Chapter 16
Azula had been looking forward to the return to Ember Island all summer. After all, on top of it being a gorgeous tropical island and the most sought-after vacation spot in the world, it was also the place of her greatest triumph, and the place where her father had finally been brought low. It was the middle of August, and the days were starting to grow a little shorter, and the heat was starting to become milder, but Katara and Yue were still being ridiculous, always talking about how hot it was outside, making Azula roll her eyes.
After returning to Ba Sing Se during the first week of July, Azula and her wives had taken things slow for the rest of the summer. It wasn't complacency in the wake of Yue's first tournament win, rather than the realization that they didn't have to continue pushing the prep very hard. There were plenty of things about Yue's game that required fine tuning and there were always all kinds of innovations they tried to introduce in Yue's game, but they also felt comfortable going from five or six hours of practice a day to two or three hours every evening. At this point, keeping Yue fresh and relaxed made more sense than seriously pushing the practice. Right now, it was the others who needed to respond and catch up, and Azula knew that Zuko, Aang and Toph had really stepped up their preparations during the summer.
Following her victory in Omashu, Yue was even more in demand than before. Her popularity was on the rise and there was more and more fan mail arriving in the mailbox of their Ba Sing Se estate every morning. And it wasn't just the Pai Sho or general sports magazines who wrote about Yue. She was also receiving some mainstream press exposure back in Ba Sing Se. Chatter about Yue's chances of taking the title next September was picking up in strength. Even if Azula also considered Yue a strong contender, she thought that this chatter was very premature since Yue hadn't as of yet assured her qualification. Fortunately, she and Katara didn't have to worry about such talk getting to Yue's head. Their wife remained as grounded as ever, and the rise of her popularity and additional sponsorships she had picked up had done nothing to change her approach.
With their workload greatly lessened over the past six weeks, Katara had decided to stop by her hospital, and she had been roped in to help during the summer vacation period while many of the leading specialists were desperate to take some time off. Azula felt rather conflicted about this decision, because Katara's days at the hospital were long and exhausting, and it made her less sharp for their Pai Sho practice in the evenings. However, Azula was also happy that Katara had gone back, because it meant that she had overcome her crisis of confidence in her own abilities following the unsuccessful surgery and the resulting court case, that by now had been dismissed in all possible instances. Azula knew that saving her life had been that defining moment which had restored Katara's belief in herself. For this reason alone, Azula would have been happy to get shot.
Her injury had healed well. Aside from the occasional pinprick of sharp pain now and then, Azula would have forgotten that she had even sustained a gunshot wound. Of course, there was also the ugly scar marring the side of her abdomen. Azula couldn't wait to be given the clearance by the resident medical expert to get a tattoo. Katara had said something about the end of August, which made Azula wonder about the timing because it would be around the time of her birthday. Perhaps she would be allowed to get a tattoo for her birthday? Since her big day was due during the Ember Island tournament, Azula had already called several tattoo parlors around the island to inquire about all the available options.
With Katara spending a lot of time at the hospital, this had left Azula and Yue searching for things do throughout their mornings and afternoons. The answer had come in the form of an invitation to spend time on a movie set for a motion picture based on Azula's book. Azula and Yue had both jumped at the opportunity, especially after they had been promised to be credited as Pai Sho consultants. It had been a really fun experience mingling with the people from the movie industry, even if some of them had been almost as arrogant as Azula in her early days when she was still under her father's wing. Azula thought that the actress playing her was beautiful and very talented, but also incredibly annoying. Yue had laughed at that, claiming that it just proved that the casting was perfect. Azula still wasn't sure how to take that comment.
