I got a lot of reviews this time around so, this time I'm putting the responses at the bottom for the sake of formatting. Also this chapter is a short one.
Azula cringes as she pulls her foot up. It comes free with a wet slurp and some of the sludge splashes onto her face.
"Gross." Zuko comments. He is more caked in mud than she, likely because each time his foot gets stuck he cusses and flails about until Katara waterbends him free.
"You have to stop that, Zuzu." She comments. "It only makes things worse."
"I didn't realize that you were worried about me."
"I'm not." She shrugs. "I am worried about the amount of mud you are slinging into my hair." She picks out a dried chunk for emphasis.
"Sorry." He mutters with a slight blush.
"So, swamp or tundra?" Toph asks.
"Death by platypus-bear mauling." Azula grumbles.
"Ugg…" Mai wanders up, "I'll take one platypus-bear mauling too."
"You guys have no appreciation for the good things." Toph comments with an exaggerated satisfied sigh. "This is the life." She flops herself down, arms tucked behind her head, into a puddle of silt.
Azula's nose bunches up. Sokka bursts out laughing. "Toph, you should see their faces right now! Even TyLee is horrified."
"Please tell me that we're getting close. I think that I have a pentapus stuck to the back of my leg." Katara winces.
Azula shakes her head. "You'd know if we were." She isn't the type to shout gleefully, but she can almost see herself doing so upon getting out of this putrid, stagnant water.
"Hey guys, check this out!" Aang exclaims.
"What the hell is that?" Zuko asks.
"I don't like it." Azula frowns.
"I think that it's kinda cute." Aang says. In his arms he cradles one of the petapus that have been harassing Katara. But this one has a sixth tentacle and rather vicious looking teeth.
"Maybe if you're the sort of guy who thinks that piranha-eels are cute." Mai comments.
"They kind of are…" Aang trails off.
Azula can't help but feel faintly unnerved. Perhaps it is mere coincidence but she can't help but wonder if the Vine Research Facility has been conducting research on the swamp's wildlife. She rises back to her full height and clears her throat. With everyone's attention back on her she speaks, "There are several compounds located throughout this swamp. I am not certain that all of them are directly linked with myself and the deaths of Jeon Jeong and Chan." She takes pause to let it sink in. "I believe that we should break off into groups; Mai, TyLee and Zuko in the first group. Aang, Katara, and Toph in the second. Sokka and I will be in a third group…" she notices him cringe.
She doesn't let the frown she is feeling work its way onto her face. No matter, there are things that she wishes to discuss with him in private and this may be the only chance she can buy herself for a while. She would rather not enter any compounds with other matter cluttering her mind.
"We will each take a team of imperial firebenders. But I recommend leaving them to wait while you check the facilities. Stealth is key." As an after thought she adds, "does anyone have a problem with this plan?"
Sokka clears his throat and she feels her heart sinking. "Aang, Katara, and I have been in this place before, so we know what to expect. I think that Katara should go with Zuko and Mai and that Tylee should go with Aang and Toph. That way everyone has someone who knows what to expect."
The nervous jitters subside. "Yes, that is a good point, thank you Sokka. Are there any other problems?"
"Sounds like a sturdy plan to me." Toph shrugs.
"Wonderful." Azula replies. "If you find your facility today, the goal is to enter it and determine the type of research that takes place within it without being seen and then report back. We will only begin storming the place and making arrests after all three compounds have been found." She holds her hands on her hips as she glances from one person to the next. "We will meet back at camp during the night to discuss findings. Having set up in the heart of the swamp, this shouldn't be too difficult." She pauses once more, "Katara mentioned a tribe that lives in this swamp, apparently they like to migrate around a lot. If you should come by them, see if they know anything of the compounds."
Though Azula is hesitant to ask anything of them after Katara noted that they have rather...primitive lifestyles and speak rather illiterately.
.oOo.
"I don't know what I did this time." Sokka mutters. "Actually, I sort of do, I was talking to Katara about it."
"You Katara about that!?"
"I needed advice. I figured that your a woman and she's a women..." he trails off. "But then I remembered that you're...really different."
"And what did she say?" Azula inquires.
"That I should have just answered your question."
"Yes, you should have." She replies. "I would rather just have you tell me no than…" She gives a soft grunt as she yanks her foot out of the sludge.
"I wouldn't." Sokka says.
Azula crinkles her brows. "Of course you wouldn't. You like to sugar coat things and 'spare my feelings'. Everyone likes to…"
His expression is curiously kind. "I wish you would trust me."
"I'm not good at that." She mutters.
He brings their walking to a halt. "Ask me again."
"Ask you again?"
He nods.
She isn't sure that she enjoys this game and almost wishes that she had chosen to put Zuko in their party. Reluctantly she asks, "do you love me." It is harder the second time, much more awkward and much less natural.
He brushes her bangs out of the way, she hadn't even realized that the swamp has plastered it to her face. His right hand cups her cheek and his left tilts her head up. He presses a gentle and drawn out kiss to her lips.
He pulls back and smiles at her. "Do you want a vocal answer too or was that good enough?"
She coughs, "that will do just fine."
She admires him for being able to kiss her lips for so long even with them being musky with swamp water. She supposes that, that alone is proof enough for her.
"Good." He smiles and gives her damp hair a ruffle.
"That's so cute." One if the imperial firebenders remarks.
She cuts them a glare and then looks back to Sokka. "We'll continue this conversation on our own time."
He takes his hand in hers. Suddenly, walking through the swamp is much more bearable. Though the mosquito-flies still make a morsel of her and the fetid waters still soaks her clothes, she begins to feel more at ease.
