Two weeks later…
Azula sat on a stool in the middle of her shared bedroom while Meilin ran a brush through her long, black-brown hair. The coarse bristles of the brush raked across her scalp lightly as her roommate tugged the brush to tease out the knots. Her eyes narrowed and a shiver ran down her spine at the intimate sensation. She breathed a contended sigh and closed her eyes.
I haven't had someone brush my hair since… Since the asylum…
Every time one of the attendants had done the same, she was either wrapped in that awful, humiliating, full-body straitjacket or chi-blocked entirely, seated upright in that stupid wheel chair either indoors or outside, sometimes by that ugly koi pond in that barren courtyard. It was one of, if not her only, source of pleasure in that dreadful, soul-crushing prison.
Immediately, her face scrunched into a disgusted grimace as if she had just smelled rank garbage. Oh god, yuck! Get THAT thought out of my head! She scowled in stern concentration as she forced her mind to go empty.
"How do you want your hair?" Meilin asked brightly, completing the last stroke.
Azula's eyes opened and the images of the asylum vanished. "Do what you like," she answered simply. "Just don't bunch it up or pull it into too tight of a topknot. Keep it long." Her eyes narrowed a touch in shrewd contemplation of her appearance. I'm sure that's how Zuko will show me in wanted posters anyway; with my hair pulled up and bangs down…
Meilin's brow wrinkled. "Um…" She hesitated. "I'm not really sure what to do then." She turned to the other long-haired lady in the room. "Any ideas, Kat?"
Katsumi was changing her clothes after having spilled an oily chicken broth on herself during the after-dinner cleanup. Those who were venturing out tonight hadn't yet eaten and Kat had elected to stay behind.
"If she wants it long, how about a hair band?" The young woman with waist-length, raven-black hair suggested.
"Aww, but that's not fun," Meilin mewed. "I wanted to try a Fire Nation hair style."
"A hair band is fine," Azula replied smoothly.
"How about I tie into a loose top knot, give you a small ponytail in the back and separate the front so your bangs hang down in two long strands? I see a lot of Fire Nation girls with that."
"No bangs," she stated certainly. That is far, FAR too similar to what I used to wear. In fact, I should remember to have them cut next time…
"How about I braid it like mine?"
"Mmm…" Azula hummed doubtfully. "No. Braids can be grabbed. That makes them bad for fighting."
Meilin's hands lowered. "But I have a braid." She sounded wounded.
"Yes, and do you see yourself defeating four assailants in a crowd?"
"… No."
"Do you see yourself battling a group of firebending criminals single-handedly?"
"… No."
"Then you can have a braid. I cannot."
Meilin let out a disappointed sigh. "Okay," she said defeatedly. "A hairband it is, but I'm still giving you a ponytail…" The Earth Kingdom teen moved to the vanity and retrieved the necessary items: two red ribbons and an arch-shaped hair band that was painted a shade of pink and red. She returned and her eyes grew wide.
"I know what I'm going to do!" First, she drew all of her roommate's hair back so none of it hung in front of her face. Next, she gathered it up near the crown of her head and proceeded to wrap one ribbon around the stem of the gathered hair. Then she took the second ribbon and wrapped it above the first one, lengthening the stem of the ponytail until the loose hair flowed down her roommate's back like a horse's mane. Finally, she installed the hairband, drawing the remaining hair back and securing any loose strands.
"There!" Meilin said proudly. "That looks pretty Fire Nation. What do you think, Kat?"
"Looks good. You sure have a lot of hair, Yuki."
She could feel her hair dangling halfway down her back despite being tied from the top of her head. "Yes, I do," she replied pleasantly. It hasn't been shortened since I was ten years old. She rose from the stool. "Alright, I believe I'm ready to go. I'm famished," she said dramatically. She moved to the door.
"Wait, don't you want to look at yourself in the mirror?" Meilin asked.
"Oh, Meilin," Azula chided with smooth graciousness. "I already told you: I don't look in mirrors, remember?"
"Oh. Right."
"Why do you have the superstition again?" Katsumi inquired.
Azula shrugged. "No reason. I just do." She opened the door. "Coming, Meilin? Or, will I be meeting you downstairs?" She glanced over her shoulder at the foreign teen.
"No, I'm ready." Meilin crossed the room and joined her native-born roommate. "Are you sure you don't want to come with us, Kat?"
"I'm sure," the young woman replied with a smile and a chuckle, having answered the question several times now. "Besides, someone has to stay behind and be the adult."
"Ha-ha, Kat." Meilin placed both her hands on her hips. "You're not that much older than us."
Katsumi smirked. "Maybe to you, but Yuki's the baby in the room."
Azula rolled her eyes. "Please don't call me that."
"Have fun," Katsumi said to them both. "And don't get into any fights, Yuki."
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Azula and her roommate-of-three weeks filed down the stairs together on their way to the first floor. When they arrived, they passed through the living room and rounded the corner of the hallway that led to the front door. The rest of the group was already there.
The Chen's two granddaughters, along with Hao and Rong, were standing around the threshold, waiting for the last two to arrive. Chiyo spotted them first.
