinted amidst the sunny glare. She did not look too happy. "Did you know that humans think demons are nocturnal creatures?" And that they were the cause for all the misery in the world. That even a human deciding to go crazy and murder his own brother was attributed to one of their kind whispering in their ears. As if any demon would waste their time like that! In answer, Azula only scoffed. Humans were so presumptuous! Mai proceeded. "Apparently, I am starting to believe them. I hate the sun aboveground."
"The only thing I hate about this place is that I cannot firebend." She took a few steps, cautiously looking beyond the rock formations. For the life of her, Azula could not remember which race actually opened the gates towards London. The Fire Demons always preferred the Imperial City of Japan. Even Azula herself would take a well-mannered geisha over any sex worker from the East End. But in the shady European city filled with crime and poverty, she had less worries over being recognized. "Otherwise, I would have liked to burn it to the ground myself."
"Good choice." Mai commented from behind her. She looked grumpier than usual. "Firebenders are not bulletproof."
Azula clucked her tongue, rolling her eyes. They would figure out a way around it soon enough. "Anyway, we should keep going."
"Please tell me you have an idea where to start."
"I can smell her." Azula revelled on Mai's startled expression. It was only per occasion that anyone would managed to surprise the jaded demon. Unimpressed was her default. "Don't even pretend that you are not impressed, Mai."
"Whatever." Warily, Mai took note of how elevated Azula seemed today. The small, conniving smile on her face was bad news. She narrowed her eyes towards the Princess, quizzically biting her lip. "That just means you are more like your mother than you would like to think."
Azula gave her a smouldering look.
Mai was... unimpressed. "You need to go somewhere else?"
"Why, I need to check on Mother of course."
...
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.
Ty Lee could not help but feel a sense of familiarity with the woman before her.
She was what Suki called a witch, a sorceress, a magician that usually helped the Kyoushi Warriors locate and defeat any ghoul that was hiding around the city. "We are also trying to figure out how to turn them back." Suki plowed on as Ty Lee watched, riveted solely on the robed, older woman currently talking with who her new friend had introduced to her as her mother, the leader of the Kyoushi Warriors. Her features were plain, nondescript with black hair billowing around a small, round-shaped, whimsical-looking facial expression. She looks as ordinary as she could get. "But so far, Noriko still has no idea how."
"Noriko?" she echoed listlessly, eyes still fixed on the black-garbed woman. Ty Lee had no idea what felt so strong that she could not take her eyes off her. But there was just something, just something that set her nerves on edges with her presence. It was not at all like the intimidation she felt when she saw June. But the longer that she looked at the woman, the stronger her sense of Azula became.
"She has strong senses and she can smell both demons and ghouls alike. Can you believe it? She can smell them!" The older girl explained. "I don't know how she does that or why the Knights do not have her on employ—they certainly could pay her more. But well, we have no right to complain, do we?" Suki was a welcome change to the drab and silence that Ty Lee was normally used to. Back in the palace, she was the voice amidst Mai's sullenness and the rest of the staff's tight-lipped attitude, the only sound reverberating around the dark, candlelit halls and stealthy footfalls. So talkative was this human girl that despite everything, Ty Lee could not help but think of Suki as a kindred spirit.
And she was enthusiastic, so driven in what she did best. It reminded her of the determination in Azula's eyes everytime she talked about her conquest of Ba Sing Se and her dreams of conquering the Northern Water Tribe. In her short stay with the Warriors, Ty Lee learned more about hunters and ghouls and the pretty movements they do with the fans. "Treat it as an extension of your arm." She had said. Suki talked a lot about courage and honor, the strength that you would gain if you wanted to protect something. Ty Lee thought that the humans might not be so bad after all.
Because she wanted to be strong enough to be able to protect Azula too.
"Come on." And her arm was seized. Suki started to drag her towards the two women. "Let us introduce you to them."
Ty Lee firmly planted her feet on the grassy ground, skidding both girls to a stop. Suki looked back at her in askance. "I can't." She did not remember agreeing on "training" with the Kyoushi Warriors though, did not remember promising to hunt ghouls.
