Author's Note: Well, well, well...I finally managed to do it, lol! Not gonna lie everyone, it was a struggle to get this chapter started, but once I finally did, the ball got rolling. Also, I just have to say that I would've lost my muse for this story ages ago if it wasn't for you guys. Your reviews, and more importantly, your support are the reasons why I haven't given up on this. Words cannot describe how grateful I am to have such a wonderful, patient, and generous audience. So again, thank you. So much. *hugs*
On a slightly (slightly) less sappy note, I did indeed feel bad for taking so long to get up the next chapter, so I made sure this bad boy was extra long. On top of that, the chapter opens up with a somewhat steamy scene. Well, it leads up to something potentially steamy, but it's not much. Either way, I'm going to change the rating to M because adult/intimate content will be present. I can assure everyone of this. *wink*
Welp, with further ado, enjoy this chapter! :D
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender or any of its characters.
Stay gucci peeps!
"Just as I believe your idiocy has its limits, you manage to surprise me," Azula drawled tiredly while emerging from her personal bathing chambers. An elegant silk robe was tied loosely around her waist, exposing just the thinnest strip of an unblemished shoulder. She held a fresh towel in her hands, neatly folded crimson cotton.
Koda, who stood in the middle of the room literally dripping on the princess's carpet, tilted his head. A dopey grin was on his face and his gaze lingered on the slipping robe a beat long enough for Azula to notice. "Is that a compliment—mmph!" His comment was cut short by the towel hurtling straight for his face. When Koda freed himself of the fabric prison, he revealed a playful pout. "Rude!"
"Says the shameless pervert ruining my expensive carpet," Azula scoffed. As she passed him, she gestured over her should towards the vacant bath with a twirl of her wrist. "The bath is free. Make it quick." However, Koda had yet to move from his spot; he scrutinized the washroom with a comically narrowed gaze, the pout still as prominent as ever.
"Hey, how come we didn't just bathe togeth—"
"I shall not repeat myself," Azula hissed from her seat in front of the dresser.
"Spicy," Koda chuckled, though his feet proved to be wiser than his brain and he was already making a b-line straight for the bath. "It's gonna be sooo lonely in there." His dramatic antics were hard to ignore, but Azula wasn't known for being a professional at hiding her emotions for nothing. Then again, she didn't practice the reputation as much in the man's presence; a smirk pulled at her lips as she brushed the wet tangles from her hair.
Just before the door closed, the princess grumbled, "Your clinginess never ceases to amaze me."
A pause.
The door cracked open a fraction.
"You looooove it—gah!" A weak ball of cobalt smacked the wall next to Koda's head, who pouted again at his aggressive lover. "Agni, I don't care what you say! You really are trying to kill me! I'm telling Uncle Lu!"
"Give him my warmest regards," Azula countered, the amusement obvious in her tone. Koda definitely caught whiff of it, but he decided not to test his luck and vanished into the baths once more. As he washed up, Azula heaved a sigh and rolled her eyes at her own reflection; she should've known that going along with his escaped would only result in failure and embarrassment. Fine—she could admit that it seemed like an enticing idea when he first brought it up but now that she looked back on it, those damned puppy fox eyes were the only reason she had reluctantly agreed.
"Let go a little," he had said, "It'll be fun. The guards are lazy sandbags anyways."
And yes, Koda indeed had a point. The guards had been rather lax as of recently and just as Azula had toyed with the idea of fire-whipping them back to attention, Koda opted for taking advantage of the drag. He claimed it to be a romantic adventure out into the town, in his common apparel and her in her commoner disguise, the pair linked arm in arm as he showed her what made life "below" the palace so worth living.
Against the fire prodigy's sanity and logic, she had humored him. Firesticks were shared (after Koda had finished pouting about the absurd price), Armadillo Dogs and infant Raccoon Lemurs were petted and fed (well, fed only by Koda, who was somewhat concerned by Azula's refusal to come too close to the former animal), and their date was concluded with a private reprieve in the fields. Tall grass, miles of it yet to be touched and destroyed by the rapidly expanding Fire Nation, just resting on the outskirts of its borders.
