This one is a little gift to the wonderful BellatrixLestrangey. Some more TeZula moments for one of your favorite rare pairs. I hope you'll enjoy my little birthday gift for you. Have a great day! *Hugs*
A big Thank You to PurplePlatypusBear21 for proof-reading.
New Letters
Teo leaned himself over the maps of the city and the bay. He had already marked several places on different detailed maps of Republic City and the surrounding area. The city has grown so much during the last years and it was still growing. The architect's look switched back to some sketches he had made of the new building he was designing. This new project was a special matter of his heart.
The new pro-bending-arena.
Teo loved the sport so much and also his wife enjoyed watching it whenever it was time. He had been so happy and excited as they had chosen him to design the new arena and the council had given him great freedom to choose the place for this new representative building of the city. It was truly helpful to be married to the Princess of the Fire Nation who was also ambassador of her Nation and being a close friend of councilman Sokka.
A gentle knock on his office door ripped Teo out of his work. He frowned after a brief look at his clock. He wasn't expecting anyone but he already had an idea who it would be.
"Come in Azula"
The door opened and the Fire Nation Princess walked in with a pleased smirk. Teo couldn't help himself but just smile at her. The pony tail and the perfectly tied topknot was suiting her so well with the bangles framing her face. Azula still wore armor but it was a lighter one than during the war with less prominent shoulder parts and some blue worked in to add to the dark red, the black of the hardened leather plates and the golden highlights which were catching up the gold of her hairpiece. It was her official outfit she wore for meetings. Azula passed his big office table to bow down to Teo for a kiss. Her golden eyes were bearing a sad shine as their lips parted because she could see in Teo's eyes that he had an idea why she showed up.
"It's a blessing and a curse to be married to a sharp mind like yours."
Teo hugged her tight and only sighed a bit while Azula started to scratch his scalp a bit.
"I'm sorry Teo but I have to cancel our searching tour for a place to build the new arena. Toph and I have to discuss urgent matters about the training and organization of the new police forces."
Her voice sounded disappointed and Teo only tightened his hug. Even after being together for ten years now Azula still felt guilty when she had to cancel or reschedule plans both had made together.
"You don't have to be sorry. We can make the trip tomorrow. And beside the dinner this evening is still settled?"
Azula's smile gained back it's shine and the Princess pulled his wheelchair a bit back to take place on his lap.
"I told Toph I'd burn down half of the City if this meeting would affect our dinner."
Teo chuckled amused and he placed a brushing kiss on Azula's lips.
"That's my Princess, master of negotiation and smart enough only to burn the half of the City without our favorite restaurant."
Azula smirked at Teo but the man also noticed the happy glow in her eyes. Teo loved her dark humor so much and even after all these years it made her obviously so happy to see him enjoying it unlike others who still had some difficulties to deal with it. It may be a reason why Toph and Azula got along so well.
"Toph told me she'd do it for me instead so I could just watch and enjoy the show."
Azula's quote elicited another chuckle from Teo but he recognized Azula's voice getting a bit worried and frustrated.
"She's sorry for all the interruptions lately but these things aren't for everyone's eyes and ears and so we have to discuss all of it privately. Normally I'd write letters or coded messages but since Toph cannot read or see, this is the only option left."
Teo took Azula's hand and squeezed it.
"Tell the Chief I don't blame her and I expect an invitation to a big beach barbeque to make up for all these interruptions with her smoked hippo-cow spare rips and her sea-food plate."
Now Azula couldn't suppress a happy laugh and she gave Teo a last kiss before she stood up to leave. She smirked at him as she had reached the door.
"I'll let her know and I'm sure she'll agree to that."
Teo grinned from ear to ear.
"I'm sure Sokka's stomach is already giving him a message to get ready for a barbeque."
Azula rolled her eyes.
"You know he's at the South Pole visiting his father."
Teo smirked at the mischievous spark in Azula's eyes.
"Of course."
He wiggled his eyebrows which caused another laugh from Azula.
"See you for dinner. I love you."
Teo's smile grew warmer.
"I love you too."
The man released a little sigh as Azula had closed the door. Teo's look wandered back to the maps and sketches on his desk. His face got serious as he started to browse loosely through the scrolls and papers. It wasn't the first time Toph had cursed the fact that she couldn't read any sort of notes. Most of the time it didn't matter because someone could read it for her but many topics she was discussing with Azula, Sokka or colleagues were for their ears only. And as more of the police of Republic City started to take shape, the more she was facing troubles with her handicap when it came to organize it. Toph's seismic sense and her metalbending was more than just a compensation most of the time but writing and reading were true problems.
