The Palace workers were taken by surprise by Ty Lee's presence. She only appeared in the premises of the Royal Family's home when Azula requested her and Mai to drop by, and today wasn't one of the appointed visit days. She was in the Palace today because, after all this time, she still hadn't found the chance to have a good conversation with Zuko, and she meant to do it now, over lunch. The Prince eyed her with discomfort, seeing how he was the least compatible person with Ty Lee's upbeat nature. He had never been able to understand why the girl was friends with his sister, of all people…
"So, what do you want to know?" asked Ty Lee, smiling after their meal was placed before them.
"What do you mean, what?" replied Zuko, frowning. "What? Well, everything!"
Ty Lee was taking a gulp of juice when he replied. She coughed on the liquid and she raised an eyebrow in his direction, smirking at him.
"Everything? So you do want the gossip!"
Zuko found himself sighing in despair. She was the last person he should have asked this from, wasn't she?
"Just get this over with, will you…?" he asked, as he got started on his rice bowl.
"Well, then… I guess I can get this going by talking about me!" said Ty Lee, disregarding that she was close to last in Zuko's priorities. "I had nothing to do for a while after I was done with school, so I just lazed about for a few weeks. And well, my family is quite annoying, most the time. I couldn't stand it and I wanted out, so I joined the circus!"
"The… circus?" asked Zuko, raising a skeptical eyebrow.
"Yeah, they trained me to perform lots of fun tricks," she said, smiling. "But after two years of that routine I decided I'd had enough! And so I returned home. Some of my sisters had gotten married by then, so the house wasn't as crowded, and it wasn't as annoying anymore. Mai had been at Omashu back then, because her father was appointed the city's governor, but she hated living there, so she didn't even bother unpacking. She returned to the Capital about at the same time as I did."
"Right…" muttered Zuko. Just thinking about Mai filled his chest with pain, as if someone was stabbing his heart repeatedly with a very sharp knife.
"We hung out with Azula whenever she had spare time…" said Ty Lee, looking up at the ceiling as if she were struggling to make sure she wasn't leaving anything important out. "… And I can't remember if I'm leaving out anything important, but whatever. One day, Fire Lord Ozai asked Azula to take vacations and spend some time on Ember Island. I have no idea why he ordered her to do that, so don't ask me…"
"Why…?"
"Didn't I just say don't ask?" pouted Ty Lee, annoyed.
"But… it's weird," said Zuko, before finishing his rice. "I thought he trusted Azula with his life."
"Do you really want me to answer for Fire Lord Ozai?" asked Ty Lee, skeptical.
"Uh, right. I wasn't thinking straight. Move on," said Zuko, nodding.
"Well, we went to Ember Island and we had some fun in the beach. I met some really nice guys there!" said Ty Lee, beaming as memories came back to her. "Then Azula told us to join her for a Kuai Ball game. You know how she is, crazy competitive…"
"No kidding," muttered Zuko, agreeing with Ty Lee for once. His childhood had been comprised mostly of competing with Azula to earn their parents' attention.
"So she wanted us to play Kuai Ball with her, and well, how to refuse her, really?" asked Ty Lee, smiling uncomfortably. "We played and we won, and we caught the eye of a pair of handsome boys who had been on the beach at the moment."
"Huh?" said Zuko, displeased.
"One of them was Admiral Chan's son," said Ty Lee. "And the other was Ruon Jian."
The second name made Zuko wince. He hadn't quite memorized it after his conversation with Mai, but hearing it rang a bell, and he had no trouble figuring why it seemed familiar. Ty Lee gave him a sympathetic smile before continuing with her tale.
"They invited us to a party, although they had no idea who Azula was," said Ty Lee. "She took that to her advantage, since she wanted to see how people would treat her when they didn't know who she was. She tried her luck with Admiral Chan's son, but…"
"Spare me the details," grunted Zuko, grimacing. "My sister's… l-love life is not something I care about."
"That's mean!" said Ty Lee, pouting again. "She was always supportive of you and Mai!"
"You think knocking us into a fountain was support? Wait… you were on her side back then, I forgot about that," said Zuko, still grimacing.
"She did a lot more than that!" said Ty Lee, frowning. "She always told Mai to go forth with you and not to give up on you! So you shouldn't be so mean to her!"
"She's always mean to me! I'm merely returning the favor," said Zuko stubbornly, folding his arms over his chest.
"Men are so thick-headed…" said Ty Lee, rolling her eyes. "Whatever. Let's just focus on the important stuff."
"Good idea," said Zuko, gloomily. He didn't really want to hear about Mai's romance with another man but he wanted to know, at the very least, if they had actually fallen in love. It still seemed unbelievable to him that Mai would have forgotten about him so easily.
"Azula did her best with Chan, but he chickened out on her because he didn't have the courage to handle her…"
"Who does?" asked Zuko, grimacing.
"And, well… Ruon Jian approached Mai," said Ty Lee, unable to meet Zuko's eyes now. Telling him this story filled her with an amount of guilt that she felt very uncomfortable with. "He was a bit of a jerk back then, but, let's face it, jerks can be so appealing at times…"
"Huh?"
"N-never mind!" said Ty Lee, shaking her head. "Anyways, Mai kept playing hard to get, but Ruon didn't stop insisting. He actually spent most the evening with her… well, that is, until I realized Azula was gone. I told Mai we should go look for her, and she used that as her scapegoat. She pretty much told Ruon Jian that, if he really wanted her, he'd better prove it. We went down to the beach with Azula, and she seemed pretty upset over her failure with Chan."
