The air was heavy with the promise of rain the following afternoon. It had a sort of density to it that could be felt upon breathing it in, hot and humid, the sort that dragged you down with it into a lethargic sort of walk, dragging feet and all.

As she'd promised the princess, Suyin had gone out to town to buy her that red nail polish. Though she'd spent the last three years in Royal Caldera City, serving Mingyu, they'd lived on the outskirts of town, rather than in the heart of it. The stores and tea houses grew more elegant, more exclusive, the closer they were to the center of the royal district - that is, by the palace. And the city itself was huge, even excluding Harbor City, where the majority of the population lived. So while Suyin had walked these streets many times with her ward, accompanying her to classes and playdates and whatnot, she'd never stepped foot inside the boutiques in this area - they were too prestigious even for Mingyu's family.

But certainly one of these stores would be the place to buy the princess' nail polish. She doubted Azula would know which shop she'd get it from, but surely she was expecting only the best of the best.

And so she chose a boutique that seemed appropriate, braced herself, and stepped in. "Good afternoon-" the shopkeeper greeted cheerfully, though her expression faltered - just a little - when she set eyes upon Suyin.

She must have been expecting a proper lady, and it made Suyin a little self-conscious. Her hair, though neatly plaited in the morning, must have grown wild and damp in the early-afternoon humidity. She could feel it cling to her skin and tickle the back of her neck. And though she always took care to dress neatly and elegantly, she was still dressed in what was clearly servant's garb. Nice servant's garb, to be certain, for she was the princess' own maid, but plain and simple nonetheless. But, she reminded herself, handmaids were allowed in places like these. She was here with a purpose.

"I'm looking for red polish." Suyin added, "For my mistress."

The shopkeeper lit up, "Of course, come take a look."

She showed her a variety of small, ceramic jars filled with red pastes of differing shades, and most of them more pink than red. Suyin looked them over with a careful eye, though in reality she barely knew what she was doing. She supposed she was looking for the very deepest shade of red, wasn't she? Certainly the pinks wouldn't do. She compared a few shades, before finally deciding upon one.

The shopkeeper raised an eyebrow, "Are you certain, miss?"

Suyin sent her a smile, "Yes, quite. I'll take this one."

"It's a beautiful, deep shade."

Few were allowed to wear such a color. The shopkeeper was clearly fishing for information, curious as to whom Suyin served - or if she was about to overstep the confines of their social norms. But Suyin refused to provide her with any kindling for her gossip, for she knew it could quickly travel far and, much like a flame, grow wild and hungry. And while there was probably no harm in the shopkeeper knowing this was for the princess, Suyin did not want to risk it. She'd allow the princess this privacy, at least. Agni knew every other aspect of her life was held up for the public's adoring eyes.

"How much is it?" Suyin asked, neatly ignoring the shopkeeper's implied question.

She looked at her with an expression Suyin could not place at first - until she realised it was subservience. Wondering, clearly, whether Suyin was someone important, whether she served someone important. That perhaps it'd be best to be her friend rather than foe. She'd never been on the receiving end of such a look. It was funny. Suyin wasn't anyone important herself, but she certainly had a connection...

She kind of liked it. It made her realise that she'd grown more confident over the past month, since her work at the palace had started. What situations would usually make her anxious, make her turn her eyes down and away, now barely fazed her. After all, there was no one more intimidating than Azula.

(Well, almost no one. But thankfully Suyin had yet to interact with the Fire Lord, and she hoped to keep it that way. She saw him occasionally, when he exited the meeting room while she waited for Azula, and she always bowed her head, but he, in a typical royal manner, never paid her or any of the servants attention.)

The shopkeeper named her price, and it took all of Suyin's self-control not to let the shock show on her face. She smiled instead, hoping it looked genuine instead of like what it really was: a grimace. A nice shop like this was not the place to haggle… was it? And the high price was to be expected of such a luxury item, surely.

Suyin would never spend this much money on anything, much less something as frivolous as nail polish. But it was not her choice to make, she reminded herself, and the princess certainly had enough money to spend comfortably; she probably wouldn't even bat an eyelid at this price. In any case, Azula had given her enough money - and some to spare. The item cost about three-fourths of what she'd been given. And so, albeit with a heavy heart, Suyin pulled out her coin purse, counted out the coins, and handed them to the shopkeeper.

She just hoped she wasn't overpaying, that she hadn't been scammed.

The nail polish was wrapped in soft linen and tied up with a pretty red ribbon. Suyin smiled graciously, trying to look as though she made purchases like this all the time, as though the price hadn't fazed her one bit. She thanked the woman, took her purchase, and left.

