Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender, belongs to their respective owners.
Weeks passed as the ship travelled through the ocean - until finally one of the crew caught sight of land. If the ship's navigator was correct, the Western Air Temple would be nearby. As one shipman was soon sent down to inform the Princess and her companion of their arrival. Azula and Ty Lee themselves were sitting on the bed in Azula's cabin, discussing what they were likely to find and debating about things in general.
Adjusting to life on the seas had been a somewhat somber experience, especially for someone that was used to all the pampering and getting all her orders followed without backtalk or excuse back at the Palace. For one thing, there was a clear difference between ordering people around in a civilian structure and ordering them under a military authority. As under Iroh' tutelage, Azula learned quite quickly that having the 'power' to order people around didn't necessarily mean they would obey her word or do so without 'different' opinions about her leadership. Azula wasn't ignorant necessarily to the differences between commanding soldiers and ordering around bureaucrats - though Iroh did help to point out the differences, including the potential failures of keeping things under her control or not. Either way - it did help mellow out her personality somewhat. The last thing she wanted was to get thrown overboard due to her 'mannerism'. Plus, it wasn't like she needed to keep such a personality around people anymore - seeing how she was an 'ex-Princess' now.
Nonetheless, the duo would soon enough follow after the young sailor when they were informed of their arrival at the Western Air Temple. "I just don't get why they would want to build the place on a massive overhang - how would people get there to trade or talk with them? I guess you can execute people by throwing them to their deaths but the Air Nomads were pacifists. They didn't believe in taking lives..." commented Azula, mostly to herself and Ty Lee as her old thoughts were still somewhat there and hard to remove immediately.
"Well. It could be because, nobody else could follow them there?" offered Ty Lee. Since if their Temples were like that, then it would have been a difficulty for anyone who wasn't an airbender to get there. As the Fire Nation only managed that feat using Sozin' Comet to boost their fire until they could somewhat fly. "I mean. If anything, they could simply float over the crevice and anyone else might fall into the depths below?"
"Well, it does at least look like the correct bit at land," Azula said, recalling what she'd learnt of Sozin's eradication of the Air Nomads. "How easily can we get inland to the temple?"
"There's a river mouth nearby. You should be able to cover most of the journey by going upriver," replied Zha, the same male who had been their guide up top and somewhat source of information towards the crew and naval tradition in general at that. Azula hated being 'bad' at anything and at this moment, she was quite rusty when it came to sailing in general.
"Very well. Anchor the ship near the river mouth and ready the skiff. Ty Lee and I will use it to travel to the temple." Azula ordered. Ty Lee soon enough headed back inside and got outfitted in her typical 'armor', mostly for protection against any animal or random squatter that may still be present at the location. Although, anything she wore wasn't anything tailored to the traditional firebender or soldier. As she was a skilled and agile one, thus putting her in armor would be pointless and hinder her skills - what she did have was a set of climbing boots, vambraces around her arms and - the only actual piece of protection being some plating underneath her clothing around her chest area. All in all, she more or less looked like some propaganda poster used to attract young, hapless males to join the war effort.
"I have to admit, that outfit does look good on you. Though I suppose you heard that from most of the boys you met," said Azula with a smirk, looking Ty Lee over once she'd finished changing. Azula herself was in her usual gear, albeit with some boots suited for outdoor activites. Because of her combat skill, she personally didn't feel the need for armor. Although, she learned quickly enough that proper gear could make or break any fighter or bender - hence she did have a knife hidden away on her belt.
Soon enough, they got onto their skiff and were heading towards the Air Temple. As Azula and Ty Lee could soon see the huge temples and how they were still holding on despite the lack of people to maintain or care for them for a century at that. Hanging from the rocks above them like wolf-bats and giving off the aura that they may fall off any moment and squash them beneath their might. "Wow. That is some view," spoke Ty Lee, looking everything over.
"The royal palace looked better, but I'll admit, the Air Nomads knew how to build." Azula said with a hint of admiration, as she too looked up at the temple. As they soon enough arrived at a somewhat 'good enough' location, mooring the skiff at a nearby riverbank and began the climb up to the temple. Ty Lee using her agility, Azula bending jets of fire from her feet to propel herself upwards, though mostly following Ty Lee' example - the two girls would find themselves in the temple proper.
"Well, let's begin searching," said Azula, her breathing a bit heavy from the climb. She seriously needed to take up proper exercises beyond simple dueling and bending - otherwise, she would need Ty Lee of all people to carry her around locations; and that kind of mortification was not something she wanted upon her pride...yet.
"So. Azula. I have to ask though. Are you really considering to do this? I mean, I'll support you either way - whatever you choose. But. Well. If somehow, someway you were given the choice between going home or defeating your father - what would you choose?" asked Ty Lee. Honestly curious about her future. As despite her airheaded nature, she did know to understand that some moments were more serious than others. Especially the idea of banishment. Azula chances of going home were slim to none. Unless she did something amazing, like capture Ba Sing Se or capture/defeat the Avatar. Although that also was an open question, since the only one able to undo her banishment was Ozai. Since her status as ex-royalty made it especially harder to overdo her banishment - compared to some lowly peasant, whom could get a chance to return by simply asking the local noble.
