Welcome to 'once in a blue moon', the sequel story to White Lotus Gambit! This story is set roughly 6 years after the end of White Lotus Gambit. Also, the setting time-wise is very early 1980's. You know, the cool part of the 80's, before the perm really took off.
Chapter 1
"Auntie Azula! Auntie Azula!" a small and occasionally annoying child kept tugging on Azula's sleeve, looking up at her expectantly. "Can I have some sweets, please?" the five-year-old Kya demanded, facing Azula with a broad and gap-toothed smile.
"I don't know, Kya," Azula sighed. "Why don't you ask your father, instead?"
"I already did," Kya nodded knowingly. "Dad said you would buy me something so that I stop annoying you. Am I annoying you yet, Auntie Azula?"
"Not yet, but I'd rather we didn't take things that far," Azula grumbled, reaching into her purse and retrieving her wallet. She retrieved a few yuan and pressed them into Kya's eager hands, pointing her towards the nearest concession stand. "Well, go on then. And remember, your father and I will be watching you."
"Thanks, Auntie Azula!" Kya replied cheerfully, skipping off towards the concession stand.
"I'm not sure this counts as great parenting, you know," Azula remarked, turning towards Sokka standing nearby and facing him with a mild glare.
"I think she's learning valuable life lessons," Sokka shrugged, looking undeterred. His eyes were firmly fixed on Kya, however, even while speaking with Azula. "Such as how to extort money from her rich relatives and that sweets make for the best breakfast."
Azula couldn't stop herself from laughing at Sokka's reply. Despite his flippant words, Azula knew perfectly well that Sokka was a very caring and at times maybe a little overbearing parent, but both he and Zuko definitely spoiled Kya at every opportunity. Not that Azula and Kya's other aunts were much better at not spoiling the child. Ever since Kya had come into their lives slightly more than five years ago, with Ty Lee being the surrogate mother for Sokka's child, the little tyke had been the center of their world. And the same went for Lee, the boy of the same age now being raised by Ty Lee and Jin, with Jin having given birth after Zuko had kindly donated some of his genetic material.
"Knowing you, I'm sure she's had proper breakfast before we drove here," Azula snorted. They were standing in the hall of arrivals of the Ba Sing Se international airport, waiting for Zuko to show up. His plane from Agna Qel'a had actually landed some twenty minutes ago, but Azula's brother was most likely stuck waiting for his luggage.
"Nothing slips past you, does it?" Sokka winked at her before returning his attention to Kya. His daughter had already acquired a bag of popcorn and was now negotiating the purchase of some cotton candy to go with it.
"I should think not," Azula shrugged. She then narrowed her eyes at Sokka, forcing him to turn his head and face her. "How did he sound on the phone?" Azula asked, referring to her brother.
"Obviously, not great," Sokka sighed. "It was a bitter pill to swallow, so I bet he's going to be really pissed off. But also, that's why we have our secret weapon with us," he smiled, nodding at Kya. "As soon as Zuko sees her, I expect some of that anger and frustration will fade."
"It was definitely a good decision and I'm glad you took my advice to bring her along," Azula nodded.
Zuko was returning to Ba Sing Se following yet another disheartening failure to secure the title of the Pai Sho world champion, failing to break what was by now starting to feel almost like a curse. After Azula's retirement from the professional game, she had expected that in the next cycle, it would be Aang and Zuko fighting it out for the crown she had vacated. And her prediction had almost come true, but with Aang and Zuko focusing their attention on one another, they had allowed other competitors to fly under the radar and sneak up on them. In the end, the old and wily Piandao Mori had taken his second world title, once again showing the younger generation how it was done.
Serving on the board of the international Pai Sho federation, Azula had pushed for sweeping reforms in the system of determining the world champion, and they had been accepted just in time for the next cycle of world championship. The old and nebulous system of determining the thirty best players who would then be split into punishing qualifying tournaments to earn the right to take on the world champion was tossed out in favor of something much simpler. Now there was a window of eighteen months, during which every pro player was free to participate in as many tournaments as they chose, but only their five best results would count towards their final rating. The qualifying tournaments were abolished completely, because they had mostly served to exhaust Ozai's challengers before they faced him. Now, the five highest ranked players at the end of the cycle automatically advanced into the grand finals to face off against the reigning champion. Not only did Azula believe that this system was much fairer, but she also hoped that it would give her friends and especially her brother a better chance at dethroning Piandao.
