Azula crossed her arms and watched the gliders flit about the mountain peaks, lifted by the warm air currents, then looked down at Teo. "I'm not doing this." She had only been at the temple for three days before Teo ambushed her at breakfast and drug her out to the glider deck.
"Come on, Mai Lee, it's fun!" a young woman said, holding out a glider.
"If you want to be my assistant, you have to experience life in the temple, and this is an important part of our lives here," Teo backed up his wheelchair then pushed himself forward; gaining speed on the slight downward slope that had been built up over the paving stones. Azula watched as he dipped, then rode the air currents upward to perform a quick loop.
If the man that can't walk is willing to defy gravity, then surely the princess of the Fire Nation can too. She flew under her own power during the passing of the comet, so this should not be too difficult. She ran five steps and pushed off the edge of the temple deck, holding her breath until the canvas and wood wing caught the air and bore her upwards. The glider was so fragile; a single snap of one of the thin rods or a tear in the canvas would send her plummeting to the mountainside.
"Breathe, you're fine, the air will support you!" Teo shouted at her as she clung to the glider bar, feeling helpless in the harness that held the false wings to her back. All she could think of was the injured turtleduck she found as a child, its wing shattered in the relatively short fall from a tree to the ground.
She conquered Bas Sing Se, she was Azula, her fire was blue, and she could fly this small craft. She's piloted war balloons and airships, or at least seen them flown. She was familiar with a number of the Mechanist's inventions, which is why this simple glider should not be so difficult.
The wind buffeted against the glider's wings and her hair blew into her face despite the
Panic rose as she passed through a patch of morning fog and her fingers slipped from the bar. Azula felt her body twisting in the harness that held her to the small craft as it started to descend in a rapid spiral. The former princess flailed to reach for the hold bar of the glider that was just out of reach. Her voice echoed across the mountaintops as she screamed.
Ursa's voice in her ear, telling her that it would be fine, just a moment sooner and she would be able to rest. Ozai told her that she was a failure. She could not even replicate the success of a mere cripple. ZuZu told her that he loved her, as he lorded his title over her. He could do anything he wanted; even bring their mother back from the dead. But that faceless wench was not real. Ursa had never left her.
The leather straps of the harness slammed into her chest as her momentum was partially halted; Azula forced herself to open her eyes. "I have you, do you trust me?" She could hear Teo shout over the sound in her head.
"Yes!" she feared he would drop her if she said she didn't, the ground was noting more than a shapeless expanse, the fields below looked like handkerchiefs strewn about. She could feel her mother's arms try to embrace her, pull her from this life and to the ground below.
"Pull your release!"
The release was a strong chord that would separate her from the glider wings. She did not feel safe now, but falling freely without the Mechanist's glider to buffer her fall? Surely this is all just a trick.
"Pull the release and spread out your arms and legs as far as you can."
He must be trying to collect the bounty. Taking her gliding and making it look like an accident. She is only vaguely aware of the glider spinning away from her as she separated from the canvas and wood. She spreads out her body on instinct, the very flammable glider is still to close to use flame. Azula saw Teo's glider come sideways at her and she tucked her limbs in not to get hit by the massive chair. For the second time, her body was jerked in another direction as a strong arm wraps around her. "You're fine, Azula, I've got you. I won't let you fall." Her heart slows and the voices inside her head threaten to overwhelm her. She claps her hands to her ears and curls into Teo, though she is only subconsciously aware that they are still in the air. It wasn't until they land on a small open balcony around the back of the temple that Azula becomes aware of herself.
She scrambled out of Teo's lap as soon as his wheels touched the ground.
"Are you okay?" Teo asked, concern and worry creeping into his voice. He turned and removed the glider wings from his chair and set them on the floor.
"You almost killed me," she said accusingly to hide the tremor in her voice.
"No. I didn't almost kill you. It was perfectly safe, until you panicked. I'm sorry I made you do it. I didn't realize you'd have a reaction like that," he stayed where he was, watching her edge back against the wall.
"You'd better not try it again or I'll make sure your legs aren't your only useless limbs," she threatened, trying to control her breathing once more. Azula could feel Ursa hovering over her, threaten to smother her with what the apparition calls love.
"I promise, I won't make you do that again," he sat still, waiting for her acknowledgement before he turned away.
Azula nodded and looked around the room they were in, noting the bed in the corner, the large desk that lacked a chair and the drawings tacked to the walls. "This is your room." It was not a question.
"I thought it'd be best if I brought you someplace private while you took a moment." His cheeks reddened and he did not turn back to look at her as he maneuvered the massive chair back towards the wide balcony.
"Good thinking." She willed her knees not to wobble as she moved over and sat on the bed. She could see Ursa's disapproving look out of the corner of her eye and made herself comfortable on the peasant's bed. It was softer than she expected it to be. Softer than the one in the room she slept in the night before.
Teo pulled a chord that hung along the wall and a heavy curtain was drawn across the open balcony. He then picked up a set of flint to light the stove in the corner.
Azula flicked her wrist and the stove lit, as well as the oil lamps that provided light in the room.
