The morning sun beamed it's rays through the primitively covered hole in Azula's tent, noting her of the time of day- meaning she ought to be getting out of her bed; the Princess was not one to avidly sleep in, unlike her Water Tribe friend, but she certainly didn't want to have to get up and start working at that very instant. She had slowly come to the realisation over time since the shocking revelation of her father's overthrow by her traitorous brother that she now had no authority over her- she could act out, do what ever she pleased, and her people could do nothing but kneel and bow to to her will- that is of course, if they were wise enough not to try and betray her to Zuko- she most certainly trusted her current party to be loyal and uncompromisingly follow her will- that is of course, with the exception of Sokka. The Water Tribesman both intrigued and irked her- he would never really listen to her orders, not unless he agreed with them- he was a good critic, someone outside of the bubble that was the Fire Nation's indomitable ideology, which over time had come to her attention as being not so indomitable, even by the whims and arguments of a half-wit such as himself; with such power alone he had earned her respect- even if she completely disagreed with him on many things, she could accept that his arguments were valid nonetheless, though she would chose to dismiss or take on anything he advised at a whim, it being advice, not orders.
More came to her mind about the Water Tribesman, how he looked at her- how he joked with her- they were friends, she couldn't deny it; Azula never wanted to be liked by anyone- to be considered an equal, as she would never to another- but she was practically stuck with Sokka, who showed no signs of being completely disturbed and disgusted by her nature- making her consider that perhaps her father was wrong- she had maintained his ideology, but at what cost? Was what he told her soon after meeting her true- that she had been swayed to follow the Fire Lord's will out of fear? Was she really good, only corrupted by her father's teachings and her own sibling rivalry that consumed her with hatred for her mother and brother? She would deny ever even considering these things to anyone- even a friend, like him- she had built a facade upon herself, and if it was to ever fall, she feared the consequences for her own identity- for her own will to live on as she had; the Princess shunted these thoughts to the back of her mind, not wanting to over-think the issue- she was in Yu Dao to ensure that she would be Fire Lord, and she swore that she would not fail, and that oath overtook any doubts she had about herself, no matter what.
Pulling herself from her bed, Azula wiped the sleep from her eyes and immediately decided she ought to clean herself- to look and feel unclean was something she was unwilling to do; grabbing a comb from her chest, she brushed through her lightly matted hair, brushing it to return it to it's more natural, wavy state, before re-tying her hair into a bun. She realised she would probably change her hair if she was to disguise herself in Yu Dao, but for the sake of looking proper in front of her men, she wore her hair up; currently she lacked any servants to clean her and wash her clothing, and she winced at the thought of letting Sokka tend to any of those chores- he would likely make mistakes in cleaning and washing or say something that would infuriate her beyond belief- she could trust him to do something stupid at any given time, only to make up for it with some wild, albeit reasonable idea.
Stepping up she drew her sleepwear off, quickly replacing it with her undergarments, noting the cold breeze coming through the hole in her tent; she slid her boots on before laying her set of plate armour over her torso- grabbing her arm-guards she slid them onto her wrists and twitched them momentarily before sending out a small blast of blue flames that dissipated within seconds, as to ensure her bending was up to scratch. She wasn't usually surprised by a sudden weakness in her bending- but she had learnt well from her tutors that strength of mind and will determined the power behind one's bending, and after her rather improper considerations about her responsibilities, she thought she might have been weakened in her ability to bend- she wasn't one to doubt herself, but she had understood especially after her experiences with the shipwreck and Ba Sing Se to always be prepared for the unlikely and unwanted outcomes.
Smiling at the flames she had successfully bent, Azula closed her fists before walking out of her tent, squinting at the harsh light change from the warmly lit tent to the bright rays of the direct sun; she glanced around, noting that her personal guard were up and prepared, a few of them working on sets together, while another few, including the Captain, were enjoying their breakfast. She walked over to the group of guards, who stood to bow at her as she walked up to them, earning them a smirk of confidence from the Crown Princess.
"Good morning men- after our long march to Yu Dao, I hope you all rested and are prepared for the operations we are to undertake today." she suggested to the men, who nodded at her respectfully, acknowledging her intent; the Captain stood forward and bowed more respectfully at his Princess.
"Your majesty- I belief it is time that we discuss your plans for the city." he commented, Azula nodding with a smirk.
"You are right, it is- come with me, I'd prefer to speak privately." she ordered him, who nodded, picking up his helmet from the log bench he had placed it upon, holding it by his waist as he followed her to the tarpaulin covered entrance of her tent.
Turning to the Captain, she pulled out a rough sketch she had worked on with Sokka of the City Hall, as well as noting the stations of guards they could see in the city- the Captain scanned the crude mapping with intrigue, and nodded after having read it.
"This is interesting- so from what you've deduced, the city lacks a large garrison force- enough men to stop a riot, let's say- but not a well-armed and prepared military attack." he noted, the Princess nodding in agreement.
"The fact the city relies off the massive ground forces of the Fire Nation to prevent an attack from let's say, Earth Kingdom rebels, they have little in the way of local defenders to prevent a rapidly executed coup that replaces the local government with people we can find to be loyal." she explained to him, who smirked confidently at the ideas she was sprouting.
"This your opportunity to show the doubters- the traitors, that you are the true ruler of the Fire Nation- with any luck you can catch your brother with his pants down and legally take the throne from his bloodied hands." the Captain declared, Azula chuckling at his enthusiasm.
