Azula kept to herself for the next few days. She appeared in the kitchens before mealtimes to do small tasks and listen to the other women gossip. She found that the temple was like every other place she had been, eavesdropping on idle chatter was the most effective way to gain information.
"So I hear that Teo is laid up again. Poor guy, first the Mechanist gets called away for months and now this." One of the older women stirred a pot and added spices to it, clucking her tongue at the unfortunate story, or the unfortunate soup, Azula couldn't tell which.
"I know, now the Earth King is going to send some bull-hounds after us," Another woman chimed in as she shaped dumplings. "I don't see why he's so interested, it's not like he can tax the stone till it bleeds gold. We don't have anything they want."
"It's probably because of the Avatar," a girl spoke up from chopping vegetables. "I was there when he visited during the war. He was furious at all the changes that were made."
"The Avatar doesn't care what we do. If he did, he'd have returned after the war to kick us all out. Besides, there are three other temples he can live in. The Mechanist won't ever willingly abandon this place," the woman at the soup pot added a final stir of the soup to accent her point.
Azula saw her opening and decided to take it. "What about Hei-Won? The Acolyte? If the Avatar wasn't interested then why would he send her here?"
The women in the kitchen turned to look at her for the first time since she arrived. "You do have a point," Vegetable Girl said, setting her knife aside. "Hei-Won tries to block the council on every little thing."
"That girl is a few rocks short of a quarry, if you ask me," Soup Stirrer added. "She refuses to eat any meat, use any of the steam lifts, or the bath house. She claims that she's 'traditional'. The Acolytes are just another cult of the Avatar if you ask me. Just not nearly as useful or effective as the Kyoshi Warriors."
"Her goal isn't to kick us out though," Dumpling Woman added. "She wants to restore the temple to how it was before the genocide. So she wants to take away the running water, the gas stoves, lamps and heating systems, the steam lifts, the message tubes and all gliders that don't require airbending. So we could stay here, if we all wanted to become monks."
"I don't care what anyone says, I love the lifts. They are so useful when dealing with the laundry."
"She's been sweet on Teo for some time though," Dumpling Woman mused, wiping her fingers off on a towel. "She came in here last night and made him dinner of curried vegetables and made such a mess. Didn't even have the courtesy to clean up after herself!"
Azula went over to the station at the far end, where the mess still remained, the women of the kitchen too stubborn to clean up an outsider's mess. The counter was sticky with an inedible yellow sauce and burnt vegetables still clung to the wok. She picked up a wooden spoon and scratched at the glob of sauce on the counter. Dried flakes of something clung to her spoon and she smelled it. White willow bark was a strange ingredient to add to a curry. When ground, the bark can be used as a natural pain killer.
She quietly slipped out of the kitchen with a basket of steamed buns and sought out Hei-Won. The Acolyte was not hard to find, she still sat at the gate where Azula had first met her. "Good morning Hei-Won," Azula put on her most friendly face.
"Hello Mai Lee, I didn't expect you out here," the girl adjusted her red and orange robes.
"I saw you out here by yourself again and thought you might like some fresh buns from the kitchen." Azula took a seat in the unoccupied chair in the small shelter. She set the basket in front of the other woman.
"Oh thank you. I suppose my morning fast is finished. I took Teo some dinner last night, but he was sleeping," The Acolyte pulled out a fresh roll and bit into it.
"Sleep is often the best remedy," Azula watched the other girl for her reaction.
"The rumor mill says that he hasn't had any visitors for the past few days. Did you two have a fight?" Hei-Won asked, though the look in her eye was far too calculating to be just an innocent question.
"No. He told me to stay away for a few days. I believe his pride hurt more than his back." Azula resolved to visit Teo next, bring him some soup to quell that rumor. She couldn't lose her status as Teo's girlfriend in the eyes of these people.
"That sounds like him. Last winter he had a fever and refused to stop boarding up the windows before the storms hit. Stubborn is what he is." Hei-Won demolished the second bun as soon as she stopped talking.
"You don't seem to like Teo and his father as much as the others here," Azula said, catching the girl with her mouth full.
"It's not that at all. Teo is a nice man. He is intelligent, clever and has such a big heart. The Mechanist is… he is crazy. He took a work of art and transformed it into… into a… a machine full of dirty technology and lies. He was a conspirator with the Fire Nation during most of the war, you know. It wasn't until Avatar Aang came along that he saw the error in his ways and defected to the right side."
"He made a deal with a general in order to secure the safety of over a hundred people. If the Earth Kingdom had such a problem with his conduct during the war, he should have brought up formal charges as soon as he set foot on Earth Kingdom soil." Azula looked back towards the temple.
