Chapter 4
December arrived much sooner than Yue had expected it to, mostly because she had been kept incredibly busy following her announcement of returning to the world of professional Pai Sho. As she had promised Madame Macmu-Ling, Yue would see out the semester at the Five-Seven-Five academy for girls. It meant that for the past month and a half, her life had been an intense mix of her job as a teacher and starting to really push the Pai Sho practice with Azula and Katara.
Azula had needed a couple of weeks to disentangle herself from some of her previous engagements before she could truly immerse herself in the full-time job as Yue's coach. Azula had also informed the international federation of Pai Sho that she was stepping down from its board to avoid a conflict of interest. It had taken a while to clear all the necessary paperwork to make it happen, but come the end of November, Azula was no longer in any way involved with the federation and could focus on helping Yue prepare.
Katara had been able to throw herself into coaching straight away because she had been placed on unpaid leave by her hospital. Still, Yue could tell that for the first few weeks, Katara was struggling to focus because of what had happened during that complicated surgery and it was all wearing down on her. Fortunately for Katara's sake, the independent council of doctors in charge of the inquiry had cleared her of any wrongdoing. The inquiry had found that the patient's bile duct had several deformities that could have caused bile leakage unrelated to the surgery. Katara still felt guilty despite these findings, convinced that she should have noticed all of this. Yue suspected that Katara was simply too hard on herself, however. Azula certainly believed that to be the case, and Yue was tempted to agree with her. When it came to her calling as a surgeon, Katara always set the highest possible bar for herself.
Unfortunately for Katara, the boy's parents refused to accept the results of the inquiry and had instead consulted a lawyer. The parents had even dared to one day show up on their doorstep, screeching and shouting while demanding to see Katara. It was pure luck that Katara had not been present at the time, and between the two of them, Yue and Azula had managed to get the parents to leave, having to go as far as threatening to call the police. The hospital was now facing a medical negligence lawsuit, and fearing possible repercussions the hospital's administration had suffered a case of cold feet, deciding to extend Katara's unpaid leave until the lawsuit was settled. It was something that could take months or even a year, leaving Katara annoyed and frustrated, but she also found some positives in the decision, such as being able to focus on preparing Yue for her big return to competition.
With Yue still busy at the academy, Katara and Azula had spent much of their time focusing on creating detailed dossiers on the players they believed to be Yue's fiercest competitors in this championship cycle. Of course, their friends Aang, Zuko and Toph were first and foremost on this list, but they hadn't thought it necessary to create such dossiers on them. They knew the playing styles of Aang, Zuko and Toph perfectly well. They had just studied a whole lot of their games during the recent world championship finals, and Yue felt as if she had a good grasp on their respective styles.
Yue was glad that in the weeks following her announcement of returning to the world of Pai Sho, the relationships with her friends had slowly normalized. Aang had been back to his friendly self within a few days. Suki was once again very happy with her, following a few exclusive interviews. Toph still seemed a little grouchy now and then, but considering how acerbic Toph was even on a good day, it didn't feel like Toph's attitude towards her had really changed. Things had been the worst with Zuko. Yue was aware that he had said some genuinely hurtful things behind her back, and he had also tried to deny them having contact with Kya, a decision that had been quickly reversed. But she had spoken with Zuko several times since then and they had managed to remain perfectly civil, even if Yue was still a little bitter now that she knew that deep down Zuko didn't think of her as Azula and Katara's equal.
The other main threats among Yue's opposition that Azula and Katara focused on were obviously the by now three-time world champion Piandao Mori, the evergreen and ever dangerous Jeong-Jeong Kaneko, as well as their once close acquaintance Haru Tamang. These were the three dossiers created first, followed by others, including a few opponents they had once considered too far below them and not worth detailed attention, but players such as Siku Ikuma and On Ji Takeda had stuck with the game throughout the years and were starting to come into their own, becoming more credible threats to reckon with.
Yue was glad that Azula and Katara still remembered how important it was not to force the practice too much. Yes, they had picked it up considerably, doing at least a little bit every day, but the ten-hour sessions of their teenage years were a thing of the past. Weekends saw longer sessions of up to four hours at most, but by now they were all mature enough to understand the need for balance in all things, making sure not to overdo the training. As a result, by mid-December, Yue felt like she was both well prepared and hungry for her first tournament in eight years.