"Not yet Captain- we must, or more accurately, you must lead my forces to ensure compliance by the Mayor and whoever else resides in this city- according to the conversation Sokka and I observed, there must be delegated forces from the Capital or the homeland directly sent by Zuko before the blockade- those forces are loyal to my brother in name, probably because he held their commanders by the sword point- however if given the opportunity, I believe even they would swear themselves to my rule." she explained, the Captain nodding in understanding.
"How do you propose we deal with the Mayor and whoever else might potentially form opposition to your rule?" he questioned her.
The Princess nodded and smirked, "Sokka suggested trying to access the City Hall via the second floor- if the Yuyan Archers break in, they can hold the Mayor and his military command by arrow point to follow my bidding, willingly or not." she responded, to which he nodded before raising a brow.
"How will can we make sure they are all there?" he asked Azula, who smirked deviously back at him.
"Leave that up to me."
Standing on the railing of his Royal Barge, Zuko smiled at the sight of Yu Dao- one of the oldest Fire Nation colonies, one which to his luck, had a small force sent to it by one of his generals to enforce it's loyalty; the Fire Lord understood the instability that was apparent in his rule, especially with his sister running loose in the Earth Kingdom. When he was to arrive, he understood that he would be meeting the Mayor and addressing the local populace- he knew too well of the rather interesting social situation in the city, having a large mixed-race population as well as liberties granted to the local Earth Kingdom people; this situation was awkward in the eyes of his plans to over time withdraw the Fire Nation colonies- he agreed with his Uncle that the war had created imbalance in the global order, and the only way he could see achieving that in the long term was to withdraw the Fire Nation's occupation of the Earth Kingdom and their colonies- this was an inevitability in his eyes. He turned to Mai, who stood beside him, looking out across the water at the port and the city adjacent to it- she seemed at unease and tense- it wasn't hard for Zuko understand why; she had already voiced her disdain for being in the colonies, and she preferred to avoid formal social situations like which she was about to find herself in.
The Fire Lord noted the glimmer on the water and smiled at Mai, "It's pretty, isn't it?" he asked her, as to initiate conversation after both standing somewhat awkwardly next to each other by the railing.
Mai raised an eyebrow at him, unsure of what he specifically described, "What? The city- the water- the stench of industrial pollution?" she asked him, who shrunk back from her rather snappy response.
"Uh- I was talking about the water-" he confirmed, feeling that he had completely blown his attempt at trying to talk to her, "It doesn't smell that bad, does it?" he asked her with slight interest, knowing at the very least she'd like to talk about the things that frustrated her.
"It reminds me of home- back in New Ozai, and not in a good way." she explained, Zuko gulping in understanding of her distaste.
"That is- uh- fair enough." he nodded, before looking back at her, with a sense that he had to talk to her about what was wrong, even if he knew without a word what was her issue, "You're not looking forward to the formalities?"
She chuckled lightly before returning to a stoic face, "Am I ever?"
He stepped closer and held a hand on her shoulder, "I can get the governor to talk with me more privately once we arrive, and save you being stuck listening to him blabber." he offered to Mai, who shook her head in disagreement.
"I want to be part of what's going on here Zuko, for both our sakes- being Fire Lord is probably the biggest challenge you'll face in your life- I can't just stand on the sidelines and let you take all the pressure." she affirmed, making him smile sincerely at her.
"T-thank you- I'm glad you came with me- I don't know what I would have done with only Uncle to help- I can't talk to him about everything, you know?" he asked her, who nodded at Zuko before shrugging her head to their side, acknowledging their quick approach toward the dock- he noted the short time he would have to prepare himself, and turned to face his Imperial Guards and uncle, who had assembled onto the deck to prepare for their landing.
Iroh stepped toward to his nephew, holding a hand on his shoulder with a smile, "Nephew- I see you're ready to go." he noted, Zuko nodding in affirmation.
"Yes Uncle- I assume you'll be joining me on my tour of Yu Dao?" he asked his uncle, who grinned back hopefully.
"Of course- I couldn't miss the opportunity to look for new batches of tea!" he exclaimed, earning a rolling of the eyes from his nephew, who turned to his guards with a more serious face.
"Men, take formation- I want eyes all around us once we get into Yu Dao- there's no chance any one is going to try to make a scene, understood?" he asked of his men, who saluted him collectively before stomping and returning to a tense formation.
As the ship slowed to a halt as it reached the dock, the crew quickly pulled out the long gang plank and stretched it over the gap to land on the deck, where it was tied down by the dock-workers, who immediately got out of the way before the Fire lord and his party would walk down; Zuko turned to Lieutenant Jee, who stood beside the plank, prepared for whatever orders he might be given by his Fire Lord.
"Lieutenant- you are in command of this ship until I return- ensure that the vessel is supplied when we prepare to leave again- you and the men are welcome to head into the city once all given tasks are completed." he explained to Jee, who bowed to his commands.
"Thank you, your majesty- it will be done." he accepted, the Fire Lord nodding at the deference before beginning to walk down the gang-plank, Mai and his uncle not far behind.