It had been entirely cheesy and ions outside of Azula's comfort zone…but it wasn't terrible. Not completely unpleasant. Especially with how attentive and rapt Koda was of her every tick and invisible gesture; he knew her on such an intimate level that it burned. But she could handle it. Burning was nothing new to her senses, not with the way Ozai had…
No, that was an incorrect analogy. An insulting comparison to how Koda made her feel. A hint of loathing caked the back of her tongue and a scowl pulled at her lips. Suddenly, recollecting the recent set of events no longer rolled with a dream-like quality. Long story made short, it had started pouring down rain on them out of nowhere. The skies turned gray and suffocated by storm clouds, gentle thunder rumbled overhead, and an onslaught of the princess's most hated element washed over them.
Which led to now.
"At least a shower can excuse the wet path on my carpet," she mumbled while twirling a wet strand around her finger. "Then again, I could always exude some steam, and dry it and my hair that way—"
"I mean yeah, you could." Koda's voice was startlingly close, which prompted Azula to stiffen up. How in the name of Agni did he manage to sneak up on her? Was she truly that invested in her thoughts? Either way, the sensation of his callous fingertips dancing up her back to her shoulders, slipping into the loose collar of her robes and massaging tense muscles directed her mind elsewhere. She slowly relaxed into his touch, definitely not against the idea of being pampered, and hummed in response to her lover.
"I could…Something tells me that a 'but' is in the works."
Koda's lips pressed against her pulse point, warming the skin there. "But…what's the rush, my Beautiful Dragonfly?" Hands started roaming, sneaking a path further down and freeing her shoulders of silk. Against her accord, she shivered as air struck her skin and brought goosebumps to fruition. Regardless, her features remained indifferent and stoic, as if Koda's close proximity wasn't reducing her legs to jelly, as if her years of controlled breathing wasn't crumbling to smithereens, as if a flush wasn't running from her sharp cheekbones to the swell of her chest in a cascade of hot pink. She was the Fire Nation princess and the Fire Nation princess did not succumb to petty teasing.
"I kinda like it like this," Koda whispered while combing a hand through her hair, relishing in the slick velvet feel of it between his fingers. A soft sigh escaped Azula and before she could think, her head rolled to the side and gave him more room to work. To praise. To worship.
"Do you now," she mumbled.
"I do," he answered with bated breath, "You try so hard to be perfect," He skimmed around the edges of her chest, along the gentle ridges of her ribs, and snaked down the expanse of her abdomen. The motion left her torso exposed and her robes bundled about her waist. Azula's jaw clenched a moment as his fingertips traced an old scar—an angry streak marring her lower belly, one of several more found on her back. He nibbled her earlobe before whispering in a voice heavy with want and understanding, "That you forget how perfect you are when you stop trying…and just let go." His breath hitched. "Just let it go."
So many pleas and accusations and apologies and anger and sympathy was packed into his words. Azula would be a damnable fool to miss any of them and she didn't. Slowly, her fine nails dragged along the back of Koda's hands and up his wrists…before guiding them back up to cup her breasts. Away from the scar.
"That's what I'm doing." A gasp followed by a pleased purr.
She wasn't ready to venture down that road just yet.
-XXX-
"There, that oughtta do it." Sokka gave the rope one last tug, double-checking the knot's tightness before nodding in satisfaction. He dusted off his hands, looking quite proud of his handywork. Koda was slumped against a massive tree trunk with thick rope binding him to it; the ex-prisoner appeared to still be unconscious, his breathing hitching every now and then as his eyes flickered behind his eyelids.
