Thanks to DragonNerdGirl on Ao3 for writing the 150th comment and getting to pick this chapter! Next chapter pick goes to either the 200th Ao3 comment or the 35th ffnet.
"This thing… it's familiar, isn't it?" Teo asked as they all stared up at the lamppost.
"It is," Suki agreed, "Where have I seen it before? When?"
Azula frowned. She was certain she'd seen this before too, even if it had been years, clearly.
Teo's eyes went wide, and he suddenly whirled his chair around and went screening into the brush.
"Teo!" Suki yelled as she, Azula, and Laith thundered into the undergrowth after him, "You're going to break your axle again! Come back!"
"Not again," Azula grumbled as she hiked up her skirts. So preoccupied was she that she barely noticed the red and orange leaves of autumn becoming red and black silk. However, she absolutely noticed when she slammed into and through a wooden door.
"Princess Azula!" A careworn, fearful woman dropped into a deep bow. "Why were you in the wardrobe?"
Azula stared at her hands, pale and small and unworn, then up at the wardrobe she had just exited, in blank shock.
Somewhere in the earth kingdom, Laith stumbled out of the trees and into the freedom fighter camp, tripping over the old worn out boots that had never fit him correctly and some enterprising soul had never given back after his coronation. On Kyoshi Island Suki rolled out from under her bed, the fan she'd originally crawled under to retrieve clenched white knuckled in her hand. At the northern air temple Teo rolled out of the tunnels underneath and the father he hadn't seen in over a decade pulled him into a hug, scolding him for playing in the tunnels like he wasn't supposed to.
In the fire nation royal palace, Azula used all the hard-won composure of a queen to make her way to her old bedroom and lock herself in before bursting into tears.
This chapter... turned out a bit depressing. But next chapter is the christmas special, which will be much happier, and after THAT, I have a very, very special chapter planned for New Years. Mwahahaha. ;)