Walking back towards the palace, the little parcel felt heavier than it was. Three weeks worth of her salary! For such a little thing! Agni, Suyin could barely wrap her mind around it! She'd thought Azula had given her far too much money for this little errand, but she hadn't overestimated much at all.

Suyin blinked. Was that-? She thought she felt a droplet on her face. She held out a hand. The clouds had gotten darker since she left the palace earlier that day. She'd hoped to avoid the oncoming rainstorm, but as the raindrops grew more and more frequent, she knew it to be impossible, and she ran into a nearby tea shop just as the clouds gave out. Thankfully, she'd only gotten a little damp, having managed to avoid the direct onslaught of the rain. These early summer storms always came and left without much warning, pouring down with the near force of a tsunami, almost deafening to the ear, albeit only for a quarter of an hour or so. Hopefully, this downpour would not last longer than that, either. She really did not want to brave the elements and arrive at the palace soaked. And Azula was still at her training, so as long as Suyin returned before then, everything would be alright. There was still easily an hour until then.

"What will it be, miss?" The shopkeeper asked, perhaps a polite reminder that she was in his store - that she should buy something.

Well - there was no point waiting by the door; the rain would stop only on its own. So Suyin took her seat at a table for one, and ordered a cup of green tea and - oh, screw it! she deserved something nice, too! - a rice-flour cake. Surely this counted as a business expense on the princess' nail polish errand. Surely Azula wouldn't mind - if she even noticed - that she used just a little bit of her funds to warm herself up with a cup of tea while she waited out the rain.

"Suyin! Where were you?" One of the housekeeping maids, Chiyo, demanded when Suyin returned to the palace through the servant's quarters.

She blinked. They were nearly the same age, and she liked to consider them friends (hoping, dearly, that Chiyo returned the sentiment), but seeing her like this reminded her she was still her senior. Clearly, Suyin had messed up somehow, though she didn't know what it could be. "I got caught in the rain, so I waited it out."

Chiyo didn't look impressed. "Well, you owe Linhua big time."

"What? Why? What happened?"

"What do you mean, what happened? She's bathing the princess."

"But... the princess has training until three. I made sure to come back in time."

Chiyo sighed. Shot her a look that almost seemed pitiful. "You're not the only one who was caught out in the rain."

Oh?

Oh.

"Oh- fuck! I didn't even think about that-! God, how could I be so stupid?" Suyin cried. The princess trained outside. Of course she did. Suyin knew that, she'd known it for the entire month she'd worked here, and yet somehow, it had completely slipped her mind that her normally rigid schedule would be dependent upon the weather.

It sent an incredible panic through her, the sort of adrenaline that was felt even in the stomach, gurgling and uneasy. This was it. She was going to lose her job. And how pitiful, to have lasted only a month-! And now that she was getting used to it, too. She'd made it longer than some handmaids, but it was still shorter than most. Shorter than she would have liked.

"Go wet your hair." Chiyo advised. "It'll be more believable."

"But I really did get caught in the rain." It was true that she'd waited most of it out, safe and dry, and that her hair had dried of its initial dampness, but she wasn't lying.

"I believe you." Her friend assured her. "But I'm not the one you need to convince."

Suyin was waiting nervously for Azula to finish her bath. She'd wet her hair, just like Chiyo had suggested, and then dried it until it was only damp. She placed the parcel with the nail paint on the vanity table, and then counted out the rest of the money Azula had lent her. Overcome by guilt and nerves, she also counted out the amount she'd used to buy herself tea and cake (why had she gotten that cake in the first place? stupid!) from her personal savings, and added them to the pool. There. They were even. It's as though she hadn't used any of it for herself. The absolute last thing she needed was to be accused of stealing on top of negligence.

"Oh? Look who decided to come back after all. We were wondering when you'd show up." Azula said when she entered the room, some ten minutes later. She sent Suyin a sickly-sweet smile - the kind that didn't reach her eyes. Linhua followed in after her, and her expression, at least, was not so artificial. The glare she shot Suyin seemed to wither her very soul. She could not tell which wounded her more.

Suyin bowed and did not raise her head. "I'm terribly sorry, princess. Please, forgive me. I was out on an errand, and got caught in the rain." She did not think it would help her case to admit she'd waited it out in a tea shop.

"Oh, poor Su-yin." She crooned, enunciating every syllable. It was the first time she'd said her full name, Suyin realised, though instead of sounding respectful, as she'd sometimes imagined it would feel, it felt like she was a child, getting in trouble with her parent. Azula's voice was still sweet, clearly mocking her. Suyin felt her face burn. She did not raise her head.

