A/N: Rawaar! Thanks for all the lovely reviews. I don't say this enough but I really do appreciate it. This is for you. *wink* *wink*
Oh yeah, and I have a plan up to chapter 44 now. Which is still not the end. I know what the ends going to be though. So somehow I have to bridge what I have now to the end and then I'll be done! I expect maybe 60 or so chapters. Rough estimate.
Chapter 37
It was getting very late. Not an employee was left scuttling around like a scared little animal, rushing to put everything away so they could catch a train or get one more minute with their significant other before the sun came up again. It was just Azula who bothered to stay, sitting in the dark back room under the light of a solitary lantern and scribbling column after column of numbers.
Filing papers, looking at receipts, counting coins, archiving stockpiles of tea. Uncle had left for the apartment early yet again. It was hardly a surprise, however, she'd be hard pressed to find one night when her Uncle was stuttering off into the night early to leave his little teashop. Ty Lee thought he had some pretty young thing on the side, but Azula figured he was just lazy and didn't wanted to close up shop himself. It didn't matter so much to her either way, she enjoyed this sort of work more than anything else.
Many of the other employees at the tea house shrugged away from anything involving any sort of thought process what so ever. They were fully content with their humdrum lives blushing at the jokes of elderly men and smiling as they handed out tea with creamy white hands. Azula was precisely the opposite. This deep difference was part of the reason she didn't make contact with any of the other tea whores. She knew they were lower beings.
Iroh kept particularly bad work of his transaction forms. The old man was hardly a businessman, he'd only fallen into his own shop because of an oafish love for tea after all. Whatever he'd do without Azula to keep his papers and taxes in order for the particularly choosey government, she didn't care to find out.
Azula set down the brush she was using to pin countless sprawling numbers with a sigh. She wrapped the little utensil in a swath a lambskin and deftly covered the little tray of ink without much thought. The ink and brush to the highest shelf. The tax forms into the appropriate file. Fold up her table. Put it away properly. She moved without much thought or pretense, almost as if a daze.
The unoiled door to the back room released her into a world of sweltering darkness, a hallway with many doors. She stepped forward flooding it with a lonely light, an orange-yellow light. Her feet were the only sounds in the darkness.
Azula reached another door of rich mahogany wood to the common room. Trickles of light peaked out from underneath it onto her deep green slippers. She softly opened the door only noting the light dully. She squinted as she walked inside.
What the hell?
At first she thought it was a monster of some sort. She knew that it couldn't be possibly but still the thought jumped into her mind eliciting a flinch. A giant boxy shadow that seemed to emanate a warm dull light. It certainly wasn't a table, or an employee or anything Azula could name.
After a long moment without movement from the monstrous thing Azula took a tentative step forward holding her lantern forward to cast some light on the large shadow. Yet still she was unable to place it.
"Don't worry I won't hurt you." It grumbled in a poor imitation of a deep voice, laced with hiccups of high pitched laughter. Nevertheless it made Azula start, an act which she promptly admonished herself for.
"Ty Lee?" Azula snapped, half demanding and half curious. "What the hell is that thing?"
A flood of soft red light spewed from the beast, erupted in the form of a triangle with an identical reflection cast long across the flooring. At it's apex the dimly lit silhouette of Ty Lee appeared. Azula's own lantern cast just enough light onto her face so that she could affirm her girlish features.
"I built a fort." She giggled sweetly. It was so strange to hear her voice and not be able to see her lips moving. Strange and sensuous. "Join me."
Azula ran her eyes along the large shadow for a moment. It was a fort? How had she managed to get anything large enough into the teashop? And without anyone noticing? She was too curious at the construction of this "fort" to have the resolve to bite back and stay away from the childish thing altogether.
Working slowly, cautiously across the dark common room Azula made her way over to the dark shadow of the fort. Ty Lee had retreated back inside behind the cover of a large table cloth that completely covered the little building's structure. It was a dark rich green that only let out the slightest hint of light. Azula fumbled around to find the break in the folds.
After finally finding the entrance and worming her way inside Azula was surprised to find that Ty Lee's fort was comprised of nothing more than two large tables turned on their sides and covered with a large table cloth from one of the private rooms. All around the flooring were little cushions and pillows with a small fold out table-tray sitting silently in the middle. There was nothing on it's surface but a tray of spicy smelling food and a large candle burning low in a pitted vase of red glass.