The Gaang were lucky enough to escape the ordeal in Omashu, though what they had learned of the political situation there was beyond upsetting and unexpected. They had no choice but to flee without King Bumi, who had left Aang's mind rattled with his parting piece of advice: Look for the one who "waits and listens before striking". It was safe to say that the Avatar was baffled a tad frustrated, and it didn't help that he had impulsively taken Koda prisoner.
"Guys, we didn't think this through at all," Aang admonished while pacing back and forth, nearly tripping over the fire pit but saving himself with an instinctual air step at last second. He continued pacing.
"I agree," Katara sighed before cutting Sokka glare, "But if we did plan anything, I'm pretty sure knocking an innocent man unconscious wouldn't be a part of it!"
Sokka had been zoning out, too enraptured in admiring his ropework, but had caught the tail-end of his sister's complaining. He scoffed and waved off her anger dismissively. "He'll be fiiine. Besides, I only hit hard enough to keep him cooperative for a while."
Katara's glare intensified. "We could've convinced him to come, Sokka!" That earned a scoff and crossed arms from her brother, looking far from impressed.
"Sure, tell yourself that. We were talking to the same dude, right? From where I was standing, he looked ready to make a mad dash!" He puffed his chest out. "You should be thanking me! Oh, what's that? Oh, you're very welcome, little sis. No, really. I was just doing my job—"
"Sokka…" Katara sighed in exasperation while pinching the bridge of her nose. She could feel a migraine peeking over the horizon. First the Fire Nation baby and now Princess Azula's lover. Perfect. Really. They were on a roll.
"Well we can't keep him tied up forever," Aang said. Coming to a decision, he marched over to Koda's limp form and formed a swirling ball of air in his hand. He knelt down and merged it into the knot Sokka spent thirty minutes agonizing over and with a twist of his wrist, the bindings came undone. They flopped to the ground with a heavy thud.
"Hey! I worked hard on that!" An actual vein pulsated on the watertribe teen's head. Honestly, he felt as if no one appreciated his efforts and craftsmanship these days! He gave in with both arms thrown up, spinning around to stomp off and sulk somewhere. "Fine! I see my awesome talents aren't needed around here!"
Katara rolled her eyes before fishing out a rod of Fire Nation street food, one of several snacks she had snagged while in Omashu. "Sokka, just suck on your pacifier and calm down."
Sokka's expression darkened. "You tryna call me a baby?"
"I'm calling you constantly hungry," his sister countered.
A beat.
"…Fair." He snagged the offered snack and plopped down next to her, nibbling on it with a resigned expression. Aang smiled gratefully at Katara before gently shifting Koda's body to lay him down on his back; he had to admit, the man was quite heavy. Of course, he wasn't surprised. Just one glance at his muscular stature was slightly off-putting, but it still didn't prepare the boy for the weight he hefted around. Luckily, he didn't have to struggle for too long and Koda slept peacefully near the fire. Aang relocated himself closer to the others, huffing in exhaustion while rubbing the blue arrow on his cranium. It was a tick, one that didn't plan on leaving his muscle memory anytime soon. Not with the stress dominating every hour of his life.
"Great, now that he's completely free and able to escape at any second," Sokka mumbled with a mouthful of food, "What're we gonna do when he wakes up?" Like a well-oiled machine, he extracted his trusty boomerang, eyes glimmering. "Should I get ready to knock him out again—"
"NO!" Aang and Katara interjected. Sokka put his weapon away and went back to pouting.
"All we're going to do…is talk to him," Aang said. There was some hesitance in his voice; he knew that Sokka partially had a point, but they couldn't afford to strike the poor man in the head so much. Plus, he was as innocent as anyone else. Love said he was important and integral to the survival of Love in the world, though the Avatar was still failing to wrap his head around the notion. Either way, he wouldn't doubt the mighty spirit. He had faith. "If Love vouched so strongly for him, then I'm sure he's perfectly reasonable, level-headed, and easy to talk to—"
Before the Gaang could blink, Koda jolted up and started bolting away from the campsite. "HELLLLLP!" His scream echoed throughout the clearing as he ran for his life.
