Feeling the boat rock gently on the water, Azula looked to Ty Lee and they both lifted the container of seaweed up together and moved it out the way. Making sure it was securely placed in the hold, Azula took a moment and wiped her nose on the arm of her jacket before she sat down on the bottom stair and looked into Ty Lee's grey eyes.
"Are you okay, Azula?" Ty Lee asked, noticing that Azula didn't seem herself today.
"I am, I'm just tired," Azula replied, watching as Ty Lee sat down in front of her, using one of the closed containers as a makeshift seat.
"When we head back up to the deck take a break and have something to drink, I can manage packing the containers for a bit," Ty Lee said, moving forward and placing her hand on Azula's forehead. "You feel a little warm to the touch my love."
Feeling Ty Lee press a soft kiss to her forehead, Azula closed her eyes and took a deep breath in and slowly let it out, she did not feel very well but there was no chance she was going to admit that to anyone.
"Ty Lee, Azula, are you okay down there?" one of the men called out.
"We'll be up in a second," Ty Lee replied, helping Azula to her feet.
Walking up the few stairs to get to the main deck of the boat; Ty Lee guided Azula over to one of the seats in the middle of the boat and sat her down, handing her a cup of water to drink. "I'm going to go see what needs to be done, rest for a moment."
Nodding her head, Azula took a sip of water and let herself relax for just a moment. Walking up the few stairs from the hull back onto the main deck had made her feel exhausted. She felt like she was out of breath and she had a horrible pain starting in her sinuses. Watching Ty Lee, she felt bad that she couldn't help out more just yet.
"Azula, what's the matter?" Chief Hakoda asked, sitting down on the other bench, facing her.
"Just taking a quick break to have a drink," Azula replied, wiping her nose onto her sleeve once more.
"Take as long as you need, there is no rush, we have more than enough people to help out," Chief Hakoda smiled. Getting up he gave her a quick pat on the back before he walked over to Ty Lee.
"How's Azula?" Ty Lee asked as she lined the fish up in the container, making sure to leave no space between them.
"As a father I believe she should go straight to bed as soon as we get back. She's not well but she doesn't want to admit it," Chief Hakoda replied, grabbing a fish and helping Ty Lee to pack the container.
"I'll put her in bed myself when we get back; she's just so stubborn," Ty Lee said, putting the last fish into the container as Chief Hakoda grabbed the lid and closed it up.
"I'll take this downstairs if you want to help out the guys over there," Chief Hakoda replied, pointing to a group of two men and a woman.
Going over to the group of people, Ty Lee smiled at them and checked around her to see where they were at. "Is the net ready to come up yet?" she asked, looking to the woman who she recognised from the dining hall.
"Almost, we haven't had much luck over here yet so we are hoping we have something," the woman replied, giving the net a tentative tug.
"Hopefully we'll get something with this net," Ty Lee said, trying to lift spirits.
"It's ready, I can feel it," one of the men said, as he grabbed onto it.
Walking over to the net, Ty Lee grabbed a side and listened to the instructions given. When the man counted to three, Ty Lee pulled as hard as she could, watching the net slowly come up. Hearing the men grunt, she pulled harder and the net came up over the side of the boat and landed on the deck in front of them.
"It looks like we have a good haul here," the woman said, looking down at the net full of fish and eel.
"Let's quickly sort through it and put whatever we don't need back," one of the men said as he opened the net.
Pulling a container close to her, Ty Lee started to sort through the net. Gently picking up the small fish, she threw them back into the water. Making sure every small fish and eel had been returned to the water, she waited until the men finished gutting the large fish before she placed them inside the container. Filling the container with fish while the other woman filled hers with the eel, Ty Lee placed the last one inside and sealed it up, pushing it aside to help the woman finish filling hers.
"Ty Lee, if you're not busy can I borrow you for a moment?" Chief Hakoda said, pulling her aside.
"What's up Chief?" Ty Lee asked, going over to the man.
