"Well... I'd say you're all set now, gladiator," stated the physician, after checking Sokka's state. "I'll need to take a look at you again in about a week, but it seems traveling did you some good. Keep using the crutches if you're going to walk too far. Use them also if your legs hurt too much. That would be all for now."
Sokka could have wept of joy when he heard those words. He gave Azula a delightful smile, to which she responded with a raised eyebrow, unwilling to show him she was pleased by the news as well.
"Thank you for your hard work," said Azula, and the physician bowed down to her.
"Always a pleasure to serve the Fire Lord's daughter and her… slave," said the man, looking at Sokka from over his shoulder before leaving the room.
Sokka stood up without using his crutches and he beamed proudly. He wasn't bound to be able to fight just yet, but at least he should be able to walk properly now.
"It was about time," he said, sighing in relief. "I'm back, at last!"
"Don't expect me to welcome you back, though," said Azula, sighing. "I've had to bear with you for long enough already. I'd rather say farewell instead."
"Farewell? Why?" asked Sokka, surprised. "Did you find a good master for me already?"
"No, not yet," said Azula, frowning. It had been three days since they had returned from traveling to Shu Jing. As soon as she had returned, Azula had started her search for a new sword master for Sokka, but it had been to no avail. Every man she had interviewed so far had seemed weaker than Sokka, and their stiff fighting styles weren't what she wanted her gladiator to learn.
"Then why do you want to say goodbye to me?" asked Sokka, puzzled.
"Because I don't see why you should stay in the Palace," Azula replied, folding her arms over her chest. "We have it bad enough as it is with one crazy gladiator freeloading off us to deal with you as well."
Sokka winced at the thought of Toph. He had caught sight of her again when they had returned and he still couldn't fathom how a tiny girl with such flaccid arms had beaten him as she had. Toph would wave at him in a friendly fashion each time they saw each other, but Sokka never greeted her back. He didn't care how ill-mannered he seemed, he wasn't going to be nice to her. She didn't seem to be affected by his hostility at all, though.
"But I got here first," he muttered, pouting. "She should be the one to leave."
Azula raised her eyebrows, eyeing Sokka with interest.
"Well, this is rather interesting… I would have never thought you could grow so fond of the Fire Nation's Royal Palace, Sokka."
The gladiator paled at the thought. He had been losing perspective lately, hadn't he? He hated the Fire Nation and loathed everything about it… especially the Fire Lord, and everything about him. Staying in his lair seemed like the most disgusting self-betrayal he could ever indulge in.
"Okay, you got me on that one," he grumbled. "Where do you want to dump me at, though?"
"Dump you…?" asked Azula, raising an eyebrow at Sokka's choice for words. "I don't know, to be honest, but it's of little importance where I leave you. A savage like yourself could live in a box and enjoy it, most likely."
"A box?" Sokka repeated, glaring at Azula. "You can't be serious…"
"I don't see a problem with that," she replied, smirking as she left the room. Sokka rolled his eyes before swinging his weapons and luggage over his shoulders. He grasped his crutches and followed her.
"Weren't you claiming that your job as a sponsor was to give me everything I could possibly need?" he asked, catching up to the Princess. "Well, I need a real house or else I'll never be fit to fight more gladiators!"
"That's neither here nor there…" said Azula, rolling her eyes. "But I can accept that. I'll just find you some moldy shack in the Capital's outskirts, I guess."
"Hey!" yelled Sokka, growing exasperated, to Azula's delight. Driving him over the edge was an activity she had grown to enjoy. "That's not fair! Is that really all I deserve in your opinion?!"
"Of course," said Azula, matter-of-factly. "What else were you expecting from me, snow savage?"
"Oh, I don't know…" he grunted. "Seeing how you carried my half-dead body across the Arena and how you helped me make my armor I was pretty sure you had grown to care at least in the slightest about me."
"In the slightest…?" asked Azula, raising an eyebrow. "I don't think so. You should know well enough that I only put up with you out of convenience. It was what our original deal established, wasn't it?"
"Yeah, but I don't think those things I mentioned were in the original deal… or were they?" asked Sokka, eyeing Azula with curiosity.
"Indeed, they weren't. There's no use denying that," said Azula. "Still, it means you have gotten away with enough favors from me. I'm not about to grant you more kindness, seeing how you hardly even deserve it."
Sokka gulped as he continued limping behind her. His legs were bothering him slightly, thus he had chosen to use the crutches for now.
"Well, I won't say I'm surprised by your evil ways," he muttered, dramatically. "But I doubt you meant what you just said. I didn't deserve such kindness, true… so why did you go for it, Azula? Why did you present me with such kindness?"
Azula felt a mild blush growing on her face, but she tried to keep her composure despite her embarrassment.
"Perhaps it was the heat of the moment?" Sokka teased her. "You saw me, helpless and fragile, and the heroine within you had to burst out from all those layers of cruelty…"
"What on earth are you talking about?" asked Azula, rolling her eyes.
