"Hah!" Azula panted with effort as she turned to yet another sparring partner. The soldiers were no problem for her, mostly, and she could hold her own against them all, and best most of them on top of that, too. But when they came in such an onslaught, all one after another, giving the princess hardly any time to even catch her breath, they were formidable opponents.

It was moments like these, watching Azula train out in the courtyard, that Suyin wished she'd been born with the gift of words, to be able to string them together into poetry. But there were no words to describe the awe of what she saw before her. The precision of Azula's kicks and jumps and jabs, all performed a hundred times over until they were perfect (and then some) were awe-inspiring. Suyin would watch in amazement, hardly believing that anyone was capable of such beautiful bending; that fighting could be so much like art. But while Suyin admired Azula's perfect form, her firebending instructor would shake his head and correct her, and tell her to do it again, and the princess herself would scowl - imperfect. What mistakes they saw, Suyin could not imagine, but then again, she was hardly a fighter. It seemed to her that the instructor and Azula herself were both too harsh on her, for who would even notice such a tiny misslip?

But she'd voiced her thoughts once, idly, to Azula, already weeks ago, when she'd first observed her training session. And she'd replied, in a haughty tone that made Suyin blush in embarrassment at having asked in the first place, that on the battlefield, one slip up could cost her - or her soldiers - their lives, and that she could not possibly allow herself any slack. That she had to be perfect. Nevermind that she was fourteen years old and had yet to step out onto the battlefield. Obviously, the princess of the Fire Nation had to be prepared for when she would ultimately take up her role and lead their people to victory.

It wasn't often that Suyin watched the princess train, but neither was it infrequent. She always took this time to tidy Azula's bedroom and receive her clean clothes from the laundry and such, but more often than not, this work did not take up the entire morning, and so Suyin had time off for herself. She'd eat, of course. Sometimes, she went out into town, to meet with her old friends or window-shop, but ever since that incident last week, when she'd gotten caught out in the rain, she'd been hesitant to leave the palace grounds at all. And so she rather spent her time within it. It was stupid, Suyin knew, and she'd grow stir-crazy sooner or later if she didn't leave the premises, but that anxiety still held its grip on her. How could it not? She'd grow out of it eventually, but… until then, she did not have the heart to face it. Of course, now she'd always make certain to rush back to the palace should it start to rain, her own comfort be damned, but what if the princess wanted something else from her while she was gone? She'd have no way of knowing, and she still remembered the feeling of heat against her skin… She hoped to never feel it again.

So she spent her free time indoors, but the palace staff was always incredibly busy at this time of day. Suyin felt like the odd one out, having so much time to waste in the late morning and early afternoon, but there was nothing to be done about her schedule. Still, it was a shame. It would be nice to spend this time with Linhua or Chiyo or any of the other maids with whom she'd become somewhat friendly, but they were all busy and Suyin's presence, even if not completely unwelcome, would surely only get in the way of their incredibly packed schedules.

It was a little lonely, Suyin had to admit. What friends she'd made here were all busy during her free time, and she was busy during theirs. And though no one was downright rude to her, most of the staff weren't particularly friendly, either. Most of them regarded her with polite indifference, probably having figured she wouldn't be around long enough to warrant putting any effort into cultivating a friendship. And she rather suspected the cooks thought her arrogant, that she thought herself better than everyone else (which was not true), for while they always prepared her food when she asked, they didn't seem particularly happy to do so. So Suyin very much tried to eat at the designated mealtimes with the rest of the staff. It wasn't easy, however, for her schedule rarely allowed her such freedom, and so there was little she could do - she'd have to learn to deal with the cooks' eye-rolls and cold shoulders.

Therefore, Suyin spent the vast majority of her time alone, and after that, with Azula. And while they got along, more or less, and Suyin even thought that the princess was starting to warm up to her, they were obviously not friends, and Suyin wasn't naive enough to believe they ever would be friends. That was fine; this was just a job, after all, but it left her feeling incredibly lonely.

"May I join you? You look like you could use some company."

Suyin looked up with a start - she hadn't been expecting anyone, and the unfamiliar voice surprised her. A man she'd seen only in passing was standing beside the bench on which she sat. He presented himself with a smile and, like all Fire Nation citizens, impeccable posture. It was only from his uniform that she could somewhat gather who he was.

