The morning sun shone down upon the courtyard, and Zuko and Azula eyed each other intently, standing in their firebending forms. The Prince knew his sister was intent on defeating him, and he felt the same; it was rare for them to spar, given that he tried to avoid it out of fear of being humiliated, but he was feeling notably confident that morning. He had had a good conversation with his uncle about the merits of testing his strength and working on his firebending through actual practice that pushed himself to his limits, so he could learn where he needed to best improve. So, instead of looking at the spar pessimistically, he felt confident that even if he lost, he could learn from it, and be a step closer to victory. He might have felt exasperated and short of breath as he eyed his sister down, but he knew that he was one step closer to reaching her level of skill by facing off against her for as long as he had.
The Prince had his hands up, ready to create flames at a moment's notice to counter whatever his sister had to throw his way, and he waited patiently for her to return to the barrages she had been sending his way; Azula didn't seem that fussed by the spar that was seemingly about to conclude, and was rather sloppy in her stance. Zuko was smart enough to realise this was a farce, to try and lull him into complacency; his assumption was quickly proved correct when she threw her left fist forward, a blindingly bright blue fire stream coursing out of her fist, which he was barely able to dodge by crouching down below it. His eyes widened when he realised that her sloppy stance was not the distraction, but the fire stream itself; she had swung her foot out while the flames blinded him, and sent a thin but scathingly hot arc of fire at his legs, making him cringe as it hit his left leg, and he jumped over it, struggling to keep his footing when he touched back down on the ground.
Zuko kept himself quiet, not wanting to show that the attack had hurt him, and instead, turned his attention to her next attack, which was a fire whip, aiming to grapple his already hurting left leg. He grit his teeth and punched a fireball right at the whip, hoping to disintegrate her attack before she could actually pull him off his feet. Though the fireball ripped right through the fire whip, Azula moved immediately into spinning her foot around to charge a bolt on her sole, which she fired out right at his shoulder; he weaved out of the way, before kicking his left leg up, which sent a wide fire blast in her direction, momentarily blocking her from attacking him as she raised her arms up to defend herself.
"Not bad, Zuzu." she mocked him as she threw her hands apart, forcing the fire blast to part, before it withered away into the air, "But I can do you one better."
He tensed up, moving back into a defensive form, with his left hand forward, ready to retaliate and counter whatever move she had planned. The Princess wasted no time to charge up two fire streams in her palms, not letting the attacks free at her brother, but instead letting the pressure built as she held her hands toward the pavement; his eyes widened, realising that she wasn't actually going to attack him with the fire streams, but use them as propulsion. Knowing this Zuko drew his hands back behind himself, taking a deep breath, and waiting for what he knew would come his way.
A moment later, she launched herself up, releasing the fire streams which allowed her to soar into the air, over twice her height, and as expected, spun herself around to send two charged fire bolts from her heels right at him. Zuko smirked as he threw his hands forward, taking the energy he had gathered in his breath to create a massive wall of flames, which burst up right in Azula's path, forcing her to fall right into it; he was disappointed when he saw her feet breach through the wall of flames as she fell over the top of him, landing right behind Zuko, where she was able to immediately throw another fire whip to his left leg, grappling it as he spun himself around to face her.
Knowing he only had a moment before his legs were pulled from underneath him, he charged a fire bolt in his right palm, and just as Azula pulled his left leg out, he swung his arm at her, the fire bolt loosened in the form of a narrow, but intense arc, which cut right across her chest. If it weren't for the fire-proof clothing they wore, she would have had her tunic ripped open; despite being fireproof, her layered tunic was not enough to block the brunt of the attack, and she was forced back as Zuko fell down onto one knee.
"Oh, you're angry now, aren't you?" she prodded him, and the Prince didn't respond, simply clenching his right fist as he charged a firebolt underneath it; Azula didn't seem to note this as he exaggerated his breathing, trying to make it seem as if he was both angry and exhausted- he was neither, simply calculating how fast he would need to throw his fist to outpace whatever attack she had in mind.
When she moved to force him down to the ground with a flame-covered fist, he threw his left hand forward to grasp her wrist; though her flames burned his arm, she obviously wasn't intending to use them to hurt him, but simply force her brother to submit. Her cocky expressions shifted to one of surprise as Zuko shot the bolt of flames he had been charging right into her gut, winding her and making the flames she had in her hand falter. Left open by Zuko's surprise attack, he was able to hold a flame covered palm against her cheek, the Princess's expression shifted from one of pain, to one that he didn't expect.
"I'm impressed, Brother." she conceded, "You feigned weakness... that's not something I'd expect from somebody like you."
"I learned it from you and your propensity for lying." he retorted, reminding her of all the trickery she had used against him when they were younger; though he'd never admit it, he admired her skill in that regard, and knew that it would be useful once he had to start dealing with politicians and generals alike.
"Oh, I'm flattered, Zuzu." she smirked at him, before kneeing him in the gut, making the Prince wince as he fell onto his back.
"I- urgh..." he groaned as he struggled to recover himself, his sister looking at him, rather amused with what she had done, "I thought the fight was over."
"I don't remember forfeiting." she raised a finger to her chin, and he sighed, frustrated that he had failed to simply gain a verbal confirmation of his victory, which he had clearly achieved before she winded him herself.
"What, do you have to write a scroll to inform the Fire Lord of your surrender?" he mocked her as he pulled himself off his back, and the Princess chuckled, seeming amused by his comment.
"I would hardly call this a battle, Zuzu." she retorted, "I had everything under control."
"Oh, you sure did when I punched you in the gut." he sarcastically reminded her, before he rose back up to his feet, "Can you even acknowledge when I actually win?"
"I can." she told him something that seemed sarcastic at first, though her expression didn't really suggest she was trying to agitate him.
"So I didn't." he concluded from her lack of affirmation, and turned around to look toward the changing area, where he decided he would be heading, given that he considered the spar concluded.
Zuko wasn't going to waste anymore time there when he could be catching up with his studies, or perhaps, going to talk with his uncle, so he might receive an informal tutorial of his choosing; something about not wasting his breath seemed suitable, given how fast his sister seemed to be moving, and the fact she looked perfectly fine after all their fighting.
"What, are you running away?" she asked him as he strode toward the changing area, and he didn't bother looking back.
"I'm getting out of these sweaty clothes." he retorted, and as he approached the changing area, he grabbed his collar and began to untie the buttons of the vest he was wearing; it was the usual attire he wore when practicing, as it was light which allowed him to move unhindered by unnecessary amounts of fabric- such attire was suited for formal occasions, and not for a fight.
"You know, Zuko, I'd like to fight you when you have those dao of yours." his sister spoke up, obviously having followed him into the changing area; he huffed, wondering whether she was really curious about his fighting style and skills, or merely wanted to find another way and situation to beat him.
"Do you know how swordsmen fight?" he asked his sister bluntly, and she shrugged her shoulders as she untied her waistband, turning around to pick up her chest-piece, which she had been wearing before their spar.
"No, I don't, actually." she conceded, "That's why I want to see. I can't have some dao-wielding assassin come and give me an actual fight."
He scrunched his lips up, realising that a way of interpreting her words was that she thought he might try to kill her, though he assumed that was a joke; Azula had always had a morbid sense of humour, so he decided to just ignore that. As he pulled his vest off, he wondered why she would want to avoid such a fight, knowing that his sister was rather pleased when she thrashed people.
"Why would you not want an actual fight?" he asked her, and the Princess smirked as he pulled off her top.
"It's not the fight I want to avoid, but the struggle." she warned, "If I killed them within a few seconds, that would make it all the more terrifying for whoever sent them my way. Gaining a reputation of being unkillable is certainly something I would like." she explained her intentions, before picking up her fresh top, wrapping it around her torso before she picked up her waistband once more.
"Hmph." he mumbled, wondering why his sister would be thinking about assassins at the age of fourteen; he tensed up as he recalled the story about their cousin's demise, and then her comments made a whole more sense- she wasn't just trying to brag, she genuinely wanted to avoid getting herself killed in what she might deem a 'stupid fashion'.
He cleared his throat, not wanting to think about such things, and decided to try and continue the conversation to distract himself, "And who wants to kill you, Azula?"
"Nobody yet." she gave her opinion, though her cold expression told him she felt that might change, "Being a member of the Royal Family gives us privileges, but it also creates dangers." she warned him, "I know Uncle has had to face a number of Earth Kingdom assassins while on campaign in the past." she recalled, and Zuko nodded, having heard the same thing.
All he could remember of those stories was how utterly powerless the assassins were in comparison to his uncle; he spoke sadly, but calmly of those events, but clearly didn't seem afraid of the people who had gone after his life.
