Hey everyone.
I haven't been doing well, I am still extremely ill. So, this chapter is late.
I want to thank those that favorited, followed and reviewed since the last update. Especially those that wished me well.
I hope that you all enjoy it and have had a great holiday and a wonderful new year.
Day Two at Academy - Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Six
The princess sat in her royal robes with her arms resting on the sides of her wooden seat in the royal spa while she stared back at her young girlfriend's emotional face.
"I took care of him for you. He won't hit you ever again." Azula informed in a pridefully harsh voice while her amber golden eyes surveyed her serving girl's smiling face.
And not a second later the princess sighed when two arms embraced her around the neck.
"Arigatou gozaimasu Azula-sama! Arigatou!" Elle cried out with her face nuzzling the older woman's neck while she enjoyed the scent of her princess's freshly washed hair.
As a shy smile adorned her lips as she felt a strong hand gingerly pat her back.
"Keep your voice down girl. I have a reputation to maintain." Azula snapped in a moody voice as she glared down at her handmaid's pretty grinning face.
It was fortunate for her sake that her father was far too busy with the recent uprisings and the war to concern himself with her private activities.
But even still…she had to be careful.
She could not risk being seen showing her girlfriend any affection outside of her private chambers.
Only to find herself torn from her thoughts not a moment later when her stomach let out a protesting grumble.
She stared on with smug amber golden eyes when her little girlfriend sprang to her feet in a lovable panic.
Only for her smirk to grow when she watched her handmaid bow before her at the hip.
"Azula-sama! I know that I have to focus most of my time on academy now…but I would really like to cook your dinner as a show of my appreciation for protecting me. That is…if Her Highness will allow it." Elle stated in a gentle-hearted voice with a sunny expression on her face.
Her princess smiled back at her with one of her hands resting on the underside of her chin.
"Oh, very well. I suppose I could allow it. You just can't resist serving me…can you dear?" Azula remarked in a voice of natural authority as she smirked fondly back at her young girlfriend's blushing face.
"N-no Azula-sama…I can't." Elle replied in a lovable voice as she twiddled her thumbs as she averted her eyes from the older girl's entrancing amber golden gaze.
"As it should be. A princess is meant to be served." Azula commented with a vastly gratified smile on her lips while she watched her girlfriend bow before her once more.
"T-that's so! My princess must be worshiped at all times and I shall see it done." Elle chirped in a sweet voice as she smiled back at her mistress's beautifully smirking face.
Azula lounged in her seat with a beyond pleased gleam in her amber golden eyes as her lips curved into a large grin.
"Your goddess is pleased by your devotion servant. Now…listen well. I am going to give you my order for dinner." Azula spoke in a beyond commanding voice with her delighted eyes gazing back at her beloved's shyly smiling face.
"W-what can I get you Azula-sama?" Elle asked in a voice of endless loyalty while she found herself lost in Azula's charming smile once more.
"I would like…" Azula trailed off in a flawlessly refined voice with her hands folded in her lap.
She watched in satisfaction as her serving girl recorded the order in her little notepad from her homeland.
And about a minute later.
Elle bowed once more as she headed for the door of the royal spa.
But not before she paused to turn around and smile back at the older woman's strict face.
"Azula-sama…I just wanted to let you know…" Elle murmured in an adorably tripped up voice as she fiddled with her robes.
Her princess stared back at her with assertive amber golden eyes that never failed to send a pleasurable shiver down her spine.
"T-that you are a queen worth serving." Elle stammered in a lovestruck voice as she held a hand against her blushing cheek.
The princess's lips pulled into another satisfied smile as she gazed back at the girl in approval.
"I know I am…but all the same. I enjoy hearing it from you. Now go on girl. You are dismissed." Azula answered in a strict voice as she lazily waved a hand for the girl to leave.
Her icy amber golden eyes gazed back at her girlfriend's lovely flushing face as she watched the girl shyly turn to walk away.
And then soon enough Elle vanished through the door of the royal spa.
And just as soon as the girl was gone.
Her amber golden eyes formed a menacing callous stare once more as she remembered the bruise that was gracing the girl's right cheek when she first brought her back to the palace.
And that was all it took for her lips to curl into a cruel sneer as the memory of the man's dying screams replayed in her mind.
No one will ever hit her lover again.
About an hour later at dinner.
Azula sat before her lavish table gracefully dining on her dinner in the palace room that she used for private gatherings with her friends.
While Ty Lee ate her food with a grin as she gazed in the young girl's direction in appreciation.
"This is very good Elle!" Ty Lee complimented as she smiled back at her little sister's adorably bashful face.
"Yes, the girl knows how to cook. I'll give her that." Azula spoke with a refined smile on her lips as she politely wiped her lips.
As she gazed with a greedy eye in her handmaid's ever cute direction.
"I am so glad that you both think so! I am expanding my recipe book under cooking instructor Zoi's tutelage!" Elle replied with a smile while she waved her hands excitedly before her face while both highborn women observed her fondly.
While both friends exchanged a look as they resumed eating their meal.
"I can only hope that cooking 'instructor' Zoi doesn't influence the flavor of my dishes in a way that I wouldn't approve of." Azula snorted in a controlling voice as she rolled her amber golden eyes while she elegantly took another bite.
Only for her lips to curve into another pleased smile as her taste buds lit up while she gulped it down.
She gazed out of the corner of her eye at her girlfriend's pretty face as she made a mental note that she would have the girl continue to cook for her once she was crowned Fire Lord.
"Oh, no Azula-sama! It won't. Zoi says that her recipes are hailed far and wide as legendary among her soldiers. I can only get better with her teachings!" Elle assured in a chipper voice as she smiled while she nibbled on her meal.
The two highborn women exchanged an amused look with one another.
"Well, that's good to hear little sister." Ty Lee remarked with a fond grin on her lips while the young girl smiled back at her.
"Did you hear oneesan? Azula-sama says she gave that mean man what for! And that he learned his lesson not to hurt anymore young girls after she gave him a few good swats!" Elle cried out in a voice of innocent admiration while she turned to gaze at her princess's beautiful face.
While Ty Lee now shuddered outside of Elle's line of vision.
As Azula's lips curled into a darkly pleased smile.
