Chapter 98
"It's not a bad move, but don't you think it would make more sense to first advance the Rhododendron all the way up there before you start pushing the Orchid?" Zuko asked, giving his sister a questioning stare.
"What? No, that's ridiculous!" Azula snapped. Her reply felt almost instinctual, like a reflex to oppose everything Zuko said. She then spent a moment, actually considering what Zuko had proposed and then blushing when she realized that her brother's suggestion was actually a good one. "Hmm, although… I suppose that would work. It would shore up the center before you start pushing all the other tiles after the Orchid," Azula eventually admitted.
"That's exactly what I was thinking. Glad you agree," Zuko said, winking at her. Azula's first reaction again was to frown, but she somehow swallowed said frown, instead managing a small but genuine smile.
Honestly, doing prep with Zuko was proving to be a much more tolerable experience than she had imagined. As long as they both could force themselves not to bicker and oppose each other on principle, they could actually work together quite well. Zuko was almost as intense and driven as Azula was, so they both were very focused during the practice, eschewing any frivolities and distractions. And Azula had to admit that Zuko was an exceptionally gifted player himself, just as good as she and her Water Tribe loves, so Zuko's insights often proved very illuminating. Also, Zuko shared their attitude of no time limit on prep, which was a problem for Azula when working with Iroh and Aang. They would prep for as long as it was necessary, sometimes even past midnight. Azula also had come to admire how patient Sokka was about it all, rarely intervening with their practice and being remarkably chill about the two Fire Nation siblings hanging out together all the time.
"I think I'm ready for tomorrow. Long Feng doesn't stand a chance… again," Azula smirked another half an hour later, once they were done going through some of Long Feng's recent games. "We still need to get you ready for Bumi, though."
"Can you really get ready for Bumi?" Zuko sighed. He cast his eyes around the hotel room he shared with Sokka, Azula always insisting on coming over to their room. "I guess we can kill time until Sokka gets back, so… sure, I guess."
"Of course, you can prep for Bumi, dumdum," Azula chided her brother. "Don't you remember the way Yue forced him to a draw way back in that Ba Sing Se tournament? We should really look at that game and I'm sure you'll understand what your plan should be."
"Oh, you mean the plan to confuse Bumi more than he confuses me?" Zuko snorted. "Well, I suppose it's worth a try. It's not really my style, though."
"Well, it wasn't Yue's style either, and yet she was still able to get a draw out of their game," Azula argued. "Now don't be obstinate and just stick with me here. I should have the notations somewhere around here," Azula said, going through all the folders full of notes, a veritable treasure trove of information to help dealing with the most famous grandmasters in the world. "Besides, it's only seven o'clock. Sokka won't be back for at least another two hours," she argued.
"I suppose you're right about that," Zuko sighed reluctantly. Every time Zuko and Azula sat down for their prep session lasting many long hours, Sokka used the opportunity to head over to the Crystal Castles Sanatorium to spend some time with Katara and Yue. Azula was more than a little envious, wanting to spend more time with her girls as well, especially Katara, considering how little time they had spent together over the past few months. Azula would spend every off day of the tournament at the sanatorium from dawn till dusk, grateful for Yagoda and the asylum staff to let her have all this time with Katara, time that never felt quite enough.
Azula was encouraged to see that Katara was slowly getting better. As much as it sometimes hurt to think about, Azula had to concede that Yue was better equipped to help Katara with the exposure therapy. Azula had a short fuse and she got impatient and frustrated very quickly, while Yue was generally very calm and patient, and simply had a much better bedside manner. Even if Azula and her girlfriends disagreed with Yagoda's assertion that Azula being the daughter of the man who had hurt Katara was a risk factor, Azula supposed that it did in a way still make Yue the safer bet. It was very hard and painful for Azula to swallow her pride and admit that Yue was the one who should be helping Katara, but in the end, there was nothing that Azula could do but to just accept it, taking comfort in the fact that Katara was getting better, and that was really the most important thing after all.