Teo started to frown and his look wandered to the pencils and inks which were on his desk. His eyes wandered to a glider he had designed which was hanging from the ceiling of his office and suddenly a smirk found its way to his lips. He started to clear the table in haste and placed some sheets of paper on it and a brush. He nodded to himself and wheeled towards the door of his office. He'd need to do some research and get some helping hands. It would only be a first draft but he was sure that he could write Toph a first message today. One she could read on her own.
Toph sunk back in her chair with a frustrated sigh. She massaged the bridge of her nose a bit to fight the dull pain behind her eyes. Three hours and only to discuss general plans and organization around the new training for the police officers with some council men and Azula. The Chief was thankful that the ambassador had offered her help and expertise in this case but it was frustrating that all these things needed to be discussed in person. She could sense Azula's frustration as well.
"Sorry for ruining your day with Teo. Again."
Azula stood up and walked to the window of Toph's office to take a look outside while she crossed her arms over her chest.
"It's okay. This is important and Teo understands it. I told you that you owe him a big barbeque now."
Toph's face darkened.
"No it's not okay. Any other person would be able to get half of this stuff organized by mail but…"
"But no other person would have your instincts, your drive, your reputation and sharp mind and your status to bump heads with all sort of people even from the nobility. You know both games well Toph, dancing ballet within the dragon pit and kicking butts in the streets too."
Azula's voice got a warning edge for a moment but it softened instantly at the disappointed look from Toph. She placed a hand on the metalbender's shoulder.
"You're perfect for this position. Zuzu has been Fire Lord for thirteen years now and he still struggles to delegate work or to determine which topics can be settled just by mail. And unlike you he has the ability to read and write."
Toph could hear the slight amusement in Azula's voice and it managed to cast a little smirk on the earthbender's face but suddenly she frowned again.
"Come in."
Azula's attention switched to the office door which was opened carefully. The shy and confused face of a young man appeared.
"Uhm… Sorry for interrupting… But I have a message for the Chief."
Toph sighed annoyed.
"Get in and read the message to me."
Toph noticed Azula's rising confusion and the nervousness of the messenger.
"Well… I can't… I got the strict order to deliver the messages so you can read it on your own. I…"
Azula's patience was obviously running low. The Princess's eyes had narrowed in suspicion.
"Enough of beating around the bush. Who has sent the message and how is the Chief supposed to read it on her own. Explain yourself. Now."
Toph couldn't suppress a smirk at the rising panic of them man. He fumbled in a bag and pulled out a little package.
"Well the message is from your husband your highness and he gave me the order that Toph should try read it and tell you which of these messages was the best for her to read."
He walked over to the desk and placed the packet carefully on it. The silence hung heavily within the room. The Princess and the Chief were staring at the package with widened eyes. They were still observing the object as Toph sent the man away with a wave of her hand. The Chief waited until the messenger had left before she dared to speak up.
"What in Raava's name is Teo up to?"
Azula felt her heart beating fast. If he really had done what she was suspecting then it'd be big.
"Open the box, Toph."
The Chief opened the package carefully and gasped in surprise. Several objects were to be found within the box and a folded paper. Toph took out a metal plate with carved letters on it, a hardened clay tablet with a carved message, some stone and metal letters and the folded paper. Toph's mouth stood agape in surprise and her focus remained on the sheet of paper. She carefully unfolded it and let her hand run over the paper. Azula noticed that Teo had taken some of her personal letter paper she normally used for official correspondence with the Palace. It was embossed paper which was carrying the Fire Nation symbol as embossing. The man had also sealed it with her personal seal and sealing wax.
"Azula… all these objects have letters on it, haven't they?"
The firebender nodded.
"They have. Teo has sent different objects with a message on it and a letter for me with the same text on it. He has also added a stone and a metal version of every letter he had used. I think…"
Azula got cut off by Toph who was shaking her head and waving the letter franticly.
"No I think the letter is for me too. I don't know what he has done with it but I can sense the letters on it and they seem to have the same structure like the ones on the plates. Azula I cannot read but with these objects I could! What is he writing?"
Azula's jaw dropped for a moment while she was staring at the letter before she released a baffled gasp.
"Gosh Teo…"
"Azula! The message! Please!"
Azula saw tears welling up in Toph's eyes and it made her realize that her own sight threatened to get foggy as well. She took the letter from Toph while the earthbender grabbed the clay tablet to run her fingers over the scratched surface.