"What else?" said Sokka, smirking. "Your obvious feelings for me! Ever since we met you've thought I'm unbearably handsome!"
"Oh, please!" Azula barked, staring at him skeptically. "What's so handsome about a pathetic snow savage like yourself?"
"Don't you know it, Princess?" he asked, his smile widening at her response. Azula hadn't even noticed Sokka had turned the tides around in their conversation: he was the one making fun of her now. "High-class ladies can't help but swoon after men like me! We're all you've ever wanted, and all you'll never attain because you're supposed to only get involved with lame men of noble-birth. No matter if you want to hide it, all you girls want is a nice fling with a guy like me!"
"Probably stupid high-class girls would feel that way," said Azula, gritting her teeth. "But I, personally, would rather stick to the annoying noblemen I've met than have a fling with an idiot like you."
"Such lies, Princess… And here I was, believing you were straight-forward and honest all the time," snickered Sokka.
Azula halted and glared at him, taking in his smile and the glow on his eyes. She stormed off again, angrily.
"What's the matter now, Princess?" he mocked her, walking behind her.
"I'm a fool," she said, shaking her head. "Letting you play me like that… that's supposed to be my job, not yours."
"You'll excuse me, Princess, but you're too easy to make fun of," he said, chuckling. "Although I meant every word I said…"
"You truly delude yourself with such ridiculous ideas?" asked Azula, rolling her eyes as she turned to look at him. "In any case, the one who seems desperate to get involved with me would be you, you useless…"
Azula would have finished the sentence if she hadn't crashed against someone who had just turned around the hall's corner at that very moment. Sokka forgot their bout momentarily as he eyed the stranger Azula had collided with. His black hair was similar to hers, albeit messier, and he also had a golden gaze… yet his most striking feature was the disfigurement over his left eye. He was about Sokka's height, hence, several inches taller than the Princess.
"Zuko…" said Azula, taking a few steps back defensively. A sense of foreboding took over her… something about happening into him right now felt rather ominous to her. "I'm surprised to see you walking around. Done sulking at last?"
"Uh…" Zuko would have caved into her mockery, but he was busy eyeing the foreigner wielding crutches. "… What's this?"
"What's what?" asked Azula, raising an eyebrow.
"I mean, who is that?" asked Zuko, pointing at Sokka.
"Don't you know it's rude to point with your finger like that?" asked Sokka, raising an eyebrow, mimicking Azula's expression without even noticing it.
"Well, that's interesting. Even a savage can give you lessons in etiquette, Zuzu," said Azula, smirking. She'd had a bad feeling over how this would turn out, seeing how Sokka seemed so curious about her brother… but apparently he'd remain her ally. That was good news. Not many people kept to her side when it came to Zuko.
"W-what…? Could you just tell me who he is?" Zuko grunted, frowning.
"He is…" started Azula, grimacing at the thought of revealing Sokka's identity to Zuko. She didn't know if Zuko would suddenly feel the urge to get himself a gladiator if he knew she had her own… and she feared what the consequences would be if he did. No matter how little glory she had attained already, it would all go to waste right away if Zuko got involved in the gladiator business as well.
"The name's Sokka," said the gladiator behind her, making Azula freeze on her spot. "I'm from the Southern Water Tribe. And I already know who you are even if you want to keep playing Mystery Man."
"Water Tribe?" asked Zuko, frowning. He had traveled near the Southern Water Tribe many years ago… what sort of business did a Water Tribe man have in the Royal Palace? In fact, what sort of business could he have with Azula? He couldn't bring himself to figure it out, especially since he had heard the two of them arguing in such a casual manner… "Why is he here?"
"You're right, he has even worse manners than me," mumbled Sokka, pouting. Azula smirked. "You know, you can talk directly to me, Mr. Prince! I may be a gladiator, but that doesn't mean I'm below you, you pompous royal!"
Zuko's face twisted into a grimace. He wanted to respond to Sokka's accusations, but hearing he was dealing with another gladiator made him turn to Azula again.
"A… a gladiator? Your gladiator?!"
"Why the fuss, Zuzu?" asked Azula, playing with her bangs. "Does it bother you that I have more toys than you?"
"T-toys…?" asked Sokka, startled.
"T-that's ridiculous, I'm just…!" Zuko said, his temper flaring momentarily. "I just don't get it. Is it a fad now, to have a Gladiator? First Uncle, now you…"
"Hey! We started out first!" yelled Sokka, lifting his crutch and aiming it to the roof as if he were wielding a sword.
"As a matter of fact, we did," said Azula. "Iroh got his earthbending twat several months after I found Sokka."
"Who cares about who got his gladiator first?" said Zuko, exasperated. "What's the craze with the gladiator business all of sudden?"
"I would explain it to you, but I question you'd understand it, truth be told," said Azula, sighing dramatically. Zuko glared at her.
"Right. And why didn't you mention you had a gladiator before?" he asked.
