Chapter Four: The Plan
This was the first time Azula had seen Uncle's tea shop. It was fairly nice. For a peasants area. Well, maybe someone in the middle class. She, Mai and Ty Lee entered, seeing numerous people serving tea
And lo and behold here came Zuzu. He was clad in a teamakers uniform with an apron and wasn't looking at them. "Welcome to the Jasmine Dragon, how can I-" He halted as he processed who they were. Before he could finish Azula put a finger to his lips.
"Table for three, Zuzu. Make a sound, and I'm burning this place to the ground." she walked past.
"What is-" began Mai.
"No, no, we're talking about me." said Azula. "I've already explained this to you several loops ago."
"What do you mean by loops?" asked Mai as they sat down.
Azula considered this. "...Where to begin?"
At that point Uncle came up, eyeing them warily. "Greetings Ladies, welcome to the-"
"Go away." said Azula flatly. "We're here for tea."
Uncle sighed. "...If you insist."
And he left. Zuko seen came by and gave them menus. Azula looked through it, enjoying his nervousness. "...Ugh, I far prefer wine to this sort of thing." said Azula. "I'll have the special, whatever it is."
"And you?" asked Zuzu.
Mai shifted. "...What do you recommend?"
"Uncle has always been fond of white dragon tea." said Zuko.
"I'll have that, then." said Mai.
"I'll have it as well." said Ty Lee.
As Zuko walked off to get their orders, Mai looked to Azula. "What is all this about?"
Azula sighed. Then she explained. As she did, Mai listened carefully. "So, you're reliving the same day over and over?"
"Yes. I managed to capture Ba Sing Sei and kill the Avatar, but it just reset." said Azula. "I accomplished everything I wanted to accomplish, but it just slips away."
"Is this some really sick joke?" asked Mai.
"Why would I abandon my plan to go have tea and make a joke like this?" asked Azula.
Mai shifted. "Spite?"
They didn't believe her.
"Couldn't we stop it?" asked Ty Lee.
"I tried. Every time I try to leave Ba Sing Se I get hit by a sandstorm." said Azula. "It never stops the Avatar or anyone else, but whenever I get out, it hits me. Even dying doesn't stop it."
"Dying?" asked Ty Lee.
"Yes." said Azula. "I have been hung, electrocuted, and stabbed. I've fallen to my death and picked a fight with the Avatar. And every time I just wake up this morning with Mother talking to me."
"But I like to see how you are doing." said Mother.
"Shut up." said Azula.
"I didn't-"
"Not you." said Azula. "Mother."
"Um, well, maybe you should try relaxing a bit." said Ty Lee.
"Relax?" asked Azula. "Have you heard a word I've said?! What would you do? If every single day was the same if nothing you did had the slightest bit of significance?"
"...You could consider it an opportunity." said Mai.
"Opportunity? What do you mean?" asked Azula. "No matter what I achieve everything resets."
"Well yes." said Mai. "But, if you think about it, every time you do anything bad, everyone forgets about it. So if you are reliving today, you can do whatever you want. You don't have to worry about the consequences."
Azula leaned back in her chair as the tea arrived. She sipped it thoughtfully. "...You know what Mai, you're absolutely right."
And then she fired a lightning bolt into Uncle's back. Zuko looked up. "Uncle!"
Before he could move Azula unleashed a barrage of flames. He deflected them, and they passed firebolts back and forth.
"Firebenders! Run!" cried a woman, as they fled.
Azula tripped Zuko up and slammed him against one of the tables. Then, summoning her flames, she started firing at the fleeing patrons. "You go through life with all these stupid rules! 'Don't torture the innocent turtleducks, Azula!' 'You shouldn't set fire to the villager's houses, they need them to live.' Oh right, and the last one." She turned to Mai and Ty Lee. "Don't set your friends on fire."
"Well, that's actually one I agree with, Azula." said Ty Lee.
"I'm not going to play by Mother's rules anymore." said Azula.
And then everything went white as Azula felt flames consumed her.
Azula awoke on cushions of the finest silk and felt the rays of the sun on her face. She stood up with new energy and quickly brushed her hair. Walking out into the room she emerged into a room with new opportunities.
There was Ty Lee and Mai, as usual. "Azula, you're awake. You've got to try this breakfast. They have the best sausages."
"I'm sure they do." said Azula, sitting down at the table. "In fact, why don't we order several more. And also cups of tea while we're at it."
"Um, okay." said Ty Lee, weirded out.
They ordered several plates, and Azula ate more than she ever had in years. What did it matter? The day would just reset later. Mai and Ty Lee stared at her.
"Um, Azula, are you sure you should eat that much?" asked Ty Lee.
"I've decided I'm going to live for the moment today." said Azula. "Now, I think we ought to go to a zoo near here."
"A zoo?" asked Mai, raising an eyebrow.
"What about the coup?" asked Ty Lee.
Azula leaned back in her seat. "You don't need to worry, Mai. I've got all that figured out. There isn't going to be a tomorrow. So why worry?"
"So we're going to go look at a bunch of animals?" asked Mai.