It no longer goes around and around in her head, the possibility that she has lost Sokka. Even if he hadn't kissed her she wouldn't have wanted to lose him as a friend.
She inhales—taking it a potent whiff of bog water and fish—she can enter the compound with a clear head and nothing else on her mind.
"So what am I to expect from this swamp?"
"Anything honestly. It manifests fears and things you desire."
"Of course it does." It is just what she needs before entering a place where her fears truly reside.
She is that much more thankful that she won't be alone. She tightens her hold on his hand.
gemsofformenos: It's nice to see you back! "Her flashback and Sokka's injury is gnawing badly at her but Sokka is trusting her and understands her so well." To a degree he almost trusts her more than she trusts herself. "He trusts Sokka and he has noticed that Azula is feeling better and he is sure that this is a result of having Sokka around. This big brother talk was great." He pretty much acknowledges that it's good for her to have some love and care, since it isn't something she got a lot of when she was younger. "Their way back was also great. I love the banter between Zuko and Azula and the fact that she recalls Dum-Dum. These moments are wonderful and it gives so much hope for Azula to get her memories back in the end." I just love sprinkling those moments in there. Just small callbacks to her old self like muscle memory. "And I do think you nailed Katara's reaction. I feel she really tries to accept and trust Azula but accidents like that let her snap back easily." I tried to base that on her reaction to Zuko accidentally burning Toph's feet.
"Reading your fics and writing reviews to give something back for fics I like is never a chore to me." I'm so glad to hear that! It's always annoying when you can't make time for the stuff that you enjoy doing. :v "The whole description how Sokka wraps her up in countless layers of clothes to keep her warm this time is really cute and the moment under the lights is simply great." I crave that kind of fluff and Azula needs that kind of care, even if it annoys her a little to be doted over. "This is such a quiet and beautiful moment and as ever you're capturing the sensations so incredibly well. I love this style of writing so much." Thank you! I finally got a chance to describe some scenery again. I haven't been able to do it as much in this fic. "And then you end this chapter with such aa bitter moment. Outch." Surprise angst! "He does have feelings for her!" He was just scared to admit it for a second. It threw him off that she was so blunt. Sokka also has a habit of angering her by the things that he doesn't say. "My favorite one so far because of these tender moments and this tension and painful twist at the end." It was one of the chapters that I had the funnest writing. "Thank you for all your efforts for us." You're welcome! 3
"The new distance you've put between Sokka and Azula opens the space to shift perspectives and interactions and you use it so perfeclty." Thanks! It was fun to work with them but with more distance if that makes sense. "The minor part but a first highlight to me is Sokka and Katara. I love Katara's reaction as Sokka tells her the reason for Azula's nee coldness towards him." Lmao, he just needed some girl advice from a girl and Katara just really fits that role. "I love it cause beside all her anger and suspicions against Azula she has noticed how Sokka has acted around Azula." She's able to put aside resentment because she notices that Azula makes Sokka happy. "It is great to see that both seem to give her a real chance and it is a huge step for Azula to dare to talk about the wuestion and the missing answer." I was itching to give them a little moment. And I kind of wanted Azula to have a very normal/typical teen/young adult conversation. And I feel like Ty is the perfect person to get boy advice from. "It wasn't totally out of nowhere because of everything which has happened between Sokka and Azula so far, but both haven't ever talked about what is happening between them so the step from not talking about to do you love me was a really big one." Exactly. I've always felt like Azula would be more physically expressive about love than verbally for some reason. So they never really talked about how they actually feel. "But a real highlight was the moment between Zuko and Azula." I was also craving a tender sibling moment. "I love how she addresses Ozai as the one who hasn't honor and how she let Zuko know that her old self must have seen him as an worthy opponent. Like Zuko said it is a compliment in Azula's very own special way and it is great that Zuko acknowleges this compliment." Likewise I feel like Azula has trouble complimenting people properly; I think that the things she sees as compliments aren't typical things. It's also kind of her way of apologizing without actually apologizing, because apologizing makes her very uncomfortable, memories or none. "Like I said my new favorite chapter." :'D I think that this is my Ember Island of the filler/bridge chapters lol. The one that everyone seems to like as much as the non-fillers. "Thank you again for all your efforts and for sharing your stories with us. Have a wonderful day and keep on having fun with your stories" You're welcome and thank you for putting so much time into reviewing! I hope that you have a nice night as well!
azula liker: Thanks! I'm really happy that you enjoy the pace. I don't feel rushed :) Writing is one of my favorite things to do, when I'm not working on a fic, I'm usually working on an original story. I'm kind of just used to pumping fics out lol. It's kinda routine.
it's very good the story has a nice pace I hope you don't feel rushed or pressured into doing these stories.
RadioDog77: Thank you! I think that it might have been mentioned in one of those side stories that she helped him acquire the ships. I don't quite remember tho. But it's one of those things that goes to show that their relationship is not broken beyond repair. Tbh I think that, that was one of my strongest fillers in a while. This new one is more filler-y than the last chapter. But some of the good shit should happen in the next one.
everlastingflames000: Thanks ^_^ I agree, Beach Azula is particularly endearing imo. She's hella awkward and I live for that. I also live for humanizing Azula and seeing her get humanized. I feel like a good chunk of the fandom constantly demonizes her so it's nice to see people appreciate her humanity. I've always believed that she was molded by her father and shaped by the very strict and disciplined society of the Fire Nation. She needs some love and a chance. Though I'm a major multi-shipper so I can see her with like everyone xD
Therecklessone: That's one of her biggest dreads with her memories. She worries that they might be more potent than the new ones and that it could lead to a downward spiral. But yeah, Sokka loves her despite her flaws and shortcomings.