prompt: roleplay

notes: the prompt kind of gives this one away. I clearly know nothing about azula's armor, how it's put together, or what the respective pieces are called. run awaaaaay =====\o/

is it sad that if she were any other stereotypical girl whose significant other is going off to war (and trying not to think about how said significant other is at a critical disadvantage), ty lee would be putting on her girlfriend's t-shirt and listening to trey songz' "your side of the bed" on repeat as she cries herself to sleep? loving azula makes things so much more complicated.

if you *really* want to know what ty lee is feeling like, go watch the music video (for the subject matter, and to get in the mood) and then listen to the song as she dresses herself. if you don't end up half as distraught as she is, you lack a heart. so essentially you're azula, and that's actually pretty cool.

with your shield or on it

...

Azula always put her boots on first.

They were incredible pieces of workmanship, though probably one of the most overlooked parts of her uniform. The Princess appreciated good boots, though - she'd spoken with enough soldiers to hear how their boots could mean the difference between a victory and a loss. They protected against the elements, fought off nature's stones and thorns, shielded foot wounds from exposure and thus infection. Properly broken in, they would not bruise or blister. A good soldier understood the value of their boots, made sure they were well-crafted, and cared for them as a couple might dote on their firstborn child.

It was only a logical assumption that the Crown Princess of the Fire Nation would tolerate nothing less than complete excellence - to include her footwear.

The greaves come next. Shin armor fastened around toned calves, in order to defend her lower legs. A strike to the head or heart might kill, but she was at a significant disadvantage if her legs were cut out beneath her. It wasn't to say that losing her footing would mean automatic death; the Princess was far too good for that. However, she was willing to put up with the burden of additional weight for the tactical advantage of ensuring her lower legs remained unharmed - after all, not having one's knees available during battle was quite the inconvenience.

Then come the faulds, the skirt-like piece that circled her waist and rested over her upper thighs. They were solid pieces of armor, surprisingly lighter than they appeared. The individual who had crafted this piece had known his subject well - it was not attached as one solid piece but instead split, to allow freedom of movement. It was durable, to afford adequate protection against both physical and elemental blows. And it was strikingly simple but regal at the same time - no design or ornamentation save the gold trim on obsidian-black plate.

The cuirass is after that; for a breastplate, it's surprisingly overshadowed by the next piece of armor to come. It comes down over the top of her head and has two smaller pieces that afford protection to her chest and upper ribs. The piece wraps around in the back - the Princess has organs back there, and a spine, after all - and it is secured in place by her belt, which makes it appear as if her chestplate and faulds are one long extension of onyx armor. She is loath to put her fingers on it; the piece is carefully polished to a degree that it reflects light in a way that would make Sozin's Comet envious… but on it goes.

The pauldrons settle atop her shoulders - large, thick semicircles that curled over her upper arms and had larger plates atop those, overlaying her shoulders and chest. It is this piece that is the most noticeable and arguably the most imposing: the armor is all points and angles, devastatingly sharp like dragon fangs or Azula's tongue; the wideness of the plates makes her shoulders appear broader. The collar fastens together in the front, enclosing her throat and neck, and the precious arteries and veins that lie within.

Wandering fingertips slide over the outline of the Princess' crown. Her hair is not up yet but that would just require an order and a moment of nervous activity from one of the nearby servants, and then that gleaming gold jewel, symbol of the Fire Nation and all its majesty, would be-

"Good evening, Princess."

Ty lee whips around to face Azula; the Princess has just returned from her bath. There is a quizzical look on Azula's unadorned face, but sinister amusement replaces it faster than Ty Lee can rip the plate from her body. Azula walks up to her in slow, measured steps and without pause, circles around the acrobat's armored form, not stopping until she has done a full rotation and is facing Ty Lee once more.

"You forgot something," Azula says noncommittally, and Ty Lee's lungs momentarily forget how to work. She is built differently than the Princess - she is an acrobat, not a firebender. She is more muscular in some places and less so in others, and on top of that she's growing into curves that the leaner firebender lacks. The greaves are too tight around her calves, and her waist is wider - the belt pinches uncomfortably just above her hips. Azula's shoulders are just a touch thicker, but to Ty Lee the pauldrons feel almost comical on her. The acrobat bites her lip and waits miserably for the mocking to begin, and for once she can't blame Azula - she feels like an awful caricature of the Princess, a bumbling platypus-bear trying to squeeze into the splendor of a dragon's scales.

Instead of scathing words, Azula reaches for her face. Ty Lee shuts her eyes, anticipating some form of physical punishment - and the feel of lipstick pressing against her mouth is so unexpected, so kind of Azula that Ty Lee's knees nearly give beneath her. She's shaking so badly she swears she'll look even more the fool when the Princess is finished with her, but Azula manages perfectly - as usual.

"There." Azula notes when she's finished, and her lips twist into an unusual smile that could almost be called gentle on a less severe girl.

"Don't go," Ty Lee whispers in response, and is too terrified to look away from Azula's intense gaze.