"Well, it was about time she failed at something," said Zuko, smirking slightly. Focusing on his sister's social awkwardness wouldn't be enough to diminish his pain over Mai, but at the very least it helped him forget about it momentarily.
"You're too unfair," said Ty Lee, shaking her head. "You… you just don't get her. And to be honest, until that day, neither did I. Mai and me only stuck by her because it was easier to be on her side than against her… until that night. We found her at the beach, watching the ocean. She didn't want to talk much at first, but we pushed her to it and she suddenly showed us that there was so much more to her than she wanted to let anyone see."
Zuko frowned deeply.
"Is that so? Then Azula showed you girls her 'weaknesses'? Why is that so hard to believe…?"
"Maybe because you're too bitter to accept she's just human," said Ty Lee, glaring at him.
Zuko didn't like where this conversation was headed. Truth to be told, he didn't care much for his sister's displays of emotion. He didn't buy them as something real. Azula had a way to fake feelings and feign shortcomings simply to get her way. He didn't care if other people fell for her ploys: he had decided he never would.
"Right. So she opened up to you both," he said, still skeptical. Ty Lee didn't miss the tone of his voice, but she opted to ignore it.
"I think that was the day when we actually became friends. We weren't really honest with each other before… but that night, things changed. I loved it," she said, smiling. "But I guess what you want to know is what happened with Mai and Ruon Jian."
Zuko winced but nodded slightly.
"Ruon didn't stop pursuing her," said Ty Lee. "He sent her letters often, and they communicated like that for quite a while. She didn't give in easily, though. She didn't seem comfortable with the idea of getting involved with him. I think it was because she was still in love with you."
Zuko lowered his gaze towards his empty plate, feeling miserable.
"But I didn't come back," he muttered. "And she moved on…"
"Yeah, I guess," said Ty Lee, sighing. "It took about four years for her to get to get over you. It has to be the hardest decision she ever made…"
"But it was for the better, I bet," said Zuko, shrugging. "I shouldn't even be back right now. She had every right to go with someone else."
Ty Lee blinked in surprise, staring at him with slight confusion.
"Well, that's unusual… are you just saying that, or do you really think so?"
"At this point, I have no idea," said Zuko.
"Right…" said Ty Lee, gulping as she eyed him warily. "Alright, then, where was I? Oh, yes! Well, Ruon Jian found himself in a pickle because he realized he needed to become a better man for Mai's sake, and well, he did his best to do that. He stopped being such a jerk, he found himself a job in the Capital, and Mai became way more interested in him after that, I think. He offered her everything he was, and she decided to accept him. They got married about a year ago, and, as you already know, they await their first child."
Zuko sighed, but nodded. It didn't help him much to know the entire story, but knowing that the man had been willing to change just for Mai's sake made him think he was probably good enough for her. Regardless, he couldn't stop feeling remorseful. If only he had returned sooner, he wouldn't need to hear this story…
"Well, that's that," said Ty Lee, after downing most her food while Zuko sat quietly across her. "Anything else you want to know?"
Zuko shook his head slowly for a moment, forgetting what had been bothering him before… but he nodded promptly once he did, bringing himself to focus on one of the matters that baffled him the most.
"Yeah, there's something else. That weird guy hanging with Azula…"
"Oh! Sokka!" squealed Ty Lee, looking dreamily at the ceiling. "That's the yummiest cookie I've seen in years…"
"What the hell?" said Zuko, the veins on his temple twitching as he glared at Ty Lee.
"Oh, no need to be so jealous," said Ty Lee, smiling. "You're on the top ten on my hot guys list too!"
"What an honor…" said Zuko, exasperated.
"It is, really!" she replied, beaming happily at him. Zuko huffed in annoyance. "Anyhow… you want to know how she wound up with him?"
"I just can't make any sense out of it," said Zuko, staring at the table. "Why is she with a guy like him? Why is he her gladiator?"
"It's a long story," said Ty Lee, smiling slightly. "About three years ago, Fire Lord Ozai sent Azula to the South Pole to attend some boring war meeting in a settlement the Fire Nation had established down there. Now, I don't know all the details, but I think a group of Water Tribe warriors came to attack them. Azula was the one to handle them all, and she ended up fighting against their leader, who was none other than Sokka!"
"He fought against Azula and survived…?" asked Zuko, surprised. Maybe the man was made of something stronger than he had originally thought.
"Well, apparently it wasn't that much of a fight," said Ty Lee, shrugging and smiling awkwardly. "She overpowered him quickly. But she didn't kill him, she said he should be taken to the mainland as a slave…"
"Why didn't she kill him?" asked Zuko.
"How about you ask her instead?" muttered Ty Lee, pouting. "I have no idea. I'm not Azula."
"You don't need to say that twice," added Zuko. Ty Lee frowned.
"In any case, she dropped him off at this lousy town, Hui Yi, and then she returned to the Capital. Then, some months ago, Fire Lord Ozai set her to marry Admiral Chan's son and she didn't have a say about it at first…"
"Marriage?" asked Zuko, impressed. "He was going to set her up? Really?"
