Chapter 11
Stepping off the plane at Caldera City's Roku Airport, Katara, Sokka and Yue were immediately assaulted by the blistering Fire Nation heat. The entire airport terminal felt like a giant cooking pan, the glass and metal structure heated by the afternoon blaze. The small group of three could not get out of there fast enough, absolutely drenched in sweat by the time they made it to the hall of arrivals, piling up on a shaded bench to catch their breaths and discuss their next steps.
"Bloody hell, it's called the Fire Nation for a reason!" Sokka exclaimed, gulping down mouthfuls of water before passing the battle over to his sister.
"Yes, and the real summer is still a few months off," Yue nodded, emptying her own bottle of water. "Let's hope it's just the lack of ventilation inside the terminal and it's not actually this hot outside, because this is way worse than Kyoshi Island in the summer."
"I had no idea what weather to dress for," Katara admitted, having sated her immediate thirst. "We probably could have dressed a lot lighter, although then we would have frozen in Agna Qel'a."
"We'll sort all of that out once we get to the hotel," Yue said. "I'm sure it'll be fine… as long as we don't have to play in such a heat."
"Maybe that's the secret plan of the organizers to put you at a disadvantage," Sokka mused, quickly coming up with a conspiracy theory. "Who benefits from all this heat? The Fire Nation kids! Yep, this is all arranged to make it harder for you to compete against the locals."
Katara and Yue exchanged stares before bursting into laughter. "Sure, Sokka… the organizers arranged for a heat wave to hit in late March, that makes complete sense," Katara rolled her eyes.
"It might make it harder for us, Water Tribe girls, but it would be the same problem for the Fire Nation kids coming to play in Agna Qel'a," Yue shrugged. "We just have to deal with it. Besides, I'm sure they will have comfortable conditions at the hotel."
"Speaking of the hotel, how do we get there?" Sokka asked. "Hotel Royal, wasn't it?" Both girls nodded at him. "I can go and find out which bus can take us there."
"Sokka, wait," Yue spoke up quickly before her boyfriend had run off. "Let's just take a cab. I'll pay for it. I don't want to squish with hordes of other people on the bus. That would be just awful in this heat wave. And then there's all this luggage," Yue pointed at their bags.
"Thanks, Yue," Katara shot her best friend a look of gratitude. It felt so amazing to hang out with Yue again, at the start of another tournament and hopefully two unforgettable weeks. Katara had tried to convince her father that Sokka's presence wasn't necessary, that she didn't need her brother's protection and that she and Yue could manage perfectly well on their own. Her arguments had fallen on deaf ears and Sokka still ended up traveling with them. Eventually, Katara ended up softening her stance on Sokka's presence. He did deserve to spend some time with his girlfriend, after all.
Katara also tried not to stay angry at her father for not siding with her. Hakoda, as well as the majority of the Water Tribe population, were quite adamant and rigid in their support of traditional gender roles. Hakoda just didn't quite understand why Katara would be upset about him insisting that a young woman might need the protection of her older brother. The argument that sending Sokka with her would be a financial burden on the family was quashed because the tournament organizers ended up providing Katara's travel and accommodation costs at their own expense, which meant that the funds set aside for Katara could now be used to send Sokka to Caldera City with them.
So, the three of them were once again traveling and hanging out together, with Katara having to occasionally expend extra effort to try and reign in her envy and jealousy. And she had to admit, Yue was very good at sensing any building tensions and defusing them. She was doing a very admirable job at splitting her attention between the two siblings to maintain peace and calm.
"Alright, then… shall we go check out this hotel of ours?" Sokka asked, starting to collect their luggage.
"That sounds like a good idea," Yue nodded. "Later, once we have settled in, I thought we could go out and have some ice cream and a round of drinks. You know, as a way to celebrate the start of the tournament. Let me treat you both, okay?"
"That's a great idea, Yue," Katara beamed at the other girl. "I think it will make for a great start to hopefully two amazing weeks."
Azula snapped back to reality with a startled gasp, having overheard her father's voice out in the hallway, calling her name. She quickly shoved the book she had been reading under the pillow on her bed and scrambled to sit down at the Pai Sho board on the nearby table, pretending to be wholly immersed in her preparations. There had been so much preparation over the course of the past months that she was getting a little sick of it, despite wholly realizing its importance.