"There you are!" The youngest granddaughter beamed. "Ready to go?"
"You know it." Meilin replied with a grin.
"Finally. I'm starving," Jing complained jokingly.
Hao's eyes fell to Meilin. "You look beautiful, Meilin," he complemented the Earth Kingdom teen, his eyes sparkling and his face smiling.
"Thanks," Meilin giggled and her cheeks blushed.
Rong's eyes turned to the other young lady standing with Meilin. "You too, Yuki."
Azula wore a gray and red short-sleeved dress with black buttons down the middle and black highlights around the seams for decoration. It was constructed of thin cotton and visually very simple compared to the ornate silk and gold clothing she was used to from her old life. It was the equivalent of these commoners' formal attire.
Chiyo had lent her the dress for the night since their bodies were of similar size. Everybody else was dressed in their own formal attire, including Meilin. It was rather… Remarkable seeing the Earth Kingdom teen's green eyes set against a backdrop of red and maroon, with a red hairband capped in a decorative flame atop her black hair. Perhaps she symbolized the now lost goal of a world dominated by the Fire Nation…
"Ready to go?" Chiyo asked again.
Azula blinked, pulled out of her transfixion on the past. "Yes!" She replied with determinedly. She stepped into the threshold and slipped her sock-covered feet into her sandals…
… When Mr. Chen rounded the corner and approached the group. His eyes fell to hers instantly.
"Yuki," he said calmly. "Can I have a word with you?"
She met the old man's eyes. His expression was soft but something in his eyes appeared… Strained. Of course he could have a word with her. It's not like she could oppose him.
"Okay," she replied simply, slipping out of her sandals and following the patriarch of the charity home down the hall.
He took her back through the living room, where Mrs. Chen and her adult son and his wife were gathered with the wards. They crossed the rectangular-shaped, more traditionally inspired living area and entered a smaller adjoining room, full of bookshelves and papers, a large desk at one end desk and, most notably, various memorabilia strewn about, including: a captain's uniform, a strange navigational tool, a red oni demon warrior mask and even a small brass telescope that she had her eye on ever since first discovering it. She wanted to take it to the roof some day and have a better look at the city and the Fire Navy base. Since arriving at the charity home she had wondered why Mr. Chen had all these strange things in his office. Two weeks ago, she had received an answer.
Mr. Chen slid the divider closed of this more traditionally designed portion of the house. He turned to face her.
"Now, I'm more than fine with you going out with the kids tonight," he spoke assuredly. "But," his tone shifted and he stared at her more seriously. "Shinzo's deadline is approaching. Have you given anymore thought to what you're going to do?"
She raised an eyebrow at the flighty old man and smiled in affectionate disgust. "Of course I know what I'm going to do!" She said sweetly and with a chuckle, feeling quite amused. "We've been over this before. I'm going to let them come after me so I can obliterate them one at a time." She smiled. Of course I'm not going to submit to those goons. I've made that very clear.
Mr. Chen took a deep breath and sighed.
Azula shot him a dull look. "You still don't approve, even though I've thoroughly demonstrated what I'm capable of?" She proceeded to fold her arms across her chest now that her left arm was fully healed and the wounds on her back had turned to scars.
"It isn't so much your ability to defend yourself that worries me but the safety of everyone else living here."
Her obstinance died. She lowered her arms and met the old man's eyes with sober concern. "I see..." She thought for a moment. "Well that shouldn't be a problem. I'll fight to defend anyone living here. That was always my intention. I mean, I am a resident of this home too and the recipient of your charity." Her lips curved and she chuckled again. She felt as if she were stating the obvious. "I'll silence anyone who attempts to harm this house and anyone living here. I'm as much a defender of myself as I am of all you." She raised her chin proudly and bestowed a proud smile upon Mr. Chen, feeling quite positive that she had allayed his concerns once and for all.
Mr. Chen frowned. "But what if you're not there? What if they attack the wards, or the other helpers, or my family and you're not there to protect them? Then what?"
Her smile and confidence faded. She didn't have an answer. A sick feeling of uncertainty began to ache in her gut but she didn't let it show. "Are you truly asking or… Are you trying to make a point?"
"Both."
Her brow lowered in thought. I am NOT going to degrade myself out of fear of criminals if that's what you're after.
She inhaled a deep breath and took a more serious tone. "Well… Should that happen…" She spoke slowly and cordially. "Then we will have a reason to receive the help of the police, won't we? I know I'm a lost cause in their eyes but you're all innocent. They'll have no choice but to protect you and pursue who is responsible. It's not like we don't know who would be; you took me to them. Really, what can a bunch of criminals do against the powers of the vassal government once they are involved?"
Or me, if I so choose.
"Plenty," Mr. Chen stated grimly. "If they have the town guards bribed."
Azula raised a skeptical eyebrow. "You mean if they violate their sworn duties, the penalty of which can be death?"
He frowned and gave a solemn nod. "I'm afraid you underestimate how much help the town guards will be in this matter."