"Uh…yeah little sis. Azula certainly gave him a few good swats." Ty Lee stated with a shiver as she stared back at Azula's maliciously smiling face.
And she couldn't help but ponder that a protective Azula was a damn scary Azula!
"So, I did. He…seemed to get the message." Azula purred with a smirk on her lips as she chewed her food while she stared at her pet with possessive amber golden eyes.
"So…um…how was your first day of academy Elle?" Ty Lee questioned in an obvious attempt at changing the subject while the princess still smirked in her seat.
"It was okay. Although I liked my old school better. Fire Nation noble girls are more stuck up than the girls I used to go to school with." Elle commented with a shrug while Ty Lee gazed in amusement at the princess's scoffing face.
"We are not stuck-up Elle. We are refined. And in time you will see that the Royal Fire Academy is vastly superior to your old commoner school." Azula stated with an arrogant edge to her voice while she watched her handmaid eat her meal.
"Stuck up? Were any of the girls mean to you Elle?" Ty Lee asked with a guarded edge to her cheerful voice.
"Not mean. But there was this one girl who kept trying to pet me. She seemed to think that I was a pet or something. I wish I knew why she thought that though." Elle answered in an adorably clueless voice as she held a finger underneath her pondering chin.
As Ty Lee gazed back at the girl's collared neck with a flicker of anger in her eyes.
Before she turned to the princess's conceited face while the princess feigned an innocent smile.
"Pet you? Azula. Elle is there to be a student. Not the school pet." Ty Lee complained in a sisterly voice while the princess scowled as she wiped her face.
"Calm down Ty Lee. I have already communicated to Elle and this girl that such behavior will not be tolerated." Azula responded in a stern voice while she gazed back at her friend's frowning face.
"Azula-sama? What do I do if Suna tries to pet me again? What is your order?" Elle pondered in a voice of absolute devotion as she stared back at her mistress's face while the princess regarded her in approval.
"You tell Suna that I am your one and only mistress, and that she is not to touch what is mine." Azula instructed in a much colder voice as she pointed her chopsticks back at her girlfriend's speedily nodding face.
"Yes, Mistress. I will relay the message to her that I am yours." Elle agreed in a submissive voice as she smiled in admiration back at her princess while a smile curled back onto the woman's lips.
"That's my girl. You let her know that you belong to Azula." Azula spoke in a domineering voice with her callous amber golden eyes staring back at her timidly smiling handmaid.
Ty Lee just shook her head as she sighed to herself.
But she knew by now that there was no point in trying to argue with either of her friends.
Their dominant and submissive dynamic was strange to be sure.
But at least Azula made her little sister happy.
And that was all that mattered in the end.
About another hour later after Elle had went to bed.
Ozai glanced up from his study as he watched his daughter step into the room.
"You called for me Father?" Azula questioned in a smoothly refined voice as she stared back at her father's seated form.
The Fire Lord turned to gaze back at her with rigid amber eyes as he eyed her closely.
"Yes, Azula. There is something that I wanted to ask you. What is your reasoning for keeping such a great war power as a simple handmaid?" Ozai pondered as he studied his daughter's impassive face with observant amber eyes.
Azula gazed back with ever sanguine amber golden eyes as she crossed her arms over her robed breasts.
"To instill undying loyalty to our Royal Family Father…to you…and to me." Azula answered in a perfectly poised voice while her father considered her words.
"Wouldn't having her serve in the military have the same effect than having her clean your bed chambers?" Ozai questioned in a strict voice while his daughter gazed aloofly back at him.
"No. It would not." Azula answered in a knowingly emotionless voice as she shook her head while her father raised his brows.
She forced herself to bury the unpleasant feeling that arose from the pit of her belly over the prospect of her companion serving on the frontlines without her direct supervision.
"Explain." Ozai commanded with a twinge of curiosity in his eyes while the princess waved a hand before her face.
"It wouldn't have the same effect because she wouldn't see us on a frequent basis. We would just be two names that she never sees. It is much more efficient for her to see us…in a more personal light." Azula explained with a hand held up before her composed face while Ozai rubbed the underside of his goatee.
"A more personal light? Nearly all soldiers do not know us on a personal basis and yet they are loyal." Ozai commented in a thoughtful voice as he watched his daughter step into the room.
"While that is true Father. But she is no ordinary combatant. The power to break the Avatar Cycle runs through her veins. That makes her more valuable than ten thousand soldiers. And it would surely be a waste of resources to station her to fight mere rebel troops when the Fire Army is more than sufficient for that." Azula remarked in a brilliant voice with a confident smile making pulling onto her lips.
While a smile pulled onto Ozai's lips as he regarded his daughter with an approving gleam in his eyes.
"Yes, you do have a point Azula. It would be a waste of resources to allocate her ability to rebel soldiers when she could instead focus on defeating the Avatar." Ozai replied as he stared back at his daughter's smirking face as she stood before his table.
"And besides…she is a foreigner. Fire Nation soldiers have had their loyalty instilled to us long since they were children. She hasn't. The more time that she spends with me. The more faithful she becomes. And by keeping her in Hari Bulkan…it also prevents Iroh or the Avatar from having the chance to capture her outside of the battlefield." Azula informed in a coldly methodical voice as she stared back at her father's nodding visage.
"And enrolling her…a foreign commoner into the Royal Fire Academy?" Ozai asked in a searching voice while his daughter still smiled confidently.
"By bestowing her with privilege that no other commoner will ever taste…it presents an image of the Royal Family as generous. It gives her something to be grateful to us for. Which makes her all the more eager to fight for us against the Avatar." Azula declared in a manipulative voice with a smile on her lips.
As the Fire Lord eyed his daughter with a recognition in his eyes.
"Well done, Azula. I see that you have thought this through." Ozai complimented in a stoic voice while his daughter folded her arms over her chest.
"I know how her mind works Father. She responds much better to a charming smile than a brutish general's cold order." Azula assured with a sanguine smirk adorning her lips while her father almost smiled wickedly in approval.
"And that is why you have been having her spend much of her time with you behind closed doors?" Ozai queried with his contemplative amber eyes scanning his daughter's smirking face.