"I guess you're right." he conceded, "There's people who might want us dead."
"Perhaps your dao training will save your life some day." she mused as he picked up her chest-piece, before she slid it over her head and shoulders.
"I can use them." he assured her, before turning around; he didn't really want to show off his skills, afraid she might make fun of them, and even then, just revealing too much about his abilities might invoke unnecessary suspicions from his sister- he did improper things when he wielded those blades, and he used them for far more than fighting, and actually, avoided doing just that.
He picked up his own robes, and wrapped them around his torso before he picked up his own waistband; he took the last bit of his outfit, his own chest-piece, and pulled it over his torso, tying the bands on either side to make sure that it was firmly in place. Zuko turned back around, watching his sister as she redid her hair, and he couldn't help but wonder why she was considering she would be fighting off assassins, at least any time in the near future.
"What are you going to do that's going to make assassins a problem?" he asked her, and she smirked.
"Oh, I have a few ideas." she admitted as she moved to fasten her sleeves in place with her arm bands, "Brother, are you really that uncreative?"
"I have idea no what you're going to do, Azula." he admitted the honest truth, "But obviously, it's going to be dangerous."
"Most of the career options we have, Zuko, are dangerous by definition." she suggested, "I want to choose the path with the least danger to the greatest reward."
"So... some kind of bureaucrat." he guessed, knowing there was work to be done in the government that involved no violence and wasn't public enough to gather attention from the kind of people who would want one dead.
"Oh, no." she shook her head, amused by his guess, "Is that your career plan, Zuko?"
"I want to better my nation." he simply told her, "However I can best do that, I will."
"And I want to earn the respect of my nation, Brother." she told her intentions as plainly as she could have; Zuko didn't think there was a lie there, but there was certainly a gap in her explanation as to what exactly that would involve- if the war wasn't practically over, he would assume she meant to invade some place and annex it into their great nation.
"So, something flashy." he guessed, before snickering, imagining her going on some grand tour of the colonies or something or the sort- the kind of thing that really didn't seem to suit her, even if it might help her achieve that aim, "Did you want to go a royal tour?"
"Pfft... of course not." she refused his idea, clearly understanding it was a joke, "I'm going to do something far more eye-catching than that... I just need the means to achieve it."
"If you want it, Uncle will probably give it to you." he suggested, and she raised a brow, before pointing his way.
"And has Uncle gotten you a spot on the war council yet?" she asked him in return; the Prince winced, remembering that he still hadn't been able to get a solid answer on that- his uncle had warned him that he might accidentally annoy, if not earn the ire of his grandfather, Fire Lord Azulon, by doing so.
"He thinks Grandfather's going to find me annoying or something." he admitted, before shaking his head, "I think he's just afraid the old man mightn't like my good ideas."
"So, you think you're going to be giving some good strategic advice. A fifteen year old." she prodded him, and Zuko didn't take the bait, grabbing his shoulder pads and tying each of them on; as annoying as her comment was, he knew it was hypocritical and stupid of her to say, given she was younger and going to war council meetings.
"And you're thirteen. Does Grandfather get annoyed by your high-pitched whiny voice, or does he value your advice too?"
"Grandfather doesn't even care... he's just a dying old man" she retorted, "It's the Generals and Admirals who are interested in what I have to say."
"Totally." he sarcastically quipped, "And I wonder who they'll blame if their campaigns go astray." he suggested, and she tensed up; Zuko wanted to smile, realising he had actually offended her, or at the very least, made her consider the 'advantage' she had compared to him.
She narrowed her eyes at him as she stepped closer, "They don't get to blame me... only Father does." she warned him, "And I wouldn't ever say something he would think to be stupid and shortsighted."
"And I would?" he asked her, the Princess raising her chin up.
"Why do you think you're not at the war meetings, Zuzu? It isn't my fault, as much as I like to brag about my knowledge of strategy." she asked him rhetorically, obviously knowing the answer; Ozai didn't want him there because he had different opinions to him, and was willing to admit them in such a context, because of what effect the war council had on the lives of their nation's soldiers.
Zuko was not the same as his uncle, but they both had the same inclination of wanting to avoid needless wasting of lives, and drawing out conflicts that could be solved more easily, while his father seemed to relish in the idea of destroying their enemies through and through, with no regard for the lives of their countrymen. Zuko didn't need to go to a war meeting to know that, he could figure it out well enough after his constant expositions, which the Prince tended to rip apart in his head without uttering a word about them.
"I know." he admitted, "But I'm not going to give up what I believe in." he declared, knowing that even if he wouldn't say that to his father's face, that was how he felt- his beliefs and values trumped anything his father wanted from him in a war meeting.
He could train for years to become a bender equal to his sister, and wouldn't dare to complain, but he would not stand idly by and let the war cause needless suffering for the men they, the leadership of the Fire Nation, promised a great and honorable victory.
"And that's why..." his sister began, before turning her gaze away, "That's why I can sit there." she admitted, before pacing away, heading right for the door, not even looking back once as she turned around the corner.
Azula did have principles, and whether they were the same as Zuko's wasn't his concern; what he did feel concerned about, at least a little bit, was that she ignored those principles and values for the sake of pleasing their father. She was a great bender, and a great liar, and he knew she was skilled in strategy; that was all that made her good in the eyes of their father, but if he heard her thoughts, the thoughts she probably wouldn't even tell to their uncle, then he'd probably see her as being as 'weak' as he thought Zuko was. It wasn't fair, but the Prince accepted what he had; he had his honour and dignity intact, and she lied to herself, claiming that she had hers, and all the power that he didn't.
Though he wanted her place, and the benefits that came with it, he didn't want her to continue on as she had, for the sake of the cousin they both loved, and the uncle they looked up to; neither of them would want her to lie to herself, and act as if she agreed to everything their father said, as if she was merely an extension of his own ego and power. That was no way to act, either as a Princess or as a person; Zuko did not wish her well, but he did wish she would at least be true to herself, and what she believed in. At least then, when the day came, he could face her in battle and know that he was fighting his sister and not merely some puppet of his father, with no will and mind of her own.
Wiping the sleep from her eyes, Ty Lee blinked a few times as she realised that the burns she had on her arms and torso were still aching; she had thought that sleeping would help that, but it seemed that her mistakes weren't going to escape her that quickly. It took a few moments for her to realise that she wasn't in Haru and Natsu's house, sleeping on the rather uncomfortable couch, but on the flat surface of a saddle- a sky-bison's saddle to be specific. She had a blanket covering her and Haru, who was lying beside her; across from them lay Sokka and Natsu, who were still asleep, while Aang and Katara seemed missing; she realised that they had landed sometime after she fell asleep, as they were now surrounded by woods, though they didn't look too different to the woodland around the farm, so she guessed they were somewhere nearby, just far enough away that the Fire Nation wouldn't reach them immediately.
When she pulled herself up to a seated position, wondering where the other two were, she heard a low-pitched whistle to her right, Ty Lee turning her head to see that Katara was standing nearby, beside a pot where she and Aang looked to be cooking breakfast. She waved to her, gesturing for the Fire Nation girl to come sit with her and Aang. She scratched her scalp, realising her hair was rather messy, having fallen out of its braid after all the fighting, running and panicked packing they had done before fleeing the farm on Appa's back. She pulled her hair out of her face, before she grasped the edge of the saddle, deciding to pull herself over; she slid down the furry side of the sky-bison, before landing on her own two feet. Despite just having woken up, her balance was good, as she had trained herself to be prepared to do acrobatics at a whim; it happened a lot when she might take a nap on break at the circus, so she had a fair bit of experience doing stunts when she was dazed.
"Do you want some of this jook?" Aang asked her, and the Fire Nation girl nodded, stepping closer to the campfire they were cooking the pot over, before she sat down beside them.
She was still shocked that she was with the Avatar of all people, and more than that, that they seemed to know who she was; it confused her more than anything, given that she wasn't famous or anything of the sort. Sure, people who had gone to see her in the circus might recognise her afterwards, or maybe mention her acrobatic skills, but she seriously doubted many people actually knew who she was by name. It had become apparent, however, when Sokka asked her about the papers when they were grabbing things from the house, that they had learned about Iroh's assassination attempt, and the message Mai had sent her concerning her and Zuko's narrow escape from assassins themselves. There was only one person who could have reasonably given them that information, and that was Azula. She knew from the letter itself that Mai had sent something to the Princess to try and get her on side.
