(Theme Ninety) Reverse Rescue ("Enter the Ninja" - Die Antwoord)
(As Prompted By) SlytherinSchoolgirl & sinking like stones
Three nine-year-old girls play in Sozin Memorial Meadow. One is a remarkable princess, the other two are forgettable nobles, but they would look like any other best friends to the ignorant eye. Maybe they could be human, if they tried.
"'zula let's go!" Ty Lee shouts, grabbing her arm and tugging twice.
"Unhand me!" snaps the small princess and Ty Lee just laughs and laughs. She kind of likes ignoring her lessons on being Azula's friend. Azula will not confess that she likes it too. Ty Lee always listens and does whatever Azula says, but her playfulness feels less stilted than how most other people treat her.
"Come on," Ty Lee insists, smiling. She is missing one of her front teeth. "I wanna show you!"
Azula runs with her across the park, the flowers and tall grass licking at her calves. She can hear the bodyguards following them as Ty Lee drags Azula to a beautiful glade that the princess has to admit she thinks is pretty.
They drink in their surroundings before Azula suggests, "We should play a game," and both Mai and Ty Lee know she must already have an idea. "I think we should obviously fight some forest monsters."
Ty Lee grins, because any pretend game with Azula is worth playing. Mai is impartial to the concept.
"You two can help me fight the horrible forest monsters. We come across them while conquering the whole Earth Kingdom together," Azula explains, her prim tone of a real general discomfiting coming from the lips of a child. "Of course, you two are my lieutenants, because that's how it would work in real life."
"Of course," Mai adds and Azula nods at her. She appreciates being understood without questions.
"Ty Lee, you will get captured by the monsters."
"Uh, yeah!" Ty Lee agrees excitedly. Her heart is pounding as she thinks about how much this really feels like a crush today.
"You sound like you protest." Azula crosses her arms. Ty Lee blushes bright red.
"Nope, no I don't," Ty Lee stammers shrilly.
"Tell me," Azula orders and no one would argue with that tone.
"I… I always get captured by the monsters or pirates or evil Earth Queen," Ty Lee whines and Azula rolls her eyes.
"Fine. I will get captured by the monsters this time. And you will save your superior to receive... some medals, I suppose," Azula allows, shrugging.
Both of her friends are shocked. Azula is never generous in the games she invents. Then again, Ty Lee never protests. Ty Lee is the type of person who would do anything for Azula in their silly childhood games; she made pebbles into diamonds and scarves into dangerous ropes and a lantern to become the sun and herself to be whoever Azula wanted her to be.
"You can't do this; you can't do that. You do as I say," is Azula's catchphrase when playing pretend.
But this time, she wanted Azula to be her dream instead of the other way around. Ty Lee had expected to be instantly denied, and Azula looks skeptical, but Ty Lee has never felt so happy in her life. It confirms that Azula really is her friend, even if she sometimes treats her like nothing more than a sidekick. Azula is definitely unaware of Ty Lee's unrequited crush, however.
Ty Lee smiles, Azula demands help tying herself to a tree with Ty Lee's nicest scarf. It tears on the bark, but Ty Lee doesn't care one bit. This is too perfect.
And in the late afternoon, Ty Lee is not a forgettable noble; she is the rescuer of a Princess General Firebending Master who got snatched up by monsters and awaits her hero. Ty Lee would say heroes, but Mai got monster duty, as usual.
Ty Lee saves her princess.
.
Twenty minutes after Ty Lee became Azula's lieutenant, Azula allows her to be more than that this time. She is the sworn protector of her Fire General Princess who conquers the Earth Kingdom on her own, and must save her from the Earth Queen.
"Just hold her, Mai. And try to be threatening," Ty Lee orders and Azula smirks at the way she squeaks even when she is being tough. "Azula will do the rest," Ty Lee says as she begins climbing the tree. She disappears into the leaves. Mai sighs and holds the stupid sharp rock to Azula's neck.
"Please don't burn me alive," Mai groans and Ty Lee makes a hmph sound from up in the branches. Mai still doesn't like this idea. She clears her throat and with the inflection of a bored adolescent reading a drilling manual, "The Fire Princess is going to die now or whatever. I'm going to, I guess, cut her head off with this rock because I'm the evil Earth Kingdom Queen."
"Yes, you said that with such feeling," Azula hisses in her ear.
"Just swoon in fear already," Mai whispers exasperatedly. And they always say she's the worst damsel in distress in history.
Azula is as fantastic at being a damsel in distress as she is at being a conqueror. "I need you, my samurai," she breathes with some impressive acting skills. Mai begins to think, as she awaits Ty Lee and Azula goes on about butterflies or something, that maybe Azula kind of likes being conquered despite her control obsession and therefore would never admit it.
Azula does and Ty Lee has never been so excited before. She grabs onto the branch and swings down as Azula falls into Mai with acting skills that are better than all the Ember Island players put together. Unlike Mai, who doesn't even act surprised as Ty Lee knocks the rock out of her hand and pushes her backwards before grabbing Azula in her arms.
"You're safe with me, princess," Ty Lee breathes and Mai sits down by the water, groaning softly. "You will always have my samurai protection from the evil Earth Queen."
Just kiss already, Mai wants to snap. Today has been an exercise in frustration; the reason Azula wanted to be rescued is because of an evident crush, and Ty Lee wanted to be her rescuer for the same reason.
To her surprise, Ty Lee fake kisses Azula. But Azula leans upwards and their lips hit against each other. Not the best play kiss, Mai has to admit.
"Ow, my teeth!" Ty Lee yelps and Mai smirks for a split second.
Azula falls backwards. "You are terrible at being the hero," she says, rubbing at her mouth. "I don't feel generous anymore. You were awful at being the conqueror hero; you can't even kiss the damsel in distress without nearly breaking off her teeth! Since I'm much better at it, I insist on being the powerful one from now on."
"You always're the powerful one," Ty Lee says and Azula nods coldly. Her big gold eyes are sparkling from how fun it was to be the one rescued; no one can know that she enjoyed that. "Thank you for letting me be your hero. Also, I swear I can do the romance part way better!"
She kisses Azula softly on the cheek.
Azula tries to fight her blush.
"Well that was slightly better. It was still unimpressive. I think I've had my fill of damsel in distress for forever," Azula declares regally and Mai rubs her lower back.
Thank the spirits.
A/N: I can't believe there are only four more chapters left. It's scaring me; I've been working on this for over a year.
(That adds up to 94 chapters but there will still be 100 drabbles. I chose to stop at 94 chapters because the last 7 drabbles are a continuous story and I want some wiggle room in case I want to add bonus content in the future. So, still 100 drabbles, only 94 chapters).
Thank you so much for reading this far. It means the world to me and I hope you've been enjoying the show.