"Precisely. The girl is eager to please and by allowing her to serve me personally I am securing her devotion to our name for a lifetime." Azula stated with a calculating smile on her lips while her father nodded his head.
"Continue with your efforts Azula. But I want you to keep me informed on her battle progress." Ozai ordered in a cold voice while his daughter nodded her head in understanding.
"Of course, Father." Azula agreed while Ozai's domineering eyes flickered with a placated gleam.
"That will be all Azula. But before you go. You are to report to the throne room tomorrow at noon." Ozai informed in a frigid voice while his daughter arched her brows in curiosity.
"Another war meeting?" Azula pondered in a stony voice while she eyed her father carefully.
She resisted the urge to scowl as she realized that there was something that he wasn't telling her.
"No. We are going to discuss what we are to do on the matter of Silah." Ozai replied in an emotionless voice while the princess's amber golden eyes flashed with renewed rage.
"Certainly Father. I'll be there." Azula spoke in a callous voice as she bowed her head before she turned to walk away.
Her father watched her walk off from where he sat at his desk.
As her amber golden eyes glared ahead with a revived desire to kill the filthy puppeteer.
All the while as she asked herself.
Just what was it that he was keeping from her?
The next day at the gates of the Royal Fire Academy.
Azula, Zoi and Ty Lee sat in the royal carriage as they watched the girl wave back at them as she departed for academy once more.
"I'll see you later minasan!" Elle cried out in a chipper voice as she waved back at her three highborn friends faces through the carriage window.
Ty Lee grinned warmly back at her as she waved back at her from where she sat beside the princess.
And Zoi cracked a small smile from across her two companions.
Azula sat with an impassive expression on her ruthless face as she gazed back out of the carriage.
"See you later little sister! I hope that you have a good second day of school!" Ty Lee called out in a tender voice as she smiled back at the younger girl's sweet face.
"Yes, let us know if anyone gives you any problems." Zoi commented with an edge to her stony voice while she gazed fondly after the beaming girl.
"Just get to class peasant or I will make you pull the royal carriage all the way back to the palace." Azula ordered in a scarily strict voice as she stared out coldly at her girlfriend's still smiling face.
As two noblewomen just gazed at their leader with unconvinced looks in their eyes.
They both knew full well that their princess would never do something as horribly cruel to the girl as make her pull their carriage like a slave.
"Sure, thing Azula-sama! I'll do that! I'll see you three around then!" Elle responded in a gentle voice as she scampered off with her backpack shaking over her back.
The noble girls watched the girl skip through the gates with expressions of still present amazement in their eyes.
As some of them shivered when they caught the warning stares from the three powerful highborn women gazing out back at them.
While Azula's terrifying amber golden eyes momentarily gazed out at the many aristocrat with a stare of menace in her gaze.
Until the girl disappeared through the doors of the esteemed academy.
And soon enough the royal carriage began to roll away once more while the royal coachman gazed over his shoulder with his own expression of bewilderment in his eyes.
But he wasn't suicidal enough to say anything about it in his princess's presence.
And he had already been given explicit orders that he was forbidden to tell anyone of what he saw as he rode the princess and her companions about the great city.
And it wasn't long after that the princess finally closed the window while she sat staring callously ahead back at her two friends sighing faces.
"Those girls better be nice to her. Or I swear what I do to them will not be pink." Ty Lee stated with a frown on her sisterly lips while the captain scowled across from her.
And even the cruel princess gazed out of the corner of her glacial eye at her acrobatic friend in agreement.
"Elle will be fine. Sia informed me the other day that she is resuming her previous tutoring position at the school and she has agreed to look out for Elle at my request." Zoi remarked with her arms folded over her breasts while her two companions turned to her with surprised expressions in their eyes.
"What? Your sister is working there?" Azula questioned with her amber golden eyes still conveying a slight sense of uncertainty towards the younger Song sibling.
This was a variable that she had not accounted for.
And if there was one thing, she hated. It was when an unforeseen factor made its way into her plans.
"She is. It's extra credit towards her medical schooling." Zoi answered in an ever-composed voice while Azula gracefully gazed back at her from her seat.
"What is a young noblewoman of the most powerful noble clan doing attending medical school?" Azula snorted in a conceited voice while her warrior's golden eyes flashed with a defensive gleam.
"Why would the daughter of a prominent nobleman work in a circus? People do what they enjoy Princess, no matter their status. Sia has a passion for helping people and that is what she has chosen to do with her life." Zoi countered in a calm voice while Ty Lee glanced back at her with understanding in her kind eyes.
Azula sat in her seat with her rigid amber golden eyes staring gazing imperiously ahead.
As her harsh eyes tried to squash the sliver of remorse that she felt for ordering her childhood friend's circus net on fire.
"That is good to hear Azula! Elle has someone to look out for her when we aren't around!" Ty Lee exclaimed in a happier voice as she turned to smile back at Azula's pridefully emotionless face.
Azula just scowled as she relaxed in her seat with her amber golden eyes begrudgingly conceding that it was beneficial to have someone close to her soldier on the inside to watch over her girlfriend.
"Whatever Zoi. But Sia had better not do anything with Elle that I disapprove of." Azula spoke in a sharp voice with her fingers tapping her robed biceps while Zoi let out an amused snort.
"Like what Princess? Caress Elle's hair while she eats her lunch?" Zoi scoffed with her golden eyes staring back at her princess's now scowling face.
Ty Lee spun around to gaze back at her companions with returning anger in her brown-gray eyes.
"Not only did she pet Elle but she was doing it while she ate her lunch?" Ty Lee questioned in a protective voice while the princess stared coldly back at her.
"According to Elle she did. But I promise you that today will be the end of that. Unlike some aristocrats…Sia doesn't look down on commoners. She'll set that girl straight." Zoi assured in a firm voice as she nodded her head while Ty Lee calmed down across from her.
As the princess just stared on with a flicker of something akin to a pleased gleam in her eyes to hear that the girl would prove useful in that regard.
Only for Azula to shrug her shoulders as she waved the matter off while she turned to glance over her shoulder at her childhood friend's cheery face.
"I may be busy in a meeting with Father today when Elle is let out of school. Therefore Ty Lee, it falls on you to pick the girl up when the day is over." Azula commanded in a voice of practiced sternness while the woman grinned at her.