And it wasn't like Azula was drowning in bitterness about that. The tournament schedule was two days of playing, followed by a day off. She got to spend every third day with Katara, which was still highly satisfying. On her part, Katara devoted those days almost exclusively to Azula, and Azula alone, and even Yue stepped a little aside, much to Azula's eternal gratitude. This was done because a few days after the conclusion of the tournament, Azula would return to Ba Sing Se, while Yue would remain with Katara for the rest of January and at least the entire February. Yue and Katara were trying to do their best to make sure that Azula felt extremely appreciated and loved as she returned to the Earth Kingdom capital, so that she could endure the following months of solitude. Even Yagoda, who had been told about the unconventional relationship between the three girls, had decided to cancel Katara's therapy on days when Azula was free to visit, because Yagoda also saw the importance of keeping the bonds of their relationship strong and healthy.
Azula knew that she would find the upcoming months very difficult, but not because she saw herself struggling with something as silly as jealousy of Yue and Katara having all this time to themselves. Azula knew that she would simply miss her beloved girlfriends, and no amount of lengthy phone conversations would cure that. But hopefully Katara and Yue would be returning to Ba Sing Se sometime in March, both of them in better mental states, and Azula already could not wait for it, hoping that with time her girlfriends would once again rediscover their passion for the game. Katara was already able to sit down at the Pai Sho board and play a few brief games before she became overwhelmed, so the signs were encouraging.
"Hey," Azula jerked at the sound of Zuko's voice and his hand gently shaking her shoulder.
"What?" she snapped, about to bat his hand away, but at the last moment realizing that she was being unnecessarily hostile.
"Sorry, you just zoned out there for a moment," Zuko said, removing his hand. "You really want to be with them, don't you? At least the day after tomorrow is free again."
"Of course, I want to be with them, but that's no reason to get distracted," Azula grumbled.
"Are you always so… driven?" Zuko asked carefully. "I mean, even when you're prepping with them?"
"You can't win if you're not focused, so obviously I'm taking all of this very seriously," Azula replied. She then thought of something that made her wince inwardly. "Although… I suppose the drive is something that our father tried to instill in both of us, but it alone never got me the success that he pressured me into achieving." Indeed, it had been only after she had become involved with Katara – and Yue – and had learned how to relax and let her hair down now and then that her Pai Sho career had truly blossomed. "No, I suppose I should try and relax a little," Azula admitted. "I just… you know, don't know how to…"
"Oh, you mean like… around me?" Zuko asked. Azula nodded reluctantly. "Yeah, I… I guess it just doesn't come naturally to us, does it?" Azula shook her head. "But it is better when Sokka hangs out with us, isn't it?" Zuko asked.
"Yes, the Enuaraq charm, I suppose," Azula chuckled. "Anyway, I feel like we've talked nonsense long enough. I'm starting to suspect that you're simply trying to avoid prepping for Bumi," she said, narrowing eyes at her brother.
"I knew you wouldn't let it go," Zuko whined. "Although, I don't think what we talked about was nonsense, Azula."
"Yeah, whatever," Azula shrugged. She actually agreed with Zuko about that, but she was simply done talking about it. "Anyway, we're prepping for Bumi now. As long as you still have a chance to win the whole thing, I am so not letting you slack off," she gave her brother a not entirely serious glare.
"A very remote chance," Zuko shrugged. Azula was sure that he was merely downplaying his chances to take the pressure off himself, and that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Still, with four rounds to go, Zuko was tied for the second place with Pakku, a point behind Bumi, so he had every reason to be hopeful for at least a podium finish.
Azula herself was doing considerably better than at the November tournament in Ba Sing Se, but she was still nowhere near her best Pai Sho shape. Azula had become utterly convinced that for her to hit the peak form, she needed Katara and Yue alongside her for support. Still, despite not being at her sharpest, she was currently tied for the fourth place with Long Feng, which was a marked improvement over the previous tournament result. The opponents in Agna Qel'a were not as strong, however, so Azula really needed to place among the four best if she wanted to count this showing as at least a moderate success. The national masters of the Water Tribes did not pose much of a threat, and the upcoming younger generation with the exception of Yue and Katara had not matured just yet. The Waska sisters were promising, but Azula had swept them aside with ease, however, she had been forced to a draw by the plucky Siku Ikuma. Azula had avenged this slight embarrassment by inflicting yet another humiliating defeat upon Hahn Adjuk. Azula truly had no idea why Hahn continued to embarrass himself with these performances at the pro level, because it was clear that he simply was not cut out to compete with serious professionals.
"Alright, I think I'm starting to get the hang of the tactic," Zuko remarked less than an hour later, after Azula had showed him Yue's game with Bumi, painstakingly explaining the motive behind every move. "I still don't know if I'll be able to execute it as well as Yue did, though. I'll probably end up confusing myself more than I confuse Bumi," he snorted.