She hadn't asked about Azula yet, having been too panicked and focused on escaping the village to consider it, even though she had voiced her confusion on how they knew her identity. They merely named the Princess, and that was it, though they stopped talking about it quickly enough, something she was sure had to do with the fact Haru and Natsu might become uneasy, if not fearing of her if they knew of her relationship with the Princess of the Fire Nation. She didn't want them to mistrust her, but she knew that might be the result if they understood she wasn't just any Fire Nation girl, but a noblewoman who was a personal friend of the Royal Family.
"So... uh, are your burns feeling any better?" Katara asked her, and Ty Lee shrugged her shoulders; though they hurt, the burns weren't as bad as the ones she had received when she was trying to run through the circus to escape her pursuers.
"I'll need to use some burn ointment." she decided, before glancing back toward Appa, "I think Natsu got it... I can't remember." she admitted, and the young Air Nomad nodded reassuringly.
"She did." he smiled at her, "Did you want us to help you put some on?" he asked her, and the Fire Nation girl scratched at her lightly burned arm; they were strangers, but she knew that they really did want to help her- she couldn't be suspicious of them after what Haru had done by trusting her, a complete stranger.
"Uh, yeah." she nodded, before sniffing at the pot of jook they were cooking, "Is this going to take a while?" she asked, and the Water Tribe girl nodded.
"Yes, it will." she confirmed, "I've only made this a few times, but I'm sure I'll get it right." she added, before her expression became more serious, "But... I've been meaning to ask... what actually happened?"
"What do you mean?" she asked in return, unsure specifically what she was referring to; it could be the circus, or about the message she received from Mai, or even merely what had happened while they ran off and she distracted the Fire Nation soldiers who wanted her in chains.
"The circus. Those men. All of this is a little beyond me." Katara admitted, "But I know this has something to do with Azula." she explained her thoughts, and the Fire Nation girl turned her eyes away.
"I... I was attacked. We were all attacked." she admitted, "The circus didn't really annoy that many people, but I thought maybe it was just some bandits. They were after me, that's all I know, and obviously, they think I'm some kind of traitor. All I had was some letters from my friend Mai, and they were important to making sure the real traitor could be caught out when the time came."
"Azula's dad." Aang concluded, and she nodded, realising that they had probably learned about the plot some time ago, though when, she was unsure.
"Yeah, him." she confirmed, "I ran away with the papers I had been sent, because they were the evidence that Mai and Zuko needed... though I have no idea where they are now. Her letter just told me they were in hiding, and would go somewhere safe to wait until the Fire Lord was found."
"Well, he has been found." Aang clarified, and she narrowed her eyes, recalling that somebody had mentioned the Fire Lord and some assassination attempt in the market, though she just assumed she was being told about the one that Mai had first told her about, "He's out somewhere near Omashu now. Sokka met him not that long ago."
"And he's met Azula?" she asked, the pair nodding, "How?"
"She captured Aang." Katara explained, "But he was able to escape, and then, Sokka was caught by the Fire Nation Army when we camped near Omashu. Azula freed him so she could earn our trust... I think, and then she, the Fire Lord and Sokka fought off the assassins." she explained, before narrowing her eyes, "Sokka said something about a message, and that Azula was looking for you, Ty Lee. We didn't know who you were until Haru said your name."
"So Azula's not trying to hunt you down anymore?" she asked Aang, who nodded.
"Yeah, she wants to be my firebending master." he clarified, and the acrobat's eyes widened.
"Your-" she gasped, before raising a hand to her face, "Oh... what is the world coming to." she mumbled under her breath, finding the idea that her friend, the confident, ruthless Princess who always declared her loyalty to the Fire Nation above all else, would decide to willingly become the Avatar's firebending master to be completely absurd.
"Yeah, I was concerned too when I heard about it." Katara admitted, before narrowing her eyes, "Though probably for different reasons."
"I never..." she mumbled, before turning her gaze toward the Avatar, "She really said she'd do that?"
"Well, she said the Fire Lord told her to do it." he clarified, making her furrow a brow; though she was unsure whether her friend really would want to help the Avatar of all people, she knew she wouldn't refuse her uncle's command, especially given what was going on with Ozai.
"I guess you don't have to worry about the Fire Nation that much if she's going to help you." she observed, before glancing back toward the saddle, "I... I don't want them to mistrust me now. I just wanted to repay them for the help they gave to me."
"They won't hate you because you're friends with Azula." Aang argued, "I doubt most people even know who she is, at least here in the Earth Kingdom."
"People don't like the Fire Nation very much." she stressed, before slumping her head down, wondering what good her help would do for Haru and his mother; Haru's father was still in prison somewhere, and the Fire Nation was lording over their village, treating the villagers like bandits probably would, by taking all their money and squashing any dissent, or even the potential of it, "And I guess they have a good reason."
"I wonder where they took all the earthbenders." Aang mumbled, before grimacing, "Maybe it's better just to not know."
"I don't think they're dead or anything like that." Ty Lee admitted, knowing that the Fire Nation military, though heavy-handed in their approach, preferred to restrain their enemies; she had learned about the camps and factories earthbenders were sent to in school, supposedly to stop revolts and give them better livelihoods, though she was sure now that probably wasn't the case at all, "But wherever they are... it must be worse than living under the foot of those grimy soldiers."
"Why... why were you hiding your identity?" Katara asked her as she stirred the pot, "We wouldn't have tried to hurt you. I mean, if we can trust Azula, then we can definitely trust you."
"Because of those men." she admitted, "I don't even know if they're loyal to Ozai, or have just been fed false information about me. They'd throw me in the hold of a ship and send me to the Boiling Rock, and I know nobody escapes from there."
"Huh... is that where the Fire Nation sends their worst prisoners?" Aang asked, and she nodded.
"The criminals they don't kill, and the enemies who are too important to let free. I'm pretty sure some Earth Kingdom generals are locked up in there." she admitted, recalling that boast from her history teacher a few years prior, where he proclaimed how strong their nation's prisons were, and how the Earth Kingdom's leaders would never escape.
"Sounds like a place people need freeing from." Aang mused, before shaking his head, "But that's really dangerous."
"But it couldn't be that dangerous to get to wherever Haru's dad is, right?" Katara asked the acrobat, who blinked a few times, wondering if Appa would be able to sneak over to wherever the earthbenders were being held; she guessed of all creatures, a sky-bison would be the best to reach some isolated, hidden prison where the earthbenders were probably toiling away.
"I don't know." she admitted, "Appa seems like he could fly to wherever they're being held... but I really don't know enough to say much more about it."
"You want to go find him?" she heard Haru's voice behind them, and the three of them turned around to see him sitting on the saddle; Katara nodded, and a moment later, Aang did the same.
"Y-yeah." the young Avatar admitted, "I mean, we can't just let the Fire Nation do that. If we can do something, we should."
"And we can." Katara assured him as he climbed down off of the saddle.
"What do you think, Ty Lee?" he asked her, and she scrunched her lips up.
"I think it's dangerous." she admitted her honest opinion, "I don't even know where this prison is, or what kind of security they have. I know how to fight, but really... I just don't know what you would be leading us into." she turned to face the Water Tribe girl and Air Nomad boy, both of whom looked at each other, considering what she had just said.
"I guess we need to find out some more about it." she decided, turning to glance at Haru, "Do you know where they went once they were taken away?"
"Towards the coast. I think they went to the port town, Tetsuwan." he explained what he knew, "I guess they took them some place they can't earthbend... but that doesn't make any sense, because rocks are everywhere."
"Well, not everywhere." Aang argued, "There's not much rock in a swamp... or just in the middle of the sea." he argued, and Haru blinked a few times.
"In the middle of the sea? How could anything be out there?"
"The Fire Nation can build some impressive ships and fortresses." Ty Lee admitted what she knew, "I believe they could make something out there, if that's really where the earthbenders are."
"Well, I guess we could go to the port town and look around." Aang decided, "That couldn't hurt anybody, right?"
"I think we're definitely wanted now... so maybe going to town isn't the best idea." Haru admitted, "Even if we're trying to find my dad and the other earthbenders."
"Not everyone needs to go." Ty Lee argued, "The rest of us could stay here in the woods, where it's safe, and a few could disguise themselves and go look around to try and find where the base is."
"I think I can act pretty well." Katara argued, "Plus, I need to get us some more food if we're going to be out here for a while... and with extra people." she admitted, Ty Lee and Haru nodding in agreement.
"I don't want my mum going hungry, not after all I just put her through." the Earth Kingdom boy admitted, glancing back toward the saddle.
Katara grimaced upon hearing that, and perhaps, she felt guilty about the whole mine collapse incident; Ty Lee hadn't understood what had occurred there, but it made sense after all that had happened. She had obviously pressured Haru into using his bending, into putting himself in danger, and obviously now that Haru had gotten his mother in danger, the Water Tribe girl must have realised the chain reaction.