"You know that it would be my pleasure Azula." Ty Lee chirped in a joyful voice as she smiled back at her friend's callous face.
And then the princess reached to pull down a compartment in the royal carriage.
Only for her two friends to gaze on in surprise to see a rather large gift box sitting inside the carriage cupboard.
The princess pulled it out and set it down beside her as she removed the lid with a refined hand.
Before Azula plucked a chocolate covered cherry between her fingertips as she dropped it onto her tongue.
As she began to chew it with something akin to a content expression pulling onto her lips.
While the two noblewomen stared at the gift box of sweets with knowing looks in their eyes.
"Ooh! Chocolate covered cherries!" Ty Lee commented with a smile while the princess ate her morsel with a smile of her own on her lips.
"That's quite the sizeable gift box. Did you purchase those for yourself Princess?" Zoi stated with a slight smirk on her lips while Azula smirked smugly back at her as she gulped down her treat.
"No. This is the most recent tribute from my worshiper." Azula spoke in a supremely arrogant voice as she smirked back at her warrior's amused face.
"Aww! That was so romantic of her! She's such a sweetie!" Ty Lee gushed with a rising grin on her lips while Azula almost smiled in agreement.
"From the looks of it this 'tribute' cost young Elle a great deal of gold." Zoi commented in an entertained voice while the princess's smile grew even larger.
"Several weeks of gold to be precise…when you factor in the lovely little tapestries of my likeness that the girl remodeled her quarters with." Azula replied in a tone of unmistakable conceit as she reached for another cherry with her icy amber golden eyes conveying a rare sense of fondness.
The two noblewomen stared on with astonished expressions in their eyes.
"So…all of Elle's gold flows one way or another back into either your pocket or your stomach?" Zoi asked with humor in her voice while Azula smiled as she popped another cherry onto her tongue.
"Hm. I suppose you could say that. What can I say? My little peasant knows that serving a goddess doesn't come cheap." Azula boasted with a hubristic smirk as she gracefully chewed her candy while she relaxed upon her cushion.
The two nobles just shook their heads over their little sister's tendency to spoil their princess to no end.
"Can I try one Azula? Just one?" Ty Lee questioned with a hopeful smile while the princess turned to regard her with a cold stare.
Azula also took notice in the way that the captain was eying the box with an interested golden gaze.
"You may each have one and only one. I intend to share most of these with Elle." Azula spoke in a highly strict voice while the two noblewomen nodded their heads in understanding.
"Of course, Princess. Only one." Zoi said with a nod as she reached over to peer into the box.
Her golden eyes scanned the many flavors in excitement as the princess watched her through the corner of her eye.
Before she plucked one out and then sat back on her booth as she ate it with a growing smile.
"Got it Azula! I wouldn't want to deprive my little sister of her hard-earned gold." Ty Lee exclaimed in a chipper voice as she grasped onto one as she ate it with a growing grin.
She gazed knowingly back at her friend's cold face as she smiled back at the princess.
The simple fact that Azula recognized the time, money and effort that Elle put into buying these gifts for her was a huge accomplishment on her little sister's part.
And the way that the princess showed gratitude by expressing a desire to save the bulk of the candies to share with the girl spoke volumes about how highly Elle was regarded in Azula's eyes.
"Now, I see why you were so furious yesterday. You two went out on an outing together…Elle gave you this romantic gift and then you ran into that piece of shit." Zoi remarked in a stonier voice as she swallowed the tasty chocolate cherry while Azula's amber golden eyes took on a much more imposing stare.
Ty Lee turned to her friend with her brown-gray eyes expressing great anger over her adopted sister almost being sold into slavery once more.
"Yes, Elle spotted him from the window of the royal carriage as we were riding back." Azula answered in a chilling voice with her glacial amber golden eyes showing no remorse for beating the man to death.
"Well, in any event. You did a good thing yesterday. The people in the tavern were praising you after you left." Zoi informed in a serious voice while the princess's amber golden eyes sparked with intrigue.
And Ty Lee tilted her head with curiosity in her calming eyes.
"Were they?" Azula asked with a sliver of something similar to joy in her harsh voice while the warrior nodded her head.
"It would seem that this Zuru had been harassing much more than just Elle. In the eyes of the public…you protected them from a menace that had been bullying women in the city for months. You kept the bulk of the brutality out of the eyes of the public view and now he can't harm the people anymore. Well done, Princess." Zoi announced in a voice of earnest praise while Azula sat back in her seat with her amber golden eyes seeming to enjoy the compliment.
"What can I say Zoi? Ruling my people…it comes naturally to me." Azula commented in a sanguine voice with a pleased smirk forming onto her lips.
While any sense of discomfort that Ty Lee had felt over the agonizing way that the man had met his end vanished as soon as she heard that he had been accosting other women.
"I suppose that is what I have been trying to explain to you Princess. The commoners in the Fire Nation are not doing as well as they once were under Fire Lord Azulon. We need to prove to them that we are going to show much more consideration to their plight than your father is. If we can do that…if you can distinguish yourself as different than your father. Once you take the throne…they will hail you as their hero…and your father as a failure." Zoi explained in a hushed voice of upmost gravity as she stared back into her princess's contemplative amber golden eyes.
The princess stared on with a thoughtful gleam in her intelligent amber golden eyes as she listened to the carriage ride down the road through Hari Bulkan.
"You need not worry Zoi. I will surpass every other ruler that has come before me. I will deliver nothing less than absolute perfection for the people of this country." Azula stated in a voice of limitless confidence as she stared authoritatively back at her captain's smiling face.
Ty Lee also smiled as she glanced at her princess with a gaze of recognition that she hadn't felt before meeting her little sister.
And with that the royal carriage continued on its way through the royal road.
Meanwhile, at the Royal Fire Academy for Girls.
Elle shyly entered another class with her backpack hanging over her shoulders.
She smiled nervously as she felt many eyes linger on her once more as she made her way to a desk.
As the teacher watched the girl move through his classroom with a similarly anxious look in his eyes.
As he glanced down at the paper of rules that Princess Azula had assigned to them.
And that was all it took for sweat to drip down his brow as he nervously pulled at the collar of her shirt in fear that he would make a mistake that would get him banished to the colonies.
