Chapter 80
Katara was relieved when the hectic month of June was finally behind her. She had never studied as hard in her life as during these final weeks of her third study year and end of pre-clinical courses. It had all been worth it, though. Katara had aced most of her final exams, and she done well enough in her weaker subjects to finish the study year at the top of her class. This was quite the achievement, considering that in the first study year, Katara had been languishing around the middle of the pack, failing to stand out in the crowd.
As a result, several hospitals in Ba Sing Se had already reached out to her and tried to lure her into choosing them for her clinical courses and following residency. Some of the hospital recruiters weren't even put off by Katara telling them that she would be taking her education slowly in the coming years because she wanted to focus on her Pai Sho career as well. Katara hadn't made any promises to anyone just yet, but privately she had made mental notes about some hospitals she favored above the others, and who also seemed to really want her and were willing to go far to accommodate her specific wishes.
Katara was yet to make a firm decision when it came to her specialization, and she wouldn't have to decide for a while yet. Still, she was having some thoughts. Katara had always seen herself one day becoming a surgeon. Pediatric surgery in particular was something that tempted her, but also frightened her on some level because of how dauntingly long the residency and further studies were. If she had to split it with her Pai Sho career, she would become a licensed pediatric surgeon either in her late thirties or early forties. It was something to consider.
Yue had similarly excelled in her final exams and now several prestigious private schools in Ba Sing Se were headhunting her, trying to lure Yue into doing her teaching practice at their school, with the obvious intent to persuade her to stay on after the conclusion of her studies. Yue was in a similar situation to Katara, definitely interested in some of these offers, but choosing not to commit just yet because of her Pai Sho career plans. Still, Yue had confided to both Katara and Azula that she in particular favored the offer made by Madame Macmu-Ling from the Five-Seven-Five Academy for girls.
In comparison to Katara and Yue's rough final exams, Azula had enjoyed an easy time coasting along during her journalism studies. It wasn't all sunshine and roses, though, as because of the worsening situation in Yu Dao, the atmosphere at the offices of the Ba Sing Se Herald became increasingly tenser. Katara was actually quite impressed that the editor-in-chief of the newspaper even tried to maintain Azula's work placement because having a Fire Nation citizen on his staff definitely attracted extra attention from the Dai Li. Katara suspected that this was because the editor and other high-ups actually acknowledged how talented Azula was at literally everything she tried and they wanted to keep her around with the hope that the political situation would soon improve. Azula on her part was keeping a low profile. Her working as a reporter for the culture and arts section was actually really fun because Azula could get her and Yue into all the new expositions and theatre plays at no cost, and they would often get invited to backstage parties and be spoiled rotten just to make sure that Azula's reviews weren't too vitriolic.
When it came to her new relationship with Azula and Yue, Katara was delighted about how well things were working out. The one thing she had never been worried about was potential issues of jealousy and feelings of neglect, and Katara had been proven right in thinking that they would have no issues with it. And even if occasionally Azula and Katara ended up spending a little extra time with each other, they always communicated it with Yue to make sure that she was fine with that. In many ways, their lives continued along a very similar pattern as before, with the exception that now on most nights they shared the same bed. Speaking of which, an amazing queen sized bed had been procured for the largest of the bedrooms, once belonging to Azula, but now considered to be co-owned by all three of them. They all still retained their old bedrooms as well, with Azula claiming Ty Lee's old room, giving them all their own personal space if one of them found themselves not in the mood to be social and wanting to instead enjoy some solitude. Katara was happy to report that these separate rooms were barely ever used, but it was nice to have them as an option, just in case.
As far as their friends were concerned, there had been some developments as well. Sokka had moved out of the estate some two weeks ago, moving in with Zuko at his Middle Ring apartment. Katara missed having her brother around, but she understood that he wanted to be closer to Zuko as their relationship became more and more serious. Sokka still hadn't come out to the family, although Katara had to admit that there hadn't been decent opportunities to do so as they hadn't visited Cape Kuruk since the winter holidays. Besides, Katara herself had no intentions of introducing her father and Gran-Gran to her new relationship over the phone, so she was willing to cut Sokka some slack.