In short, after a busy summer, purposefully kept light on Pai Sho, the throuple were ready and eager to jump back in, hyped for the Ember Island tournament. Of course, they were not the only ones excited about a visit to the tropical island. Most of the Pai Sho elite had confirmed their participation in the event, so the competition was certain to be fierce. The only top player absent was Toph, who by her own admission disliked the Ember Island. Everyone else was present, and Zuko was bringing not only Sokka and Kya, but Ty Lee, Jin and Lee were accompanying them as well. They had rented a lovely beach bungalow for themselves, making Azula experience slight regret about not having done the same, but she was happy with their hotel suite. As always, Suki was present to cover the event, and this time Mai was accompanying her full time, having declared that if everyone was taking an Ember Island vacation, then she deserved one as well. It all meant that with the exception of Toph and Teo, the lineup of their friends was also almost complete, promising a fun couple of weeks on the island.
Unfortunately for the throuple, the relaxed fun times had to be set aside immediately upon their arrival on the Ember Island. The draw had not been kind to Yue and her opponent in the first round was to be Zhao Sakamoto. This meant that Yue needed to be very well prepared to hit the ground running. They'd arrived two days before the start of the tournament, and a full day after their arrival they still hadn't been down to the beach because they had been pushing the prep like mad.
"I think we're overdoing it with all these defensive openings," Yue sighed after Azula had reset the board one more time. It was getting late in the evening, and with the opening ceremony of the tournament scheduled for nine in the morning, it was probably time to wrap up their practice.
"You really think so?" Katara wondered. "I thought that because you played so aggressively in Omashu, Zhao might go for one of the defensive openings."
"I don't think so, not here on Ember Island," Yue shook her head. "The Fire Nation grandmasters all play far more attacking style on their home soil. They think the others are going to be slowed down by the heat and they're not entirely wrong to expect that."
"Don't start making excuses already," Azula said.
"I'm not making excuses," Yue snapped. She seemed to have less patience than usually. Azula began to wonder if perhaps they had pushed the prep a little too hard. "But we've already gone through so much, and also, we still have all those tips and tricks by your uncle to use against Zhao. It's going to be more than enough, trust me. Zhao is going down tomorrow."
"I have no reason not to believe you," Azula smiled encouragingly.
"Yes, we believe in you all the way, you know that," Katara agreed, reaching out to squeeze Yue's hand. "I think it's going to be an amazing tournament. I'm excited to have all of our friends who're not into Pai Sho with us for once."
"I know you're especially happy to have Sokka and Kya here with us," Yue smiled, squeezing Katara's hand in return. "I think their presence will give me a boost as well."
"Are they joining us in the stands tomorrow?" Azula asked, looking at Katara.
"Only Sokka," Katara replied. "Why would anyone want Kya to sit inside for four hours, watching a game she doesn't understand, when there's a beach to play at. She'll have way more fun getting up to all sorts of mischief with Lee. Hopefully Jin and Ty can keep track of them."
"I suppose you're right about that," Azula nodded. "Unsurprisingly, I have no idea what normal children consider fun. My childhood was very different from Kya's." Katara and Yue exchanged stares at that, both of them looking uncertain as to what to say to that. "Anyway, I didn't mean to bring down the mood," Azula said hastily. "I think we agreed to wrap up the practice. How about we polish off this bottle of wine before bed? There's just enough left for a small glass each."
Azula was glad to see the mood in the room shifting immediately at her suggestion.
Yue was angrier than she had been in a long while following the first round of play. She had tried various strategies to break down Zhao's resistance, but he had always managed to find the right counterplay, and then late in the endgame, Yue had committed her first error of the game and Zhao had immediately pounced and capitalized on it. What hurt the most was knowing that she had actually played well, perhaps better than in some of the Omashu games which she had won, and yet she still had nothing to show for it.
Adding to her bad mood was finding out that her friends had done just as badly, with Zuko having been mauled by Piandao, and Aang losing to a resurgent Jeong-Jeong. As Yue had predicted, the Fire Nation grandmasters were striking back on their home soil. Starting a tournament with a loss always set a bad tone for the whole event, and now all three of them had gotten off to a poor start. It was particularly annoying because the Ember Island tournament was supposed to also serve as a fun vacation for family and friends, but with them all starting poorly, there wasn't going to be much to celebrate.