Her eyebrows lowered again and her eyes narrowed. Then… She smiled. "Well then," she said brightly, giving a lighthearted shrug. "I guess my list of enemies will just keep growing until Daimyo Ikeda himself has to stop me." She smirked devilishly.
Mr. Chen's jaw fell. "Yuki… Don't tell me your serious?"
She chuckled. "First, you agree that I am capable of such a thing?" Her lips curved higher. She wanted to hear him say it.
Mr. Chen gave another sigh. "I think you believe you are, which is a problem for another day."
She rocked her head a bit in silent deliberation until she decided on his meaning. "Alright. I'll take that as a compliment. And secondly, no I'm not serious," she mocked in a playful, schoolyard tone. "Because it's not going to come to that. Come now, Mr. Chen, I thought sea captains were supposed to be more perceptive than this. That fiend isn't going to hurt me or do anything that would turn me further against him. He revealed as much when he said how valuable I'd be to him. You heard him. You saw the glint in his eyes. I hate to use the terms but he wants me 'humble and cooperative', and alive, not hateful, obstinate and dead. He also knows I'm a firebender who won't be coerced or held against my will. He knows he has to earn my respect, not destroy it."
"So what do you think he'll do, Yuki?" Mr. Chen's raised his voice a bit and sounded frustrated. "Just ask you nicely? Send you flowers? Schmooze you until you change your mind? Because I know he won't."
"Hmm…" she hummed thoughtfully. "Well, I imagine he'll try to intimidate me in some fashion. A show of force, if you will, to make me afraid."
Believe me, old man, I know how this works.
"And just how do you think he'll do that? By attacking you on the street? By attacking you at all?Because he knows that won't work."
She shot him an angry scowl. "Alright then, since you know him so well, what will he do?"
Mr. Chen faltered. "I-I… I don't know."
"You don't know or you won't tell me?"
"I mean I honestly don't know. I don't know if they'll attack my family, or the wards, or the other helpers. I don't know if they'll place this home in so much danger that the only way to make it stop is to evict you. I don't know if that when you go to Doctor Izumi or anyone else for help if they will attack them to make them refuse you, by which point you will be living on the street and anyone who tries to help you will be forced by them to shun you, and then you will be selling your body to survive, or die homeless, or end up in their control anyway. These are scheming, ruthless people, Yuki. They're not going to let this go. They have their eyes on you and they're going to get what they want, and if you resort to your own criminal behavior to survive, then you'll just end up in prison all the same, and they might get a hold of you anyway."
The corners of her lips curved down. He had painted a lurid picture, one that she visualized clearly and that made her stomach turn. She followed his chain of logic…
It was sound.
"You… You would do that to me?" She whispered.
Mr. Chen's face sagged into a miserable frown. "It's not that I would do it, it's that they might force me to."
She gazed at the man in tense silence. A moment later, the old man's face warmed to a halfhearted smile though his eyes remained haunted.
"But I am a tired, fearful old man," Mr. Chen spoke softly, raising a hand and placing it on her shoulder in a reassuring gesture. "Maybe it will work out as you have described. I certainly hope it does." His smile broadened. "Go out and have fun tonight. You deserve some happiness."
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
The group of teenage housemates traveled down the sidewalk as evening fell across the land, transforming the sky into a deep, dark blue. Firebenders walked on tall stilts as they lit street lamps while dragon-moose-drawn carts and rickshaws rattled by on the cobblestones. It was a scene very much like when she had first arrived in the city, only now her arm was healed and she had a comfortable understanding of where she lived and who she was living with. The wisdom of Lu Ten's ghost couldn't have been more correct.
Meilin and Hao traveled in the front alongside each other. As usual, they were engrossed in conversation with one another and sounded merry. Rong and Jing followed in the back while Chiyo and herself were sandwiched in between. The rest of her compatriots were engaged in conversation with one another and sounded friendly and full of mirth… Except for her.
She had said nothing since departing the house. Her mind remained centered on the conversation with Mr. Chen and the unresolved troubles that lay on the horizon with the Mori Clan, like a telescope spotting a distant enemy ship. Her gaze was pointed at the ground as her eyes were lost in thought.
"So what do you think of Taizao?"
The question rang in her ears. She blinked and turned to her right to find Chiyo beaming a grin at her. "Um… What did you say?" She missed the question.
"Taizao," the similar-aged girl repeated. "What do you think of it? You said you were from a small town. What do you think of living in a big city?" The girl, who was one year her junior, grinned expectantly.
Azula hesitated. The girl's bright expression seemed to indicate what kind of answer she was hoping for. "Um… I don't really know," she answered honestly. "I mean, I've really only been out once and look what that did to me."
A few of her compatriots chuckled at her comment for some reason. She wasn't trying to be funny. Chiyo's face sunk into a frown. "Oh, yeah… Right." It didn't take long for her cheerfulness to spring back. "But where we're going should help change that!"
Azula's brow wrinkled. "And just where are we going exactly?"
"A ramen house."
Azula's brow furrowed. "Raw… Men?" She asked puzzledly. "What…?"
"Yes."
"What in the world is that?"