"That's what surprises you?" asked Ty Lee. "Rather than the guy being Admiral Chan's son…"
"Oh, the one she wanted to get involved with back in Ember Island?"
"Yeah. Things went awry between them and she didn't want anything else to do with him," said Ty Lee. "So when she heard about this, she devised a plan to get rid of the engagement by proving Chan was no good for her! But Chan was a lazy, useless guy with no skills and no hobbies other than Gladiator fighting. So she decided to humiliate him through gladiators, but to accomplish that, she needed a gladiator of her own."
"Who would have known…?"
"So she dragged both me and Mai all the way to Hui Yi's Amateur Arena and we watched a combat there, and as it happens, the one who won the fight we saw was none other than Sokka! Of course, Mai and I didn't know who he was, so at first I just figured she liked him because he was really good-looking…"
"Does Azula give a damn about a man's looks?" asked Zuko, skeptical.
"Oh, she pretends she doesn't, but it's just that, pretense!" said Ty Lee, chuckling. "I can tell she likes him, really."
"I rather doubt it," said Zuko, grimacing.
"In any case, she struck a deal with him… I have no idea what exactly did she do to convince him, but she swayed him anyway. A month after they started working together, they faced off against Chan and his gladiator and they won! And now, I think they're aiming at becoming the best combination of gladiator and sponsor because they want the top spot in the ranking."
"What for?" asked Zuko. "What use would that be?"
"How should I know?" said Ty Lee, carelessly. "I'm just enjoying the ride! I go bet at the Grand Royal Dome once in a while… maybe you should come with me one day!"
"I don't think I want to watch something as pointless as a gladiator fight," said Zuko, sighing. "So don't count me in on that one."
"Oh, really?" said Ty Lee, pouting again. "You're no fun!"
"Nobody ever said I was," replied Zuko. "Still, she seems to get along really well with that guy. It doesn't make much sense, if you ask me… she dragged him from his hometown, turned him into a slave and now she's using him for hell knows what ends. Why is he enduring it? Is he that stupid, or is he the one who is playing her?"
"I don't… I never really saw it like that," muttered Ty Lee, looking aghast.
"I don't know how else to see it," insisted Zuko, scowling. "You can try and delude yourself all you want… Azula isn't doing this out of the kindness of her heart or out of some crush on a Water Tribe guy. There's something else to this…"
"You're just too gloomy," said Ty Lee, sighing. "I already told you, you're too hard on her. She's a girl! She has every right to feel attracted to a guy like him!"
"Even if she liked him, Azula isn't the type to act according to feelings," said Zuko. "Our father made sure she wouldn't do that."
"That's what you think…" muttered Ty Lee, folding her arms over her chest.
She hadn't given the relationship between Sokka and Azula much thought, but she was certain Zuko was wrong. What little she had seen had been enough to convince her that the bond between them went much deeper than Zuko believed… because, after all, Azula never did anyone favors, yet she had even been willing to go back to the Arena to fetch Sokka's boomerang. And as for Sokka, he had never even bothered checking Ty Lee out: he only ever focused on Azula. She didn't care if Zuko refused to accept it. There was something else in that relationship, something that went far beyond using the other for their own ends.
She wasn't too clever in many regards, but she took pride in her skill to identify love when she saw it.
Azula struck the bargains with the salesman while Sokka wandered about the house, looking around and getting more comfortable in the place that was to become his new home. He rejoiced when he found out the main bedroom was larger than the room he had slept in at Piandao's mansion. He had shared an igloo with his family back home, everyone huddled together uncomfortably, and even though he missed the closeness, he couldn't deny having so much space for himself was refreshing.
The terrains behind the house were perfect for him to keep to the training regime Piandao had taught him. The grass was slightly uneven and disorderly, but he would take care of that soon enough, if need be.
He was horrified, though, to find the kitchen was empty… and something else came to his mind as he took in this particular detail.
"You guys done with the paperwork?" he asked as he heard Azula's distinct footsteps as she walked down the stairs.
"Yes, everything has been settled," she declared. "I'll be paying him tomorrow, but you can start staying here from today anyways."
"You couldn't pay him yet?" asked Sokka.
"No, I didn't have enough money on me even though he gave me a discount," admitted Azula. "Knocked off half the price for me."
"Woah… benefits of being a royal, huh?" said Sokka, wide-eyed.
"Still, I didn't bring that much cash along with me," said Azula. "I only had about half of what he was requesting. Naturally, he said he didn't mind if I paid later. He would have been asking for a world of pain if he had become that unreasonable."
"Though that makes you look like the unreasonable one," said Sokka, smirking. "Seeing how you're getting out of your predicaments by using your status as a Princess…"
"As if you wouldn't do the same if you had the chance to do it," said Azula, smirking back at him.
"True," admitted Sokka, recalling a few times he had gotten out of his problems merely because he was the son of the Tribe Chief. "Anyways, I was just thinking…"
"You, thinking?" Azula interrupted him, surprised. "That's a new one."
"Ha ha, very funny," said Sokka, as she smiled again. "Thing is, I can't cook to save my life, and I'm no use at cleaning and whatnot…"
"Me neither. Seems like we share a few traits despite being a Princess and a savage," she said, seemingly amused.
"I hadn't thought of it like that," said Sokka, rubbing his chin as he realized she was right about that. "W-well, anyhow, that's not my point. Thing is, how am I supposed to survive on my own if I can't look after myself?"