Azula may have been waiting for her already.
Mai said she expected that she would just be around Stonehenge before sunrise. When she would come back would depend on whenever Fire Lord Ozai would leave. Ty Lee was unsure how many days had it been since then.
"I have to go home."
"Oh," Unlike the inscrutable Fire Demons, Suki did not even try to hide her disappointment. Ty Lee almost felt sorry for her. In the few hours that she sat with the other warriors around the campfire—most of which looked older than Azula—she could sympathize on how alienated she must feel, how isolated. The young in the world of adults. Recruiting Ty Lee must have given her the false hope of having someone else in a way of life that still regarded her as a child. Suki told her she was thirteen. Mai said once that they only went to fight in the war when they were ninety. Ty Lee could not really tell if she was joking. "I mean, you said your mother was.. you know... during the winter solstice. I just thought..."
Humans... they were really presumptuous. When in the past this disgusted her, Ty Lee could not help but smile fondly. Because come to think of it, she was no different. Ty Lee felt bad about lying but she did not really have a choice. So she decided to give Suki a sliver of the truth. "Someone is waiting for me."
"Oh."
Ty Lee smiled. "I can't let her down."
Suki bowed her head as though hiding her face from the younger girl. But it was futility in itself. Ty Lee gently put her hands on the young warrior's shoulders, squeezing it. "It's okay though. I am sure we would see each other again."
The green-garbed youngster beamed. "The offer still stands." She chirped and much to Ty Lee's discomfort, gave her a quick, bonecrushing hug. Human flesh was cold. Suki released her and Ty Lee thought that her smile was really pretty. Suki was really pretty. "You can join us."
"Thanks." Ty Lee did not really know what to say.
"Mom still wants to meet you anyway!" Suki exclaimed and she pulled Ty Lee forward once more.
...
.
.
Suki could tell that there was something wrong as soon as she and Ty Lee got closer.
Mother's face was grim, her expression taciturn. But otherwise, the Leader of the Kyoushi Warriors did not betray anything through her silent regard to the other woman. In front of her, Noriko looked more colourless than usual. Suki always thought the woman as odd, more eccentric than any witch she had heard of. But then again she was the real deal. Unlike most of the other quacks who claimed garlic was an effective way to kill those rampaging bloodsuckers, Noriko herself could end even the hungriest ghoul's suffering.
With bare hands.
"So where are you planning to go then?" Mother asked. Noriko shifted her weight from one foot to another.
"Anywhere away from here." was her vague answer. And this was when Suki noticed the small satchel tied around her shoulder, the travelling cloak and three layers of clothes underneath. "They're coming."
Noriko and her garbled murmurs, the unfocused eyes. There were instances that Suki wondered what exactly happened for this woman to be so out of it. Mother said she was damaged, so broken. She used the term 'traumatized'. And yet in those featureless brown eyes, there lurked the intelligence of someone who lived a century, of someone who knew what was hidden behind the lies of their dwellings. Suki did not believe Noriko to be insane. Just unstable. Definitely unstable.
"Noriko's leaving?" the young girl broke in. Beside her, she felt the unease radiating off Ty Lee as her eyes darted from Noriko to something on the ground. Suki thought her blameless. Mother was frowning at her.
"Suki—"
"You're leaving?" she addressed Noriko this time, ignoring her mother's reprimanding stare.
"They're coming." Noriko repeated, still distracted. But this time, she was as seemingly interested in Ty Lee as the other girl was with her. Suki looked between them back and forth, contorting her face in confusion.
"Who's coming?"
"Who do you have with you, Suki?" Mother interrupted, eyes trained on her new friend. Oh how impolite! Suki grabbed Ty Lee's arm as she muttered profuse apologies. The girl squeaked and blushing, bowed reverently towards the leader of the Kyoushi Warriors.
"This is Ty Lee. Ty Lee, my mother. And this is Noriko. Noriko, Ty Lee."
"Uh... Pleasure to meet you." Ty Lee stayed for several seconds in the position before rising and smiling shyly. Suki thought that the girl was really cute. Really cute.
