"Then I think it's logical to act very honest," Exactly. Honestly is the key and I feel like straightforward questions can lead to it. "As I said, you'll always find an open ear at me. Two in fact! Anytime!" Thanks :) same to you. "I only hope, that Kuriva grabs at it, finally, before it's too late, but we'll see." Kuvira and Azula kind of have the same feelings about helping hands lol.

"This act may support the idea in public, that the story around the sun warriors is only a trick, to cover up their relationship." Yeah, it does help them with the more theatrical stuff. But it doesn't help with personal tensions and emotions. "I like the idea, that she has seen this girl again, but I'm in doubt, that TyLee will like it." It doesn't bother TyLee too much, she's more focused on Azula kissing Zuko. "She has refused to talk with TyLee before and this had hurt her." Azula isn't the best with communication, even if she isn't talking about her own problems. "It might take a lot to wake up her anger and rage, but I fear Azula has started to wake up a sleeping dragon." TyLee can certainly defend herself but she hasn't made TyLee that angry yet.

"A baby on the way adds a lot of responsibility and problems for Kuriva." Exactly and raising a baby alone no less. "It seems, that Baatar was right, that her idea wasn't as good as she believed, but with her lack of motivation it isn't sure, if the idea in general is the problem or the missing energy for adjustment." It's more or less her lack of energy/being distracted by Baatar's absence. But she thinks that her idea was not good. "And the bad critics are only more hits to bring her down." Her confidence is already shaken and they are not helping that. "She absolutely should call Baatar. She is pregnant with his child, he needs to know this from her, not from the newspapers!" I would agree too, but she doesn't know how to tell him. "It has happened, it was no scheme from her to catch him or to force him back and I think he knows that." This is just one of her main worries. It isn't a ploy but she is afraid that he will view it like that. "P'Li would offer her help, I'm sure. But Kuriva must dare the step to talk with someone about it." That is also to be seen. "She has decided to keep the baby, she puts the life of her unborn child before the career." Which is very new for her as well because she usually chooses her career. "Bringing Baatar back, talking things out, stepping in the background to take care of herself and the unborn child but supporting the band with her mind still involved in the development and Baatar at the lead on stage." But yes, her solution will be revealed shortly.

Azula and Zuko haven't heard from or seen their father since the show. It is no comfort for Azula who is waiting for something to happen. A death threat, a thrown fireball, anything. But the man doesn't show. It leaves Zuko twice as jittery, he frequently mentions his scar itching-some sort of phantom sensation that seems to arise whenever he is anxious.

Eventually TyLee's need to be comforting overpowers her need to hold a grudge. She sits herself down next to Azula who only briefly glances up. Tylee doesn't speak and simply ties a pink ribbon into Azula's hair. She doesn't fancy the color but she accepts her girlfriend's gesture anyhow. TyLee braids the former princess' hair and kisses the top of her head.

"What do you think he wants?" Zuko's booing voice spoils the peace.

"To fuck with us, what do you think?" Azula asks.

"I think that he finally saw our videos and…"

"And what?" Azula questions. "Do you still pine for his approval, because I don't." Maybe if she says it enough, she will believe it.

"What do you think he's going to do?"

Azula shrugs. She supposes that if they stick to the Earth Kingdom that he can do nothing, it is out of his rule. But they are in the Fire Nation. Perhaps his worry isn't unfounded. Just like that she finds it curious that they are permitted to perform in the Fire Nation. She wonders what his game is. Perhaps it is fame alone that leaves them untouchable; the notion that his reputation would be in tatters if harm came to she or Zuko by his hand. That there would be outcry if they were banned from performing. He can't afford such in a day and age in which electing rulers seemed to be becoming commonplace.

She hopes that such a breed of paranoia will keep him at bay.

Agni forbid she and Zuko have to fight the man. She can't imagine that a spat between royal family members-in exhil or not-would go over well with the public.

Intimidation, it must be.

She hopes so.

.oOo.

Kuvira paces around the bedroom she shares with P'Li. The woman in question had wandered onto the balcony for a smoke. Thank Raava, the woman would surely be annoyed by Kuvira's relentless unrest. Back and forth she walks with her thoughts, but she can't escape them.