"HEY! DANGIT IT I KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN!" Sokka cursed while scrambling onto his feet, boomerang already in hand and thirsty to knock some heads. He set off in the same direction as Koda, disappearing into the thick foliage.
"…"
"…"
Katara patted Aang's shoulder. "Just a minor setback, Aang. He'll come around and listen to us." Although a grateful smile pulled at his lips, he couldn't fight the doubt infecting his lungs. He should've known it'd be harder than he hoped. He stood up with Katara, heaving a sigh.
"Well, let's catch up before he gets too far." With a nod from the waterbender, the pair also set off in pursuit of Koda.
-XXX-
"Oh Agni, oh Agni, oh might merciful Agni where the hell am I?!" Koda could barely make out a few feet ahead of him, the conglomerate of branches and leaves and plants conquering his surroundings. It made his claustrophobia spike and wounded a clamp around his diaphragm, twisting and twining and squeezing until oxygen was blocked from entering his system. His breathing was heavy and intermingled with the heartbeat pounding in his ears.
He had to get out of here and away from these nutjobs.
He had no idea what they wanted from him, but he clearly recalled the battled that ensued between them and Azula. They were violent, dangerous and—worst of all—benders far more powerful than him. He was out-muscled and outnumbered. The fact that he had no idea where he was going made his situation twenty times worse; however, he couldn't afford to worry about navigation at the moment. Escaping was top priority. He needed to be by Azula's side—
"How in the heck are you that big and run so freaking fast?!" An angry voice travelled from behind, startling Koda. It sounded close, far too close for comfort. Gritting his teeth, the ex-prisoner forced his legs to pump faster, to hurdle arching roots and duck overhanging branches more efficiently, to zig zag and take as my turns as possible. He refused to be caught.
The trees parted to reveal a river up ahead. Koda cursed under his breath, screeching to a halt just as he came to the edge of rushing currents. Panting, his head swiveled around frantically for which direction to sprint down. Time wasn't on his side. Sending up a quick prayer to Agni, Koda back-peddled a few steps and shot off into a dead run. The gap from one side of the river to the other was wide, but not impossible to clear. If he could project this leap just right, he could make it, surely. Just as he reached the edge, Koda kicked off his hind foot and jumped…
He was going to make it!
Just as his heel touched land, the bed of rocks underneath caved under his weight and crumbled. Koda only had a chance to gasp before he was swept asunder into frigid chaos. The rapids hurled him downstream, tossing and banging his body around like an abused ragdoll. The burns beneath his bandages ached and bled, sores reopening to the harsh elements of nature. Everything hurt. No part of him was showed mercy and had no hope of breaking surface anytime soon. His lungs burned, begged and groveled for air. I…I-I can't hold on much longer! Defeated, his lips parted, gurgling as water rushed down his throat. His consciousness grew foggy and dark, the warmth fleeing through his limbs at alarming rates. A bolt of agonizing rippled up his spine and the back of his skull, enduring another collision into the riverbed.
This was it. This was how he died—on the run and flailing to get back to the love his life.
Just as his world was reduced to a slither of light, he felt the liquid prison around her shift and propelled his body upward. His front met forest grounds with a wet smack. Blurred blobs towered over him, their voices muffled and impossible to comprehend. Koda couldn't focus. He still felt the liquid demon sloshing about in his chest—
Then he gagged.
A blob of water slithered from his lips, twisting and writhing in mid-air like witchcraft before funneling through the tip of some gourd. A fraction of the fuzziness lifted, though he could care less as an awful burning blistered within his lungs. He rolled onto his side and heaved a series of coughs, sputtering little remnants of water from his mouth.
"Are you alright?" Koda recognized a feminine voice above him. It wasn't Azula. Of course it wasn't; he was being hopeful, desperately so, and she sounded nothing like her beloved Dragonfly. Shaking the cobwebs from his head, the man risked a glance up at the girl.