"Probably because you never asked," said Azula, matter-of-factly. "Do you need me to refresh your memory so that you can recall all our conversations as of late? In case you haven't noticed, all of them have revolved around you. Not once did you ask what I might be up to nowadays, so I wasn't compelled to explain anything about my current endeavors to you."
Zuko froze in his spot as he realized she was right. He hadn't asked anything about her, not even once… he had taken for granted she would still be the same Azula he remembered, their father's favorite child, the flawless girl he had always envied. As he thought about it, he realized this weird gladiator trend was very fitting for Azula. Zuko knew she had always thrived in pointless violence, much like their father did… but he still couldn't understand why Iroh had gotten involved with it.
Regardless, that wasn't the matter bothering him at the moment. He eyed Sokka and raised his single eyebrow as he studied his complexion. Even if he hadn't been using crutches, he would have been the last sort of person he would have imagined his sister would take as her gladiator.
"Why him?" he asked, puzzled. "You're the type of person who would get the toughest fighter available… and your gladiator is a guy in crutches?"
"Hey!" Sokka growled, irked. "I'll have you know I'm way tougher than I look! I was trained by Piandao himself in the art of swords! And he actually said several times that I was one of the worthiest men he had ever trained! Did he ever say something like that about you, huh?!"
Zuko froze at the gladiator's outburst. Azula seemed pleased by his reaction.
"Piandao?" he asked. "You got Piandao to train him?"
"Yeah, she did. Have a problem with that?" said Sokka, scowling at Zuko.
"I just don't see why he would bother training a slave," said Zuko, finally speaking directly to Sokka.
"I told you several times, Sokka, didn't I?" said Azula, turning to look at her gladiator with a smirk of complicity. "All that talk about honor that Piandao sold you on… he gave it to Zuko as well, but the knowledge entered through one of his ears and left through the other."
"Yeah, I can see that now…" said Sokka, nodding.
"That's not true!" yelled Zuko, annoyed. The Water Tribe man didn't displease him much, but his sister always got to his nerves with ease. "I just don't know why he bothered training a gladiator when the gladiator business is as lowly as it is!"
"You're as thick as ever," said Azula, rolling her eyes. "Piandao was bothered over how horrid the gladiator business was. But, regardless, he trained Sokka because he found him worthy to be a swordsman. Worthier than he found you, if I may."
"Well, his worth didn't do him much good, I'd say," replied Zuko disdainfully, glaring at Sokka's crutches. Sokka bared his teeth at him, ready to smack him on the head with the crutches he was talking about. Azula stretched an arm before Sokka, stopping him efficiently.
"Yet he's far worthier than you, as I said," replied Azula. "I wonder if you'd even survive in the sand pit. I rather doubt you'd make it past five minutes."
"Yeah, right…" Zuko grunted.
"And if he fights the Blind Bandit, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't last over one minute," said Sokka, making Azula chuckle as she lowered her arm.
"Well-spotted."
"I'll have you know I've become far stronger after these years," Zuko said, glaring at his sister.
"Oh, have you, now?" said Azula. "So your trip wasn't a complete waste of time? Good for you!"
"Y-you… Azula…" he grunted, the poison on her words wounding him, and Sokka's chuckles helping him grow even more uneasy.
"Now, if you'll excuse us, we have far better things to do than discuss your supposedly acquired new strength. I'm pretty certain I'm not going to be impressed when you show me the basic firebending stances you've been stuck with for all your life. Perhaps your fire is a couple degrees hotter now, but I doubt I'll be impressed anyhow. Come along, Sokka."
"Gotcha," said Sokka, smirking as he treaded behind Azula, leaving Zuko standing in the hallway with a prominent scowl on his face.
What the situation was between his sister and that strange gladiator of hers, he didn't understand at all. But he was definitely not pleased to see that his sister had found a new ally to torture him with. She was bad enough by herself.
"Well, well… what's with that weird hairdo, Zuko?" asked a cheerful voice behind him, making him jump and turn around quickly. "You look like you need a haircut urgently."
Ty Lee giggled as she saw him, smiling at him in her trademark careless fashion. She had always been a happy-go-lucky girl, from what Zuko could recall, but physically, she had changed a lot during these ten years. Her figure was far more womanly, and she wore make-up now. Zuko didn't miss how she eyed his scar quickly and grimaced. She hadn't witnessed his Agni Kai with his father, but she surely had no trouble imagining how he had earned the burn over his left eye.
"Uh… are you alright?" asked Ty Lee, surprised. "You're not checking me out, are you?"
"W-what?! No!" said Zuko, grimacing. Mai was one thing… but Ty Lee had always been Azula's friend in his eyes, never anything else. "I was just thinking you've changed a lot… just like everyone else, apparently."
"Yeah, things have become a little messier as of late," she said, smiling.
"Way messier, I'd say," grunted Zuko, sighing. "I can hardly keep up with it. Mai, married and pregnant; Azula, with a weird Water Tribe gladiator, and my uncle gets a gladiator as well! What about you, are you in my father's council now or something?"