Her plan had worked out, but not quite in the way Azula had hoped. It hadn't been Zuko who had managed to unseat Piandao, but instead it was Aang, winning his first title of the world champion, very likely the first out of many. However, Aang had played quite poorly during the most recent championship cycle and he had finished only fifth in the Agna Qel'a tournament that had concluded mere days ago. Zuko had been leading the tournament ahead of Toph and Piandao with a couple of rounds to go, but once again, her brother had stumbled at the finish line and his misstep had allowed Piandao to sneak in and steal the title yet again, becoming the world champion for the third time in a major upset that had left Zuko so angry that he apparently had punched a wall mirror and badly cut his hand.
This was the reason why the Zuko returning from Agna Qel'a would not be a happy Zuko, and Azula had strongly suggested to Sokka to have Kya skip pre-school for the day, so that they could bring her along to make sure that her brother's temper would be soothed. Azula would have also wanted for Katara and Yue to come along, but it was an early Tuesday morning and Katara and Yue were both busy at their hospital and private school, respectively. Azula herself still didn't have a steady job or a set schedule even six years into her retirement from Pai Sho. She had many commitments, mostly to do with various Pai Sho activities through the board of the international federation, and she was always involved in several projects at once, but it was always something for which she was free to set her own pace. Even many years later, Azula still felt surprised at just how much she had come to enjoy this unexpected freedom from having a strict regimen and demanding expectations.
"It shouldn't be long now," Sokka said, pointing at some of the people starting to emerge in the terminal's hall of arrivals, including groups of Water Tribe tourists.
"I think I can see him now," Azula nodded, spotting Zuko behind a group of Water Tribe octogenarians. She winced at the expression on her brother's face. Zuko looked like one of those angry cartoon characters stuck with a permanent thundercloud hovering over their head and discharging constant lightning.
"Daddy!" Kya had spotted her other father as well, about to launch herself into a mad dash towards Zuko. She was quickly intercepted by Sokka, who took her popcorn and cotton candy away, before releasing the child again. Azula was impressed by Sokka's smart thinking. Kya would have totally gotten grease and cotton candy all over Zuko's coat, further souring his already bad mood. Now, however, upon seeing Kya running towards him, the thundercloud over Zuko's head immediately dissipated and he broke into a crooked smile, sweeping the little girl up into his arms the moment she had reached him. Azula couldn't stop thinking that it was a rather wholesome and heartwarming sight.
"I think it's working," Sokka shot her a quick smile before disposing of Kya's abandoned sweets and then together with Azula hurrying towards Zuko. Azula watched the two men share a tender embrace, but as always in a public setting, holding back from kissing. When it came to the rights of sexual minorities, the Earth Kingdom still lagged way behind the more progressive countries like the Water Tribe and the Air Nation, with the Fire Nation and Yu Dao quickly catching up. At least the general public in Ba Sing Se was highly multicultural and as such rarely hostile towards displays of homosexual love, so in a sense, the legislation was actually way behind the public sentiment. However, with the world still recovering from a very costly and painful military conflict in Yu Dao, minority rights unfortunately just weren't a priority for most people, at least not at this time.
Azula gave Sokka, Zuko and Kya all the time they needed to catch up, standing a little aside. Eventually, Zuko and Sokka released one another, and Sokka took Kya's hand, allowing Zuko to walk up to Azula. "Thanks for coming, sis," Zuko smiled at her, pulling Azula into a hug. With years of constant progress in their relationship, these embraces now came easy and almost naturally. "I really blew it this time, didn't I?" Zuko asked, having released her. "At least the press isn't here to immortalize my shame," he added, looking around.
"I honestly thought you had it in the bag, Zuzu," Azula nodded. She knew that perhaps she was expected to offer mere comforting platitudes and Zuko didn't really want to hear constructive criticism at this point, but Azula's brain did not function that way. Zuko failing to win the title yet again was an unacceptable outcome, and she was already thinking about how to fix this mistake. "You were playing brilliantly, but then you ran into this mental block," Azula said. "What happened?"
"I choked," Zuko shrugged helplessly. "I wish there was a better explanation for what happened, but I just choked? You know I hate playing in Agna Qel'a. Sure, I've won some tournaments there, but some of my worst losses have also come there. I especially remembered losing that world junior title to Katara in last round, and I guess I allowed it to get to me, it's as simple as that."