Her face was unfamiliar. One of the kidnappers for sure. Voice raspy and hoarse, Koda whispered, "Let me go…please." He flinched as a gentle hand landed upon his shoulder, but didn't fight it as Katara guided him to sit up.
"Please, just hear us out. We're not going to hurt you," she insisted. Koda realized that two more individuals stood a foot or so to the side, one with a weapon held in the offensive and the other looking as innocent and deceptive as any cunning criminal. The same group that had taken TomTom hostage stood before him and they had the audacity to claim they weren't going to hurt him.
Aang took cautious steps forward. "She's telling the truth. We're the good guys, I promise." Smiling softly, he gestured to the arrow on his head and unfurled the wings in his staff with a stiff jerk of the arm. "I'm the Avatar. I'm on a mission to bring peace to the world once again and to do that, we need your help," he said.
"Blah blah Love spirit blah blah save love in the world blabbity-blah you're involved somewhere," Sokka informed helpfully with a sigh. Stowing away his boomerang, he closed the distance between them as well and placed his hands one his lips, scanning Koda critically. The ex-prisoner stared right back, using every iota of will and memory to draw upon Azula's famous cold stubbornness. However, no matter how many times he tried, the man could never perfectly mimic such a level of masked loneliness. Sokka huffed at the look while slapping at Aang's shoulder. "You see that? He even glares like that fire witch!"
Koda's eyes hardened. Were they talking about Azula?
"Sokka!" Katara reprimanded. "Filter! Have you ever heard of one?"
"Nope." Sokka crossed his arms defiantly. "I still think we should've kept him tied up—"
Koda's head snapped up in surprise. "T-tied up?" He knew it. By Agni he knew it! The man staggered to his feet, fumbling for balance as his head swam with lingering vertigo. Katara attempted to lend him a hand, but he shook her off.
"Steady. Take it easy, you nearly drowned a second ago," the watertribe girl said, the concern clear on her tan visage. However, Koda paid the look no mind. He had to go. He needed Azula, to feel grounded and secured again. To feel relieved at the sight of her beautiful amber eyes, to listen to her strong and undying heartbeat, to assure that she was there with him through thick and thin, no matter the hurdles this harsh life chucked their way.
"D-don't follow me," he said while backing away from the Gaang. However, any plans he had to fleeing crashed and burned as pain flared up his back. His burns. The violent tossing about from earlier had finally caught up to him and it was in that moment, as he grunted and fell to one knee, that the scent of iron wafting from his clothes became apparent. A scathing pain rendered him frozen in place and the groans lodged deep in his throat. Shakes wracked his form.
"You're hurt, aren't you?" Aang called out in concern. He had noticed the bandages on Koda's head when they had first taken him, but a sneaking suspicion made him wonder if that was the only injury. Judging from the man's current condition, the answer was a resounding no.
Katara was at Koda's side again; when she spoke, steel coated her tongue. "I can heal you. I won't take no for an answer. Just give me a chance to help and we can explain ourselves." Koda's jaw clenched. He couldn't trust these people, not a single sentence of whatever lies they were spouting. And yet, even then, there was no way he could escape like this. If this girl was truly willing to heal him…
A moment passed, then he nodded, albeit reluctantly. "O…okay."
-XXX-
"So…" Aang sat before Koda, legs crossed and vision struggling to land on anything aside from Koda's. This entire situation was incredibly awkward and tense, as if a length of rope was pulled to its final thread, threatening to snap at any moment. The ex-prisoner watched him expectedly, also sitting on the forest floor with his shirt off and bandages discarded. Katara stood behind him, working diligently on the scar tissue marring his back; the watertribe girl never predicted his skin to be so terribly damaged, but she had enough consideration to refrain from asking questions.
"Um," Aang scratched the back of his head, "Oh! Right! What's your name?" he asked brightly. Koda parted his lips to answer, but Sokka had beat him to the punch.
