Sokka and Azula entered the tavern, both feeling uneasy. The place was crowded. And the people there looked anything but friendly. Most were men, drinking, gambling and yelling at each other. The Princess looked with disdain to everyone there and started walking to the counter, looking for Zirin. Before she reached there though, she felt someone pulling her close by her waist.
"Well, well… Aren't you the most beautiful thing?" Azula grimaced as she felt the guy's drunk breath on her face.
Azula's first impulse was to shoot a lightning at him for his insolence, but she was able to control herself. The last thing they needed was to catch people's attention there. And she knew she wasn't that unrecognizable.
"Let me go, idiotic freak..." She hissed, pushing him away.
He pulled her closer again.
"Come on, baby, don't be like this…" He smiled groggily to her.
Azula felt nauseous. But before she could do anything, the man was pushed away, bumping on a table behind him.
"Didn't you hear what she said? Let her go!" Sokka barked at the guy, standing in front of Azula.
The Princess just frowned at him, confused.
"Oh, look, she brought her hog monkey with her…" The guy laughed. "So, do you really want to fight me for this slut?"
Azula saw Sokka gritting his teeth as he glared at the guy, and when he was about to say anything back, she held him by the arm.
"What are you doing?" She whispered angrily to him. "We are trying to be discrete here!"
"But he is going to…" Sokka started, defensively, frowning at her. Really? She was mad at him?
Azula just cut him off.
"He is too drunk to do anything…" And she was right, the guy was struggling to keep himself up on his feet. "Come on…" She said, walking to the counter.
Sokka noticed more men looking at her, and for some reason that made him feel peculiarly angry. He got closer to Azula, and held her hand.
"What are you doing?" She glared at him.
"Stay close, dammit." He said harshly. "Can't you see this is not your usual royal tea party? People can be dangerous here! Especially those drunk men…" He whispered looking around.
"Don't be-"
"I'm serious, Azula!" Sokka scolded. "You are not doing the same shit you did that day! You simply walked away from me and got yourself into problem… Just… don't do that again!" He shook his head, frustrated.
Azula bit down her bottom lip and looked away, she couldn't help but feel a little bit ashamed. As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. She needed to be more careful. The Princess sighed.
"Fine…" She muttered. "Just come with me."
When they got to the counter, they realized they were still holding hands. Azula blushed and pulled it back, not bothering looking at his face.
"Can I help you?" An old bartender asked impatiently.
"I'd like a cup of tea…" Azula said absently, trying to see any sign of her friend.
Sokka then faked a laugh.
"She is funny, isn't she?" He said sarcastically to the man. "She meant whiskey. You can bring another for me." Sokka shook his head at her, once the man left. "You really forgot how to live outside of Palace, didn't you? Seriously, tea in a place like this?"
Azula's cheeks flushed. Okay, that was really stupid, she thought gritting her teeth, frustrated.
"I got distracted. I'm just trying to find Zirin." She muttered.
"How does she look like?"
Before she could answer, the bartender brought the drink.
"So, where are you guys from?" The man asked uninterested.
Azula's eyes widened when she heard Sokka answering the men, before she could even think of something to tell him.
"The colonies. We used to work in a farm out there, but now we decided to try to build our lives here in the capital." Sokka answered naturally, drinking from the glass. He couldn't help but feel a little proud of himself when he noticed Azula looking at him with some kind of admiration. You are not the only one who can lie, Princess.
"The colonies, I see…" The man said naturally, pouring whiskey in Azula's glass. However, when she raised her hand to hold up the drink, his eyes narrowed curiously. "So, you work in a farm?" Suddenly, he started looking carefully at her.
The Princess frowned.
"Well, I used to." She replied.
"Funny… I've never seen a farmworker with nice hands like these…" He laughed a little, giving her a suspicious look before leaving to take orders from other costumers.
Azula pulled her hands down, quickly. Sokka cursed himself. He was so stupid, he should have never agreed to this. He should have told Zuko this plan was too insane to play along. Clearly, it wouldn't take much time for these people to recognize her. And she seemed to think the same thing, because Sokka could see fear growing in her eyes. She was looking around, tense. He noticed her hands trembling, her eyes weird… like earlier that day. Great, if she lost control again like she did with him, things would get ugly.
