Alyce Reide: Pretty much though. I feel like not much attention is paid to collateral damage and the deaths of background characters. It's just kind of glossed over. Almost disturbingly so tbh. I guess they're operating under the guise of, 'well it's possible that they could have survived'. But like, for real if you really think about it? Lmao that comic sounds like comedy gold indeed.

And yup, Azula does get her memories back so she's got a rocky road ahead as she tries to come to terms with them.

gemsofformenos: I had a real fun time with this one because it was in a way different from the type of horror I usually work with. Typically I go for the more gory, bloody types. This was more body horror I think. So it was fun to experiment with. I'm glad that the experiment paid off. As of now Azula has a lot of stress on her plate and much less support so she's in a bad situation. "the old Azula stands in her way as well. She is torn between these two poles." And this is perhaps the biggest setback for her. She's torn between her new and old personalities. They are clashing rather heavily. As such she's falling back on her older person. But at the same time she does feel bad for it. Which is progress. "In a way both Sokka and Azula feel like the worst nightmare the swamp has shown them has come true." It pretty much has and it weighs heavily upon them. Even new Azula tends to assume that one fight is the end of it all. And old Azula isn't used to unconditional love."It seems he truly wants to help as well." Yeah, he's one of those people who seems nice on the surface and actually is lol. "You do write this tension so well and you can feel the struggle both do have about it." Thanks :D I put a lot of work into that last chapter and I'm glad that it was enjoyed. "Sokka is hurt and angry, but he understands it and he cares for her and is deeply worried about her wish." He does care but he also wonders if he needs to look out for himself first for once. "She is tired of fighting, tired of knowing what she has done and still refusiong to dare a new start." She's tired of a lot of things but really doesn't know how to remedy this. "You're leading this comversatuon so carefully and so in character in my opinion." Thanks again! It was a little difficult trying to work with an Azula who is both new and old Azula at the same time; trying to balance out which parts of new Azula stay and when they reemerge vs old Azula. "She admits that his tries do count for something. For Azula, who once has said that almost perfect isn't good enough is this a huge development. Awesome." This is really really important for her, that's for sure. But there may be a few critical things she is missing/hasn't considered. "Thank you again for this story so far and for all your kind answers to my reviews. My comments might fall behind again but I want to let you know that this one with others is always a welcomed distraction from busy times. Have a wonderful day and keep on having fun with your stories" And you're welcome. It's just always so great to see someone put so much time into a review! Especially since things have been hectic. Once again, I wish you the best of luck with you busier scheduled.

The longer he stares at her the more he finds himself regretting having approached her at all. She is no longer the only one with a sense of conflict. For as much as he doesn't want to burn such a beautiful and gilded bridge, he finds that he is still unfathomably angry. Perhaps too much to provide any real comfort. Perhaps he is the one who wants comfort this time.

She is the one who pushed him out. She is the one who had said cold things. Why is he once again the one reaching out and apologizing as though he'd done her wrong? The sting of betrayal is still heavy in his mind, reminding him of the moment when Suki had finally made her confession.

At least Suki hadn't meant to hurt him. At least in making a clean and clear break, she'd been trying to make things a little easier on him. She'd been trying to avoid using him or lying to him. That is more than he can say about the woman sitting with her head against the wall, staring silently at the ceiling with one leg outstretched and the other drawn up to her chest. She drapes her arm over the indrawn leg.

Their conversation had died off several minutes ago and in the silence reality hits in full. He shouldn't be comforting her, he thinks that he is doing so on an impulse. He knows how this will turn out. He'd told her that she'd been using him and she practically agreed. She's using him again.

But then he doesn't know why she'd be so distraught if she doesn't regret having said so. And he'd already promised her patience. But did he really owe her anything at all? And thus his conflict.

Sokka wonders how she would react now if he were to bring up his own problems. He waits too long and his opportunity passes. She begins a new conversation.

.oOo.

It feels horrible amiss to express any sort of vulnerability. He is still angry with her, very much so, she can sense it on him. It rattles her to the core to know that she has let him get close enough to her for her to be able to tell that he'd like little to do with her. It makes her head spin, she doesn't know why he has told her he'd be patient with her when he'd rather not speak with her at all.