Azula looked around as they walked through a hallway of the temple, having not expected Ty Lee to ask such a question, although it was one she'd thought about a lot on the journey to the temple and in a few sleepless nights at that. A few seconds passed as she considered the answer, before she spoke.
"Back when I was banished, I'd have done anything to be allowed back home - I would have begged, groveled and...anything else if need be," she sighed. Back when she thought that Ozai was pulling a prank in return for her stunt to humiliate Zuzu at first. "But now that I've had a chance to think about it, I'm really not sure if that's what I want. I mean, my father disowned me and cast me out just for a little prank I pulled. I would have been fair with the Agni Kai - I mean, the need to maintain authority and respect in the Court and all...but now? Not so much..."
Having said this, she took a moment to look at her hand, still bandaged as it was, and then resumed what she was saying. "Supposing he lets me back in, and I do something else like that, is he going to banish me again, or do something worse? Recently, I've realized that my father wasn't the nicest of people to be around. There were always so many things I was required to do, finish. Tutors to study with and listen towards - even those who looked older than even uncle Iroh. Only now, after having been away from such things for two weeks - I feel like I can breathe for once. I never realized how busy I was until now. I didn't mention it, but for a week I woke up twice when everyone else was still asleep or on night watch. So, I suppose in answer to your question, returning home isn't the most preferable of those choices. Not anymore, anyway. Not until things change properly..."
"Okay. Sorry, just wanted to make sure," replied Ty Lee, smiling as she gently touched her shoulder. "If it is worth anything, I am still with you. Whether or not you decide to stay out in this world or return home."
"Thank you, Ty Lee," said Azula after feeling the other girl's hand on her shoulder. She knew that Ty Lee no longer had any reason to fear her - which meant no more reason to not defy her, by Azula's logic - but for some reason, she was certain she could trust her.
As they looked around the place, Ty Lee immediately picked up the signs that this place seemed to have been a female temple. Since the curves and ways that this place had been build was much more suited to people of lithe and smaller frames - alongside the bedding and other quarters more suited for a female sisterhood. "Wait!" spoke Ty Lee as she suddenly realized something. "I just got an idea. Well, not about the Avatar' location but-"
"Well. But what?" asked Azula.
"It...may sound stupid. It just hit me and all. Like, trying to find the Avatar as we are...well...it does feel like we are chasing our own tail, correct?" explained Ty Lee, as Azula could see that the young acrobat was having some thoughts of her own rolling through her head.
"Somewhat. What else could we do? I doubt becoming pirates or fishermen is in our skillset. That and I doubt we have the crew or space to become merchants at that. Pretty much such things are also controlled by our navy as well..." added Azula.
"What about your mom?" offered Ty Lee. When Ty Lee asked her question, Azula actually looked somewhat confused then after a moment of thought smiled and the answer came to her a lot easier. More easily than she may have imagined, considering the history between her and Ursa.
"I've actually thought about that myself. After I got banished, I wondered what my own mother had gone through. Did she stay? Did she leave? Is she somewhere or did Ozai merely remove her and lie to us? I got my uncle to tell me about her and her life before dad married her. Why so?"
"Well. We have either the choice of wandering aimlessly as you said, searching for an Avatar that your great-grandfather and grandfather couldn't find with all the resources of the Fire Nation at their disposal. Or we could perhaps, try and locate the one person whom was at least...not overly harmful towards you..." said Ty Lee, trying to voice the last opinion about Ozai as...diplomatically as possible. Even though she did have as somewhat desire to kick him in the eggs for what he did to Azula - if she wasn't scared completely by him. "Plus. It could give us some direction - as we could keep our search and somewhat ask around here and there. What do you think?"
"Well it would certainly be easier than searching for the Avatar. I doubt my mother had many resources to go far, or if she did then likely someone may have seen or helped her. At the least, if she left the Fire Nation, then she may have gone to the colonies as a start," she said.
"Perhaps. We likely don't know where to start either. Or rather, we have more clues than with the Avatar. Like your uncle...and likely what you said earlier about your mother being banished. Then she likely wouldn't be in the Fire Nation either..." replied Ty Lee. "We could play hot and cold, throw around ideas and the like..."
Thus she and Azula continued searching around the place and the various items that still remained here. The two girls deciding to continue until the night, if only because of all the time and energy they'd spent getting here, but eventually they gave up too on that. Anything that might have provided a clue to the Avatar's location had either been taken or destroyed by the Fire Nation, stolen by looters after Sozin's Comet had passed or was simply too well hidden. As it was late afternoon by now, the two girls would take a moment to sit down and watch the sunset together, something Azula found surprisingly enjoyable, before they returned to the skiff and then the ship. Sailing on off towards new goals and adventures.
Author's Notes: Despite what you may think, I don't plan on copy-pasting Zuko' story into the premise and just replace him with Azula. Since all our characters have gotten an age buff - I plan to make good use of that and the fact that Azula by her nature is a much different person than 'Crown Prince' Zuko here.
Either way, things will begin to get interesting soon.
Review and all, if you want.