"Who, me?!" asked Ty Lee, surprised. "N-no, not at all! I'm still plain, old me! Though I am involved in the gladiator business, but mostly for betting…"
"Betting?" asked Zuko, looking confused. "What…? Ugh, whatever. I'm not even going to ask."
"You can just ask, though," said Ty Lee, giggling. "I bet you're really confused, aren't you?"
"Well, yeah… it's been ten years worth of changes," he said, sighing. "There's no way I could get used to it all so quickly."
"How about I help you get used to it, then?" she suggested, smiling. "I could use some lunch… if you tag along, I can try to tell you everything you've missed!"
Zuko was surprised by her proposal, mostly because he didn't recall getting along with Ty Lee in the first place. Her kindness was welcome, though.
"Why not? Just… keep the gossip to a minimum, will you?"
"Oh, why should I do that?" asked Ty Lee, pouting as they both walked towards the Palace's Dining Room.
Azula and Sokka walked down the hallways, both smirking at the way they had teamed up to bring Zuko down. Sokka couldn't help but admire the way Azula was smiling right now, thriving in her malice. Defeating Zuko in battles of wit had always been one of her favorite pastimes.
"You know just how to handle him, don't you?" Sokka asked, making Azula smirk even more.
"You've mentioned a few times now that you have a younger sister, haven't you?" she replied. "It's only natural for siblings to mess with each other in every possible way…"
"Well, probably for you guys… though no, forget it," said Sokka, wincing. "My sister was actually just like that with me, too. Though I have to say I let her win most the time. I'm way smarter than her so whenever I'd get ahead of myself she would just smack me with her bending…"
"Bending…?" asked Azula, raising an eyebrow.
Sokka froze in his spot, staring at her in horror. Azula was slightly amused at the expression on his face.
"So… your sister is the waterbender in the South Pole," she said, making Sokka stutter as he tried to make up excuses.
"W-what, n-no… I didn't… that's not… n-no, Katara isn't…"
"No need to worry, Sokka," said Azula, shrugging. "It's not the type of information that matters much to me. For all I care, your Tribe can remain as it is. I'm done with dealing with you South Pole savages. If it were by me I'd leave you alone and just keep watch nearby to make sure you stay in that frozen hell of yours."
"W-wait… really? Y-you mean that?" asked Sokka, surprised.
"Of course," said Azula, frowning. "Why wouldn't I mean it?"
"W-well, you're related to the man who sent the raids that killed over half my people…" said Sokka, distrustful for a moment.
"I'm related to him, alright," said Azula. "It doesn't mean we think in the exact same way. I take pride in being far smarter and more talented than my grandfather Azulon. I wouldn't waste my time in that Pole of yours."
"Huh… well, good, then," said Sokka, still surprised.
"Though I have to say I have the short end of the deal," said Azula, sighing. "Why did you have to be the one who couldn't bend?"
"Because if I had been a waterbender I would have beaten you and put out your funny fire for good," he grunted, making Azula acknowledge he was right.
"It would have been an interesting skill for a gladiator, regardless."
"So long as you don't decide to exchange me for my sister now or something…"
Azula stopped for a moment, as if considering the idea. Sokka turned to her, feeling offended.
"Hey! After all we've been through, you'd trade me for someone else that easily?!" he squealed.
"Well, if she happens to be a more reliable gladiator than you are…" she said, smirking.
"That's ridiculous! She's not going to be reliable, she'll get on your nerves all the time and she'd be even worse than I am about dealing with the Fire Nation, believe me on that one!"
"I was merely jesting," said Azula, but Sokka continued rambling.
"And she'll get your underwear soaked in freezing cold water and you'll end up with frostbite if you're not careful! And she kept refusing to sew my pants back when I fell down an ice slope and my pants ripped open! I mean, come on! That's plain cruel, making a guy wander around with his pants like that for about a week just because I forgot to say 'please'!"
"You wore the same pants for an entire week…?" asked Azula, grimacing. He didn't take notice of her remark, once again.
"And there was also that time when that damned tiger-seal was chasing me all over the place and rather than helping me get rid of it, Katara was laughing! You hear me?! SHE WAS LAUGHING!" yelled Sokka, his chest heaving as he finished his rant, his eyes glowing wildly after how spirited he had gotten after reminiscing the memories of his life in the South Pole.
"Uh… right," said Azula, smirking slightly. "I think I understand now. I got the right sibling indeed… you're the one I can make fun of, clearly. She seems far sharper and crueler than you."
"W-what, sharper?! What's so sharp about her?!" growled Sokka, frowning. "I was damn smarter than her, by far!"
"Sure thing," said Azula, resuming her strides as she headed towards the main hallway of the Palace. "I'm starting to sense there's a pattern here."
"A pattern…?" asked Sokka, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes. You see, you just met my foolish older brother, and you're a foolish older brother to a girl who enjoys your misfortune… it's curious, truly," said Azula, smirking cruelly. "But I'd say we're perfectly set as it is. I'll just ask father to banish Zuko to your Pole so that your sister can make fun of him to no end and that way we'll have the perfect arrangement…"
"I don't think I want your brother or anyone from your Nation anywhere near my Tribe, thank you very much…" grumbled Sokka, bitterly.