"I'm not sure I buy that it's so simple," Azula shook her head. "But maybe we shouldn't try and pick it all apart while standing around in an airport. Go home and spend a few days with Sokka and Kya, just decompress and wind down properly. Then come see me in a few days and we'll talk."
Zuko gave her a sidelong stare. "You can't tell me something like that and expect that I won't want to know more," he said demandingly. "What are you plotting now, Zula?"
"I think it's time I got to helping you more seriously, Zuzu, because you clearly need it. I think you need me as your full-time coach, brother," Azula said decisively.
"You'd do that for me?" Zuko asked, looking surprised.
"Sure, even if I would have to step down from the federation board to avoid a conflict of interest," Azula shrugged. "It would be worth it."
"Whoa, I'm… touched, really, I am," Zuko looked very taken aback. "Would Katara and Yue be alright with it, though? You'd be away from home a lot. It's like a full-time job, but I don't have to tell you that, obviously."
"I think the wives will understand. I'll talk it over with them once they return home from work later in the evening," Azula smiled. She was referring to Katara and Yue as her wives, even if under the current legislation their relationship was not officially recognized. A few years ago, they had gone on a tour of the Air Nation together with Mai and Aang, and they had learned that the Air Nation monks performed their own spiritual ceremonies that were very much like marriages in their intent, with the exception that the monks did not care about the gender or the number of partners involved. So, Azula, Katara and Yue had taken part in one of these spiritual ceremonies, and at least according to the customs of the Air Nation, the three of them were now joined in marriage. For now, it was more than enough recognition for the three of them.
"Well, that would be great, obviously," Zuko nodded at her. "With someone like you in my corner, I'm absolutely certain that the title will be mine come the next grand finals."
"Thank you for coming, grandmaster," Yue smiled, welcoming her guest into the classroom at the academy of Madame Macmu-Ling. Having just turned eighty, grandmaster Pakku Karetak was walking slightly hunched and with a slight limp, but he still appeared to have maintained some of his old, slightly grouchy energy. "It's a pleasure to have you here," Yue added, taking Pakku's hand and shaking it, smiling brightly. "The girls and I have been looking forward to your visit."
"I can see that," Pakku nodded, having cast a brief glance around the classroom, regarding the eight girls of various ages between twelve and sixteen, all part of Yue's little after class Pai Sho club she oversaw at the academy.
Madame Macmu-Ling had been very supportive of Yue's idea, wanting to make use of having a former world vice-champion and already a renowned youth coach on her teaching staff. The extracurricular activity had become even more popular after some of Yue's first students had even won international fame and medals at the junior championship levels. Still, Yue always resisted the push to accept more and more students. A smaller group of eight allowed Yue to find individual approach to truly bring out the best in each of her students, and it also made the group forge tighter bonds between them. In a way, it brought Yue back to the summer Pai Sho camps ran by Iroh Nakamura many years ago, where she had forged her friendships with Katara, Toph, Aang and many other talented kids with passion for Pai Sho.
"As you can see, grandmaster, the girls are all prepared for the occasion," Yue smiled, looking proudly at her students. They were all sitting at their desks, with their Pai Sho boards and tiles prepared, all struggling to contain their excitement about facing a legendary player whose career had span nearly fifty years.
"Well, hopefully I will be able to give them a good game," Pakku joked. "As you well know, it's been a few years since I played my last game at a professional level."
"Grandmaster, I refuse to believe that your days are still not consumed by Pai Sho, even in your retirement," Yue laughed. She had discovered about Pakku's visit from Suki, who was still deeply involved with The Harmony Ring as their lead writer. Yue was truly happy that Pakku had answered the invitation to visit one of her classes and give her pupils some useful advice and bits of important knowledge he had undoubtedly acquired during his lengthy career. Even if Yue and Katara's relationship with Pakku had started out rather acrimoniously, as they grew older and continued to prove themselves as serious contenders, they had gradually won the old grandmaster over. By the time Katara and Yue had hit their prime, Pakku and the entire Pai Sho federation of the Water Tribes were fully behind them both.
"Well, you might not be wrong there," Pakku snorted. He gave the excited classroom another glance. "I see you're all eager to get started. What say you, shall we play a game?"
"I think we're ready to start," Yue said, meeting only excited nods and smiles from her pupils. "Make your moves, girls!" she said, signaling the start of the simultaneous play.