"Thanks. The Air Nomads loved their open spaces so much, it's like they never got cold. It's a little early in the season to turn on the furnaces." He turned a knob on the wall beside the stove and water came out of a pipe in the wall above his water basin. Azula was impressed; she had not seen indoor running water since she left the Asylum. Teo filled a teapot and set it on the stove.
"Is that your line then? Get a girl to go gliding, find a reason to save her and then bring her back to your room for a proper thank you?" She watched Teo fumble with the teacups.
He turned back to look at her, his face aghast. He closed his mouth and shook his head. "You're not the first person to have an accident while gliding, but I only brought you here instead of the doctor because of who you are. Wouldn't do anybody any good if you started firebending blue flames."
"I can bend orange fire too. It's a matter of heat," she said as he drug over a small table. Ursa urged her to get up and help him, but Azula stayed put.
"Makes sense." Once the table was in place, Teo took a tray and set it on his lap, setting the still hot kettle on the tray with the empty cups and brought it all over.
"Now what? Are we friends instead of conspirators?" Azula asked as Teo set up their tea.
"If you would like to be." He poured tea for them both. "Wouldn't it be better to have a friend than a business partner? Or whatever it is we are."
"I do not have friends, I have subjects," She picked up her teacup and sipped the scalding beverage.
"Why did you really come here?" he asked, holding his cup in both hands.
"Because it was forgotten. The Avatar and Zuko are concentrating on Republic City and that disastrous experiment. There are just enough people to become a face in a crowd, and I've never been here before, so there was less of a chance that I would be recognized," she tried to sound casual, but ended that statement in a glare towards her host.
"Yes, who knew that the cripple that escaped the Invasion of the Black Sun would be at the Western Air Temple when you decided to go kill your brother." Teo sipped his tea, ignoring the glare or not caring enough.
"So what is so good about this place that you made a deal with a monster such as myself to keep it? Sentimentality? If you were a loyal Earth Kingdom citizen, you would give up all you had at the whim of your leader. But you aren't loyal and the Earth King is a laughable fool at best. Why does he care what a bunch of children, do with an abandoned temple in the middle of the worst Agni-forsaken mountain range on the entire continent?" She finished her tea and placed the cup back on the table, still standing above him.
"First of all, we're not children," he started, looking anywhere but at her.
"You are. Most of the people I've seen so far are under the age of thirty. It is a young community."
"Fine, fine, have it your way." He put his palms flat on the armrests of his chair and pushed upwards, then re-seated himself. "Gas."
"Gas?" She could not control her facial expression she was so confused by his answer. "Gas? Why would anyone want that?"
He looked at her then and laughed and shook his head. "No, no, not the… not the person sort of gas. The natural kind. How familiar are you with the industrialization of the Earth Kingdom versus the Fire Nation?"
"I am aware that the war effort of the Fire Nation greatly enhanced the country's manufacturing capabilities that lead to many new inventions that can be used in the private sector. I know the Earth Kingdom is generally disorganized and lacks state programs to assist the lower and middle class," she sat back down on the bed, since there were no other chairs in Teo's room.
"In the Fire Nation, the main source of power is steam, correct? Coal as well?" he asked, leaning forward in his chair.
"Yes. A factory built on a thermal vent can run forever. But thermal vents are not everywhere, so most factories use boilers tended to by firebenders. Even a child with weak firebending ability can go to work in one of the boilers in a large factory."
"Right. So there is no energy shortage in the Fire Nation. But in the Earth Kingdom, there are no thermal vents or a plethora of firebenders willing to work in factories. They mine coal to burn. But mining is dangerous and they don't produce nearly enough to go around. Add that to the fact that the largest mine was in the colonies," he gestured with his hands as he got around to his point.
"Kuei wanted the colonies back to get to the mines. I bet if Zuko knew this, he wouldn't have whined about it so long." She pushed her hair out of her face. "Now that the colonies are out of play, there isn't such an abundance of coal. That makes sense."
"There are gas pockets in these mountains, natural gas that will ignite as soon as a flame touches it and it will burn bright and hot for a long time. Thus if the Earth King can pipe that gas to a place where it can be processed and burned, he can bring power to many villages. The gas can even be bottled and transported, sold, taxed. He can do whatever he wants."
"I see, so why are those impostors the Acolytes after the temple?" Azula asked, suddenly much more interested in the conversation now that Teo has proven himself knowledgeable on how the world really works. Unlike Zuko and his silly friends, this man knew early on that nothing gets done on good faith alone.
"Well that's where it gets tricky…" Teo started but is interrupted by the sudden pounding on his door.
"TEO! You need to explain yourself!"
Teo seemed as if he wanted nothing more than to evaporate into the air. "It is Hei-Won," he whispered. "Give me a few minutes Hei-Won, I'm not dressed! I'll meet you down in the conference room in twenty minutes."
Azula could almost hear the Acolyte's blood rush to her face. Azula grinned wickedly. "Ohhh Teo, do you really have to go?" She purred loud enough so the visitor outside can hear.
They both heard sandals against the old stone of the hallway outside. A beat later, they both broke out into hysterics.
"Oh Mud and Sticks… I can't… believe you did that," Teo laughed and wiped the tears from his eyes.
"What better way to establish my cover?" She grinned, pleased with this turn of events.
On the way to the conference room, Teo lets her push his chair.