"Ugh, I'm just so mad!" Yue exclaimed heatedly as she walked the short distance down the marina back towards the hotel, with Azula and Katara tailing her. She had already subjected her wives to an angry rant a few minutes ago, but she still couldn't calm down.
"Yes, I believe you said so before," Azula remarked calmly. "Why are you having such a reaction to this particular loss? I mean, you played well."
"I agree," Katara nodded. "Your level of play was still encouraging."
"I'm not disappointed with my level of play," Yue sighed. "Our prep was flawed."
"So, what? You're angry with us?" Azula asked incredulously.
"Yue, if we did something wrong during the prep, you should have told us," Katara spoke calmly. "Azula and I aren't here to bully and force you into accepting our ideas. We're trying to find something that works for you and plays to your strengths."
"Ugh, no, I'm not angry with you, and Kat, you're not pushing me into anything. I'm explaining myself poorly. Or rather, I'm not explaining myself at all," Yue said, coming to a halt. She sighed, leaning in against the railing and spending a moment to stare at the calming waters of the harbor. It worked wonders in helping her calm down. "I think we focused too much on all those tips and tricks that your uncle showed you so that we could use them against Zhao," Yue said.
"How do you mean that?" Azula asked. She didn't sound upset, but rather curious.
"The problem is that these tips and tricks work only in very specific situations, right?" Yue replied. "When I was playing Zhao just now, instead of playing my game, I was instead trying to create these specific situations where I could then trap Zhao. And I just kept tripping myself up with that."
"That actually makes a lot of sense," Katara said. "I'm sorry we didn't realize that it might create this issue."
"No, actually… this is why I'm so mad," Yue sighed. "I did realize that it might create an issue."
"Why didn't you say anything?" Azula asked, sounding a little frustrated now.
"I don't know!" Yue shrugged helplessly. "I just… I don't know. You two were so excited about these ideas, and I just couldn't… it's stupid, right?"
"It's incredibly stupid," Azula groaned. "What's wrong with you? Do you want to win the world title or not? Katara and I need feedback if we're to assist you to the best of our ability!"
"She's right, Yue," Katara added. "If you think that our suggestions aren't working, you need to tell us. Our feelings won't be hurt by that, it's a normal working process. You have to be more assertive or we'll end up exerting way too much energy on something that doesn't work."
"I know! I know…" Yue sighed, shaking her head. "I'm usually better than this. And I do tell you these things, right?" Katara and Azula both nodded at that. "I don't know why I was so reluctant to dismiss your ideas this time. I think perhaps it was because they came from Iroh and Azula went through an extra effort to acquire this information."
"We clearly need to work on your assertiveness," Azula snorted. "You need to be able to cut through this kind of sentimentality."
"Besides, it's not like the information Azula learned is useless," Katara pointed out. "We just went the wrong way about using it. We shouldn't have built our tactics around it. It should have been left as something that you keep in mind, just in case there's an opportunity to use it."
"Exactly," Yue nodded. "Well, I guess we've learned a valuable lesson, after all. Anyway, let's head back to the hotel," she said, pulling away from the railing. "We have a lot of work ahead of us."
"We have Aang tomorrow," Azula shrugged. "You already know how to play him. But I suppose he'll be very motivated after his own loss, so maybe we should do a refresher on our tactics."
"That sounds like a good idea," Katara nodded. "But perhaps we don't need to prep all day. It would be lovely to spend some time at the beach with the others."
"Well, that's not going to happen," Yue spoke sternly, causing Katara to gape at her with surprise. "Until I score my first win of the tournament, there will be no fooling around at the beach. We're here to focus on winning the tournament, do I make myself clear?"
"Umm…" Katara stuttered, having been taken by complete surprise. "Of course, Yue. Azula and I will do whatever you feel is necessary for you to succeed."