Elle glanced around the classroom in search of an open desk before her gaze paused on the only unoccupied table.
Only for her amber eyes to widen a fraction when she saw who was stationed beside the lone desk.
It was none other than Suna.
While Suna now gazed back at Elle with her lips forming a confident smile as she gestured to the desk beside her.
"You can sit by me Elle. I won't bite." Suna offered with a teasing smirk on her lips while she watched Elle bashfully make her way forward.
"R-right." Elle responded in an ever-meek voice as she knelt down in the customary Fire Nation position at the desk.
As she set her backpack behind her before she politely folded her hands in her lap.
She tried not to shift uncomfortably with the eyes of countless wealthy girls gazing back at her.
Yet she could tell that no one was gazing at her with more interest than Suna.
Yani gazed across from the other side of the classroom at her rival with a spark of aggravation in her eyes.
As Suna glanced over her shoulder at her rival with a taunting smile on her lips.
Before she turned to smile charmingly back at the exotic commoner girl beside her.
Elle's cheeks turned a shade of red as she detected the ever present keenly fascinated stare of the noble girl kneeling at the desk closest to hers.
"Now then class…the first item on our order of affairs today…." The teacher trailed off in a stoic voice as he recovered his composure while his eyes swept over the girls in his class.
His gaze briefly passed over his strange guest before he cleared his throat to continue.
And soon enough the class was already underway.
About two hours later.
Elle was hard at work on her private language lessons while she examined her studies with a diligent amber gaze.
Her teacher stood strictly before her with her eyes gazing back down at her.
As she chewed on her lip as she struggled to write out the words as instructed.
"I-I apologize teacher but could you please go over that again?" Elle requested in a timorous voice as she glanced up at the older woman's sighing face.
"Very well." The instructor replied as she pointed back down at the paper.
And then she soon repeated her explanation while the girl dutifully listened attentively.
And later on, in the academy cafeteria at lunch.
Elle sat at the same table as Tei once more while the two girls ate their lunch.
The handmaid smiled back at the noble girl as the firebender regarded her kindlier than the other girls.
"So, how are your other classes going?" Tei questioned in a genuine attempt at socializing with the new girl while Elle beamed back at her.
"Quite well! I am having trouble with my writing lessons though…" Elle responded with a sheepish smile while the noble girl gazed at her curiously.
And then before Tei could question her new friend further on the matter.
She could only find herself gazing over her shoulder in annoyance to see Suna and her friends marching towards their table.
While poor Elle started to flush once more when the girl plopped herself down beside her without asking if she could sit there.
And Suna's two friends sat on the other side of the table while they ignored Tei's aggravated stare.
"Hey Elle." Suna greeted with a soothing smile while the petite girl blushed under her gaze.
"H-hi Suna." Elle stammered in a mousy voice as she sensed the way that the girl was staring at her in interest.
She was both flattered and unnerved by the girl's attentions.
Flattered that the high-class girl found her to be so pretty.
And bothered that she was looking at her like well…
Like a pet.
"I don't recall us inviting you to sit at this table Suna." Tei commented with a frown on her lips while the wealthier girl turned to cast her a colder stare.
While other noble girls in the cafeteria wisely turned away in fear of becoming the subject of Suna's wrath.
"And I don't recall you outranking me. I sit wherever I want." Suna retorted with an intimidating edge to her voice while the other noble girl's eyes flashed with a hint of fear under her stare.
Elle gazed between the girls with a bothered expression in her compassionate eyes.
As Yani stared back at her rival from where she sat with her friends at the closest table.
However, unlike her rival.
She got the hint to back off after receiving a personal warning from Princess Azula herself.
"It looks like Elle doesn't want to sit with you after all Suna." Yani mocked from her table with her golden eyes gazing back at Suna's spoiled face while the girl let out a scoff.
Before Suna turned her keenly focused gaze to the girl sitting beside her while she still smiled back at her reddened face.
"Does my presence bother you Elle?" Suna inquired in a smooth voice while the smaller girl still smiled brightly.
"No! I don't mind if you sit with me. I am open to becoming friends with anyone." Elle chirped in a sweet voice while Suna's smile grew even larger.
And that was all it took for Suna to gaze triumphantly back at Yani's glaring face.
And Tei resisted the urge to throw her hand over her face.
She was beginning to see that the girl was far too kind for her own good.
"Well, then. I believe that settles it." Suna boasted with smugness lacing her voice as she slid her bottom in closer to the blushing girl.
She gazed at the girl's golden hair with intrigued eyes once more.
"You…are you a beautiful girl Elle." Suna complimented in something akin to a genuine attempt at being nicer while the shorter girl's blush deepened profusely.
"O-oh. Thank you for saying so Suna. You are beautiful…yourself." Elle replied as she turned to smile back at the taller girl's smiling face.
And then she returned her attention to her meal as she ate her food with her chopsticks.
While Suna raised her fingers with her hand already approaching the other girl's hair once more.
As Tei glared at her from the corner of her eye.
"I may not outrank you. But Princess Azula outranks you and I was there yesterday when the princess made it clear that she didn't approve of your behavior." Tei remarked with a trace of boldness in her voice.
Suna's hand froze up before her fingers could graze the girl's golden head.
As the high-class girl gazed out of the corner of her eye at the other noble girl's defiant face with a flicker of anger in her gaze.
And if one looked closely perhaps even a hint of fear.
"B-but…I am not comfortable with you touching my hair Suna while I am eating. Please don't do that." Elle commented with a brief spurt of rising boldness as she turned to gaze back at the noble girl's now somewhat taken aback face.
While many girls were staring back at the table in astonishment to see the commoner girl attempt to tell one of the two queens of the school what to do.
And yet at the same time…
There wasn't a single girl in the academy who was not aware that the girl was no ordinary commoner and that she had the backing of Princess Azula herself.
Tei's eyes flickered with an approving gleam at seeing the other girl speak up for herself.
"It wasn't my intention to make you uncomfortable Elle. I was just admiring it. Your hair really is an adorable color." Suna stated as she recovered her composure as she still smiled back at the smaller girl's cutely blushing face.