"Can you go check on Azula? I've tried again but I can't get anything out of her, she's starting to look unwell," Chief Hakoda replied, looking over to the golden eyed girl.
Heading over to Azula, Ty Lee could tell just by looking at her she was getting worse and Chief Hakoda was correct. "Hey Azula," she greeted, sitting down opposite her.
"Hello," Azula greeted back, wondering why Ty Lee was being so chipper.
"How are you feeling now? Ty Lee asked, seeing up close that Azula was sweating a little.
"I'm fine," Azula replied, non-convincingly.
"Azula, come on, I thought we were past this," Ty Lee tried, wanting to know what was wrong so she could help.
"I feel like death, Ty Lee. I didn't this morning; it's just gotten worse over the last hour or so. I feel hot and cold simultaneously, my nose is running, my sinus is throbbing in pain, and I've started to get a headache and my mood is drastically changing," Azula replied, telling Ty Lee exactly what she was feeling.
"I'm sorry, Azula, when we get back I'll make you a nice cup of tea and you can rest for a while," Ty Lee said, putting a comforting hand on Azula's knee.
"That sounds nice," Azula admitted, holding the empty cup of water in her hands.
"How's it going over here?" Chief Hakoda asked, coming over to the two girls.
"Azula doesn't feel well," Ty Lee said, looking up at the man who had a concerned look on his face.
"That's not good, plenty of rest and liquids when we get back. We should be heading back to the village once all the nets are emptied and back aboard. Ty Lee, stay with Azula please while I go get us going," Chief Hakoda said, wandering off to see what still needed to be done.
Feeling the boat beginning to move, Ty Lee sat next to Azula and wrapped an arm around her, letting Azula rest her head on her shoulder. Placing a gentle kiss on Azula's head, Ty Lee held her until they got back to shore, the boat docking at the pier.
Seeing Chief Hakoda motioning for them to get off first, Ty Lee walked Azula down the pier and guided her to their hut. Entering the hut, Ty Lee was glad the fire was still going. Adding some more wood onto it, she kicked off her shoes and took her jacket off. Helping Azula out her jacket, Ty Lee guided her over to the couch and sat her down. Pulling off Azula's shoes, Ty Lee placed them next to the door and went back over to her partner.
"Can I please get something cold to drink?" Azula asked, wiping the sweat off her forehead.
"Of course," Ty Lee replied, getting her a cup of cold water. Handing it over to Azula, Ty Lee felt Azula's forehead and sighed. "You feel like you're burning up."
Noticing the very concerned look on Ty Lee's face, Azula put her drink down on the table and looked at Ty Lee. "I don't feel good, I feel really hot."
"You still have a long sleeve shirt on, come here, let's get it off you." Helping Azula out of the shirt, Ty Lee tossed it aside and went into the bedroom and got Azula out a sleeveless shirt.
Handing the clean top to Azula, Ty Lee went into the small kitchen and got herself a drink as Azula put the shirt on and stood up, taking off her pants and kicking them aside.
"Too hot," Azula said, getting up and joining Ty Lee in the kitchen.
"I know, would it help to lie down instead? The bedroom isn't as warm as this room and may be more comfortable for you," Ty Lee suggested, noticing that Azula was getting irritated.
"Maybe," Azula replied, taking Ty Lee's hand and guiding her to the bedroom. Lying down on the bed, she kicked all the covers to the end and relaxed into the mattress beneath her. "Come join me?" she asked, looking to Ty Lee expectantly.
"Of course," Ty Lee agreed, getting onto the bed and lying down next to Azula.
Letting out a soft sigh, Azula stared up at the ceiling of the hut and reached out and held onto Ty Lee's hand. Feeling her entire body aching, she pressed where her sinus hurt and instantly regretted it, hissing in pain.
"What's wrong?" Ty Lee asked, her voice full of concern as she rolled onto her side and looked at Azula.
"Sinus hurts," Azula replied, pointing to the area.