Katara had been quite surprised and impressed after Zuko had made an offhanded mention about having come out to Ursa. However, it later turned out that Zuko had not been entirely truthful. Azula had at some point spoken with her mother, and Ursa had told her how she had become suspicious after constantly running into Sokka when visiting her old apartment, and she had then confronted Zuko about it. Zuko had admitted to being in love with Sokka, but afterwards Zuko had decided to spin the whole coming out story as his own initiative, when it had been anything but that. As for Azula, she was still undecided on how to tell her mother about Yue and whether she even wanted to do that. Yue definitely did not intend to tell her father about their relationship, because she rightfully felt that she didn't own anything to Arnook Taqqiq.
Katara, Azula and Yue hadn't even made it a big point to come out about their relationship to their friends. Of course, Sokka had learned about it straight away, which meant that Zuko also knew about it. At least Azula was no longer afraid that Zuko would tell on her to Ursa. She had realized by now that Zuko didn't actually have a perfectly smooth relationship with their mother, and he and Ursa had their own communication issues. With Aang living at the estate, he had also learned the truth a few days into their relationship, which meant that the next day Mai, Toph and Teo knew about it as well, with Ty Lee learning from Mai soon after. Aang and Teo had been super accepting, just as Katara knew they would be and Toph had literally nothing to say about it aside from some dirty jokes that had made Katara blush like crazy.
Mai hadn't been particularly happy, however, laying into Azula a bit, but this was mostly because Mai was very protective of Ty Lee. And Ty Lee hadn't been too impressed either after finding out the truth. After learning the news, Ty Lee had made some comments about how Yue had always wanted this and how she had never been too committed to making things work with her. While Katara had to acknowledge that on some level, perhaps Ty Lee's scathing comments contained a grain of truth, Katara still thought that it had been an awful thing to say because it had made Yue feel terrible. Katara and Azula had afterwards spent days trying to help clear the guilt their girlfriend still felt about how everything had ended with Ty Lee. At least these ill feelings hadn't lasted for more than a couple of weeks and by now Ty Lee was once again a welcome guest at the estate and would always remain welcome with them as long as she didn't try to rehash her old arguments with Yue. At long last everyone had agreed to move on from that mess, and Katara was relieved that Mai and Ty Lee hadn't held on to their anger, because for those two weeks of feuding Azula had been very upset about her two oldest friends disapproving of her actions. It felt like it was all behind them now, however.
As the month of July finally rolled around, Katara felt a little saddened that this would be yet another year that they would not spend helping out at Uncle Iroh's Pai Sho camp. Azula did not have such a powerful emotional connection with the event, having only attended it once in the role of a camp counselor, but Yue definitely shared Katara's regret about having to miss out yet again, Iroh having to seek help elsewhere. He showed understanding about their decision, however. While Iroh's pro career was now over for good with him entering his final, real retirement, the careers of Azula, Katara and Yue were about to take off. And that was the main reason why they would not be attending the Pai Sho camp and why Azula had called for a meeting on the first Saturday of July, sending official invitations for Zuko, Teo and Toph to attend the gathering.
As a result, the Ba Sing Se estate – or the International House of Lesbians as it had been affectionately dubbed – was currently bustling with activity as their friends continued to arrive, wondering why Azula had summoned them. It took a while for Azula to herd all of them into the living room, but with the help from Katara and Yue, they had finally succeeded. The crowd was slightly larger than Azula had intended because Zuko had brought Sokka with him, and Mai was currently visiting in Ba Sing Se and she had returned to the estate with Ty Lee in tow. Katara privately found it very curious how Mai had arrived in Ba Sing Se as soon as Aang's study year had ended. She was surprised but glad that Mai actually appeared serious about their relationship, even if she sometimes casually played it off like a joke.
"I imagine you're all wondering why I've called you here today," Azula spoke up, opening the meeting. Katara smiled, watching her girlfriend take the center stage. She and Yue obviously knew what this was all about. There was a reason why one of Iroh's weird psychedelic wall paintings had been removed and replaced with a blackboard that Azula had borrowed from the offices of the Herald. "Well, it has to do with the start of our careers as professional Pai Sho players. And this meeting probably wouldn't be necessary if not for Toph and Aang deciding to turn pro early, so thank you for the timely heads-up, guys," Azula said, rolling her eyes.
"Oh, shut up, you passive-aggressive bitch," Toph snorted. "I have no interest in playing U21's for two more years now that the most challenging opposition has moved on and the younger kids coming up from U18's all suck. I mean, playing Aang is fun and all, but the rest of the games would be a snooze fest. I don't care about medals if they're already pretty much guaranteed before the tournament even begins."