She had just about managed to settle in at the table when the doors to her room opened and her father entered, looking prim and proper as always, dressed in one of his traveling suits. The Ba Sing Se Open tournament was scheduled to begin in three days and her father was determined to defend the title he had won convincingly two years ago. This meant that for the second straight tournament, Azula would not have Ozai sitting in the VIP lodge in the stands, observing her every move as she faced off against her opponents. It was actually a comforting thought, even though it made her feel guilty and very ungrateful. It wasn't her father's fault that his presence was stressing her out. It was Azula's fault for being so mentally weak. She really did need to toughen up.
"I am getting ready to leave, Azula," Ozai spoke up. "I wanted to make sure if there was anything you needed before I left."
"I think I have everything I need, father," Azula replied obediently. "Thank you."
"Alright, good," Ozai nodded curtly. "Now, let's talk about my expectations for you. This is your first year at the U18's and you will be facing some of the best talent of your generation. Many of these older kids have the kind of experience at these tournaments that you don't yet possess. So, for the first time since you are competing against others, I do not expect you to bring home the gold medal, although it would be nice to be pleasantly surprised."
Azula blinked, feeling genuinely surprised. This was strangely generous coming from her father. "I expect myself to win, father," she stated confidently.
"Good, that is good. Always aim for the top spot, obviously, or you might as well not even compete," Ozai nodded. "However, I do have a very specific goal in mind for you, Azula, one that I fully expect you to fulfill." Azula waited patiently for Ozai to continue. "Your wretched brother is the tournament favorite, at least according to the bookmakers. To have Zuko win the gold medal on Fire Nation soil…" Ozai's face twisted with rage. "Unacceptable!" he exclaimed angrily. "You will do whatever you must to prevent this from happening, Azula."
"I will destroy Zuko when we face against each other," Azula nodded eagerly. She didn't need her father's encouragement when it came to defeating Zuko. She was plenty motivated already.
"That's the bare minimum of what I'm expecting from you, Azula," Ozai said firmly. "If that is not enough to stop Zuko from winning the tournament, be on a lookout for opportunities to foil your brother away from the Pai Sho board. You are a clever girl. Perhaps you can think of a way to unsettle him."
"I can do that," Azula nodded. Riling up Zuko had once been a favorite pastime of hers and she was exceptionally good at getting a reaction from her brother. Azula was very confident about being able to hit some of Zuko's pressure points and get him fuming with rage… which would definitely put him in the wrong frame of mind for a game of Pai Sho.
"Good, I look forward to seeing the results," Ozai smiled at her, a cruel grin full of anticipation. "Of course, you realize that should Zuko win the tournament…"
"I would deserve nothing else but the worst kind of punishment," Azula obediently bowed her head. She hadn't experienced one of her father's savage beatings for months. It was the longest she could remember going on without being punished. She had become much better at pleasing her father, and she was desperate for that streak of good fortune to continue.
"Exactly, and I am glad that we are of one mind on this, my daughter," Ozai seemed satisfied with her response. "There's something else I want to ask of you, Azula. You are aware how at the commercial tournaments, Zhao and I tend to study our games together. Having another pair of eyes in the process can provide some very valuable insights. I want you to find a sparring partner among your competitors, someone with whom to go over your games and analyze them."
Azula immediately began to panic. "But I'm not used to a sparring partner," she tried to protest. "Besides, the others all hate me!"
"I'm sure that's not true. They are simply jealous of you, Azula. They want to be like you," Ozai told her. "Besides, you don't have to become friends with them. Manipulate them if you must, do whatever it takes to get what you need from them."
"If… if I must," Azula sighed. She didn't like this at all. Azula much preferred leaving straight after finishing her game and not interacting with the other competitors. And obviously, she looked down on most of the other contestants. What could losers like Joo Dee, Chan or that paraplegic Earth Kingdom kid teach her?
"You must, Azula. I insist," Ozai sounded very adamant about this. Azula realized that he would make sure afterwards whether she had followed his request or not, which left her with no choice. She would have to find someone, a sparring partner to practice with. "You may think that studying your games all by yourself is enough, but it really isn't. That's why professional players have coaches and support staff. I want you to get a taste of what it would be like to work on your preparations with a team. This isn't a frivolous fancy or a whim of mine, daughter. This is important for your career as a Pai Sho professional, which is why I expect you to honor my request."
"Of course, father. I will do as you ask, as always," Azula replied, bowing her head respectfully.
"Good, see that you do," Ozai said, appearing satisfied. "You may come and bid me farewell, daughter."
