Absence Makes the Heart Go Wander

Toph made her way through the palace, delicately seeking the steady, unmistakable heartbeat that was Azula's.

She didn't know what it was that made the princess of the Fire Nation so sure of herself, so steady and iron-willed that even her biological functions bent to her whims—the girl's heart rate didn't even speed up when she was engaged in strenuous activities.

Hell, Azula had even shown her she could make heart stop altogether, if she so desired.

Hers was a unique lub-dub that was mechanical and keen, as precise and intense as the princess herself.

So it was disconcerting when, after almost an hour of wandering the palace, Toph's sensitive feet couldn't find her.

But they did find someone else.

A flick of the wrist the wall crumbled away, revealing Haru hiding buried within an unnaturally lumpy alcove.

Toph made a noise of disgust. In a mere second and a half she had him trussed up, arms and legs bound together with cuffs of marble scooped up from the polished palace floor.

"Please! Please don't tell her!" he pleaded, eyes wild with fear. "I'm begging you, those space metal cuffs conduct lightning really well and—"

"Take it easy, Hair Boy." Toph had never really come up with a good name for the Earthbender, and was constantly trying new ones. Hair Boy wasn't it, though.

She kneeled down next to him. "Word around here is that you've been on the lam for three days now." She tilted her head. "Doesn't that strike you as a little odd?"

He pouted, forehead puckered. "Well...I thought maybe Azula was busy..."

"You'd better hope not." Toph snickered. "Do you know what happens to concubines the royals lose interest in?"

Haru shook his head, wariness in his eyes.

She grinned maliciously. "They get sent to the hair farms where they grow and harvest your hair to make wigs and dolls. And with all those pretty locks of yours…"

"Eek! No! I'm too pretty for that!" He clasped his arms over his head.

Heh, heh. Haru was so easy to manipulate. She could see why Azula kept him around—he was way more fun to torture than Sokka. "You're going to want to get back on her, er, good side if you want to save those silky, shining locks of yours, El Moustachio."

No. That wasn't it, either.

She went on, "Help me find Azula. If you show her a good time and remind her why she keeps you around, she won't even entertain the thought of sending you away."

The young man stared at her. "You can't find her?" He'd gone from fear to grave concern in under five seconds, which pretty much proved what everyone else suspected about his relationship with the princess. The boy wasn't afraid of Azula at all. "She's still in the palace, isn't she?"

"She ought to be—no one's told me otherwise," Toph replied. "But I can't 'see' her."

"Which can only mean she's either not in the palace or her heart rate has changed. And that means something is very, very wrong." Tension edged his voice and he shook his marble bindings. "Get me out of these," he said gruffly.

The command was so direct and firm Toph had to blink back her surprise. She uncuffed him with a wave.

An intense change had come over him. She could sense the determination and steely will rolling off him in waves. His whole frame had expanded, as if he'd unfolded himself from the fetal position he'd assumed these past few months. His heart, a meek flutter a few minutes ago, now pounded in his chest like a beast barely restrained.

It was…well, fascinating.

And kind of sexyfine.

"Where did you see her last?" Toph asked as Haru brushed himself off.

"I was in the garden, and she'd invited Iroh to join her for tea in her parlor. But that was a few days ago. I haven't seen her since."

Azula had invited her uncle for tea? Azula never drank tea. She usually preferred martinis in the afternoon or fruity drinks with tiny umbrellas in them if she felt like something more refreshing.

Stranger yet, she almost never kept company with Iroh. Certainly the old man wasn't fond of her—everyone knew that.

What was the girl up to?

"We should split up. You check the parlor first," Haru said, "I'll go to her suite and see if she's there."

"I'll talk to Iroh and see what he knows. Haru—" Toph called, and he stopped in his tracks, turning. His heart clenched with increasing panic, and Toph felt a little bad for him. "I'm sure she's fine," she reassured him.

Haru said nothing, his lips pursed in a thin line. He marched swiftly towards Azula's suite, purpose in every stride.

"Nothing's ever what it seems around here, is it?" Toph grumbled to herself. "Why can't a spade just be a spade when I visit..."

She headed for Azula's parlor.