She thinks of telling him to leave again, to make it easier on the both of them. Instead she chooses a new topic. And she is weary; he can so easily take anything she says and weaponize it. Yet it is too hard to keep it in. She rubs her face, wonder why and when it had become so hard for her to just cope on her own.

Still, it stands that she can't keep in inside anymore, it is driving her mad. "I still can't sleep?"

"I can tell." His tone is colder, he sounds much more like her than himself.

As far as she is concerned, the conversation is over and it has done little to help her mood. Frankly she thinks that she feels worse for it. Azula gets to her feet regardless of what she feels for Sokka, she knows that he can't help her.

He can tell her that he'd be patient with her all he wants but at the end of the day it is just empty words. She doesn't look back as she wanders back to Dr. Phang's office. She will make her departure silent and have Dr. Phang send word to Zuko.

.oOo.

Sokka's stomach sinks as Azula walks away but he lets her go. He thinks that it might be better for him in the long run. Yet his mind nags him to not let go. Not just yet. He retreats back to his room and occupies himself by slashing his sword at the air. He only stops when the blade comes much too close to a particularly pricey looking sofa. He moves his training to the designated room.

He has a sturdy flow going, graceful and elegant. Her runs through arcing sweeps and quick uppercuts. Every now and again he gives his boomerang a toss, it finds its mark across the room and comes back.

He wishes that people were more like his boomerang.

"Are you doing alright buddy?" Zuko asks.

Sokka has to snicker at the inside joke. "I talked to your sister."

Zuko pinches the bridge of his nose. "After swearing up and down that you wouldn't?"

"Don't worry, I decided that I wasn't letting her off the hook that easily this time. I think that she got the hint." His own words put a flutter in his belly. Why had he told her that he'd be patient and loving if he wasn't ready to be that? He curses the heat of the moment. He curses himself for getting attached to someone who never truly existed. Someone who he'd known from the start would hurt him terribly. "It's not my job to fix her." He pauses. "I loved her for something she wasn't and I'm not going to pretend to love who she used to be. I'm not going to pretend like I'm okay with that person coming back."

Zuko finds himself a spot on the wall. "I don't think that, that person is entirely back." He pauses. "She's a lot better than I expected."

"How so?"

"She isn't trying to hurt anyone." He shrugs.

"So what?" Sokka asks."Are we supposed to pat her on the back for finally acting like she should have from the start!? And she did hurt someone. She did it in the exact same why that she always has. With words and lies."

.oOo.

Azula wishes that it didn't take losing him for her to ultimately decide that she didn't want to. Maybe it would have felt foreign and strange, perhaps downright wrong at first as one half of her worked to catch up with the other. But it would have been fine.

It could have been fine.

It should have been fine.

But it isn't fine. She knows when she is being cut off and it is entirely her fault for allowing herself to let someone in. She finds herself furious at him for taking advantage of her during a moment of weakness. For helping her at just the right time to make it seem like he was the right person.

She thinks that there is no right person for her. She is meant to be alone.

It is entirely her fault for not being able to treat a person right.

She is definitely meant to be alone.

She sits down on her bed and stares at her palms. She supposes that anything she'd had with Sokka hadn't been genuine anyways. It was simply the product of latching onto the first person who would spare her any kindness.

She wants to believe as much anyways, it would make things easier to cope with. But if it hadn't been genuine then she doesn't think that it would hurt so much to lose it. She rubs her hands over her face.

.oOo.

This time he takes Zuko with him when he heads for Azula's room. They need to talk and this time they are going to talk about him, about his feelings, about why he is hurt and not about her. It will be something of a test, if she can listen to him and try to see his side...if she can understand why he was so hurt then they might be able to work things out.

If he can just see a spark of compassion from her it could reassure him that the part of her that he loved is still there. Truly there.

That she isn't just using him as a more intimate therapist.

"She's been surprisingly cordial with me." Zuko says. "She's been giving Mai and TyLee space though. I think that she knows that we aren't happy with how she treated you…"

"And…?"

"And. I guess that I'm trying to say that I think that she wants things to be how they were before she got her memories back. She just isn't sure how to get them there." He smiles reassuringly.

Sokka swallows and forces one last bout of optimism, a small but shimmering ray of hope that she might be willing to listen to his problems for once. It wanes as quickly as he had coaxed it forward when he knocks on her door and it falls ajar, revealing a lack of the princess and a room devoid of her most prized belongings.