Author's Note: The slacker returns to the plate. I keep apologizing for my issues, but, hey, life is hectic.
To the story. No need to hold it off any longer. It's simple, of course. Boring too. But I'm rusty, quite rusty.
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014: Betrayal
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The sound of the screaming hinges is terrible in Azula's ears, but, at last, she thinks, the Avatar has arrived. She has been sitting here since early morning, tapping impatient fingers across the arms of her throne chair and contemplating her methods. The door to the bunker itself slams past her; she gives it a nonchalant look before meeting eyes with the Avatar and his two allies. She remembers the both of them.
Standing, the tired princess crosses her arms, waiting for her enemies to comment on her presence. They say nothing, too dumbfounded by their own failures.
But it is not their fault, she realizes.
"War Minister Qin led you here, didn't he?" she asks, sternly frowning.
Angered now, the Water Tribesman steps forward. He points his black, specialty sword directly at Azula's forehead, and replies bitterly, "He must have. Tell us where the Firelord is. Now. We don't have any time to waste here with you."
Greeting his eyes with her own, Azula steps from her pedestal in a slow fashion. She reads his face. His expression is firm and demanding. His blue eyes are almost lovely, despite the irritation lingering within them.
"His quarters aren't too far from where we stand."
"We need a better answer than that," states the Avatar's other companion, the blind earthbender.
Eyes lowering, Azula responds, "It's just past this bunker." She turns and points. "That way. There's a stairway to the left of the path."
The Avatar, who has been silent, pulls back his glider, which was guarding his front. He leaves his defensive position, and sends a sympathetic look Azula's way. She reads it, instantly recognizing what he is about to ask her.
"Why are you helping us?"
"Is it wrong for me to help you?" she retorts suddenly, but her expression doesn't stiffen.
"This better not be a trap, Azula," the Water Tribe warrior growls.
"It isn't."
"Sokka," the Avatar asks, "how much time do we have before the eclipse ends?"
The one called Sokka pulls out some sort of device. Azula has seen such a thing before. The mechanist handling this invasion of theirs was once a provider of weapons for the Fire Nation.
"Five minutes at the very most," says Sokka, placing the device back into his pocket.
"My father is well-guarded. However, his guards are just as defenseless as he is. Any window of time is better than none."
"Sokka," the Avatar says again, "should we trust her? She's our only lead to the Firelord."
"I can tell you that she's not lying," the blind one affirms.
Azula nods and heads toward the exit. She faces her enemies, beckoning them to follow her. "Hurry," she warns, "your five minutes are almost up."
"Follow her then," Sokka mutters, huddling with his team, "but be prepared for anything. Toph, are you sure she's being honest?"
Toph looks the princess' way, her expression revealing nothing. She then bites her lip, and sighs, lowering her head again. "I never felt her heart rate accelerate. It's best that we follow her and do as she says. We need all the help we can get."
"You're right," answers Sokka. At once, the three of them disband. The princess waves her hand, beckoning them to follow. Obediently, she notices, they do.
In silence, the group reaches the stairway. The path below it is straight and it is easy to see that there is a door off to the left, just as Azula had promised.
"Go on ahead. It would be best for me to stay behind," she informs mirthlessly, crossing her arms. "I can't be of any assistance to you anyway."
With that, the Avatar steps down, never looking back at the princess. She eyes him stoically, but understands that he is focused on the task ahead. Swiftly, the blind girl trails him. Sokka, however, stays planted at the top of the steps, standing firmly next to Azula.
"Why did you help us?" he asks. It's the simplest question.
"I was… tired," Azula admits with a sigh, her face saddening as her tension mounts.
"Of what?"
"Of what he demands of me." She teases a strand of hair, coiling it around her long index finger. But as soon as she does, she flings it back.
Confused, Sokka urges her on. "What does he do to you?"
"Terrible things."
It is not long before the Water Tribe warrior grows testy with her. "If you're trying to gain my sympathy, you have –"
"What I speak is the truth."
"Then be more specific. You're wasting my time. Aang and Toph are in there alone, without me."
"And why do you think they need you? My dad's defeat is in the Avatar's hands. His and no one else's."
And with that, Sokka eases his anxiety, and grins shyly. "Perhaps you should take lesson from what you yourself have done."
"What do you mean by that?"
"We never would have found the Firelord without your help."
Shaking her head, Azula replies, "Your earthbending ally would have eventually led you to him."
"But not in time to defeat him before the eclipse's end."
"I suppose… but you should hurry on. I'll keep watch from out here, in case the war minister has followed us. His duty to Father was to divert you, and keep watch on me. It's only a matter of time before he discovers my treachery."
"All right." Sokka descends, his palm to the wall. Reaching the bottom, he extracts his sword, and turns in Azula's direction. He sends an appreciative nod her way, and is gone before she has a chance to react.