The warmth of the morning sun was enticing Lu Ten to step out onto the deck of the ship, but more than that, was his father, who was sitting meditating on the deck, minding his own business; he wondered why he had gotten up so early, given it wasn't that long after sunrise, and decided to investigate. Not because he was feeling nosy, but because he knew his father well; he liked to sleep in, if he could. Given they were still en route to the forward camp for his father's army, which would be leading the siege of Ba Sing Se, he had little reason to get up early, other than to perhaps check the letters that would be coming in from the front.

Seeing Prince Iroh had no letter in his hands, and seemed rather distant from his physical position on the deck of the ship, he doubted his presence there had anything to do with the war, or at least, in the material sense. The stress and anxieties he guessed would come with his important position as a General meant that he was likely concerned about his duties; if Lu Ten was going to command the siege, he would be too. His father had had an illustrious career as a general, and had led their nation to many great victories, many of which would rival even those of his great grandfather Sozin. Of all the people in the world, he ought to be the most self-assured in heading to command his army.

"Father, are you alright?" he asked him, Iroh turning his head around so he could eye his son.

"Ah, Lu Ten, good morning. I am fine, but thank you for asking." he smiled at him, "Did you wish to join me in my meditation?"

"Uh, sure." he accepted his offer, "I'm surprised you don't have any tea with you."

"I wanted to just practice my breathing a little before I indulged myself." he excused his rather odd behaviour; it would be far more usual of his father to have a cup of tea in his hand than not, especially when he had just gotten out of bed.

He sat down beside Iroh, and crossed his legs, taking a deep breath, trying to do so in sync with his father's, "How did you sleep?"

"My bed on this ship is quite nice." he acknowledged, "I just needed to clear my head." he explained, rather cryptically; Lu Ten wasn't sure what was wrong, but he could tell his father was avoiding whatever he had been dealing with.

"Of what?" he further inquired, the Crown Prince raising a hand to his goatee as he took another deep breath.

"Of unhelpful thoughts." he simply put it, the younger Prince looking at his father, unsure how to advise him; he was the young, immature and inexperienced one, after all, and didn't know what to say to his father's issues.

He looked back ahead, and took his own deep breath, considering what he ought to say to his father; he did come up with a response, though, it took some time of awkwardly sitting there in silence for him to formulate it.

"You're an important man, Dad." he admitted, "You shouldn't be so worried about being stressed, or doubting yourself. You have advisors, and lots of people who want to help you succeed."

"I know that." he nodded, "But, Lu Ten, I can't feel as if I might let them down. This has never been done before- Ba Sing Se is the greatest city in the world."

"And you're the greatest general." he retorted, reassuring his father of the skill that he held, "Yeah, you might not be as fast as Chin the Conqueror when it comes to taking the Earth Kingdom down, but you're still unmatched, aren't you?"

"I've lost battles before... but luckily for me, they were when I was young and inexperienced." he noted, "As a General, I've never failed."

"And you won't." Lu Ten stressed, not wanting his father to even doubt for a second that he couldn't win; they wouldn't be going to Ba Sing Se if they doubted the possibility of their victory, "Dad, I believe in you. Heaps of people do."

"It's not just that." he admitted, turning his eyes down, "I... well, I keep telling myself this is my destiny. To finally defeat the Earth Kingdom, and end the war, once and for all." he recalled, before glancing toward his son, "But I don't know if it's right. I want the war over as much as the next soldier, but I don't know what price is acceptable... I have power over men's lives, Lu Ten."

"And they trust you with their lives, Dad." he assured him, "Nobody would doubt your good intentions. If the enemy started killing your men, you'd either defeat them or withdraw to save lives, right?'

"I would." he confirmed, "But... this is the kind of battle we can't give up on so easily."

"It could take years." Lu Ten observed the nature of what they were about to head into, "But the war has taken a hundred years. A year or two at those walls will be nothing in comparison."

"Years wasted." Iroh sighed, "I don't know how things may go, if we are victorious... I might even retire." he chuckled, the younger Prince smiling at him.

"You'd deserve that, Dad. You've been fighting all your life for your country. You'll be a great Fire Lord some day, and maybe you can have a little break in between."

"That's what I'd like to do. Maybe we could go on a vacation or something after this." he suggested, the younger Prince chuckling.

"Ah, we could... I'm probably going to go help with the occupation, though." he admitted, "I can't just leave a job unfinished."

"That dogged determination is admirable, my son." Iroh complimented him, "Reminds me of somebody else I know."

"Zuko?" Lu Ten raised a brow, his father nodding; he turned his eyes ahead, realising that he hadn't seen his cousins in over a month, and that it could be years until he saw them again, "He might be a lot taller by the time we get back. And I bet Azula's firebending will be even more amazing."

"She's an impressive bender, that's sure, but I have a feeling she might impress us in other areas." his father noted, "Both of them are very smart... I mean, smart for their ages." he acknowledged, "They will be more than able to serve their country, and hopefully, they won't have to go off and do the kind of things we're about to do."

"Well, I can find a little pleasure in strategy, Father." he noted with a chuckle, "Azula really likes learning about military history. Maybe she'll demand that Uncle lets her into the army... or the navy."

"Ah, well, she might set her sights on the Northern Water Tribe." he guessed, before shaking his head, "I'd prefer if she used her skills in a different manner, but if she really wants, I guess I cannot stop her from making such a choice."

"Well, needless violence is always needless." he simply put it, "We're going to end the war so there's no more need for fighting, isn't that right, Dad?"

"Yes, that's right." he smiled, "I've been looking forward to peace my entire life, and now it's finally within our grasp."

"And we can savour it. A better world for a better Fire Lord." he acknowledged, making his father chuckle.

"Don't let anybody hear you insulting the Fire Lord like that." he warned him, "My father is a prideful man."

"And he knows you, Dad. It's not like he wants Uncle Ozai to be the Fire Lord." he suggested, making Iroh grimace.

"No, he doesn't." he admitted, before turning his gaze away, obviously thinking about his relationship with his brother, who was known to conflict with Fire Lord Azulon, "My brother has good reason be unhappy with him."

"Ever since Aunt Ursa died... he's been getting worse."

"He was always angry." he noted, "That's why I worry for Zuko." he acknowledged, before grimacing, "They're more similar than Ozai would like to admit."

