Azula has all the fine things in the world, but she only wants the ones that she can't get.
She is trying to focus on a textbook, but it is the most boring thing she has ever read. It all used to excite her, but she is becoming so antsy. She feels trapped and suffocated most of the time, especially within the palace.
These cold halls creep up on her in the worst possible way. She just knows that at least this week is the celebration of the day Sozin wiped out the Air Nomads. It is the most nationalist holiday that there is. It lacks the spiritualty of solstices, or the tradition and peacefulness of the celebration of the founding of Caldera, or the element-centric festivities of the Fire Days Festival.
It is solely dedicated to pride and loyalty to the flag of the Fire Nation. And Azula must admit that it is a holiday she does not mind. She is expected to give a speech, and she is sure that she will nail it. And she wrote it herself, which is more than she can say about most things in her life that her father relentlessly controls.
She cracks her knuckles and breathes in and out again. Princess Azula has not even begun her summer homework for school, because she is stuck doing this endless tutoring and studies. Azula does not mind, she, well, she knows that it is vital when she is intended to inherit an empire.
But the sun is pouring through the window. It punctures the shadows in the palace and is the only source of heat in all of the loneliness Azula is subjected to. She touches the window gently, letting the sun warm her palm, feeling the bright summer blaze against her skin.
Azula strongly wishes she were allowed to go outside.
A boring and frustrating week later, the night of the Fire Nation Day is gorgeous. It is not too hot, or not too cold. Azula wears a party dress that she is not necessarily a fan of, but at least it is snug at her waist. She breaks free of her father as soon as she is allowed to do so, once he sees that her government approved best friend is there to escort her.
Because Azula could not protect herself in an assassination, of course. Even though she can bend lightning and is not even done with high school yet.
Mai and Azula walk through the festival. The princess never losing her dissatisfied look for a second. But neither of them care as they walk around, bored by the party. They stop for a while to look at the paintings that are dedicated to the holiday.
"They are all ugly," Mai remarks flatly and Azula nods.
"Hideous," she agrees, and then they dive back into silence.
"Hey, Museum Girl!" calls out a pretty voice and Azula's heart burns with panicked acid when she realizes that Museum Girl is her.
She turns around to see Ty Lee, the girl she accompanied in the museum. Azula quickly turns to Mai as Ty Lee approaches them, and Azula whispers, "She has no idea I am a princess and you are not to tell her. Play along and just go with it."
It is definitely not the first time Mai has gotten stuck in Azula's multiple webs of lies. How she keeps up with them all looks harder than calculus to Mai.
Ty Lee slides to a stop in front of them. She looks beautiful, in shorts that caress her hips, and a bright red shirt that exposes a golden navel ring. Mai glances at Azula and sighs.
"Who's this?" Ty Lee asks warmly. "I mean, sorry, who are you? I'm Ty Lee."
"I'm Mai. I am her friend," Mai glances at Azula, looking annoyed that she does not know what Azula said her name was.
"I never got your name, Museum Girl," Ty Lee says with a grin.
Azula instantly replies, "I think I like Museum Girl, for now. I'll tell you at the end of the night. Or maybe you can try to guess."
Ty Lee smiles at that, and the crisis is swiftly averted. "That sounds fun. I do like mysterious girls."
"I am a mysterious girl," Azula says with a tone Mai has heard but Azula pretends not to ever use. A seductive type. "Would you like to join us?"
Mai looks at Azula, wondering in what world that would be a good idea. But she does, carelessly, just go with it.
They walk through the festival, Ty Lee managing to keep a conversation going quite well. Azula is enchanted by her still, and how easy the small talk and laughter are for her to execute. She hopes she does not look like a scientist studying a strange creature.
But Azula feels like one.
"You must like movies," Ty Lee says as she looks between the girls. "What kind?"
"I like scary ones," Azula replies honestly with a shrug. "Mai likes boring ones."