Walking down the gang-plank, he stepped firmly onto the solid ground of the stone dock, noting that in the distance the dock was boarded off from the public, where a number of civilians stood in awe, trying to catch a glimpse of their new Fire Lord; he smiled at the interest he was garnering from the public, but was more concerned with those who didn't find him so intriguing, but rather disdained or hated him- as was the purpose of his visit to assert the loyalty of those who might doubt his rule and deal with the issues the colony might face on a level that Zuko could personally handle- as was his duty as the ruler of his nation. As he walked down the dock, his guards returned to his side, ensuring his protection even when there was no people nearby; soon enough they were standing before a rather plump man dressed in the clothes of a noble- he knew from the sight of him that he couldn't be anyone but Mayor Morishita, the current governor of the city. The Mayor quickly acknowledged his Fire Lord with a submissive knelt bow, a position that would only be used in the most serious of contexts- seeing that he had never met the Mayor, he assumed it was his oath of loyalty to Zuko that was being formally made in the moment; the Fire Lord put his hands out, making a rising motion with them, signalling the Mayor to his feet.
"Good afternoon Mayor Morishita- I hope your day is faring well." he formally opened a conversation with the man, whose respectful attitude duly deserved his own respect.
"Your majesty- your presence is a grace to us all." he acknowledged remaining with a low head in respect.
"I believe that I was to be introduced to your city?" he asked him, the Mayor nodding in affirmation.
"Yes your majesty- there is a stand for you to make your speech to the people- there is quite a crowd waiting for you." he explained, Zuko nodding in understanding, turning to his companions behind him as to signal them that they would continue walking along."
The Mayor signalled the barricade to be opened as he led the Fire Lord's party along the rest of the dock into the port proper; the Mayor led him personally to a palanquin, which was large enough to fit his Uncle, Mai and himself together.
"This is your personal transport my Fire Lord- it has be personally prepared for you and your Uncle- and- uh- your girlfriend?" he asked, unsure how exactly to refer to Mai, which made Zuko feel slightly embarrassed upon the Mayor's wording of it.
"Uh yes- this my girlfriend, Lady Mai." he stated to the Mayor, much to both his uncle and Mai's interest, both of which had never actually heard him refer to her as such; she nodded in acknowledgement of herself, as would be expected of her in a formal situation, before she walked into the palanquin, stepping in first before Iroh followed behind.
He turned and waved to the crowd of people that was enamoured by his presence, before nodding at Mayor Morishita, "I will see you in the city, Mayor." he acknowledged, the Mayor bowing before he stepped inside the palanquin, which was despite the outside appearance, not quite large- it wasn't too small, but the presence of three people made it stuffy, especially with both of the royals wearing armour.
As the palanquin begun to move, Iroh was the first to note the compactness of their transport, "Nephew- would you think that we should have asked for separate palanquins- I am of course, not the leanest man in the Fire Nation." he acknowledged, his nephew chuckling at his humourous analysis.
"Well Uncle- I guess we will all have to sit in here and tolerate it." he acknowledged, before he turned to Mai, "Are you okay with this?" he asked her, who shrugged her shoulders.
"You said it Zuko- we just have to sit in here and deal with it." she simply responded, noting that he had answered his own question.
As the palanquin moved along, he peered out the window, noting that they had quickly entered the gates of the city and were being taken along his main street toward the centre of the city; he turned back to Mai and asked her with interest.
"Uh- so does it smell nicer now?" he asked her, to which she stoically shrugged.
"I mean this palanquin's nice- but I don't think it's going to be easy to avoid that smell- the city's well known for it's metalworking." she noted.
He turned to his uncle, a brow raised, "How important is this city to the Fire Nation's economy Uncle?" he asked him.
Iroh stroked his grey beard with intrigue, "It has long been an important centre for arms production- I know from my time as a general this city was the main supplier of things like small-arms, armour and war-machines- I'm sure the civilian economy here is quite valuable too." he explained, recalling the information he had learnt about much of the Fire Nation's empire during his time as Crown Prince and a leading general of it's armies.
His nephew nodded at his words, "Well it would be best that we ensure this city remains under our rule for as long as possible." he admitted, earning a raised brow from his uncle.
"Nephew- I thought we agreed that the colonies ought to be withdrawn from the Earth Kingdom?" he questioned, Zuko shaking his head.
"Yes- but I do want to have a smooth transition, the slower the better- I am unsure how long it will take to ensure resettlement of these citizens back to the homeland." he explained, before glancing out the window, breathing out before continuing, "Uncle- there is many people in this city who find themselves unwanted in our homeland, but not in the Earth Kingdom either- I would not want to dispossess them of their livelihoods for the sake of balance."
He nodded in understanding of his nephew's sentiment, "It is a hard decision to take- compromise must have be drawn somewhere with those of mixed-ancestry, but I believe that with time you can find a proper solution Zuko." he smiled hopefully at him, who nodded in agreement.
"To your luck Zuko- I don't think there's too many people in the newer colonies who would want to stay in their new homes by choice." Mai noted to their conversation topic, making him scratch his chin.
"What happened that afternoon with those protesters makes me think that there are some who would rather continue our needless conquests and wars of aggression purely out of blindness to the truth." he explained his thoughts.
"Then show them the truth Zuko- don't lie to your own people, who would that make you?" she advised, his uncle nodding in confirmation of her sound advice.
"Unworthy..." he responded to her rhetorical question, earning an uneasy glance from his uncle.
The three felt the palanquin settle down, signalling that they had arrived at the City Hall, where Zuko was to make a speech to address the city; the Fire Lord sat back as his guests exited the palanquin first, both earning the interest of the crowd, entering a cheer as he left the palanquin and made his way up the stairs of the City Hall, flanked by his personal guard on both sides, making him seem even more intimidating than his battle ready armour already made him seem. He slowly walked up the stairs to stand beside Mayor Morishita, who was introducing him to the masses present before them.