"I won't let my cousin end up as spiteful and angry as him." he assured his father, "Maybe he needs to go experience some things out of the palace; learn about the world, and about himself."

"I think that would be a good idea. He's still quite young, however." he noted, "It might be a few years until he's mature enough to go out on his own."

"He won't have to be alone. He'll have me."


The morning sun rising over the city of Omashu was something that Azula could barely enjoy; it was hard to meditate and do her breathing exercises when she had earthbenders watching her every move, like she was going to attack them at any moment. She had no such intentions, even if she didn't think of them as her friends or allies; the Order of the White Lotus weren't her allies either, simply friends of her uncle who could restore him to the throne.

The things she knew now were also making it harder to meditate; ignoring the knowledge she gained was easier said than done, when she came to consider her whole reason for being came from the ancestry of her mother, whose grandfather was Avatar Roku. It made her interactions with Aang seem a whole lot less annoying and more absurd and unnerving; she had dragged the man who was her great-grandfather reincarnated away in chains, not knowing anything of the ties between them.

Her uncle had not bothered to tell her about any of it, and that in and of itself was frustrating; perhaps he didn't think she'd believe it- she struggled to do so at that very moment, but she had no reason to say otherwise. It made more sense than she was willing to admit, given her impressive bending abilities, not being bestowed upon her by good luck or fate, but by virtue of the bloodlines she hailed from. She didn't want to say it, but she did prefer it to be a result of action rather than a stroke of luck. Luck was fickle and arguable in its existence, while greed and arrogance were very much things that could be tangibly understood and seen in everything her father had done.

"Azula." she heard her uncle utter her name, and she turned around to face him; he seemed rather serious in his posture and composure, and that told her that they were going to do something proper.

"You're not here to meditate." she deduced, Iroh nodding before he gestured to the doorway behind him.

"We need to explain my plan." he clarified, before sighing, seeming like he didn't want to say what he was about to utter, "So, we can stop Ozai."

She looked at him blankly for a few moments, before she rose up to her feet, "Are you ready to leave this stupid city?" she asked him, the Fire Lord glancing around the courtyard.

"It's not that bad a place, Azula." he made his own observation, before pointing to the door once more, "I can't do this without you, Azula. You're the only person who can help me."

"Why is that, Uncle?" she asked him bluntly, "You have all these friends to help you, don't you?"

"That I do, my niece." he nodded, "But you're the only one who can go straight back to the Fire Nation Capital." he acknowledged, "As long as I'm thought missing, I could travel with you, and we could stop your father before he does anything worse than he already has."

"What has he done, exactly? Other than trying to kill you, that is." she asked, the Fire Lord grimacing as he turned around, placing his hands behind his back.

"He plans to destroy the Earth Kingdom... or what's left of it, with Sozin's Comet." he explained, the Princess raising a brow.

"And how does that concern me, Uncle?" she retorted, knowing that in desiring to be a good Fire Lord, she had little concern for the Earth Kingdom.

"Well, it concerns me." he bluntly put his thoughts to words, "And I don't believe you're going to blindly accept your father's intentions."

"Then why shouldn't we destroy the Earth Kingdom, Uncle?" she dared to retort, earning some concerned glares from the guards who were stationed around the courtyard.

"This is not the time or place to be having this conversation, my niece." he stressed, the Princess stepping closer, not having heard her uncle argue against the proposition at hand.

"That's not an answer. Tell me why." she demanded; he sighed, clearly frustrated by her words, and obviously not feeling very comfortable with the topic of discussion- that didn't mean he didn't have a view, which she was sure he did.

"Because it's wrong, and they deserve dignity and respect. Without that, we will never have peace." he acknowledged, the Princess raising a brow.

"Well, Uncle, wouldn't the destruction of the Earth Kingdom ensure peace by overcoming that dilemma?"

"It would." he agreed with her idea, "That's how Ozai probably justifies what he intends to do. I would never do such a thing, and I hope that you wouldn't either."

"I'm not the Fire Lord, so it's not my concern." she acknowledged bluntly, before striding past him, "So, are we going to go talk with your friends... or did that make you too uncomfortable?"

"No, I'm fine." he assured her, "Please... just refrain from saying such things. It will not earn you any good favour with these people."

"They're not my friends, Uncle. I don't have to like the Earth Kingdom. Why should I?"

"I can't tell you why... you do have a choice." he conceded, "Just don't treat them as being not worth your consideration because of their exclusion from our nation." he suggested, the Princess narrowing her eyes at him.

"No." she bluntly refused him; even if she was willing to follow and support him, she would not have her view of the world dictated to her by her uncle.

He didn't respond to her refusal, and simply continued to walk on beside her as she approached the doorway; the guards opened the doors, and eyed her with suspicion, and perhaps some fear, given what they'd just heard.

"Keep your eyes to yourselves." she warned them, before stepping through the doorway.

They approached the table in the middle of the throne room, and Azula noted that a few members of the Order of the White Lotus were already sitting there waiting, including the King of Omashu, who looked like he had just cleaned up, wearing a new robe with his beard freshly trimmed. They noted the pair approaching, and she kept her eyes away from them, not wanting to look at them, and engage in anyway. She was simply to be sitting there with her uncle while he explained his plan, and didn't want to partake in any discussion, given that it was not her place to argue against his plan. She could refuse him, but knew that wasn't a wise idea; her frustrations with the intentions of her uncle for her nation and the world as a whole were outweighed by her desire to make sure he was safe. She was a loyal subject of the Fire Lord before being a skeptical and concerned niece.

"So, Iroh, now will you explain what you're going to do, properly?" Bumi questioned the Fire Lord, who nodded, before taking a seat, the Princess taking the one beside him.

"I will." he confirmed verbally, placing his hands on the table, "I believe the most effective way to deal with the threat my brother poses is an Agni Kai... however, measures ought to be taken otherwise to prevent him from enacting his plans even if we are unsuccessful at reaching the Fire Nation Capital."

"I presume your niece training the Avatar is one of those things." one of the members guessed, the Fire Lord nodding.

"Yes, it is. I also would like as much intelligence on my brother's plot gathered by the Order as is possible." he stressed, raising a finger, "I do not know what may happen when I reach the capital, but I know that this plot is deep-rooted, and has probably been in motion since before the Siege of Ba Sing Se." he acknowledged, "My brother thinks I am weak-willed, and has probably persuaded many people in the military and court of this."