"Stop being ridiculous," Azula chided him. "If you understand the tactic, then it means that you can execute it. I know you're not actually a dumdum, so-"
"Wait, did you just compliment me?" Zuko blinked at her.
"Wow, you're really desperate for a compliment if you're taking not being a dumdum as one," Azula rolled her eyes at him.
"Hey, with you I have to take all I can get," Zuko grinned.
Azula tried to glare at her brother, but ended up bursting into laughter, Zuko joining her. "Fair," Azula admitted once they had gotten their amusement back under control. She then thought of something else she wanted to talk about with Zuko. The tournament was slowly approaching its closure, and Zuko was acting like he didn't hate her at the moment, so this seemed like the best possible moment to ask him. "Hey, can I ask you something?" she asked nervously.
Zuko immediately looked a little startled. "Uh, sure," he managed, a little warily.
"I, uh… don't know how much you know about what happened the last time when I went up against our father," Azula said, staring at the hands in her lap.
"I know that it wasn't good," Zuko looked sympathetic, or at least Azula hoped that it was sympathy and not pity that she saw in his eyes. "Arguably much worse than my own experience playing him," he added.
"I don't know about that, but you're right in that it wasn't good," Azula said. "I want to defeat our father and rip off his crown, so I can't let it happen again. I know that you also don't want to collapse under his terror and mind games yet again, and I know that you tried to do something about it." Zuko looked a little shocked and surprised at her words. "Iroh mentioned it," Azula explained.
"But why would he?" Zuko exclaimed. "He knows how unpleasant that was."
"Because I asked him for advice, for something that will let me withstand Ozai's influence," Azula insisted.
"I get that, but "Guru" Pathik's methods aren't the way," Zuko shook his head.
"Oh, come on now, Zuko," Azula snorted. "Surely they can't be that bad."
Zuko gave her an incredulous stare. "Trust me, you don't want to know," he insisted.
"Zuko, I am not letting this go, I swear," Azula crossed arms on her chest, glaring at her brother. "Tell me what was so bad about Pathik's training."
Zuko looked deeply uncomfortable, taking a long time before he answered. "The training is twofold," he began eventually. "That old man is very perceptive. First, he's going to spend time with you, a few days just to know you, and he's going to ask you a lot of personal questions for one purpose only."
"What purpose is that?" Azula frowned. The idea of some old octogenarian getting to know her did not appeal to Azula at all.
"To learn your deepest fears," Zuko replied, looking uneasy. "He's going to ask a lot of pointed questions to help him better understand you, and don't even think about not answering truthfully. He made me regret that right away."
Azula was immediately having second thoughts. To open up about her deepest fears like that to a stranger was something she didn't feel capable of doing. Then again… if the training was as effective as it was rumored to be… maybe she still ought to try? She had read stories and seen pictures of "Guru" Pathik, and Azula knew that his completely detached emotional state while playing had been one of his greatest weapons with which to achieve utter domination of the Pai Sho world for a short but remarkable period in the history of the game. And maybe sharing her private thoughts with this old man wouldn't actually be harmful. As far as Azula knew, Pathik lived in some remote one donkey village on the very edge of the Si Wong Desert. He also abhorred civilization in general and definitely would not share her secrets with dirty tabloids.
"Okay," Azula said neutrally. "Why does he need to know about my fears?"
"He's going to use that information to mentally torture you by throwing all these deepest fears in your face, and you will either break or rise above them," Zuko replied.
"I see," Azula frowned. She could already imagine the shocked expressions on the faces of Yue and Katara if they knew that Azula was even considering something like that. And it wasn't as if Azula did not understand the risks. Her mental health was still on the mend, and her entire life was going to be a process of gradual improvement. What she was considering here could set her progress back… who knew how far. It could even damage her permanently, so what she was considering was certainly not a wise move, and yet, she felt almost forced into making it. She had to bring down her father and there was no way around that.
"It's more than that, however," Zuko continued. "This sort of mental toughening is combined with physical punishments. Prepare to receive plenty of lashings, walk on burning embers and lay down on shards of broken glass, and all throughout it, Pathik's loyal manservant will yell insults and barrage you with your deepest fears should you show the slightest hint of weakness or reveal being in pain."
