gemsofformenos: Thanks you "Azula dares to open up and the Gaang dares to give her a chance and this is so important." The more people she has to support her, the easier things will be for her going forward. "The level was a perfect balance in my opinion to win Azula's trust cause on the one hand they haven't tried to beat around the bush they have been open with their worries;" Exactly, they are forward with her but willing to forgive her and move on. "I feel she draws a very strict line between hiding the truth and treating her like a delicate and fagil doll..." She does indeed and that's why with her, a careful balance is important. "I also love how open she talks with Sokka about her fears when old memories should get back." She pretty much fully trusts him at this point, so it's a lot easier for her to be open with him. "He spends her so much confidence to face these fear and to stick to her decision that she needs her old memories back." And this is also very valuable. She seeks out reassurance and he helps give it to her with a mix of logic and compassion. "Thanks again for this wonderful chapter and all your efforts for us. Take care of you and keep on having fun with your stories" You're welcome and thank you for reading!
This time she is adequately prepared for an adventure. She is bundled up in a parka and buried within layers of clothing. Her mittens are free of holes and her boots are fitted right so that snow does not work its way into them. She also has a pair of snowshoes that keep her from getting stuck in the snowbanks. All in all, she is more prepared to enter and exit the tundra. Given her surroundings she is relatively warm.
The wind doesn't whip or scream as she crosses the endless white landscape. It is day time, the sun glitters and glimmers over the ceaseless winter blanket. Now that she can see in front of her, she comes to realize that the world around her is quite beautiful. Pillars of ice jut out of the ground and some come to form grand and elegant arcs against the midday horizon.
Nearby is a still and frozen lake, she convinces Sokka to walk alongside it with her.
Every few yards, one of the guards lays down a large and bright flag so that they have something to guide them back to the village. She is careful to keep them in her line of sight, even as they follow the stream.
She observes the ice floe as it drifts lazily along. Elegant and large chunks of ice drift by and frustrate the fishermen as they try to make a living. Her breathes come out in soft puffs as she moves along. "Any wise group of people would set up somewhere close to a body of water." She comments.
"In other words, you think that if we keep following the river, we'll find the compound?"
She nods.
"Lead the way." He says.
An hour of following the river leaves her cheeks and nose pink. Sokka brings the group to a halt. "What are you doing?" She asks.
He laughs, "your face is as red as Fire Nation armor. Here…" he unfolds her scarf and re-wraps it around her mouth and nose. "If you're going to wear a scarf, you should wear it right."
She folds her arms over her chest. "I haven't had to wear a scarf before." She defends.
"Well, now you know how to use one." He laughs.
.oOo.
Watching her stumble around in the snow is always rather enjoyable. Considering her usual grace and poise, there is an extra tier of humor seeing her nearly trip over camouflage mounds of snow. Every now and again, he has to thrust his arm out and catch her around the middle before her face can meet the snow.
In spite of it all, the princess seems to be enjoying herself rather well. He thinks that she is pleased to be out and about again and doing something productive. It would seem that a simple memory wipe can't erase her drive and ambition. She tries to pass on a lunch break but she is outvoted and they find themselves seated on the floor of a miniature cave, just off the bank of the river.
"I don't think that we are on track." Azula frowns. "I didn't see any caves when I made my escape."
"You made it sound like you couldn't see anymore than an arm's length in front of you." Sokka points out and offers her some jerky.
Looking mighty grumpy, the princess takes it, pulls down her scarf, and bites into it. "Well, yes, I suppose that, that is true." He can sense the skepticism in her voice.
"We don't have to find the facility today." Zuko mentions.
"That's what you said yesterday and the day before that." Azula points out. "What if they've abolished it?"
"An entire compound?" Sokka asks.
"I can wipe out this entiere cave if use enough fire."
"But do they have fire?" Zuko inquires.
"They had help from one of Fire Lake's nurses." She shrugs. "They could be working with firebenders." Something in her expression darkens. "They could have used my fire." She gives a pointed look to her arms, probably visualizing the scars beneath her coats.
Sokka takes a bite of his jerky, savoring its dry and salty flavor. "Mmm, this is some good meat. Tasty, tasty meat."
Azula rolls her eyes. He realizes that she hasn't made much progress on her own snack so he asks, "hey can I have…"
Suddenly she is very invested in the jerky.
.oOo.
White is becoming painful on her eyes. There is so much of it and the sun glinting off of it as it makes its descent is even more searing to her retinas. She sees a burst of red in the sky. Minutes later it is followed by another red burst further to the west. And then another.