"Peace and beauty." Noriko murmured.
"What?" Suki had her eyes squint in bewilderment. There went Noriko and her nonsense again.
She did not respond.
Ty Lee looked uncomfortable.
"Hey, it's okay." She whispered in reassurance. Ty Lee did not seem to be consoled at all. "Noriko is just kind of weird."
But even that was an understatement.
...
.
.
The burnt husk of the hovel stood before them. Mai held back a gasp. What came out was a soundless gape that she quickly willed away to scrutinize Azula's reaction. She seemed as taken aback as she was. The Princess' body went rigid.
Before the overly emotional demon could do something that would condemn them both, Mai commented. "I hope this means that you got ahead of me for some reason and started Project Burning London to the ground."
"And bring you here to gloat? That would have been fun." Azula walked closer to the charred remains of the once poor excuse for an abode. She visibly winced at every step. She sniffed in the air. "Except that i am as baffled as you are."
"It's not a mystery." Mai responded, crossing her arms. "It's pretty clear to me what happened. She knew we were coming and she made a run for it. You really must be mother and daughter."
Azula did not like that comment. There was a dangerous edge in her glare. Mai stayed unperturbed. "I thought she did not recognize you?" she demanded.
"Oh well, I'm sorry but how would I know?" She dismissed with a wave of the hand. "Can't you track her down?"
"I don't think it's worth the effort."
Mai sighed. She knew what that meant. Ursa must have covered her tracks well enough that Azula would rather not try than risk failing. That's Azula to you.
"Let's just go get Ty Lee."
...
.
.
"Peace and Beauty." Noriko was openly glaring at her now.
Ty Lee. From an old Fire Nation dialect that Azula says only a handful know about. Even in her several calligraphy classes over the years, Ty Lee has not encountered the dialect where her name came from.
And yet this woman knew instantly what her name meant.
"Yeah." Ty Lee awkwardly said, her forehead creased.
"Huh?" Suki was as confused as ever.
"You should run away." Noriko was addressing Ty Lee and for a second, Suki was surprised that the woman could speak beyond the incoherence that she was attributed with, "Run away while you still can."
"Run away?" Suki echoed. Ty Lee seemed too stunned to respond.
"They're coming." Was all she said. Then Noriko walked away.
,,,,
,
"About June." Mai began. They were in the marketplace, humans going back and forth. Everything was a blur of activity. It would have been quite familiar if everything else were not so pungent. "Did you find anything more about what happened to her?"
"Hm." Azula's ramrod back was turned towards Mai. She just shrugged. "That one is really strange, hm?"
"We usually do not leave the humans alive." The bodyguard noted in agreement. In daylight, human beings did not seem too tasty. Brown-faced, overworked creatures. But then, they were in an unsavoury part of town. Azula said there were better-dressed ones somewhere west, where she got assaulted.
"Well, you are right about that."
"You mentioned that June looked like a demon..."
"At our worst." Azula confirmed, gracefully stepping away from pitiably crawling one-legged man. Deplorable. Mai's face crumpled. "I have had the sages look it over because surely June may not be the first one. You remember the demon who fell in love with a human?"
"I remember. Not the names. It is a horrible legend." It was a banned tale too for it spoke of the omnipotent power of spirits and the Avatar. The myth itself did not live to its hype. And here Mai thought that anything they were not allowed to read would be interesting.
"Well, apparently it is based on a true story, as clichéd as it sounds." Azula turned right. Mai followed. "But instead of the Lion Turtle turning the human into a demon too so they can live happily ever after, the guy bit her."
"Oh..." Mai was beginning to understand. Though she was not aware that the mythology they were taught in Literature classes was actually history. "There is a way to turn humans into demons?"
"No. They don't become demons. Far from it."
"Hm?"
There was a flash of mirth in Azula's eyes that made Mai's heart involuntarily beat faster. "They don't drink blood. They eat human flesh." She clarified, smiling. "We make monsters."
...
Suki's grip was so hard Ty Lee was sure her circulation would be cut off. Mai was her usual impassive self. And Azula... Azula looked interested.