Azula winced at that description. Zuko was painting a seriously grim picture, but Azula also knew that nothing worth pursuing came easy. She was a Pai Sho prodigy, but she wouldn't have made it this far on talent alone. Azula practiced far more than the average Pai Sho player, and that hard work in combination with her talent had made her into this emerging threat to the established order, and the same went for her girlfriends. It made sense to Azula that in order to achieve such mental toughness and being able to clear your mind from all distractions would also require a lot of hard work, which was exactly what Zuko was describing.
"I'm sure I can manage," Azula said, though her voice lacked its usual confidence. Ozai's beatings had made Azula realize that she had an abnormally high pain threshold. The physical suffering part of Pathik's trials didn't bother her as much as being forced to confront her deepest fears. "Did you just give up?" she looked up at Zuko.
"No, Iroh got me out of there," Zuko shrugged. "I would have tried to continue, but uncle just couldn't deal with watching me suffer."
"Huh, that's not what Iroh told me," Azula frowned. Zuko stared at her intently. "He said that you couldn't take it and quit."
"That's not what happened," Zuko sounded rather annoyed. Then he appeared to think of something. "I think he must have been trying to discourage you," Zuko said.
"Well, he has completely failed in that," Azula replied sternly. "After we get back to Ba Sing Se, I will want you to take me to meet this "Guru" Pathik."
"What?" Zuko blinked. "That is completely out of the question! That's just crazy, you… you can't want to go through all of that!"
"Want is too strong of a word, I feel like this is more a case of need," Azula shrugged. "I want to be strong enough to stand up against our father, and I think I need this training to be able to do so. Isn't that something you want as well?"
"Well, obviously, but…" Zuko frowned.
"You think you'll just be strong enough the next time you face him?" Azula asked. "He'll just find new ways to terrorize you, Zuko, we both know that. If you want to defeat our father as much as I do, then you should want to go through this yourself."
"I wanted to go through with it," Zuko argued. "But uncle said that it was unhealthy, and well… at that point I was ready to agree with him."
"Fine, agree with uncle if you want to," Azula shrugged. "All I'm asking is for you to take me out in the desert to meet with Pathik, and I'll take it from there."
"You don't know what you're saying, Azula. Even if I consented to taking you to meet Pathik, that sort of training is too hard to face alone. You'll need someone with you, either Katara or Yue," Zuko said. Azula averted her eyes, hoping that Zuko wouldn't be able to form the obvious conclusion from her lack of reply. "Agni, you're not planning to tell them about this, are you? I can't believe… Azula, if you're not telling them, then I will."
"I dare you," Azula growled threateningly. "Zuko, I swear, if you do that, we are going to be enemies for life, I promise. I won't stop until I bury you next to our father."
"For fuck's sake, Azula, what do you want me to do here?" Zuko exclaimed, nervously running his hand through his hair.
"I want you to keep your mouth shut about it," Azula hissed. "Of course, I'm not telling Katara and Yue about it, that's why I want to do it right after we're back in Ba Sing Se. It needs to happen while my girls are still here in Agna Qel'a."
"I could just refuse to take you to Pathik," Zuko replied sternly, crossing arms on his chest. "I should."
"But you won't," Azula spoke confidently. "Because you know that you need this training yourself. You said that I shouldn't be alone, well, then why don't you come and stay with me?"
"Are you serious?" Zuko asked, looking to have been taken aback by surprise.
"Why wouldn't I be serious?" Azula asked. "Everyone's poking us to do some sibling bonding, right? This seems like the perfect opportunity to do that." It wasn't that Azula particularly wanted to do this together with Zuko, but if it was the only condition under which he agreed to take her to "Guru" Pathik, then Azula supposed that she could endure Zuko's company. Also, it was entirely possible that Zuko would make it all the way into the finals with her. Zuko that would not collapse under Ozai's reign of terror would be a potentially useful ally to have in her quest to depose their father, so having Zuko also get this training seemed like a strategically sound decision.
"This is going to turn into a disaster, isn't it?" Zuko groaned. "You understand that we'd actually have to support one another out there, instead of being at each other's throats, right?"
"Well, what do you think we've been doing here," Azula shrugged, pointing at the Pai Sho board with the discarded tiles. "I'd say we've been working together quite well, supporting each other. Just keep reminding yourself that this is all for the benefit of defeating our father."