"As you wish, Lieutenant."

He smiled and sat down beside her. "Lian. Lieutenant Lian." He introduced himself, as if sensing Suyin's uncertainty. "And you are the princess' new handmaid, are you not?"

Suyin nodded. She felt the implied question pressuring her to give him her name, "Liu Suyin."

What could he possibly want from her? There was no reason for a lieutenant to speak to a handmaid - she was much below him in terms of social status, but neither was it within her responsibilities to fulfil his orders. If he wanted something, he ought to request it from a maid - Suyin was the princess' handmaid and only served her.

"Miss Liu Suyin. Such a pretty name."

Her face heated up at his words. She kept her gaze trailed steadily ahead, watching the princess train with an intensity she hadn't felt before. "Thank you, Lieutenant." She mumbled without looking at him at all.

"Where are you from, Miss Liu?"

"Cheojin."

"That's quite far, isn't it?"

"Yes. Have you ever been there?"

"I'm afraid I haven't had the opportunity. But I have an acquaintance from there."

"Oh? Who is it?" Suyin asked - not that she knew even a quarter of the people from her hometown. But the prospect of connecting with someone over a mutual friend made her perk up more than she would have expected, and she, for the first time, looked at him straight on.

Lieutenant Lian was a handsome man - as far as Suyin could tell, anyway - with those same golden eyes native to Fire Nation citizens, sculpted cheekbones, and the beginnings of facial hair. He could not possibly be more than ten years her senior, and at this age he was certainly one of the youngest members of the Royal Procession to be made lieutenant. With a gentle smile on his lips, he looked almost… too soft for what Suyin imagined the military to be like. Did the senior generals and captains not eat him up alive in those war council meetings? Or had the grim reality of war long since hardened his soft shell?

"Lee Shukai. Do you know him?"

Suyin deflated. "Oh. No, I don't."

Lian chuckled. "He's a few years older than me, and stationed in the Earth Kingdom right now. I think he must have left Cheojin before you were out of diapers. It's no wonder you don't know him."

"Ah."

"How old are you, Miss Liu?"

"Seventeen."

"So… nine years younger than me, and Shukai is five years older than me, which means… hm, oh yes, you weren't even born when he left the town. There you go." Lian calculated.

"I see."

The silence between them hung awkwardly in the air for a moment. Suyin was acutely aware that her own short responses barely gave rise to any sort of conversation, that she was not doing her part to upkeep such a thing. But the words did not come easily to her, no matter how much she may have wanted to speak. As if sensing the awkwardness himself, Lian spoke up again.

"Do you get to go home often?"

Suyin raised a brow at his question and, realising that he was genuine, shook her head. "I haven't been there in a few years. I worked for another family, before this, and they would sometimes give me time off for a holiday. Sometimes I could make it back home, but mostly it was never enough time to warrant the three day journey to Cheojin."

She'd almost had to force herself to say that much, rather than a single worded answer - no. But once she started, Suyin found that the words came to her more easily, as though the barrier had been broken. Or maybe thinking of home made her relax, and eased the words out of her? Already she was thinking of her mother, and of her siblings, and was hit with a sudden wave of home-sickness. She'd need at least a week and a half off for the journey - six days for travelling, and at least three days to spend comfortably with her family. More, if she could afford to. Even Mingyu's family had been reluctant to give her so much time off, though they'd give her one or two days free at a time. And, well, Suyin knew for a fact that she would not get so much time off from Azula, either.

"I'm sorry."

"Oh, that's just how it is. But my siblings and friends visit me on occasion." Suyin added. It was easier for them to make time to travel to the capital rather than the other way around. Even so, it was only for a few days at a time, and the moment they were gone, Suyin missed them greatly… "Not very often, but it's something, at least."

"I understand. I'm from Na'hae, so I rarely see my family, too. It's closer than Cheojin, but I rarely have the time to visit, either." Lian said. "I was away serving in the colonies for the past couple of years, but they brought me back here a few months ago. On top of that, all my friends from the military have been stationed somewhere abroad, so it's been quite…"

He trailed off here, but Suyin could guess - she knew his feelings, for they were her own. She offered him the word with a small smile, "Lonely?"