Still, sitting in the red Jaguar together with Katara and waiting for Azula to join them so that they could drive over to the Royal Palace of Ba Sing Se together for the opening of the tournament, Yue had to admit that she was experiencing some anxiety, and it wasn't all just Pai Sho related. The tournament actually began a week before the end of the semester at Madame Macmu-Ling's academy, so she'd been forced to rush some of her classes, and hand the others over to replacement teachers. They had all seemed like capable professionals because Madame Macmu-Ling set a very high standard when it came to employment, but still, Yue simply didn't like to leave things unfinished. She was of the belief that the students deserved better from her.
"What took you so long?" Katara was the first to ask when Azula finally entered the garage and got into the driver's seat, the Jaguar being the car she felt the most comfortable driving, with Yue and Katara preferring the Porsche. They had left Azula talking on the phone, but the call had lasted for almost ten minutes, which seemed a little off to Yue.
"It's nothing," Azula replied, sounding a little dismissive as she started the car. "But I am sorry about that. Fortunately, we have plenty of time, so there's no risk of us getting there late."
"Azula, don't even try to bullshit us," Katara said, sounding a little frustrated. "You never spend more than a couple of minutes on the phone unless it's something very important. Do you really want Yue to spend the rest of the evening thinking about what you're hiding from us?"
"That's kind of what is going to happen, yes," Yue admitted nervously.
"Ugh, shit," Azula cursed, exiting the driveway and turning onto the never busy street of their quiet Upper Ring neighborhood. "Okay, I got a call from a friend in the Fire Nation Pai Sho federation. It seems like a ghost of the past I had hoped to never hear from again has decided that just because I'm no longer on the board of the international federation, it's safe for them to show their face again."
"You'll have to explain that one," Yue said, feeling even more confused. "I'm not sure what you're talking about."
"I'm talking about Zhao Sakamoto, of course," Azula snorted.
"I thought you warned him to stay out of sight," Katara remarked, sounding surprised, a sentiment that Yue fully shared.
"Yes, I made it very clear that he ought to keep a low profile," Azula sighed. "But now there's a push to end his ban from competition and restore his professional Pai Sho license. I have a feeling that significant amounts of cash may have exchanged hands in the Fire Nation federation."
"I guess Zhao still has all that money he embezzled during the war for Yu Dao," Yue remarked.
"There's my clever girl," Azula smiled. "That's exactly it. The question is, what do I do now? I still have some undisclosed intel that would further disgrace Zhao and crush him like a bug. But is it worth using on him? Does he demand that sort of effort? I mean, he's kind of pathetic."
"I see your point," Yue nodded. "It's almost like giving him more attention than he deserves."
"Exactly," Azula agreed. "But at the same time, in his delusion riddled mind, Zhao might decide that I'm… I don't know, afraid to destroy him for some reason? And I don't want him to think that."
"Tough call," Katara said. "I think it's interesting that he would attempt to come back now when our beloved wife is making her own return."
"Eh, I think this is purely because of me stepping down from the board of the international federation," Azula shrugged.
"You know what," Yue said. "Just ignore him. Let Zhao come back and play. It will be my pleasure to wipe the floor with him."
"It would be kind of hot to watch," Azula admitted, smiling broadly. "You know what, I might just do that. But when I run into Zhao next, I will make sure that he knows that his stay on the professional circuit is simply because I felt merciful and have allowed it."
"It would probably be for the best if we stopped thinking about crushing Zhao now," Katara reminded them as they were getting ever closer to the Royal Palace. "Yue, try to get into the mindset of crushing your today's opponent, not Zhao, especially when we have no idea whether you'll ever face him at all."
"That's a good piece of advice," Azula nodded. "I hope you're in the right frame of mind to destroy our old friend Joo Dee."
"I think it's as good a draw as I could have hoped for in the first round," Yue smiled, feeling rather confident. "Hopefully, I'll be able to both shake off my rustiness and still crush Joo Dee…"
Sitting in the stands and watching a Pai Sho tournament unfolding on the stage in front of them was a familiar experience for Katara. Even after all three of them had retired, whenever there was an important pro tournament in which one of their friends took part, Katara, Azula and Yue usually attended at least a few rounds. Still, cheering for Aang, Toph or even Zuko didn't quite compare to watching her wife on the stage, attempting to successfully restart her Pai Sho career.