"Well, then we must find who these supporters are, so they can be isolated and prevented from doing anything that might further threaten the peace." Bumi declared, "I am sure everybody here can assist with gathering intelligence. We all have contacts and friends across the world who can provide for you, Iroh."

"I know." he nodded, "That is why we must act at once. My niece and I will leave today, and hopefully, we can reach the capital within a month, if not less time." he explained, the Princess turning to face her uncle.

"And what then, Uncle? Do you expect that you'll be able to just walk into the palace?" she asked him, knowing that it couldn't be that simple.

"No, of course not. Your father will have men everywhere. That's why I will need to take the catacombs to the palace with my Imperial Firebenders, who we will retrieve from the naval base they've been recovering at after the assassination attempt." he explained, Azula nodding, finding his plan to be rather well reasoned- if he had a small army of guards behind him, it would be a whole lot harder for her father to stop him from reaching the palace and formally demanding an Agni Kai.

She did realise there was one other issue, which her uncle might have avoided due to its sensitivity with her, "What about Zuko?"

"He'll be waiting for us, I assume." he noted, "As long as Ozai doesn't know I'm coming, he will be safe."

"We could send some of our contacts in the Capital to assist your nephew, Iroh." one of the members suggested, "They could keep him safe for the time being."

"Directly intervening with him may not help us very much." he conceded, "My brother might become more paranoid, and act rashly to try and stop me." he acknowledged, "That would endanger my nephew's life, and perhaps my own."

"Zuko was the one who told you about all this." Azula acknowledged, "What's to say Father doesn't already know about his snooping around. He's no idiot, Uncle."

"I am sure of that, and that's why we must be cautious." he stressed, "One slip up, and Ozai's backers will know where I am, and that will be sure to bring those assassins our way."

"It's a wonder the army hasn't tracked them down yet." Azula noted, before narrowing her eyes, "Though, that may be on purpose. Father may be purposefully redirecting resources away from the effort of 'finding' you." she theorised, the Fire Lord grimacing at the thought.

"I think I know what excuse he has to do that." he realised, raising his hand up, "The same person you've been looking for."

"What, are you saying some hotshot navy commander or general could capture Aang first and stop me from doing anything about it?"

"That's precisely what I'm saying." he confirmed, Bumi grimacing at the idea; the young Air Nomad was his friend, after all, and his concerns for his safety were well-justified.

"Then you ought to get to him quickly, Azula." the King suggested, "I know you need to get to the Capital, but preventing somebody else from reaching Aang is too important to ignore."

"I won't ignore it." she assured him, "But that's Uncle's decision." she deflected responsibility, knowing that his request was a perfect opportunity to test her uncle's resolve on the matter.

"Ensuring the Avatar is not captured by the military is important, that is true." Iroh conceded, before he turned his eyes toward Bumi, "But we have our own priorities at this very instant. Azula must do everything she can to stop him from being captured, but that is second to making sure we can reach the capital safely."

"We may be able to intercept them before we leave for the capital, Uncle." she acknowledged, "But, we have to hurry, and hope that the military isn't already onto them." she warned, the King of Omashu nodding with agreement.

"I will have some of my men escort you out of the city. Hopefully, you can reach Aang before they do." he noted, "I assume they'd take him to the capital, to Ozai."

"While he's acting Fire Lord, that would be protocol, yes." the Dragon of the West confirmed.

"Well, I'll be taking him to my father." Azula declared, "That's the best excuse, isn't it, Uncle?"

He looked at her blankly for a few moments, "Yes, it would be... but doing so might put him in danger."

"We'll be in more danger than him. Who exactly is more of a threat to my father: an Avatar who only knows airbending, or his own brother and daughter?"

"You know, she has a point, Iroh." Bumi agreed with her, "We'll do as much as we can to figure out the scope of your brother's conspiracy, but we're counting on you." he warned the Fire Lord, who grimaced; there was a lot at stake, and he couldn't make any foolish mistakes- running off again would be a bad idea, and avoiding Ozai's assassins would only be possible with the transport Azula could provide.

"I understand." he nodded, "We need to go at once. Do you have any men ready?"

"I will have to check in the guard barracks." he noted, before his eyebrows rose up, "Wait, no, I'm the King." he reminded himself, "Somebody get me some good earthbenders!" he clapped his hands, one of his guards approaching him, before he bowed.

"How many do you require, your majesty?" he asked, the King raising a finger to his goatee, which he scratched in thought.

"A least five. That'll be enough to protect them, and dig fast enough to get around the Fire Nation forces." he ordered, the guard nodding.

"It will be done, your majesty." he accepted his command, before pacing off to collect some guards.

"Thank you, Bumi." Iroh smiled at the elderly king, before rising up to his feet, turning his gaze to his niece, "Azula, let's go get our things." she suggested, the Princess eyeing the others on the table; she didn't know what they thought of her, but she didn't really care- she had things to do, and an uncle to persuade.

Making sure they stopped her father was obviously the priority, but she understood that her uncle was intending to make some large changes to their nation's agenda and foreign policy, something that she knew shouldn't be decided quickly. Azula had learnt much from her tutors, and from her journey around the world; the Fire Nation's position of power was not in danger, not yet, but she understood the faults of the Air Nomads, which had allowed them to be destroyed with Sozin's Comet. Those faults could not appear in her own nation, lest they fall to a fate comparably terrible. Revenge was something she understood the other nations might seek against her own, something they had good reason to do; it was imperative to make sure the Fire Nation did not give up every bit of power they held, because they would suffer needlessly because of weakness.

She didn't want to think about the things her uncle was going to do too much, as she still had to get back to the capital to stop her father from sending their nation spiralling into a civil war. So, she stood up, and followed Iroh out of the throne room, heading off down a hallway that led them toward the room they had stayed in the night prior; the guards opened the door for them with earthbending, cautiously eyeing the pair as they stood out of their path. The Princess stepped inside, and waited for the door to be closed behind them to address her uncle.

"So, Uncle, what will you do about the war?" she asked him rather bluntly, "I know you spoke of dignity and respect, but I am sure the people we have been fighting for a hundred years might desire a bit more than that."