"Rock. His name's Rock. Like Rocky 2.0." Katara's brother seemed beyond proud of the title, toothy grin and everything. He was once again back to ravishing his Fire Nation grub until they were added to a growing stack of barren sticks. Koda arched an eyebrow at the name; his sense of humor clawed at the bars and restraints, but he refused to unwind around them. The man still couldn't bring himself to fully trust these people. Not yet.
"Close," Koda started, "But it's actually Koda."
A pause.
"I don't know. Something about Rock has a nice ring to it," Sokka said.
Koda chuckled and shook his head. Okay, fine. No matter the situation, he was powerless in the face of funny commentary. It was ingrained deeply into his nature and Koda was never one to deny it.
-XXX-
"Please explain to me…" A flaming fist curled around the collar of his armor, heating up and singeing the leather until sweat poured down his body. He was yanked closer, gaining a front row view of absolute rage incarnate. "How exactly you allowed him to leave these grounds?!"
The heat blistering around him was unbearable, rapidly eating away at the oxygen surrounding his head and squeezing him in an intangible vacuum. Through sheer will power and crippling fear, the guard managed to utter, "M-my apologies, Your…Your Highness. We…were…c-careless…" Just the tiniest hint of blue started to stain his cheeks. Inhaling sharply, Azula scoffed in unbridled disgust and shoved him away.
"Tend back to your duties," she spat coldly, "You're lucky my time is limited. Any other day and your existence would've ended right where you stood." With those parting words—a promise longing to find a home—the princess spun on her heel and paced through the den area, barely batting an eye at Mai and Ty Lee. A begrudging intrigue and confused rolled off the former, while raw concern for the princess emitted from the latter.
Brow pinched nervously, the acrobat trailed behind Azula. "Don't worry, Azula. We'll find him."
Azula's mind raced, to the point of where everything outside of her body ceased to exist. Her legs ran on nothing but muscle memory, fury, and desperation. Koda, her lover, the only human being that understood and accepted her flaws for perfect imperfections, the one lifeline keeping her afloat in the pool of miasma steadily bubbling and eating away at every chamber of her heart…was gone. She had to find him. She refused to let this be reality.
"I'm sure he'll turn up eventually," Mai sighed while languidly following along. Her disinterest stood out starkly against Azula's agitation. The knife-thrower shrugged. "Until then, shouldn't we be focusing on what's important?"
"Mai! Don't be mean," Ty Lee gasped, hurt by her friend's blatant dismissal of Koda's disappearance. The acrobat had grown fond of the sex slave rather quickly; her worry wasn't as intense and horrifying at Azula's, but it was still there nagging at her peace of mind.
Mai rolled her eyes. "It's called being logical, Ty Lee. We're completely off track already. The Avatar's out there, so shouldn't we be hunting him down instead of playing hide and seek with that idi—"
Suddenly, Mai came face to face with Death.
A burning blue dagger was poised a hairsbreadth away from her jugular, the heat radiating from it leaving her throat uncomfortably warm. Mai fell as still as a statue, her stoic mask still intact as her vision locked with Azula's icy, venomous glare. Ty Lee had stood aside in shock, unable to do anything as her best friends were caught in a lethal standoff.
"Not. Another. Word." If looks could kill, guards would be scraping Mai's remains off the walls and floor. This was undoubtedly a species of fury that the aloof girl had never witnessed before, especially from Azula. She seemed feral, barely maintaining her usually indominable grip on composure.
"Looks like I struck a nerve," Mai said flatly. Azula's glare sharpened, much like the blade of her flaming dagger. Refusing to back down and demanding some answers, Mai mimicked the glare and pushed, "You're different, Azula. And it's all because of that slave of yours. What's so special about him—"
"I said to shut your mouth!" Azula snarled. Her eyes were bloodshot, though Mai couldn't fathom what emotion brought it on. They never got that way when she was angry; they became cold and enriched with a thirst for revenge. This…this was something foreign. That's it. I don't even care if I'm pushing my luck anymore, she thought. Ty Lee was about to step forward and diffuse the argument, but Mai held a hand up to halt her where she stood.