Chiyo's jaw dropped. "You don't know what ramen is?"
"No, I really don't."
Even Hao turned his shoulder to peer at her quizzically. "Really?"
"Really-really," Azula affirmed.
"Wow…" Chiyo sounded amazed. "How is that even possible?"
Azula shrugged. "Maybe it's just a city thing," she posited in a casual tone. Or maybe it's because it's a commoner's dish I've never been served…
"Huh." Chiyo remained puzzled. "That still seems pretty hard to believe."
"I'd never had ramen until I came here," Meilin came to her roommate's defense.
Chiyo switched her attention to the Earth Kingdom teen. "That's because you're not from here," she teased, stating the obvious in a joking way.
"Neither is Yuki."
Azula's lips curved and her insides warmed. It felt good to be at the center of their attention and the subject of their friendly banter. Before long, the unsolved problems revealed by Mr. Chen started to feel far away. The enemy ship had sunk below the horizon…
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Evening turned to dark and they traveled down a narrow street that bustled with bystanders. Paper lanterns hung from every awning, bathing the night scene in an orange-yellow glow. Food stalls and vendors, restaurants and other eateries lined both sides of the street while the clack and clang of cooking utensils, and the sizzle of grilling food, was just as loud as the voices of the crowd.
People sat at counters built into these food stalls and eateries, either enjoying their meals or watching the chefs work the woks, grills and vats of frying oil, while those in the crowd carried shopping baskets or even carried morsels of food on sticks. Some of these food stuffs were even wrapped in cabbage leaves or transparent rice paper.
As she traveled through this unusual environ, the fragrant scent of spices tickled her nose and the air was thick with the savory scents of grilling smoke and oil. She could almost taste it.
What is this place? I haven't smelled such wonderful food since…
If she hadn't been walking, she would have closed her eyes.
… Since I was home.
They approached a storefront with a large, black, wooden sign overhanging its doorway, with the word "MEGUMI'S" written in big, bright, yellow characters. Two red paper lamps hung at either sides of the front door with the words "PEACE" and "GREETINGS" in black characters. Where glass windows would have been in a more affluent dwelling were instead decorative wood slats through which she caught a glimmer of what lay inside: patrons seated at tables and a long counter with a row of chefs at work behind it. The charity group halted at this storefront.
"We're here!" Chiyo declared with joy. The door was propped open welcomingly. They went inside.
A woman greeted them just within the entrance, standing behind a small podium. She bowed politely and asked how she could serve them. Chiyo replied with her own bow and requested a table for six. The woman smiled and asked them to follow her.
As Azula followed the group, she took a look around the restaurant's interior. To her right lay the long counter with the chefs behind it. Cooking flames flared from cooktops, pots of water and broth simmered above small flames and both trays and bowls of prepared meats, vegetables and spices lay all around. In particular, she noticed a number of idle, simmering pots, each with a different colored broth inside.
On the counter, which divided the dining area from the kitchen, were trays with bowls, presumably containing the patrons' meals. The restaurant's servers took and delivered these trays to the seated patrons. In all of the bowls were noodle soups.
To her left, in the dining area, many patrons occupied square or rectangular tables. They too had bowls filled with different-colored broths, full of noodles, vegetables and floating pieces of meat. Her brow wrinkled at this observance.
They all had soup.
The woman directed them to a rectangular table near one end of the room. At the table's center was a single wax candle. The woman pinched the wick between her thumb and forefinger, setting it alight using her own firebending. She stepped aside to allow her patrons their seats.
Meilin and Hao sat across from each other with Hao to Azula's left so she could see Meilin. Jing and Rong sat across from each other with Jing to her right while Chiyo sat across from her. Once they were all seated, the woman handed Rong a wood board with black characters pyro-etched into its surface. The woman walked away and disappeared for a short time, returning with a clay tea pot that she placed in the middle of the table. Clay tea cups were already provided, turned upside down on each patron's placemat. The woman bowed again and departed for other tables.
Rong took hold of the tea pot and filled everyone's cups.
Azula's hands were folded on her lap neatly and her back was erect as if she were at a formal dining event in the palace. Her brow wrinkled in curiosity. "So… What is 'ramen' exactly?" She asked for anyone to answer. "I see everyone here has a noodle soup of some kind."
"Ramen is noodle soup," Chiyo was more than happy to confirm.
Azula's brow creased even more. "But Kat makes noodle soup all the time. Why would we go somewhere for it?"
"Because ramen is better. Much better."
Azula chuckled. "Don't tell her that."
"Oh, she knows. She loves it too."
The wooden menu was passed around and Meilin took her turn studying its offerings. Her lips compressed into a crooked, contemplative line. "They don't have all the choices like last time." Her voice had a tone of disappointment.
"It's probably just the food shortages," Chiyo figured casually, leaning over to view the menu at the same time. Her eyes scanned the piece of wood. "I know what I'm having," she said at last.
"Me too," Meilin affirmed.
"How about you, Yuki?"
The former princess had perused the offerings but had no idea what was being described, nor what to expect even if she did. "How about you pick for me," she suggested to Chiyo. "I have no experience with this."
