Teo lay on top of the drill on his stomach. He had a small lantern in front of him, and his latest invention resting over his right shoulder. He peered through the red lenses of his goggles at the group of earthbenders that came out to stop the drill.

"Teo? Take them out with your new invention. Ty Lee, Mai, make sure none of them escape." Azula ordered.

He touched a stick to the flame of his lantern to the fuse on his launcher. Once the powder inside the tube went off, it propelled one of his grenades into the air, the pin getting pulled on exit of the barrel. He watched the explosive arc through the air and land in the middle of the clump of Earth Kingdom troops. "Stupid," he muttered at them as he started reloading, shoving another packet of black powder and grenade into the tube.

After the explosion, he saw Ty Lee cartwheel into the rubble, making sure that no one survived.

Once the way was cleared, the former circus performer leapt up on top of the drill. She picked up Teo's lantern and offered her hand down to help him up. "That was fun!"

"Once we're inside the wall, I'll let you have a go at the launcher," he smiled as she helped him down the hatch and into his chair. War Minister Qin sneered at him, and he just slung the grenade launcher along the back of his chair.

A loud alarm sounded and Teo turned to look at the gauges on the side of the main panel. "We're losing pressure in section 23. We need an engineer out there."

Qin frowned down at him. "Why don't you go fix it then, Head Engineer," he drew out the title to mock him.

Azula stepped in, "Because I need him here, War Minister. I didn't bring you here for your opinions on the technology."

Teo turned his face back to the main panel. He wasn't sure why Azula was suddenly sticking up for him. Usually she was quick to ignore his presence or even deride or abuse him in front of others. And even though she'd been avoiding being alone with him since the bath on the tank train, she's been more vocal about his accomplishments. A quick glance at Ty Lee and Mai showed that they'd noticed it too. Strange.

It wasn't that he understood what had happened that day. Before Fire Lord Ozai took the throne, he and Azula hugged each other all the time. When she was lonely and couldn't sleep, she snuck through the hallways and climbed in his bed with him. They would hide underneath the blankets and tell each other stories.

But since Ozai took power, Azula had withdrawn from him. Of course he was still her companion and would do anything for her. Azula was his entire world. He loved his father, but the man had been content to keep him locked up inside the workshop. Azula had freed him. She was the one that let him see the world. And there was nothing he could do that could hope to pay that back.

Now though, she made excuses to touch him, even if half the time she just caused him pain. He was pretty sure she liked causing him pain. He looked down at the panel again, frowning when the pressure continued to build. "Where's that damn engineer!?"

"War Minister, an engineer was ambushed! His schematics were stolen!"

Qin was surprised, but Azula knew better than to think they would be unopposed.

"War Minister, a brace on the starboard side has been cut clean through! It's sabotage, sir!"

"Let's go, ladies! Teo, take charge here," Azula smirked and lead Mai and Ty Lee through the body of the drill to where the Avatar and his friends were. What Teo couldn't figure out was why they were trying to damage the structure of the drill instead of just continue to smash the pipes. Maybe the Avatar and his friends didn't know much about physics.

War Minister Qin almost exploded. "Alright men," Teo shouted, "Maximum thrust, keep the drill spinning... any more drops in pressure call them out. We need to get as far as we can before we have to stop to make repairs!"

Azula hated being dirty. Since they left the drill where it was, Lo and Li met them with the tank train to regroup. She'd been too distracted lately. She washed the mud off her arms, scrubbing until her skin turned pink. Once her skin was raw, the put on a robe and went to her room.

Failed. She never failed before she left home. And now she's failed.

Twice.

She tried to sleep. But it was far too quiet. The tank train was still. Hidden in a valley two days ride outside of Ba Sing Se. In the silence, all she could do was think. She could just hear her father's disappointment in her. And she didn't like thinking of what her father would do to her when she saw him next.

Sleep would not come, so she got up, tied her robe and padded down the corridor. The Fire Princess stopped before the small door next to the boiler room and opened it. She was greeted with darkness, but a flick of her wrist lit the lantern anchored to the wall.

Teo lay sprawled on his side, mouth open and his hair a mess. Azula knelt down beside him, but the empty glass vial on the table beside his cot. She was going to kill Mai for introducing Teo to opium. The drug was popular among nobles, and Mai had plenty of access to it, since it was cultivated in the Earth Kingdom.

"What am I to do with you?" Azula frowned as she rolled him onto his back. He didn't stir.

She pulled the thin sheet off of him and dropped it on the floor. She swept her eyes across her companion's form, checking him for injuries. He had several new bruises on his legs, and a burn along his arm.

"Aza..?"

Azula dropped his arm and golden eyes met brown. "You should've told me you were in pain."

"'m always in pain," he slurred through the drug.

She frowned and sat down beside him. "If you need a healer..."

"No. No, they just make things worse," his eyes glaze over and he's lost in a memory.

"Hey! No. How much did you drink tonight? Was that vial full?" She slapped him, pulling him back to the present.

"No, no, just finished it off. Couldn't sleep. I killed people today," he closed his eyes, but he wasn't asleep.

"Enemies. They opposed us. You did well, Teo," she smiled. She was proud of him. Of his invention.

"I killed them. I built a machine that kills them. Burns and shrapnel. If they don't die in the blast, they bleed out."

"Teo," she grabbed his hands, pulling him into a sitting position. "Teo, now our soldiers can be safe. A nonbender can safely fight an earthbender from a distance. You're saving lives."

He sighed heavily. "Then why do I feel... bad?" He looked up at her, looking lost. She'd seen this look before, on green soldiers back from their first battles.

"Because you're in pain, Teo. You push yourself too hard," she slipped further on the bed, straddling him. She ran her fingers along his bare chest.

"Aza..." he warned, his face a mask of confusion.

She ignored him and bent down, pressing her lips to his. Soft at first, then more demanding. She failed to take Ba Sing Se, but she would have one thing that she wanted. She needed to feel in control.

So she took it from Teo.

He didn't protest.