"Okay, new plan, let's get the hell out of here." He spoke, nervously, standing up.
"No. Wait." Azula said as her eyes widened.
"Azula-"
"Look, it's her." She muttered.
Sokka followed Azula's eyes gaze to see a tall girl with a long braid staring back at them. She looked both startled and angry. The old bartender that talked to them was whispering something to her. She just nodded and started walking towards them.
"Good evening." She started out loud, glaring at Azula, but pretending she didn't know her. "Would you guys want a room for the night?" She forced a smile.
"Hi." Azula returned the glare and then forced a smile as well. "Sure, a room would be great."
The other woman nodded. "Follow me."
The three of them walked upstairs slowly. Sokka swallowed, feeling panic taking over him. Were they really going to trust this girl? What if it was some kind of trap? Was Azula planning something else he didn't know? He wanted to ask, but he had a feeling things would get pretty bad if he pissed the two girls off. The minute they entered the room, Zirin slammed the door angrily.
"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?" She yelled at Azula, making the Princess winced a little.
Sokka's jaw dropped. He had never seen anyone talking to the Princess like this. Not even when they were fighting he would speak to her in a tone like that.
Azula just sighed.
"Zirin, listen-" She started calmly.
"Listen? Do you have any idea how hard it is to keep this place neutral when it comes to this politic shit? Do you know what will happen if anyone find out you came here? " Zirin shook her head, angrily.
"I know…" Azula rolled her eyes. "That's why I came disguised…"
"Disguised? Are you kidding me, right? Do you really think people can't recognize you like this? Are you that stupid?"
Azula groaned, losing her temper.
"That's enough, Zirin!" She cried and then just took a deep breath. "Fine, maybe it was reckless to come here like this. But I had no choice. I needed to talk to you."The other girl crossed her arms staring back at Azula. The Princess sighed. "I need your help."
Zirin blinked at her for a while before starting laughing.
"Of course…" She shook her head. "You haven't seen me in almost a year and now you simply show up here saying you need my help..."
Azula just rolled her eyes again.
"Wow, I never expected you to be this sentimental… But in my defense, I have tried to keep in touch with you and the other girls, although you never answer my letters. They also seem to be avoiding me. I bet you're behind it, am I right?" Azula frowned.
"That's not the point, Azula…" The woman muttered.
Azula nodded.
"You're right. The point is you may know something that will help me to find the people who want to kill me, and you will share that with me." The Princess crossed her eyes, glaring at the other girl.
"Ha, you can't be serious, can you? I don't know anything… And even if I did, telling you something like that could ruin my life…"
"We would protect you…" Azula explained, but there was no response. "This isn't only about my life, we think there is some conspiracy against my brother's rule behind it…"
Zirin rolled her eyes.
"Wow, because that's something I really care about…" She said with sarcasm.
Azula groaned.
"Come on, you owe me this!"
The other girl glared at her.
"You can't use the fact you freed me as an excuse to get me to do everything you want, Azula…" The girl shook her head.
The Princess' semblance suddenly changed. She narrowed her eyes at her girl, as she closed her fists tight. For a second, Sokka tensed up fearing that the girls would attack each other. He wondered if Zirin was also a firebender… Firebender or not, she was probably dangerous. He swallowed, waiting for the worst.
"Freed you?" Azula laughed sarcastically. "Did you forget all the other things I've done for you, Zirin?"
"I-"
"I didn't only free you," Azula cut her off walking towards her, with a threatening look. For the first time Sokka saw something that looked like fear in the other girl's eyes. "I convinced Zuzu to make you and the others legal citizens of Fire Nation again, I gave you money to rebuilt your lives… And most important, I had that horrible institute shut down, the place you hated even more than I did." Azula growled. "So don't tell me I'm using any excuse here, because you owe me this and you know it."
Zirin just blinked at her for a while.
"So, you mean if I don't give you what you want, you're taking everything back…" Zirin gritted her teeth. "Is that it, Azula? Is that a threat?"
Azula shook her head, smiling weakly.
"It could be. It should be… But you know it's not." Sokka didn't understand what Azula really meant by that. But there was a huge silent after that. And then, the Princess just sighed, tiredly. "Let's go, Sokka… I guess we just wasted our times coming here…"
Sokka followed Azula, confused. Were they really giving up like this?