"Okay." Chiyo took the menu from Meilin. "What kind of food do you like?"
The question gave her pause. Better not say anything lest you reveal your royal upbringing. She smiled proudly at the one-year younger teen. "Surprise me," she answered with cool boldness.
Chiyo grinned. "Okay." She studied the menu a little while more and set it upright at the edge of the table. A minute later, the woman who had greeted them returned. Each person gave the woman their order, except for Azula. When it came Chiyo's turn, she ordered for them both.
"One turtle-crab seaweed ramen for me, and one flaming hippo-cow ramen for her, please."
Azula raised a curious eyebrow at her housemate's choice but said nothing. What does 'flaming hippo-cow' mean?
The woman bowed with respect and departed, this time heading for the counter, where she spoke the orders to the waiting chefs. The chefs nodded and went to work.
"Ooh, flaming hippo-cow ramen," Meilin said with fascination. "I haven't had that one before. What's it like?"
Chiyo smirked mischievously. "Wait for Yuki to try it first," she said cryptically, turning her eyes to her small-town roommate. "I want her to be surprised."
The younger teen's expression was contagious. Azula pursed her lips tight to keep from baring her teeth in a burgeoning smile. She turned away and glanced around the restaurant scene to avoid the awkward sensation. The others fell into conversation once more.
The restaurant appeared to be fed by a steady stream of arrivals. It seemed to be getting busier only the restaurant was loud. There was a certain… Calm to the scene, a relaxed mood to the patrons and their voices. Occasionally, a person or several would let out a hearty laugh or raise their voice expressively, but the loudest sounds were the clinks and clangs of the chefs as they worked their trade.
A commoner's eatery, she noted with pleasant interest. She continued to study the interior. There were decorations on the walls, some religious, some artful, almost all having an ocean theme. One item especially caught her eye: on the far wall opposite from her, behind Chiyo, was a white fabric banner showing the red, flower-like, ancient symbol for fire.
A loud laugh broke out from her own table. Her eyes switched back to her present company to see what had been the cause: apparently a joke she had not heard. As she observed her company's smiling, familiar faces, and listened to their cheerful, friendly banter, a feeling of warmth kindled inside her…
Like a fire.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Not long after they ordered, a male server carrying a tray of six bowls arrived at the table. He placed their respective dishes in front of them and handed each of them a soup spoon. He bowed with respect and departed. Azula glanced down at what Chiyo had selected for her.
The broth was a cloudy, milky white with yellow beads of oil floating on top. A clump of round noodles lay in the center and was surrounded by bits of floating vegetables and shavings of cooked red meat while everything was covered in a thick dusting of red, dry powder. She heard the others start eating.
"First, take your spoon and mix the red powder all around," Chiyo instructed her without prompting.
It seemed the Taizao native could tell when her housemate was confused. Azula grasped her spoon and did just that.
"See how all the red specks are floating around?"
"… Yes?"
"That's the first step to eating ramen: you have to look at it first. The next step is to taste the broth. Only the broth."
"What's the flavor?"
"You'll see."
She dipped the spoon into the broth and raised it to her lips. It was steaming. She blew on it once, waited a moment, and placed it in her mouth. Her eyes widened in shock. Immediately, her tongue was awash in the fatty smoothness of warm milk and burned with the tingle of fire flakes.
Fire flakes were extremely spicy and she had just taken a mouthful.
At first, she thought she had been tricked, until a new sensation developed: the burn lessened considerably from the milky broth that coated her tongue, and when she swallowed, a mild, pleasant tingling remained, combining with the creamy taste of the milk and the fragrant, peppery smokiness of the fire flakes. Usually fire flakes made her mouth burn. This did not.
"What do you think?" Chiyo asked.
Azula's lips curved in a tentative smile. "It tastes like… Milk… With fire flakes..."
Chiyo beamed. "That's because it is milk with fire flakes! A milk broth, at least."
Azula chuckled awkwardly at the preposterous combination for an evening meal. "But fire flakes are candy," she replied softly.
"Oh, fire flakes," Meilin commented with interest. "I don't think I can handle that."
Her smile held. She dipped the spoon back into the soup, not bothering with the noodles or other bits, and took another mouthful. When she tasted it again, the flavor was so much better and unlike anything she had ever known. Her lips curved higher and her cheeks rose until, against her control, her teeth were bare for all to see. She pursed her lips tightly and dropped chin to hide it.
"I don't think I've seen you smile this much," Meilin observed.
Azula's face softened as she stared at her wonderful meal.
Neither have I.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
All of their bowls lay empty, clear of all broth and debris. Chiyo said that was a sign the chefs had done their job well. In this case, it was six jobs well done.
The serving man returned and removed their bowls, but instead of paying the restaurant and leaving, they remained seated at the table, conversing and drinking tea or sake, depending on one's age. At first their conversations were light, involving life at the charity home, occurrences in the neighborhood and hopes for the future. When Hao spoke of his dreams of becoming an independent leather craftsman and starting a family in a few years, Meilin gazed at him with dreamy eyes while her chin rested in her hand. Azula wondered if the green-eyed teen was even listening when he spoke.