"Don't," she said. Her arm fell back to her side, the motion stealthily sliding a knife into her fingers and out of view. "You said not another word, right? Well, I'm still talking." Azula seized up, already taking note of the defiance and challenge lurking between Mai's words. The knife-wielder's voice dipped to a grave whisper. "Go head. Do it."
Deadly silence smothered the trio.
Trembling ever so slightly and eyes broiling with a rage unheard of, Azula lined the dagger along the side of Mai's face. The same side as Zuko's scar. "I could bring you so much closer to your little crush," she hissed lowly. "You and Zuzu would match."
"My pleasure," Mai said.
Ty Lee whimpered behind her hands, trying with her all might to blockade the sobs pounding against her ribs.
Another moment of eternity…
Azula's dagger extinguished. Mai's sigh of relief went unnoticed, shadowed by the massive heave Ty Lee exhaled as her form deflated. "Oh, thank Agni…" the acrobat breathed. Without a word, the princess continued down the halls, her pace fast and unrelenting as she pulled away from the pair. A foreboding darkness weighed upon her shoulders.
"Jeez, Mai! Are you crazy?" Ty Lee pulled Mai into a crushing hug, which the knife-thrower didn't have enough motivation to wiggle out of. She accepted her fate in defeat. "Why'd you make Azula angry like that? I really thought she was about to…t-to…" The bubbly girl's voice failed her, too swallowed up by the terrifying what-ifs and close calls swirling about her head.
Mai sighed and gently pried herself free of the embrace. "I was just trying to answer some questions."
Ty Lee's lips pursed in confusion. "Questions? Well…did you answer them, at least?"
Mai watched Azula's retreating form thoughtfully. "Yeah, I think I did. Come on, she's way too unstable right now. We'll need to keep her in check." With a nod from Ty Lee, the childhood friends slowly caught up with Azula and remained a safe foot or so behind her.
The walk was quiet.
-XXX-
"You're certain that is what you saw?" Azula asked.
Cabbage Man nodded rapidly, sweat beading across his forehead as the foreboding guards towered around him on all sides. Of course, Azula's presence proved to be the scariest of them all and the gloomy one standing behind her didn't help. The one in pink wasn't so intimidating, but there was certainly something dangerous about her if she was in cahoots with the Fire Nation Princess.
"I-I'm certain, Your Highness. They just came swooshing down those shoots and wham! Right into my poor cabbages, not a single care! Next thing I know, they hit some man in the back of the head and took him away!"
"And this man matches the description," Azula urged, taking a step forward. Cabbage Man cowered a bit and swallowed shallowly.
"O-of course! The bandage on his head, dark hair, red tunic and trousers, green eyes—all of it!" The princess pinned him down with a soul-breaching stare, scanning him inside out for any lies. However, when she garnered nothing but fear and anxiety, she scoffed waved the merchant off dismissively.
"Very well then. You're dismissed."
"Th-thank you, Your Highness!" With a series of broken bows, Cabbage Man clutched the remaining survivors of the massacre (three cabbage heads) and scampered off faster than a Rattle Cheetah.
Azula regarded Mai and Ty Lee with a carefully staid expression, though the memory of what transpired minutes ago had rendered the look useless. She wanted to smirk because that was what normal Azula would've done, but she couldn't bring herself to uphold the entirety of her façade. Not now. Not without her foundation here to support her.
Instead, a bitterness tinged her lips. "Good news for you, Mai. We'll be killing two birds with one stone."
Author's Note: And there it is, my lovely peeps~! Again, I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. Lemme know what you think in the reviews! Will Koda escape the Gaang? Or will he realized that they genuinely want to help him? And will Azula find Koda before she's swallowed by her own fury? Next time!
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