"Y-you flatter me Suna. Really you do. But…I can see the way that you are looking at me. You want me to be yours." Elle spoke as she faced the taller girl's once again bewildered face as golden eyes blinked back at her.
Suna's friends stared on from where they sat on the other side of the table in puzzlement.
"But I can't be yours…because I belong to Azula-sama and Her Highness has communicated that she does not approve of you touching my hair. She is my mistress and my benefactor, and she is giving me a rare opportunity to seek enlightenment in this academy. And I will not disrespect her after all that she has done for me by showing such disregard for her will." Elle explained in a gentle yet slightly firmer voice than usual while Suna fell silent beside her.
And the rest of the noble girls were gazing at the table with a noticeable fear of drawing the ire of their mighty princess.
"Which is why I must ask you not to do that anymore. For your own safety. Otherwise, you run the risk of angering the princess and we all know how she gets when she is angry." Elle informed in a soft-spoken voice as she tried to offer the noble teenager a reassuring stare while Suna's golden eyes flashed with a trace of fear.
Tei listened from the other side of the table with a sense of delight at watching the school queen get put in her place by her new friend.
"My safety? You…care about my safety?" Suna pondered in a taken aback voice while her recovering golden eyes gazed back at the shorter girl's compassionate smiling face.
She was drawn to much more than just the girl's exotic hair.
She was also attracted to her radiant smile.
It was a smile unlike any other she has ever seen before.
"Sure, I do! I hold you no ill will. You haven't hurt me and I would very much like to be friends with you. But we must obey Princess Azula's will. Okay?" Elle concluded in a kindly voice as she stared warmly back at Suna's slowly nodding face.
"O-of course. I understand." Suna agreed as she held onto her chopsticks with her golden eyes still gazing in admiration back at the smaller girl's beautiful face.
She almost found herself lost in the other girl's sweet amber eyes.
'What an angel. If only I had gotten to her before Princess Azula.' Suna thought as she shook her head with a sigh escaping her lips while the girl smiled brightly back at her.
And with that Elle resumed nibbling on her vegetarian meal with a happier smile on her lips.
Only for everyone in the academy cafeteria to begin to murmur amongst each other when they saw an unexpected figure of great power approaching behind Suna.
Until the young woman in question finally came to a stop standing behind the queen of the school with her golden eyes staring icily down at the younger girl's back.
Elle turned her head to gaze over her shoulder only for her mouth to fall open in shock when she saw who was looming over them.
"Sia!" Elle cried out in a surprised voice while the noblewoman stared back down at her with a spark of fondness in her golden gaze.
Before the powerful noble turned her stare to Suna's already intimidated face as she glared down at her.
"Well said. Now go away brat. I am claiming this seat and this entire table in the name of the Song clan." Sia commanded in a voice of authority as Suna stared up at her with returning anger in her eyes.
Only for Suna to release a humiliated cry when she was seized by the collar of her shirt by the Song clan noblewoman.
All of the students stared on with awe in their eyes as they watched the school queen get dethroned in a matter of seconds.
Tei's lips curled into an elated grin as she watched Suna get shoved from her seat.
And even Yani found herself unable to resist smirking at her rival's humiliation.
And not a second after that Suna's lunch tray was pushed aside by Sia's dismissive hand.
And then Sia wordlessly sat down with finality in the very spot that the other girl had just been sitting in.
As she set her lunch tray down while she still stared coldly over her shoulder at Suna's now enraged face as the younger girl looked as if she were about to burn a vein.
Elle still gazed up at the older girl's taller face in astonishment as she watched from the corner of her eye as Suna's friends quickly stood up from the table.
"How dare you…nonbender." Suna stated with anger dripping from her voice as she clenched her fists at her hips while Sia gazed calmly back at her.
"Nonbender I may be but I vastly eclipse you in status. Of course, if it is a firebender that you would prefer to speak to. I could arrange for my sister Zoi to talk with you girls at the end of the day." Sia remarked in a voice of profound confidence in her sister's power.
As she observed the younger girl's eyes widen with unmistakable terror as sweat dripped down Suna's forehead.
"C-come on Suna. You don't want to fight the Dragon of the Song Clan." Nea reasoned as she pulled on her friend's angered arm.
Before Suna reached down to pick up her tray as she still attempted to muster a glare down into Sia's steely golden eyes.
Elle bit her lower lip with a flash of remorse in her eyes as she watched Suna turn to stomp away.
"Oh, and one more thing brat. Just because Elle is a commoner doesn't mean that you can fondle her as you, please. You are not superior to her. She is a human being…just like you and just like me. She is your equal. I suggest you file that down in your head." Sia lectured with anger in her voice as she held onto her tray with her golden eyes glaring back at the younger girl's humiliated face.
An expression of profound gratitude made its way onto Elle's lips as she beamed back at her newest big sister in rising appreciation.
As many aristocrats in the school processed the noblewoman's words in bewilderment as if it was a concept that they had never considered.
While Suna sent one final glare back at Sia as the older girl narrowed her eyes back into her imposed face.
And then the girl backed down as she turned to stomp off with Nea and Toh following after her.
Yani watched Suna stalk past her with a smirk of her own on her lips.
"Well, well. It looks like someone just got displaced." Yani sneered with a ridiculing smile on her lips while Suna halted in her step behind her.
"Shut up Yani!" Suna snarled as she stormed past her rival with her fists gripped at her hips.
Until she disappeared through the doors of the academy cafeteria while Elle and Tei still looked as if they were recovering from their shock.
"T-that…that was amazing Sia! I have been waiting for someone to tell that bitch off for the entire school year!" Tei exclaimed in an impressed voice as she grinned back at Sia while the noblewoman offered her a small smirk.
Only for the noblewoman to turn to gaze over her shoulder in slight surprise when she felt arms latch around her midsection.
"Thank you for sticking up for me oneesan!" Elle exclaimed in a heartfelt voice as she embraced the older girl's belly while Sia gazed down at her with a softening gaze.
As Tei stared at the two with rising astoundment in her eyes.
It was clear that Elle had many powerful friends in high places.
"Hey, no problem little sister. You are family to Zoi and that means that you are family to me. And I am not going to just stand by and watch as someone treats you like that." Sia responded in an honest voice as she set her hand on the younger girl's smaller shoulder.