It wasn't long though until the topic turned to what everyone had been waiting for: that fateful trip into the city, the confrontation in the town square and, above all else, her firebending battle with the four yakuza.
"Weren't you scared? At all?" Chiyo asked puzzledly.
Azula shrugged. "Not really. I enjoy the challenge and the thrill of…" She trailed off. Don't say fighting! Don't say anything that suggests you've fought before!
"The thrill of firebending," she completed smoothly. "Besides, I wasn't going to let those goons walk over me. They were going down regardless of how I felt." She took a sip of the black tea.
"But what if they beat you, though?" Meilin asked with concern. "What would you have done?"
"I have certain tricks up my sleeve if engagements don't go as planned."
"'Engagements'?" Meilin repeated the word.
Azula paused. Dammit! Wrong word! She gave another brief shrug and a smile. "Just a figure of speech. A more formal term than 'fight', I should say."
"What kind of tricks?" Chiyo asked.
Azula smirked. "If I talked about them they wouldn't be tricks, would they?"
The group fell silent as they processed her answer. She took another sip of tea and reveled in the flavor… And her company's attention.
"How did you get so good at firebending?" Rong asked the question she had long prepared for.
"I've always had a natural talent, I suppose. A friend of the family was in the army. He enjoyed teaching me what he knew. I guess I picked up everything he showed me, even the advanced stuff." She intentionally used a colloquial term: 'stuff' instead of 'techniques' or 'skills' so as to make herself sound more like the people she was trying to blend in with. Please buy that, please buy that, please buy that! She hoped silently.
"What about the hand-to-hand stuff?" Rong continued the line of questioning. "Hao said you made it look easy."
She took another casual sip of the flavorful brew.
Dammit!
"There's a lot of overlap between firebending and the martial arts," she explained. "They're really one in the same. If you're good at one, you'll be good at the other."
That's not completely true but it should make sense to these people.
The nineteen year old boy nodded. He didn't press the topic. Another spell of silence followed.
"So…" Jing began uneasily. "Were you really going to kill that man?"
She could feel all of their eyes paint her face with their gaze. She gave herself adequate time to consider her answer. "Would you have a problem if I had?" She asked in a soft, thoughtful tone.
"Well…" The older teen seemed uncertain. "I don't know. Maybe. I mean… It just feels weird knowing someone who almost killed another person, I guess."
Azula's brow lowered a fraction. "Soldiers kill people," she explained simply. "Town guards, too. Sometimes defending oneself requires taking lives. The goal is to defend yourself at any cost, no matter what it takes."
"I guess so," Jing replied quietly. "But you're not a soldier, or a town guard. That's why they punished you."
Azula fell silent again as she made sure she understood exactly what her older housemate was trying to say. She kept her face carefully neutral. You mean I shouldn't kill because I'm not a soldier? Or… I shouldn't have these skills because I'm not? Or… Because… I could have gotten into severe trouble for doing so…?
After a few moments of silent deliberation, she took a deep breath and relaxed her expression. "I might have gotten carried away with myself," she admitted honestly, breathing a soft sigh. "That's the killer instinct of a firebender. It can be… Thrilling." She used the only word she could come up with to describe her inner fire.
"Killer instinct?" Chiyo repeated, sounding puzzled.
Azula glanced at her. "Yes," she spoke matter-of-factly. "It's the rush a firebender gets knowing they wield a weapon more powerful than any sword or shield, that even a hundred men with a hundred swords could do nothing to stop." She smirked proudly.
The group fell quiet again. Tea was sipped and refilled while Rong and Jing drank from their respective sake glasses. As it so happened, she was the only firebender at the charity home.
"It's too bad about the people who got hurt, though," Meilin said with sadness.
Azula turned her head to view the Earth Kingdom teen. She noted her roommate's downcast expression and recalled the cries of the townsfolk who had been caught by her flames. Not only this, but here was an Earth Kingdomer feeling sympathy for Fire Nation people.
The gravity of those peoples' injuries was not lost on the former princess.
"… I guess if I could do it over again, I would have been more careful," she said with a twinge of regret. "It wasn't my intention to harm the surrounding citizens. It just sort of… Happened. I had never fought in such a crowded space before."
"You've fought before?" Chiyo asked with curiosity.
Azula's stomach lurched. Dammit! She steeled herself against the rush of dread that told her she might have said too much. "No, I mean I've never fought before," she recovered without breaking her stride. "Never mind fighting around so many people."
Chiyo nodded her understanding and Azula raised her teacup for another sip, both to let out her breath silently and to conceal her relief. That was close…
"I've got a question," Hao spoke up.
Azula chuckled. "Why did I punch you?" She had already explained it twice but she'd have been happy to explain for a third time.
Even Hao chuckled. "No, not that. I noticed that your fire is a kind of yellow, like a burning candle, while most of the yakuza's flames had more reds and oranges in them."
"Mhm," she hummed smoothly.
"What gives fire its different colors?"