"Why are you troubled?" The Princess finally turns her back on Ty Lee, and thank Agni for that because Ty Lee can finally inhale once more. There is a note of vague annoyance in Azula's voice when she resumes speaking. "The eclipse will hinder me, but it will take more than a passing shadow to defeat me. Our plans have been meticulously thought-out. You and Mai taught me well. What is there to fear?"

"I fear that you don't fear enough." Ty Lee manages, somehow able to find her voice beneath all the uncertainty and Azula's armor. It is true: the Princess is wound tight with an eager energy, practically sparking with it; she's had to consciously keep herself from generating electricity in anticipation of the coming assault. The Princess is always calculating, ever the tactician, but for the first and only time she can remember, Ty Lee fears that Azula has not taken the risks into the consideration they deserve. "I could stay-"

"Everyone is to evacuate. Including yourself." Mai has long since departed, having left the Princess with a few of her knives and, in a rare occurrence, verbally gave Azula her well-wishes. Ty Lee has lingered, trying to stay inconspicuous as plans were gone over, altered, gone over again, dismissed, reinstated, and finally agreed upon. Even her own family has departed, tired of waiting for their straggling daughter.

Ty Lee knows she shouldn't argue anymore. She knows Azula needs to prepare for battle tomorrow; she needs food, and rest. She risks trying the Princess' temper should she continue to insist upon remaining; she is fully aware that she might attract Lord Ozai's unfavorable attention should she overstay her welcome - which she is flirting dangerously with, especially as the afternoon grows shorter.

"Ty Lee." Azula tosses her head at the door. As expected, both her eyes and her words are sharp, made so by the acrobat's impertinence. "Take my armor off and go."

Silently, sullenly, Ty Lee does so. She keeps her eyes on the floor as she undresses and takes her time replacing everything on the armor stand. She does not know if Azula is watching her and though she cannot say if it is despair or spite, she cannot find it in herself to care.

Ty Lee has almost reached the door, when- "And why, exactly, were you dressed in my armor?"

The acrobat knows that if she replies truthfully, it would take a power beyond what the Avatar was capable of bending to make her leave. So she decides to remain quiet, and surely she will infuriate the Princess further for she is pushing the door open, leaving without granting Azula a response-

Suddenly, there is a hand sneaking under her arm and snaking up over her chest; a palm comes to rest flat against her heart. Azula is behind her, so close that Ty Lee can feel the bright thunder of her blood, the burn of the Princess' wolfsgold eyes against the back of her neck. They have been close before - closer than this, even. They have gone back-to-back in schoolyard brawls and while fighting the Avatar and his allies. They have huddled together in the wilds while it rained, nostrils full of the scent of forest and ozone and sweat. They have placed hands on each other to help heal injuries, quickly treating bloody wounds from both man and nature before they could scar over; leaving only a temporary, blunt pain as testament to their travels.

But they have never been as close to each other as they are now.

Azula's fingertips curl inward just the tiniest bit so that Ty Lee can feel them against her skin, grabbing at her heart. "You're afraid." Azula comments, her voice unusually low. Ty Lee feels as if Azula is drawing her most personal, private thoughts out with the connection of that one hand against her chest, just as easily as the Princess summons flame. The acrobat is flushed, humiliated, but Azula keeps on: "You think that boy and his allies will best me because I lack my firebending. You think, in that most secret corner of your mind that even you are sometimes afraid of, that they might win."

Ty Lee wonders if Azula can feel her heart stop.

The Princess makes a noise that almost sounds like a chuckle, and her breath tickles the soft hairs on the nape of Ty Lee's neck.

"I have a far more compelling reason than they do to return victorious. I have-"

...

That night, when Ty Lee reunites with her family, they all notice something different about her:

Her father notices that her eyes are bright, almost too-bright, as if she were intoxicated - but her breath does not stink of cactus juice, nor any other spirit the Fire Nation offers.

Her mother notices that instead of staying up and chatting happily, as she would normally do, Ty Lee promptly retires to bed. Her family sees neither hair nor toe of her until the next day.

Her sisters notice the lipstick on her face, something highly unusual - they all wear makeup and thus she has scorned it, reveling in her individuality… at least until now. The application of the lipstick is perfect, highlighting the generous curves of her lips without overcompensating and making her seem like she should be back at the circus. They know she can't have put it on, but the real question is… why hasn't she removed it?

But it is only her youngest sister that notices the lipstick isn't perfect - there's the tiniest smudge at the right corner, as if someone else's lips had just barely brushed over that spot before pulling away. She goes to question her older sister, but Ty Lee's family is nobility and their temporary living facility is well-constructed. The doors are solid and the locks are sure, and Ty Lee's sister leaves disappointed.

Ty Lee is curled up in bed. Momentarily, she will sleep; when she does, nightmares will not plague her. She will not worry, restless, into the early hours of the next morning.

She stretches her hand out, as if to touch the phantom form of someone who is in bed beside her. And in her mind, she repeats Azula's last words to her, more than a promise and falling just short of an admission:

... I have someone waiting for me.