"Then… I suggest you learn how to look after yourself," said Azula, shrugging.
"You can't be serious," said Sokka, horror-struck. "Azula, you need a strong, sturdy gladiator! You want me to be well-fed so that I can fight to my best, don't you?"
"I suppose," said Azula, sighing.
"Well, then, I need someone to cook for me!" said Sokka, stubbornly. "And someone who can cook properly too!"
Azula huffed in irritation at his request. If someone had warned her about what a handful this man would prove to be, she wouldn't have hired him in the long run. It wasn't as if she couldn't deal with him, but despite how wealthy she was due to her status as the Fire Lord's daughter, she had never been a big spender. Wasting such fortunes on him seemed like something her father would never approve of, and neither should she.
"So you're saying you want… cooking lessons?" she asked, merely to rouse his annoyance.
"What the…? No! Hire someone to cook for me, that's what I'm saying!" Sokka squealed, and Azula sighed.
"I get it, I get it…" she replied, thoughtful.
"You can send over one of your Palace's servants or something," Sokka suggested. "He could come cook a few meals for me and then go back to his business at the Palace."
"That's counterproductive," Azula stated. "The servant would be worn out by the time he makes it all the way here, and he would be even more exhausted while going back to the Palace. An extenuated servant would be as good as not having a servant at all."
"Then…? Should I go find my own servant?" asked Sokka.
Azula raised an eyebrow at his idea before shrugging carelessly.
"It seems the most practical solution," she admitted. "I suppose we should drop by at the slave market, then…"
"W-wait, what?!" Sokka said, aghast. "No! Slave market, my ass!"
Azula rolled her eyes and glared at him.
"Of course. Do me a favor, genius, and explain this to me: how exactly do you plan on getting yourself a servant anywhere but at the slave market?"
"W-well, I don't know! But that's the last thing I'm going to do! I'm not about to go shopping for humans," said Sokka, sternly.
Azula sighed in irritation. Why was he so unreasonable all the time?
"I know of your aversion towards slavery," she muttered. "I'm perfectly aware of your resentment, I know you'd rather jump into the Boiling Rock's lake than take a slave because you think it's as if you were supporting the Fire Nation's system, which you despise…"
Sokka frowned and glared at her, knowing she was about to throw one of her typical arguments at him…
"… And I'm fine with that," Azula continued. "But I'll have you know, there's nothing you can do right now, as you are, to change the circumstances in which slaves such as yourself live in. You can't save them all through some tragic and heroic ordeal, which I'm sure is what you dream about all the time… but you can save one of them, at the very least."
"Huh…?" said Sokka, surprised.
"If you buy a slave, you'll get around treating him in whichever way you want," said Azula. "You can disdain him, you can praise him, you can treat him as if he were your brother if that pleased you. You can save the life of one slave if you get one today. Now, indeed, I know you don't want to buy people as if they were groceries…"
"I need groceries too…" Sokka mumbled, but Azula was too busy with her monologue to notice he had spoken.
"And you think this system is utterly unfair, but, as I said, there's nothing you can do about it right now," said Azula, shrugging. "The best thing you can do at the moment is change the life of a single slave. And maybe other people will follow your lead one day, if you manage to convince them that your way of thinking makes any sense."
Sokka frowned as he considered her proposal. It didn't seem such a bad idea if she worded it like that…
"Hopefully you'll be the first one whom I'll manage to turn around, then," he said, smirking slightly.
"Tough luck with that, Sokka," she said, proudly. "I'd never give up on having slaves. They make my life way too comfortable for me to change my mind about them."
"Oh, so I make your life comfortable? Refresh my memory, didn't you want to get rid of me because you were sick of me by now…?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Azula smiled slightly. She couldn't help but feel proud of him whenever he showed her his wits like he just had. Not many people were able to spot the holes within her arguments and point them out to her… and since she did it to him often, Sokka seemed determined to give her the same treatment.
"But you're not just any slave, are you?" she asked him. Sokka couldn't help but blush slightly at that.
"N-no… I'm…"
"My stupid and annoying gladiator," finished Azula, smirking. He grimaced and glared at her, unsure of what to make of the last stretch of their conversation. "Now, are you going to be reasonable and accept getting your own slave, or will you keep being stubborn and stupid?"
"Stupid?" grunted Sokka, irritated. "Say what you will, woman, but don't call me stupid. Our intellects are, likely, around the same level! So insulting me reflects directly on you!"
"You jest," said Azula, chuckling. "You think your intelligence is on par with mine? Seriously?"
"Well, if you want me to prove it, how about we play some strategy games or something?" suggested Sokka, shrugging. "I'm pretty good at Pai Sho myself…"
The mention of Pai Sho made Azula think about her uncle immediately. Pai Sho and Iroh always came to her mind in a set. The White Lotus tile Piandao had left for Sokka remained a mystery to this day, mostly because she didn't want to waste her time asking her uncle what it meant. It wasn't as if she thought he wouldn't know, it was that she didn't trust him or anything about him. Therefore, she wanted to be nowhere near Pai Sho for the time being.
"No need to prove anything, your mental skills are of meaningless importance at the moment," she said, sighing. "Shall we, then?"
Sokka was slightly surprised to see she had relinquished an argument so easily… but he figured she was merely postponing it. He smirked proudly, knowing her retreat meant he had earned himself a momentary victory.