"Relax, Kat," Yue gave her still surprised looking wife a broad grin. "Obviously, we should spend a few hours on the beach to unwind and reset. I was only practicing my assertiveness."
Katara sighed, while Azula began to laugh. "Alright, I'll admit, that was actually quite good," Azula nodded. "But that's how it should be. We're here for you, not the other way around. Remember that."
"I don't actually agree with that, Zula, not entirely," Yue smiled. "We're here for each other. And as long as we all remember that, I'm going to be very successful," she added, feeling relieved when she saw Azula and Katara both smiling and nodding in agreement.
"Well," Aang began as he and Mai stood just outside a local solicitor's office. "That wasn't as painful as I thought it might be."
"Indeed," Mai nodded in agreement. "So, how did you find out about it?" she asked, referring to Aang's suggestion to get the divorce matters sorted out while they were on Ember Island. Ember Island had very loose legislation not only when it came to gambling and drinking, but also to both getting married and divorced.
"Uh, On Ji told me that Ember Island is kind of known as the divorce paradise in the Fire Nation," Aang blushed.
Mai burst into uncharacteristic laughter. "Well, that one will have her claws in you much more firmly than I ever cared to," she snorted.
"I don't really mind," Aang shrugged.
"I know you don't," Mai replied. "Anyway, since this wasn't a hostile separation, I feel like I should wish you good luck."
"Thanks," Aang smiled. "And I wish you good luck with Suki. I think you make for a cute couple."
"Suki and I aren't really a couple," Mai said quickly. Aang gave her a very dubious stare. "Okay, fine… I suppose we are. We just haven't bothered with definitions. Ugh, why am I even trying to explain this to you?"
"You don't have to, of course," Aang agreed amicably. "But I hope we can remain in touch and be around our group of friends without feeling uncomfortable." Mai merely shrugged at that. "I mean, I'm fine seeing you with Suki. And I hope it won't bother you if On Ji becomes a part of the group."
"Do you really think I would care about that?" Mai scoffed.
"I guess not," Aang admitted. "But also, you wouldn't tell me even if you did care. And that kind of was the problem with us."
"Also true," Mai admitted. "Anyway," she said, looking a little impatient to head off. "I should run. Enjoy your newfound freedom, though I feel like it will be very short."
"I certainly hope so," Aang grinned. "Be well, Mai. And thank you for not making this difficult," he said. Mai nodded, turning around to leave, and Aang did the same soon after. He felt considerably lighter, so perhaps this unresolved matter had been hanging over him more than he had cared to admit. And perhaps it had even affected his Pai Sho form. Having lost to Yue earlier in the day and having started the tournament with two defeats, there was nowhere else for him to go but up. Aang was ready to turn a new page, and this seemed like a good start.
The contests of the third round had concluded favorably for Yue, Aang and Zuko. Yue had been forced to work very hard for her win against Jeong-Jeong, while Aang had finally scored his first points of the tournament by destroying Haru. Adding to the good mood among the group of friends was the fact that On Ji had held Zhao to a draw, taking the wind out of his sails. With the tournament off-day ahead of them, Katara was delighted to spend the entire afternoon on the beach, putting all thoughts about Pai Sho aside for another day.
Ty Lee and Jin were already there and busy having fun as the threesome arrived at the beach. The pair seemed to literally live on the beach ever since their arrival on the island, looking after Kya and Lee, and making sure that the kids didn't get into too much trouble. Sokka showed up a little later, having spent the morning together with Katara and Azula, cheering for Zuko, Yue and Aang.
"Where is Zuko?" Azula asked, noticing that Sokka had arrived alone.
"Aang showed up and they started talking Pai Sho again," Sokka sighed. "I left them sitting at the board and arguing."
"Well, that's annoying," Jin frowned. "Zuko promised to join us. He said he would leave the practice for tomorrow." Sokka shrugged helplessly at that.
"Yes, we need him for beach volleyball," Azula nodded, looking annoyed. "Though I suppose that's not happening until Suki and Mai show up."