She isn't sure which news to break first. Her hand absently makes its way to her slight baby bump. She thinks that it might be easier to announce the baby first, to explain why she is withdrawing from Southern Air Sounds. But then, it isn't any of their business is it, that she is going to be a mother. She may as well just let them assume that Baatar's departure is the cause of the withdrawl.

It isn't a full blown lie. It isn't a lie at all. It is simply a fraction of the whole truth.

Kuvira hears the door slam, and she gives a start. "Raava, do you have to slam it!?" She snaps, with a reeling sensation she notes that she sounds like her mother. It is almost enough to bring tears to her eyes. Raava forbid she treats her child as her mother treated her. She rubs at her eyes with the heels of her hands.

"Sorry." P'Li mumbles half-sarcastically and half-genuinely.

She reeks of smoke and Kuvira feels almost dizzy with the scent. Much to the annoyance of the woman who has just entered, Kuvira continues her restless pacing. She only brings herself to a halt when P'Li physically obstructs her path. "The fuck is going on with you?" P'Li grumbles.

"I think that you already know."

P'Li grabs her by the shoulders and forces her into a chair. "Talk."

Kuvira crosses her arms, determined to hold the type of silence usually upheld by Ming.

"Talk." P'Li repeats.

She wants to. She really does. "Baatar quit."

"And…"

"So do I." She replied quietly.

"Quit what? Your own fuckin' band? Southern Air Sounds?" Now P'Li has her arms folded over her chest as well.

"Both."

"Why?" P'Li demands.

"I have other things to take care of." Kuvira replies flatly. P'Li stares at her and she knows that the firebender wants some elaboration. Kuvira crosses one leg over the other and stares at the hands she has positioned on her knee.

"Fine." P'Li shrugs, she turns around.

"Wait!" Kuvira isn't yet ready to elaborate though. But it is enough to keep P'Li from leaving. The woman pulls up another chair. She supposes that if there's anyone she can speak with it is P'Li. Kuvira shifts in her chair.

"What other things do you have to take care of?"

For an answer she simply moves her hand from her knee to her belly.

"Does Baatar know?"

"No." She replies. "I don't know if he should."

"He should." P'Li states. She leaves no room for protest. "And you're not withdrawing from the contest."

"That's not up to you."

"I need this." P'Li pushes. "This band is everything. If you just throw it away, what are the other two and I supposed to do?" She pauses. "You need Southern Air Sounds."

Kuvira rubs at her temples, she doesn't appreciate the demands. "I need to be able to take care of a child."

"Which is why you're going to win the prize money and the fame to be able to." P'Li insists.

Those are pretty words, but she doesn't quite believe them. It will be a waste of time and energy to perform without their original lineup. She has already set the band up to fall. "There's no point, P'Li."

"I just told you what the point is."

"I have to put the baby first."

"And you can do that by attending S.A.S." They are going in circles.

Kuvira has been holding so much inside and it finally pushes its way out. "Of course you would think that. You didn't think twice before putting your baby down." She says with a poison.

Pure rage flickers on P'Li's face for an instant before her expression goes blank. "Fuck you." She stands with a force that knocks the chair to the ground. With the slam of a door, Kuvira knows that she has pushed out the last of her allies.

.oOo.

Azula still wears the ribbon that TyLee braided into her hair while she is on stage. It doesn't exactly fit the aesthetic but Zuko and Mai had begged her for a less intense performance. The clashing ribbon reminds her that they are taking it easy tonight.

As easy Azula can take a performance anyways.

It is going mostly well. They have opted out of kissing on stage this time, not overdoing it is the key. Another scream tears from her throat, vicious and powerful. The sort that will bring Fire Of Agni their reward.

She looks up and spots him again.

Ozai stares at she and Zuko.

This time Zuko doesn't see him.

She will let him have his cozy ignorance.

Azula tries to dwell only on the music. It is surprisingly easy to forget about her father when her voice strains and falters. It is the first time she has struggled to get a verse out. Perhaps she has been doing too many shows after all. Her face flushes and she hopes that the blunder has gone unnoticed.