"Oh, that's a great question!" Chiyo clapped her hands excitedly. "Do you know?" The younger teen looked to the charity's resident firebender for the answer.
"I've wondered that too," Jing agreed.
"I thought it was temperature?" Rong suggested to the group. "Warm coals glow a deep red while stoked coals glow yellow, even white."
"Oh," Chiyo replied. "I guess that makes sense."
"But what about magicians?" Hao countered Rong's logic. "They can make different colors and coal never burns purple or green."
Azula's lips curved in a devious smile. They were arguing about a subject very near to her own heart, and which none of them had the answer. "It's not temperature," she interrupted with mellow certainty.
They stopped their speculations and turned their full attention to their resident firebender. Azula turned to Rong. "Is that polished sake?" She glanced at the clear glass full of an equally clear liquid.
"Yeah."
"Let me see it—" Without asking, she reached across the table and took the glass in her right hand, placing it in the middle of the table for all to see. Next, she clasped her right hand around the glass and concentrated. Heat formed between her fingers and palm but no fire formed. Instead, she merely warmed the liquid to just below boiling.
She let go of the glass and pointed her middle and index fingers of her right hand. A tiny yellow flame flared into existence at the tips of her nails. She maneuvered her burning fingers into the sake glass and held the flame just above the surface of the liquid. A second later, she retracted her hand and relaxed her fingers. She leaned forward and peered at the sake with narrow eyes. Finding what she was looking for, she leaned back in her seat and smiled in quiet pride.
"What do you see?" She asked the group.
Her five compatriots leaned toward the glass of alcoholic beverage. Meilin was the first to notice.
"Whaaaat," she said in disbelief.
"It's burning?" Chiyo sounded bewildered. "How?"
"Sake burns," Azula replied. "You have to heat it first, though. Anyway, what color is the flame?"
They all peered closer.
"It's so pale..." Chiyo narrowed her eyes. "I can hardly see."
"Clear?" Rong suggested.
"Blue," Hao stated.
Azula smiled. "Precisely. Now, look at the candle here…" She directed their attention to the circular wax candle burning on the table. "Its flame burns yellow and orange, and occasionally, you can see a wisp of black smoke…"
She reached over and grabbed the candle by its wax body, lifted it free from its clay saucer and placed it back down on the table in front of her. She then retrieved the clay saucer and placed the candle back on top. Next, she pinched the burning wick with her thumb and forefinger, extinguishing the flame without pain. She then picked the candle up again and poured the molten wax out onto the saucer. Finally, she set it back down on the saucer to allow the remaining wax to cool.
All while she did this, her splayed, crippled left hand sat on her lap; useless.
In the mean time, she clasped the sake glass once more and heated it again. Its pale blue flame perked up a bit but remained a translucent, pale blue. After waiting a few moments more, she picked up the candle, turned it upside down and lowered its wick into the sake's flame. A few seconds later, the wick was alight in yellow-orange flames, and a drop of molten wax fell into the glass.
"Oh, hey—!" Rong let out, seeing his drink contaminated.
"Don't worry about that," Azula spoke with cool confidence. "This lesson is worth a barrel of sake!" Her lips curved into another wicked smirk. Because it's what my master taught me…
She set the candle upright next to the sake glass, both burning with their respect different-colored flames. She leaned back in her chair. "They're both burning," she continued her lesson with confidence and calm. "And though the pale blue flame of the sake isn't red, or yellow, or even bright, it sets fire to the candle all the same." She glanced across the group. "Why?" She asked dramatically.
Their faces were blank.
She smirked. "That's because the color of a flame does not come from its temperature but the substance from which it is burned."
She had their complete and undivided attention.
"It is true that dying coals glow red and stoked coals glow yellow, even white, but that's because they are hot, not because they are producing flames. Flames," she stressed the word again. "Are the expression of energy, the energy that is released from a burning coal, or a block of wood, or from a firebender's fist." She emphasized the word, clenching her right hand in dramatic fashion.
She paused to re-establish a serious mood. "Most fire produces flames that are red, or orange, or yellow. That is because they mix with whatever is burning—coal dust, specks of wood, soot, ash—changing them into the colors we normally expect from fire, and giving the Fire Nation its symbolic reds and yellows, but the cleanest flames are not red. They are not orange, or yellow, or green, or purple," she listed all the recognized colors of fire. "Burned without impurities, the natural color of fire… Is blue."
Some of her companions' heads tilted while others appeared utterly baffled. All were captivated.
Her eyes lowered to the burning sake and its slowly dying flame. She gazed at the pale blue fire with pride and longing. "What we firebenders control is energy and we do so through the manipulation of heat, or fire, or lightning. Our energy comes from our breath and fire requires air to burn. Look at the sake…"
She directed their attention back to the glass. "It is clear and pure, like air itself. It is free from the ash and soot of wood or coal that gives fire its iconic reds, oranges and yellows. It is free from the impurities in a bender whose chakras mix their energy, muddy it, make it impure, but pure energy, taken from the breath and passed through the body cleanly, without becoming muddied by the chakras… Burns blue."
The little flame in the sake glass flickered… And went out, its alcohol fuel source consumed.
