#24: Remember the Names, or a Family Dinner
Prompted By: GuitarBOSS
"Azula," Zuko says forcefully and Azula jumps and stumbles. He catches her by the arm as she waves her other arm for balance. "Clearly up to no good. Don't lie; what are you doing digging through the royal archives?"
"Finding your deepest weakness so I can usurp you," Azula replies, rolling her eyes as she straightens. Zuko grits his teeth. "I'm looking through census data, alright? There's a lot of it."
"Why do you need to look through census data?" Zuko asks with a sigh. He releases her and looks at the stack of crisp papers she has on the sole table in this gigantic room.
The royal archives are expansive, dusty, grim and boring. He has been in here exactly once to read about Sozin. The papers that go into here pass through his hands, but he has never had a reason to follow them. Azula winnowing through the papers makes his gut churn. He has given her a chance, which she does not lie down and take.
Therapy, Zuko said. To which Azula replied by utterly destroying three therapists with little more than words. In fact, the example of him trying to get her therapy applies to exactly everything he has done for her since she became his ward. He asks her for something, she follows it, but does it in a way that causes more damage than if he didn't ask in the first place.
But so far she has not tried to kill him yet. That is a plus. And the sleepwalking has stopped which was utterly terrifying.
"You know what you need, Zuko," Azula says, typical diversion tactics, "a girlfriend. I'm sorry but I'm not interested in you."
"This is going to be easier for everyone if you just tell me why you're digging through private records," Zuko sighs, crossing his arms. She narrows her eyes and he can see her weighing her odds. "Please tell me you aren't trying to discredit me somehow. Are you looking up our father's bastard children or something?"
"No. That would not help me discredit you at all." Azula pauses. She shrugs her shoulders and sighs haughtily. "I'm having some kind of family dinner with Ty Lee tonight because of our engagement or whatever and I'm trying to look up her siblings' names."
Zuko tries to hold it together but simply can't. He laughs hysterically, choking on dust as he gasps for breath. She rolls up the paper and hits him in the shoulder with it.
"That is the most..." Zuko coughs three times. Azula frowns bitterly, giving him Ozai's glare. "That is the most pathetic thing... I was so worried that you were doing something so devious and..." He bursts out coughing again. "Just ask her."
"I'm not going to ask her. I've known her for almost twenty years, I'm too far in to ask now," Azula says, looking genuinely exasperated. "She is completely going to break up with me for this. I've addressed them all as you for a long time but I don't think I can get away with it for an entire traditional family dinner."
"How long have you not known any of their names?"
"I never learned them." Azula shrugs as if this is normal. "Zuko, I have an idea. Execute all of them tonight so we don't have to worry. I'll forge evidence of their treason or something. I'm desperate."
"I am not going to execute her family." Zuko is trying not to cry from mirth. Azula is not amused.
"It would be an extremely convincing forgery, brother, I promise." Azula bats her eyes at him and Zuko struggles to keep a straight face at the absurdity. "I've already made seven excuses for why I can't have dinner with them. She's not a genius but she's getting suspicious."
Zuko pauses and sighs. "I'll ask someone who will know for you. I mean, someone has to. You don't have to... forge treason for this."
Slowly shaking his head, Zuko gestures towards the door and both siblings exit the archives.