She tries to push through, all the while her throat begs for mercy. Dread settles in and she tries to cast it aside. This has happened before, all it takes is a steaming cup of tea to make it right.

The song doesn't finish soon enough, but when it does she speaks, "we're going to change things up a little." She mostly says it to address her bandmates. "Since we've taken a break from the theatrics, we're going to perform a song we don't usually sing live." She has learned this time around and has left herself a collection of ballads with smoother vocals as well as a remake of an older song where both she and Zuko sing with clean vocals. The announcement is well-received. She waits for the applause to die down before starting the song.

Her throat is pulsing by the time she finishes the show and they still have to stick around for autographs. Again security is tighter than usual. Their presence alone seems to speed this little meet and greet up.

It isn't until she and Zuko are finally getting comfortable that Ozai makes his appearance. Her bodyguards edge closer. "What do you want?" She asks in a dangerously low tone.

"I'm just here to witness the failure. That is all." He replies.

So intimidation it is.

"I'd like to see the exact moment when you realize that you need me. I'd like to be there to see the precise minute when you realize that you've made a mistake following your brother…"

Zuko goes rigid beside her.

"He is a lost cause, but you? You can make something of yourself. Something worthwhile." He reaches a hand out but her body guards come to stand in front of her. "Honestly." He chuckles. "Have you really resorted to having others fight your battles?"

"This isn't a battle." The remark is just as much for him as it is for her body gurads who step back.

Ozai's hands are back at his sides. "Not at all." He agrees. "It is an invitation, come back home and we'll pretend like this mess has never happened."

Azula swallows. Isn't that what she wants, normalcy? Stability? She can have it. She can hand Fire Of Agni to Zuko and have her father's love and respect back. TyLee curls her fingers around Azula's hand. "What about TyLee and Mai?"

"They are free to come home with you." Ozai's lip curves up. A vicious sort of curl. "Of course you can stay here and I'll be in the crowd watching you fall with your leech of a brother."

TyLee squeezes her hand harder and Zuko looks devastated. Devastated and betrayed and she hasn't even made a decision. She thinks of the girl who she slipped her number to, the very same girl who had almost killed herself. She thinks of how many other people put such faith in their music. She has come this far… "that is fine father, I would like you to see our victory."

.oOo.

The pen quivers in Kuvira's hand as she tries to come up with an adequate way to word her resignation letter. She thinks that perhaps it is selfish. But it is the most selfless, selfish thing she has ever done. She doesn't like to sacrifice her bandmates at the expanse of her baby, but they can take care of themselves. Her child-to-be can't. Still, it is hard to come up with anything to write when her head is so full of other things.

She runs a hand through her tangled locks. Strands of hair tumble into her tired eyes. She has tried to resume conversation with P'Li but the woman is unshakably pissed and it seemed as though she has poisoned the opinions of Ghazan and Ming. She supposes that the venom isn't unjustified.

Still she can't fathom why they are still lurking in her loft. The one she is paying for on her own. She doesn't have the fight or the heart to throw them out.

Kuvira sets the pen down and curls herself up on her bed. She feels sick and sorrowful. Everything is falling apart and she knows for sure that it had, in fact, been Baatar who kept the band in good trajectory. She may have started the band but it is his.

She reaches a solution, one that can satisfy everyone. She forces herself out of the bed and into the living room.

"You finally going to tell us that we're withdrawing from Southern Air…" Ghazan starts.

It takes a degree of willpower to tell him that he had been too lazy to do anything more than halfway before the possibility of withdrawal. Instead she says, Yes, that's what I am here to talk to you about."

Ming glowers at her, shaping a pair of watery arms just so that she can fold them over her chest in disappointment.

"I'm turning the rights to the band over to Baatar. You all can carry on and I'll take care of my...of what I need to take care of." Kuvira says with as much stoicism as she can muster. A month will leave them with ample time to adjust. She can't imagine that the fandom will miss her too much, they seem to vastly prefer Baatar. "I'll discuss the matter with him." Like P'Li, she leaves no room for objection nor further discussion in general. She can't keep her composure long enough to do so.