"You are right, my niece." he nodded, "But that is a bridge we will cross when we reach it." he deflected her question, moving to grasp the bag of things he had with him, consisting of his tea set and a few rations.

"No, Uncle." she grasped his arm, "That's a bridge we're crossing right now." she warned him, "Whatever you intend to do will be done very soon, so you might as well tell me what you're going to do."

"Honesty isn't always the safest way to go about things, my niece, but I am sure you already know that." he noted, Azula nodding to signal her agreement, "I wish that we could solve this all simply, but it cannot be solved simply."

"So, tell me how. If I am to be the Fire Lord some day, I need to know what you're going to do." she demanded, the Dragon of the West turning his eyes toward her, narrowed and serious; he wasn't just her uncle, he was a hardened soldier and general who had commanded thousands to battle, perhaps, led to many of them dying.

"We must stop all this needless fighting, but we cannot let ourselves forget what has happened. There are lessons we can learn from the faltering of the Earth Kingdom and Air Nomads against our forces." he acknowledged something which she agreed with personally.

"I know, Uncle." she nodded, "So, are you going to allow yourself to become weak and incapable of holding our nation together, or will you make sure your subjects are protected?"

"I will never be weak, Azula. Weakness is to be blind of the truths of this world, and I have seen everything I need to do to lead my nation. I wish it was not me here... I wish it was Lu Ten, but fate has not been kind to our family. We must do with what we have, and fight when we must." he assured her, "I know you are strong, but you have yet to see everything." he acknowledged, before turning around to the desk that sat in the room, picking up a piece of parchment.

He began to inscribe something on it, and she quickly came to realise that it wasn't words, but numbers; he handed her the piece of parchment, and she scanned over the numbers, unsure exactly what they meant. Obviously the numbers themselves didn't have significance, but what they referred to did- they were coordinates.

"Where does this lead me, Uncle?" she asked him, the Fire Lord placing a hand on her shoulder.

"To the truth." he simply told her, "It is a journey you must take for yourself, as my son once did." he explained, "You should only do so when you think you are ready."

"How will I know?" she asked him, "What kind of journey is this?"

"The same you have made to the Air Temples. It is a different place you will be visiting, but you may learn similar things." he acknowledged, "When you feel like you are weak, or that you do not understand your element, that is when you will know it is right go here."

"I am a master firebender, Uncle. I know my element." she assured him, the Dragon of the West nodding.

"Then you are not ready." he simply put it, before turning to pick up his bag, "But trust me, Azula, one day, you will realise what I have. Your brother will too."

"Zuko's not a master firebender." she observed, "Perhaps he should go already." she suggested, making her uncle chuckle.

"No, Zuko has yet to face his limits, and to face his destiny. He will some day, and he will go there too. He mightn't need the coordinates, because he will know what he needs to find."

"And why wouldn't I know what I need to find?"

"Because Lo and Li are two foolish old hags." he bluntly explained her differing circumstances, making her snicker.

"Lucky me. I kicked them off my ship nearly three months ago." she noted, "What kind of thing would Zuko know that I don't?"

"The truth about firebending." he simply told her, the Princess raising a brow.

"That anger is weakness?" she asked him, making his eyes widen.

"Well, yes, actually. That's part of it." he confirmed, "Where did you learn that?"

"Lu Ten." she clarified, "This must have been what he was talking about." she glanced down at the coordinates, "Thank you, Uncle."

"I am sure he might have liked to take you there, but I guess you'll be the teacher instead." he noted, making her narrow her eyes.

"You want me to go with Aang?" she asked, the Fire Lord shrugging his shoulders.

"If you think it is necessary. You should wait and see how his firebending training goes." he explained, the Princess snickering at the thought; Aang hadn't even mastered waterbending, let alone earthbending yet.

"Well, I might have to wait a while."

"There is nothing wrong with patience... though we mustn't forget the danger your father poses." he acknowledged, the Princess scoffing, before she went to grab her own bag.

"I'm not afraid, Uncle." she assured him, the Fire Lord grimacing as he looked at her with a fearful expression; perhaps the danger he was thinking about was not the kind she was to be facing.

"It's not you that should be afraid, my niece."


Mai didn't like cleaning dishes, but she did it anyway; being in the position she'd expect of a servant was so antithetical to her position as a noblewoman that it almost disgusted her. She didn't want to feel disgusted, however, knowing how important it was to play her part; she and Zuko needed to be safe, so she would do her work without question, and hopefully, their trip toward Shu Jing would go off without a hitch. Their first night had been easy enough, and she and Zuko slept in a bunk bed, the Prince taking the bottom, strained and tired enough from climbing as he had to bother taking the top bunk, which he might have otherwise.

He didn't complain, not as much as she'd expect him to, being the cocky and entitled Prince he was; the change in his demeanour, especially in terms of his confidence, was stark. Even though he seemed confident in his abilities, he was clearly not as self-assured as he had been, and seemed to doubt what he was capable of. He could climb up and clean windows, and wash the deck, if that was required of him, and people would compliment his speed and athleticism, but he didn't really want the compliments; once, Zuko had only wanted respect and adoration, just like Azula, but now, he seemed to disdain or even fear it. She had a feeling that it had something to do with Ozai, and whatever their final interactions had been.

One of the cooks tapped her on the shoulder, and she turned around, noting it was Kuai, a portly and gregarious man who ran the ship's kitchen, "Hishu, you're not that bad at this, you know. It's good having some help around here." he acknowledged her hard work, before gesturing to the last few dishes she had to clean, "Once you're done here, you can go eat your meal. I have it sitting out on the counter." he gestured to the front of the kitchen, where she could see a small dish of noodles and roast chicken-cow meat.

"Thanks." she responded with a straight face, before returning to her work, scrubbing the dish in her hands hard, before submerging it in the sink.

She then placed it with the other clean dishes, before taking the next dirty one; the repetition of the task made it easy for her to blank out, and ignore the task at hand. She got through the last few dishes without any issue, and scrubbed them all clean, wiping a dry cloth over them to make sure they weren't dripping wet, before she placed the cleaning materials back into the cupboard beneath the sink; she glanced around the kitchen, and realised that all the other workers were already gone, and that the mess hall itself was empty, which she approved of.