"Ah, well, I suppose I'll spare your sister from the bother anyhow. Dealing with you is, clearly, far more fun than bearing with Zuko," said Azula. "And, by the way, that wasn't a compliment. It was just an insult towards him."
"Why did you feel the need to clear that up? I never suspected it was a compliment," said Sokka, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh, you're stupid enough to misunderstand my intentions, so I had to spare myself the trouble," said Azula, smirking.
"Yeah, right…" growled Sokka, glaring at her as they reached the outer gates of the Palace. "Say, what exactly are we going to do?"
"Find a place for you to stay," said Azula, frowning. "Your short-term memory sure is lousy."
"When will you get bored of trashing me?" asked Sokka, sighing.
"When you quit being so easy to trash, I suppose," replied Azula, smirking.
The Royal Guards in duty around the Palace were surprised to see Azula heading towards them, and all of them turned to look at their leader. The Captain sighed, knowing this could only mean trouble…
"Princess, where are you headed to?" he asked.
"Out," was Azula's simple response. "I won't need the palanquin, so don't bother bringing it forth."
"And I assume that, as usual, you shall remain unreasonable," said the Captain, sighing.
"In that case, you should be clever enough not to try to change my mind about this," said Azula, her eyes defying him to try and oppose her. She didn't mind having to deal with more verbal warfare.
But to her slight disappointment, the Captain merely sighed and shook his head.
"I can't believe I'm doing this…" he muttered. "But I'm sick of going through this nonsense over and over again. You'll get your way no matter what I say."
"I always knew you were a smart man, Captain," said Azula, smirking.
"Just… stay safe. If anything happens to you, the Fire Lord will have my head…" said the Captain, distraught.
"I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, Captain, as you might have noticed in the past," said Azula. "There's nothing for me to fear in the streets of the Capital or anywhere else, for that matter."
"Still, you're taking a cripple with you," said the Captain, looking at Sokka. "Can you protect him as well?"
"I'm not a cripple," growled Sokka, glaring at the man.
"Oh, no need to worry," said Azula. "If the cripple falls back I'll just leave him behind."
"Hah?!" Sokka stared at Azula, aghast.
"Well then, by all means…" replied the Captain, taking a few steps back, proof that he wasn't about to stand in Azula's way anymore.
"HUH?!" squealed Sokka, looking at the guard now.
Azula smirked and walked away, feeling somewhat pleased. It wasn't every day that she got around convincing her persistent guard to let her off the hook. Sokka chased after her, still troubled by the way they had spoken about him.
"Cripple, my ass…" he grunted, annoyed. "And why are you so happy and cheerful, huh?!"
"No need to be so mad," said Azula. "I didn't quite expect him to give up that easily. He always was very persistent…"
"Maybe he thinks you'll be safe with me," said Sokka, smiling in a dumb fashion.
"No, he probably thinks that nobody would be cruel enough to attack a limping Water Tribe moron," said Azula, earning herself another glare.
"You're as sweet as ever," he grunted. "Anyhow… what exactly are you going to do? Find an inn for me to stay in or something?"
"No purpose in finding an inn if you're going to stay around for a long time," said Azula. "Besides, I already said earlier a box would suffice for the likes of you…"
"Yeah, well, no," said Sokka, annoyed. "I'm not going to live in a box."
"Such refined tastes for a mere slave…" said Azula, smirking.
Sokka looked around the city, unable to ignore the way people stopped with their daily chores to stare at the Princess in awe. She strolled down the streets so carelessly… Sokka was certain no other member of the Royal Family would pull off such a feat. Which was what prompted him to ask…:
"Say, you always go about in a palanquin, don't you?"
"Yes. Why the obvious question?"
"Well… that thing has those dark drapes over it, doesn't it?" said Sokka. "How do you know which way you're going?"
"I don't, actually. I give out the command, tell the bearers where I wish to go to, and they do the job," said Azula.
"So I take it you don't know the streets…" he asked, worried. "Is there any chance we'll get lost if we stroll around like this, then?"
"Not at all," said Azula. "This Capital is my hometown. I know it just as well as I know my firebending forms."
"Oh, really?" Sokka was still skeptical.
"Of course," said Azula, rolling her eyes. "I have studied the layout of the Capital enough times to memorize every single…"
Azula stopped abruptly, her gaze upon a noodle restaurant up ahead. Sokka stared at her for a moment, and he was terrified to see the confused look on her face.
"Azula…? Is something wrong…?"
"When did that restaurant get set up there…?" she muttered loud enough for him to hear.
"WHAT?!" squealed Sokka, dropping his crutches as he gazed at Azula in shock.
Azula couldn't keep her charade for much longer, though. She looked at the expression on his face and she couldn't help but laugh at him as she resumed walking. Sokka's eyebrow twitched as he realized the Princess had merely been playing him.