When they had arrived at the Royal Palace, Katara had immediately noticed that the crowds of spectators had seemed just that little bit larger than she would have expected for the first tournament of the new championship cycle. The presence of the press was quite large as well, and they could see that Suki was for once enjoying some real competition for access from the other news sources. Katara knew that Yue's return was one of the things that had contributed to this increased buzz. Yue had already received a few calls about potential sponsorships, even if no concrete deals had been struck yet. Not being very knowledgeable about Pai Sho, these sponsors probably wanted to first make sure that Yue's return wouldn't end up being a complete disaster. Of course, Katara had no doubt about her wife's talents and she felt confident that Yue would enjoy immediate success.
Azula and Katara were accompanied in the stands by Sokka and Kya, Katara's niece sitting between her and Sokka and appearing a little restless, if not outright bored. Between the four of them, most of their support was going to Yue and Zuko. In theory, Zuko had the more challenging opponent in the first round, facing off against Haru Tamang. Even if most of Katara's attention was focused on Yue and Zuko, she had to admit that objectively the most important matchup of the first round was between Aang and Toph. The other big favorites, Piandao and Jeong-Jeong, faced considerably weaker opposition and were expected to win.
"So far, so good, right?" Katara asked, as the game between Yue and Joo Dee reached the twentieth move. Yue had managed to advance on the right flank, and had created some promising complications in the center.
"Could be better," Azula shrugged. "As I feared, she's definitely a little rusty. I've noticed at least three suboptimal moves so far."
"At least Zuko is doing well, right?" Sokka asked. His knowledge of Pai Sho was decent, but not quite on the level of an international master.
"I'd say that game lies in perfect balance," Katara replied.
"I actually like Haru's position a little better," Azula shrugged. "Zuzu better shape up quickly." They continued watching for another quarter of an hour in silence, when suddenly one of the games came to an unexpected end. Before reaching even the thirtieth move, Aang and Toph shook hands and agreed on a draw. "Well, that was anticlimactic," Azula frowned.
"I'll say," Katara nodded in agreement. "That's a slightly too blatant prearranged draw for my liking," she sighed.
"Yes, I don't like it," Azula actually looked a little upset. "You realize what this means, don't you?"
"That our friends have some kind of an agreement between them that doesn't involve Yue?" Katara realized immediately. "Hmm, that's not good."
"Indeed, we need to find out what's it about," Azula said, turning towards Sokka. "Do you know if Zuko is in on this arrangement with Aang and Toph?" she asked.
"I have no idea, Azula," Sokka shrugged. "Aang and Toph are often over at our place and they analyze games together, but I don't know the details, sorry."
"Well, Aang and Toph both dropped half a point each, so it's not like this arrangement is really hurting Yue or anything," Katara pointed out.
"I suppose," Azula sighed. "But it looks like Yue might also be dropping some points, I'm afraid," she added, watching the developing situation on the display boards down in the hall. The complications in the center had not resolved to Yue's advantage, and as a result, Joo Dee had stopped Yue's advance on the right flank. The game now seemed to be hanging in the balance, with Joo Dee gaining slight initiative as they approached the fortieth move and the clock reset. Zuko was also unexpectedly struggling against Haru, and their game looked set to progress past the fortieth move. By that time, Piandao and Jeong-Jeong had won their respective games, which meant that only three out of the six matches on display continued past the reset of the timing clocks.
"Can one of you tell me how Zuko is doing?" Sokka asked. "And whether this will take much longer?" Katara understood full well why Sokka was asking, because Kya was clearly becoming very restless now that she was out of snacks.
"I won't be surprised if Zuko and Haru agreed on a draw soon," Azula said. "Or Yue and Joo Dee, for that matter," she added a little bitterly.
"She's trying her best, Zula," Katara spoke softly. Yue had managed to even out the situation on the board and now in the endgame she had regained the advantage. But Katara had spotted at least a few occasions where Yue had once again missed the optimal move, and as a result, it appeared that Joo Dee was going to escape with a draw.
The remaining games then ended in short succession around the fiftieth move. At first, On Ji forced her opponent, a local master from Ba Sing Se, to resign. Then Yue was forced to offer Joo Dee a draw because there no longer was a clear path to victory, an offer that was eagerly accepted. And finally, Zuko managed to successfully stymy Haru's active pieces, forcing crucial tile exchanges and also ending their game in a draw.
"So, is Zuko going to be in a good or bad mood after this?" Sokka asked.
"I would imagine that he expected to win that game," Katara replied. "But he never really had a shot at a win."
"Zuko will definitely be angry, you can expect that," Azula snorted.
"I think Yue will probably be disappointed with herself," Katara sighed.