"They probably need a bit more time until Suki finishes her report," Katara pointed out.
"Still, Zuko promised he would be here, so he better wrap things up with Aang quickly," Ty Lee said, looking disappointed. "Or else, we'll just go back to the cottage and forcibly drag him and Aang here."
"The Pai Sho bug is hard to resist when it bites you," Yue smiled, looking over at Ty Lee and Jin, admiring their impressive tans. "So, how has beach been treating you? Have you gotten up to any ty-jinks, perhaps?" Yue asked with a giggle.
"Oh, nice one!" Sokka exclaimed, giving Yue an appreciative nod and raising his hand for a high-five.
"Agni, I had forgotten what happens if Yue and Sokka are anywhere near one another," Azula groaned. "We might need to call upon the pun police." Katara burst into laughter at that.
"And what would the pun police do with us?" Sokka asked. "Put us in a punitentiary?" Yue laughed out loud, exchanging another high-five with Sokka.
"Officer! Officer!" Azula shouted. "My ears are being viciously assaulted by terrible Water Tribe punsters!"
"Alright, if we could all just calm down with the puns," Katara said, attempting to bring some semblance of order to the chaos that was their group of friends.
"That would be great," Jin agreed. She then looked at Azula. "Hey, Azula, have you read the morning papers?" Azula shook her head. "You might want to check page three," Jin said, tossing the newspaper over to Azula.
Azula quickly browsed the relevant page. Katara watched her wife's brow furrowing as she quickly speed read the article. "I see," was all Azula said as she set the newspaper aside.
"Well, what was it about?" Katara asked impatiently as she and Yue reached for the newspaper at the same time, almost bumping their foreheads together. Yue shuffled close to Katara as together they tracked down the article Azula had been reading. It was a summary of the judge's verdict in the attempted murder case that Joo Dee had committed against Azula. "Eight years seems almost too lenient. I would have tossed her behind the bars for at least fifteen," Katara scowled. She didn't like to think of herself as vengeful, at least not more so than the average person, but if someone tried to mess with her wives, she was in no mood to be forgiving.
"Also, it doesn't say without parole," Yue said. "So, she could probably cut a few years off from that for good behavior. I don't like it either. Maybe the prosecution could appeal the sentence?"
"Whatever," Azula shrugged. "I'm over it. I don't think she's going to try anything like that once she's released. I think it's unlikely that our paths will ever cross again." Katara opened her mouth to argue, but Azula quickly cut her off. "Anyway, I'm done talking about Joo Dee," Azula said. "I won't have that bitch ruin our beach day."
"Oh," Jin said, her face falling slightly. "I'm sorry I brought it up."
"Don't apologize, it's something I needed to know," Azula said. "It's just that I don't want to discuss it, that's all."
"We don't have to talk about it," Sokka said. "In fact, you can join our sand sculpture contest." Sokka had gone over to sit with Kya and Lee, and he was now working on his own creation next to the rather impressive sandcastle the kids had come up with all by themselves.
"I'll just admire your art from afar," Azula snorted, leaning back on her towel to bask in the afternoon sun. Katara and Yue did the same, enjoying the pleasing warmth of the sun and the cries of the gulls above their heads. They continued to sunbathe until Mai and Suki arrived, as always looking stunning in their swimsuits and shades.
"I was sure we would be late for our volleyball fun," Suki commented as she spread out a large towel for herself and Mai.
"We decided to wait for Zuko and you two," Ty Lee replied. "Although, I suppose we could have formed two teams already."
"Sure, but Sokka probably wants to play with Zuko," Jin pointed out. "Hmm, although I guess you two might now want to be on the same team, too. We could have a problem here because I want to be with Ty Lee."
"It's not a problem, you can split us up," Mai shrugged. "Besides, I usually play on Ty Lee's team, anyway."
"Certainly, and Suki usually plays with Zuko and Sokka," Ty Lee pointed out. "If you're both alright with that, then we'll be sorted. Now we just need Zuko. I'm giving him twenty more minutes before I'm dragging him to the beach by his ear if necessary."