"I'm sorry, Haru." she stressed, "This is my fault."
"No, you were doing the right thing, Katara." Aang assured her, "That old man who told the Fire Nation... I don't know. That was just sad." he pouted, clearly not happy with the turn of events.
"He was a coward." Haru argued, sounding rather spiteful in his tone, "If he just had any guts, then maybe we'd be back in my village right now, and nothing would have happened."
"There's no point blaming anyone now." Ty Lee admitted, "I guess we're all just stuck in this situation now."
"Where are you going to go now?" Haru asked her, "You can't go back to the village." he told her, as if she didn't know that already.
"I guess I'll have to stay with you for now. I don't really have anywhere to go, and I don't know how many of those men are looking for me, but I'll find my friend eventually." she assured him, and Aang raised a brow, obviously curious about her relationship with Azula.
"How long have you known her?"
"A while." she gave a vague answer; she didn't exactly want to give out everything she knew about the Princess, especially around Haru- that could only make things more awkward and uneasy for him, and after all he'd done to assist her, she didn't want to put that on him.
She scratched her arm, and Haru looked her way with slight concern, "Do you need your burns done up?" he asked, and Katara rose up to her feet.
"I said I'd do it." she clarified, before glancing down toward Aang, "Just keep an eye on the pot while I deal with her burns, alright?" she asked, and he nodded, taking the wooden spoon into hand, and kept on stirring the pot of jook.
"Thanks." she acknowledged the Water tribe girl, who shrugged her shoulders.
"You need our help. That's what we do, help people." she assured her, and Ty Lee made a small smile, feeling like at the very least, the Avatar and his friends were kind, good-hearted people; they might not have the best interests of the Fire Nation at heart, but they were at least the kind of people she could trust to do the right thing.
Katara climbed back onto the saddle to go retrieve the burn ointment, and Ty Lee laid herself back slightly, looking up at the tree branches that hung above them, and beyond those, the fluffy white clouds that covered the light blue morning sky; she took a deep breath, knowing that she ought to remain calm. Ty Lee wasn't usually the kind of person to get herself needlessly stressed, but ever since she had been attacked at the circus, she couldn't help but feel a little nervous, and was always cautious when she travelled around Haru's village, knowing that there were men looking for her. Even there, in the forest, she couldn't help but glance around at the trees that surrounded them; thoughts of the soldiers tailing after the massive and rather noticeable sky-bison were quick to her mind, and she turned to Haru, wanting to hush those thoughts with some meaningless conversation that she could have with the boy.
"What's your favourite food, Haru?" she asked him, having breakfast on her mind with the pot of jook cooking away nearby.
"Oh..." he mumbled, seeming a little surprised by the question, "I don't really know. Maybe dumplings. I'm unsure." he admitted, "We don't really have much variety of food in the village. There's fruits, vegetables, bread, rice... you know, the usual kind of food, but Mum never really made really fancy food. Most people don't know how to."
"Well, I don't either." she admitted, before chuckling at the thought of when she had tried to help Natsu make dinner a few days prior, "I apologise for the burnt rice."
"You tried." he assured her, "Maybe you'll figure it out with a little practice." he suggested, and she snickered.
"Yeah, I don't know when I'm going to get it. I prefer to avoid cooking, honestly."
"I wonder why." he mumbled, the acrobat snickering at his jab before glancing back toward Katara, who was coming back their way with the jar of burn ointment.
"I've got it." she spoke up, twisting the jar open before she sat down beside the Fire Nation girl, "I don't know if this will sting or not... I'm not really that experienced with dealing with burns." she admitted, and Ty Lee gave her a reassuring smile.
"I got burnt at the circus, so I know what it feels like. It's fine." she assured her, moving to unwrap the bandages around her arms, before offering them to the Water Tribe girl, "Just go ahead."
She dabbled her fingers into the jar, before she applied the paste to her forearms, softly touching it on before she began to rub it in; it hurt a little as she pressed on her burnt skin, but it was no worse than what she had experienced before.
"You're... handling this well." she observed, "I wouldn't have thought you'd be so tough."
"Oh, did you?" she smugly asked her, "I'm not a wuss." she assured her, "I've had to deal with burns, broken bones... the whole lot. It happens more often than not when you're an acrobat and spent your childhood sparring with firebenders."
Both Aang and Katara looked at her with interest, though Haru seemed more concerned about her burns, "Are you sure?" he asked her, "I mean, you got hit up pretty bad."
"Yeah, it hurts." she acknowledged, "But that's not what I'm thinking about."
"More about making sure those guys don't get you, right?" Katara guessed, and she nodded to confirm that assumption, "Well, as long as we have Appa, that isn't happening."
"I figured that. This sky-bison must be really fast." she admitted, glancing toward Appa, who was currently asleep, "When he's not resting."
"Heh." Aang snickered, "Yeah, I remember when I first met Sokka and Katara, and I wanted to show how Appa could fly, but instead, he just flopped into the water and swam to their village." he explained, making the acrobat chuckle, imagining that would have been a rather lack-lustre introduction to the flying bison.
As Katara continued to apply the burn ointment to her arms, Ty Lee glanced toward the girl, wondering why she wanted to help her as much as she did; they didn't know each other, and before that morning, they really hadn't talked that much. She had been pretending to be Aki, and now that she was herself again, she was surprised that a Water Tribe girl could treat her with decency and kindness.
Ty Lee turned her head around, noting the sound of a yawn, and she could see two tanned arms rising up from the saddle of the sky-bison, "Urgh... I had a terrible nightmare." she heard Sokka grumble, before he rose up from the saddle, "Oh wait... no, that wasn't a nightmare." he realised, making Aang and Katara laugh; he had just thought their experience the night prior was a nightmare, and given how fast things had gone, and how much chaos occurred, she couldn't blame him for thinking it was one after all that.
"Good morning, Sokka." Aang cheerfully addressed his friend, "Do you want some jook?"
"Uh, isn't that just rice slop?" he asked, and everyone nodded to confirm his assumption, "Oh... I miss meat already."
"We can go get some from the market today." Katara explained, and the Water Tribe boy clapped his hands together, seeming to approve of her idea.
"Good. I want some jerky." he declared, before cringing slightly, turning around, "Sorry." he whispered, before he pulled himself out of his sleeping roll; he climbed down from the saddle, and then, upon thinking about what she had told him, decided to second guess what his sister had just told him, "Wait... you want to go back to a market... like nearby?"
"Yes." she confirmed, "I know what you're thinking. The Fire Nation is going to be looking for us... and they probably are. But we can disguise ourselves. It won't be that hard, and we can find out where all those earthbenders got taken. I bet the Fire Nation has people going in and out of that port pretty often, right?" she asked Haru, who nodded to confirm that.
"Well, I will come with you." he decided, "I don't want you going there alone, Katara."
"I'm not a little kid, Sokka." she assured him, "I can make sure I don't get caught."
"I'm still going." he stressed, obviously not taking no for an answer, "Where is this port you're talking about, anyway?" he asked, and Haru rose up to his feet.
"Well, we flew into the hills... so that way." he pointed to the west, "I don't know how far we've gone... so you might need to fly there on Appa if you don't want to waste your day walking there."
"You can take him." Aang assured the Water Tribe siblings, "I mean, it can't be that long a flight... and I don't want you guys getting cornered by some soldiers." he admitted, before smiling, "And then, you can come right back here, and we can go to wherever those earthbenders are."
"It's going to be dangerous." Haru warned them, "These Fire Nation soldiers don't joke around. Wherever they're keeping the earthbenders, it must have really tight security."
"I can climb and sneak around pretty much anything." Ty Lee assured him, "Seriously, I was doing it for a living... at least the climbing part. And sneaking isn't hard when you're light on your feet."
"Maybe Aang should incorporate that into his fighting." Sokka suggested, "Though, you'd have to get rid of those robes. They're way too noticeable."
"What, do you want me to wear black?" the young Air Nomad scoffed at his suggestion, and the boy nonchalantly nodded in return.
"Yeah. That'd do it."
"Well, we're not planning to do much sneaking." Katara intervened in what could have become an argument, "Just this one time... so we can help out those earthbenders."
"How about you, Haru? Can you sneak?" Aang asked the Earth Kingdom boy, who scratched the back of his head, seeming unsure how to answer that.
"I guess I can." he admitted, "Maybe not when I'm trying to earthbend, though." he conceded, and Ty Lee tapped him on the shoulder with her rebandaged left arm.
"As long as you can do it before we fight, we'll be good." she assured him, and Sokka stepped past them to sit down beside Aang.