"Hmm," Zuko appeared thoughtful. "I wish the idea of seeing our father standing by the podium and observing someone else being crowned as the world champion wouldn't be so appealing. Ugh, I hate how convincing you can be, Azula."
"Does that mean you're onboard?" Azula asked hopefully.
"I'm leaning towards it," Zuko sighed. "We'll need a cover story for at least a couple of weeks. And I hate the idea of lying to Sokka."
"Then don't," Azula shrugged. She didn't like the thought of her plan causing a rift between Sokka and Zuko. "Just tell him where we're going."
"Aren't you worried that he's going to tell Katara and Yue?" Zuko asked.
"It's alright, Zuko, I want them to find out as long as it's after the fact," Azula smiled thinly. "They'll yell at me for being stupid, but in the end, they'll understand why I had to do it," she replied confidently. Azula knew that Katara and Yue would be really mad at her for going through with something as crazy as this, but she was ready to do all the required pleading and begging to get back into the good graces of her girlfriends. Gaining an important edge over her father was incredibly important to her. "So, are we doing it then?" she asked.
Zuko let out a despondent sigh. "Ugh, I'm still thinking about it… but I guess we have to, don't we?" he grumbled reluctantly, while Azula couldn't hold herself back from doing a little fist pump, certain that she had secured what she wanted.
"Oh, nice move with the White Jade," Yue smiled in reaction to Katara moving her Pai Sho tile to claim the square previously occupied by her Orchid.
"Flatterer," Katara grinned at her girlfriend, the two of them sitting in a room at the Crystal Castles Sanatorium that had been set up as a study for playing Pai Sho. With less than a dozen patients at the asylum and considering the money they were being paid for Katara's therapy, a deeply personalized approach to every case was expected. Yagoda had deemed it wise to set up a special room for the exposure therapy, not allowing Katara to bring Pai Sho paraphernalia back to her private bedroom just yet.
"I might have an answer to your devious plan, lady," Yue smirked, advancing her Lily tile and offering an exchange that Katara was forced to accept.
"Are you ready to settle for yet another draw?" Katara smiled, having shored up the gap in her tile structure by advancing her Jasmine tile.
"Ah-hah, let's not jump the gun just yet," Yue waved a finger at her. "I think there's more in it for me than just a draw."
"I guess we'll see," Katara winked at her girlfriend.
They were slowly approaching the end of the second week of Katara's exposure therapy, and so far, she had been doing reasonably well. The first few days, she hadn't been able to sit at the board and play at all, but gradually, with Yagoda's advice and Yue's support and empathy, they had been able to play a game or two without Katara becoming triggered by her traumatic past experience from the world championship finals. Encouraged by her progress, Katara had wanted to go even harder at throwing herself back into the game, but Yagoda had deliberately slowed her down. The old healer also insisted on the occasional off days, completely free from Pai Sho, and since they coincided with Azula's off days from the tournament, Katara was delighted to spend as much time as possible with her Fire Nation girlfriend, her time with Azula being more limited than with Yue.
On this particular day, Katara and Yue had been playing Pai Sho for almost two entire hours, and Katara had experienced only mild symptoms of discomfort, slight nausea at one point. As their current game was drawing towards a close, however, Katara was starting to recognize more serious symptoms such as clammy, sweaty palms and heart palpitations, suggesting that they would have to stop shortly. As far as their level of play was concerned, neither Yue nor Katara were thinking about that. Right now, it was paramount to simply make sure that Katara was able to spend any reasonable length of time at the board. The fact that their level of play was amateurish at best was of secondary importance. Katara was certain that as soon as their mental health began to improve, their Pai Sho level of play would rise accordingly.
And yes, Yue's mental health also required improvement. A quick session with Yagoda had revealed some issues that would hopefully be corrected during Yue's stay at the asylum and her work with Katara. It didn't take a genius to figure out where Yue's problems lay, Katara had already discovered it back in Ba Sing Se. Yue was experiencing massive guilt issues from not being able to serve in her role as Azula's ever dependable sparring partner. Because Yue hadn't actually suffered trauma the way Katara had, she felt as if she should have been able to help Azula, and yet she simply couldn't force herself to become fully immersed in Pai Sho right now, having lost her drive because of everything that had happened in the finals. Katara had already began to teach Yue how to use some of the techniques she had learned to manage her guilt, but she knew that Yagoda would be able to assist her girlfriend even more effectively.