"When you feel up to it I can get you some soup for dinner, it may help to make you feel better," Ty Lee offered, knowing that soup always helped her to feel better.
"I may feel up to going once I rest for a bit," Azula said, feeling a little hopeful.
"Only if you're sure," Ty Lee replied, rolling onto her back.
"Do you think Zuko and Mai are having a boy or girl?" Azula asked, wondering what it would be as she wanted to get the conversation away from how she was feeling.
"I don't know, I never really saw Mai as a mother but if I had to choose I would maybe pick a boy," Ty Lee replied.
"I think it might be a girl and she'll look like Mai with Zuko's attitude. Watching them both try to parent a baby will be hilarious," Azula said, smirking to herself.
"I have a feeling that when the baby first throws up on him, Zuko will either call someone over to deal with it or throw up himself," Ty Lee added, knowing Zuko didn't do well with vomit.
"When I was young and not feeling well, Zuko decided to pick me up and I threw up down his back. He basically threw me to the ground and then threw up himself until Father literally threw a bucket of water over him and told us both off for being weak." Thinking about her father, Azula sighed and tried not to let the memory of him get to her.
"How do you feel about becoming an aunty?" Ty Lee asked, steering the conversation away from parental figures.
"I don't know. The only time I'm going to see the kid within the next few years is if Zuko and Mai come and visit and bring the baby with them. I am kind of excited I think but with the Fire Nation not really settled I wonder if it's going to harm the baby in any way, especially with all the people out there who want revenge or something," Azula replied, voicing some of her concerns.
"I don't think they would risk telling anyone they didn't trust about it, I also think with the way things are Zuko and Mai may only announce it once the baby is born," Ty Lee said, agreeing with what Azula had already voiced.
"We'll just have to wait and see what they decide to do," Azula said, covering her mouth as she yawned.
"You're tired my love, try and get some sleep," Ty Lee softly said, rolling onto her side and placing a hand on Azula's shoulder.
"Will you stay with me?" Azula asked, not wanting to be alone while she felt so crap.
"Of course," Ty Lee replied, moving closer and wrapping an arm around Azula.
Feeling Ty Lee's warm embrace, Azula closed her eyes and relaxed. Trying to forget about the pain in her head and face, she took deep, even breaths in and slowly exhaled, lulling herself into a dreamless sleep.
Making their way through the freshly fallen snow, Azula looked up at the night sky and watched the stars twinkling. The moon was up high, showing only a crescent as it reflected down on the water that was slowly rippling, lapping at the shore.
Seeing the dining hall up ahead, Azula could see the lights on in the building as smoke floated out of the chimney, filling the air with the scent of delicious food. Watching as a family exited the dining hall and headed their way, Azula and Ty Lee greeted them, offering them a smile as they walked by.
Entering the dining hall, Azula felt Ty Lee's hand on her lower back guiding her over to where the food was. Stopping to pick up a tray, she placed a plate and bowl on it, not sure what she wanted to eat just yet.
Walking over to the food, Azula looked at what was on offer and felt her stomach turn at some of the smells. Sighing, Azula went over to where the soup was and looked at her options. There was the standard of vegetable soup in a rich broth with large chunks of vegetables making it more of a stew, next there was five flavour soup which was a flavourful broth and lastly there was tentacle soup which made her stomach turn once more.
Choosing between the vegetable soup and five flavour soup, Azula decided on vegetable soup and filled her bowl up to the brim, making sure to get some good sized chunks in her bowl. Moving along to the last row of food, Azula added two bread rolls to her plate and picked up a couple of sweet dumplings.
Noticing Ty Lee was still picking out her food, Azula walked over to an empty table and put her tray down. Heading over to where the drinks were, she poured out two mugs of hot jasmine tea and brought them back over to the table.
Sitting down, Azula leaned her elbows on the table and sighed again. When she woke up from her nap she had felt a lot better but now that she was out and doing stuff, she felt her sinus begin to ache again along with her head.