"So, you're going to come fight with us?"
"Yeah, I am." she confirmed, "Haru needs my help."
"What about the people who are looking for you? This could go... well, not the best way. If they want a reason to call you a traitor for real, you're about to give it to them." he warned her, and the acrobat narrowed her eyes at him; if she could trust Azula with anything, it would be to help her out now.
"I have something none of those men have; I have her."
The morning sun shone down over the water before Azula, and she squinted for a moment, adjusting to the glare as she glanced out toward her destination; her ship was already in port, and she was ready to go down and speak with the local garrison commander, whose letter told her exactly what she wanted to know: the location of the circus Ty Lee was part of. She wouldn't go as far to say she was excited, but she was certainly relieved to know where she had to go, and now she was at the port closest to where the circus was said to be, called Tetsuwan. She was looking forward to finding her friend and making sure the knowledge she held did not fall into the wrong hands, or worse, was lost; of course, that was what worried her- the threat against her friend's life was more than real, considering that her father had tried to have his own son killed, so it was no large step to do the same with a girl he barely knew on the suspicion she knew about his plot.
When she stepped down the plank from her Royal Barge onto the pier, she was greeted by surprised and interested glances from the sailors and dockworkers; people obviously realised who she was by looking at her ship and attire, with her armour and headpiece indicative of her rank and title, and they stepped out of her way as she strode down the pier toward the port town proper. She didn't just pop in to have a resupply, which she had already done the day prior, but had come because she had received a letter informing her that the circus Ty Lee worked at, Shuzumu's Travelling Circus, had been playing at a nearby village, and the port town itself before that about a week prior. That would have been good news if it weren't for the addendum that the circus had been attacked by arsonists, and had left in a hurry afterwards, which she immediately found suspicious.
She knew that the attack might have had something to do with Ty Lee, which concerned her, given that suggested that her father and his co-conspirators knew about her, and either deduced that Mai and Zuko had contacted her, or had intercepted one of the letters that had been sent her way. Arsonists targeting a circus just seemed stupid in her eyes, given that the justification would have to be rather petty, like refusing entry, or some kind of burglary, but she doubted that a circus would have that much valuable goods. What was valuable was the information Ty Lee had, and the leverage it could be against her father, and Azula was set on finding her before anyone else did.
She made her way down the pier, and eyed ahead toward the market, trying to spot out any Fire Nation soldiers who might be able to give her the directions for the garrison headquarters, which she was sure would be close by. She could see a few soldiers standing on patrol by the edge of the market, so she made her way toward them, and they quickly noticed her, turning around and taking formation.
Their leader saluted her, and addressed her as would be expected, "Princess Azula, it is an honour to have you here at our port." he acknowledged her, and not feeling in the mood for tedious formalities, she waved her hand, stressing the fact she had no care for their formalities, but merely what they could tell her.
"I am here to speak to your commander, Major Zhengyi." she explained her reason for being before them, "Where is he?"
"He is at the barracks, your highness." he stressed, before pointing to two of his subordinates, "Cheng, Zhuang, take the Princess to the Major." he ordered them, and they nodded, before both of them turned around to face the street that led away from the pier.
"Go." Azula commanded them, and they did, making their way down the street, and Azula, along with her guards, followed after them; she eyed around at the pedestrians for a moment, noting most of them were Earth Kingdom, and clearly afraid of her.
She didn't really care for their fears, as she had no intention of harming anyone, unless they tried to harm Ty Lee, in which case, they'd face the full brunt of her fury. It might not have been her fault for whatever her friend was facing, but she would do everything she could to ascertain her location and ensure her safety. It was her duty as her friend, and she was sure that if Ty Lee was in the same position as her, she would do the same; she would not be deserving of her respect if she didn't put every effort into helping her when she was in danger, something which she couldn't be completely sure of, but assumed to be the case, given the questionable case of arson that was mentioned by Major Zhengyi.
The soldiers led her down the street toward a large walled building, which resembled many public structures she had seen in the Fire Nation Capital, and her suspicions were confirmed when she saw a few guards standing by the gates of the building. As they approached the gates, the guards standing by them opened them up, immediately recognising Azula, perhaps by the distinct armour the Imperial Firebenders behind her were wearing, rather than the Princess herself. As much as part of her would want to be recognised on the spot, she knew that she wasn't that distinctive looking, though she'd never say she was bad-looking; in fact, she would always claim that she was the prettiest girl she knew, though Ty Lee liked to dispute that at times in jest.
"Uh, your highness, the Major's just inside." Zheng, one of the soldiers, clarified, and he looked at her with slight confusion; the Princess straightened her lips as she realised she had been smiling, as she had been thinking about when Ty Lee and her would argue about who was prettier.
"Thank you." she abruptly responded, not wanting to sound too polite or thankful, but not annoyed or surprised either, before she strode on toward the entrance of the barracks, which consisted of a large multi-sectioned building with a tall spotting post annexed to it, presumably from where the garrison would look out for signals from approaching ships.
When she reached the front door, she turned around, glancing at her guards, who she realised didn't really need to follow her, "Wait here. I will call on you all if I need... assistance." she explained, stressing the last word with a cold, serious emphasis.
The guards seemed to catch her drift, as they all nodded, cautiously glancing at the men around them; though she wasn't going to immediately assume the conspiracy was afoot in the very port she had arrived in, she had to take precautions, and that was why she had taken almost all her guards with her, partly as a show of force, and partly to ensure her safety in case of the worst possible scenario.
She stepped closer toward the door before she pushed it open, revealing the foyer of the building; there wasn't much there except some weapons on a rack, a shelf with mail holes in it, presumably for each of the garrison members, and a desk where a soldier was sitting, reading through a scroll; his eyes widened as he realised she was looking at him, and he rose up to feet, saluting her sloppily.
"Uh, your highness... I didn't think you'd be here so quickly." he addressed her, and she narrowed her eyes at him; his armour and general appearance didn't say that he was Major Zhengyi, so she decided to ask where he was.
"Where's the Major?" she asked, and the soldier stepped out from behind his desk, striding down the hallway that led off from the foyer.
"Please, follow me, your highness." he told her, and she did; following him down the narrow hallway, she passed by an entrance to the barrack's mess hall, as well as what looked like an infirmary, before reaching a closed door; the soldier knocked on it, and she heard some shuffling about inside the room, before a voice called out.
"Who is it?" the voice asked, and Azula responded at once.
"Princess Azula." she clarified, and the door was opened a few seconds later, a middle-aged man with a moustache and receding hairline opening the door for her.
"Y-your highness." he gasped, obviously surprised to see her, "I didn't expect you to come so quickly. I only sent my letter last night."
"We were in the area... and I need to reach that circus." she explained, the Major nodding before he gestured for her to come inside his office.
"Please, come in. Do you want some tea?" he asked her, and she nodded, deciding that would give her an excuse to stay any longer than would be expected, so she could interrogate the Major a little, and if necessary, his subordinates, to find out as much as she could about the circus, and the supposed arson committed upon it; the Major raised his hand toward the soldier who had led her to him, seeming rather stern with him, in comparison to his rather affable, gentle composure toward her.
"Lieutenant, go get a pot and put in the best leaves. I do not want the Princess drinking that... I don't even know what you all usually drink, but not that."
"Y-yes, Major." he nodded, seeming a little uneased by his superior's frustration, before he paced off to go make them some tea.
The Major sat down by a table where she assumed they would be drinking tea, and there was already a few papers on the table, which she had a hunch were related to her reason for being there; she sat down across from him, crossing her legs and straightening her posture to look him dead in the eyes.
"Major Zhengyi, I would like some elaboration on this." she began, pulling out the letter he had sent her via messenger hawk and placing it down on the table.
"Ah, yes." he nodded, raising a finger to his chin, "I heard about the circus a few days ago because of the arsonist manhunt that was going on in Ganggu Village." he explained, "I believe it had been there for a few days, and was about to leave the town the next day, but arsonists attacked it. Much of their equipment was burnt down, and they moved whatever they could to the north. I believe they were heading for Manxi."
She nodded, knowing that it was a colonial city some distance to the north of her present location, along the coast; if she had to travel there to intercept Ty Lee, that wouldn't be much of an issue, given that Aang and his friends were likely still travelling in that direction. She hadn't asked about Avatar sightings, but knew it wouldn't hurt to do so, given the threat Aang might pose by intervening in matters that would only further agitate the military into pursuing him. Zhao was bad enough to worry about, and she assumed that soon enough, she would have other commanders, generals and other would-be Avatar hunters on his tail.
"Well, what can you tell me about this arson?" she inquired further, knowing that any details about that could give indication to the cause of the arson he had just mentioned.