"My fellow citizens, it is my greatest pleasure to introduce his majesty, Fire Lord Zuko to you all- he has travelled far from the homeland to see our great city and to greet you, the loyal citizens of our great nation- without further ado, the Fire Lord!" he introduced, waving his hands to acknowledge him, who nodded before stepping up to the podium that the Mayor had been standing on.
"Thank you Mayor, and thank you- people of Yu Dao, for giving me such a warm welcome- I have never found anything of the likes in these lands since my banishment, and I am glad for it." Zuko smiled sincerely at the crowds, who acknowledged him with a small cheer of encouragement, before continuing, "I believe in a greater future for the Fire Nation, beyond the war that has framed our lives for a whole century- the time has come to bring a new age of prosperity to our nation, and your city has inspired me to it's goals- Yu Dao has already shown me, even in the crowd I see before me, that the people here might not all be of blood from the homeland, but you all work in harmony nonetheless- this inspires me to a better future for the four nations, where we can work together to find prosperity through peace, not through war." Zuko explained his ideal of the future, earning him shouts of respect and raised fists, acknowledging him with the respect he desired from his subjects, "Together, we are united, and together we build our future!" he chanted to the crowd with a raised fist, many in the crowd copying his motion and repeating his words.
Zuko smiled at the response he found from the crowd, jutting his head to the right to glance as Mai, who gave him a curt smile back; turning back he appreciated the cheering of the crowd, noting the waving of banners to signify his arrival- red, gold and green flags waved in the crowd, acknowledging the heritage of the city, and their respect for the Fire Lord's words.
Standing with his mouth agape, Sokka realised exactly who he was looking at- the number of guards and the crowd made it very clear the identity of the man before him- Azula's elder brother Zuko; he analysed the man's figure, noting his ornate armour and rather interesting hairstyle- some kind of long ponytail raised above his head- his scar was the most distinguished feature on his face, running across his left eye and ear, a mark of what she described as 'the greatest dishonour a man could ever be given in the Fire Nation'.
He muttered under his breath, "Oh- that's him." earning himself the attention of a crowd member.
"Sure is- that's our Fire Lord!" the man exclaimed ecstatically, shocking him with his adoration of a man he had never met, making him consider Azula's intent in becoming Fire Lord.
"Well, I guess she'd love the adoration." he noted out loud, not catching the attention of the enamoured crowd member this time.
Turning back to the stall clerk he had been talking to until he appeared and caused quite the commotion, he smiled and handed him a coin, "Some jerky please." he asked with a smile, the clerk turning from intently looking at the Fire Lord's speech to grabbing some jerky and handing it to him in a paper bag.
"Uh there you go kid." he confirmed, before returning to watch the Fire Lord in awe.
"Thanks..." he noted, some what off-put by the amount of attention Zuko was getting from everyone in the town square- he was obviously important, but he felt a tinge of unease at the sight of a man being venerated for his title and not his deeds- not that Sokka knew much of the new Fire Lord's deeds except killing his father and taking the throne, albeit legally in an Agni Kai.
He walked from the stall and away from the crowd in the town-square down the main-road through the city; going past the wide variety of stalls he paid attention to and noted things he might go try to buy after Azula had taken over the city, which he knew ought to be a whole lot more complicated with her brother in the city, and with him a small army of guards, with what he guessed to be a small armada of ships- he could only hope the uppity Admiral got his act together and came to intercede on the Princesses behalf, otherwise they might find themselves in a battle they might not win. Making his way down the street he noted a distinct thumping noise that increased in volume as he walked along, making him turn his head to look to his left, noting a shadow coming from the roof; he understood it immediately to be someone sneaking around- he hoped it was one of Azula's men and not some other party in the city- he'd rather not have to deal with a Ba-Sing-Se-isque situation again.
Sokka picked up his pace, sliding his jerky into his knapsack before making a sharp turn into an alleyway, where he noted the shadow and footsteps continuing along; racing through the alleyway following the sounds, he made his way to a short ladder that took him onto the slate roofs of the buildings around him. The Water Tribe warrior quickly ascended the ladder, finally making sight of the figure he was chasing- it was a relatively short man wearing a fur cloak and dark clothing- he made no vocal sounds as he stepped onto the roof and withdrew his boomerang- at that instance Sokka decided that he ought to question someone sneaking around the city that was being disputed between the two royal siblings. Throwing his boomerang in an arcing motion, his target noted the sound of the weapon as he raced away across the rooftop, dodging the weapon with some agility, the boomerang striking and crashing through a window in front of him. His opponent glared at him momentarily before jumping through the shattered window into the building, he begun chasing after him in frustration of his missed hit; the two raced through what Sokka noted to be an axe factory, where his target picked up two of the given weapons and threw them at him, forcing the Water Tribesman to dodge the weapons, giving him ample time to escape the factory, breaking out a window on it's street-side.
Looking at the shocked workers, he nodded and apologised, "Sorry- important security stuff." he explained himself, picking up his boomerang from the floor of the factory before racing out to vault the window, landing on the outside mezzanine roof that lined the side of the factory.
He saw his opponent racing down through the street below, forcing him to climb his way down, before jumping into a run after him; racing down the open street, the two eventually found themselves in another alleyway, where the disguised Water Tribe warrior smirked at the sight of cornering his target.
"What exactly were you doing on that roof, buddy?" he asked the man, who ought to be better described as a teen, probably not a year older than Sokka by the look of him.
"Checking out that speech- what is it to you?" he questioned him who chuckled.