For the next hour or so, Pakku moved from one desk to another, humming and harumphing as he pondered about the situation on the board and made his moves. Yue could tell that in his advanced years, Pakku was far from his best shape that had won him many international tournaments, but he was still an opponent to be respected. Even if Yue had nothing to be ashamed of for the way her girls were squaring up against the retired great, still, one by one, her charges were forced to admit defeat, even if some of the girls gave Pakku a bit of a fright.
More than an hour later, only one of the eight games was still ongoing, and Yue was not surprised that it was her brightest student, giving Pakku a real run for his money. At fourteen years of age, Mina was a rare talent and she had already won a bronze medal at the junior world championship level. If she remained invested in the game, as Yue hoped she would, Mina definitely had a very successful professional career ahead of her, provided she kept working hard at honing her skills. And Yue received yet more proof of Mina's remarkable talent on this occasion as well, when seventy odd moves into the contest, it was Pakku who made an offer of peace, an offer that was quickly and gratefully accepted.
"What an amazing game," Yue exclaimed at the conclusion of the contest. "A round of applause for Mina and Grandmaster Karetak!" she urged, and all the other girls immediately broke into cheers and began clapping their hands.
"You have some very talented children here, my dear," Pakku said, walking up to her and leaving the other girls to surround Mina and continue to congratulate her. "Especially Mina. She reminds me a lot of yourself and Katara."
"Thank you, grandmaster," Yue smiled. "I'm very proud of them all, but yes, Mina is a rare talent, indeed."
"Of course, I hope you don't think that you will get away from facing me in a friendly match yourself," Pakku said, his words surprising Yue.
"Oh, no… no, I shouldn't," Yue stammered, shaking her head. "I would love to, but this should be about the girls, not about me."
"What nonsense, my dear," Pakku scowled at her. "You don't think that your girls would benefit from seeing you play a more competitive game?" he asked, then turning back towards the classroom. "What do you think, girls? Do you want to see me facing your teacher?" he asked the class, receiving uniform and very excited endorsement of this idea, leaving Yue with no choice but to accept.
"Very well, I suppose I have no choice but to buckle under that sort of pressure," Yue smiled. Soon they were both sat down at a Pai Sho board, working through their opening moves.
Having seen Pakku's level of play against her girls, Yue felt quite confident about being able to defeat the old grandmaster. Yes, it was almost eight years since she last played competitively, in that accursed tournament of world championship finals where Ozai had robbed Katara of her rightful title. The injustice had since been righted, but the memories of her last professional outing remained contentious, even if in the end it had earned her the prestigious title of vice-champion of the world.
Still, Pai Sho was still a part of Yue's life, and not merely through this little club she ran at the academy. Back home, it was still a major topic of conversation with her wives, and a hobby in which they indulged very often, playing each other and analyzing the latest games, and it allowed them to remain very sharp even if none of them were considering a return to their professional careers. For the past six weeks, as the world championship finals had been taking place in Agna Qel'a, Yue, Azula and Katara had followed all the games very closely, analyzing each and every one of them in great detail, an activity that had completely dominated their free time as of late. Azula had been greatly invested in the success of her brother, hoping that Zuko would finally claim the title he had been so close to on several occasions. Yue and Katara had stood with their wife while cheering for Zuko, and they had been absolutely devastated when Zuko had tripped at the very finish line, somehow managing to throw away a seemingly safe lead and allowing Piandao to steal yet another world title.
Even if Yue was playing very relaxed and she did not try to focus very hard on defeating her opponent swiftly, she was still a little surprised at how well her game plan seemed to be coming together. It took her only twenty effortless moves to achieve complete domination on the board, boxing Pakku into a small island and starting to gradually chip away at it. To his credit, Pakku quickly realizes that without any meaningful counterplay, he would be suffocated within the next few moves. Pakku made a desperate last-ditch effort to break out and counter, but Yue's defensive line held quite easily. Within a few moves, Pakku's counterattack had exhausted itself and by the thirtieth move, he was left with no other options than to resign. Yue blushed, smiling when the girls met her victory with loud cheers and applause.
"I confess I did not expect you to play at such an impressive level, my dear," Pakku admitted, not looking bitter at all. "You've been retired for what, six years now?"
"Eight," Yue quickly corrected him.
"Even more impressive," Pakku nodded. "I've been following the world championship finals and analyzing all the games. You know that false flattery is not my style, Yue, so believe me when I say that you still have what it takes to succeed at the highest level."