Suki had insisted to take her to where she and her "guardians" were supposed to meet up. They would be waiting for her, she told the much too energetic hunter. And they are probably very worried too, she had added for good measure. Just in case Suki knew the pouty lip of doom (as Azula called it) and use it against her. Talk about a taste of your own medicine. But Suki just begged for her to act like a nice friend and let her be escorted. The game plan was to ditch her somewhere and make a run towards Stonehenge. Imagine her surprise when she saw Azula and Mai with rounded ears and peasant clothes, walking towards the direction of the headquarters, as Suki grandly dubbed that grassy clearing.
"Is this your new friend Ty Lee?" The look in Azula's eyes made Ty Lee uneasy. She was smirking, tongue peeking out between the gap of her puckered lips. Her fingers fidgeted sensually and she leaned closer towards the two shorter humans. Distantly, Ty Lee thought of June and her palace visits. She did not know why.
She would learn much later that the word for it was predatory.
Suki's grip tightened.
"Yes." Ty Lee finally managed, giving her best grin. "Her name is Suki. This is..."
"You can call me Asami." It did not sound like an interruption, just a charming takeover done by a good conversationalist. Azula looked gracious, accommodating, every bit of the people person she kept saying she was. But Suki was clearly uncomfortable. Ty Lee was starting to be too, for some reason. "And my rather taciturn companion here is called Ai."
"Ha-ha. Asami." Mai crossed her arms.
"I am Japanese too." Suki seemed glad about the common ground and her eyes were wide with unconcealed wonder. Ty Lee sighed in relief. "Ai. That's a nice name, just like mine. It means 'love' too."
"Mine stands for 'sorrow'." Mai cut in and Suki visibly deflated.
Ty Lee giggled.
Humans and demons could get along too after all!
Maybe they could visit Suki from time to time too, she thought. They just have to avoid the ghouls and keep up whatever makeup Azula and Mai are using to wear those human ears.
"I must apologize for my friend's behaviour." Azula purred, running elegant, dainty human fingers in her side bangs. "And I must thank you for taking care of Ty Lee. We have been rather busy and you know how little kids are these days."
"You're a kid too." It was almost accusing. Suki was frowning.
"And Ty Lee is a baby." Azula countered easily, rolling her eyes.
"What are you guys to her anyway?" Suki questioned, looking between Ty Lee and the two older girls who were too well-dressed for an East End alley. They looked out-of-place in this vagrant surrounds. Ty Lee felt out of place. "Whatever it is too, you might want to know that Ty Lee almost ran into trouble."
Asami glanced at Ty Lee, golden eyes curious.
"I'm okay." The eleven-year old squeaked, raising both palms. "I'm okay. I promise."
"We're cousins." Azula said in response, cocking her head sideways. "I am responsible for her."
"Are you hunters too?"
Uh-oh. There was a heat emanating around her that made Ty Lee certain that Azula's intent glare was aiming to vaporize her.
"Why do you say that?" One eye was trained on Ty Lee.
"Because I am a hunter too. And Ty Lee said her mother was too!"
"You are not supposed to tell anyone that." The tone was appropriately reprimanding, remonstrant. Azula had her eyebrows raised, one eye on Ty Lee.
"Sorry."
"No. It's not her fault! Please don't scold her! She was attacked by a ghoul and we saved her. It's okay, right? We can trade secrets because we have the same goals anyway."
"A ghoul?" Mai looked perplexed.
"We have him in custody." Suki affirmed, nodding stiffly.
Azula was thinking. She looks alert. "You are a hunter?"
"Yeah." The girl puffed her chest in pride. "I am a member of Kyoushi Warriors—"
Suki did not get to finish her sentence.
But Azula continued her own with Suki's crumpled, unconscious form in her arms. "Now, what in Agni's name is a ghoul?"
(TBC)
Rumpelstiltskin reference, Japanese namealogy and major plot move. Hope you like it. Because my favourite prisoner...
Thanks for the reviews. You guys are all very kind.