"I'm not exactly what I look like- but you look like somebody who doesn't exactly like the Fire Nation, would that be right?" he asked him, glancing at him for a moment before nodding.
"I don't- but I was doing that for another reason- I've heard that the Fire Lord was planning to withdraw the colonies- and that's an issue for me." he acknowledged.
"Oh, is it?" Sokka asked in interest, drawing a smirk of realisation, "Well if you don't want the colonies withdrawn, I have someone for you to meet." he offered, the teen shaking his head.
"It isn't for me, it's for my girlfriend." he acknowledged, to which the Water Tribesman raising a brow.
"What men do for love..." he muttered to himself before stepping closer, "Could we arrange a meeting? My- uh- employer might like to meet her." he asked, the cloaked teen raising a brow before shrugging.
"I guess- if you're going to help her, I don't know why not." he admitted, reaching a hand out to shake his own, who accepted with an eager shake.
"The name's- uh- Sokka." he told him, unsure if he should have said his actual name.
The other nodded as he shook his hand, "Sneers." he told him, who raised a brow before remembering a conversation he had had with Jet weeks prior.
"W-wait-a-minute!" the Water Tribesman exclaimed in shock, "You're Sneers?! Oh that explains the weird outfit right away!" he told him with a sense of amazement, making Sneers look at him with confusion.
"Wait you know who I am- how? Did you meet my Uncle or something?" he asked him, who shook his head.
"No- I am acquainted with your good friend Jet." he explained, Sneers nodding with interest.
"So you met Jet? Is he still crazy?" he asked him with a tinge of fear, who nodded with a slight distaste.
"He did threaten to kill me once, so I would say yes." he affirmed, Sneers looking in confusion.
"You're not Fire Nation are you?" he questioned, Sokka shaking his head with relief.
"Thankfully for the both of us, no- I work for someone who is Fire Nation, but I'm from the Southern Water Tribe." he explained, Sneers looking in interest.
"Southern Water Tribe? I thought those guys were wiped out by the Fire Nation?" he asked him, who raised a brow of confusion.
"That would be misinformation- my people are most certainly still alive, at least as of the past few months." he acknowledged, Sneers nodding understandingly.
"Well- uh- so how did you get here- and where's Jet?" he asked, Sokka considering his request for a moment, before pulling out a rolled up message he had in his knapsack.
"The first is a long story, the second can be answered by this-" he handed Sneers the message, which he remembered had been handed to him by the Freedom Fighters to give to Sneers in case he came to Yu Dao; he chuckled, realising the coincidence of the situation that had unfolded, "Funnily enough, I was considering to try and find you after my work here was done and dusted, but as it turns out, I had the luck of finding you now."
Sneers chuckled at the situation, before looking at the Water Tribesman with interest, realising there was one thing he hadn't asked him, "Who do you work for?" making him cringe at the thought of another former Freedom Fighter overreacting to his association with the Crown Princess of the Fire Nation.
"For you to know her identity is for her to decide- she'd likely beat me for spilling information to anyone, even someone I think might help us." he admitted to Sneers, who nodded suspiciously at him, before he thought about his offer.
"I'll get Kori to meet your and your boss- uh- I guess back here- when do you want the meeting?" he asked him, who considered that he didn't know exactly where Azula was; he raised his hand and shook it horizontally.
"Midday-ish- soon, just get your girlfriend and come back here, and if we're lucky we'll all be there." he explained to him, who nodded before sidestepping Sokka to leave the alleyway.
"See you soon, Water Tribe." he acknowledged, before leaving the alleyway and heading back out onto the busy streets of Yu Dao.
The Water Tribesman sighed noting his exhaustion from the running he had just done over part of the city, but he knew it was worth it in the end; he could go back to Azula telling her that he didn't just get jerky, he found someone from Jet's old gang, and that provided them with a contact and potential allies in the city; he knew that being friendly to more people than you are antagonistic to others ought to get them somewhere better than the Princess's usual methodology which found her cornering her enemies and beating them into submission- effective, but not conducive to gaining friends in a lonely and dangerous world. Yu Dao just got more interesting, and he hoped that he could at least offer the former Freedom Fighter some help in respect to the saving his friends had given him on his night on drunken stupidity- he owed Smellerbee and Longshot that much at the very least after all that happened in Ba Sing Se.
"You did what exactly?" Azula's bewildered tone made him chuckle in humour- it wasn't everyday that he could surprise the Princess.
"I climbed onto the rooftops of Yu Dao to chase down this suspicious guy! But it's okay because he's actually one of Jet's friends and I think he can help us get support for your plans to take control of the colony." Sokka rambled to her, not making any more sense than the first time he had explained it to her.
"Support for me? Now I'm not picky when it comes to getting supporters- but I'd at least like to know who's offering support to my cause." she asked of him, who shrugged his shoulders.
"He said his girlfriend's name was Kori- I don't know who she is, but he talked about it like she was the leader of a group that supported the continuation of Yu Dao as a Fire Nation colony." he explained, making the Princess connect the ramblings he had given to her upon finding her after searching the streets of Yu Dao for her.
"Now that's interesting- do you think Zuko's going remove the colonies?" she asked him, to which he shook his head.
"I don't know exactly what your brother wants to do- all he said sounded like wishy-washy propaganda to me." Sokka admitted, making her laugh, humoured by her supposedly 'good' brother making use of propaganda, as if to continue the legacy of their father in a roundabout way.