"That's good," Azula shrugged. "She should be."
"Azula, be reasonable, we all knew she might be pretty rusty," Katara said. She really didn't want to see Azula tearing into Yue just because the return hadn't gone as well as they had all hoped. "After all, we know that it's not so much about how you start, but how you finish."
"Okay, fine, but she better shake that rust off quickly, because we can't mollycoddle her for too long," Azula groaned as they began to make their way to the exit. Yue and Zuko would probably be ambushed by the press anyway, so they would likely have to wait for their loved ones.
"This was just the first round," Katara shook her head. "I hear what you're saying, but it's important that we don't overreact."
"I suppose that's fair," Azula agreed, if a little reluctantly. She didn't press the argument any further as they ended up standing by their car, Sokka and Kya coming to wait with them.
"Are you coming tomorrow as well, Sokka?" Katara asked. Matches would be played for three days in a row, with a day off following the third round.
"We haven't decided yet," Sokka replied. "But I'd like to see at least one more game before we have to leave," he said, picking Kya up and lifting her onto his shoulders. "Are you excited to go and see grandpa, kiddo?" Sokka asked, laughing.
"Yes!" Kya exclaimed, looking excited. "Grandpa promised we'll go see the reindeer!"
"That sounds very exciting," Katara smiled, trying to hide the mild sadness she felt at being unable to go to Cape Kuruk this year. The tournament was too crucial for her to abandon Yue right now, even if she wanted to be with her dad during the winter holidays. After Katara and Sokka had lost their grandmother to complications from pneumonia four years ago, Hakoda was left all alone in Cape Kuruk. Katara hated it, but her father stubbornly refused any of her attempts to entice him to come to Ba Sing Se. Hakoda was just too deeply entrenched in the community of Cape Kuruk. He was now sixty-three, but showed no intentions of retiring from the job he had come to love, serving as the local park ranger.
"We'll plan Yue's tournament schedule for the next year so that we can visit both Hakoda and Arnook for winter holidays," Azula said thoughtfully. Katara felt deeply touched upon realizing that Azula felt bad about her and Yue being cut off from their fathers. Yue's relationship with her dad was still not as warm as Katara's relationship with Hakoda, but they were certainly on much better terms than six years ago.
"Don't worry about it, Kat," Sokka smiled at her. "Kya and I will keep dad good company. He understands that you have to be with Yue this year. Also, I trust that you'll throw another amazing Winter Solstice party at your place. That's an important tradition as well."
"That's true," Azula nodded. "I know that helping Yue should be our focus, but we need to find some time to start organizing the party as well."
"Absolutely," Katara agreed happily. "The first off day we get, we'll start making some arrangements. Anyway," she pointed at Yue and Zuko approaching them, neither of them looking very happy. "As you said, let's first make sure that our wife doesn't become too discouraged by this little stumble…"
It hadn't been easy for Azula to rein in some of the harsher criticisms she had for Yue's play in the first round, but with Katara's warning words ringing in her ears, Azula had held herself back a little. Azula had also realized that Yue was starting to get down on herself, which was not a mindset that was going to help her going forward. So, Azula had instead done her best to focus on the positives, and she had pointed out only the most important criticisms that she believed shouldn't be glossed over. Much to Azula's relief, by the time they retired to bed at the end of the first competition day, Yue seemed to be in better spirits and with her confidence on the rise.
Yue had played considerably better the next day, even if her opposition had been weaker than Joo Dee, one of the local Ba Sing Se masters, included in the tournament mostly just to make up the numbers. Yue had won in less than forty moves, meeting with Azula's approval, because they all knew that it was important to conserve strength. Yue had been only one of the two competitors who had scored victories, with Zuko also winning over On Ji, the rest of the games ending in ties. It meant that at the end of the second round, Yue was sharing the tournament lead with three other competitors.
In the third round, most of the tournament favorites were facing considerably weaker opposition with all of them scoring easy wins. The game of the round was Toph's matchup against Haru Tamang, which ended with Toph winning in an epic struggle. Yue had been well prepared for her match with the currently highest ranked Water Tribe player, Siku Ikuma. Siku was obviously highly motivated to defend her right to call herself the currently best player hailing from the Water Tribes. Her game had progressed by leaps and bounds over the past few years, so Azula knew that Yue was in for a real battle. The prediction had come true, and after a seesaw battle that could have gone either way, the two Water Tribe women had taken sixty-eight moves before agreeing on a spirited draw.