"Let's be real Toph, you're switching early only because you want to play together with Teo," Yue pointed out. Katara privately thought that her girlfriend was spot on, although Katara herself probably would have kept her mouth shut about it.
"Ugh, whatever," Toph grumbled. Teo reached in and squeezed her hand, making Toph's expression soften a little.
"And I made the choice to go pro because Toph told me that she was going for it, and I didn't want to be the only one of the Gaang left at the U21's," Aang shrugged. "I have no problem admitting my motives."
"Well, I'm glad we've cleared that up," Azula sighed, looking a little exhausted from becoming sidetracked. "But now with seven of us hitting the pro tour, we might have a problem, which is why I have summoned you here today. And you should see the problem as well, if all seven of us show up at, for example, the Gaoling Open later this month."
"I see what you mean," Teo nodded in understanding. "We could really hurt each other's prospects that way."
"I think I know what you're going to propose, Azula, so let me just cut you right off," Zuko spoke up. Azula didn't look very happy about the interruption. Katara tried to calm her girlfriend down with the softest of looks she could muster, and it seemed to work. "You will probably agree that I have completely fucked up this qualification cycle already, right?" Zuko asked.
"I'm sorry, but you have," Azula nodded. Katara admired the way Azula always kept it real with everyone. If she had been put on the spot like that, Katara would have probably tried to say something like how one could never quite know and how things could still work out, but objectively that just wasn't true and they all knew it. Zuko could no longer make it into the top thirty because of a string of poor results early on.
"Thanks for confirming that," Zuko grumbled. "But I had already come to the same realization, so I've made the decision to take a year off from Pai Sho. I'm going to instead focus on finishing my studies and finally getting that law degree. Also, I'll be practicing a lot for my comeback in the next cycle."
"Are you sure about this, Zuko?" Katara asked. She was afraid that Zuko was making too big of a sacrifice. Katara was perfectly aware of how much Zuko loved the game. "The tour won't feel the same without you there."
"It's nothing, a year passes by really quickly," Zuko shrugged. "Hey, at least Sokka will get to see me more often than the few weeks between tournaments."
"Babe, what I want most is for you to follow your dreams," Sokka affectionately told his boyfriend.
"This is what I really want right now, Sokka," Zuko returned with equal affection. Katara thought that they were being incredibly sweet, but unfortunately Azula spoiled the mood by making retching noises. Katara turned to glare at her girlfriend, as if trying to tell Azula with her stare alone that Yue would get most of Katara's attention later that night and the threat seemed to work as Azula immediately backed off.
"Alright, well, I'm happy to hear that," Sokka said, unable to hide his blushing. "Anyway, if you're no longer a part of this conversation, want to come outside and help me out with the grill? You're so much better at starting fires than I am."
As Zuko rose to follow his boyfriend, Ty Lee copied his example. "I'll help too, this Pai Sho talk is making me sleepy," she said, appearing to never even consider that Sokka and Zuko might have been looking for some privacy. Then again, neither Sokka nor Zuko appeared annoyed at Ty Lee for inviting herself along, so Katara was happy to let it slide.
"Anyway, if we are finally done getting sidetracked," Azula sighed, trying to restore some order and respectability to this gathering. "What I'm trying to explain here is that between now and the end of the year, we have eight major tournaments and we should create some kind of a schedule which one of us goes where, so that we can maximize the rating points we gain as a group and in the end we all make it among the thirty best and qualify for the next round."
"Oh, I love this idea, Azula," Aang looked excited. "It's like being in a war room and planning the battle strategy for the Gaang!"
"Agni, I wish we didn't use that ridiculous name for the group, but whatever," Azula rolled her eyes. "I think first we should agree on how many tournaments we all want to play. My recommendation would be to not play too much and pull a Zuko. What we need is quality over quantity. Besides, we all have other commitments, like our studies. We don't want to overdo it, so I suggest that we sign up for between three to four tournaments each. All those in agreement with what I just said, let me see your hands." Katara and Yue raised their hands immediately, as they had already pre-approved Azula's strategy. Aang also agreed right away. Teo and Toph whispered for a bit among themselves and then also raised their hands.
"I'm glad we don't have to argue about this," Yue smiled with relief.
"It seems reasonable," Toph shrugged. "Also, please keep in mind that Teo and I want to play the same tournaments. I'm guessing that it will be the same for you, kinky bitches."
Katara felt herself redden at Toph's colorful epithet and Yue had a similar reaction, while Azula seemed to take the comment in stride. "Yes, it's definitely the same with us," Azula nodded.