"Hello Toph. I'm sorry that this idea hasn't struck me earlier. It's a first draft to collect ideas so meet me at my office as soon as possible. Oh and let me know which of these mediums have given you the clearest image.
Yours
Teo
Please ask Azula if it would be okay to have dinner for three at my office this evening?"
Azula looked up from the paper. Toph was constantly trying to wipe away her tears but no matter how hard she tried new ones just showed up instantly. She chuckled and shook her head.
"See now I'm still ruining your plans for the evening."
Azula released a little laughter but gave Toph a hug.
"Yes you are."
Both started to laugh as Toph hugged the Princess back. Azula's voice got mischievous.
"But you can throw in that it was his fault this time."
"Come in."
Teo didn't look up from his desk at the knock on his door but he had to smirk as it got pushed open with a forceful move. He was busy mixing a gray powder into different little glass jars. Toph quickly closed the distance from the door towards the desk of the man while Azula showed up in the doorframe with a smile on her face.
"I see you got my message. It's only a first try but… Hey!"
Toph had delivered a punch at the shoulder of the man and the hit caused the gray powder to dust the desk. Teo looked up and his eyes found the smiling face of the Earthbender. He was in a tight hug only the next moment.
"How dare you to turn me into a crying baby right in front of your wife."
Teo chuckled amused and returned the hug. His eyes found Azula's who was leaning against the doorframe now with her hands crossed in front of her chest and a smirk around her lips. He could see the joy and pride shining in her golden orbs.
"You're welcome. I just wish I'd have come up earlier with an idea to tackle the message problem."
Toph released the man out of her arms and wiped her eyes dry again. Azula also walked over to Teo and the man wheeled back from the desk to welcome his wife. He was blushing a bit as the Princess reached him.
"Sorry but the idea hit me suddenly and I couldn't wait to start working on it and…"
He got cut off by Azula bowing down to him to share a long kiss with Teo. She was smiling as she straightened up again.
"And so you decided to cancel our dinner for smearing dirt on a sheet of paper."
Teo blushed even more but his smile remained since he could see the pride in Azula's eyes.
"It's a great idea Teo and skipping this dinner for two might mean more dinner and private time for us in the future I think. And it would help a good friend."
Toph and Teo started to laugh at Azula's remark. The man wheeled himself back to the desk and Toph and Azula took place beside him. The desk was filled with scrolls and books about ancient cultures and their writings and tools and mediums they had used for it. Some objects had found their way to the desk too like carved stone and metal plates, wooden plates, clay tablets, wax tablets and also different tools to carve or mark the different materials. Before their entrance Teo had been busy working with different powders he had placed on fabric pieces in front of him. Some of them seemed to be grained to even finer dust by him with a mortar and pestle which were standing beside some jars of ink he had lined up in front of him. Teo's voice got serious.
"So far I'm still just brainstorming and trying different ideas I got. Since Toph has her earth- and metalbending my first idea was to work with materials she can sense with her bending. Stone, clay and metal provide a chance to let her 'see' the letters carved or stamped on it. But I ran into the first issue right at the moment where I wanted to get the letters on or into the material, that's why I haven't sent a stone plate as well. Clay tablets have been easy to write on but drying is a problem and they can crack easily. Metal plates have been a better choice but only because I have tools for fine carvings."
Toph placed the box with the messages back on Teo's desk and took out the clay tablet.
"I was able to sense the letters on all of the messages but the metal plate gave me the clearest picture. The letters on the clay tablet feel crackled and frayed to me."
Teo nodded.
"That's what I feared. Another disadvantage is that both aren't as easy or as comfortable to transport than paper but carving the metal gave me another idea."
Azula took the letter and placed it on the table.
"So you added some metal powder to the ink so Toph could sense the linings."
Teo leaned over to Azula and gave his wife a kiss on her cheek ignoring the annoyed sigh of Toph.
"Exactly. But it was tricky to add the powder the right way. You have to stir up the ink every time or you won't have any of the metal on your brush and I had to add some honey to make the powder stick to the paper. Not the best glue but it was all I got right at the moment and it was fine enough for the first try."
Toph took the letter and a smile rushed over her face.
"It was wonderful to sense your writing. The first time I got a letter where I'd have the chance to read it one day."
But her face got serious again.
