Chapter 8: Sokka's Choice
"Think fast!" Sokka warned as he threw a mango in Azula's direction.
She caught it without difficulty and immediately took a bite. "Mmmmm."
Again, his eyes transfixed to the movements of her mouth and her tongue as she licked some juice off her lips. In his twisted train of thought, memories of their previous encounter before the Boiling Rock flooded his mind, where he had the princess pinned up against a wall during the Day of Black Sun. As he imagined having her up against a wall once again, he felt a twinge of excitement in his groin.
"Thank you," she smiled before motioning for him to sit next to her on the mattress.
"No problem," he squeaked, snapping back to reality and taking a seat. "So… any word from your mom?"
"Yes, but the more important question is… did you find your father?"
"So she's still having hallucinations," he thought, his stomach knotting. "I did."
She didn't respond, but her eyes sparkled in a way that let him know she was happy for him.
"But I really am curious to know what your mother had to say, if you don't mind."
She let out an irritated sigh. "Nothing pleasant, as usual, but if you really must know, she told me that trust is for fools and that I'm being ignorantly optimistic."
"Optimistic?"
She gave him a regretful look, worried that she had said too much.
"About what?"
Breaking eye contact, she averted her stare to the floor. "Well… I can only assume you have an escape plan…"
His heart was clanging against his ribcage so hard, he feared she could hear it.
"I thought… maybe… you'd take me with you…" She refused to look at him.
The beating of his heart only accelerated. He wasn't sure exactly what she meant by that. Could she simply mean allowing her to escape with him, or… was she considering changing sides? But his silence only made her insecure.
She released a cynical laugh. "I suppose I must be foolish, because somehow… I find myself trusting you."
His heart fluttered. "Azula," he breathed, lifting her chin to look into her eyes. "I'd love to take you with me. And I promise you I will get you out of here."
"Really?" she whispered, her eyes gleaming with hopefulness.
"Really," he assured, gently stroking her cheek. And then he found himself leaning closer to her.
She closed her eyes, mirroring his lean.
But just as their lips were about to touch, he pulled back, bringing his hand to his forehead in shame. "I... I need to go talk to Suki. You understand, right?"
She nodded, smiling meekly.
"Okay, good." He dashed for the door. "By the way, we leave tonight." And then he was out and on his way to Suki's cell. The weight on his chest was too heavy. He needed to tell her everything.
Suki was practicing some fighting moves when he entered. "Sokka, what's going on?" she asked nervously, picking up that something was off.
He placed his hand on her shoulder. "I don't have much time. If I'm seen with you the guards might think something's up." He quickly walked over to the door, peered outside to check for potential eavesdroppers, and then turned back toward her. "I just talked to my dad."
"That's great!"
"Yeah, and we're escaping tonight, in the cooler, as planned."
"Then… what makes me think you're going to tell me some bad news?"
"Well… Azula's here. I – "
"Sh-She is?!" she questioned, a little too surprised. "Uhhh… what is she doing here?"
"It's a long story, but… I found her in a cooler. Barely alive."
"I see… so, is she still in there?"
"No, obviously I pulled her out!" he hissed, raising his voice a bit.
She seemed annoyed. "No offense, Sokka, but don't you think that was a little rash?"
"Are you serious?" But he could tell that she was. "No! She was going to die otherwise."
"Well, let's not forget, she did try to kill Aang – "
"You really think I should have left her in there?!"
"Okay, okay. Please calm down." She took a deep breath. "Did she… tell you anything? About how she got in there?"
He didn't understand why she was asking him so many questions when she knew their time was limited. "Mai and Ty Lee, but I don't see why – "
"And that's all she said?"
"Yes! Look, I really don't have time to give you the all the details right now, but I just need you to know that I plan to help Azula escape with us." He swallowed hard.
"WHAT?!" she bellowed. "ARE YOU CRAZY?!"
"Shhhhh!" Again, he peeked outside the door to ensure their privacy. "Suki… please try to understand. She's Zuko's little sister! He wants her to escape too."
"And what does your father think about this, hm?"
He grimaced. "He… doesn't think it's a good idea…"
"Because it's not!" she snapped. "Sokka, she can't come with us. She's a devious, ruthless, evil little monster, and I don't understand why you even want to help her in the first place!"
"No, she's not!"
"Why are you defending her?!"
"Because!" He sighed with defeat. "I just feel bad for her, okay? Her friends betrayed her and left her here to die. She's… traumatized. She's having hallucinations!"
"She's manipulating you! I thought you'd be smart enough to see that!" She studied the pained look on his face. "But you don't. You…" She gasped. "You're… attracted to her, aren't you?!"
"What?!"
"Why else would you want to help her?! Spirits, Sokka! You fall for every damn pretty girl that comes your way."
"That's not – "
"I can't believe you right now. But you know what? I'm going to make things very easy for you." She got right up in his face. "It's either her or me."
"What are you saying?" His chest was aching.
"If you choose to help her escape, then count me out. I'm not going."
"Suki! It doesn't have to be this way!"
"So… who's it gonna be?"