Azula quickly rose from the table and ran up to her father to embrace him. "Good luck with your tournament, father," she spoke, feeling his father's arms closing around her shoulders. She was almost able to draw a feeling of safety from the embrace. Months without suffering violent beatings had helped to put her more at ease around Ozai, but she didn't feel completely comfortable with physical contact just yet. Azula still remained quite tense in her father's embrace. She knew that all of this tension was completely of her own making, though. It was there only because she had failed her father so much in the past. In the future, she was determined never to fail again. That was the way to ensure a good relationship with her father, and Azula wanted nothing more than that.
Katara had a rocky start to her tournament. She had the misfortune of drawing Haru Tamang in the first round, and she had lost rather hopelessly. Katara had rebounded in the next round, scoring a very nice and morale boosting victory against an older Fire Nation girl, Zirin Sakai. Then came Round 3, and Katara found herself facing off against her nemesis of the two previous years, none other than Azula Nakamura, no doubt thirsting revenge for last year's stinging loss.
The young Water Tribe prodigy had been relieved to see Azula among the competitors, looking well and untroubled, impeccably dressed and acting with her usual snooty arrogance. Katara would have normally been annoyed by the attitude, but considering what she had learned about Azula's relationship with her father, Katara felt like cutting the other girl some slack. So, when at the start of their game, Azula showed no interest in exchanging any phrases of politeness, simply sitting down at the Pai Sho board and getting on with the game, Katara had shrugged, smiled and proceeded with her move.
As always in an important tournament like this, Katara kept up with the scores of the other participants, just to know where everyone was mentally, who was coming off a crushing loss and who was soaring high on the wave of an emphatic victory. So far, Azula's score mirrored hers. Azula had opened with a loss to Hahn Adjuk, having looked seriously angry about that outcome. But then she had rebounded with an impressive win over Chan Takahashi, so both of them were coming into this game riding the high of a stellar victory in their previous game.
Their game began much how everyone in the audience would have expected it to unfold, with Azula going on the offensive and Katara defending skillfully. It was very tense going for a long stretch of the middle game, before something unexpected happened. Katara went on a sudden counterattack that took Azula completely by surprise. Within a half dozen moves, the situation on the Pai Sho board had changed completely and Katara was now dominating, with Azula's tile structure threatening to break.
Katara was certain that she had Azula on the ropes now. She could already see the tournament referees adding another notch to her win column, but then the game took yet another surprising turn. Azula's defensive position bent, but it didn't break. Katara could not find the knockout blow to punch through and seal the deal. Somehow, Azula was defending with a dogged determination and skill that Katara had never witnessed from the Fire Nation girl.
They were well past fifty moves and approaching sixty, both of them starting to run out of time. The other games had all ended by now and the other competitors had gathered around their table to watch this back-and-forth contest, standing a respectable distance away so as not to bother the two girls. Having somehow managed to walk the tightrope on defense, it was very late in the middle game that Azula counterattacked again. This time, Katara had no answer. She was both mentally and physically exhausted by now, and she could not fend off Azula's decisive breakthrough. On the sixty-ninth move, Katara reached out and stopped the timing clock in surrender, accepting her defeat.
Katara had almost expected Azula to get up and rudely walk away without even acknowledging her, so she was pleased when the Fire Nation girl actually reached out to shake her hand, looking both relieved and impressed. "That was a great game, thank you," Katara said politely. "Even though I lost, this was one of the most fun games I've ever played."
Azula briefly nodded at her. It almost looked as if she wanted to say something? Katara was sure that she had only imagined it, though. This was Azula Nakamura. She never spoke with those beneath her, unless it was to insult or berate them. Katara smiled and turned around to leave.
"Excuse me?" Katara froze at Azula's voice stopping the Water Tribe girl dead in her tracks.
She turned around to look at Azula, finding the other girl standing there, unusually fidgety, almost nervous. "Yes?" Katara asked, hoping that she sounded welcoming. Azula Nakamura was speaking to her, and presumably wasn't trying to insult her. This was something rare and unheard of. She had to find out what it was all about. "Can I help you?"
"Perhaps," Azula nodded. She was looking hesitant and a little conflicted. "I wanted to ask you something."
"Sure, go ahead," Katara tried an encouraging smile. It seemed to work. Azula appeared far less tense and nervous.
"Would you like to go over our game again?" Azula asked. The words came out so fast from Azula's mouth that Katara could barely understand what she was being asked.
