A/N:Yep. Hiatus. How about that. And I'm sorry to inform you that I'm updating this story more in hopes for reviews than any real drive to finish it at the moment. Don't get me wrong, it's annoying me just how long this has gone unfinished, but this is a work from a different stage of my development as a writer. I almost cringe at the thought of going back to read previous chapters and don't know how I managed to get readers with them (other than the fact that you all are wonderful, forgiving people utterly lenient to a struggling author). No promises on where or when this is going, but by Dickens I want it finished.

"So, Princess Azula," Tinh said, pacing back and forth with his eyes on the dethroned royal. "If I were going to consider allying myself with you, what would be in it for me? I already have rank and respect. I already have wealth. In mere months I could increase my holdings through prestigious marriage into any nation, with diplomatic perks. Why should I help you—a dethroned, disgraced, doomed, and nearly harmless royal daughter whose days are numbered?"

Tinh had no explanation for the boldness he felt himself overtaken by. Perhaps, he reasoned, it was Zuko's continued disrespect and Azula's offer, perhaps it was his relative position over the haughty young woman, or perhaps it was the ink fumes and lack of sun. Or it could be the way her eyes flashed was hypnotizing him in the way he'd come to believe she'd hypnotized so many others.

"I don't know exactly what your death wish is, yet a multitude of ways to satisfy it present themselves for my consideration," Azula replied simply as pairs or rough, hot hands grabbed Tinh and mercilessly ground him against the bars of Azula's cell. "Nobleman Tinh, where in that shade-addled brain of yours did it seem like a prudent idea to speak to me in such a manner?" the tiger-like woman asked as she paced. "I'm aware that Zuko is most inattentive to detail, though working you in such a manner as to produce this form of insanity is certainly more than my brother's neglect. Open the cell and bring him in," she ordered the waiting guard.

The anonymous guard's keys clinked a heartless tone as they opened the door—quiet, simple noise mirthless and purposeful. It had much the same spirit of the noise as his body was dropped in front of a tigress's feet.

"Now, let's think clearly, Tinh," she began. "If you refuse me, this guard will say you were conspiring with me. He's reputable, and he's even telling the truth. Zuko knows I have followers and with the kind of evidence implicating you in the most undeniable ways I will have my people place before him, he will have no choice but to deal with you. Zuzu doesn't like being manipulated, but he is so easy to drive, and as Fire Lord he will be trapped in the decision to deal with you." The woman sighed, uncrossing her arms to stroke her chin. "Do you know what that means, Nobleman? That means you will be imprisoned by my kind brother, so scared of drawing blood. It's hard to believe I got all the backbone in the family, but it seems so… And when you are in prison, Nobleman Tinh, you are my plaything. You will be beaten, you will be burned, you will be mistreated in ways not to be spoken of in my presence, and you will suffer the greatest disgrace I can bear to have you suffer for your traitorous acts. Then I will give you time to heal, form your scars, and then I will grant you your final request of death in the sting of salt waters as you are slowly, agonizingly eaten alive by shark-adders. Do you doubt what I say, Nobleman?"

"No," he gasped. "Feeling awfully blunt today, are we?" Tinh again saw Azula's eyes flash—a signal for the guard perhaps? His conclusions were drawn short by a kick to his ribcage that couldn't have broken fewer than five ribs.

"Careful now—we don't want a lung punctured. Remember—no visible bruising and we already need to treat the burn scars." Tinh's eyes snapped to Azula in what he was sure had to be a look of pure fear. Her apparent amusement at the gesture made Tinh's skin crawl. "All in good time, Nobleman. We're not done yet." Azula backed up and settled in her moth-eaten cot as regally as though it were a gold-leaf throne. "You see, Nobleman, you made one cardinal mistake in dealing with me. My offer—like so many similar to it—was merely a formality. I do not forbid people from declining most times—usually I simply impress upon them the fact that my intentions are more profitable. Yet with present conditions as they are, I'd rather not wait for you to see my path is the only one. You see, Nobleman Tinh, you mistakenly entered this meeting with the thought that you had some choice in the matter as to whether or not you will serve me."

Azula again stood, and beckoned to someone outside of Tinh's vision with her hand.

"My father was brilliant, and I've often seen the usefulness of falling back on his wisdom. You see, Nobleman, you were most disrespectful to me at the beginning of our little meeting. As the great Fire Lord Ozai said to Zuzu on one of the worst days of my brother's life, 'You will learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher.' Open his shirt and hold him down," Azula said, directing her attention to two servant women and the guards.