"You're being much too kind, grandmaster," Yue shook her head. She knew she was still very good, but surely Pakku was exaggerating. "I am far too rusty to compete at the pro level."
"Pfft," Pakku scowled. "One tournament, and that rustiness would go away, to me that's as clear as day. You really should consider giving another go to your pro career, Yue," he said, then turning towards the excited looking girls. "What do you say, girls? Wouldn't it be great if your teacher made a return to the professional tour? She could even become the next world champion!" The girls went absolutely crazy at Pakku's words, all of them surrounding Yue, cheering and offering words of encouragement.
"No, no, wait, girls, this is crazy," Yue tried to protest. "I'm not going to do it, let's make that clear. I love being a teacher. This is my life now. And if I returned to professional Pai Sho, I wouldn't be able to run our little club, at least not regularly."
"I would be happy to pitch in with that in your place, child," Pakku said kindly. "It would give me so much joy to share my experiences with the girls when you're unable to attend."
"Wait," Yue gasped. "Does that mean you're moving to Ba Sing Se, grandmaster?"
"Oh, that was a decision I had made before I stopped by for a visit, Yue," Pakku smiled. "The bitter cold of Agna Qel'a does not agree with these old bones anymore. I've been looking to move someplace warmer for a while now, and Ba Sing Se has always been my first choice."
"That's wonderful!" Yue exclaimed happily. "But still, even if you could help my girls at the club, I don't think rejoining the pro tour is something I want to do," Yue insisted, even if she knew that she was not being perfectly honest with Pakku, the girls, and especially, with herself.
At home, Azula and Katara occasionally still teased her about the promise they had all made to eventually help Yue win the world title herself, but by now Yue had a feeling that it was all treated almost like a joke. Surely her wives didn't seriously expect her to make an actual effort of it? Or were they still hopeful that she would do it, and simply did not want her to feel pressured into it? Yue had to admit that it could be the latter, instead of the former.
The most important question was, of course, whether Yue wanted it herself. And she couldn't deny that on some level, she did want it. Even if she had achieved great things during her career, she was aware that many people saw her as less talented when compared to Katara and Azula. Which was an objective observation to make, because her wives were world champions and she wasn't. But still, even if Yue was not as competitive person at heart as Azula, or even Katara, to be thought as less talented was something that bothered her just a little bit. Deep within her, there sat the buried urge to prove herself, to show the world that she was no less talented and capable than her amazing wives.
And then there was the question of her age. Yue had turned thirty less than a month ago. The prevailing opinion was that female Pai Sho players hit their prime between the age of twenty-five and thirty-five. It was a somewhat insulting generalization that Yue tended to scowl at, but the stone-cold facts seemed to bear it out. If she really wanted to become the world champion, she probably should not be delaying her attempt for much longer. But still, it was all a very big if to Yue. It felt like a temptation that she was supposed to resist.
"Miss Taqqiq?" Yue blinked, watching young Mina standing next to her and tentatively touching her hand. "You always tell us about reaching for the stars and doing everything we can to realize our full potential," the young girl said.
"Yes, Mina," Yue nodded at the girl. "I truly believe that."
"But, Miss Taqqiq… if you won't try to become the world champion when you clearly can do it," Mina said. "Doesn't that mean you're refusing to realize your own full potential?"
"That's not how-" Yue began, hesitating when she saw the hopeful look in Mina's eyes. The other girls all seemed to share the same feeling, looking at her expectantly. Yue suddenly realized that she was trapped. Indeed, how could she motivate these girls to pursue long and successful pro careers, when she had ended her own so quickly and abruptly, almost as if giving up. Perhaps she really had to make another serious attempt. She owed that not just to herself, but also to all these precious girls under her tutelage.
"We all can see that in your heart you want this, Yue," Pakku said with a knowing smile.
"We want to see you play the best pros, Miss Taqqiq," Mina nodded excitedly. "We want to be there in the stands, shouting for you!" she added, the other girls once again cheering and agreeing.
"Well, with so much support behind me already," Yue said, suddenly feeling like she was about to burst into tears, barely managing to recompose herself. "I will not make that decision right here and right now," she said. "But please, trust me when I say that I will give this idea very careful consideration."
