Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender. :)
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Chapter 16: A Rekindled Flame
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The five glanced around. Everything was decorated spectacularly in layers of deep reds and velvety blacks. The floor was made of glistening marble. The room behind the grand entrance door was the main room, it was obvious. Chandeliers lit up the area. Nothing seemed too out of the ordinary; wealthy-looking men and women were mingling, a juggler was entertaining a few guests, and occasionally someone -usually a small person dressed in a stiff-looking uniform- would scurry by with a tray of food.
Toph set her sights on a familiar pair of feet and tensed up. "Ru," she breathed. An anger that had slowly become dormant over the past couple of days began to rise within her.
Sokka glanced at her. "Toph? Toph, are you okay?"
He had seen the fire in her eyes.
"Toph..."
"Ru's here. So's Azula and Ami."
Katara turned toward her, a tender look on her face. "That's good... at least for the mission's sake, right?"
Toph nodded, then looked up. "Where are you going?"
Zuko, who had been about to disappear into the crowd, stopped in his tracks. "I was going to see if I could listen in on some conversations," he told them quietly. "Maybe learn a little bit about what's going on."
A thought occurred to Katara. "Do you have reinforcements around the building?"
Zuko looked offended that she'd even consider the possibility of something so important slipping his mind. "Of course I have reinforcements! A few have already started eliminating Azula's scouts. You know she wouldn't have taken any chances with this. She's got men patrolling the area, so, before we even started getting ready, I sent a few troops down to take care of them."
Katara nodded her approval. Zuko tightened his lips and vanished, blending in with the other guests.
"I don't like this," Toph said suddenly, focusing on the vibrations her feet were sending her. "I don't like this at all."
"Toph? It's okay; it's just a bunch of-"
"Liars," she murmured. "Every single one of them is lying. About everything, too- various crimes they've committed, who they know and what they know about them, what they had for dinner last night. I've never seen so much deceit in one place." She suddenly felt vulnerable. She was in a room with liars, thieves, murderers... she was each of those in her own right, but everything she did, she did in the name of good. These people were not like her. They did their deeds because they felt like it, because it was amusing, because they were told to do so by a higher and more horrible power.
At that moment, what they were doing had never felt more right.
"Ru... he's behind that door over there," Toph said, pointing. Her finger was directed toward a fairly large, very grand door. Behind it, Ru and Ami were speaking. Azula was about ten feet away from them and was going over what she was about to say with Mai and Ty Lee. Toph could only guess this, but, as always, her guesses were spot on.
She knew she should care about someone other than Ru. She knew that she should worry more about the Princess, should put more of her efforts into Azula and her friends, but what Ru had done to Sokka was unforgivable. She would have her revenge.
Toph felt furious. She began to stalk toward that door, but Sokka grabbed her shoulder. "Are you crazy?" he demanded, pulling her back. "We'll wait," he told her. "Until Zuko gives us the signal."
Waiting had never been one of Toph's strong points. She scowled and crossed her arms, and it was at that moment that she noticed Aang's and Katara's absence. "Where'd the lovebirds wander off to?"
Sokka looked around. "Ugh! No idea, but Zuko gave us all strict orders to stay together."
"Don't worry, he'll punish them for it. He won't bother with us. I mean, I know he'd rude, but he wouldn't pick on a cripple."
It was Sokka's turn to scowl and Toph's face broke into a teasing grin. "I'm not a cripple," Sokka muttered defensively.
"Sure you're not," Toph said. "And I'm not blind."
"Whatever," Sokka managed to say. He looked around, still searching for Katara and Aang, when Toph pulled at his collar.
"Don't draw attention to your eyes!" she commanded. "Besides, they're just over there, on my right, your left. And they seem to be having a conversation with a Fire Nation guy. Hold on right here, I'll get them."
Sokka didn't plan on standing alone in the middle of a bunch of firebenders, so her grabbed her sleeve as she sidestepped around guest after guest. She was smaller than him, though, so where she could manage to get through without disturbing the peace, Sokka bumped into people and shoved them to the side. A few of the rowdier ones snapped vulgar comments at him, but, after another few seconds, they emerged from the thick vat of people and found themselves at Katara's side. Aang was on her other side.
"Come on," Sokka whispered into his sister's ear. "You're supposed to stay inconspicuous and keep your head down. You're going to get us killed!"
Katara gulped. "Oh, my brother had just reminded me of some business I need to attend to... I'm sorry," Katara said. She smiled apologetically and left, Aang's hand in hers so that he was not lost in the crowd. She held a glass of wine protectively in the other, and Sokka threw his sister a curious glance before he was swallowed in the mass, wondering where she'd gotten it, and, more importantly, if she'd already had a drink of it. He didn't want her to get addicted, especially in their situation.
"Too... many... people," Toph murmured, thrusting herself out of the crush on the opposite side of the room. They were incredibly close to some sort of stage. It sat at the head of the room and had been decorated lavishly.
Sokka nodded and snatched the drink from Katara's hand. She opened her mouth to say something, but was silenced by Sokka's warning. "You'll get hooked, and you can't have too much. Stay alert." He poured the plum liquid into a nearby plant as his sister gave it a wistful look. She hadn't even had a sip.
Suddenly the grand doors to the room where the main villains had been conspiring were thrust open, and a hush swept over the crowd. Ty Lee had stepped out, followed by Mai. "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen," the acrobat said. It was obvious that she was following some sort script because her voice sounded fake. Yet, amazingly, it still had her peppy ring to it, so anyone who had not known Ty Lee or who had only met her briefly or recently would not have realized that her words sounded premeditated. "It is a pleasure to entertain such an amazing audience. Your host - my best friend - is here with you tonight to do nothing more than inform you on a decision that you will have to make very soon. Now, if you'll please welcome the daughter of the late Fire Lord Ozai... Azula, Princess of the Fire Nation."
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