She paced over to the bowl of noodles that Kuai had prepared for her, and picked it up, deciding she'd eat, clean the bowl, and then go up to the top deck, where Zuko had told her he'd meet her. It was the only part of the ship that was loud enough, due to the waves crashing up onto the ship, and isolated enough, that they could talk in private without anybody reasonably snooping on them. She picked up the pair of chopsticks left beside the bowl, before she paced over to an empty table, of which there were many choices. She chose one that wasn't that dirty; she was expected to clean the kitchen, not the mess hall, which was left for the janitor, who was probably on his break, explaining why nothing had been cleaned up yet. She was annoyed by that, but since she had nobody to voice her frustrations to, she simply remained silent, and ate her meal.

She was able to enjoy her meal in peace until she was rudely interrupted by some presumably drunken sailors barging into the mess hall; they were cackling, and obviously, were enjoying their foolish fun-times, which they might regret the next morning when the headaches came around. One of them pointed toward her, smacking his lips, as if he were trying to recall some information from his mind; she personally doubted there was anything in that hollow head of his, but he drew out a title that made her dig her nails into the table.

"Cleaning wench! Yeah, you! Do us a favour and clean up the tables. We're going to have a dance party." he explained, making her roll her eyes.

"I'm not a janitor, dimwit." she retorted, "I work in the kitchen, and that's already clean." she argued, before turning her eyes back to her meal.

"Oh, how rude." one of them made an exaggerated gasp, "No wonder she ain't getting any."

She scrunched her lips up, wondering in what way that drunken sailor had intended his words; either he thought she was a prude, intended to insult Zuko, going off the general assumption he was her boyfriend, or suggested he wanted to have sex with her. The first two she didn't really care for, not offended by his idea of her temperament, nor wanting to get offended for Zuko's sake; she could just as easily tell the Fire Nation Prince what he said, and the window cleaner Kamen would quickly become the feared faceless and nameless Blue Spirit. The last one, however, she felt not offended by, but threatened by; however, she didn't think that the man would physically pose much of an issue. She could just as easily beat him up and throw him overboard as easily as he could take a straight piss in his current condition; sure, it wouldn't be fun, but with the right focus and reason, she could do it.

Mai continued to eat her meal, deciding she was going to ignore them as best she can, though it didn't seem like she had the best luck, as one of them approached the table she was sitting at, "Did you hear us? Get cleaning." he demanded, the usually collected and stoic girl glancing his way, reaching into her robes with her left hand.

"If you ask that one more time, I will cut your fingers off." she warned him, not bluffing in the slightest, before she chuckled, realising that it wouldn't even be necessary "You're not even worth the time. Just go throw up overboard." she gestured toward the exit of the mess hall.

"I can hold my own." he proclaimed, before slamming his hand down onto the table, "So, are you just a shit cleaner, or do you really hate us that much?"

She picked up a piece of chicken-cow with her chopsticks, and rolled her eyes, "Hate is a very strong word. You are annoying, but that's a stupid reason to hate someone."

"You know what's really annoying." another man piped up, approaching her from the other side, "When people don't help others out. It's really disrespectful to be so lazy when you're new on the ship."

When he reached to grasp her left hand, she drew out her sai, and immediately, before he could retract his arm, she slashed up its side, making him cry out in pain, flinching back and cowering in fear.

"What the fuck was that?!" one of the other drunk sailors shouted out.

"I wasn't bluffing, idiot." she chided the man she cut, before she pushed her bowl away, knowing things might get messy.

She weaved under a punch one of the drunken fools sent her way, before she jabbed the inner side of his elbow, making him grunt as he lurched back in pain. Another drunken sailor tried to jump at her, probably wanting to beat her, or perhaps, something even worse; she didn't give him a chance, throwing her sai right into his shoulder, catching him before he could land a hit. Before he could even comprehend the pain from his injury, she slammed her fist into his chin, throwing him back, and pulling the blade out of his shoulder.

"Now would be a good time to give up." she warned the others, who were more angry than they were cautious, and she used that to her advantage.

One tried to punch her, and she quickly stepped out of the way, before grappling him by the neck, and throwing his face right down onto the table, shaking her bowl of noodles violently in the process. She then grabbed the arm of the last sailor, which she twisted before threatening him with her blade, holding it up against her neck.

"Remember this... don't try and pick up women when you're drunk... especially when they know how to fight." she simply advised him, before closing the wings of the sai blade, before she smacked him hard on the face with the flat side of the weapon.

He stumbled back, and fell onto his behind, and with that, Mai put her weapon back into her robes, before she picked up her bowl of noodles, deciding to take them with her to the deck; if the sailors decided to follow, Zuko would give them a piece of his mind, something she knew he would certainly do if she dare told him what they said. She didn't want to inspire the usually temperamental Prince into enacting revenge on the men who she'd already given a serious beating, and cut up two of them badly enough that they'd need to go see the ship's doctor. She just hoped that Jishang wouldn't reprimand her too badly, but she knew she couldn't count on it; she was new, and it was more than likely that the First Mate would side with people he knew well. Unless they had well-known poor temperaments, she guessed the worst case scenario was them getting kicked off the ship at the next port.

Mai tried to push those fears to the back of her mind as she strode on out of the mess hall, not bothering to loom back as she could hear the sailors groaning with pain. She strode along the hallway that ran through the superstructure of the ship, where most, if not all the important things in the ship were located. The rest of the ship consisted of a large storage hold, which contained various crates of goods. When she reached the front door of the superstructure, she momentarily glanced back, and was reassured by the fact that none of the drunken sailors had bothered to follow her. She then pushed the door open, and glanced around the deck, looking for Zuko.

She was alerted to his presence a few moments later by a question beside her, "Why do you have food?" he asked her, the stoic girl turning to face him, trying to keep her composure after nearly being frightened by his sudden presence.

"I was forced out of the mess hall by a bunch of drunken idiots." she explained, the Fire Nation Prince cringing at her mention of them.

"Oh, those guys. They were out here making a fool of themselves." he acknowledged, before nodding, "I can see why you came here."

She was conflicted over whether to tell him about what happened, and decided that it would just needlessly agitate the Prince; it wasn't like she had actually gotten herself hurt, after all. She picked up her chopsticks from the bowl and gestured toward the metal railing of the deck, suggesting they could go sit down there.

"I'd prefer to sit while eating." she simply told him, Zuko nodding, and leading the way lover to the spot she had gestured to.