"I don't like boring ones. I just find most movies boring," she corrects, still made uncomfortable by this entire deal. Azula must know that her lie cannot last forever. Especially since in a few hours' time, before the fireworks, she is going to give a speech as Princess Azula.
"Ooo, what are those?" Ty Lee asks, nearly touching her face to the glass protecting deep fried, cinnamon dusted chocolate bars. Azula tries not to throw up just at the thought.
"You should eat one," Mai insists with a brief sadistic flicker in her eyes.
Ty Lee orders it, forking over her cash. As she picks through her purse, Azula sees that she must be wealthy. Well, one would have to be in order to move to Caldera from the Colonies. This is not a cheap city to live in.
"I will just have a soda," Azula says swiftly and the woman at the counter nods before making it.
Mai passes on anything, and Ty Lee asks, "Why don't you want anything sweet? It's a holiday."
"I have the opposite of a sweet tooth," Mai says, shrugging, and still looking at Azula in a chastising way that makes the princess want to punch her. It is well within Azula's rights to assume the identity of whatever type of person she wants to be. "So, Ty Lee, do they have stuff like this in the colonies?"
"Yes. It's awesome. But they don't really go as all out as here. My parents really got into the decorative spirit, though, since my mom was born here," Ty Lee says blithely and Mai squints at Azula again.
The princess shoots her a warning glare. Mai shrugs, mouths, I didn't think she was your type. Azula pretends not to have been able to read her lips.
"Are you both natives to here?" Ty Lee asks as she cringes halfway through a bite. "Ugh, this was gross." She drops it into one of the metal trash cans with the dark red liners.
"Yes," Mai says, cocking an eyebrow at Azula. If looks could kill. "Azula is a regular Fire Nation Sweetheart."
Ty Lee laughs and Azula rolls her eyes. "You don't strike me as the Cinnamon Pie type. I mean, you look super Fire Nation, but…"
Azula pauses for a moment. "Do you still have the pictures from the museum?" It is a very welcome change in subject.
"Oh, yeah," Ty Lee remembers and Mai is starting to find the girl less grating. She may be cheerful, but she has a laid back personality, and, since Azula is probably half robot and Mai is constantly a stick in the mud, she is a welcome addition, if just for a little while.
Ty Lee rummages in her vibrant purse and withdraws the nice camera. She begins flipping through the pictures, clicking so hard with her thumb that the camera struggles to catch up, making a nearly blinding show of flashes of pictures.
A family, Azula notices. And a nice new house. A strange old house built in Colony Style, surrounded by lush green grass that Caldera certainly does not have. And then she at last lands on Azula posed in front of the statue.
"You look like you belong on a magazine," Ty Lee says very honestly, guiding Mai and Azula into the shadows so that they can see the pictures.
"Mmm, yes, a porno magazine," Mai mutters and Azula pushes her shoulder and nearly knocks her into the wall.
"That was meant to be gentle and playful," Azula lies sweetly and Mai just sighs and leans against the heated bricks.
This lie is going to go horribly, horribly wrong, and Mai is calling it now.
"I'm gonna run over there. I have to tell my mom where I am; she said to check in with her ten minutes ago." Ty Lee is gone in a flash.
"My father would declare a national emergency if I was gone for ten minutes," Azula mutters to herself and Mai just shrugs. "Speaking of which, I want to go with her to the fireworks display by the water."
"To hide her so she won't see your speech?" Mai sighs.
"No. To hide me so no one can find me to make my speech."
"That is a monumentally bad idea." Mai examines her fingernails for a moment to give Azula time to reconsider and snap out of it. "Are you attracted to her?"
"No. I just find her fun, and I don't know anybody fun. Including you." Azula crosses her arms and Mai thinks the lady protests too much.
But Ty Lee comes back, and Mai looks at Azula.
"We're going to go to jail forever because you want in a stranger's pants, aren't we?" Mai asks, and Azula ignores her.