Katara blinked in surprise. She hadn't expected that. Azula was supposedly closely tutored by her father. "I'm sorry, but I'm confused," she confessed. "Do you mean like… doing post-match analysis? Together?"
"Yes, that is what I meant. Did I stutter?" Azula replied. She was sounding more anxious again, even annoyed. Katara was still a little stunned that Azula would even ask something like that. Katara was aware that she was gaping like an idiot. "Alright, fine, I get it," Azula snapped. Her cheeks had turned slightly pinkish as she sharply turned around to walk away.
"Hey! Wait! Azula, wait!" Katara snapped out of her stupor and chased after the other girl. She was remarkably fast considering the height of her heels. Katara was sure she'd face-plant after taking only a couple of steps in those stilettos. "I didn't say I wouldn't do it, okay?" she finally got Azula to stop and listen. "Why did you assume that I would say no?"
"Because that is what all the others have told me when I asked them," Azula shrugged. The color in her cheeks intensified. "They were quite unpleasant about it, in fact."
Katara swallowed the obvious reply that perhaps if Azula would be a little nicer to the others, she wouldn't have faced this kind of response. Then again, she had probably asked her first two opponents, Hahn and Chan. As far as Katara was concerned, Hahn was a certified asshole. She didn't know Chan, but first impressions suggested that he was definitely of the same mold as Hahn. Perhaps the responses Azula had gotten hadn't been her fault after all. She wasn't the only nasty teenager around.
"Alright, let's go over the game, then. It could be fun," Katara nodded, realizing that this might be an interesting and rare opportunity to get to know the reclusive Fire Nation prodigy. The timing couldn't be better, either. Tomorrow was the first off-day of the tournament, and Katara would be going out to explore Caldera City together with Yue and Sokka. Katara had planned to do all of her prep work tonight, while Yue went out on a date with Sokka. Perhaps analyzing the game with Azula could be a productive part of her prep. "Shall we sit down?" she asked, pointing at one of the empty tables in the hall.
Azula looked around the hall, frowning. It was still quite packed with people as the spectators were not in any hurry to disperse. Some of the contestants were also still around, chatting with the fans for one reason or another. At least during the early rounds there was very little presence from journalists covering the event, but the spectators still formed a considerable crowd. "Perhaps we could go somewhere quieter," Azula suggested uncertainly. "I can switch out the crowds when I'm playing, but it takes an effort. When I'm analyzing my games, I prefer a more informal and relaxed setting."
Katara nodded, smiling. "That's exactly how I feel, too," she said. It was probably one of the very few things they had in common, but it still felt nice to find something they could agree on. It just helped her to further humanize Azula.
"I suppose I could invite you over to the estate," Azula said. "My father said he wouldn't mind. Besides, he's traveling right now." Oh. Well, that explains the need for a sparring partner.
Katara was very tempted to accept the offer. She was deeply curious to see the Nakamura estate and the luxury of Azula's living conditions. She was certain that the wealth of the Nakamuras would leave her utterly astounded. However, Katara still felt a little wary of Azula and all the probably exaggerated horror stories surrounding her. It wasn't that she expected Azula to have a collection of severed heads of all those who had defeated her at the Pai Sho board, but still, Katara wanted to get to know Azula a little better before she accepted an invitation to visit her at home. "That might be nice, but how about we just go up to my hotel room?" Katara suggested then. "It's a lot closer."
Azula paused for a moment before replying. It made Katara wonder whether Azula was having similar doubts about being alone with her. The thought seemed so ridiculous that it nearly made Katara burst out with laughter. "Alright, we can do that," Azula finally agreed, much to Katara's relief.
They proceeded to the nearby elevator which had been made available to use only for the competitors and tournament organizers. It allowed them to come and go without having to pass through the gaggle of spectators packed at the other end of the hall. Within a couple of minutes, Katara had unlocked the doors to her hotel room, allowing Azula to step inside. Katara quickly undid the straps on her blue Mary Jane's, watching Azula kick off her red stilettos before heading deeper into the room. She couldn't help but notice the other girl's perfect burgundy red painted toenails. It was simple details like these that made Katara feel so plain in comparison.
Inside the room, Azula was looking around, appearing displeased. "Is this what they give to the contestants?" she frowned deeply. "Unacceptable. I should speak with my father to give hell to the organizing committee."
"This seems perfectly fine to me," Katara shrugged. "And this is the first year we're being provided rooms at no cost. But I imagine that you are used to better accommodations."