They were walking down stairs when Zirin left the room after them.
"Wait! Don't go down there!" Her eyes were widened.
"Why not?" Azula looked up to her, raising one eyebrow.
The other woman just rolled her eyes and groaned.
"Just come back here already before someone recognizes you." She whispered. "And by someone I mean… One of them."
Azula and Sokka looked both startled and went back up stairs.
"Do you mean one of them is here?" Sokka asked, frowning.
The girl nodded and walked back to the room.
"I was thinking…" The girl started unsure, but quickly her voice shifted to a cold tone. "If you die, there will be nothing to stop your stupid brother from imprisoning me and the other girls again." She sighed. "So I guess I have no choice but to help you, right?"
Azula rolled her eyes, but then grinned.
Sokka on the other hand was mad.
"So, we have been under the same roof as one of those criminals and you haven't said a word about it until now?!" He yelled as soon as they walked in the room again and closed the door. "What if he has seen us? What if he is just waiting to kill her the minute we get down stairs? Why didn't you say anything?!"
Zirin just glared at him, not bothering to answer anything.
"Sokka, stop it!" Azula scolded him. "Let it go, okay? I'm alive, you haven't disappointed my brother yet, so calm down."
Zirin shook her head.
"Listen to me now. I really don't know a lot. I know this guy comes here every night to drink and gamble. And I know he is one of them because I overheard his talk with another man about breaking into the Palace a few days ago."
"And you didn't do anything about it?" Sokka sounded angry. "Seriously, Azula, why do you even trust this girl?" He frowned confused at the Princess.
"Sokka, shut up!" Azula groaned.
The other girl sighed, and then went on.
"Now, listen. He is probably leaving the tavern soon to meet the rest of the group. I'm not sure where, they don't seem to have a fixed place. But I can tell who he is and then you can follow them if you want…"
Azula nodded.
"Good… Good, really good. We can do that, we can find them tonight." She said, thinking out loud.
"What are you talking about, Azula?" Sokka approached her. "You can't come. I have to go alone."
"What?" She glared at him.
"I'm going to pretend I want to help them, remember? You can't come with me! I need to follow him alone…"
"That was your plan, not mine!" Azula crossed her arms again, staring at him.
"Come on, you agreed it was a good plan…" Sokka threw his arms up in frustration. "And if we both go after him, what are we even going to do? Take them all down? Even if that worked, we wouldn't know the reason why they are doing it or the connection they have with that Governor…"
The Princess sighed and looked away from him. She couldn't deny he had a good point. But for some reason, she didn't want him to go. What if something went wrong? She knew Sokka was a good fighter, but could he really deal with a bunch of murderers? Not that his life means anything to me, Azula told herself firmly, trying to ignore the twinge she felt in her chest. She was just worried because the last thing she needed right now was more problems. And his death would certainly cause her problems. But what choice did she have? Sokka interrupted her train of thoughts.
"I'm just really not comfortable with the idea of letting you alone here… With her…" He whispered to her. Azula's heart skipped a beat when she realized he was really closer to her now.
Azula noticed Zirin frowning at her.
"Don't worry, nothing will happen to your Princess, while you're gone…" The girl said with sarcasm, and Azula just rolled her eyes.
"She's right… I'll be fine here." The Princess muttered, looking into his eyes. You should be more worried about yourself, you idiot!
Sokka faced her for a long time, then he simply nodded.
"Fine. So, will you show me the guy or what?" He asked Zirin, irritated.
"Don't push your lucky, moron!" The woman growled at him, walking out the room. "Just follow me…"
Sokka looked at Azula for one last time.
"Hey, don't leave this room, okay?" He told her. She simply nodded, rolling her eyes again. "I'm serious, Azula!" He frowned worriedly. "Please, stay here and don't talk to anyone. I will try to be back as soon as I can…"
She sighed and nodded firmly. "Okay. I'll be waiting here."
The Princess felt her heart getting tighter as she watched him leave the room.