"I don't know much." he conceded, "The report given to me was by the local commander, and he told me some secret police were investigating it."
"Secret police?" she raised a brow, "You mean to say the Intelligence Service sent some men to investigate arson on a circus in... well, quite frankly, the middle of nowhere?"
"Um..." the Major mumbled, before raising a finger to his chin, "Yes. I am unsure why they were there to begin with. Perhaps it was a matter of national security they are not allowed to divulge." he conceded, before narrowing his eyes, "You wouldn't happen to know about their purpose, your highness?"
"No, I don't." she stressed, a little frustrated by his question; even if she was of the correct rank to be privy to such matters, she wasn't in the capital, going to meetings with her father anymore.
She was there to find out as much as she could about the circus and the arson committed against it, and narrow down Ty Lee's location in the process, as well find out who was after her; she was assuming that the arson was caused by some people sent by her father, and she couldn't help but notice that the intelligence service was the perfect cover for a manhunt for Ty Lee.
"Do you know who committed the arson?" she decided to add, knowing that something a little specific would help.
"The report told me it was a young woman, and from what he could tell, the secret police suspect her as a traitor, though... what that has to do with burning down a circus, is beyond me." he conceded, Azula placing her hands together, certain his description fit Ty Lee perfectly, especially from her father's point of view.
"Well, I think I may be of assistance with these matters." she decided to offer herself up, knowing that he wouldn't refuse.
"You mean with the investigation?" he asked, and she nodded, "I cannot refuse your help, Princess Azula. It is a great honour for any citizen to find you at hand." he acknowledged the gravity of her presence and offer, bowing down as he sat, "Is there anything else you need of me?"
"Nothing in particular." she conceded, "I will travel to wherever the circus was, and investigate the situation there. I might find out whatever treachery has been committed, and ensure that the security of my nation is maintained. It is my duty." she explained, none of those words an actual lie, given that she was loyal to her nation over her father; once she might have said her duty as daughter lay first, but her father forfeit the respect she held for him when he tried to have her uncle killed without having the dignity to face him in an Agni Kai.
Just thinking about that agitated her, knowing that her father was throwing away everything for greed; he could have been the rightful Fire Lord with time, or perhaps, just a little courage, but he chose to be a usurper instead. Her father was far away in the capital, and she internally chided herself for getting so frustrated about his actions, when she couldn't influence them, at least without being there to actually talk to him. The fact that she didn't hate him, but merely pitied him, made her feel even more ashamed; he was her father, he was meant to be the great man she wanted him to be, the person who could protect and lead their nation into a great and bright future, but she now knew that was all a farce to make her consider him half the man Iroh was.
"Your highness, are you alright?" Zhengyi interrupted her chain of thought, and she momentarily grimaced, realising she had just sat there, mulling over her thoughts, without any consideration that he was watching her.
"I am perfectly fine." she retorted as calmly as she could, "I simply am waiting for that tea you offered."
"Oh, yes." he recalled, glancing up behind her, "I apologise if Lieutenant Yiwai is tardy. I don't actually have any servants here to make us tea... because this is just an outpost for the navy. We don't have much resources to spare."
"No, I understand your issue. The navy is spread wide and far across the world. They cannot have servants at every base, or shipyards in every colony, as much as they might want that." she acknowledged the fact of the matter; resources were dispersed, and that was what truly made their war effort against the Earth Kingdom such a challenge in the first place- the country was massive, and there was only so many men that could be commanded and trained to fight without adversely effecting the powerful economy of the Fire Nation.
"So... how did you want to assist in the investigation?" he asked her, obviously curious about what she intended to do.
"I will go to this village... Ganggu?" she asked, unsure if she had remembered the name correctly, and he nodded, "I will go there and talk to the Intelligence Service agents who are there. As Princess, I am best suited to assist them with matters of national security, and I will get to the bottom of what's going on, for the good of the Fire Nation."
"May- uh- may I ask why you were looking for this circus?"
"Somebody I know might be in danger." she told him all she was willing to, given what Ty Lee knew, and what she might be facing; if her assumptions were correct, and the Intelligence Service had been sent after her on claims of treason and conspiracy, then they might hurt her, imprison her, and even destroy the evidence she had to incriminate her father.
"Oh... so this isn't a matter of protecting the Fire Nation." he concluded, and she tensed up, not wanting to get agitated over his stupid comments; she was protecting the Fire Nation by finding Ty Lee, and making sure her father could be accused with as much evidence as she could gather- when the time came, he would be thrown in prison for his crimes, and perhaps he'd consider his chosen path as fruitless as she did.
"I will always act in the best interests of my nation." she retorted, before glancing away, knowing that depending on the perspective, helping her uncle achieve his goals might not be in the best interest of the Fire Nation.
Even if his plans to end the war wouldn't necessarily lead to further conflict with the other nations, something she certainly wanted to avoid to ensure they achieved the prosperity, peace and security she knew was necessary for a better future, she knew that the conflict within their nation would not stop because of it. Ending one war to start another, and that was even if they stopped Ozai; if they didn't, at least it would be her father's fault for trying to kill the Fire Lord, and not her uncle's for dividing his nation over making peace with their long-time enemies.
"Of course, your highness. I wouldn't dare think any less of you." he assured her, before he glanced back, his brightened expression suggesting that the tea was arriving; she turned around to see the soldier who had led to the room standing with a tray, on which was two ceramic cups and pot of hot tea.
"Your highness." he bowed down to place the tea on the table in front of them.
"Thank you, Lieutenant. You may return to your duties." Zhengyi dismissed him, and he saluted him quickly, before pacing away, obviously not wanting to spend any more time in his superior's presence; something told her that Zhengyi's men didn't like him that much.
She sniffed the steam coming out of the pot, and appreciated it for a moment, before she forced her lips to straighten, not wanting to seem pleased by it; she was meant to be calm, collected and polite, not some dunce who just sat and enjoyed sniffing tea. The Major, obviously being the lower-ranked individual at the table, picked up the pot and flipped over the cups, before pouring them both some tea. She picked up her cup, and took a quick sip from the cup, finding a it a little too hot, but still fine tasting.
"Is it sufficient, your highness?" he asked her, and she made a curt nod, before placing the cup back down on the table.
Suddenly, she heard a door slam down the hallway, and she leaned her head slightly toward the doorway to see if she could see who had just interrupted her moment of peace and quiet; the Major didn't seem very pleased by it, and leaned to the side as well to check.
"Who's slamming the door?" he grumbled under his breath, and a moment later, somebody appeared before them, seeming flustered and shocked; it was one of his men, and he wasn't wearing armour, suggesting he was off-duty.
"M-Major!" he addressed him with frantic tone, before he eyed the Princess, "And... uh, your highness." he bowed slightly toward her, before revealing a scroll, "I just got a message from Ganggu. The guards there had an incident... and you're going to want to read this." he assured his superior, who nodded, indicating that he did want to read the document; once her was handed it, he unfurled it, before his expression shifted to one of confusion.
"Uh..." he mumbled as he traced his finger down the document, "Well, this might be of interest to you, your highness." he conceded, handing her the document; she accepted it, and placed it down in front of her as she took another sip from her tea cup.
She eyed the first line, and didn't find it that interesting, merely describing that the local garrison had received information on an earthbender, and gone to apprehend him; it turned out that the earthbender was housing the fugitive the Intelligence Service was looking for, and a fight broke out between them and the fugitive, who they were able to capture and bring back to their base of operations in the village. Azula realised that the fugitive was most likely Ty Lee, though they didn't describe what they looked like; the document went on to explain that before they could take the fugitive inside, they were attacked by the earthbender, and the Avatar. That made her tense up, realising that Aang and his friends were nearby, and more than that, had most likely met Ty Lee already; the document then finished by explaining that the Intelligence Service agents attempted to apprehend the Avatar and the fugitive, but failed, as they were able to escape the village via the Avatar's sky-bison.
"Well, this is interesting." she conceded the honest truth, hiding her unease behind a confused expression, "The Avatar is nearby. I am sure you know that I am currently pursuing the master of the elements to ensure he doesn't pose a threat to our nation."
"I do." he nodded, "I assume you and your men will go look for him now."
"I believe this is what they call taking out two birds with one stone." she noted with a slightly amused voice, trying to disguise her feelings of frustration about the situation; Aang shouldn't have gotten himself involved, though she assumed that it had to the fact that an earthbender was being apprehended, likely to be sent to a labour prison.
"Um, yes, that is the saying." he agreed, before she pushed the document back toward him, "I would appreciate if you got the Avatar out of my villages. It would not go well with my report to General Ming, if I were to be completely honest."