"Ah yes- mastery of propaganda, a royal tradition." she jokingly claimed, making he look at her with a more serious face.
"That's not really a joke though- you all seem to love your lies to the point of believing in it." he noted, making Azula huff a breath in disappointment of his tone.
"I was trying to make a joke, not have a serious conversation about my somewhat disturbed family." she grumbled, the Water Tribesman laughing at her at understatement.
"Somewhat disturbed? Your family is nuts Azula- from what I can guess, you're an orphan with a brother that has a mutual desire to fight you to the death!" he exclaimed his thoughts, making her roll her eyes.
"Agni Kai's are necessarily death-bound Sokka- as much as it would help me to have my brother dead after such a duel, I'd rather not, guessing that my Uncle would be there and he wouldn't stand for me killing his 'precious boy'." she explained to him, who looked back at her with confusion.
"W-wait a minute- so you're telling me that you justify not killing your brother because your Uncle could kill you back, not because of any bond or something like that?" he questioned her, the Princess shaking her head stoically.
"I don't get sentimental over such things as childhood- even then the sentiment is of me taunting him for fun- I guess if he's imprisoned instead I get to mock him for the rest of his days." she figured, making him slap his own forehead.
"That's not much better- although imprisonment beats kin-slaying any day." he noted in a slight sense of relief.
"Enough of considering what to do with Zuko- first we need to get this city under my grasp, and this Kori girl might offer us some avenues of power." Azula redirected their conversation, Sokka straightening himself up to talk more professionally.
"Of course- we should head over to meet Sneers- he's probably on his way back to the meeting spot by now." he explained, looking at the sky to note the high position of the sun, "You took a bit to find- but then again, we're trying to hide, aren't we?" he rhetorically asked her, the Princess nodding at his statement before stepping out of the cranny they had been talking in.
"It's in the south-east of the city- along one of the bigger roads- this way." he directed with a point, stepping ahead of her and leading out into the relatively crowded street.
Leading her down the streets of Yu Dao, they both re-assumed their colonial identities; Sokka figured he ought to start conversing in their fake identities, if only to amuse himself, "Zai- what did you end up buying today?" he asked her, who immediately recognised her ad hoc nickname he had come up with when talking to the guards of Yu Dao the previous day.
The Princess shrugged, trying to think of something reasonable to say in character, "Everything's too expensive in Yu Dao- we ought to go to another market next time." she excused herself, noting that despite the pretences she had given when entering the city that morning, she most certainly wasn't shopping for random things- that was his job, and he would do that whether in character or not.
The Water Tribesman chuckled, before realising there was an important conversation topic he wanted to test her on, "I saw the Fire Lord at the town-square- the new one- funny finding him on the day I head to buy the groceries." he explained to her, as if to say he hadn't told her before.
She faked a face of shock, "The Fire Lord- in Yu Dao?" she questioned him with an attempt of imitating surprise, which she did to some skill- Azula was a masterful liar after all.
"I bet he's going to do some good for the colony- maybe some new roads, bridges, that kind of stuff." Sokka hopefully told her, making her jut her head, stopping herself from rolling her eyes at his clear attempts to mock her in a situation where she ought to remain quiet and passive.
"Oh that would be wonderful, wouldn't it Wang?" she piped a question with a nearly alien happy tone.
"I mean- I hope we get the things we need- no more bandits or anything like that would help." he noted, acknowledging the situation that had unfolded two days prior in a forest relatively close to the city.
"Yes- earthbender rebels they keep saying- soon enough they might be confident enough to try and attack places like our farm!" Azula woed, making him actually consider the situation- people like the one's they were imitating probably could face attacks from Earth Kingdom rebels- being part and parcel of establishing a colony illegally on their rightful territory, but he couldn't help but feel sorry for those who actually found themselves at the end of such an attack, as much the same as Fire Nation raids on Earth Kingdom villages did.
"That's why we've got our great army- all those boys, going off to the war to protect us!" he exclaimed in support of the Fire Nation's military, making he almost break down laughing at "Wang's" diametrically opposed views to that of the real Sokka.
"Honey that's why I keep telling you- you ought to enlist, serve your country in better ways than just toiling in that field all day." she asked of him, who looked in interest- Azula was trying to add more depth to their characters, and he decided it'd be best to go along with it.
"I would, but the Fire Nation needs food just as much as it needs soldiers- I'm sure those serving will appreciate the work that goes into getting their rations." he acknowledged, keying off that they had themselves been surviving off rations ever since leaving Pohuai, and therefore probably relying off the labours of dirt-poor Fire Nation farmers to do so.
He led her through the city-square, both of them noting the distinct lack of her brother at that moment, she glared at the podium upon which he had stood; walking away, he could hear her mutter under her breath, "That should have been me." the Water Tribesman turning in slight confusion to why she had taken his appearance so personally- it wasn't like Azula to get overly jealous, although he considered that she usually outmatched everyone she ever met.
"The Fire Lord's speech was inspiring- you ought to have heard it Zaira." he noted to her, keeping up his act and intriguing himself in her mood about her brother.
"I bet it was." she mumbled in response, her tone seeming positive but her face frustrated and aggrieved by her brother's appearance.
Continuing along one of the major streets, they made their way to where he had cornered Sneers- a short alleyway jutting between large apartment blocks; to his relief, Sneers was standing with a teenage girl who wore a cropped shirt and a red blouse, who Sokka assumed to be the aforementioned Kori, his girlfriend. She looked in interest as They walked toward them, inaudibly questioning Sneers with a whisper before he stepped forward to greet them.