Azula regretted letting him go the minute the door was closed. She sat on the bed, pulling her knees to her chest. She wondered what she would do if something happened to him. She would just stay there… Waiting and waiting… And he would never come back. She swallowed. This was all her fault. All of this. She didn't know why these men wanted her death, but they probably had a good reason. People had so many reasons to hate her after all. She destroyed everything she came nearby… Azula bit her bottom lip hard, remembering of what happened earlier that day. How she had burned Sokka. He was trying to help her and she burned him. The Princess swallowed. What had happened to her? She didn't use to lose control like this… At least not in her normal state of mind. Suddenly, she felt a panic feeling in her chest. Was she losing her mind again? She remember the guards and the servants looking at her... Usually they used to fear her, but she could see it wasn't only fear in their eyes. There was something else. It was the same way people used to look at her a few years ago when she was... Unstable… Unstable? Who are you kidding? You went insane… And maybe you haven't changed since then, maybe you just fooled yourself thinking you recovered... Azula took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. No, no, no. This couldn't be happening…
Someone opened the door, bringing her back to reality.
"Your boyfriend just left…" Zirin had entered the room again.
"My… BOYFRIEND?" Azula's eyes grew wide. "H-he is not… He is not my boyfriend!" She growled.
"No?" The other just looked confused.
"NO!" Azula looked outraged. "He is my brother's stupid friend. He's been working as my bodyguard, that's all!"
Zirin rolled her eyes.
"I see…." There was a long silent between them, before Zirin finally said something again. "So, how is your life going? I'm asking… Because you look terrible, you know?"
Azula just looked at her unamused. She knew she probably looked beyond tired, since she hadn't slept properly in two days, plus she had so much on her mind she was afraid she would literally had a breakdown.
"Well, there are a bunch of crazy people trying to kill me, the city is a mess because of me, and I don't know if my guard will come back alive tonight… So I'm sorry I don't look better…" Azula replied with sarcasm.
The other girl shook her head.
"I meant… Before this whole thing, were you even happy there? Well, you should be… After all, you gave up your freedom for that."
Azula frowned at her for a moment.
"What do you mean? I'm still free!"
"Oh really? You are stuck in that Palace all the time, you follow your brother's rules and apparently you need a bodyguard to go out to places…"
"Just because of what has been happening!" Azula shouted with exasperation. She couldn't help but actually wonder if Zirin had really a point in all that. Was she just fooling herself thinking she had any kind of freedom? In the end of the day, was she just her brother's well-treated prisoner?
"If you say so…" The other just shrugged, heading to the door.
"Why can't you simply accept my life choices? I mean, it's not only you… Everyone… You all think everything I do is always wrong…" Azula groaned.
"Are you talking about everyone or just your mother?" Zirin raised one eyebrow, staring at the Princess. Azula felt her throat going dry. "You mother… Another reason why I don't understand why you would want to live in that place again…"
Azula remembered the talk she had with Ursa earlier that day and felt the pain in her chest increasing. Suddenly, it was like all of her strength was drained of her body… She didn't felt like discussing with the other girl anymore.
"Just leave me alone, Zirin…" She muttered.
"Whatever, Princess…" The girl replied and paused in the doorway. "Just one last thing… If you are really going to pretend nothing is happening between you and you guard, you need to do it better, Azula." She said and then left, closing the door behind her.
Sokka followed the man Zirin pointed out down the streets. He was keeping a certain distance and since it was dark it was easy to stay unseen. He couldn't deny he was scared to death though. Actually, he was wondering once again why the hell he didn't listen to Azula and stayed there… But he couldn't simply act like a coward, could he? Mostly after everything she had said to him, if he stayed and gave up on the plan she would be even more certain that he was completely useless. Why did he even care about what she thinks?, he asked himself. She hated him anyway.
Suddenly, the guy he turned and got into an alley. Sokka swallowed, feeling anxious as he started walking towards the alley. When he got there, the man had already vanished. There was no sign of him. Sokka just cursed himself, he was too slow. Great. He looked around to look for something suspicious, maybe a passage… But there was nothing. Well, at least he couldn't see anything, since it was too dark and it was a dimly lit alley. When he was convinced there was nothing left to do, he turned around to come back to the tavern.
But there he was, standing right in front of him. In fact, Sokka wasn't sure if it was the same guy he saw in the tavern or not, because he never saw his face. All he saw was his fist coming right to his face, and then everything went black.
A/N: Thank you all for reading it! I hope you like it! Please, please, review it! :D