As soon as she reaches her room and locks the door she slides down to the floor and releases much of the pent up tension. Her cries are as quiet as she can make them and rather breathy. She crawls her way to the phone and picks it up. She dials Baatar's number and fights to level her voice before the man picks up.

She almost has herself moderately compoused when his greeting comes through. She takes an extra second as he repeats his hello twice. Quickly, before he can hang up, she returns the greeting.

"Kuvira?" He asks, she can't assess his tone.

"Yes, it's me." She confirms.

"What do you want?" This, she can tell, is annoyance.

"I wanted to…" She trails off. "I'm going to sign the band over to you. I can't go to Southern Air Sounds but the other three, they need it."

"What do you mean, you can't?" Baatar questions.

"I just…" she pulls the phone away from her mouth as she chokes up. "I just can't do it right now." She can't keep her voice from cracking as she adds, "I have other things to take care of."

He doesn't miss the hitch in her voice. "Are you alright?"

"Fine." She tries, her voice cracking again. She sets the phone to the side again and chokes out another sob accented with a soft sniffle. She wipes at her eyes with the back of her hands. She picks up the phone again and says with more clarity, "I'm fine."

It isn't enough clarity to keep him from asking, "are you crying?"

"No." Almost involuntarily she lets a cry escape her parted lips. The tears slip down her cheeks and drip off of her chin.

"You're crying."

"No." She slams the phone on the receiver only to hear it ringing. She brings her pointer and thumb to her forehead and lets it ring as the cries overtake her in full. The phone doesn't stop its incessant ringing and finally she picks it up. "Leave me alone!" She is about to slam it down when she hears him ask, "am I going to have to come over there?"

"No."

But she wants him to so badly. She misses having him cuddle up in her arms. She misses the closeness.

She hangs up again.

.oOo.

Zuko is still staring at her has their tour bus departs. They are all staring at her, really. But Zuko stares the most intensely and the most slack jawed. It is enough to make her forget about her aching throat. Finally she has enough, "what?" She hisses, her voice still strained.

"Y-you chose me?"

Azula rolls her eyes. "I absolutely did not." She doesn't think that she has convinced anyone. "I chose my dignity and independence."

"And Zuko!" TyLee throws her hands up in excitement. "You chose us." She tosses said hands around Azula and nuzzled her cheek against the firebender's.

"Stop it, Ty." Azula grumbles. But TyLee does not cease her fluff and cuddles.

"She chose us, Mai."

Mai mirrors Azula's eye roll, a faint hint of amusement tugging her lip upwards at her band mate's current TyLee induced predicament.

"Will you let go if I say that I chose you guys?" Azula's voice comes out distorted by the way TyLee's face was smushing against hers. TyLee nods and Azula caves. "Alright, I chose Zuko and Mai."

"And TyLee!?" TyLee beams.

"Nope, just Zuko and Mai."

"Hey!" TyLee pouts and softly thumps Azula's shoulder.

Azula gives a soft snicker.

"His face was priceless." Zuko comments, allowing for her snicker to become less soft. "I hope that it ends up in the papers."

"Let's just make sure we win in front of him."

.oOo.

He finds Kuvira curled up in a corner. Her hair is a mess and her cloths are disheveled. He sweeps his fingers through his hair. He knew that she was crying on the phone but he didn't expect her to be such a mess. Getting closer only reveals more signs of distress. Her eyes are dull and accented with light bags. She hasn't bothered to change out of her pajamas. He hopes that she has only been wearing them for a day or two.

He doesn't know how to open the conversation, he knows exactly what's wrong and he knows why she didn't call sooner. With nothing else to say he opens with those questions anyways. He doesn't expect her to tell him that she didn't want to bother him.

He knows it would be a lie to tell her that it wouldn't have bothered him. He picks his words carefully. "It wouldn't have bothered me if you told me you were upset."

"I'm not upset." She insists. "I'm angry."

He rolls his eyes and nearly sighs. "I think that you confuse anger and sadness." He knows that she does, he also knows that she cries when she's angry. But he has learned to differentiate between the rage crying and the mournful ones.