"Of course, I would not consider anything but a penthouse suite," Azula nodded. "This is barely fit to serve as a wardrobe." Katara elected not to comment that her room back home was smaller than this particular hotel room. Azula walked around the room, scowling. "It doesn't even have a proper table. Where are we supposed to lay out the Pai Sho board?"
"We can just sit on the bed," Katara shrugged. Azula gave her a frown, hesitating. "Well, I'm sorry that this isn't to your liking, but there's nothing I can do to fix it now, so either we make do with this or-"
"Fine," Azula huffed. Before sitting down on the bed, she walked over to the mini fridge and retrieved a bottle of mineral water. "What? I'm thirsty," she shrugged in response to Katara's stare.
"I will have to pay for that, you know," Katara pointed out.
"Oh." Azula dug into her leather purse and pulled out a few banknotes, leaving them on top of the fridge. Katara could already see that it was at least ten times more than the cost of the water bottle.
"Money just doesn't mean anything to you, does it?" she asked, feeling mildly astonished.
Azula shrugged again. "There's a reason why my family is wealthy. My father is the smartest and wisest man I know, and he works extremely hard. My father says that nobody reasonably intelligent should be poor, and if they are poor then it's because they lack motivation and drive. Father once told me that poverty is something only lazy people have to deal with," she stated with an imperious air.
"I'm fifteen!" Katara exclaimed. "Do you even know where I live and what kind of prospects are there for me in my home village? Do you see me as an oil rig worker, a fisherwoman or a whaler? Cape Kuruk isn't exactly a wellspring of exciting opportunities! Maybe if your father offered fair payment to his oil rig operators, my family would not have to struggle."
"If someone isn't happy about the privilege of working for the Nakamura Industries they can just quit. Slavery has been abolished a long time ago, last I checked," Azula replied with a haughty frown. "But you make a fair point. Perhaps I don't know enough about your circumstances. Still, you don't need to get so upset about it."
Well, maybe you should just stop saying stupid entitled shit! That was what Katara wanted to yell back at Azula, but she just about managed to hold herself in check. She let out a heavy sigh, rubbing her brow. Good grief, this girl could be so exasperating! "I am not upset," she forced herself to ground out. "Besides, I thought we wanted to go over our game. Shall we?" she pointed at the bed.
Azula nodded, climbing into the bed and elegantly tucking her legs under her. Meanwhile, Katara retrieved her gifted walrus ivory Pai Sho set and brought it over, sitting down with Azula on the bed. "That is a lovely set of tiles," Azula noticed immediately, looking impressed.
"Thank you," Katara smiled. For some reason, it felt rewarding to have impressed Azula. Also, it seemed that Azula was capable of extending a compliment. "It was a Solstice gift from the family."
"I guess they must like you," Azula said.
Katara blinked. Like you? That's a weird thing to say about your family. Surely, there should be a natural expectation of being loved by your family? "Yes, we are all very close," Katara spoke in a neutral voice. Family was clearly a touchy subject for Azula and needed to be handled carefully.
"I'm sure you have heard enough about me to know that it's not the same for me and my family," Azula said. She then sharply shook her head, as if to clear her mind from whatever thoughts had penetrated it. "Anyway, we should be focusing on the game instead of talking nonsense," she immediately changed the topic, withdrawing her notebook with the written down notation of Pai Sho moves, Katara retrieving her own notation.
Soon enough, they were deeply immersed in the complicated middle game of their earlier contest, reaching the point where Katara had launched her unexpected counter-offensive. "This combination took me by surprise," Azula admitted. "But I don't think you chose the best move to finish it. You could have ended the game here."
"Hmm… I'm not seeing it," Katara frowned.
"Try harder. I know you're not stupid," Azula said. Katara looked up from the Pai Sho board to glare at the other girl. Then she realized that coming from Azula that was probably meant as a compliment. "Alright, fine, I'll give you a clue," Azula sighed. "I can see that you have improved your offense, but you're still not committing fully. Think even more aggressively."
"Huh… alright, let me think for a moment," Katara said, raising her hand to stop Azula from saying anything else. "Don't tell me, I need to figure this out on my own." Azula shrugged, placing her hands in her lap, toying with the water bottle as she patiently waited for Katara to spot the winning move. "Wait a minute," Katara eventually recognized the missed opportunity. "I could have pulled back my White Jade to create a harmony with the Lily, and then used the Wheel to move my Orchid over there… and now it's forking your Lily and Jasmine! How did I not see it?"