She stared down with already present fondness into lovably bright amber eyes as the girl disconnected from her side.
And then she turned to gaze down at her tray of food as she forced herself to steel her temper.
Before she grasped a hold of her chopsticks while her golden eyes momentarily glanced around the cafeteria as a warning to any noble girls that dared to humiliate her new adopted sister.
She took satisfaction in the way that every single student fearfully averted their eyes from her gaze.
And then she began to gracefully eat her meal while Elle still smiled widely up at her.
Tei still gazed back at the two with an astonished expression in her eyes.
"I…I didn't know that you were attending this school Sia." Elle chatted with excitement in her voice while the older girl turned to smile down at her.
"I'm not. I graduated from the academy years ago." Sia answered with a smile on her lips while Elle peered up at her in confusion.
"Y-you did? Then what are you doing here?" Elle questioned with an admiring expression in her eyes while the young woman cracked a small smile.
"I am working as a tutor here over the course of the summer." Sia revealed with her intelligent golden eyes staring back at the younger girl's surprised countenance.
"A-a tutor! Really!" Elle chirped with excitement flashing in her gentle eyes while the noblewoman chuckled.
"You heard right." Sia replied as she took a refined bite of her meal while she gazed fondly at the girl from the corner of her eye.
And she could already tell that Zoi's assertions about the girl were right.
She may well be the sweetest girl that she has ever met.
'I'll have to watch out for her…and be very careful with how I proceed from this point forward.' Sia thought as she stared back at the younger girl's sunny face.
"D-do you think that you could help me with my lessons Sia? I-if it isn't too much to ask?" Elle asked with hope in her innocent voice.
Sia imitated a thoughtful pose with a hand underneath her chin.
"What lessons do you need assistance with?" Sia questioned as she stared in curiosity back at the girl's shy countenance.
"W-written language. I…I don't write in the same language as the people of your country." Elle admitted in an embarrassed voice as she sheepishly scratched at her cheek.
And Sia was staring back at the younger girl with a spark of shock in her golden eyes.
As Elle averted her eyes from the older girl's stare in fear that she would be seen as an outcast.
Only for Elle to peer up with widened amber eyes when she felt a hand gently touch her shoulder.
She now found herself smiling up into Sia's considerate eyes as the young woman smiled back down at her.
"It would be my pleasure to assist you with your writing lessons Elle." Sia announced in a supportive voice as she watched the younger girl's face break out into an utterly radiant smile.
And not a second later she blinked her golden eyes in surprise when Elle hugged her once more.
"Arigatou oneesan!" Elle cheered in a voice of great exuberance with an infectious smile on her lips.
She felt a hand gingerly pat her back as Sia released a good-natured laugh over her.
"My…you really are as gentle as Zoi says. I can see why she is so fond of you. Think nothing of it, Elle. I would be honored to help you." Sia assured in an amiable voice as she offered the beaming girl a softened grin.
And then Elle released the older girl once more as she smiled in gratitude back up at her.
"I can already tell that you and I are going to become great friends." Elle stated in a voice of upmost jubilance as she returned the older girl's grin.
While all the noble girls in the academy cafeteria were still gazing back at the two in fascination.
"It's funny that you mention it because I have the same feeling." Sia remarked in a benign voice as she smiled at the girl once more before she returned to eating her lunch.
The younger girl beamed up at her new big sister's face before too resumed eating her meal.
And as Elle ate, she continued to periodically smile up at Sia.
While the older girl returned her warm gaze with a slight smile of her own as the two girls stared back at one another.
And once again, even though the two girls had only just recently become acquainted with each other.
They both could tell that this was the beginning of a powerful friendship.
Later on, after the girls finished up their lunch.
The teacher stared back at the young noblewoman in surprise as she entered the room with the young commoner girl following shyly at her heels.
"Elle has informed me that she is having difficulty understanding her writing lessons the way that you are explaining it. And I would like to assist her for the remainder of the day to see if I might be able to explain it differently." Sia spoke in a dignified voice as she stared back at the instructor's taken aback face.
Her golden eyes took note of the flicker of indignation in the older woman's gaze.
But she knew well enough that the teacher was well aware that she vastly outranked every noble in this school.
"As you say Sia. I will leave you to teach her for the duration of the rest of the day." The instructor responded in a conceding voice as she bowed her head to the powerful noblewoman.
Before she stepped past the two girls and soon departed the room.
Until the two girls turned to stare back at each other while the handmaid's smile widened under the young noblewoman's guiding gaze.
While Sia cracked another small smile as she ushered the younger girl to follow after her.
As she gazed affectionately out of the corner of her eye as she watched the smaller girl scamper after her.
Before the two girls knelt down on the cushioned pads as Elle still gazed radiantly up at Sia's academic face.
As the commoner girl watched the noblewoman gracefully reach for a writing brush as she turned to smile back down at her.
"Now Elle…we'll work at whatever pace that you feel is most comfortable. So, please tell me what you are having trouble understanding." Sia requested in a friendly voice as the young girl smiled warmly up at her.
Sia's studious golden eyes expressed a true flicker of fondness in her gaze at the innocent girl beside her.
Not only has she gained an adopted little sister.
She has also gained a new friend who she could already tell was pure of heart.
And even though her original motives were simply to obtain information for her cause…
She couldn't help but feel a sense of joy over the prospect of what this new friendship would bring her.
AN:
Jigoku-kage, loligang and guest, thank you both for your kindness and wishing me well. I hope that you all had a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year as well. I really hope 2022 is better, because I am doing pretty horrible right now.
Guest, I understand your point about violet flames. But your question is "isn't fire plasma?" is actually extremely complicated and the answer is in most cases no.
I have been doing some research on if fire is a plasma. I found four really informative sources on the subject, but FFN won't allow me to post links here.
Fire is not a plasma by default, but a fire can become a plasma if it's hot enough and plasma itself is not on fire. Plasma is super-heated matter that becomes an ionized gas, it is light that is so hot that it burns at extremely high temperatures. Fire itself has a very low ionization rate, which is why it is not considered a plasma by default.