As he was pushed to the floor, Tinh began to fight, thrashing wildly, making some feeble attempt to firebend at the people holding him to the ground. He felt his shirt rip and the hands of those holding him grew warmer and warmer, almost to burning. Still he fought, receiving more bruises and burns. He refused to believe he was helpless, still fighting even as he felt Azula's short, hard nails on his throat.

"Now now, Tinh—I've just had some trouble in the past with people not recognizing the fact of what's and who's mine is mine. All I'm going to do is make sure you never forget that fact. And don't thrash, Nobleman. My calligraphy will only hurt more if you do."

Tinh felt several tears leak from his eyes as a crone began to rub a soft, wet cloth over his chest and a blue flame burst from Azula's fingertips. She goaded it more, and the blue turned brighter and brighter, borderline white.

"Feel free to scream," she advised in a friendly manner, bringing her gruesome brush to its field.

"Uncle, I think I'm becoming paranoid," Zuko said to his chief adviser over tea. "It feels like everywhere I turn, there's always something more I have to be concerned about."

The wizened general looked into his tea for a moment before answering. "In your situation, that is something of a common thing to feel. It is how you deal with that feeling that matters."

"I feel like I should be bringing Mai home since I haven't heard from her or the Kyoshi warriors in over a week. No newly sketched maps, no requests, not even a simple status report on how long she thinks it will take to get to the rendezvous with Sokka and Toph. I feel like I should have Tinh put under twenty-four hour watch for no apparent reason other than he seems to have some underlying disdain for me for no apparent reason. I feel like accusing him of treason each time he asks about talking to Azula about her followers—which will obviously get him nowhere. I want to tell the nobles to go jump in a river because their daughters are some combination of incompetent, station grubbing, not unique by any stretch of the imagination, would do better for the Fire Nation by marrying foreigners, and hold no interest for me. I feel like handing this job over to someone else because I feel like I should be somewhere else. I should be with Mai, helping to atone for my family's past."

"And what do you plan to do about these feelings?" Iroh asked.

"Ignore them, stifle them, delay them, consider a few, and wait the rest out."

"Is that really the best option?" Iroh asked. "Is it so damaging to take perhaps six months for atonement of past wrongs? It would take you away from the noblemen's daughters. Or perhaps if they are so keen on being by your side, offer for them to come with you, helping rebuild in the Earth Kingdom."

Zuko laughed involuntarily. "Who besides Mai would spend six months in the Earth Kingdom trying to fix things my family did wrong—"

"—in order to become your wife?" Iroh finished for him. "Almost no one." He smiled secretively.

"I have paperwork to do," Zuko said, excusing himself.

I absolutely despise traveling by Shirshu. I've always preferred land travel to water—too much movement all the time on water. At least on land travel, the movement stopped when you were sleeping. Mother always said I was merely over-sensitive. But even in high storms, I've never felt as sick on a ship as I have on the back of that retched beast. It makes no difference whether my eyes are open or closed. This woman guiding it—June—claims to have never met someone so susceptible to motion sickness on a Shirshu's back. Neko has advised me what to eat, how to sit, how to lean while I'm on that animal. Nothing helps.

I despise the creature. Even though it's blind, it watches me as I write. I loathe it with such a great intensity. Neko has taken note of my mood towards it and has convinced herself that my dark mood is some after-after-effect of the poisoning. If Ty Lee were here she'd be critiquing my aura (probably say something about it being jet black or something like that).

A sensible way to travel is on mongoose dragon. Certainly they've only speed in short bursts, but that would have to be better than this. I don't care how much stamina the thing has—anything from the Fire Nation would be better.

I've been missing the Fire Nation lately. We've sent another hawk to Zuko, but I'm afraid that most of them may be intercepted. Ty Lee hasn't sent any more messages, though she's traveling to the coast to meet us and we don't know the routes the other party is taking.

Strangely enough, in spite of the difficulty I have had with sleeping, dreaming is no problem. Almost every night I dream of Zuko. I thought I'd stopped feeling for him. These dreams seem to complicate that way of thinking. I think I miss him… I miss his voice and his face, even if he is so distant even when we're in the same room now.

I must keep in mind to burn this diary the moment I'm back in the Fire Nation.

Mai closed the diary Tinh had given her and locked it. She looked up to see Neko giving her a smile. She rolled over and closed her eyes, hoping sleep would be soon in coming.

Sleep, and dreams, never came soon enough now.

A/N: There. It's shorter than most, but at least it focuses on the cardinal 3 canon characters. I'm not sure if this means I'm off hiatus, and I'll stop promising I'll try to get the next chapter up soon (I don't like lying to you, so I won't make myself a liar).

In Christ,

ZN (and that's a change since last time…)