"Should we start heading back too?" Sokka asks.
Azula pinches the bridge of her nose. "Maybe the reason we aren't getting anywhere is because we keep heading back to the village when the sun starts to set."
"And we resume our search in a new direction…"
"Maybe we need to stick to one direction until we find something." She doesn't mean to be so abrasive, but her patience is wearing thin. "We should keep going, at least a little further. If we have to, we can sleep in that cave for the night.
"Alright, we can search a little longer." Zuko gives in.
"Thank you." She brings herself to say, albeit, rather exasperatedly.
Conversation seems to drop as they continue their trek across the snow. The temperature is crawling steadily down and she is starting to shiver. Occasionally, Sokka and Zuko exchange hushed murmurs. Along with a fall of snow and a bitter chill, she feels tension in the air and she begins to think that they are angry with her for pushing them to continue.
She finds herself torn between her ambitions and insecurities; the itch to at least reclaim what is hers and the desire to make sure that she won't outcast herself again.
It serves only to frey her nerves further so she keeps quiet, as to keep herself from making snippy outbursts.
Though Zuko and Sokka walk next to her and a team of Imperial Firebenders behind her, she begins to feel isolated. Closed off within a bubble of her own goals and ruthless desire to bring them to fruition.
Her fingers are growing chilly and her legs are beginning to feel achy. The only sound she can hear is the crunch of the snow beneath her feet. She shivers again, less from the cold and more from familiarity. It is so quiet and the ache in her legs seems to magnify itself. The place where her pinky should be throbs. Irrationally, she begins to fear losing it.
The wind rustles her bangs and park. It is a rather gentle breeze, but it may as well have been a howling gust.
She has to bite her tongue when Sokka and Zuko mumble something else to one another. She doesn't bite it hard enough, "are the two of you having an enthralling time back there?"
Sokka seems to wince.
"Yeah, it's a real party back here, thanks." Zuko snaps back and Sokka cringes again.
"Well that's wonderful, but maybe, we'll make some real progress if the two of you stop fooling around and…"
"What's wrong with you?" Zuko asks.
"What's wrong with me!?" She grits out, bringing her forward march to a stop.
She is cold, she is achy, she is stressed and frustrated and making no headway, and every time the wind hits her in just the wrong way she pictures her body curled up and frozen through and through beneath a heap of snow.
She is breathing somewhat heavily, each and every rugged breath is punctuated with a smoky wisp.
Her fists are clenched as far as the mittens allow.
Sokka places a tender hand on her shoulder. "You don't like being out here." It isn't a question. "And you don't like the quiet?" This is. "Because it makes you feel like you're alone out here?"
It is jarring how accurate his guess work is.
"Are you sure that you don't want to take a break for the night?"
"I don't need a break!" She lashes out. "I need to find that compound." She needs this to be over. She needs not feel relentlessly persecuted. "Sokka, I need to…"
His grip on her shoulders tightens and he gives a light half-smile. "You need to make real progress and you need something to take your mind off of…" he gestures around, "all of this."
Azula nods. "It feels the same."
"The same?" Zuko's voice softens.
"No one talking to me. Only hearing the wind and snow under my feet." She replies.
"If you wanted someone to talk to, all you had to do was ask." Sokka says. "You know that, right?"
"Sometimes I forget." Truth be told, she had begun to lapse into another time entirely. "Thank you."
"For what?" Zuko asks.
"Nevermind." She shakes her head. She isn't sure how to explain what they had prevented by pulling her attention back into the present. "Your stupid conversation, whatever it was, was actually helpful."
Zuko sighs, "I don't understand you sometimes."
"Good." Azula replies.
"I am so glad that we got to go with this group." She hears one of the Imperial Firebenders mutter to his partner.
"It's mighty interesting, alright." Mutters the other.
Despite the ruthlessly biting cold, Azula begins to relax. Things fall silent again, but this time Sokka walks closely enough to keep her grounded. She finds herself linking her arm with his. If Zuko perturbed by their closeness, he makes no mention of it. Sokka certainly doesn't protest the gesture.
They walk for some twenty minutes more when Azula finds herself squinting, looking off into the distance. She swallows hard. Out of the snow rises a boxy, concrete structure with visible piping running down its walls to beneath the snow.
"Signal the other teams." Azula commands. She just hopes that they aren't so distant that it won't be seen.