As the tournament off day finally arrived, Jeong-Jeong Kaneko, Piandao Mori and Zuko Nakamura were leading the tournament with 2,5 points each. Yue was trailing a mere half a point behind, and Azula had to admit that two out of three possible points was not a bad start. Yue had always been a slow starter in longer tournaments, Azula remembered that from as far back as their early junior years. It stood to reason that Yue would play herself into form as the tournament progressed.
Yue would face a much stiffer challenge in the fourth round, going up against Jeong-Jeong. The elderly grandmaster from the Fire Nation was aging like fine wine, and had been playing some of his best Pai Sho over the past few years. Azula, Katara and Yue had spent most of the morning and early parts of the afternoon in picking apart some of the recent games by Jeong-Jeong and trying to come up with a strategy to confound him. Azula and Katara had discovered that Jeong-Jeong usually didn't cope well with the Omashu Variation, especially if the opponent selected double Knotweed at the expense of no Boat accent tiles. They were quite confident that by using their finely tuned strategy, Yue stood a good chance of springing a surprise on the old grandmaster.
With their preparations for the next round of play complete, it was finally time to occupy themselves with something more fun and relaxing. "I think we should spend some time brainstorming ideas for our Winter Solstice party," Katara said once they had settled down comfortably on the sofa in the downstairs living room. "There really isn't much time left for planning, after all." They had already agreed to host the party on the evening of the sixth round of play, with an off-day following to help everyone recover. This meant that their Winter Solstice party would be held three days before the actual solstice, but this was the best they could manage without upsetting Yue's tournament preparations.
"I guess we should start by making an invite list," Yue said. "I've already mentioned the idea to some of our friends and they all seemed receptive. Since it's, you know, our usual thing that everyone takes for granted anyway."
"Well, it has become a tradition, I suppose," Azula admitted, reaching out to grab a pen and a notebook from the nearby TV stand. "Alright, I know that she's not a regular at our parties, but this year I really want to invite Kiyi. She's been pestering me about it for weeks."
"Of course, Kiyi is always welcome," Yue smiled, Katara nodding in agreement. Azula quickly added the name of Kiyi Noren to the list. At twenty-four years of age, Kiyi was going through some harsh turmoil in her life. With punk rock having been in decline for the past three years, Kiyi's band had fallen apart and her music career had collapsed and flatlined. She'd made some awful choices while trying to remain in the headlines of the music press, including terrible and abusive relationships and out of control drug use. It was now roughly a year since Kiyi was out of rehab, and she'd been trying desperately to rebuild her life, studying to become a music teacher. Kiyi had become almost unrecognizably prim and proper after the rehab, and Azula often struggled with the urge to make fun of Kiyi's transformation, but she was also trying her hardest to be there for her stepsister.
"Okay, my turn," Katara raised her hand. "Of course, Suki is a must. I already mentioned the idea to her yesterday and I know she's eager to attend. I suspect that after what happened with Jet, Suki probably wants in on anything that will allow her to get drunk and forget herself," Katara added with a sigh.
"I'm not surprised," Azula nodded, putting Suki's name down on the list. Jet had left Ba Sing Se at the start of December, taking the several days long train ride to Yue Dao without offering much in the way of explanation to his friends. Azula assumed that Suki probably knew more, because she had mentioned speaking with Jet before his abrupt departure. It didn't seem that Suki had found Jet's reasons for leaving particularly compelling, because she appeared very bitter and angry, and in permanent need of a stiff drink. Azula wasn't sure what to make of that particular situation. Because of Jet's reputation as a bit of a player, Azula was surprised that he and Suki had stayed together for more than six years in the first place. Azula knew that Jet struggled with his health issues, and he often became very brooding when reminiscing about the war. Perhaps it wasn't so surprising that the lure of his old haunting grounds had proved impossible to resist.
"Right, I guess it's me next," Yue said. "I was going to say Aang, but Azula, I think you will obviously want to invite Mai." Azula nodded at that. "So, how should we handle this?" Yue asked.
"Why don't we just invite them both?" Katara asked. "As far as I know, they're still on friendly terms. They're just on a break, I guess?"
"Yes, but if you're thinking about coming up with some scheme to bring them back together, just drop it, love," Azula sighed. "With the way Aang has been pushing for kids, and with how strongly opposed Mai is to that, I don't see them getting back together."
"But do we invite them both?" Yue asked. "If we invite just Mai, then Aang will be very upset."