"You have my permission to do that, Ty," Sokka laughed.
"That would be funny to see," Katara agreed as she got up from her towel to go and check out the sand sculptures up close. Azula got up to follow her, with Yue remaining behind, appearing to have fallen asleep.
"Impressive job, kids," Azula said, critically eyeing the sandcastle created by Kya and Lee. Katara had to admit that it had a lot of nice details, including a moat and a double line of fortifications.
"Thanks!" Kya beamed. "Dad said that the first prize is fifty yuan and we should ask you for it."
"Yes, can we have our money now?" Lee asked eagerly. "Our castle is much better than whatever Kya's dad is making."
"I don't have any money with me, you little extortionists," Azula sighed. "Anyway, we should check out Sokka's creation before we agree on the winner."
"I have no idea what that's supposed to be," Katara commented, staring at the strange shape of Sokka's creation.
"I think it bears an uncanny likeness with Zuko," Azula laughed.
"What?" Sokka blinked. "No, this is clearly the blob from the classic sci-fi horror movie, The Blob. How can you not see the resemblance?"
"Ah, it all makes so much sense now," Azula rolled her eyes. "You win the contest, kids. You're not getting fifty yuan, but I'll get you all the ice cream your parents allow you to eat tomorrow." Kya and Lee appeared very excited about their prize, breaking into a victory dance.
"Oh, and speaking of Zuko, there comes our lost sheep," Sokka said, pointing at the lone figure approaching them, Zuko wearing his red swim trunks and carrying a large cooler bag with him.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Zuko spoke hastily upon his arrival. "I didn't mean to get carried away. Here's all the wine I could find as an apology for being late," he said, pointing at the cooler.
"That's a good start," Azula nodded approvingly.
"By the way, where is Aang?" Katara asked. "Does he know that he can join us and bring On Ji with him?"
"I think so?" Zuko shrugged. "But I think Aang probably wanted to go for some romantic couples' stuff." Mai snorted dismissively at that. "Anyway, volleyball time?" Zuko asked eagerly.
"Sure," Katara nodded. "We just need to wake the sleepers." She walked over to Yue to gently shake her wife's shoulder. Yue looked adorably confused for a moment after opening her eyes, making Katara giggle softly.
Yue had to shake the sleep from her eyes quickly, however, because as always, their little volleyball rivalries became rather heated. Throughout the many summer vacations with their friends, they had really jelled as a team and so they had become formidable opponents who wouldn't roll over for anyone. Yue was not particularly athletic, but she was tall and covered the net well enough. Katara was nowhere near as agile as Azula, but the long hours of heavy work at the hospital had given Katara remarkable endurance, so she could chase and dig out the opponent's spikes without getting too exhausted. And if she or Yue managed to set Azula up for an attack, Azula's spikes usually made the other team miserable and scored a point.
Still, their opponents were just as formidable, so the lesbian throuple team ended up losing about as many sets as they won. Suki, Zuko and Sokka were just all-around good players and their team had no real weaknesses. Each match with them was a hard-fought slog for every point. Mai, Ty Lee and Jin were a less predictable team to play against. Ty Lee was a monster on defense, getting to balls she had no right to reach. Mai was incredibly sneaky at the net and often popped up from seemingly nowhere to block and score a quick point. Jin was the weaker link of the team. She wasn't at all a bad player, but if Azula could target Jin with her attacks, then Jin was rendered quite helpless.
In the end, nobody could agree on a clear winner in their little volleyball contest, and by then, Katara, Yue and a few others had already had enough of the game. Katara was desperate to wash off the sweat she'd worked up with a refreshing swim and they had hit the water, laughing and screaming like teenagers. After engaging the others in splashing wars, Katara and Yue once again swam way further out than the others dared to, as was their habit as the superior swimmers. Katara was relieved that Azula didn't try to follow them, because the one time she had attempted that, Katara and Yue had been forced to help her back to the shore. After that, Azula had simply accused them of having mermaid DNA and no longer tried to keep up with her Water Tribe wives.