"Sure thing, Princess," he said, gifting her with an arrogant smile. Azula only had to look at him to know what was going through his mind. She huffed in annoyance, knowing she'd have to put him in his rightful place later. But it was best for them to get going so that they could forget about Pai Sho for the time being.
The Slave Market was down by the busy commercial district of the Capital. The streets were roamed by loud salesmen and shopping families trying to make it past the crowds without losing each other in the process. Azula glowered at the sight of the masses of people and decided to drag Sokka through the emptier streets, not minding the many detours she'd have to take. She had never been one to blend in a multitude: she liked being above people, never among them.
"So… this is it?" asked Sokka, once they were about to enter what seemed to be the filthiest section of the marketplace. Azula grimaced at the smells and sounds, utterly displeased. She definitely wasn't one for environments like this one.
"This place is extremely disorderly and irksome," she muttered. Sokka could have sensed her irritation from miles away. "The salesmen tend to pester anyone who approaches and they try to get them to buy more slaves than they can take with them. Be quick to find the slave you want so we can spare ourselves all the unnecessary trouble, understood?"
"Uh, okay," said Sokka, gulping nervously.
The stands on this side of the market were full of slaves chained together, looking dirty, terrified and helpless. If Sokka could get away with it, he'd free them all, but Azula was right. He couldn't do much for them just yet… and she had actually left an open window, saying he might get around to spreading his beliefs and changing the world to his liking someday. Therefore, as Piandao had taught him, he just would have to be patient. His time would come eventually.
Azula scowled at everything that caught her sight as she walked amongst the stores. The foul stench that revolted her so much came from the slaves. Couldn't those foolish salesmen bathe them before putting them for sale? They might get more people to buy them if they did…
"So… I need someone who can cook," said Sokka, frowning as he looked around carelessly. "How about that old woman over there?"
"How do you know if an old woman can cook or not?" asked Azula, raising an eyebrow.
"My grandmother could cook," said Sokka, shrugging.
"Are all old women your grandmother?" asked Azula, rolling her eyes. "It's a ridiculous logic. Besides, if you take an old slave you'll end up taking care of her instead."
"What's so wrong with that?" asked Sokka, pouting
"She might get sick on you and you'll have to cook for her instead. And you'll end up killing her that way… actually, you'll end up killing both of you," said Azula, matter-of-factly. Sokka winced at the thought.
"Fine… Well, then, how about that guy?" he asked, pointing at a frail looking man with a face covered in pimples.
"Fool! Don't point like that or they'll notice you're…!" Azula tried to tell him off, but it was too late. The damage was done.
"Oh, young master!" said the salesman in charge of the man with pimples over his face. "You're worth much more than this useless dog! I have a very nice offer, three slaves for the price of two!"
"That's bullshit!" yelled the man from the stand across his. "Don't listen to that idiot! His slaves are no good! They can't even scrub the dirt from their own feet! It's why he makes such bargains, to get rid of those pests!"
"Not true!" replied the first one. "Quit sticking your nose in my business, Kao!"
"No, no, come over here, my lord!" called out a third salesman. "I have the finest slaves in the entire market! They're well trained to follow every command! And they do their own laundry as well!"
"My girls know how to entertain a fine gentleman like yourself!" said another man, smirking.
More salesmen joined the fray, but their shouts were becoming impossible to discern: all their voices were overlapping. Azula cringed, irritated, and her displeasure increased further when the salesmen began leaving their booths to approach Sokka, smiling at him and beckoning him to buy one of their slaves. Azula could tell there was little to nothing she could do under these circumstances other than fleeing. She grabbed one of Sokka's crutches and she pulled him through the crowd as quickly as she could in order to shake all those men off them. The salesmen kept yelling despite their flight, since they were clearly desperate to get more customers, but Azula ignored them, walking faster to leave them behind quickly.
"Didn't I warn you this would happen? You drew too much attention to yourself!" she growled angrily, once they were outside the slave salesmen's range.
"What did you expect me to do, really?" said Sokka, gulping. "I've never been shopping in the Fire Nation before. I thought you guys were dignified and noble! I never figured they'd jump on us like a hunter after its prey…"
"Clearly, you underestimated how desperate they were to make a sale," said Azula, only letting go of Sokka's crutch once they reached a relatively empty spot within the packed market.
"Well, what should I do, then?" said Sokka, grimacing. "If I just buy the first one that comes along… how will I know if he can cook?"
Azula sighed and rolled her eyes. Sokka looked at her, apparently desperate to find a solution to his predicament.
"Asking these men about their slaves' traits won't get you anywhere, in case you haven't realized that already," she grunted. "They'll cheat you off and you won't even know they did until you discover your servant can't even wipe his own butt after going to the bathroom."
"Well, I can't deny it could happen," muttered Sokka. "But hey, slaves are humans too. They have their own voice! If I talk to them directly, they might tell me what their true talents are. I doubt they'd lie about them."
"Can you tell when people are being dishonest, though?" asked Azula, raising an inquisitive eyebrow.
"Uh… I think I might," said Sokka, shrugging. "Can't be so hard, can it?"
Azula sighed and glared at him. She suspected he had no clue on how to tell apart a liar from a goody two-shoes, but she couldn't deny his idea wasn't so bad. She doubted these slaves would be as chatty as her gladiator, but they'd likely talk to Sokka if he addressed them directly… as long as she provided a distraction so he could approach them.