"I understand your frustration, Major. This is not something anybody would want their hands on, especially without the proper training or forces to back oneself up. But you should not fret, Major, I will handle this. It is the very reason I have been travelling around the world for the past few months." she assured him, not wanting him to panic and try and send men after Aang; that would just not end well, especially if he had Ty Lee on side, given her chi-blocking skills.
"I have heard of your abilities. You are the greatest firebender born in a generation."
"That is not all. I know what fights to pick, Major. This is a fight nobody should want to face." she warned him, "The Avatar, as a hostile, is perhaps the greatest threat to our nation as a whole, so ensuring that he is passive toward us is my paramount goal. If he cannot be contained, then he must be persuaded against conflict."
"He's an Air Nomad. I don't imagine that could be that hard."
"If everyone I knew was murdered by a specific group of people who happened to have all the political control at present, I wouldn't find issue fighting them." she warned him of what Aang's mentality would be, "Being against murder does not make somebody a non-threat."
"Are you willing to kill him, your highness?" he dared to ask her, and she shook her head.
"Finding the next Avatar would be far more challenging than it would be worth." she argued, trying to seem as indifferent as she could; she wasn't indifferent, because she held the slightest of respect for Aang, even if he was a finicky twelve year old with a propensity for asking too much of her, though she assumed that came about because of her generosity when she first captured him, rather than being reflective of greed on his behalf.
"That is true." he conceded, "It took us a century to find the Avatar after they disappeared. It would be best to avoid a repeat of that."
"I will not let that happen again." she assured him, before sipping down the rest of the tea in the cup she was drinking; once it was done, she placed it down on the table between her and Zhengyi, and rose to her feet.
"Are you leaving for Ganggu?"
"I have little choice in the matter." she declared, "There are matters of national security at play, and I cannot ignore them, nor can I ignore the Avatar."
"Isn't the Avatar a greater threat than any traitor?" he asked her, and Azula scoffed, knowing that was certainly not that case.
"It depends on who the traitor is." she warned him, "Traitors don't have to be aggrieved commoners or traumatised soldiers, Major." she stressed, "They can be arrogant fools with too much power."
"I wouldn't dare call any of my superiors fools, your highness." he assured her, which told her that he might have suspected those individuals to be potential traitors, given her description.
"And I wouldn't dare accuse anyone without evidence. I will see who this traitor is, and what crimes have been laid upon them. I seek the truth above all else." she added, making the Major raise a brow.
"What about justice?" he asked, and she scoffed, before rising to her feet.
"You cannot have justice without seeing the truth, Major. A false justice is no victory at all."
Katara didn't think that Natsu's clothes would fit on her, but the woman was quite thin, so her robes weren't that loose on the slightly shorter Water Tribe girl; she already missed her Water Tribe garb, and was unable to wear her necklace while she was in disguise, having gave it to Aang to take care of while she and Sokka travelled to the port town of Tetsuwan. Appa was big enough that they had to land him some distance away from the actual town, behind a hill, and now, they were pacing through the brush nearby the edge of the town, just able to make sight of the port, which had a long stone pier, with a number of Fire Nation vessels docked at it.
She hadn't noticed it when they were flying over, but realised that one of the ships was almost certainly Azula's, and that made her tense up, realising that they might run into the Fire Nation Princess; she knew that it wasn't a good idea to do so, given that she was probably trying to act as if the Avatar was not her ally. Katara would dispute that claim, but Aang was always quick to assure her that the Princess was not a bad person, even if she was violent and acted brashly at times.
Sokka seemed to notice this as well, and he placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her, "Katara... you know who's ship that this, right?"
"I do." she confirmed, "But we don't have much of a choice. I don't want to get her involved with all this... because I'm guessing she won't approve."
"No, at least not publicly." he agreed, "So, let's just avoid her, wherever she is, and find out where those earthbenders were sent."
"Yeah." she nodded, before she continued down the slope of the hill toward the edge of the town; they were quickly covered by the bushes and trees that covered the slope, making sure when they appeared, nobody would suspect them, or at least, that was what she hoped.
She had to crouch down to go under the low-hanging branches, and eyed ahead to check if anybody was by the edge of the woods; she couldn't see anyone, though she could hear voices further afar inside the town proper. The Water Tribe siblings didn't waste any time, and Sokka led Katara down through the woods to the edge of the town, stepping out of the woods by an old, rickety Earth Kingdom house. They stepped out past it, and made sight of a street, where she immediately spotted a few Fire Nation soldiers on patrol, she glanced away from them, pulling her hair away from her face as she wondered how easy it would be able to tell that they were Water Tribe. They hadn't garnered too much attention in towns so far, but she didn't want to take the chance, and that was why they were disguised. She was sure that after what happened in Haru's village, the Fire Nation would be looking for them all, Aang especially.
As they made their way onto the street, the Fire Nation soldiers didn't seem to give them any more notice than the other pedestrians, who all were cautious around them, everyone noticeably slowing their paces as they came by. The soldiers turned to shout at some children who were playing around up the street, and she cringed slightly, just hoping that their attention didn't come back toward them. Sokka grabbed her by the hand, forcing her to follow after him, which she did. As they made their way down the street, she noticed that the buildings began to improve in quality and increase in size until she was looking at two-storey structures, both shops and houses, and she could already make out what had to be the market off in the distance.
"Well, I say we go to the docks, Katara." her brother suggested, "If this is a port, then they've got to be sending them off on boats."
"What says there's anyone there?" she asked, "I think going to wherever the soldiers work from would be better." she gave her own opinion, "They might have records there."
"True, true." Sokka conceded, scratching his chin in thought as they continued on down the street, "But think about this... if the place they're sending the earthbenders to is nearby... where are they going to get all their food from?"
"Oh." she gasped, her eyes brightening as she realised what he was trying to say, "They must send boats there. If we can find one, maybe we could follow it out on Appa." she gave the first idea that came to mind, and he nodded.
"Yeah, I think so. We should just make sure we're following the right one. We don't want to follow some random boat all the way to the Fire Nation."
"That sounds like a terrible plan." she shook her head, "We have to know for sure."
"And we will." he stressed, "Let's just avoid her highness. I have a feeling she won't be happy to see me."
"What about Ty Lee?" she asked, and her brother shrugged his shoulders.
"Well, she's not with us. Ty Lee's safe, so she has no reason to worry... though, I guess she's probably worried. Just like how we were with Aang."
"Except, we knew where Aang was." she reminded him, "She doesn't know where her friend is. What if she thinks she's dead?"
"I don't think she'd jump to that conclusion." he argued, before crossing his arms, "Why are we talking about this... that's not what we're here for."
"Yeah, yeah, I know." she assured him, before glancing toward the market, knowing that they ought to get to the docks to find wherever the supply ship would be, "So turn right here."
"Yeah, unless you want to go shopping right now." he considered their options, and she shook her head.
They had plenty of time to shop, but she knew that finding out where those earthbenders were was the priority; she owed it to Haru after what she had made him do, and what had happened.
"No, let's find this ship." she decided, and when they reached the next street, they turned to the right, and she made clear sight of the long stone pier, "There's a few of them here." she noted, counting at least seven ships, including Azula's massive one.
"Well, let's have a look around." he decided, "We might be able to figure it out from just looking at them."
"Oh, are you that smart?" she mocked her brother's claim of deduction skills that seemed rather unreasonable; he scoffed at her, and raised his chin in defiance.
"Just trust me, Katara." he tried to reassure her, but she turned her gaze away, eyeing some guards that were standing down a street to their left; she was sure that the Princess was around, and that might actually provide them with a little cover, as she'd be getting all the attention from the local Fire Nation soldiers.
She followed her brother down the street, leading them to the pier, where she could see a few men walking around, carrying crates and bags of goods, perhaps to sell in the market. As she and her brother got onto the pier proper, they were forced to walk around crates and a number of men who were carrying what she guessed was a piece of furniture, though it looked rather odd. She glanced up along the pier to see that there was a large ship, clearly not one designed for war, which had a large plank opening out onto the deck, allowing people to take goods off of it. She wondered how much things they could fit on it, compared to the small boats her tribe used. That ship, however, clearly wasn't the one they were looking for.
"What kind of ship will it be?" Sokka mumbled to himself, scratching his chin as he glanced around at the other ships as they made their way down the pier, "Well... there must be soldiers on it." he deduced, gesturing toward another ship, smaller than the cargo ship they had just walked by, sitting across from Azula's massive vessel.