"It is not an easy move to spot. I did not notice the possibility during the game," Azula shrugged. "We were both starting to struggle for time, too. Still, you had more opportunities to finish the game, but you really let me off the hook."
"I think I was just taken aback by the fact that you were defending so skillfully," Katara admitted. "Although, I could tell that you didn't always choose the best move either. But let's go through everything in order, shall we?"
"Of course, analyzing a game isn't something you should rush," Azula agreed. She was about to say more, but at that moment there was a knock on the doors. Before Katara could answer, Sokka and Yue had burst in, full of giggles, then freezing in surprise upon realizing that Katara had a guest. Their shock and surprise only grew once they realized who it was.
"What are you doing here, guys?" Katara asked, a little annoyed at the interruption. She noticed that Azula had become very tense all of a sudden. "I thought you were going out!"
"Yeah, but Yue decided to ask if you wanted to tag along after all," Sokka said. He sounded like he hadn't agreed with that decision. "We had no idea that you would be hanging out with Azula Nakamura."
"We are not hanging out, as you so crudely put it," Azula glared at Sokka. "We are doing important work analyzing the game. Not that you would know anything about that."
"Sokka might not realize the importance of preparation, but I do," Yue smiled at the two girls sitting on the bed. "Hi, Azula."
"Hello, Yue," Azula replied, with barely any venom, unlike when responding to Sokka.
"The big lug is my brother Sokka," Katara said by the way of belated introductions.
"Oh," Azula's eyes widened slightly as she glanced at Sokka. "I didn't realize. You don't look nowhere near as smart as your sister."
"Wow, thanks," Sokka huffed angrily.
Katara put an open palm against her forehead, letting out another heavy sigh. Politeness was clearly not Azula's strong suit. "Guys, maybe you should just get on with your date," she told both Sokka and Yue. "We can talk later, alright?"
"Of course, Katara," Yue smiled at her, while Sokka gave her a pointed stare that seemed to say something along the lines of 'we are definitely discussing this later'. Katara didn't understand the reaction. Did Sokka seriously believe that he had to protect her from the big bad Azula Nakamura? Azula was quite harmless as far as Katara was concerned. She simply didn't have a filter and had absolutely no idea how offensive she could come off to other people.
"Let's get back to what we were doing, shall we?" Katara asked once Sokka and Yue had left her and Azula alone again.
Azula nodded and they returned their attention to the game. Azula was failing to keep her attention on the game, however. "Your brother doesn't like you having me around?" she asked a while later.
"No, he just sometimes gets overprotective, and that can make him a bit stupid," Katara rolled her eyes. She almost wanted to continue with 'you know how older brothers can be', before catching herself. Zuko seemed to really hate his sister, and Katara suspected that Azula harbored similar feelings for her older sibling. For someone like Katara, used to having a big brother she could always rely on, the relationship between Azula and Zuko felt quite depressing. "Don't worry about him, he's harmless," she said instead.
"Alright," Azula nodded, appearing slightly relieved, but she still seemed a little twitchy and nervous for some reason.
Katara decided to say something encouraging. "Besides, I'm having fun doing this," she smiled at the other girl. "I feel like we can learn a lot from each other."
Azula seemed pleased to hear it. "Then you'd like to do this again?" she asked.
"Sure," Katara nodded. Azula wasn't actually a terrible person to spend time with, especially if they could just focus on Pai Sho and not talk about some of the stuff Azula was clearly ignorant about. "Not on the off-days though, I want to hang out with Sokka and Yue. But maybe we can go to your estate on one of the match days."
"Good," Azula actually managed a smile. "My father would have been displeased if I failed to find a sparring partner to practice with."
"Oh, I see," Katara remarked. Asking more about Azula's father seemed like a dangerous path of conversation, but she couldn't let the opportunity pass. "Just how displeased would he be with you, Azula?"
A shadow fell over Azula's face, but she quickly schooled her expression into a controlled mask of neutrality. "It doesn't matter. Forget I said anything. I shouldn't discuss my father behind his back," her voice carried deep reverence, or was it fear? "Let's just focus on the game, alright? We still have so much to cover."
"Of course, Azula," Katara agreed, swallowing a sigh. As she had suspected, Azula's relationship with her father was definitely a very sensitive topic of conversation.
Next chapter: Azula meets an old friend, and afterwards makes an unexpected request of Katara.