"Did you get wet? Did you get cold?" She feigned concern. She took a step towards her. And another. And another, until Suyin could see her slippers in the periphery of her vision. She was right in front of her. Suyin's heart was beating so fast and so loud that she could hear it in her ears.

And although her voice was still sweet, it hardened, and grew sharp, and now held a certain edge to it as she spoke, "Shall I warm you up?"

She felt the heat before she saw the flame, flickering with a lazy hunger on Azula's outstretched palm by her side. Suyin yelped and jumped back on instinct, feeling wild panic overtake her, and now that she was standing upright she could at least see the princess' face, bathed in that ghostly blue glow of her own incredible fire, sending shadows dancing on her face.

And she laughed. She laughed as though she'd just told the funniest joke, while Suyin stood frozen in fear, heart pounding in her chest. Though she'd jumped back from the fire, it was as though she could still feel it against her skin. She thought back to what Linhua had told her, weeks ago, about that handmaid whose hair had caught fire, and it sent a whole new wave of panic through her.

Azula let the fire die down. "Oh, relax. It's a joke." She rolled her eyes, the corners of her lips still turned upwards in amusement. The threat could have very well been an empty one, but oh, it had not been without purpose. Azula definitely took pleasure in watching her squirm. That much was apparent in the twinkle in her eyes and the smirk on her lips. The joke had clearly been only for the princess' amusement. Or else - a punishment for Suyin's mistake. Or both.

It was only when Azula turned around and sat down in front of the vanity that Suyin finally felt her body untense. She hadn't gotten hurt. She was alright.

"Well?" Azula's voice was now laced with impatience. "Aren't you going to do my hair? Or should I have Lin do this for me, too?"

"I'm coming-" Suyin forced herself out of her stupor and approached the princess, though in truth, she did not want to be this close to her at all, still in fear of the fire. She picked up the hairbrush and, for the first time since she'd started working for Azula, noticed that her hands were shaking. She ignored that as best as she could, and hoped that the princess would not notice as she started brushing out her tangles.

She could feel Azula watching her through the mirror. Still taking pleasure in her discomfort? Probably. "Really, first you leave me to catch my death, and then you need me to tell you what to do. Have you always been so incompetent? Are you trying to be let go?"

Linhua took this moment to excuse herself, seeing that the princess was back under the care of her handmaid - and likely to give them some privacy for this grilling conversation. Suyin had nearly forgotten she was there, that she'd witnessed this whole exchange, and the realisation sent a mad blush to her cheeks. She did not want Linhua to pity her. But the look she gave her as she left the room was one of concern and, Suyin decided, better than the glare she'd given her earlier.

And so they were alone again. Suyin immediately missed Linhua and wished she hadn't gone. But she owed her friend (if they were still friends after all this) enough already, and she certainly didn't want to drag her into keeping her company just because the air was heavy with tension. So she worked, focused solely on the task at hand.

"I'm sorry, princess." Suyin willed her voice to remain steady. "It will not happen again."

"See to it that it does not."

Ugh, but she was being such a brat! The thought came over Suyin that she could be a little rougher with the hairbrush, to pull at the tangles with just a little more force, but she pushed it away, knowing that it would be dumb. That it could be dangerous. The princess was not someone she should ever fight with; she should just lay low and apologise and take everything she dished out.

"Did you at least get the nail polish?"

"Yes. I did." Suyin nodded. "It's right there, in that package. I hope the color is to your liking."

Azula reached out for the parcel on the vanity desk and untied it with nimble fingers. She opened the ceramic pot to inspect the paste inside, and nodded her approval. "Good."

"And there's the change."

"I don't like small coins." Azula made a face. "Keep it."

Whether it was a sort of apology, or whether she'd intended to do so from the start, or whether such an amount of money truly meant nothing to her at all, Suyin didn't know - but she hadn't been expecting Azula to be so lenient with it at all. Maybe the princess just wasn't aware of how much money was left, for it wasn't just small coins - it was a week's worth of her salary.

"I'm sure I couldn't do that." Suyin insisted, even if only half-heartedly.

"What am I going to do with that amount? It's not worth the space it takes up."

"...Then, thank you, princess." Suyin murmured.

Any other day, she would have to mask her joy and try not to sound too eager at this generous offer, in an attempt to retain some dignity. But she still remembered the heat of the fire against her skin and oh, she'd much rather go without the money, if it meant that she'd been spared that tasteless joke.