#12: Proposal Part II
Prompted By: BabydollEyelashes & GuitarBOSS
That night, Azula is forced to attend the Nation's favorite festival. It is not necessarily terrible. Not as bad as it was when she was a child. At least now she can drink and fade into the shadows, instead of being forced to stand up, look pretty and look perfect. Dolled up like her father's bauble to show off the little princess.
Azula has yet to think of her perfect speech, the exact words that will win this battle. It is driving her mad as she leans over the edge of a bridge, she and her girlfriend slipping away from the loud festival. The fireworks have been blasting incessantly for an hour now, almost since sunset.
"It's a really nice night," Ty Lee says brightly, squinting at the water rushing below. It is stained red from the confetti.
"It's not dreadful," Azula replies and mentally flinches. Try to be romantic, princess. Because they taught you how to be romantic when teaching you how to win wars...
"You look kinda, uh, sick. Do you want to go home?" Ty Lee asks, slipping her arm around Azula's waist. And a feeling like electricity surges through her. Some sick combination of happiness and arousal and she wants to crush it.
"I want to ask you something," Azula says, relieved her speech is remaining smooth and cold, like the water below the bridge they stand on.
"Okay!" She sounds far too excited. If this goes downhill...
Azula cannot find the right words, and they are far overdue.
Years of training in saying the right thing. Incessant lessons. Practice. Sweat dripping from Long Feng's forehead. Princess Azula can ask someone to marry her. This is not so difficult. Come on.
"Uh, Azula?" and a hand is being waved in front of her eyes. Azula blinks three times, dizzy, and clears her throat.
"I..." Azula pauses. "Are you cold?"
No. She feels totally ridiculous.
"Oh, I, uh..." Ty Lee looks somewhat disappointed. Azula's heart speeds up significantly as she wonders if someone guessed Azula's intentions and told the Kyoshi Warrior. "A little?"
"Maybe we should go somewhere warmer," Azula says, as if it is a command, though she is berating herself internally.
"Okay," Ty Lee says, turning her palms up and grinning.
She voraciously seizes Azula's hand and starts walking with her through the streets, towards the quaint shops now decorated with paper lanterns that burn bright and smell strongly of incense. Masks of spirits and so many performers that walking anywhere is a hazard of your hair catching ablaze.
"The festival is beautiful," Ty Lee remarks as they stand near a fire. It is certainly warmer and Azula is regretting her stupid lie. Now she glitters with sweat and feels even queasier. But she does not show it; her face is stony and haughty, looking down her nose ever so slightly at the peasants around her. "But not as beautiful as you."
See, why can't Azula say things like that? Why?
"I know," Azula replies before feeling twice as ridiculous. This night is not going as well as she planned. The metal bracelet in her dress pocket presses against her hip, now heated metal searing into her as a reminder of her purpose.
"That street performer is really good."
"His form is all wrong." Internal cringe. Romance! Ugh.
"I wouldn't know." Ty Lee shrugs lightly. She now has developed a perpetual look of concern on her delicate features. "I'm less cold now."
Azula takes a deep breath. She has to do this eventually, and she might as well attempt it.
"That's good. I don't want you to be cold." Was that romantic? She doesn't know anymore.
"You don't have to say anything, Azula." Lips press against hers. Azula sinks into it, relieved.
But when the kiss breaks, Azula says, "I have to say something."
"Okay." Ty Lee's protuberant eyes sparkle with fear. Azula would usually like such a thing, but right now she wishes this were easier.
"I was trying to think of something romantic to say. About how I love you, or why I love you. But to be honest, I couldn't think of any." Pause. Ty Lee looks wounded. How could this be going so wrong? Azula thinks as quickly as she possibly can and frantically settles on, "I love you because, I love you. There's no reason needed for loving."
Reciting Uncle's senile wisdom seems like the worst possible option, yet Azula is beyond desperate at this point. But, to her utter shock, Ty Lee grins and kisses her again.
"That is only the most romantic thing I have ever heard!"
"Oh, well, I thought of it myself. Just for you," Azula says smoothly, finally back on her game. She feels a rush; not quite a destroying Ba Sing Se rush, but a rush at that. "I didn't want to ask you if you were cold. I wanted to ask if you would marry me."
Pause. Azula reaches into her pocket and holds out the bracelet feebly. Ty Lee stares at her blankly, with a face of a baffled kitten. No...
"Yes! Of course!" And she jumps into Azula's arms, nearly knocking her into the fire.
Victory is sweet.