The table remained silent. Azula leaned back in her chair once more, her hands folded around her teacup comfortably, her face adorned in a soft, content and self-assured smile as she continued to gaze at the depleted glass of rice wine. It felt good to share that… I don't know why but it did.
Hao was the first to speak. "Well, I don't know anything about chakras," he said thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. "But… I guess that makes sense."
Nobody else disagreed.
"Can you make blue fire?" Chiyo shot her a puzzled yet fascinated look.
Azula chuckled. "No, of course not. I'm not that good."
"Is blue fire better than regular fire?" Meilin followed.
Azula's lips pursed and her brow lowered in thought. "It's certainly not worse," she posited quizzically. "It's still fire but all it has are advantages: it takes less effort to produce, does not require a drive to 'force' your energy through obstructed chakras, and it can create tighter, more controlled flames. Overall, it requires different techniques to actually use to one's advantage. Otherwise, it's simply a color. More than anything, it's what it says about the bender who can produce them." She finished by downing the last bit of tea in her cup, her lips remaining curved in satisfaction. Rong was happy to resupply her.
"Wow…" Meilin said softly, her tone and expression that of awe. "It's said that Fire Lord Zuko's sister can produce blue flames all the time. If he could defeat her, then he must be a really powerful firebender."
Azula's lips quirked down in a sudden frown. The warmth and pride she had felt vanished and a shadow fell across her face. Slowly, she slumped in her chair. "Yeah," she whispered. "I guess he is…" Her eyes narrowed.
Every day he trains and grows stronger. Every day I do nothing and grow weaker…
She took a deep, dismal breath and released it just as slow.
"Do you know anything about lightning?" Chiyo asked with great enthusiasm.
She didn't respond.
Chiyo frowned. "What's wrong?"
Azula blinked, slowly, her eyelids heavy. "What do you mean?" She muttered.
"You seem kind of sad all of a sudden."
Azula's eyes widened a fraction. She had made an error; she had exposed her true feelings! She inhaled sharply, sat up straight and tensed the muscles in her face to a more neutral expression. "Oh, it's nothing," she said dismissively. "It's just… All this talk about firebending reminds me of the life I used to have, that turned… Bad… That I had to… Run away… From…" Her gaze slid to the table as her heart collapsed back into despair.
"Did you have much family?" Chiyo asked softly.
Her mind knew the answer to give: say 'yes' and paint a picture that was congruent with her contrived story, but the heavy, sinking pressure in her heart told her something else: she had an enemy half-brother who couldn't make up his mind about killing or imprisoning her, and who believed himself righteous for his indecision; a mother who had cared little for her, who had taken a new face and started a new family, and had a new daughter to replace her old, crazy, monstrous one; a father who she had failed many times and whose trust and admiration she had most certainly lost; a traitor uncle who was… Well, whatever the hell he was to her at this point—he certainly thought nothing good of her despite his wonderful son—and lastly, she had the ghost of a dead cousin who she'd never see again. A ghost. Not an actual person. She had no grandparents, no cousins, no extended family to speak of.
"No," she answered at length, her voice low and her expression forlorn.
"What about friends?" Meilin asked.
"Ha!" Azula gave an incredulous huff. "No," she answered bitterly. "Or, I mean, I used to…"
Meilin frowned. "What do you mean?
Her eyes tightened to a scowl and she gripped her teacup hard.
"Azula!" Ty Lee rolled out of her stance and hopped up to hug her. "It's so good to see you!"
"I love Zuko more than I fear you," Mai stated in her dull, raspy voice, her eyes as sharp as the daggers under her sleeves.
"You've always used fear to control people, like your friends Mai and Ty Lee," the figment of her imagination told her through the mirror.
She shut her eyes. They weren't my friends. They never were. They were my subjects. Soldiers, even. I should never have let them get close. I should never have allowed Mai to bait me into attacking her…
She inhaled deeply and breathed another long sigh. Her eyelids peeled open. "It's complicated," she muttered. "Let's just say, they turned out not to be who I thought they were… Like a lot of things in my life…"
An uncomfortable silence fell across the group. Her eyes remained pointed at the depleted sake.
Meilin was the first to break the silence. "I think I can say this, but… You don't have to worry about that from us," Meilin said sincerely. "You already know pretty much everything about me and I'm glad to have gotten to know you. It's fun sharing a room with you, even though you and Kat like to argue." The Earth Kingdom teen giggled. "It's funny how she gets frustrated with you."
Azula's dark expression relaxed a tiny bit.
"Yeah, Yuki," Chiyo added in an equally friendly tone. "I know you haven't been here that long but we're your friends now."
The others voiced similar words of encouragement, even those she didn't know nearly as well as Meilin. Raising her chin a little, she glanced at Rong, then to Chiyo and finally to Meilin, noting the presence of Hao and Jing in her periphery. The Earth Kingdom teen was staring at her, her expression solemn, then her face brightened with a smile when she found her firebending roommate's amber eyes pointed at her own.
Azula's gaze lingered on Meilin's. "Yeah," she whispered. "I think you are."