He stoops down and carries her onto her bed. She is some heavier than he recalls. He brushes her hair behind her ears. "Talk to me." He says taking her hand. He is treading in dangerous waters. If he isn't careful…

He groans to himself because he already knows that he is being pulled back. She hasn't even tried to guilt trip him and he is being pulled back. Perhaps her lack of guilting is precisely why he isn't trying to resist.

But of course she isn't trying for a guilt trip, because she isn't trying for anything save for, maybe, slowing her tears. Other than that, she is silent. "Tell me what's going on he tries again." Cupping his hand over the one she has positioned on her belly seems to somehow open the floodgates. Her weeping becomes that much more intense and is intermingled with babbled words he can't make out. He lets her ramble like that, simply stroking her hand until she finishes.

He feels awkward in asking her to repeat herself with more clarity.

With a whispered, 'fuck', she wipes her eyes with the hand he isn't holding. "I can't do this Baatar." Is all she says.

He realizes that they have an audience now. Ming and Ghazan peer into the room. They exchange concerned glances. They only leave when P'Li scowls, nudges them both, and scolds them for peeping.

"What can't you do?"

"Anything."

"Can you be less vague?"

"I can't go to Southern Air Sounds. I can't manage the band on my own...I can't manage it at all." He opens his mouth to speak but Kuvira continues first. "My idea didn't even work…" She mumbles something else. Something that had probably degraded her idea.

He pinches the bridge of his nose. "That's not true."

"If it's not true then why have these new songs gotten less views than the first ones did when they first came out?" Kuvira asks. "Lately we've only received negative reception."

"Your idea wasn't dumb." He insists.

"Prove it!" She demands.

He pushes out another sigh. "They're just not used to me not being there. It doesn't have anything to do with your idea."

His words only help until she comes to another conclusion. "They don't like me."

"T-that's not true." He stammers.

"You don't like me."

"Also not true." He sputters with more intensity. He lifts her into his arms and props her head up against his shoulder. "I'm just...you're frustrating sometimes. You always have to have it your way and…" He knows that now isn't the time to make accusations. He tries to backpedal. "And my ideas have always been shot down, ever since I was a kid. I'm not the most confident person."

Her crying seems to slow but she her words remain dismal. "You left me. Everyone leaves me."

"I didn't…" He stops himself because he did. He had left her.

"My parents, you, P'Li…"

A light bang tells Baatar that P'Li hasn't left. He steals a glance at the doorway where P'Li has her head pressed against the wall in exasperation, Ming and Gazahn snickering.

"I assure you, P'Li is still very much here." He tries to make light of things.

Kuvria tosses a pillow at the door, with it fully shut again she metalbends the lock in place, ignoring Gazhan's protests.

"I'm still here."

"You're going to leave again." Part of him thinks that he should. But he can't imagine doing so when she looks so fragile.

"I can't leave." He forces a smile. "We have a lot to catch up on."

She doesn't speak.

"You have to decide which verses of the new songs I get to sing. And I think that we have time to remake at least one music mover before Southern Air Sounds."

"It'll be an awful, half-assed video."

"Then we'll just have to rely on my sex appeal." He wriggles his brows. "Apparently the fandom loves me."

Kuvira looks anything but amused.

"We'll figure something out. Something that we both like?"

Kuvira wipes her eyes a final time and sits herself upright. She gives a firm nod before opening her notebook.

"You just get right to it, don't you?" He allows her to distract herself, deciding that he will get better conversation with her when she relaxes more or less in full.

"You're not leaving?" She asks again.

"I'm not leaving." He confirms, giving her ear a kiss. "I shouldn't have left the first time." He hopes that she will have a good apology for him. He supposes that she has already admitted that she was wrong. He won't push for an apology yet.

Some of the tension leaves her body, as though he has taken some sort of unseen weight off of her. "Good, because I need you."

"Yeah the band isn't quite the same…" he tries to joke.

"I need you."

He supposes that, that is better than an apology. Much better. "How about we write a song and plan a video together. We can talk more after that." He thinks that it will help to build up some cooperation and compromising before diving into personal matters that will require a whole lot of that. She nods in agreement, a good sign.