"Very funny, very funny! Azula got twice the dose of royal sense of humor!" he yelled after her as he picked up his crutches again. "Probably because you got your brother's share or something, and now I have to put up with your hilarious jokes! Oh, so amusing!"
Azula couldn't stop chuckling at him as she continued her way through the town, her mind set in heading towards the edge of the crater, where she expected to find newer and cheaper houses. With luck, one of the buildings would be for sale and she would be able to make the place Sokka's home…
They walked for what seemed like hours, circling the edge of the Capital. The city's finest locations were at the center of the crater. On the outer zone, the houses grew less refined and far more practical, which Sokka found to his liking… but all of them were occupied already. He feared Azula's cruel idea would come true and he would end up living in a box… still, he didn't bring up the subject again, hoping she'd forget about it.
By the eastern wing of the city, the houses grew more rugged and less fancy. Sokka was lagging behind because his legs were paining him slightly, but even when Azula asked him if they should stop, he refused to do it. She didn't mind taking the lead, though. At last, she stopped when she found quite an undignified wooden shack only a few ways ahead.
"Hah! This is it!" she called, making Sokka wince when he caught sight of the pathetic wooden structure from afar. It wasn't even large enough for one person to stand inside it, let alone him.
"That's what, now…?" asked Sokka, limping as he tried to come closer. The terrains were rougher now, the roads were no longer perfectly lined nor had they been worked properly so that people could walk on them with ease. Azula had no problems with the difficult hike, though, seeing how she wasn't trying to balance her weight with crutches.
"I said you could live in a box, didn't I? Well, this is a little bigger than what I had in mind…" she muttered, eyeing it with interest. "But it will do."
"No-it-won't!" yelled Sokka, as his left crutch got stuck amongst loose tree roots.
Suddenly, to Azula's surprise, an old man appeared from behind the wooden structure. He looked at her with a wide toothless smile, which made her wince in slight disgust. Since when did people with such deplorable aspects live in the Fire Nation Capital…?
"Ah, fine lady! Ya' come to take a look at my dandy establishment?" he asked, his hands pressed together as he tilted his head to one side, his wide eyes looking at her with such joy she could only stagger back and scowl at him.
"Y-your what, now…?"
"I see ya' have a nice-looking four-legged husband with you!" said the man, catching sight of Sokka, who was still fighting against the roots. "Wonderful, wonderful!"
"H-husband?!" squealed Azula, scandalized. "He's not my husband! He's just…!"
"No need to excuse ya'!" said the man, beaming. "No worries, no worries! In my mansion there's room for all!"
Azula took another look at the wooden shack. What was this man rambling about…? What mansion?
"So, what would ya' like to have in yar' meal?" asked the man.
"I'm not looking for a place to eat," said Azula, frowning. "I'm looking for a house on sale, to be honest."
"Ah, then ya're on yar' lucky day!" he claimed, joyfully. "Meh' fine establishment is for sale!"
"Weren't you just about to give us a meal…?" asked Azula, utterly confused and annoyed.
"The mansion's on the very cheap price of seventy thousand yuans!" squealed the man happily, ignoring Azula completely.
"Huh? Seventy thousand for a pathetic hut like that?" asked Azula. "What the hell is the matter with you?"
"Oh, you don't understand where you are, do you?" asked the man, shaking his head and dipping his hands into his ravaged pants pockets. "This is the Fire Nation Capital, pretty foreigner! Ya'd do best to keep that in mind!"
"I'm perfectly well aware of where I am! I live here!" Azula exclaimed.
"Oh, you don't yet!" said the man. "But you will when you buy this wonderful house with this convenient bargain! Living in the Capital has a lot of perks! Word says ya' might even catch a glimpse of the Princess if ya're lucky!"
"Y-you wretched...!" Azula growled, her patience running out quickly. It was bad enough that the foolish man thought he could rip them off to buy a pile of garbage while making it look like the deal of the century, but he didn't even know who she was?
"Why, sweetheart! What's the matter with you?" asked Sokka from behind her, making her shiver and blush at the term of endearment.
"What is the matter with me?! How about what's the matter with you?! Or HIM?!" yelled Azula, pointing at the man, who was currently busy sniffing his shoes.
"Ya've got a lovely wife there, Mister Four-legs!" said the man. "But she's damn rude, ya' get my drift?"
"Oh, she is, always has been!" said Sokka, shaking a hand carelessly. "You know what it's like, when they're from the colonies, you gotta roughen them up and see if they can handle the good life in the Fire Capital!"
"You said it, sailor!" replied the man proudly, sitting on the ground as he scratched his butt. "Where did I leave my caterpillar…?"
"In any case," said Sokka. "We'll be off now, fine sir! We don't really need a house, so you're welcome to keep your… establishment."
"Will ya' stay for lunch?" asked the man, beaming.
"Oh, we've got plans to eat with the Fire Lord, sorry!"