The deck was covered with crates, just like the lower portions of the ship, which was accessed via a large hole in the centre of the deck. They weren't going anywhere near the hole, so Mai wasn't concerned about accidentally falling in, which would be pretty hard to begin with, given all the crates in the way, and the railing surrounding it. She sat down beside Zuko, who made an exasperated sigh, telling her that he'd had a hard day's work cleaning around the ship. Though he was good at doing the windows, given his climbing skills, he'd been placed around various parts of the ship to clean, mostly just the exterior surfaces, though given the size of the ship, there were quite a few of them.

"So, how was your day?" he asked her the most generic question he possibly could have, before he cringed, "No, that's a dumb question. Did anybody annoy you exceptionally?"

"Oh..." she raised a finger to her chin, "Those drunks." she admitted, "I dealt with them though."

"I wouldn't expect anything less." he nodded, before he glanced up above them, looking to the stars that were visible behind the few clouds that dotted the sky, "This is... different. It's hard."

"I know." she agreed with him, "I feel like everything I'm doing here is... just below me." she acknowledged, "I guess I never thought I'd be in a place like this."

"I mean, it's not completely terrible." Zuko acknowledged, "The food is edible." he gestured to the bowl she was eating from.

"The cooks know what they're doing." she agreed with him, before putting some noodles into her mouth and chewing them down.

"Thanks for helping me." he simply told her, one more time, just for emphasis, again; she was surprised how thankful he was, given how headstrong and cocky Zuko was at times, "I would be dead if you didn't help me."

She chewed down her food, and grimaced at the thought of Zuko actually dying; she had suspected the worst when she entered the ruined hideout, and was relieved to see that the Prince was still alive. If he hadn't been, she was unsure what she would have done; perhaps she might have tried to get on the first ship she could find, and go to Azula, knowing she was and continued to be their best hope; she had a ship, supplies, and Imperial Firebenders with her, which Mai assumed weren't loyal to Ozai. Despite knowing that she might have had a chance, that did not make her any less glad to be sitting beside him, and more glad that he hadn't perished in that explosion.

"I know." she mumbled, Zuko's phoenix tail flickering in the wind as he watched her eat.

"I'm just really sorry for... all of this." he tried to apologise, making her shake her head, knowing that it wasn't really his fault; he had acted foolishly, but he had done what he thought was right, and not for his own gain, but for the greater good of his country.

"Don't." she pushed her right hand into his chest, stressing her one word response.

"You deserve better." he simply acknowledged, "If I was as good as her, maybe I would have gone and faced himself." he added, sounding not jealous, but just disappointed; it had less to do with the fact Azula was better than him at firebending, but that if he had attained that very potential he believed in himself, maybe facing off Ozai wouldn't have been as unreasonable as it was.

"You don't get to decide whether I deserve anyone." she retorted, tapping on his sternum once more, "I do." she stressed, before taking another bite out of her bowl of noodles, "So stop being such a baby about it, and just fight on. That's the Zuko I know."

He looked at her with a surprised expression, before smiling at her, "Well, you definitely haven't changed."

"What, you think explosions and assassins are going to phase me? You must be as slow as those old tutors Azula drags around with her."

He snickered at her joke, presumably finding her comparison to Lo and Li to be hilarious, "I don't doubt you. Your composure is as hard as obsidian." he assured her, making her consider his comparison, before taking another bite from her bowl.

"I sure hope it is. I didn't want all those years of etiquette training to go to waste." she sarcastically quipped; Zuko knew she hated every minute of those classes, and was certainly glad to be free of them, as well as school in general.

"You must really enjoy the lack of homework." he observed, Mai making a small smile, just appreciating the fact for a moment.

"I can sleep soundly knowing the only thing I have to worry about is a bunch of assassins coming to murder me, and not my homework." she retorted once more, just reminding him that homework the furthest thing from her mind.

"Well, don't worry. I'm a light sleeper." he assured her, "If they came for us, I'd have my dagger at the ready."

Finishing chewing down one some chicken-cow, she raised a brow in considering the other things in the Prince's repertoire, "Wouldn't your firebending help?"

"Setting the bunk bed on fire, or the other crew for that matter... is something I would like to avoid." he acknowledged, momentarily considering the welfare of the crew, given in such a situation, they'd find themselves between the pair and whoever intended to see them dead, "They wouldn't like that, and I'm guessing you wouldn't either."

"Yeah, if you set me on fire, I'd definitely punch you in the face afterwards." she warned him, knowing that she wouldn't tolerate him getting sloppy; working together meant making sure their fighting techniques didn't harm each other, in her eyes.

"I wouldn't dare." he assured her, "I know for a fact you can punch me faster than I can conjure a fireball in my palm."

She drew out her sai, and flicked in around in her right hand, "Well, I am fast." she declared her well-placed belief, before returning the blade to the place she hid it inside her robes.

"Not at eating." he observed, making her roll her eyes.

"No thanks to you." she argued, before taking another bite from her bowl of noodles; the cooking wasn't that bad, and it was more so the fact she was talking with Zuko rather than the quality of the food that slowed her down.

"I'll just let you eat in peace then." he conceded, crossing his arms while she silently ate her meal; she was already a fair way through it, and quickly enough, finished off the bowl of food, before she leaned back onto the railing, glancing up above them at the stars Zuko had been eyeing earlier.

She could recognise a few constellations, recalling their names and the reasons behind them; it was all rather complicated, though she was confused as to why she learned it at school. She was neither a sailor or a diviner, though clearly, it seemed like she was almost the former; working on a ship was different to navigating one, though she assumed that if they ended up working on more ships, such a time might come when she had to do such a thing, and rely on that otherwise useless knowledge.

"You're going over your constellations." Zuko guessed correctly, Mai letting out an exasperated sigh.

"I can't escape school, even if I go on a ship to sail away from home." she lamented jokingly.

"You can't escape knowledge... unless you get hit in the head really hard." he warned her, to which she raised her hands up.

"I'd prefer to keep my memories." she stressed, "Stupid mistakes aren't something I'd like to repeat."

"Was this a mistake?" he asked her, the usually stoic girl taken aback by his question; it was vague enough that she wasn't sure by which angle to answer it.