Azula was well aware that she wasn't the world's most observant person when it came to emotions, even if she had spent roughly ten years in a relationship with empaths such as Katara and Yue. Still, even Azula knew that something was off that when Katara returned home from work, instead of walking upstairs to grab a shower and slip into something more comfortable, her wife instead entered the kitchen, poured herself a cup of blackest coffee and then simply sat down at the island without saying a word.
Having waited a while, Azula eventually went and sit next to Katara, waiting for her wife for speak, but Katara remained silent. After almost ten minutes of sitting in silence, Azula could take it no longer, leaning in and tenderly running the back of her hand across Katara's soft cheek. Much to her relief, Katara leaned into the touch, suggesting that she hadn't completely retreated into her own world like she occasionally did after a particularly tough day at work.
"Tell me about it," Azula spoke quietly. Katara didn't lose patients in surgery often, but it did happen. Azula had never stopped disliking and disapproving of Katara working in her rundown and underfunded Lower Ring hospital, but at least she and Yue had learned to keep their mouths shut about Katara's choices. Still, there were way too many cases with victims of violent crimes requiring emergency surgeries, and sometimes these patients were simply beyond saving. Katara always took bad outcomes very hard, even if there wasn't anything she could have done to save these patients.
"Just a very tough surgery," Katara sighed. "It was supposed to be a routine case. A twelve-year boy, having a cholecystectomy." Azula raised an inquiring eyebrow. "Removal of the gallbladder. But his bile duct was like nothing I've ever seen, just abnormal, deformed. I couldn't get it properly closed for a long time. Everyone became really stressed. Well, everyone except Ty Lee. She really helped me keep my wits about me."
"But everything turned out okay, yes?" Azula asked worriedly.
"Yes, eventually," Katara nodded. "But it took me a very long time to seal the duct and then Ty and I had to clean up all the bile that had spilled. It was a real mess." She let out a heavy sigh. "I'm so relieved I have a day off tomorrow."
"We'll think of something fun to do, just the two of us," Azula promised, leaning in to kiss Katara's cheek. "Wish we could get Yue to take a day off, too."
"That would be great, but I guess we'll have to wait until the weekend," Katara smiled sadly. "Anyway, she's running a bit late, isn't she? With how long that surgery took, I expected her to be home before I arrived."
At that moment, they heard the front doors of the estate opening and someone stepping inside. "Speaking of our amazing wife," Azula grinned, winking at Katara.
"Just in time," Katara smiled. "Between the two of you, I'm sure my mood will improve quickly."
Yue took a while removing her coat and kicking off her shoes, eventually spotting them sitting in the kitchen and coming over to join her loves. She was looking perfect as always in her simple light blue V-neck sweater and a matching knee-length skirt. Azula and Katara both happily accepted tender kisses from Yue, who looked to be in a very good mood.
"I'm guessing Pakku must have been on his best behavior for you to look so happy," Katara remarked, smiling at Yue. Her bad mood seemed to be fading quickly. Seeing Yue so happy was doing the trick.
"Oh, Pakku was… very nice, actually," Yue said, appearing more excited than Azula would have expected her to be. "Also, I have news for you both," Yue added, looking positively giddy. "I hope you'll be just as happy as I feel right now."
"I'm sure we will, but you'll have to tell us the news first, Yue," Azula reminded her wife, trying not to get swept away in the tide of Yue's overflowing emotions.
"Well, I played Pakku and I totally wiped the floor with him," Yue began excitedly. "And then he said something how I was still playing at a high enough level to do really well at the pro tour. And all my girls suddenly started to talk about how I should make a return to the pro game. That really got me thinking, what if it's time to make an effort and do that? And I decided that… yes, it's time. I want to come back in the next cycle and I want to fight for that title! Pai Sho world champion wife throuple, am I right?"
"Yes!" Katara exclaimed happily, jumping off from her seat and rushing to embrace Yue. "I've been fighting myself so hard not to push you more about the return! Azula and I will help you make this happen! Won't we, Azula?"
"Oh, absolutely," Azula nodded, quickly joining the three-way embrace with Yue and Katara. "We're going to help you get that missing title, sweetheart," Azula promised, even if she felt a little awkward because of the promise she had made to Zuko earlier. Still, Azula was sure that Zuko would understand that she couldn't choose helping him over helping her wife. After everything that she and Zuko had gone through since their complicated childhood, Azula was certain that a small misunderstanding like this was not going to cause tensions in their relationship.