"Sure, sure, I'm flexible! We can reschedule!" declared the man, waving as Sokka pushed Azula into moving. "Have a nice boat ride to the Earth Kingdom!"
"You too!" said Sokka, as he got back on the road with the Princess.
Azula was astonished, disturbed and annoyed after that strange experience, and Sokka could tell just how shaken she had been by it. He smirked slightly, pleased over how her evil ploy to irritate him had backfired on her.
"What the hell was that?" she asked, once they were out of the man's earshot.
"That, my dear Princess, is a homeless man. Welcome to reality" said Sokka, still smiling.
"Quit calling me names like that," said Azula, glaring at him dangerously, although Sokka didn't miss the blush on her cheeks. "It's sickening. What the hell is a homeless man doing in the Capital?"
"I wonder," said Sokka, shrugging. "I guess your daddy didn't do his job right and people like him managed to sneak in here somehow."
"Still, how…?" asked Azula, clenching her teeth. "There should be no people like him in the Capital… The Fire Nation is a prosperous place. I thought such lowly peasants only lived in colonies and in the wastelands of the former Earth Kingdom."
"Well, look again, Princess," said Sokka. "There were a ton of those guys at Hui Yi. They're all a bit wacked in the head, I'd say. But they're not really bad… they just have forgotten all common sense!"
"No wonder you seem to get along so well with them," Azula barked. "I can't believe he didn't even know who I was…"
"That's the way they roll, they tend to say nonsense all the time," said Sokka, carelessly. "Don't mind them."
"I can't make any sense out of it…" she insisted, making Sokka sigh. Clearly, she was very disturbed after that experience. "Why are people like him in the Fire Nation anyway? Let alone in the Capital... It's ridiculous," grunted Azula.
"Well, if you really want to know…" he said.
"Oh, so you, of all people, know the answer to that question?" asked Azula, skeptical.
"I know we've been through this before, Azula," said Sokka. "But with this evidence in front of you, you can't keep thinking the Fire Nation is flawless. You high-class people tend to be oblivious to everything the lower class has to deal with, stuck in your happy bubble as you are..."
"Stuck in a happy bubble? I'm sorry, but the high class, as you called it, keeps the order in the nation. The Fire Nation is only as prosperous as it is because of us. Lowborn people are just unable to understand that."
"Sure," said Sokka, shrugging. "There's no use denying you guys from the Fire Nation have some cool traits. I've seen firsthand some of the nicest stuff your nation has to offer. The food is simply remarkable."
"As ever, thinking with your stomach," said Azula, rolling her eyes.
"But that doesn't mean everything's perfect," finished Sokka. "You've seen Hui Yi. Now you even see a homeless man in the Capital. Despite all the cool things you boast about, things aren't half as great as they could be for the lower classes if only people like you bothered doing something about them."
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked the Princess with a frown.
"You're the Princess, your daddy's pretty little girl," said Sokka. "If anyone has a shot at telling the Fire Lord about the things that need to be improved, that would be you."
"And why should I bother doing anything about this? What exactly do I gain by fixing the sad lives of weird rambling men like that one?"
"I don't know how you Fire Nation people think, truly," said Sokka. "But what makes a nation isn't the lands the lords own, or the riches, or their reputation and whatnot... it's the people. Why else would you be the Fire Nation if it weren't because you guys are firebenders, because you live by fire? The Water Tribes live by water, the Earth Kingdom used to live by earth, and the Air Nomads by air. The elements are what are what give the people their identity, and what made the people assemble to form nations. You see what I'm talking about?"
Azula frowned at his words. She truly hated discussing these matters with him. But this time it was worse than before... because he had the evidence on his side. Indeed, the Fire Lord and those closest to him were supposed to look after the Fire Nation. They were superior to everyone else in many ways, she was still convinced of it… but the entire purpose of them being in charge was that they could help their people grow. Instead, people lived miserably, like they did in Hui Yi… after having witnessed that, after seeing this homeless man, could she still claim the Fire Nation's government was doing the best for its people? She sighed and shook her head, trying to prevent him from seeing that his words had gotten to her yet again.
"You don't get it?" asked Sokka, grimacing. "And here I thought you were smarter than that…"
"Piandao definitely got to you," grunted Azula, still shaking her head. "You even talk like him now."
Sokka could tell Azula wasn't happy about what she had just said… she clearly didn't want him to be like Piandao. But to him, it was the most amazing compliment he could have heard. He looked at Azula in awe, although she missed it, before smiling slightly and shrugging.
"If you say so…"
They continued walking by the edge of the city, passing by more houses that were already occupied. Azula's frown deepened as she walked, thinking this had been nothing but a waste of time. Her mood had dampened after running into the homeless man and even further after speaking with Sokka. What did he want from her? Did he think she could change the world at will just because she was trusted by her father? It didn't work as easily as he thought it did. Fire Lord Ozai had brought her up and taught her to be strong, told her that the weak deserved their fate, and she wanted to cling onto that principle, just as she wanted to cling onto everything her father had taught her. But Sokka kept making it difficult… he kept getting all these ideas into her mind, confusing her and making her question what her role as her father's heir was.