As they approached, Katara noted that the ship was quite well guarded, and there were a few long planks coming down from its deck, as well as out of the side of the hull, where she could see a few men moving in crates, which had a few words marked on them, all of them food items, overseen by some soldiers; the men eyed the Water Tribe siblings as they approached, and both of them cringed, realising that they weren't really acting very casually. One of the soldiers raised his hand, gesturing for them to shoo, and Sokka grabbed his sister's arm, obviously not wanting to get them tangled up in anything. A confrontation wouldn't help them in any way, so they were forced to turn around and head back down the pier.
"I'm pretty sure that's the ship." he have his opinion, "It doesn't have much weapons... and they're putting crates on it. Could you read any?"
"Food. Rice, vegetables, spices." she clarified what she had read, "I think you're right. Why would they be guarding it like that otherwise? They don't want anyone getting on that ship, because it must go to that prison." she explained her thoughts, Sokka nodding along before he glanced up ahead in the direction of the market, "So... you said we were getting food, right?"
"We'll need some more." she confirmed, "I don't know how long Haru, Ty Lee and Natsu will be with us for." she conceded, before narrowing her eyes, "Though... the Princess might catch up with us quickly enough."
"I can't tell if you mean that in a good way or not." he mumbled, making her scoff.
"I don't want that girl anywhere near us. She's just going to bring all the attention of the Fire Nation on us again. You remember what it was like at the dock the other day, right?"
"Awkward." he gave a simple, but accurate response, "I don't think she wants the rest of the Fire Nation knowing she's buddy-buddy with Aang."
"I wouldn't call her buddy-" she began, before shaking her head, "She barely knows him... and she held him captive, remember?"
"She definitely said she was going to train him." he reminded her, "So did the Fire Lord, so I'm pretty sure she just can't refuse."
"Okay whatever... I still don't want her around." she retorted, before crossing her arms, "Maybe we should be looking for more information instead of talking about things we probably shouldn't." she suggested, and he cringed, glancing behind them before nodding.
"Yep." he conceded with a quiet, slightly unsure voice, before narrowing his eyes, "Huh, I guess we could do both at the same time."
"Both what?"
"Shop and investigate." he explained, "I'm sure the locals might have a little bit of information, and we can squeeze it out of them."
"So what, you want to trick them into telling us what the ship's for?" she asked, and he scrunched up his lips.
"When you say it like that, it sounds a lot less cool." he grumbled, before pacing on ahead; she followed after him, and glanced idly at the ships and dockworkers as they walked by them.
Everyone seemed consumed by their work, and she guessed that was a good thing; people would be less concerned about two teenagers snooping around, and about their intentions. She knew that people in the town were probably afraid of the Fire Nation, just like that old man must have been; if they gave any indication of their actual reason for being there, getting ratted on was more than likely. She wished people could be braver, but she couldn't blame them; they were all afraid, and now that the Fire Nation had effectively won their war, they had no reason to hope for reprieve, or a better future beyond one of occupation and subordination.
She was glad that at the very least, her tribe was still willing to fight; they had no given up yet, and her father, along with the other warriors, were out somewhere, making a stand against the Fire Nation wherever they could. She hadn't given up yet either, and neither had Sokka; that was why they were willing to join Aang. If they had been more like those villagers, perhaps they would have just told him to leave their village, to try and protect themselves from the Fire Nation; of course, her brother had done that, but he had changed his mind as Katara argued in the young Avatar's favour, and ultimately, Gran-Gran had allowed them to go help him master the elements.
As they walked into the market, Sokka eyed around intently for a stall to go buy from, and already seeing one that sold bags of rice, she approached it, and stood in line; her brother stepped over to wait beside her, and eyed behind them for a moment; Katara was confused what intrigued him so much, but realised that a pair of men were standing by the edge of the market, and they weren't local guards. She recognised their armour as belonging to Azula's personal guards, and the fact that Sokka had spent quite some time with them meant they might have already recognised him as they walked past. Even if he had his hair down, instead of in its usual wolf-tail, he was still Sokka, with them same cautious glare he had whenever they were in public, especially around the Fire Nation.
"Oh... that's not good." she whispered, before squeezing her brother's hand, forcing him to turn his gaze back toward her, "Don't look at them. They mightn't have noticed you."
He grimaced, and glanced ahead toward the stall, "Let's just get this rice."
"I'm sorry about the reduced stock." she heard the stall-owner speak to one of the customers, who seemed agitated for some reason.
"Why are you selling them your rice? You can have a little guts, you know?" he retorted, and one of the other customers tried to hush him, "Don't give me that. I know you're all thinking the same thing."
"Do you even know who's eating it, Huan?" the stall-owner retorted, now clearly frustrated, "My brother's one of the people they've locked up there. I'm not letting him starve."
"And now he's helping them make ships for their navy." Huan argued, his voice quietening, "If those earthbenders had any damn courage, they would have jumped into the sea or tried to kill the ash-makers." he argued, "Feeding them isn't going to help them."
The stall-owner picked up a bag of rice from beside him, and threw it into Huan's hands, "Take that, but you're no longer welcome at my stall. I won't have you saying things like that."
"This-" the agitated Earth Kingdom man pointed at him, lost for words, before he turned around to stomp away.
"Okay, next please, unless you want to have an argument to." the stall-owner gestured to the next customer, who stepped forward and pulled some coins from her pocket.
"No, I won't." she assured him, and with that, it seemed that the confrontation was over.
Katara's expression brightened, realising that their argument confirmed her suspicions; that ship was the one taking supplies to the prison, and clearly, the man called Huan didn't approve of the stall-owner selling to the Fire Nation, even if it was to help feed his imprisoned brother.
"You know... that guy had a point." Sokka mumbled, making Katara turn her eyes up to his own.
"What do you mean? That they should starve?" she asked, confused that he could be agreeing with such a callous opinion.
"No." he shook his head, "That they're not going to do anything unless somebody reminds them of what they can do." he explained, "If they could see Haru and the courage he has... maybe they'd be more like us."
She nodded, acknowledging that he was right in regard to courage; he had been afraid once, and so had she, but they had chosen to what was right, and help Aang, even if it was putting them in serious danger.
"Yeah, I see what you mean." she nodded, before suddenly, her attention was drawn by a hand tapping her on the back; she flinched and turned around, and she froze as she realised it was the two guards who had been standing nearby.
"What are you doing here?" one of them asked, the question clearly directed at Sokka, "This can't be a coincidence." he declared, though he spoke quietly enough to suggest that the guards didn't want to be rousing suspicion toward them from the locals.
"Uh... getting food, like people do." Sokka told him a half-truth, and the other guard scoffed.
"Oh, food? And does food involve getting Earth Kingdom clothes?" he asked, pointing to both of their outfits, "I mean... I see why you would want to, but this is- she's not going to be happy."
"Hey, we're not causing any trouble." Katara tried to act as normally as she could, while still talking about their reason for being there, "As soon as we get some supplies, we'll be out of your hair... or your helmets." she assured them, making her brother snicker.
"Heh, that's a good one, Katara." he commended her unintentional joke, before one of the guards pointed a finger on his sternum.
"I don't like or trust you, boy, but you better not mess around. There's some serious work afoot here, and her highness needs everyone's cooperation."
"I get it." he assured him, raising his hands to try and seem as non-combative as possible, "We're just getting food. We'll be out of here soon." he stressed, before leaning closer, "Can you do something so this doesn't look suspicious?" he requested quietly, and the guards looked at each other, before one of them grabbed him by the collar.
"Don't you go snooping around our ship again. You're messing with the wrong people!" he warned him, before throwing Sokka to the ground, though it was clearly not intended to hurt him; the other market-goers looked at them with apprehension, and the other guard raised his hands up to shoo them.
"Go back to your things. We're done here." he declared, before he and his comrade paced on back toward the pier, and out of the market; Katara glanced down back her brother, seeing that he was lying on the ground, his outfit covered in dirt.
"Are you alright?" one of the market-goers, a middle-aged woman, asked him, and he waved their helping hand away.
"I'm fine. I'm just a guy interested in machines, that's all. Damn idiots just have to overreact." he grumbled, creating a cover-story on the spot.
"Don't mess with the Fire Nation... especially those guys. They protect royalty, I think." she warned him, "That's an easy way to find yourself thrown in prison."
"Yeah..." he cringed, and Katara furrowed a brow, realising that could have been an alternate path for them to take; if one of them had purposefully got taken to the earthbender prison, they could have been followed on Appa, and it would have made it a lot easier to reach it.
"Maybe getting imprisoned for being a bender would have been a quicker way to find the place we're looking for." she suggested as her brother dusted himself off.
"That's a stupid idea, Katara. Do you want to go to prison?"
"Uh... not by accident."