"Going on this ship, or sitting with you?" she asked him, before narrowing her eyes, realising he was turning his gaze away slightly; she could notice the ever slightest blush on his face, and rolled her eyes, before she grasped his chin, forcing him to look her way, "You're cute sometimes, Zuko." she simply told him, before giving him a peck on the cheek; his face flushed red, and he looked unsure what to do.

Despite that nervous look on his face, she didn't want him to do anything, having finished her dinner, and wanting to put her dishes back where she'd have to do them the following morning; she just appreciated that he was there, and that was more than most people had done for her.

"Uh... to the kitchen?" he guessed, Mai nodding, before offering him a hand, which he accepted, rising up to his feet.

"Do me a favour. If the drunken idiots harass us, don't be afraid to knock them out." she suggested, "I don't want to get kicked off this ship, but if one more stupid comment comes out of their mouths, I'm going to pin them to the floor with my knives." she stressed her frustration, the Prince nodding as he turned his gaze toward the doorway.

"Beating up annoying people is my speciality."


The weight of chains on his arms and legs made Sokka feel as if it had been a bad idea to call out 'yip yip' to Appa; he certainly would have preferred some company while imprisoned by the Fire Nation, rather than having to sit in a muggy tent by himself. The temperature inside wasn't that bad, despite the fact he was only wearing his tunic, pants and boots, and lacked any proper kind of sleeping roll to use for sleeping. He had slept on the hard ground, and though it had been annoying to do so, he found that being undercover was better than the soldiers just leaving him outside tied to a pole.

He had been surprised when the General commanding the army had come in to interrogate him personally; it was less of an actual interrogation, and more so him threatening the Water Tribesman into giving up where Aang and Katara had gone. Not that he was going to snitch on them if he knew, Sokka genuinely had no idea where they had flown on Appa. His best guess was they had flown after the soldiers, and were probably trying to figure out a way into the war camp. He had offered the General his best response, which was that he had no idea, other than the fact that they were intending north, and to get away from Princess Azula, who was hunting them down.

That seemed to humour the General, and he later found out that was because Azula was due to return from Omashu with whatever intelligence she had gathered there; the Water Tribesman found that to be rather fishy, given that the Order of the White Lotus was meeting there specifically, and that her uncle was meant to be meeting them. He didn't know where the Fire Lord was, and didn't want to find him; he'd rather stay as far away from the assassins they had faced as possible, given how dangerous they seemed to be, even to a skilled airbender like Aang, or the very Princess who had captured him.

The General had given him some rice gruel and a little bit of tea to drink, which he accepted, though he was then taken back to the dim tent he had been housed in, and tied back up. Sokka had decided, with nothing better to do, he would lie himself down, and try and get some sleep, so he could conserve his strength for Aang and Katara's inevitable rescue attempt.

He was woken by the sound of shouts and chatter throughout the camp, and he pulled himself up from his position on the ground, trying to wipe the dirt off of his cheek with his shoulder. He glanced around, unsure what was going on, before a man paced into the tent; the Water Tribesman looked at him, and his eyes widened, recognising his distinctive armour from Kyoshi Island. He had to be one of Azula's guards, which told him that the Princess might be at the camp already.

"It's just this kid." the guard observed, making Sokka snicker, glad that he could derive a little disappointment out of his captors.

"Oh, sorry, did I disappoint you?" he sarcastically asked him, "Yeah, you ash-makers would have preferred Katara, seeing how you liked to take our waterbenders." he realised, almost glad that he was the prisoner instead of her, knowing that the Fire Nation might just take her to wherever they usually took waterbenders; he didn't want to imagine that place, and shook his head at the thought of it.

"Just shut up." the guard warned him, before turning around, "Her highness will be here in a moment."

"Oh, should I bow for her?" he quipped in return, making the guard raise a finger.

"She will not appreciate the attitude." he warned him, "Trust me."

"I am inclined to not trust any of you. I think you're smart enough to figure out why." he smiled at him, just wanting to emphasise how much he despised them, and how that despising was likely quite mutual.

A few moments later, another guard stepped through the canvas of the tent, and held it open, allowing Princess Azula to step into the tent; he was a little confused, as he easily recognised her, but the outfit she was wearing was some kind of disguise. She must have snuck inside Omashu, which made a lot of sense, but didn't confirm nor deny his suspicions about her going to meet the Order of the White Lotus.

"Urgh, it's this one." she sighed with annoyance, before gesturing for the guards to leave, "He's no threat. I can speak with him alone." she argued, the Water Tribe warrior eyeing the guards.

"Yeah, scoot, boys." he suggested, the guards looking at him with postures that suggested they were pretty annoyed by his comments, though he couldn't see their faces and confirm that as fact.

Once they left the tent, and before Azula could try and interrogate him, he decided to test his hypothesis, "So, how was Bumi? Already missing Aang?" he asked, the Princess narrowing her eyes at him.

"How did-" she began, before slamming her fist into her open palm, "Shut up." she warned him, obviously realising her reaction gave away his assumption as being fact.

"Ahaha, Sokka one, ash-makers zero." he quipped in return, Azula stepping closer and pointing her right index finger at his forehead, conjuring a bright blue torch on the end of it.

"Don't call me an ash-maker again." she warned him, making him pout.

"Did I hurt your feelings?" he sarcastically asked her, making an exaggeratedly dejected face.

"Somebody wasn't disciplined as a child." she observed, before pushing her finger closer to his face, "Do you need to be disciplined?"

"I'd prefer to get the tea party started." he suggested in turn, "That's what you did with Aang, right?"

"Urgh." she raised her chin up, seeming frustrated by either the idea of serving him tea, or by the fact she had done so, and now, that was the expectation her prisoners had of her, "I'm not giving you tea, peasant." she stressed, before turning her heels around, looking as if she was about to leave the tent, "Do you even know where Aang is?"

"Probably trying to figure out a way to get me out of here." he acknowledged the most likely situation.

"Well, that works in my favour." she acknowledged, crossing her arms, before she turned back to face him, "Do you have any idea of what's going on?"

He looked at her blankly for a few moments, confused by what she was talking about; he was her prisoner, and Aang and Katara probably were nearby, "They're coming?"

She raised her chin up, "So, nobody does know yet." she deduced, before scoffing, "I wonder how long it will take now." she mumbled to herself.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." he bluntly admitted, the Princess shrugging her shoulders.

