Hot Noodles

"Why are you so evil?" Korra asked.

Azula ignored her student and went back to preparing another cup of instant noodles. She didn't even like how they tasted, but it was so amusing to watch Korra agonise as she slowly, but surely, worked her way through their meagre supply of food.

"I am trying to teach you to redirect heat. It is an important skill to learn, not least because it shares many of the same principles as lightning redirection. Being able to control heat will allow you to do things like cool molten lava."

"When will I have to cool molten lava?" Korra made a grab for one of the cups of noodles, only to receive a stout slap on the wrist. "Ouch! Damn it!"

"You've been neglecting your studies again, haven't you? Avatar Roku met his end at the hands of a volcano. Had he developed heat redirection to a sufficiently high level, he might have survived."

"He might have survived if Sozin hadn't left him to die." Korra scowled and then pouted. "So there."

"You do realise that I'm related to both of them and that my family is basically the definition of dysfunctional, don't you? Your insults thus have no effect on me whatsoever." Azula tossed aside her finished cup of noodles and reached for another. "And at this rate, you're going to go hungry."

"Gah!" Korra screamed. "Why are your teaching methods so messed up?"

Azula paused. "Korra, allow me to explain. I have already demonstrated the principles behind heat redirection. You know everything you need to accomplish it, yet you continue to fail. Given that you are the Avatar, and thus the most powerful bender alive, your failure is most likely not due to a lack of talent or power. Instead, it may be due to a lack of motivation. Consider this your motivation: we came out here with six cups of instant noodles. I have already eaten three. I have a fourth in front of me. Your task is very simple: you need to redirect the heat out of my cup of noodles to heat up the water in your cup of noodles. Otherwise, you are going to go hungry, and we still have a full day of training ahead of us."

"Why can't I just use my firebending to heat up the water in my cup of noodles, so I can eat them?" Korra made another grab for another cup of noodles. This time, Azula warded her off with fingers sheathed in crackling electricity.

"Because that wouldn't help you learn heat redirection at all." Azula sighed. "But since you look like you're about to die of hunger, how about we try another method?"

"Sure! Whatever it is, it's got to be better than watching you eat all of the noodles."

"I wouldn't say that so quickly, if I were you." Azula smiled thinly. "The alternative is that we head back to camp, you get in your bath, and I heat the water up while you try to redirect the heat out of the water before it gets too hot. I imagine that failure will be quite unpleasant for you."

"…" Korra stared at Azula. "Are you serious?"

"Completely."

"I think I'll stick with what we're doing now." Korra frowned. "How did you ever get approval to teach me, anyway?"

"I am a very scary person. People do not usually say no to me."

"Ah." Korra nodded slowly. "Well, I guess it could be worse. At least you're not trying to kill me."

"Yet."

"What?" Korra shrieked.

"I'm joking." Azula rolled her eyes. "If I wanted to kill you, I would have assassinated you a few weeks after the White Lotus discovered you. Honestly, they need to secure their communication networks better. I didn't even have to ask my brother about you." She started heating up her cup of noodles. "Now, back to work."

X X X

In the end, Korra did not go hungry. Necessity, as it so often was with her, was the mother of invention. On the very last cup of noodles, she managed to snatch the heat out of Azula's noodles and use it to make her own. There was just one problem: she hadn't brought any chopsticks. Naturally, Azula refused to share hers.

"You're the Avatar." Azula pointed at the ice under them. "Make chopsticks out of ice."

"But you've got chopsticks." Korra pointed at the ones in Azula's hand. "Proper ones, not ones made out of ice. Plus, if I make them out of ice, they'll freeze to my lips."

Azula smirked. "And that leads me to my next lesson: how to concentrate your inner fire in certain parts of your body…"

Korra blinked. "You planned this, didn't you?"

"I have been called a genius before."

Korra made a choking sound. "Grargh!"

X X X

Author's Notes

As always, I do not own Legend of Korra. I am not making any money off of this either.

Azula is such an evil genius, and Korra is the kind of person who thrives under pressure.

As always, I appreciate feedback. Reviews and comments are welcome.