"Fine," said Azula, frowning. Sokka was taken by surprise by her quick agreement, yet he could see in the glint on her eyes that she was concocting a plan of some sort. "It can't be done so easily, though. I'll have to divert the salesmen's attention for as long as I can manage. In the meantime, you can sneak into a booth when nobody's paying attention and get yourself a slave. Make a gesture of some sort once you find the right one and I'll buy him."
"Huh… that should work," said Sokka, nodding. "But now I think about it, it's weird. How come didn't they notice you were the Princess when they saw you?"
"They're like leeches, Sokka," said Azula, sighing. "The one pointing at slaves was you, and they took your gesture as a sign to identify a possible buyer. On the other hand, they might have missed my identity because the Princess doesn't stroll around the marketplace without her palanquin or an assortment of guards. Fact is, the Princess hardly ever comes to the marketplace at all. They didn't realize who I was both because they were too busy pestering you and because of how unbelievable my current circumstances are."
"Huh, so, if you go out there now, they still won't believe you're the Fire Lord's daughter?" asked Sokka, raising an eyebrow.
"They might. Who cares, really? It'll only help me distract them further. Just make sure to be quick to get the best slave you can find, got it?"
"R-right!" said Sokka, nodding energetically. He let go of his crutch for a moment and extended his hand in front of him, towards Azula. "Good luck."
The Princess frowned at the sight. This had happened once before, hadn't it? Him, giving her his hand like this… She didn't know why he kept insisting on doing this pointless gesture. Regardless her discomfort, though, she shook his hand with her own promptly.
"Remember, be fast and stealthy," she said, and Sokka nodded promptly as she returned to the slave section of the marketplace.
The salesmen, disappointed when their prey disappeared, had returned to their business… that is, until one of them spotted a raven haired lady eyeing a slouchy slave on one of the stalls.
"How much for this one?" she asked, to no one in particular…
And naturally, all the salesmen jumped at her offering her all sorts of different slaves, far more suitable for her standing and needs. But while they all talked at once, one of them frowned and looked at the woman with curiosity and confusion. That hair, those eyes, that hairpiece…
"Wait!" he yelled, and everyone else quieted down for a moment, looking at him in surprise.
Azula raised an eyebrow as she looked back at the man who was so intent on staring at her. Logic kicked in, though, and the man shook his head in disappointment with himself. No matter how fancy this girl looked, or how authentic the hairpiece seemed to be… there was no way the Princess of the Fire Nation would come to a slave market.
"Nevermind…" he stated, shaking his head, and the fight to earn Azula's attention began anew.
Azula didn't even resist them; she allowed them to lead her from stall to stall, showing her their best looking slaves. Sokka watched from afar at first, and, once the crowd of salesmen was a little further away, he slid as silently as he could between two booths after making sure their owners were gone. Once he felt safe enough, he dared to sneak a peek towards the street, and he discovered Azula wasn't anywhere in sight within the crowd that surrounded her. He grimaced, thinking he wouldn't hear the end of this one. She was really putting up with a lot as it was…
"Are you okay?" asked a female voice next to him, making him jump in surprise. He had been certain he was alone… a stupid thought, truly, seeing how he knew the booths were occupied by slaves.
"Oh, no worries, I'm just hiding from those crazy men…" said Sokka, smiling casually as he turned to face the girl.
She was brown haired and fair-skinned, although her body was visibly bruised, especially under the chains that held her in place. Her eyes were also russet and they were very kind, despite the evident sadness that clouded them.
"N-no, I mean…" she muttered, looking down at his legs. "You seem like you've been badly wounded."
"Ah, well…" said Sokka, shrugging. "It's a long story, but, believe it or not, I'm way better now. Just a few more weeks on these crappy crutches and I'll be in shape, or so I was told."
The girl kept looking at him, seemingly worried. Sokka raised an eyebrow. Why was she so concerned about his status? Who was she, anyway?
"It looks painful, though," she said. "Both your legs have been injured, from what I can see. I know a few techniques that might help. There are some massages that help your chi flow and soothe your pain…"
"Huh?" said Sokka, blinking in surprise. "Wait… how do you know that sort of stuff?"
"Well, I… I used to be a healer," said the girl, sadness clouding her eyes. "Back in the Earth Kingdom, before I was dragged to the Fire Nation and forced to become a slave."
Sokka saw the helplessness on the girl's eyes and felt inexplicably responsible of her right away. There was something about her that reminded him of the way his sister would behave whenever she was feeling down.
"Uh… can you cook?" he asked, randomly. The girl blinked repeatedly, surprised by his sudden question.
"Why… yes, I can," she replied. "I'm not the best cook in the world, but I can handle making a few dishes."
Sokka smiled brightly at her then, puzzling the girl further. He left the safety of the booths and let himself out in the open before taking one of his crutches and shaking it above his head, hoping Azula would see it.
"Hey! I'm done! Found a good one!" he yelled.
The Princess had difficulty understanding Sokka's words, but the sound of his voice somehow managed to make it through all the chattering salesmen. Azula walked through them, pushing them away as she looked for her gladiator. Sokka was smiling cheerfully as he waved his crutch several booths away from where she was, and there was an innocent-looking chained girl standing close to him, staring at him as if he were a loon.
