Cautious
Ursa cannot help but say, "I believe we should be cautious about telling her. I believe you are rushing this for the sake of watching how she'll react. You're not informing your daughter; you're testing a weapon."
And, of course, her husband stands by his decision without taking a moment to reconsider his stance. "You may have noticed that you are the only one who calls her a weapon. That you are the one who calls her my daughter and not your own. I think that you shouldn't be making important life decisions for a child you see as someone else's possession."
"I don't, I…" She does realize that she speaks that way. That she sees it that way without catching herself. But that does not make him right. . . or her right perhaps.
"I'll be careful," he halfheartedly agrees.
Purring
Azula pets one of her two kitties. Ty Lee is making the other one dance as it gazes at their owner forlornly.
"Ugh. Stop torturing your pet," Azula finally says.
"She's purring!" Ty Lee demurs without noticing her disobedience. Azula just feels like a real friend most of the time.
"She's growling," Azula replies and Ty Lee, as always, obeys. The cat skitters away as if it thinks the girls will change their mind.
"I wish cats could dance." Ty Lee lies down and pouts.
Azula smirks at it.
Doubt
Zuko got a sex talk.
Azula got a 'you own your best friend in the same way you own your cats' talk
"I don't understand."
"Yes you do. Don't lie," Ozai replies and Azula averts her eyes. She wishes she could feign innocence in the matter.
"I am going to treat her the same way," Azula says.
They both doubt that.
x
"Did you know?" Azula snaps and Ty Lee's eyes flicker wide from her surprise.
She has just walked back to her room after a father to daughter talk, and she finds Ty Lee with a doll. Ty Lee always liked dolls. Azula liked destroying them.
"Know what, princess?" Ty Lee asks, gently tucking the doll into its lovely bed.
"That you weren't a friend. That you were a birthday gift," Azula growls with a danger in her tone to match Ozai or Azulon.
Ty Lee stares and stares and stares. Azula awaits her answer patiently.
"Yeah, I knew."
"You certainly didn't bother telling me," Azula says and Ty Lee does not like how cold and mean she is. But Azula gets like that sometimes and Ty Lee has to oblige. "Do you even do anything because you like me or because I own you?"
"Because you're my best friend, 'zula. You really are!" Ty Lee says fiercely.
But Azula doubts her; Ty Lee can see it in her eyes.
Silver
"The moon is weird tonight," Ty Lee says as she hesitantly gets into Azula's bed. The princess does not say anything. She has not said anything to Ty Lee all afternoon since she found out Ty Lee did not tell her about the slavery.
It is weird tonight. It makes the room glow silver, illuminating Azula like the perfect being she is. But Ty Lee does not think she will ever have the relationship with that perfect being that she did in the past.
"I love you, 'zula."
No answer.
Whimsical
Ty Lee tries to entertain her. It's the best thing she can do. The only thing she can do.
She does everything she can think of to try to make Azula laugh.
Just once.
Why couldn't Azula laugh just one time?
Ty Lee is super scared as she does happy acts and walks on her hands until they ache.
Destruction
"You can smash my doll," Ty Lee offers hopefully.
"It's my doll," Azula retorts.
"Oh."
"You're my doll too."
"Don't smash me, please."
"I haven't made up my mind about that yet."
TBC
