"Listen Katara, I seriously don't remember where I put it."
Shaking his head helplessly, Sokka rifled through the unpacked contents of his luggage. His sister's blue eyes shot slivers of pure ice.
"Don't lie to me! You said there was a letter! You said he sent it along and asked you specifically to deliver it to me!"
He shrugged helplessly. "I know, Katara! I'm sure I packed it safely. I even wrapped it up in a sealskin container."
She glowered at him, arms akimbo. Oh, he recognized that look, enough to back off cautiously.
"Now Katara, surely you wouldn't waterbend inside my hut? I mean, it would take weeks to repair it. I might even have to build a new one…"
She raised her hands threateningly. "Don't try me, Sokka! Besides, I'm considering freezing you into a block of ice instead. How'd you like to spend supper that way, huh? Not that easy to wolf down meat in that condition!"
He frowned, backing off further. "You know Katara, I'm pretty sure Azula would unfreeze me in an instant. She knows how to heat me up properly." He couldn't help but grin.
His sister shook her head in frustration. "Spare me the details, Sokka! Really, this foolish relationship of yours will be your undoing. You just allowed a crazy Firebender to move into our midst. Well, don't worry! I'm watching her day and night!"
"Uh, you watch us at night, Katara? I'm sure that's fun for you, being a spinster and all. But don't you need your sleep? You must be getting tired…"
The sharp icicle flew through the air to shatter against the wall.
"Spare me your obscene jokes, brother! In case you don't understand, this is a serious matter! Now, pull yourself together and find me the Fire Lord's letter!"
"You've got no sense of humour, you know that, Katara?"
Ducking the second icicle nimbly, Sokka brushed the ice shards from his wolf's tail. A second search of his unpacked luggage. Shaking his head in confusion, he proceeded to go through the rest of his belongings. This search proved as futile as the first.
"It's not here, Katara! Maybe Sozin nicked it. He might have mistaken the container for his sealskin toy. Not that they're that similar, but… What's so damn important about that letter, anyway? I'm sure if Zuko had some crucial message, he'd tell me in person! Is this about his planning to get engaged?"
His sister blushed an unexpected bright scarlet. "That's just hearsay, Sokka! He and Mai have broken up. If you must know, this letter may contain important secrets of state! Why, Zuko and I have an ongoing correspondence about these things! Now, find me that letter! I swear Sokka, you have the memory span of a cuttlefish!"
He frowned. "Uh, you know Katara, I'm pretty sure that Zuko's back with Mai. Did you ask him for instructions on how to handle…"
The hut door flew open to emit a gust of… not icy air. Heat and radiance. The black haired young woman made her entrance, removing the hood of her red coat. The tiny wolf cub followed, dancing around her feet.
Sokka's eyes lit up at the sight. "Why Azula! There you are! Katara just dropped by to ask about some letter that your brother asked me to give her."
The yellow eyes lit up with bright gold amusement. A wicked smirk. Azula pulled a small parchment scroll out of a fur edged pocket.
"Looking for this, by any chance? It did bear the Fire Lord's seal, so of course I inferred it was for me."
Katara's blue eyes widened significantly.
"Did you read my letter!? Why, you…!"
A blue flame appeared in Azula's other hand. The smirk deepened. The flame approached the scroll.
"Come and get it."