"Oh, but lady…" said one of the salesmen, trying to stop Azula before she headed to where Sokka stood with the slave. The Princess ignored him as she eyed the girl inquisitively.
"So… you think she'll do?" she asked Sokka, and he nodded promptly.
"Yeah. And you know, what you said about how I could help out one person… I think I won't find anyone I want to help more than her," he said, smiling.
Azula raised an eyebrow towards him, not quite pleased. The slave girl looked from one to the other, completely confused… and the man in charge of Song approached them, his bald head gleaming under the sun.
"Oh, I know she's promising, my lady, my lord…" he said, looking at Azula and Sokka. "But even though she's still untainted and whatnot, this girl definitely isn't the best I have to offer!"
Song grimaced at the sight of the man, and she blushed slightly when he said she was 'untainted'. Sokka's eyes widened and Azula scowled at the salesman, clearly displeased by the uncalled-for comment.
"I don't care about anything else you have to offer," grunted Azula. "Name your price. Or is it you'd like to hand her over for free?"
The man was taken by surprise by Azula's authority. Her glare was threatening enough for him to swallow his intent to make a better sale.
"Uh… fine," he said, rubbing his chest as he frowned, thoughtful. "Ten thousand, I guess."
Azula didn't stop glaring as she counted the money and entrusted the exact quantity to the man. Sokka merely tried to smile enthusiastically at the slave girl, who appeared to have a hard time to keep up with the happenings. The salesman released the girl from the chains once Azula was done with the payment. The Princess gestured at both Sokka and the girl to follow her out of the market, and they walked away, leaving many disappointed salesmen behind.
"So, we're done!" said Sokka proudly as he limped behind Azula, smiling. "I have my cook now! And you know, she's also a healer! It's why I decided to go for her. She was a very lucky hit, I tell you!"
"Good for you," said Azula, not even half as enthusiastic as Sokka was.
"Uh, excuse me…?" said the girl from behind them, still as puzzled as ever.
Both Azula and Sokka halted and turned to look at her.
"What exactly is going on here…?" she asked, looking from one to another. "I mean… who are you? Who is my actual owner?"
"Well, technically speaking, I'd be the one who owns you," said Azula. "Seeing how I was the one to pay for you."
"But you'll work for me!" said Sokka, still smiling. "No worries, I'm a nice guy! I'll treat you as equals, because that's what I've been taught people must do with slaves."
He smiled at Azula now, and she jumped in surprise.
"E-equals?! What, you and me?" she said, skeptical. "Please! How dare you even think about comparing yourself to me?"
"Why shouldn't I?" asked Sokka, beaming cheerfully. "I mean, you don't treat me like a slave, you've helped me out in many occasions before…"
"That doesn't mean you and I are on equal standing!" said Azula, with a laugh of incredulity. "Please, Sokka! Are you trying to set a new record on how ridiculous you can be?"
"You're just mad because you know I'm right," said Sokka, smirking before turning back to the girl. "Azula just doesn't like admitting that she doesn't see me like a regular slave, but don't mind her. She's proud as hell… she's like a nut that's really hard to crack, get what I mean?"
The slave was staring at them, aghast. From the second she saw he had blue eyes she figured he wasn't a Fire Nation man, but she hadn't quite thought he would be a slave too. What amazed her, though, was the way he spoke with such familiarity towards the person who could be none other than his master… and her name just happened to be Azula.
The slave market was, naturally, a place where rumors spread quickly, and word had been that the Princess had recently hired a gladiator for herself. And as she looked at the man and the woman before her, everything, including his injuries, started to make sense.
"N-no way…" she said, in utter disbelief. "W-w-why would the Princess…? W-w-why, her gladiator…? I… I don't understand!"
"You didn't explain anything to her?" asked Azula, looking at Sokka.
"Well, I just… didn't think explaining was that essential," said Sokka, shrugging carelessly.
"As thoughtful as ever," said Azula, rolling her eyes.
"Well, for starters," said Sokka, looking at the girl. "Your name is…?"
"I… I'm Song," said the girl, whispering her name as though it were the only stable thing in her life.
"Song, I'm Sokka," he said, smiling. "And this is Azula… uh, Princess Azula. And just as you said it, I'm her gladia-… wait, how did you know who I was?"
"I'd heard rumors about the Princess having a gladiator," muttered Song, shyly. "I just figured, if she was the Princess, then you were probably the gladiator…"
"She's smart, see?" said Sokka, smiling.
"That's just logic speaking," said Azula.
"Whatever you say," replied Sokka, chuckling. Knowing someone would take care of his meals had improved his mood greatly.
"T-then… what exactly is going to happen now?" asked Song. "What do you want me to do?"
"You're the slave of a slave," said Azula, smirking a little. "Sounds quite demeaning, doesn't it?"
"Nah, it doesn't," said Sokka, glaring at Azula. "Song won't be inferior to me. Fact is, we're going to be like… siblings!"
"Well, so long as you're not siblings like Zuko and I am, I'm sure you'll get along fine," said Azula. "In any case, it's time for me to take my leave."
"For you to take your what?" said Sokka, surprised. "Where are you going?"
"Back to the Palace," replied Azula, matter-of-factly. "Why are you so shocked? Did you think I'd move into your petty house with the two of you or something?"
"W-well… I actually thought you would go shopping with us!" said Sokka, smiling.
Azula stared at him with disgust, to Sokka's surprise.