At the opposite end Ty Lee was sitting patiently. The light from the candle lit her face a lustful red, half way between horrific and beautiful. She reached out a long arm to take Azula's lantern from her and blew it out to cast them both into the passionate red lighting. A smirk dabbled on her childish cheeks.
"I made you some dinner. Good stuff. Like they have back home." Ty Lee smiled shyly, her chin tilted downward and hands motion towards the plate in front of them. Her dark eyes stayed daringly on Azula's. "Fried rice, some marvelous cuts of meat, I even managed some genuine Fire Nation seasonings. Don't ask me how. They aren't particular about food that actually has taste around these parts."
Azula looked her over critically. It seemed like an awful lot of effort for just a little dinner. Ty Lee had to want something, that was the only logical explanation. What could she possibly want though? It seemed like she already had the ability to coerce anything she wanted out of her surroundings.
"Okay. So maybe Uncle helped me out a bit. Well a lot actually. He's a really good cook!" Ty Lee stammered on after getting no response from Azula. "But this baby." She knocked one of the solid table-walls, "All my idea. Do you like it?"
"It's a fort, Ty Lee." Azula stated simply.
"Yeah. It's a fort…" She giggled strangely into her hand like some sort of maniac, then looked back up at Azula with smiling eyes. "Eat! You're skin and bones. Like a… skeleton! I'm not letting you leave until you eat everything on this plate."
Ty Lee was behaving strangely.
"Why did you build a fort in the middle of my teashop?" Azula asked in a simple tone, completely ignoring the food in front of her.
"For you, silly!" Ty Lee smiled nervously then looked down to her fingers.
Ty Lee was such a strange person. When Azula was with her she did so many things she never thought she'd do in her life. Being in the middle of her place of employment in a fort was fairly high up on that list. Azula just couldn't understand why. Sure it was endearing and cute but…
"I just wanted to make you happy." Ty Lee looked up from her fingers to give Azula an innocent shy smile. "You make me happy all the time! I feel kinda selfish always taking gifts and living at your apartment. You… deserve to be happy."
Azula smiled at her. No one had ever said anything like that to her before. It was a little bewildering to say the least. Throughout her life she had caused so much pain she had caused so much unhappiness. Azula understood that, she didn't much care, but she understood it. How could someone as genial as Ty Lee think she deserved happiness?
With cautious eyes Azula scoped out Ty Lee's youthful face. She was just stupid is all. She was moronic and simple and kind and forgiving. Why would someone like her ever want to be with Azula? It didn't make any sense. She'd labored over this from the beginning.
There were no more ties between them, no more threats, no more obligations. If Ty Lee wanted to leave, nothing bad would befall her or her family. She gained no prestige by baby-sitting a fallen princess. She gained nothing sitting alone in a teashop day after day doing nothing but being there. Every day she would get older and uglier and closer to death. How could this be Ty Lee's happiness? How could Azula ever bring someone happiness?
She wasn't trying to please her. Not all the time any way. Sometimes Azula liked to do a little something to see Ty Lee smile that big bright smile of hers that made her chest tighten so wonderfully. Those little things were getting more and more common however. But those weren't for her happiness, they were for Azula's very own. She felt like she was giddy and excited when Ty Lee looked at her just so…
Was it the same for her? Did Ty Lee feel that way about her? Impossible. Azula had learned from a young age that she was very nearly unlovable, and had to make people stay in her acquaintance by threats and bribery. Even Ty Lee and Mai were hand picked and virtually forced to be her friends.
This wasn't just liking either. Was it? Azula hardly knew what liking or loving meant. Being happy when someone else was sounded like some fairytale ideal or the domain of good mothers so very unlike her own. But still it was there within herself, very existent and real, so the possibility such a thing could exist within Ty Lee as well wasn't completely impossible. Just improbable. And stupid.
"D-don't think so much." Ty Lee waved her hand aimlessly in the air. "There is some very yummy food in front of you. Remember? Eat, eat. Get fat and happy like me." She pushed out her stomach and rubbed it with a slight raise of her eyebrow.
"Whatever." Azula mumbled and picked up the pair of chopsticks poised neatly across her plate, and began picking at the little grains of rice dyed a deep orange by spice. "Do you want some?"