"Yes." He admitted quietly, as though he were confessing to some great crime. As though he could trust her with the truth. "Lonely."

That word hung heavy in the air. It seemed to haunt them, to haunt them both, for Suyin had lamented over this empty feeling herself, mere moments before Lian had approached her. They did not speak for a short eternity. She was expecting him to speak up, but the moment drew on longer and longer, and Lian remained quiet...

"Lieutenant," Suyin finally spoke up, feeling an intense urge to diffuse the solemn atmosphere that had so suddenly come upon them. "Are you saying that the generals here are not good enough for you?"

Lian laughed - a rare sound around these parts, sure enough. For some reason, the sound brought Suyin relief. "They are all great men with brilliant minds, Miss Liu, but hardly pleasant company. I'm afraid I don't share their enthusiasm for Pai Sho, or ancient literature, or complaining about the younger generations. That's why, admittedly, I hoped we might become friends."

Suyin smirked, "Well, Lieutenant, what if I enjoy Pai Sho, and ancient literature, and complaining about the younger generation?"

"Then perhaps you can teach me, and I will finally be able to connect with my superiors."

Suyin, who had never so much as touched a Pai Sho board, shrugged and continued with her playful lie, "I will think on it."

"A first step towards victory. Though I do believe, Miss Liu, that we both fall under the generation about which the generals complain. Are you well-versed in that, too?"

"I am proficient in many things, Lieutenant."

It was easy to fall into this playfulness with Lian. Their joke was fun, already reminiscent of the sorts she'd crack with her friends back home. He seemed so genuine in everything he said, and he regarded Suyin as a person, not an inferior. She got along with a few of the maids, but no one outside of that social circle. Certainly not with any of the members of the Royal Procession - she often passed the generals and captains and other lieutenants in the halls while attending to the princess, but even if their gazes occasionally rested on her, they'd never spoken to her directly. And Suyin, of course, could not initiate a conversation with a superior on her own - only if they spoke to her first. Not that she minded their indifference - there was absolutely no reason for them to interact at all.

Lian must be very lonely, to go as far as to make friends with a handmaid.

Then again, she wasn't a common servant. While women who worked as handmaids weren't of noble lineage themselves, neither were they peasants - at least, not usually. They had to have some sort of respectable background to be considered for such a position, to be trusted around their ladies, to not be uncouth.

Suyin's father had been a teacher in Cheojin's public school (and it was thanks to him that she could read as much as she did - Agni keep his soul). They'd been comfortable enough that her mother could stay home and raise the children, rather than work with crops or fabrics like many of the other women in their town. That is, of course, until her father got sick and passed away. Mother had to take up a job, and it was then that Suyin, fourteen years old, moved to the capital to serve Mingyu. It had been terrifying then, to move so far away from the only place she'd ever called home, to serve a family she'd never met before, but she needed the money to send back to her own family. And she'd made it work just fine, too.

In any case, she supposed it wasn't completely inappropriate for a lieutenant and handmaid to engage in pleasantries, to perhaps even become friends. It was certainly more appropriate than him approaching a housekeeper. So what was the harm?

They were so engaged in conversation that neither of them noticed that the princess' training had ended. Nor that she had seen them. Nor that she was coming over at this very moment, looking rather ticked off.

"Did something happen, Lieutenant? Has the war ended?"

Lian shot up to his feet when the princess approached them, and bowed. "Er- no, princess. It has not."

"Are you quite certain? I'm sure a lieutenant of your caliber would not be wasting time talking to my handmaid. Surely something must have happened? Is today a holiday? Have I not been informed?"

He shook his head again. "I was only keeping Miss Liu company."

"How thoughtful of you." Azula's voice was dry and flat and her words fooled no one. She turned to Suyin, "And you, don't you have anything better to do?"

"I've finished what had to be done." Suyin assured her, but the princess didn't soften in the slightest. So she continued, "But if you are finished with your training, then I will go prepare the bath."

Azula nodded, but her voice was still snappy. "Fine. Let's go." She turned to Lian to bid him good-bye with a single word. "Lieutenant."

He bowed again. Azula began to walk to the palace indoors without sparing either of them a single glance, and Suyin scurried after her, but not before looking back to send Lian a smile. He returned it and somehow, it made her giddy. It was the friendliest look she'd gotten in a long, long while.