It's difficult to learn healing without wounds to practice on. Thankfully, Azula can always count on making a training dummy out of Zuzu.

It was easier than she expected to convince him to make three deep cuts on his arm, and he didn't even protest when she revealed that she was going to try and heal them with firebending. Zuzu just quietly and dutifully made the gashes and let her take over.

Azula had chalked it up to sentimentality making him weak but, in hindsight, she should have known it was a sign that he was plotting something.

She was too distracted by the idea of healing with firebending. It was a facet of firebending that was unheard of and attempting to do so would, obviously, require deep concentration, complete focus, and no small talk.

"Remember the night mom left?"

Blue flames flare out and burn the cut instead of healing it. Azula looks up at her brother and glares.

Zuzu winces. "Sorry. Sokka said siblings bond over shared memories, and that was the first one that came to mind."

Azula drags a nail across the worsened wound, "I'm so sorry," she coos, "does that hurt?"

Zuzu gestures to his face. "I've had worse."

Azula removes her nail and moves onto the next cut, but she's familiar with her brother's brand of stupidity and braces herself against his second, inevitable, interruption.

"Things changed when she left. She told me to never forget who I am, but I didn't know who I was at the time. It took a while."

The second cut may have healed somewhat, it doesn't seem to have gotten worse, but it's clearly nowhere near perfect. Azula presses down on it. Hard.

"Zuzu. Surely even you have noticed that our relationship is best when we avoid speaking to each other?"

"I want that to change," protests Zuzu with a frown.

"You look like father when you frown," says Azula, hoping that her words will cut an end to her brother's weakness.

This time, Azula makes her fire more tepid— lukewarm. Calling upon the calming breathing techniques of Air nomads until her flames caress her brother's arm like sunlight. She tends to the final cut in blissful silence.

However, her brother, if nothing else, is frightfully stubborn.

"You can pick the next topic," he offers with a painfully forced smile.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

"I pick silence. Seriously Zuzu, if you're going to be this much of a nuisance I'll go practice on Aang."

"Aang?"

Azula raises an eyebrow and considers rolling her eyes for good measure. "The Avatar," she deadpans. "You may have heard of him?"

"I know who he is," bites back Zuzu. His voice taking on an indignant tinge that Azula knows well. She drops his arm.

"I'm just…" He pauses to think of his next word. Trust Zuzu to open his mouth first and think later. "…surprised," he says at last. "You're calling Aang by his first name instead of by his title. It's unusual."

"Don't think too deeply about it," says Azula with a sneer while rising up. "Thinking isn't your strong suit. I hardly call you by your title. Right, Zuzu?"

Zuzu scowls. That's better. "It's weird. Did something happen between you two?"

"Like I said. Not your strong suit."


"I'd appreciate it if you stopped giving my brother advice," says Azula with an evil smile.

"What do you want Azula," demands the nonbender. To his credit, he did manage to locate where she was perched from the sound of her voice alone. Azula jumps off the tree and lands down in front of him with a gust of air that pushes him back but fails to knock him off his feet. I'll have to work on that move, notes Azula with a frown.

"I asked you what you wanted," repeats the nonbender, hefting his club at her.

Azula puts a hand on her hip. "And I already told you; I want you to stop giving sibling advice."

He frowns and reluctantly lowers his weapon. "What was wrong with my advice?"

"You gave it to an idiot," says Azula with the same dry disdain a fish would use to describe the land, "the shared memory he chose was of our mother's banishment."

He sucks air through his teeth. "Okay. Wow. Not my fault. I'll try and be more specific next time." He scratches his head with his free hand. "Or you could also, yah know, be less prickly."

"Prickly," repeats Azula in a warning tone that goes completely over the nonbender's thick head.

"Prickly," he says with a nod, "You could try to get along with Zuko, but instead you act like a cactus. Except more prickly and with insults and fire."

Azula takes a deep breath. Stupidity must be a shared trait among older brothers. "You're absolutely right."

The nonbender eyes her warily but he can't keep the sliver of hope out of his voice. "Really?"

"Really," confirms Azula. "In fact, why don't you and I get along better now too with a trust exercise? I promise not to kill you, and you close your eyes."

He falls back into a stance.

"Come now," chides Azula. "You should try to be less prickly and take my words at face value."

"Oh hardy, har, har. You're hilarious," says the nonbender with a face devoid of humor.

Azula dryly inspects her nails. "I know. But I didn't come here just to crack jokes and make you jump in fright. I have a question for you: Does Aang believe in soulmates?"

"I didn't jump," protests the nonbender, "and why not ask Aang yourself?"

"Because he's resting from a head injury and he might mistake my curiosity for interest. Any other stupid questions, or can you answer this one so I can leave your peasant presence?"

He crosses his arms and scowls. "Aang is open to opinions but I strongly suggested he ignore his soulbond. He wants to believe but since it's you he's on the fence."

Then he's nice without reason? A fool.

"You're dismissed, peasant."


"Making friends, Princess?"

"You know how sensitive they are," defends Azula. She looks to Beifong expectantly. "How did he heal?"

Beifong smirks. "Twinkletoes has a hard head. He'll be fine. Although, he does seem to think you've mastered earthbending…"

Azula scowls.

Beifong's smirk widens into a smug smile. "Why didn't you ask me to teach you?"

"You didn't offer," says Azula.

Beifong shrugs. "Well, I'm offering now."

Azula almost asks why but decides against it. Beifong is an excellent earthbender and Azula doesn't want to risk changing her mind.

They train late into the night (a benefit of having a teacher who doesn't need to see) before Beifong calls it quits.

Azula plans to stay and train. She has done eighteen-hour training sessions before, and it's important to hammer in the basics. She expects Beifong to leave, not to stay and, well, sense.

Beifong answers her unspoken question in the middle of a kata.

"I wanted to know what he sees in you."

Azula focuses on not losing her footing and pretends to not have heard.