Sneers raised a hand out to indicate the two of them, "This is the guy I met: Sokka- and his boss." he explained to Kori, who intriguingly walked up to scan them.
First looking at Sokka, who noted his blue eyes that peered just under his straw hat, "So you're Water Tribe- you're disguised very well, I might add- if it weren't for the eyes I would have guessed you were a Colonial yourself." before turning to Azula with a raised eyebrow, "And you- you seem to be quite a well-standing woman- nobility perhaps?" she asked her, who rolled her eyes at her analysis of her.
"You are correct- I want to ask you a few things before this goes any further." she explained herself, both of them nodding in understanding, both holding suspicious glances back to each other.
"Do you believe the Fire Nation colonies should remain under the rule of our nation?" she asked her, who nodded confidently.
"Yes- this is my home- it ought to remain as it is." she confirmed, before Azula continued with a smirk.
"And would you believe that any means necessary should be taken to ensure that this is the case?" she asked her, Kori nodding with a raised eyebrow.
"Uh yes- but wh-" she begin to question, before the Princess cut her off with a raising of her finger.
"Would those means include armed insurrection against those who would rather accede this colony from the Fire Nation to the Earth Kingdom?" she questioned, to which she nodded in confirmation, earning a concerned glance from Sneers.
"Well since we've just clarified that- I want to know who you are and what you can do." she asked of her, Kori shaking her head and standing tall.
"Not before you tell me who you are 'mysterious noblewoman'." she bluntly asked, Azula raising her brow at the defiant attitude, before leaning in closer to her face.
"Your rightful Fire Lord." she simply said, her face turning to one of shock.
"Princess Azula?!" she exclaimed nearly fearfully, the Princess raising her hands with a smug face.
"Now that you know who I am, I want my question answered." she commanded, Kori kneeling in deference to the woman before her- Sokka well understood the deference an ordinary citizen should give to royalty.
"My name is Kori Morishita- I am the daughter of this cities mayor, and I am in social circles that hold common opinions- we believe in Yu Dao as an integral part of the Fire Nation- I have been personally investigating the Fire Lord's plans for the colonies, as Fire Lord Ozai's manhunt notices didn't give us much hope for a future of our nation under your brother's rule." she explained to her Princess, who nodded in understanding.
"I am of the common belief that Yu Dao is an integral part of the Fire Nation and that my brother intends to dismantle our Nation's overseas territories in the name of 'restoring balance'." she confirmed to Kori, who smiled in understanding of her stance on the issues that her colony might face.
"I was right- there must be another option for own nation- that option is you, your highness." she acknowledged remaining in a kneeling position.
"It is settled then- you can help me and my people instate my rule, and with any luck, get rid of the threat my brother faces to our nation." she smirked as she explained her plan, Kori standing to accept her orders.
"What do you need?" she asked of Azula, who turned to her companion momentarily before returning to glance at her with a smirk.
"How does your father feel about the potential of my brother withdrawing the colonies?" she asked Kori who narrowed her eyes with a sense of arduous frustration.
"My father lacks a spine on the issue- he won't do anything until he finds proof that the rumours are true- I guess you could handle that, being the rightful Fire Lord that is." she acknowledged, the Princess smirked in realisation of the resource she had before her.
"When does your father usually leave his office?" she asked her.
Kori raised her brow and thought for a moment before responding, "He leaves his office at sundown- that's when he stops dealing with the people's grievances and any discourse with his military attaches." she explained, Azula smiling at the revelation of information she desired for clarification.
"Thank you- I'll be sure not have him harmed." she affirmed to Kori, who looked in fear as she turned away and begun to walk away.
Sokka looked in slight confusion by her very quick withdrawal from the conversation, turning to Kori and Sneers, "Uh- we'll see you two later- trust me when I say we can find you." he noted, the two of them nodding, Sneers face still quite shocked and fearful from the presence of the Fire Nation's Crown Princess.
Walking back to her side as they walked out of the alleyway, the Water Tribesman turned to her with concern- her pace was faster than before and she was very well determined in her facial expressions.
"What just happened- are you okay?" he asked her, Azula glancing his way momentarily.
"We need to see the Captain- the situation gives... new opportunities." she smirked deviously; he well aware that she was planning to use Kori's dissatisfaction with her father to his own disadvantage- he knew one thing about any family: all parents ought to love their children, and they would do anything to save them from harm- he knew the consequences of that indomitable desire far too well.
The orange haze of early twilight coloured Mayor Morishita's office with a harsh tinge- the Mayor sat by his desk in his personal office, attending to the notes he had recorded in his discussions with Fire Lord Zuko; he was a man well founded in the belief of serving his fellow citizens in Yu Dao and was sure to understand the Fire Lord's policies that may impact them- to his luck, the Fire Lord had little in the way of changes for the state of the colony, except for a winding down of arms production, which the Fire Lord noted would transfer those given resources to building infrastructure in Yu Dao, the surrounding regions and beyond. However hopeful the inspiring words of the new monarch were to him, he knew far too well that the Fire Lord was not exactly the most nationalistic Fire Lord in recent history; he had clearly defined his desire and plans to end the hundred years of war that had plagued the world, but even then he didn't actually explain what his idea of the post-war world would be. He knew that the given nations that remained would have to make peace with each other, but he did not know the costs it would take for the Fire Nation to make a more peaceful world- for all he knew his colony could be on the chopping block, even if the Fire Lord didn't personally want it so.