It was clear that Azula missed them in more ways than one and Katara could tell that from each and every of Azula's visits. It seemed that doing prep with Zuko was going quite well, but Azula still struggled to hide her obvious desire to have both Yue and Katara back and working with her. Azula seemed to be aware that their inability to help her at the Pai Sho board was causing severe guilt issues for both Water Tribe girls, so she wasn't bringing it up during their conversations, and yet Katara and Yue could both sense that Azula wanted things to go back the way they had been before the finals, but neither Katara nor Yue were mentally ready for it. Their saving grace was the fact that Azula was still doing quite well at the Agna Qel'a tournament and working with Zuko seemed to be helping.
"Sorry," Katara said suddenly when the hammering in her chest was starting to become insufferable, the hot and cold flashes running through her body not helping either. "I don't think I can finish this one," she turned away from the Pai Sho board, avoiding looking at it as she forced herself to take slow and steady breaths.
"You should have told me sooner," Yue chided her lightly as she quickly put the board and the tiles away. "Yagoda told you not to push yourself past discomfort." Katara merely harrumphed at that. Yue came over to stand next to her and Katara happily leaned in against her girlfriend's side. "How bad was it?" Yue asked softly, running her fingers through Katara's hair.
"The good thing is that it wasn't the flashbacks," Katara replied. During the first week of therapy, it was always the flashbacks of what had happened during the finals that stopped Katara's progress in its tracks. Lately, the flashbacks seemed to have receded, much to Katara's relief. "It was just some physical discomfort, unpleasant, but nothing too terrible."
"It still sounds like progress. Sure, slow progress, but progress all the same," Yue said encouragingly. "I think we need a change of scenery. Why don't we go and grab something from the kitchen and then go for a walk in the park?" Yue asked. There was a large park adjacent to the asylum, and since Katara's case did not require constant supervision by the asylum staff, she was allowed to come and go as she pleased. The monthly bill of twenty thousand yuan that they were paying for Katara's stay at the asylum ensured a very accommodating attitude by the asylum's staff. "And then, by the time we get back from the walk, Azula would have probably arrived to join us," Yue added, sounding excited.
"I hope she has won against Long Feng," Katara said hopefully as she got up to follow Yue. "It would be great if she was in a good mood."
"Come on, Kat, she's always in a good mood with us, even if she hasn't won," Yue pointed out.
"That's true, Azula has been kind of amazing," Katara agreed. Azula had been coming over and staying at the asylum for as much as she could, regardless of her own less than pleasant memories associated with the place. She usually arrived in the evening before the tournament off day, having put in some afternoon prep with Zuko. The late evening and a good portion of the early night would usually be spent on physical intimacy. They had reconnected in a most satisfying way upon Katara's return to Ba Sing Se, and the intensity of their encounters only increased with the knowledge that Azula would soon be departing Agna Qel'a, becoming separated from her girlfriends for six long weeks at the least. It was definitely an incentive to create as many unforgettable memories as possible, and Katara was already starting to feel bad about Azula being all alone in Ba Sing Se, while Katara would have Yue all to herself in Agna Qel'a. Then again, Katara had spent six long weeks alone at the asylum before going back for the winter holidays, so… there was not much that they could do about it other than to simply push through this difficult time in their lives.
If they had still been in the early days of their three-way relationship, Katara probably would have been very concerned about Azula possibly becoming jealous of her and Yue having so much time together by themselves, even if Katara and Yue found their motivation for physical intimacy greatly reduced with Azula not being a part of the experience. Fortunately, by this point in their relationship, Azula was no longer struggling with insecurity as badly as before. Still, it was a tricky situation, because Katara knew that Yue being deemed to be better suited to help Katara with the exposure therapy had hurt Azula. So, every time Azula got to spend time with them at the asylum, both Yue and Katara did their best to make Azula feel so wanted and appreciated that Azula often had to literally beg them to cease their passionate appreciation of her.
All in all, things seemed to be moving in the right direction, and the most important thing for Katara right now was to not become disillusioned with her progress not being as fast as she might have unreasonably hoped for. Even as she continued to entertain the hopes that she would be ready to return to Ba Sing Se by the end of February, Katara always had to remind herself that reality might force her to readjust those plans. After all, when it came to mental health, Katara by now knew enough to understand that there could truly be no guarantees.
Next chapter: The Agna Qel'a tournament concludes and Azula gets to spend some quality time with her girls before returning to Ba Sing Se.