After returning to the shore, Katara and Yue discovered that Jin had taken Kya and Lee back to their bungalow because the hour was already getting late, but the others had opened the bottles of wine provided by Zuko. The pair gratefully accepted their glasses of chilled wine, sitting down with their friends under the starry sky of an idyllic tropical island paradise.
"We should do this every summer," Ty Lee sighed dreamily, laying down on her towel and looking perfectly relaxed.
"We are doing this every summer, Ty Lee," Azula rolled her eyes. "We always synchronize our vacations."
"True," Ty Lee admitted. "But usually, we just stay at your uncle's estate by the Serpent Lake for a couple of weeks. And that's lovely, but I feel like maybe we should make the Ember Island retreat a tradition."
"Eh, I don't know about that," Sokka shrugged. "I'm enjoying myself, but most of the days are still too hot. I'm looking way more towards the winter holidays and celebrating New Year's Day up in Cape Kuruk."
"Ugh," Zuko groaned. "I hope you know that I only agreed to play in Agna Qel'a because I wanted Kya to spend time with her grandfather. And sure, it will be great to see Hakoda again."
"Yes, it's been way too long," Sokka admitted, his words making Katara experience a pang of sadness and nostalgia. Ever since Gran-Gran had passed away a couple of years ago, she had tried to convince her father to make the move to Ba Sing Se, but he was resisting her all the way, refusing to give up his roots in the local community. Hakoda was now sixty-three and he was eligible for retirement, but he showed no desire of quitting his job as the national park ranger. Katara had by now accepted that her father was staying in Cape Kuruk, and she missed him terribly. Just like Sokka, she couldn't wait for the winter and the return to Cape Kuruk.
"Tell me you don't have to cover the Agna Qel'a event," Mai turned towards Suki, lazily sipping her wine. "It's like your magazine doesn't have other reporters. This Agna Qel'a event sounds like a job for a trainee or something."
"Maybe not for a trainee, but yes, I am trying to wriggle out of that assignment," Suki nodded. Katara remarked that it had been interesting to observe Suki and Mai during the volleyball matches. They both tended to target each other, almost like a little contest within a contest. They'd found each other closely matched, which didn't surprise Katara in the slightest.
"Aang and Toph are playing in Agna Qel'a as well, aren't they, Zuzu?" Azula asked.
"I believe that was the plan," Zuko replied. "They can always withdraw, though. Aang in particular is reconsidering his schedule."
"I wonder why," Azula snorted. "He's so whipped. He was never so whipped with you, Mai."
"Because I didn't care to whip him?" Mai yawned boredly. "Effort." Suki laughed at that.
"Anyway, even if I don't have much prep left to do tomorrow, we should probably call it a night," Zuko said a while later.
"Aww, do we have to?" Ty Lee whined.
"It just seems unfair to leave Jin alone with the kids for so long," Sokka said. "What if Kya is having one of her hyper evenings and she's crawling up the walls and making Jin miserable?"
"Good point," Ty Lee admitted. "Let's head back. I don't want to end up in the doghouse."
"We'll just leave the rest of the wine with you," Zuko said as together with Sokka and Ty Lee they made their exit.
"It will be gone very quickly, Zuzu," Azula laughed tipsily at their retreat. "Won't it, girls?"
"Three more bottles?" Mai remarked, having checked the cooler. "Give us an hour and it'll be gone."
"This really is lovely," Katara remarked as she watched Azula push up a little closer to Yue. Katara did the same as they now wedged Yue in tightly between them. "Maybe Ty Lee really is onto something about making this a regular getaway," she sighed happily, leaning in against Yue's side. Despite this Pai Sho rivalry between Yue and Zuko, the evening had proved that their bonds of friendship were as strong as ever, and to Katara, the bode well for the future.