"Why don't we invite them both, but we also mention that their spouse might be present as well," Katara offered. "Maybe one of them will refuse to attend."
"That sounds like an acceptable compromise," Azula nodded. "We shall put the question to Aang tomorrow at the tournament, and after that, I will give Mai a call."
"Sounds good," Yue smiled. "Okay, your turn next, Zula. Let me guess, Zuko?"
"Yes, of course," Azula shrugged. "He already expects the invite, so he's as good as confirmed. I wouldn't want him to stew alone back at the estate and become even more bitter."
"That's true," Katara nodded. "With Sokka and Kya leaving today, he'll probably feel rather miserable, but we'll take good care of your brother, Zula."
"But we're also not taking any of his attitude if he starts making some comments about my return to competition," Yue said a little warily. Azula bit back a frown at the comment. She didn't think that Yue was trying to discourage her from inviting Zuko, but she could also understand why Yue wasn't quite as excited to have Zuko at the party.
"Of course, we aren't," Katara agreed. "Okay, I know that Toph has been a bit insufferable as of late, but we still have to invite her and Teo. Especially for Teo's sake. I'm really worried about how rarely he wants to leave the house these days."
"I've spoken with him, and he seems to prefer it that way," Yue shrugged. "But sure, let's invite them. But the same concern as with Zuko applies. Toph is on a short leash with me."
"Again, I think that's fair," Azula nodded. "Anyway, more guest ideas, Yue?"
"Yes, actually, I've been thinking," Yue said thoughtfully. "If Aang turns down the invitation, with Jet in Yu Dao and Sokka in Cape Kuruk, we'll only have Zuko and Teo in a party full of women. And while obviously there's nothing wrong with that, maybe we can even the numbers a little? I was thinking that we could ask Haru to attend?"
"I suppose," Azula shrugged. "He's not exactly the eligible bachelor type if you want to play matchmaker, though."
"Maybe Yue thought that either Suki or Mai could do with a hookup," Katara chuckled.
"Ugh, your mind is so twisted and perverted, Kat," Yue frowned. "I love it," she added, grinning broadly.
"I mean, we can invite him, and since he's probably a bit bored by himself in Ba Sing Se, I'm sure he'll agree to attend," Azula said. "But I really don't see him as Mai's type, not even for a one-night stand."
"Yeah, but Aang wasn't really Mai's type either and they lasted for a good while," Katara pointed out. "But I wouldn't want to see Suki hooking up with Haru either. And why do we even assume that hooking up is going to happen? Almost everyone is in a stable relationship. We don't necessarily want to encourage anything like that."
"Exactly," Azula nodded. "But I'm still going to watch Haru like a hawk, just for Kiyi's sake. She's not allowed to hook up with an older, married guy."
"Oh, definitely not," Katara shook her head. "We won't let that happen."
"Anyway, Azula it's your turn to suggest more guests," Yue said. "And by the way, I'm all out of ideas."
"Me too," Katara smiled. "Because I'm pretty sure that Azula is going to suggest Ty Lee and Jin."
"That was such an obvious guess," Azula snorted. "Ty Lee has been bugging me all this past week already. She's already roped her mom and one of her sisters to babysit Lee for the night. Those two can't wait to come over and do some wild partying."
"And they absolutely deserve to cut loose," Katara grinned. "Ty Lee has been working so hard all year. She's been my rock at the hospital. And Jin is a hard worker as well. If they want to go wild at our party, I will heartily encourage them."
"Same here," Yue smiled. "I think that list of party guests looks really solid, wouldn't you say? Another task expertly handled by the amazing lesbian threesome."
"Is there anything we're not great at?" Katara laughed. "Anyway, we have the whole evening left free. Suggestions on what to do?"
"How about a movie?" Azula asked. "I have a really good one in mind that I think you both will love."
"Oh really?" Yue asked, looking both excited, but also a tiny bit skeptical. "What's it called and what is it about?"
"It's called The Shining," Azula replied. "A heartwarming tale about a family rebuilding an abandoned hotel, and having all sorts of wild encounters."
"That sounds… interesting?" Katara said uncertainly. "I mean, you wouldn't try to lure us into yet another horror movie, would you? We're not likely to fall for it twice."
"Oh, I would never dare to try that trick twice," Azula said, trying to keep her face straight as she did so. "I know that if I did anything like that, you two would punish me harshly in the bedroom, and that would be just awful."