"Still I see the issue. To me the linings are smeared and difficult to sense. I'd really have problems to get the message if I wouldn't have the same one on the metal plate here. But I like the paper. It has embossing and this reminds me of my childhood. My family uses such paper for important correspondence and as a toddler I loved running my fingers over it. I couldn't sense the paper like stone and earth so it was nice to just feel the embossing."
Teo frowned for a moment and took the letter. He took a magnifying glass to take a closer look at the ink on the paper.
"I see. Yes the powder hasn't dispensed evenly on the paper."
He placed the letter on the desk and rubbed his chin. Suddenly Azula took one of the metal letters he had sent to Toph and another sheet of paper which was to be found on the desk. She placed the sheet above the letter and started to press and rub at the paper carefully and slowly the shape of the letter approached on it. She handed her work over to Toph.
"You said you could feel the embossing. Can you feel the embossed shape of the letter?"
Toph took the paper and she started to run her finger along the embossing of the letter. A smile spread on her face.
"It isn't easy but yes. If you can improve the print than this would be possible."
Azula smirked at Teo who was beaming at Azula.
"That's great. Embossing would be possible on many different materials. Now we have two ways to experiment with to get messages on a sheet of paper for Toph."
Teo's smile vanished as his face turned into a suspicious frown. Azula's golden eyes were burning like two suns in excitement.
"No embossing would be better I think. Try the bigger picture Teo. Toph is a blind earthbender."
Teo and Toph looked at Azula in confusion for a second but then her husband and only a moment later Toph started to smile widely. The man pulled Azula into a long kiss and his eyes were shining proud as their lips parted.
"That's ingenious Azula. Embossed letters would allow any blind person to write and read not only Toph."
The Princess smiled smug at her husband.
"Now you're starting to think big Teo."
Toph gave the man a little nudge with a hearty laugh.
"Your wife always thinks big for the two of you. But the idea is great. This can be something really big."
The earthbender stood up and stretched herself.
"Well I guess we can use the evening for some experiments so let's order some food and get started making history. I'll take the bill for tonight."
Azula and Teo chuckled as Toph headed towards the door to call for a person to take their orders. They were excited to start.
It was long past midnight as Teo and Azula finally laid down in their bedroom at the Fire Nation embassy. Teo was already under the sheets and Azula moved close to him to rest her head on his chest. The man placed his arm around her and started to scratch her scalp a bit but she could feel his mind still wandering.
"We made a lot of progress for a first brainstorming session so what's keeping your mind busy?"
Teo chuckled and placed a little kiss on Azula's head while pulling her closer.
"I'm not sure if we're on the right track at the moment."
Azula raised an eyebrow which elicited a slight chuckle from her husband.
"No embossing is it… I think."
He sighed a bit and turned to Azula to face her observing eyes.
"Even with the embossing plates Toph has crafted she still struggles to sense the letters and it gets worse when forming words."
Azula carefully stroked his cheek with a smile.
"It's a first try Teo. She is used to living without her sight. She'll learn it quickly and maybe we just need to change spaces between the letters or the shapes of them."
Teo only frowned.
"Yes maybe. But it would reduce the number of letters per page and therefore the possible amount of information transported with one sheet of paper. And what about people who haven't learned to use their other senses as well as Toph? And…"
He got cut off by a kiss on his lips. Azula smiled warmly at him.
"And these questions can wait until tomorrow. No one expects you to invent a whole new font in just a few hours."
This time it was Teo smirking mischievously at his wife.
"Not even you?"
Azula snipped his ear with a grin and chuckled.
"No. I thought about a week at maximum since it should be perfect."
The teasing smile of his wife elicited warm laughter from Teo. The man gave Azula another kiss.
"Well glad to hear that you're not giving me any pressure in this case."
He turned on his back again and Azula snuggled up to her husband. Suddenly a pleased smile came to his lips and he pulled her closer. His voice was filled with new confidence.
"Maybe I already have an idea. Back at the old Air Temple my father had installed pipes everywhere and my friends and I have used knocks against the metal to communicate at long distances. I don't know how but I feel this may be useful. This…"
"Teeeooo…"
Azula's voice was warm but slightly annoyed as she stretched his name. She got rewarded by a final kiss on her forehead.
"I know… tomorrow."
The Princess hummed in pleasure as she felt her husband making himself comfortable. She closed her eyes with a pleased smile.
"Yes tomorrow. Good night Teo."
"Good night Azula."
The Princess focused on her husband's breathing and its deep and slow rhythm lulled her into sleep. He'd solve the problem. Teo was patient and persistent. He knew how to handle problems anyone else would address as a lost cause. He has won her heart this way.