"If he was so concerned about his people, he should have taken them to a proper city, instead of the temple."
"I once read a book about Air Nomads," Azula said, watching Hei-Won for her reactions. "Do you know what's absolutely fascinating? The Nomads had no non-benders. The reason for this is that if a child was identified as an air bender, then they were removed from that family and raised in the temples. The child could be from the Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation or the Water Tribes. They were unified by their skill and raised by the beliefs of the monks."
"Where did you read that from?" Hei-Won narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"My Grandfather was a soldier in the Fire Nation army. If you are so intent on preserving Air Nomad culture, you should start searching the black market and private collectors for stolen scrolls, books and artifacts from before the genocide."
"This temple is a stolen artifact, Mai Lee. Thank you for breakfast. Please tell Teo that I hope he gets better soon," Hei-Won handed Azula back the basket and struck up a meditation pose.
Two hours and three stops later, Azula found herself standing outside of Teo's door. For a moment, she thought of turning back, but she was here now and figured she might as well check on him. "Teo, I'm coming in!" She said, giving him warning so she wouldn't get hit with anything.
Upon hearing no answer, she pushed the door open and walked over to the bed. Teo was flat on his back, asleep with his mouth hanging wide open. She spied a half eaten curry dish on the table. So at least someone was feeding him, even if it did smell half rank. Further inspection turned up two empty glass vials and a near-full vial on the shelf built into the wall above Teo's head. She snatched the full vial and put it in her dress pocket and sat down on the bed hard enough to make it bounce.
He still did not stir, so she took him by the shoulders and shook him. "Wake up!"
Teo's eyes peeled open and he stared up at her blearily. "Hey… what are you doing here?" he said groggily.
"How much opium have you taken?" She asked, plucking one of the empty vials off the table and waved it in front of his face.
"What time is it?" He seemed to struggle to focus.
"How much have you taken? Are you an addict?" She dug her fingers into the burns on his arms, hoping to shock him awake.
"I'm not an addict, let go of me," he slurred sleepily, making a weak attempt at batting her away.
"Idiot. Hei-Won fed you turmeric and white willow bark." At his blank stare, she slapped his face, "Pay attention! Natural painkillers. If you have been taking opium as well, then you could die!"
He blinked after her slap, and then seemed to wake up a little more. "Hei-Won was here last night, Aang is coming with the Earth Kingdom delegates."
"So instead of telling me, you decide it's best to sleep through the whole thing?" She growled and pulled him out of bed and into the washroom. She dumped him into the bath and turned on the water. "You will not get out of this that easily!"
The shock of the cold water caused him to yelp. "No! I didn't know she drugged me. It was… nearly inedible. Besides how was I supposed to contact you? You've been gone for three days. What was I supposed to do? Ask Hei-Won to find you and bring you here? She's been the only one to see me since I supposedly hurt myself."
"She suspects something, you Agni-forsaken fool! If the Ash-Blasted Avatar comes here, then we are both going to the gallows!" She turned off the cold water; letting him sit there with drenched clothing.
"I'm… I'm not going to let that happen." He stammered through chattering teeth. "You still have that contract? The Asylum paper?" He pushed himself up and out of the tub, balancing himself on the side.
"Yes, of course. But I doubt your protection will mean anything from the Avatar, the Earth King or my brother! You're just… you're nothing!" She paced again, her hands knotting in the braids pinned to her head.
"Stop it," he reached out and grabbed her by the arm, his strong hand cold from the bath.
She stopped and looked at him, trying to focus on his serious expression.
"I may not matter in the grand scheme of things, but I'm going to do all I can to keep you out of prison," he pulled her close and enveloped her in a brief, wet hug. "To keep both of us out of prison."
She felt trapped until she remembered to breathe and let herself just be held for a few seconds. Once she felt calmer, more in control, she stepped out of his arms. "You look terrible." She reached out to brush his hair out of his face.
He smiled at her and she felt warm again despite her dress being wet. "I'll handle Aang and Hei-Won… y-you'll have to stay here. Hopefully they won't stay until the delegates get here." He pulled one leg out of the tub and set it on the floor, then repeated the action both of his feet were on the floor.
"How much time do we have?" She paced the small area, flexing her fingers as she tried to think without Ursa getting in the way. The woman was no use, alternately telling Azula where the better exits were and that she should just turn herself into Zuko. She shook her head violently to loose her mother's hold on her.
Outside a horn sounded and Teo's expression fell. "Sticks and mud! Aang is already here!"