"I already ate. I've been out here for like two hours waiting for you." She mumbled and rolled her eyes. "I thought I'd starve to death."
"Somehow I think you'd have managed without me, dear." Azula snickered, and popped some of the fried rice into her mouth. It actually wasn't all that bad.
"Never." Ty Lee shook her head emphatically. "Pro fort-building skills can only get you so far." She smiled a big cheesy smile and gestured at the fort all around her, eyes lit up playfully.
"Please, I doubt you need any marketable skills. No job and your still managing a steady flow of income." Azula fiddled with a newly discovered cup of rice wine briefly before downing it quickly. "How is that again?"
"You look very pretty tonight." Ty Lee giggled and changed the subject, causing Azula to shake her head. "You always look pretty though, like a goddess."
"Smooth." Azula leaned closer to Ty Lee setting her elbows on the table in the process. Ty Lee leaned in closer as well. "But I would have preferred 'Azula, you look down right sexy tonight.'"
"Okay," Ty Lee bit her lip and tried to hide her large brimming smile. She hung her head low and gazed at Azula through a curtain of thick dark bangs. "Azula, you look down right--"
Azula laughed while she leaned in to kiss Ty Lee lightly on the lips. For the first time it felt so casual and affectionate, like giving an infant a peck on the forehead or a kitten. She hardly noticed that she'd done it at first, that boundary had been broken so long ago Azula didn't even spare it a second thought.
Ty Lee smiled brightly in her eyes. They were still too close for Azula to be able to see what ever it was her mouth was doing, but she suspected it was smiling as well. Just seeing her like that brought about the familiar feeling all over again. Her chest felt like it was about to burst. She felt excited and anxious and happy all at the same time
One little innocent kiss turned into several deeper more passionate ones. Azula had never really understood before why people felt so compelled to suck each others faces off, or "make out" as it were. It seemed so stifling and unsanitary. But now…
Azula was absolutely lost in Ty Lee. Her pretty pink lips were so smooth and soft. Her mouth tasted sweet and warm. Her little pink tongue moved in ways Azula'd never dreamed it could, things she'd never even thought of. It brushed lightly on the back of her teeth, and all over the sensitive roof of her mouth, flickering and swirling, going from wide and flat to thin and pointed in an instant.
Next to Ty Lee, Azula felt incredibly inexperienced. She didn't know what to do with her tongue, she didn't even know what to do with her mouth. Half of her felt inadequate, a disappointment, while the other half wondered how many boys she had to have kissed to flick her tongue like that.
Without even noticing the girls had managed to move the fold-out table that lay between them off to the side. Azula felt the burning desire for just more. A touch of silky smooth skin. If her brain had been working it would have come up with millions of excuses not to act. But everything just seemed so fogged.
Azula pulled Ty Lee close to her, her arms wrapping neatly around the small of her waist, dragging her fingers along it slowly as she moved, making Ty Lee giggle despite herself. In response she held Azula close as well, one long arm draped around her shoulders and the other stroking up and down the line of her jaw. Ty Lee lay a few chaste kisses there making Azula shudder.
Azula ran her hands across any piece of fabric she could find. The contours of her back and chest were just so perfect and gentle. She wanted to learn them with her eyes closed to be able to attach the feel to the image of her. She always remained careful however to stay clear of her breasts. Something which Ty Lee seemed to find amusing.
Ty Lee didn't make any move to touch Azula as she was being touch, but didn't try to stop her either. Instead she lay a barrage of openmouthed kisses over Azula's hair, face, and neck, and pressed herself so close Azula could feel the thundering beat of her heart matching her own. Every once and a while she'd stop to giggle or nuzzle her nose somewhere sensitive.
Every nerve in Azula's body felt like it was on fire. Things were spinning, the air was hot. She was trying so hard to put her thoughts in some sort of coherent order but couldn't. She felt primal, animal, lustful. This wasn't something she was used to. Azula was a mind. What was she if she couldn't think?
Happy maybe?
"Ty Lee." Azula mouthed somewhat urgently. She reached an arm up to get a hold of Ty Lee's face and kiss her once more, sweet and slow.
There eyes met intensely for a long moment, all movement ceasing harshly.
"You do make me happy." Azula whispered hoarsely before her thoughts could convince her to say otherwise.