Most everyday flames do not qualify as a plasma. From the science articles that I read; there isn't much ionization at 2700 degrees Fahrenheit. Which means that Azula's blue flames at around 3000 degrees Fahrenheit are also not considered a plasma. This means that no firebender's flames in canon, even Azula's herself, would be considered a plasmabending. As their flames are not hot enough to become plasma.
From my reading, plasmas seem to start to form from above 5600 degrees Fahrenheit to around 10,000 – 14,500 degrees Fahrenheit. Plasma welders themselves can go all the way up to temperatures of 40,000 to 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit. They can probably go even hotter, it's just that we may have not created ones that go hotter than 50,000 degrees yet.
Now, lightning on the other hand is a form of plasma. But I want Azula to learn to be able to transform her flames into plasma, so that she can coat her fists and her body in super-heated light that she can use with greater versatility than lightning generation.
I want to go the plasmabending route with Azula, becomes it would truly set her apart from all other firebenders as an ascendant if she were able to turn her firebending into a super-heated plasma. Lookup Shego from Kim Possible if you want an example of what I am going for. Essentially inventing a new type of bending.
In real life, the temperature in a flame specific color of flame is not because of the color itself, but rather the fuel source being burned. Also, it should be noted that in canon, when we saw the dragons firebend. That it consisted of a wide array of colors, including orange, yellow, blue, red, green, white, and violet.
The vast variety of colors was probably done by the writers just because it was colorful. But we have no way of knowing if the violet portion of the dragon's flames, was actually as hot as the violet flames produced in labs in real life, and therefore that much drastically hotter than all of the other colors in the flames.
Now if violet fire is really as hot as the temperatures from the few sources that we can find on the internet about the subject. It would become a plasma at that point anyway. So, essentially if Azula can learn to make her fire far hotter than any firebender in canon. It would become plasmabending. Which reinforces to me why plasmabending is the next best step for Azula in the evolution of her power in the story.
Azula would still be able to create flames in the traditional firebending sense. But her being able to transform her flames into a pure plasma, would really showcase how unique her abilities are as a bender. She would then be able to do energy projection attacks, in the form of super-heated light.
As for the plasma being blue, I was saying blue because I feel that it is a color that really fits Azula. She could have the option to start off with her plasma being blue, but maybe have the possibility to become violet later on.
I think that this route is most fitting for her. Because she would be able to both firebend in the traditional sense and plasmabend. Maybe she could even eventually create make violet flames if she learned to create violet plasma.
But if I decide to do violet, I want it to be done in stages. This is a very, very long series. 71,000 degrees is an enormous step up from 3000 degrees. Our sun itself burns at about 10,000 degrees. I don't think she should make such a huge jump all at once, and so early on. I think if she were to reach that level of heat, that it should be done in stages.
Which is why we are sticking with Azula evolving her blue first, before we even get to evolving to violet. If she converted her blue fire into blue energized light, it would be an enormous heat upgrade from where she is now and grant her a major power advantage.
This is all very far off from where we are in the story right now. But I want her evolution in her powers to be in the form of a super-heated light, because it would demonstrate just how much of a one of kind bender she truly is.
Anyhow, as you can see this is a very complex subject and since FFN won't let me post my sources. That is probably all I am going to say on the matter right now.
As for this chapter.
Suna's behavior is meant to highlight how spoiled and arrogant many Fire Nation aristocrats have become. She's kind of like a little Azula, only she isn't royalty but she is from a prominent clan. Although her clan may be high up, it is not the highest ranked, hence why she backed down when confronted with Sia.
And so Elle gained a new writing instructor, and it is none other than the leader and founder of the fire revolution. Sia is genuinely one of the most caring people in the aristocracy, and she truly means Elle no harm.
The issue with Sia is that unlike most nobles in the caldera, her loyalty is not to the Fire Lord, but rather to bettering the lives of the lower-class. We'll see how that turns out as she and Elle work together in the chapters going forward.
This chapter marks the end of an arc, that was mostly about getting to know some of the nobles in the caldera better.
And next chapter a new arc begins, the Dark Sage arc, and I am still chipping away at the first chapter of the arc that follows after that one.
I did more edits recently, I realized that I was making grammar errors with titles. When someone is referred to as their title in a direct address in place of a name, such as Elle calling Azula princess or master, or someone calling Zoi captain. I should have been capitalizing it, I was writing it in lower case.
So, I went back and fixed all of the titles that were direct addresses. I uploaded about fifty of them, but I still have to upload about 78 more. That's about all that is in the edits, just me being a perfectionist I guess.
On another note, things still aren't going well for me. I am still in extreme pain and I can't do much because of it. I was at a pharmacy getting a script the other day. I rolled the window down, and just from saying a few words with the cold air hitting my face. It became excruciating to speak, my face "seized up from the cold", and I couldn't say anymore because it hurt too much to open my mouth.
My UOM neurologist got in touch with me before Christmas. He told me that my condition is so rare, that the other doctors at UOM have not seen it before and are not familiar with it. As a result, the pain doctors and radiologist at UOM that he needs to get on board in order to schedule the special targeted nerve blocks that I need, are unwilling to set up the injections.
My compression from the looped artery is in C3-C4, and it is very difficult to get doctors to do a nerve block above C5. My doctor says that it can be done safely, but protocol must be adjusted in order for it to be safe. And because these other doctors are not willing to do it, it puts me in a bind with extreme pain and zero pain relief.
My doctor ended up contacting the New York City surgeon at NYU that I previously spoke about, and now they are talking. He mailed him my imaging discs, and I am hoping that they will find a way together to arrange injections for me. Or even better decompression surgery.
I trust my doctor, he is extremely good, he is compassionate and he is researching this. Because so many other things have been ruled out, he firmly believes that the core of my problem is this compression.
It is just apparently not a simple or quick thing to fix. Because it is so rare, not many people have experience with it. But this NYU surgeon does, he is supposed to have experience fixing this surgically. So, I am hoping with all of my life that this big name surgeon will be able to get relief to me soon.
And I'm not talking about all of this because I want sympathy points. I guess it just feels good to write it out.
Anyhow, that will be all for now though.
A certain someone is coming back next chapter and we are going to get to know her more in the coming arc.
Stay tuned for next time.
For chapter one hundred thirty-seven! Eternal Art!