"Hey…" Sokka brought her out of her thoughts when he pointed at a house with one of his crutches. "What about that one?"
Azula blinked before raising her eyes, looking at the place that had caught his attention. It was comprised of a single two-stories building with quite a large backyard. It seemed to be a modern house, and the best part of it was the green scroll pinned to the door, the signal Azula had been waiting for: it gave away that the place was for sale.
"Perfect," said Azula, sighing in relief. "It was about time, too."
"I like it! Very much!" declared Sokka, eyeing it with interest. "Look at those terrains! Do you think those would all be mine if I get the house?"
"If YOU get the house, you asked?" Azula raised an eyebrow, skeptical. "May I remind you I'm the one who has to waste her money on this?"
"Oh, so that's the real reason why you wanted me to get a box," said Sokka, smirking. "I can't believe the Princess is being a cheapskate. You said that anything I needed, you could buy… what's the problem now, Azula? I thought you were a woman of her word…"
"Stop playing me like that," grunted Azula, glaring at him, as they both approached the house. She finished reading the scroll on the door quicker than he did.
"So this thing costs 210,000 yuans?" asked Sokka, gulping.
"So it seems," said Azula, frowning. "It's quite a steep price, I'd say…"
"Excuse me, what are you…?" asked an unknown voice from behind them.
Azula and Sokka turned around swiftly. The salesman stared at them, confused at first, but when he caught sight of the golden piece decorating Azula's raven hair he jumped and bowed down immediately.
"Princess Azula! T-to what could I owe this pleasure…?!"
"Huh, at least this one knows who you are," said Sokka, smirking. Azula gave him a glare and he chuckled lightly.
"I wish to buy this house," she replied, looking down on the man before her. "Do I have to sign any paperwork of any sort to do this?"
"O-of course, yes!" said the man, nodding promptly. "But… is this really the house you want, Princess? You surely could afford houses in better locations in the Capital…"
"I'm not buying this for myself," Azula said, rolling her eyes. "Why would I need to buy a house if I live in the Royal Palace?"
"Oh, well, I… I'm sorry, Princess," said the man, blushing and dropping his gaze. Sokka couldn't help but smirk at the situation. It seemed Azula was used to dealing with people as easy to manipulate as this man… no wonder she seemed to enjoy herself so much more when she exchanged jabs with him. He had an intellect that, at the very least, was able to stand its ground against Azula's own.
"You're the one in charge of selling this house, then?" asked Azula, frowning.
"Yes, I am," he said, smiling nervously.
"Then get on with it. I want this transaction finished as quickly as possible," stated Azula, her eyes gleaming coldly.
The salesman nodded, sweat dropping down his brow as he sprinted into the house, looking for the paperwork.
"Y-you're most welcome to take a look at the house, if you wish!" said the man, from the upper floor.
Azula and Sokka looked inside before entering. It was structured in wood mostly, something that Azula couldn't quite understand. If a firebender went on a rampage in here, there wouldn't be a house left afterwards… but Sokka grew to like it as he studied the place's layout. The vestibule led into a common room, with a large red couch that sat before a small table. The kitchen could be found to the right, and the stairs that led to the second floor stood next to the wall that separated the kitchen from the living room. There was a veranda right outside the common room, and the bathroom stood a few ways away from the house, in a separate, smaller building.
"It's cozy!" Sokka said, smiling. "I approve!"
"Huh," said Azula, shrugging as they both stepped into the living room, waiting for the man to return with his official forms. "Well, it looks pathetic enough for a man of your standing. I'd say you can keep this."
"It's wooden too," he said, smirking. "You wanted me to have a box, didn't you? Well, here you have it, as you wanted it. A huge box, just for me."
Azula rolled her eyes, though she couldn't help herself but smile. Sokka didn't miss the gesture. She would always bicker with him, they would compete against the other, trying to find out who was smarter, who had the most willpower, who would give up first…
It was as if they were fighting a war, the princess and the savage, always in a battlefield, trying to outdo the other. But strangely, it wasn't like the other fights Sokka had been involved in. Usually, whenever he was in a combat he couldn't wait for the moment it would end. Here, though… he was enjoying himself thoroughly. It was the most fun he had ever had, even if he'd never say it out loud.
She would win at times, but he didn't mind. Wars were comprised of many battles, so he would just come up to fight her once again when he was ready. And despite she didn't like to see him win, she was able to accept it whenever she lost. As a reward for his triumph, he'd get to see her blush… or she would show him a small smile, just like this one. It was a side of herself she didn't let anyone else see… a side of the Princess that only belonged to him.
The thought sent an unknown thrill down his spine. He found himself smiling, despite himself. He had wanted to bring himself to hate her, and he had, for a very long time… but everything was different now. She wasn't just his sponsor, he wasn't just her gladiator. There was something more, something he couldn't explain with words. How to explain it, then…?
He hoped he would find a way to do it soon enough.