"In that case, should I stick with Toph and Teo, because if I go with you, that would make it four of us and that's a lot?" Aang asked.
"We'll go to the tournaments together, but only two of us will be playing," Yue explained to Aang. "So, you can still come with us if you want to."
"Yes, this is actually going to be a lot easier than I thought," Azula nodded. "We just have to decide which four tournaments Toph and Teo will take, and we'll grab the rest. Aang, you can pick and choose freely."
"I'll, uh, I'll take the Fire Nation ones, please," Aang said, red in the face. Mai was smirking smugly as she sat by his side, looking totally nonchalant.
"Alright, I definitely want to skip all the Fire Nation ones," Azula said. Katara could see that even thinking about returning to the Fire Nation to play Pai Sho was making Azula deeply conflicted. She privately resolved to cheer her girlfriend up later with some extra cuddles. "Toph, Teo, could you take the Fire Nation tournaments? They're both in Caldera City."
Toph and Teo held a brief chat in whispers before Toph replied. "Sure, but in exchange I want you to take the Gaoling one," she said. "My dad would probably use it as an excuse to spend time with me, and I have little interest in that."
"That's fine with us, I think," Katara said, noticing Yue and Azula nodding in agreement. Katara hadn't been to Gaoling before, so she was quite curious to visit the place of Toph's birth. "Also, we'd like to take the Agna Qel'a tournament." Again, she had discussed this before with Azula and Yue. They had their own preferences agreed upon well beforehand.
"Then we have two tournaments here in Ba Sing Se," Azula continued. "I think it would be fair to split those between us."
"Everything sounds fair so far," Teo nodded, smiling. "What's left on the plate?"
"We have the winter holiday tournament in Kyoshi and the Yu Dao tournament that's getting moved to Omashu in October," Azula explained.
"Dibs on Kyoshi," Toph uttered quickly. Katara found Azula staring at her. They had wanted to claim the Kyoshi Island tournament for themselves, but Toph looked to be pretty determined, so it would probably be a tough fight to convince her to relent. Katara wasn't sure she was up for a fight right now, besides at this point, previous memories of Omashu trumped those of the Kyoshi Island. She shrugged, letting Azula know that she didn't care.
"Alright, you can have the Kyoshi tournament," Azula acquiesced with a sigh. "Which two tournaments are you picking aside from Caldera City, Aang?" she asked.
"That's easy, I'll just take the two tourneys in Ba Sing Se and cut down on the traveling costs," Aang replied.
"There, that was a lot easier than I thought it would be," Azula said. "I'm just going to write everything down on the board so that we all remember our schedules," she added, turning around and then having to chase off Ran, sniffing at the piece of chalk and contemplating snacking on it.
Katara walked up to Yue and sat down next to her as they watched Azula write down the tournament order on the blackboard with a steady hand. "Looks like we'll be off to Gaoling in a week's time," she smiled at Yue.
"I can't wait," Yue confessed. "I guess we'll decide later which two of us will play and who will sit out."
"I'm sure we'll be able to decide that without any drama," Katara chuckled. "The only tournament I'm inflexible about is Agna Qel'a. I want to play in front of the home crowd."
"Likewise," Yue nodded.
"Well, you two can have Agna Qel'a," Azula said. She had been listening in keenly, despite all of her attention seemingly having been on the blackboard. "I've never played well there, anyway."
"I don't really care which of the other tournaments I sit out," Yue said. "I'm more than certain that regardless of who of us plays where, we're going to do well as long as we have each other's backs." Katara smiled at the words of her girlfriend. That sentiment was something she wholeheartedly agreed with.
A few hours following the meeting, Azula was feeling mildly frustrated as she sat on the living room sofa and tried to watch the news on the TV, which was not easy to do because of the commotion surrounding her. Azula had expected that all of their friends she had invited for the meeting would promptly leave afterwards, but they had decided to stick around, first for the grill party that Sokka and Zuko had set up in the garden, and then lingering even long after the food was all gone. It wasn't that Azula didn't enjoy the company of her friends, but she had been looking forward to a quiet evening of cuddling and perhaps more than that with Katara and Yue, but the chances of that seemed remote now.
