"Yay, vacation!" Ty Lee said, hoping the others would respond favorably. They certainly did not. Mai sighed, Zuko was aggravated, and Azula had a fire behind her eyes that she refused to comment on.

"It's not a big deal." Azula blinked twice, her lip twitching. "It's just a normal thing for him to do, I'm sure."

She did not believe her words, although she knew she would have to come to terms with them by the time she reached that boat to Ember Island. He had never sent her away while he was having important meetings. He invited her to the meetings, despite her youth. And suddenly Zuko turned up and she was sent on a forced vacation with far lesser beings.

"I'm sure he just didn't want to leave you out of our fun," Ty Lee said to Azula as Mai dragged Zuko away from the scene. He looked utterly dejected and Mai was finding that half of her life was trying to console her boyfriend's daddy issues.

Azula crossed her arms and shrugged. "Yes, he's so considerate of my level of entertainment. So help me, if you tell Zuko I'm pissed about this..."

"My lips are sealed," Ty Lee said firmly and Azula supposed she had to believe her. There was a certain level of trust developing that made Azula almost as uncomfortable as the alien and new sexual thoughts that haunted her when she was not distracted.

And the desire to act them out was never stronger than now.

"Well, they're off fucking by now, I'm sure. Come keep me busy." Azula seized Ty Lee by the sleeve and yanked on her.

Ty Lee's lips parted in surprise before she loosened and followed Azula.

"You know," Ty Lee said as she leapt onto Azula's bed, lying on her back. Azula gazed intently at the window, trying not to look at the gentle heave of her companion's chest as she breathed. "You could really use a vacation. You seem so tense, and it's like definitely unhealthy for you. You won a like hundred year long war. Maybe treat yourself?"

"I'd love to treat myself by being included in my father's business after doing all of the dirty work for him. But that's just him. Classic him," Azula sighed, shutting the door before anyone could overhear. She was always the perfect daughter and had no desire to be viewed as anything but.

Ty Lee frowned and tried to think.

"How long has it been since you've done something not war related?" Ty Lee offered and Azula did not bite. "Do you want me to give you raiki?"

"Give me what?" Azula raised her left eyebrow, half of the time unsure what Ty Lee was talking about.

"Raiki. It's like... a massage but not really and it makes your chi flow and it's like relaxing and centering and stuff. I don't know how to describe it well," Ty Lee said, batting her eyes.

"It can't hurt?" Azula knew she was damaging herself by agreeing to this. It was bound to leave her with a new host of uncomfortable images that she was not comfortable living in her head as she was in training or around dignitaries.

"Alright." Ty Lee leapt up from the bed and patted on the mattress. While Azula did not desire to be treated as a poodle-monkey, she lied down on the bed as instructed.

Ty Lee closed the curtains and basked the room in a dark red glow. It obscured them both in shadow and Azula could barely see the outline of the lips she desperately wanted to kiss again. Not again. She could not afford to do it again.

"So, just close your eyes," Ty Lee said and Azula again obeyed. This was Ty Lee's lucky day; Azula habitually hated being told what to do. "And clear your mind. Don't think about anything."

She felt hands on her, but not quite. It sent shivers through her despite the lack of contact. The motions of her hands had a genuine feeling that Azula could associate with lightning. Ty Lee's hands guided Azula's body like Azula guided lightning and then she was getting quite distracted from clearing her mind as Ty Lee said...

Azula's eyes opened and Ty Lee froze.

"Did I do something wrong?" Ty Lee squeaked, her heart skipping a beat.

"This is unbearable," Azula said regally and Ty Lee wrung her hands anxiously.

But Azula leaned forward, kissing Ty Lee with no regard for anything anymore.

They sunk into each other in the dimly lit room.