Looking up as Ty Lee joined her she watched her partner's brow furrow in concern as grey eyes looked over her.
"You're not feeling good, are you?" Ty Lee asked, setting her tray down on the table.
"It's not as bad as what I was feeling on the boat but it's coming back," Azula replied, picking up her spoon and stirring her soup.
"Hopefully food will help make you feel better. Once we are done here we can go back to our hut and you can rest some more and see if it helps," Ty Lee suggested, biting into a dumpling.
"Maybe," Azula replied, getting a chunk of carrot on her spoon to eat.
"Hello Ty Lee and Azula, how are you both doing?" Chief Hakoda asked, stopping by their table as they ate.
"We are doing okay," Azula replied, trying to hide the fact that she felt like crap.
"You seem to have a bit more colour to your face now than you did earlier. Eat up and get as much energy as you can and remember to rest. I'll see you both around sometime tomorrow, goodnight."
Watching as Chief Hakoda walked off, Azula picked another carrot out of her soup and slowly chewed on it, looking at the doors as a group of people left. Checking the room, Azula noticed that only three other people were present apart from herself and Ty Lee.
"So, how's your soup?" Ty Lee asked, trying to make conversation.
"It's edible," Azula replied, moving some weird green vegetable to the side. Picking up one of her bread rolls, she broke the end off and dipped it into her soup.
"The sweet dumplings are really good, they have a cinnamon hint to them today," Ty Lee said, watching as Azula slowly bit into her bread before placing it back in her soup.
"That sounds nice; I'm saving mine for when I eat half my soup." Taking another bite of her bread, Azula, rested her elbow on the table and used her hand to hold her head up. She was not feeling good at all and it was just getting worse.
Looking at Ty Lee's plate, Azula wondered for a second how she was able to eat so fast. Seeing only a dumpling and half a sausage left, Azula looked to Ty Lee and saw her sipping at her tea. Remembering she had a drink, she let her bread soak in her soup and she picked up her cup and took a long sip, feeling the warm liquid slide down her throat.
Feeling her head start to spin and her vision start to blur, Azula put down her tea and rested her head in her hands, she felt really bad and she didn't know what to do. Knowing she wouldn't be able to eat anything else, she took a deep breath in and looked up at Ty Lee. "Can we go back to our hut? I don't feel good," she softly said, watching as Ty Lee got up from the table and was at her side within seconds, a hand gently on her back supporting her.
"Of course we can, come here, let me help you," Ty Lee said, keeping a hold on Azula as the girl got up, watching to make sure Azula didn't pass out as she stood up. Gently guiding Azula through the dining hall and out the front door, Ty Lee took one look at the weather and sighed.
Feeling Ty Lee's strong grip around her waist, Azula wrapped one of her arms around Ty Lee's waist and let her partner guide her back to their hut. The snow was falling again which made it a little harder to walk as every step felt like it was using the last of her energy but with Ty Lee by her side, Azula knew she didn't have to worry. She knew that they would make it back to their hut. Not knowing if her vision was still blurry or if it was the snow, Azula pressed her eyes shut and hoped her vision would clear.
Entering their hut, Azula leaned more of her weight onto Ty Lee as she was guided over to one of the chairs. Feeling the support of it underneath her, Azula let go of Ty Lee and watched as the girl knelt down in front of her. She felt a hand on her head checking her temperature as the fire they lit before they left steadily burnt in the background.
"Come on, let's get you undressed and ready for bed," Ty Lee softly said, helping Azula out of her jacket and shoes.
Feeling herself being guided to the bedroom, Azula felt herself drift in and out of consciousness, she was suddenly really tired and keeping her eyes open was a task and a half. There was a hand on her back that gently guided her down, a soft pillow under her head. Feeling soft lips pressed against her forehead, she let a small smile appear on her face as she gave into the darkness and fell asleep with sweet thoughts of Ty Lee running through her mind.