This new relationship was working out very well as far as Azula was concerned, although she was certain that they were still far from reaching their potential. Katara and Yue had been under a lot of stress lately because of their intense exam schedule and Azula felt stressed simply because of the entire political situation and the uncertainty that it posed. In less than a week's time they would be leaving on a long flight to Gaoling and the tournament there would add stress of its own. She had really wanted to enjoy at least a few relaxing evenings with her girlfriends before leaving, but it seemed as if those plans would have to be postponed for at least another day.
"You look lost to the world, Zula," Katara whispered, suddenly leaning in against her on the sofa. "Why don't you join us? Or is there something so captivating that you simply have to see?" Katara asked, nodding at the TV.
"Just waiting for some updates on Yu Dao," Azula grumbled. She hadn't meant to ignore the others, and especially not her girlfriends, but she was feeling just a tad anxious. One of her acquaintances at the Herald had told her that the Dai Li were preparing some sort of announcement that could truly shake things up in the capital, and Azula had a bad feeling about just what that announcement might be.
The Dai Li crackdown on a free flow of information had started to yield some results and the support for the military conflict with the Fire Nation was steadily increasing in Ba Sing Se, which had in turn made Azula more and more anxious. The Dai Li had then taken this increasing public goodwill as a sign that the Earth Kingdom citizens would approve of them intensifying their military push in Yu Dao. Some particularly brutal fighting saw half of Yu Dao being reclaimed by the Earth Kingdom military and the Dai Li had then prematurely run a victory lap in some of the more tightly state controlled media.
That victory lap had come to a screeching halt when some of the newspapers had released the casualty numbers, which were shockingly high. At the same time, the Ba Sing Se Herald had released a story about the swelling of the military budget – Azula had helped crunch the numbers on that one while obviously omitting her name from being connected with the article – and the story had blown up and put Prime Minister Kuei and his government in hot water. There were rumors that the Dai Li were planning to strike back, however, and these rumors were the source of Azula's anxiety.
"Well, the events in Yu Dao are important," Katara agreed. "If you want us to shut up when they start talking about Yu Dao, just tell us so."
"That would be good," Azula said with a tense nod of the head. "I think they're going to talk about it now, so," she said, then raising her voice. "Could everyone just shut up for a minute or two? I want to hear this, okay?"
Everyone in the living room immediately fell silent, making Azula feel quite happy that her ability to command respect remained intact even if she had mellowed in many other ways. Still, Azula didn't remain happy for much longer because the talking heads soon announced the news that Azula had been dreading to hear. The Earth Kingdom was instituting a compulsory military draft for all of its citizens aged eighteen to forty-five, a harsh practice even with the usual deferments and exceptions for active students, elected officials, and the like.
"I can't believe they would do this!" Yue exclaimed as soon as the announcement ended with an ominous warning against any potential protest rallies. "Surely this will only make people angrier at Kuei and his government!"
"The state of things in Yu Dao must really be in the shitter for them to try something like this," Sokka nodded. Azula couldn't help but to agree with that assessment.
"They must feel it's worth the risk of an uprising," Azula said. "And that makes the Dai Li even more dangerous than before. They've painted themselves into a corner and now they might be willing to commit terrible atrocities just to stay in power."
"Do you think there could be riots?" Katara asked worriedly. "That never ends well."
"I would be very surprised if there wasn't some rioting," Azula nodded. "There is a reason why they warned people not to organize any protest rallies, they know that there's a very real chance that it's going to happen anyway."
The mood at the estate was instantly deflated following the news and the conversation that ensued was very muted and tinged with anxiety. At some point, the estate phone started ringing and Katara rose to answer it. Azula barely listened to the conversation between her friends as she watched her girlfriend speaking on the phone and gradually becoming more and more concerned, even angry. Azula felt her own anxiety growing as she observed Katara. Eventually, Katara ended the call and rejoined the group, interrupting their conversation.
"Guys, that was Suki on the phone," Katara spoke, looking distressed. "She had some really bad news. Jet has already received a call from the draft board. He has three days to report in."
There were shocked gasps and cries of outrage at Katara's announcement. "I don't even know the guy that well, but that's bullshit," Toph stated angrily. "I think he should give those recruiters the middle finger."
"Well, they're considering their options, but right now they're heading out for a protest rally at the Royal Palace," Katara explained. "Suki was asking if we would join them to show our support, but I didn't promise her anything because I know that it might be dangerous."
"I don't care, I'm going," Ty Lee decided almost instantly. "I like Jet, he's a cool guy. Like Toph said, this is bullshit."
"I want to go as well," Yue nodded. "This isn't right. We have to do something."