"We'll do more than look." said Azula.
Several loops later, the Avatar stared in horror at the zoo. Animals ran screaming, squawking and crying while on fire. Azula laughed maniacally as she chased the pathetic turtle ducks. The Dai Li and Earth Military had come in to try and stop her, but she'd learned their patterns over the loops.
Many of them lay dead or defeated.
The visitors to the Zoo had long since fled. Azula noted with irritation that Ty Lee and Mai had made a break for it in all the confusion.
"Why would you hurt all these innocent animals?!" cried the Avatar.
Azula considered the question. "Just a general, all-purpose, loathing I suppose. I like the sounds they make when they get set on fire."
This time when she ended up in prison she had plans. Big plans.
For so long she'd been held back. Unable to do what she wanted to do because it wasn't pragmatically appropriate. But now she no longer had those restrictions.
Tomorrow she would burn Ba Sing Se to the ground.
Azula awoke on cushions of the finest silk and felt the rays of the sun on her face. Murdering defenseless animals had been fun. She'd always wanted to massacre a zoo. But it was time to move on to bigger game.
She walked out. "Both of you get your outfits on. We've got work to do."
"The coup?" asked Mai.
"No, just a meeting with the Earth King." said Azula.
"Really?" asked Ty Lee. "Why?"
"You'll see." said Azula.
So it was that they got dressed and went to see the Earth King.
"Your majesty," said Azula, "I have terrible news. Three spies have infiltrated your palace and are planning to assassinate you."
"Really?" said the Earth King. "Who are these spies?"
"Us." said Azula.
And then she shot him with a lightning bolt.
Instantly the guards emerged into the room. But Azula threw a wall of flame at them. They screamed as their flesh was melted from their bones. More came, only to be pinned to the wall by Mai's knives.
"What did you do that for?!" asked Ty Lee.
"Not right now." said Azula. "Into the passages!"
Without any other option, they followed her. Azula shot a lightning bolt that blasted three guards dead. A troop of them rushed around the corner, only to be caught by Ty Lee. She knocked them all unconscious with her chi blocking.
More guards came from all around. No matter how many they killed, there were always more. Soon, Mai was out of daggers. Then a hand of stone gripped Ty Lee's throat and crushed it.
Everything slowed to a crawl. Azula saw her body fall limply to the ground. Ty Lee was dead. This couldn't be happening.
They'd pay for this. They would all pay
With a scream of rage, she unleashed an inferno which burned through the walls themselves. She killed dozens of the guards. They were reduced to blackened corpses one after the other.
And then everything went black.
Azula awoke on cushions of the finest silk and felt the rays of the sun on her face. Ty Lee had died. She'd watched her die. It had hurt. Sure, she'd known it was all going to reset. But she'd still gotten angry. Even now the thought of Ty Lee's lifeless eyes stuck in her memory.
She didn't want to go through that again.
Azula decided she was going to have to be more subtle about this. Burning down Ba Sing Se with her bare hands wasn't practical, anyway. So she sat up reluctantly and made her way out.
There was Ty Lee, alive and well.
"Azula, you're awake. You've got to try this breakfast." said Ty Lee. "They have the best... sausages." She trailed off as Azula hugged her.
Then Azula broke it. She didn't know why she'd done that. "...Mai, if you were going to destroy a city with only three people, how would you do it?"
Mai looked at her suspiciously. "Why are you asking me?"
Azula shrugged. "No reason. I'm just curious."
Mai considered this. She was the expert on watching the world burn after all. She had probably fantasized about it. "Well, first you'd have to remove the people who would stop you from burning it all. Otherwise, they'd overwhelm you. Also, if you wanted to destroy this city, you'd have to get rid of all the earthbenders. Otherwise, they might stop the fire.
"You'd also need to find a way to start large fires very quickly. Ordinary people could control the blaze. The hardest part would be in the richer districts. Things aren't so tightly packed there."
"Um, why are we talking about burning down Ba Sing Se?" asked Ty Lee.
"It's all theoretical. Today, at least." said Azula. "How would we be able to spread the fire?"
"If we got a truly massive gust of wind it could work." said Mai.
"Wind. As in, airbending." noted Azula.
"Not necessarily." said Mai. "If the fire was started at a point where the wind was high enough it could be blown all over the place.
"But good luck being able to predict that."
Azula thought about things. "...Alright then. Operation: Destroy Ba Sing Se is go."
"What?" said Ty Lee. "But you said it was theoretical."
"In this loop, Ty Lee. I'm reliving today over and over again." said Azula. "Today we're just going to do research.
"Now, we need to find a way to test when the wind is blowing in every part of the city. And we need to somehow get all the data here in time for me to memorize it."
"What about the coup?" asked Mai.
"Been there, done that." said Azula.
Burning down Ba Sing Se would take a lot of work. But it would be well worth it.
Author's Note:
Here is chapter 4.
One of the key differences in this groundhog day loop is that Azula isn't just a jerk. She is also actively evil. So she's perfectly willing to kill people. Which adds another layer to the traditional formula.
Enjoy.