"It's no matter." she assured him, "Consider yourself lucky that I am your captor, and it wasn't some uppity officer who would have had you strung up to send a message." she explained, before pointing towards him, "Nobody respects you snow savages, but I'm pretty sure you must have figured that out already."

"That General sounded afraid of you." he acknowledged what he had noticed about the General's demeanour.

"Eager to please." she corrected him, "Not that I really care he has caught you. What I care about is finding your friend, the Avatar, before one of the men loyal to my father does."

"Isn't your father just some Prince?" he asked her, "Or is he a General too?"

"No, he's just acting Fire Lord, while my uncle is missing." she explained plainly before she sighed, "I don't know how long it will take for Aang to get here, so we'll just have to wait."

"You're not going to capture him." he warned her, "He's pretty good at running away, and he's not going to make the same mistake twice."

"And are you going to cross-dress again?" she retorted, making the Water Tribe warrior cringe, remembering that he had been dressed as a Kyoshi Warrior when they first fought each other.

"Urgh... dammit Suki." he mumbled under his breath, wishing he didn't have the embarrassing memory of dressing in girl's clothes; he knew that he appreciated the training he had received, and the bond he had forged with the girl, but that didn't mean he liked having to dress up as he had, "No, I'm not." he stressed.

"Well, you assumed wrong, anyway." she added, rather smugly, "I'm not going to capture Aang."

"What, are you going to give him another tea party instead?" he asked, "Have a nice little drink and meet your uncle... wherever he is."

She scoffed at his words, and shook her finger at him, "No, I'm going to make sure nobody else captures him, and then, because my uncle asked it of me, will teach him firebending."

"Sorry... what?" Sokka looked at her with his mouth agape, "Why do you even want to teach him?"

"I don't." she stressed, "I'd rather not empower the potential enemies of the Fire Nation, but my uncle believes it's 'destiny' or whatever, and I won't disobey him." she explained, making the Water Tribesman look at her, no less confused than he already was.

"That's crazy. Aang's not going to let you teach him."

"And who else will teach him?" she retorted, "I'm the only person in the Fire Nation who's willing to do it, I can assure you of that." she pointed her flaming finger at him.

"Well, that's got to be the craziest thing I've heard in awhile. I thought glowing eyes and crazy powers were the craziest thing around. No, it's the Fire Nation helping the guy they want in chains learn their element." he explained to her his thoughts, just to help himself comprehend it, "Why?"

"Because I need him." she told him, before raising a finger to her chin, "Well, Uncle does."

"Uh, that's not really an answer." he retorted, the Princess scoffing, turning her heels at once.

"You're not getting a proper answer, snow savage. Secrets are meant to remain as such." she warned him, before approaching the exit of the tent, "Somebody get this idiot on my tank-train."

"We're going to draw him out?" one of her guards asked, the Princess nodding, before she looked toward Sokka.

"Good news, you might just get an actual room to sleep in tonight."

"A cell. Sounds fun." he deadpanned, before glancing down at his hands, realising the soldiers had taken his weapons, "Hey, could you get my boomerang, club and dagger for me? Those stupid soldiers took them from me."

"I'm not doing such trivial work." she retorted, before shaking her head, "One of you, go ask Zhiying for the boy's weapons."

Another guard stepped into the tent, and moved behind Sokka; he unlocked the chain that was binding him to the ground, before he grasped him by his bound hands, "Get moving." he demanded, and the Water Tribesman, though frustrated by being pushed around, accepted his demand, and walked to the exit of the tent.

The Princess eyed him for a moment, before she glanced off into the distance, looking across the camp, "I'll accompany you to the tank-train." she explained to the guard, "Just to make sure the savage doesn't do anything stupid."

"I'm not going to try and run away." he assured her, making Azula snicker; she eyed him suspiciously, before turning her heels, beginning to walk ahead.

"I doubt that." she simply spoke her mind, the guard pushing Sokka along, forcing him to follow her.'

"So..." he mumbled, wondering if he could get any more information out of the Princess while she was around him, "What makes the Fire Nation want to help Aang now?"

"The Fire Nation isn't doing anything." she corrected him, speaking with a calm, yet stern voice, "I am."

"Oh... and do you think everyone will agree with that? I'm pretty sure your people want him in chains or dead." he told her what he knew to be true; the Fire Nation wanted Aang, and that was why they had to keep moving, to make sure he couldn't be captured.

"You must really be thick in the head." she commented, now sounding frustrated, "I already said I'm not letting any other greedy men get their grimy hands on the Avatar." she assured him, "I believe that may be a common interest of ours."

"Pfft..." Sokka scoffed, "Yeah right. We don't have any common interests."

"Other than that, I hope we don't. I don't wish to have anything in common with a peasant such as yourself." she stressed, inadvertently agreeing with him.

"Okay... so we do agree on that." he nodded, before glancing back at the intimidating guard who was pushing him along, "What's with the stupid masks, anyway?"

"Intimidation." the Princess bluntly told him, without uttering another word on the matter, "I advise you lay off the annoying questions, or my guards will not relent to beat you."

"Uh... please don't." he asked, the guard making a huff, sounding almost amused by his request.

"You ought to listen, savage." he simply warned the Water Tribesman, before pushing him once more, forcing him to continue pacing along.

Sokka was about to think of another snarky comment, but was distracted by the sudden sound of a booming explosion, the Water Tribesman's eyes darting over in the direction of where he could see a large smokestack forming; he was utterly confused by what he had just seen, and Azula stopped walking, before flames appeared in both her hands.

"What just exploded?" he asked her, the Princess snarling, the fury visible in her eyes.

"My damn tank-train." she explained, before pointing to their left, "Take the savage to Zhiying at once, and cut his binds."

"Y-your highness, you want me to free him?" the guard behind him asked his superior.

"That was an order, not a suggestion." she snarled at him, pointing where she had once more, "Go!"

Sokka looked at her with a surprised face, confused as to why she was willing to let him go free all of a sudden, "Why?" he asked her, the Princess pointing toward the hills that lined the western edge of the campsite; Sokka could see some figures in the distance, and was unsure who they were, but had a feeling that they had something to do with the assassins they had fought a few days prior.

"Get that stupid weapon of yours, and show me you're not completely incompetent."