"I agree," Katara said decisively, looking at Azula. "I know this is really dangerous for you, Zula, so don't feel like you have to come. For that matter, it's really dangerous for you as well, Ty Lee."
"Like I said, I don't care," Ty Lee shrugged. "There will be thousands upon thousands of people protesting, they wouldn't dare to try anything."
"We do everything together, Kat. If you and Yue are going, then so will I," Azula said. She was certain of her decision even if she was aware of the dangers. If she got caught during an anti-government protest, extradition was the most likely outcome, although darker scenarios were also possible. Then again, she thought that Ty Lee had brought up a good point. The crowd would likely be too sizable for the Dai Li to interfere.
"Are you insane?" Zuko glared at her. "Don't you realize how dangerous this could be? Didn't Uncle Iroh talk to you about this? Keep your head tucked at all times, he said!"
"When have I ever listened to Iroh's advice? Or yours, for that matter," Azula shrugged. "But it's so sweet of you to care, Zuzu."
"I don't-… ugh!" Zuko groaned. "Well, I'm not going, so I won't be there to get you out of trouble, which you will inevitably get into."
Azula was about to retort how she didn't expect Zuko to do anything for her, but Sokka spoke up before she could. "Damn, babe, I really feel like going with them," Sokka said, giving his boyfriend an apologetic stare. "Suki is a good friend and I want to be there for her. And I want to keep an eye on Katara and the girls." Katara gave her brother a grateful smile at that.
"Oh…" Zuko suddenly seemed a lot less certain about his decision. "Ugh, fine, I'll go as well, but this better not end in a disaster."
"It will be fine!" Ty Lee exclaimed, looking excited. Azula thought that given the circumstances it was a wildly inappropriate reaction, but she wasn't sure whether Ty Lee completely understood the dangers involved. "Toph, I guess you're not coming, right?" she asked.
"Are you kidding me?" Toph laughed, pointing at Teo's wheelchair. "If that protest turns into a riot, we'd be screwed. There's no way we're taking that sort of a risk."
"Yes, sorry everyone, but I don't think my participation would be wise," Teo added apologetically.
"I don't know about Mai, but Aang would probably be interested in joining," Yue said. "He likes to join causes like these."
"Yes, where did Mai and Aang disappear to, anyway?" Azula asked, realizing that she hadn't seen her old Fire Nation friend for a while.
"Mai told me that she was going with Aang to his room to help him study," Ty Lee replied.
"Help him study what?" Azula blinked. "The study year is over."
"I don't know, she said something about equations… or was it calculations," Ty Lee rubbed her brow, trying her best to remember.
"Well, go and ask them if they want to join then," Azula urged the other girl.
"Uh, Azula, maybe-" Katara said, too late in her attempt to stop Ty Lee. She let out a heavy sigh, shaking her head. "Well, I hope that she has the good sense to knock first before entering."
"Or that they had the good sense to lock the door," Yue added, snickering. Azula was starting to suspect that her girlfriends were inferring that Mai and Aang were up to something in Aang's room.
Ty Lee returned a few moments later, looking a little puzzled. "Well, they had locked the doors and they sounded really busy with their studies so I decided not to bother them," Ty Lee announced. "By the way, those calculations must have been too easy for Mai, because she kept shouting at Aang to give her harder and harder ones."
"Uh, Ty Lee, I don't think-" Azula began, then noticing that everyone present in the living room were struggling not to laugh. "Eww, gross," Azula said, shuddering as the picture finally clicked for her.
"Wait, you mean… oh!" Ty Lee gasped, the truth finally dawning on her as well. "I, uh… let's just go to the rally and leave the estate to those two, okay?"
"That sounds like a really good idea, Ty Lee," Azula was only too happy to agree. She still wasn't convinced that attending a large scale protest in the heart of the Earth Kingdom's capital was a smart plan, but apparently they were now doing this also because Mai and Aang had suddenly made sure that nobody was too keen on remaining at the estate.
Still, Azula consoled herself with the thought that Ty Lee was probably right and they would surely be safe at the protest rally. It wasn't as if the Dai Li would think to employ the Earth Kingdom's military to crush a few dozens of protesters in the capital. That sort of brutality was surely left in the imperialistic past of the anachronistically named Earth Kingdom.
Next chapter: The Dai Li use the Earth Kingdom military to brutally suppress the Ba Sing Se protests, and our girls suddenly find themselves in a life-threatening situation.