"W-what? Don't you like shopping…?" he asked, innocently.
"I don't, actually," said Azula, her arms folded over her chest. "I don't shop. Other people buy things for me. The most I've ever shopped was what I just did to get that girl."
With that, she pointed at Song. Song blushed weakly, hardly knowing how to handle being addressed directly by the Princess of the Fire Nation. It didn't matter that she disliked the Fire Nation as she did… being so near the Princess was beyond intimidating. Her mere presence demanded respect.
"Which entitles me to ask you to come shopping with us!" said Sokka, beaming. "It'll be fun!"
"You're entitled to ask whatever you want to, and I'm perfectly allowed to refuse your proposals," said Azula, glaring at him. "You only want me to tag along because you have no money. And you should have some savings; really, because I let you take the winnings from your fight with the Spawn and the Hornet…"
"Hey!" said Sokka. "For one, I spent a lot of those first winnings already, and for another one, you were mad at me after the fight with the Hornet and you never gave me the money you promised me!"
"Ah, I didn't?" asked Azula, frowning as she recalled the occasion. Indeed, her anger had driven her to forget completely about that part of their transaction… "Well, you had it coming anyway."
"Bottom line is, I don't have money," said Sokka, his hands on his hips.
"And I don't want you to spend mine," growled Azula, glaring at him.
Song looked from one to the other, curious. It made little to no sense how a Princess and a slave would speak to each other so casually, as if they were nothing but good friends…
"But I need food!" Sokka whined, and Azula rolled her eyes, exasperated.
"Could you become more annoying, by any chance?" she asked.
"I can try, if you really want me to," said Sokka, smirking. Azula narrowed her eyes at him. Just by smiling like that he was already accomplishing his goal.
"I'm not going with you," she declared, determined. "My decision is final."
"You're such a party pooper" said Sokka, pouting.
"Why are you so intent on having me tag along with you?" asked Azula, suspicious "I had assumed you'd like to get rid of me as quickly as possible. Are you, for some strange reason, enjoying my company nowadays?"
Sokka knew he would be walking on thin ice no matter his reply to that question, but he merely rubbed his chin before giving out an honest reply.
"Well, truth to be told… I guess I am" he said, smiling.
Azula raised an eyebrow, stunned.
"How the hell…? All I ever do is make you feel bad!" she said, incredulous.
"It's just fun arguing with you!" he said, beaming happily.
Azula swallowed hard as he grinned at her. She had no idea how to respond to that. It didn't matter if he enjoyed her company, she didn't want to go shopping anywhere. She just wanted to go home and rest for the day.
"Well, we can argue on another day if that's what you want," she grunted, looking at the ground. "But, anyways… here."
To Sokka's surprise, Azula handed him a large but carefully calculated amount of money. Sokka looked at her, perplexed.
"What's this…?"
"What I owed you from the Hornet's fight," said Azula, still not looking at him. "Use that and get whatever you can afford. I'm going back to the Palace."
"Uh… do you want us to walk you there?" he asked, before Azula could take off.
"No need," she said, raising a hand to stop him. "I can find my way on my own."
"Sure, then…" said Sokka, knowing she was perfectly capable to take care of herself, but he felt an urge to go with her anyways. Regardless, he didn't press the Princess further.
Azula walked away without bothering to say farewell to either Sokka or Song. The slave girl was still baffled by her new circumstances, therefore she didn't pay much attention to the Princess's departure, but Sokka stood where he was, watching the Princess as she took her leave. He sighed once she was out of sight, and he turned to Song again, smiling.
"So, how about we go buy some groceries?" he asked, beaming.
Song still was rather confused by what was happening, but shopping was understandable enough. She smiled back and joined Sokka as they both selected the food they would have for the week. Song was pleased to realize her new master was far nicer than she had expected… he didn't really feel like a master. It was more as if he were merely her friend. His careless and easy-going attitude made her laugh a few times. She couldn't help but wonder why the Princess would give her personal slave so much freedom, though. It didn't add up in her mind… she wondered if it added up in theirs. Their ways of thinking seemed to be far beyond her understanding.
Sokka dropped on the common room's couch once they got back to his new house. The red fabric was quite soft, allowing him to rest his sore legs after walking so much. He knew that so much exercise would be helpful on the long run, but right now it was merely exhausting.
"I can help you out later with your legs, if you want," said Song, looking at him from the kitchen.
"Nah, don't worry," he said, smiling slightly. "I'll be fine."
"There's nothing wrong in letting others help you," said the slave girl, looking at him sternly.
Sokka couldn't help but think that even by her nagging she reminded him of his younger sibling. Sokka smiled and agreed for her to help him later, since she was busy fixing up their meal at the moment.
As he lay down across the couch, Sokka let his eyes closes and he tried to keep his thoughts from straying towards the Fire Nation Princess, where they usually went to nowadays. But whenever he stopped thinking about Azula, he was immediately reminded of his Tribe. With Song around, he felt even more homesick than before as he recalled the times when his sister would be the one looking after him. Her features reappeared in his mind and he sighed, missing Katara so much that his chest ached. He wondered how she was doing… had the tribe members gotten over his disappearance? Were they still standing strong against the settlement?
But there was one question that had lingered in his mind for quite some time now, and it was, no doubt, the most important question of all: was Katara leading the Water Tribe's Resistance?
A/N: FYI, whoever submits the 300th review gets a cookie