He reminded himself that to oppose the Fire Lord was treason, and he was not a traitor to his nation, and he acknowledged the hard work the new Fire Lord had been doing to ensure that their men serving wouldn't find themselves needlessly at odds with insurgents and rebels that plagued much of the former Earth Kingdom- that would ensure that his colony would be protected and order could be maintained; what was worse than a Fire Lord giving up his nation's lands would be a revolt against the Fire Lord because of national divides- the colonies were Fire Nation in Morsihita's eyes, and he would not compromise his Nation's sovereign rule for no ideal of balance.
He heard footsteps racing toward his office, making the Mayor step to his feet to greet whoever was in a hurry to talk to him; the door of his office opened wide, a young guardsman standing before him, "Mayor Morishita! There's a riot in the market- the captain of the guards wants your authorisation to jail the instigators." he explained while holding out a pre-written authorisation notice from the captain of the guards, the Mayor nodding in confirmation upon understanding the magnitude of the situation.
"Of course- we must do anything we must to stop unrest in Yu Dao- you have my consent." he confirmed the guardsman- grabbing he notice he grabbed his stamp and struck it on his desk in one swift motion, handing the notice back; Mayor Morishita understood that to have a riot occurring concurrent with the presence of the Fire Lord himself was a test of his authority and ability to handle crises- this being a prime example of such a situation.
The guardsman nodded and nearly ran out of the room at full speed- the Mayor was sympathetic with his plight- the guardsman would have to run back to the captain of the guards for him to carry out orders- he personally found it to be quite an issue that he had to verify commands of the likes at any given time, but that was his authority as Mayor that was vested in him; the Fire Lord's loyalist forces that were in the city were on the walls and likely would act with or without the Mayor's guidance, for all he could know the rioters could have already been quelled by the loyalist delegation, making a fool of him and his security forces. He decided that he ought to head down to the foyer of the building, noting that the Fire Lord ought to be notified of the situation personally- he would require his personal detachment of guards, as would be the case in any situation of danger; walking his way down the hallway on the second floor, Morishita made out the sound of striking noises- he was immediately worried that angry civilians might be vandalising the City Hall, but his fears turned darker as he heard the pattering of sounds on the roof of the building, which he immediately made out to be footsteps.
Turning to the staircase that led into the foyer, he shouted down to the guards stationed at the doors of the building, "We're being attacked!" he tried to warn them, the call being little help when the windows of the second floor were shattered in unison by dark cloaked figures; the Mayor ducked for cover as arrows scattered around the room, stopping him from moving any closer to the stairs.
Hearing behind him, a window was shattered, and two figures appeared from the broken window- one armed with a bow like the others and the other unarmed, who he assumed to be a firebender due to his ready stance- he immediately knew he had to take cover and took the luck of turning to take cover behind the railing that surrounded the second floor of the City Hall's foyer, giving the intruders a clear position to shoot at the guards on the bottom floor, who were already incapacitated by arrows; the Mayor turned in fear as the cloaked man he assumed to be a firebender grabbed him by the collar and held him against the railing, nearly pushing him off.
The Mayor stuttered in fear, "W-who are you people?" he questioned, the man holding him remaining silent before a slamming motion opened the door of the City Hall, a man standing at the front of the room wearing a theatre mask and armour that seemed to be cloaked firebender armour.
"We are the sword of our nation- we do not care for your life Mayor Morishita, only your allegiance." the man proclaimed before him, making the Mayor shudder in fear as he was dragged by the man holding him down the staircase, still surrounded by the cloaked archers who had arrows aimed at him and outside the building.
"Allegiance?! I am l-loyal to Fire Lord Zuko-" Morishita tried to explain himself, the man raising a hand to stop him talking.
"You lie to yourself- you know that the false Fire Lord intends to betray this very colony to the Earth Kingdom, yet you do nothing." the man chided him, raising a hand out the door, "Out there are men that will follow you words with no question- they are loyal to you, and loyal to this city- they can make a difference when the time comes."
"T-that doesn't change anything- I cannot betray the man I swore myself to this very morning." he pleaded to his captor, who chuckled at his plight.
"I'm sorry- truly, but you must make a choice now- do you choose the traitor or the rightful Fire Lord?" he asked the Mayor, who shuddered fearfully, being forced to kneel down as the other man held his arms and shoulder, "Your family is at stake here- what do you think will happen to them if they're forced to go to the homeland?" he questioned him again, Morishita nodding with a sigh.
"I- I will- I must join you- join Princess Azula?" he asked, the man before him nodding and clasping his shoulder.
"You made a hard decision, I'm letting you know it was the right one." he explained, before the man holding him let him go, the Mayor falling nearly flat on his face on the his head, he looked on as the two men walked toward the door, the cloaked archers disappearing from view, "What do I need to do?" he asked them, the man who questioned him looking back.
"You were attacked by conspirators who sought to force you to fight against your Fire Lord- tell him they let you go to send him a message: he is not safe, and he will never be while his sister lives." he simply commanded, before leaving the room and closing the door behind him, leaving Mayor Morishita on the ground, still fearing for his own life.
"W-what have I done?" he questioned out, speaking to no one as the buildings guards lay unconscious before him; the Mayor was well aware of the situation- he was the target of a threat by the Crown Princess herself- the woman who claimed herself to be Fire Lord over her brother- he personally lay no allegiance to either of the siblings in his own mind, but he knew from a thought which choice would leave him alive and his family safe in the end.