"Mo- Ezani!"

Ezani glanced up, a smile reflexively breaking out on her face as she turned to see Azula approaching. She raised an eyebrow at the trail of three kids following her with curiosity in their eyes barring a small girl being dragged by Azula. All the same, Ezani covered her dough and walked from behind her stall to crouch in front of it. She opened her arms and Azula released the girl she'd been tugging and ran into her for a tight hug.

"Hi Azula," Ezani said kissing her forehead. "How's your day been?"

"Awesome," the little firebender declared. "I beat Zuko in another spar!"

"There was a stick!" the boy behind her objected immediately. "It doesn't count!"

"A good bender is always aware of their sur-round-ings," Azula lectured glancing at Ezani. The older woman smiled warmly, nodding in approval to her vocabulary. Azula beamed at her.

"Well it's nice to meet you Prince Zuko," Ezani extended her hand and he shook it very seriously."Azula talks about you."

"She does?" asked Zuko.

"Yup," Azula agreed. "Ezani knows how bad you are at guessing games."

"Azula!"

Ezani laughed turning her attention to the two silent girls.

"And who might you little ladies be?"

"This is Ty Lee!" Azula said grabbing the girl she'd been dragging. Ty Lee smiled shyly from behind Azula attempting to use her as a shield between herself and Ezani.

Ezani tilted her head at this and proceeded to fully sit on the ground, crossing her legs as she did. She sent the girl an encouraging smile watching as the younger girl became more relaxed. Ty Lee smiled back.

"That's Mai," Zuko said pointing at the other girl whose eyes were focused on the bread stand with curiosity.

"Would you like to try?"

Mai glanced up at her in confusion.

"Try?"

"Making bread!" Azula told her before looking at Ezani. "Can we make cinnamon rolls? Please, please, please- I can show them how to do it!"

"Of course Fire Lily," Ezani said with a smile.

"Yay!"

Azula dragged them towards the stand and Ezani stood up following them behind it. She smiled aa Azula lectured her friends on the importance of washing their hands first before they could do anything and then showed them how to knead dough.

She stifled her laughter at how serious Azula was taking her role as a teacher. As usual, her prideful little flower couldn't help but show off a little putting the freshly kneaded dough aside and raiding the little cubby in the stand for already risen dough. After slamming a fist into the top of it, Azula passed out parts of the dough and started in on rolling it.

"She's going to do her fire trick," Ezani muttered chuckling.

Sure enough, after the children had finished covering the rolls with brown sugar and various seeds, Azula launched a flame at the rolls and Ezani laughed at the distressed cries of her friends.

Azula then stopped moving.

She trembled and started sweating very quickly but she managed to get a full 3 seconds of flame without having to go through her motions.

"Wow," said Zuko in awe. "Can I do that?"

"Yeah but it's super hard," Azula told him.

"So we can't have the cinnamon rolls right now?" Ty Lee asked pouting. "But I'm hungry!"

That's my cue.

Ezani finally opened one of her boxes full of bread she always had in preparation for Azula getting hungry as she usually did. Although she didn't have ones with all the nuts they liked, she had experimented with and managed blueberry cinnamon rolls. She smiled at the kids cheering at being presented their new snack.

"These are yummy," mumbled Mai before her eyes fell on a little yellow fluffball resting in a little cardboard box beneath the stand nestled into the blankets surrounding it. "What's that?"

"M'at's Ducky," Azula said around her roll.

"Azula, swallow then questions," Ezani scolded lightly.

"Sorry 'zani."

The woman chuckled and decided against scolding her again watching Azula obediently swallow her cinnamon roll before regaling all of her friends about Ducky and her latest escapades. Such as Azula and Ducky getting into Ezani's jars and dumping all of her yeast in the mud.

Ezani remembered that incident - she'd been able to replace everything and honestly, she'd needed to start a new recipe anyway, but Azula had looked completely horror-strick. Ezani had been worried for a brief period that she wouldn't come back but thankfully, Azula had eventually showed up clutching Ducky in her hands asking guiltily if they were still allowed to stay. Ezani had merely offered her a bit of sweetbread and ushered her to her usual spot for a stoey. Listening to her now, a hint of guilt still crept into Azula's retelling, the little girl occasionally glancing at Ezani as if ensuring she wasn't upset.

Ezani merely sent her an encouraging smile.

Finally Ty Lee yawned and laid on Azula's shoulder, pressing her entire weight against her friend.

"Oh right," Azula blinked. "Ty Lee has a naptime."

"So do you. You just don't nap," Zuko told her. Azula stuck her tongue out at him.

"Time to go then?" Ezani asked.

"Yes, I'm sorry," Mai said straightening up as if to be more grown up. "Mother will get worried if I'm not back for naptime."

"Understandable miss Mai. How very responsible of you."

The girl preened. Azula glared at her and proceeded to sulk.

Ezani kissed her on the forehead and she perked right back up smiling.

"I know you're very responsible too Zuzie."

Azula blushed a bit and shook Ty Lee awake taking her friend by the hand. She led her over to Ezani and hugged her leg.

"Bye Mommy," she mumbled.

Azula trekked off presumably taking Ty Lee home with her brother politely excusing himself and followed after her with Mai.

Ezani glanced at Ducky who was still cuddled in her blankets snoozing away.

"I like your suggestion for this afternoon's activities Ducky."