Walking through the damaged hallways of the palace with his father, Prince Lu Ten felt a sense of unease; though the assassins and saboteurs had been defeated, he couldn't help but feel bad just seeing the injured guards walking around, or the servants trying to clean up the messes left over, some pieces of fabric and furniture still smouldering. They were heading to the infirmary, but first, his father wanted to check on his two young cousins; they were being protected by some Imperial Firebenders, according to his father, but that didn't mean that they would have felt safe. He was sure Zuko, being older and more aware than his toddler sister, would have been rather scared with all the explosions and noises emanating through the palace.
"Dad, are you sure they've all been dealt with?" he asked Iroh, just wanting to be sure that they'd be safe; they were flanked by his own guards, but that didn't mean that Lu Ten himself wasn't afraid.
He hadn't seen any of the attackers, other than a few unconscious ones who had already been restrained, ready to be taken to the Capital Prison; the rest were either dead or escaped, and he was hoping they didn't run into any of the latter.
"I am sure the guards have secured all the exits. If any of them are left, they will be hiding." he reassured him, "I can take them on, if need be." he reassured him, though Lu Ten really would prefer if he didn't.
Iroh was visibly hurt, burned by firebending, and with a few cuts and bruises on his extremities, and he seemed to be in pain, though he was trying his best to retain a visage of confidence. He was a soldier after all, and he was expected to keep leading despite injuries and pain.
As the group arrived at the entrance of his uncle's quarters, where his cousins lived, a group of Imperial Firebenders fanned out of the doorway, checking to make sure they were friendly; they immediately recognised the Crown Prince and his son, bowing in respect before letting the pair enter.
"Thank you for protecting my niece and nephew." Iroh commended the guards, who just saluted him.
"It was our duty and honour, your highness." their leader reassured him, before the two royals strode inside.
Unlike the areas outside of it, the quarters seemed clean and undamaged, with no signs of struggle inside. Lu Ten made his way through, checking the rooms one by one, noticing that they were all empty, until they got to the end, where his niece and nephew's rooms were. A single Imperial Firebender stood ready on guard, and upon seeing the two royals, bowed to them.
"Your highnesses. Are you here for Prince Zuko and Princess Azula?" he asked, and they nodded.
"I wanted to check on them, if that's alright." the Dragon of the West explained their reason for being there, "My brother is in the infirmary, so I am here in his stead."
"Of course." the guard bowed once more, opening the door for them; inside the room a number of servants were cowering, while two royal siblings were sitting on the floor, playing with some toys, seeming a little annoyed that they were cooped up in such a small room, which he guessed was Azula's room given the crib that sat in the corner.
"Uncle!" Zuko's eyes lit up as soon as he saw them, and he rushed over to hug Iroh, who knelt over to accept him, "Where did you go? Is Dad okay?" he asked, "He go for a long time."
"Yes, your father's fine, Zuko." he reassured the young boy, before glancing over to Azula, "Is your sister alright?"
"Yeah, she played with toy." he explained, before he glanced at Lu Ten, "Hi, Lu Ten." he addressed him, the elder Prince letting out a snicker.
"Hi, Zuko." he addressed him back, before striding over to Azula, who looked up at him with interest.
"Wu Ten." she said what she thought was his name, her baby-speak rather amusing; he knelt over and tugged on her little hand.
"You okay?" he asked; she gave a nod, and then glanced around, noticing Iroh.
"Unkoo." she mumbled, gesturing to his father.
"Yes, Uncle's here." he confirmed, smiling at her reaction as she waved at him.
"What have you been doing?"
"Pway." she pointed to her toy, "Baby." she gestured over to a servant, who was holding a baby in her arms; he was expecting her to mean a baby doll, but she literally was playing with a baby.
"Oh." he mumbled, turning his gaze to the servant, "Thanks for letting your baby play with her."
"It's fine, your highness." she reassured him with a smile, "My baby boy's tired now, but he liked playing with her."
"Do you usually bring your baby to work?" he asked, and she made a sheepish smile.
"Oh... we have a daycare. But I got him when I heard about the fighting." she explained, "I'm so grateful to the Prince, he kept us safe."
"Uh... that's nice to hear." he nodded; it was unusual for his uncle to be protective of anyone other than his own children, so it was good to hear that he was protecting the servants from the attackers.
"Yes, he was such a hero." one of the other servants spoke up, "He stopped them from getting anywhere near us."
"We're going to check on him now. Could you all take care of this little Princess while we do that?" he asked, and they nodded.
"Of course. The Prince already was expecting us to attend to her every whim." the servant woman with the baby acknowledged.
Glancing over at the baby, Lu Ten felt he looked oddly familiar, similar to what his elder cousin had when he himself was a baby; maybe that was why Azula liked playing with him, because he looked like a little Zuko.
"Zuko." he turned to his cousin, who glanced at him, "Do you want to come with us to the infirmary? Uncle needs to be checked, and we'll see your father." he explained what they were going to do; the little Prince nodded, and grasped Iroh's hand as they moved out of the room.
Before they left, Lu Ten turned and gave Azula a wave; she turned her head and waved back, seeming a little sad to see him go already. The guard closed the door behind them, and Zuko glanced back up to Iroh.
"Is Dad hurt?" he asked, sounding worried.
"He had to fight, but he is alright, Zuko. Don't worry... we have the best physicians in the Fire Nation here." his uncle reassured him, and the Prince followed, still holding onto Iroh's hand.
Lu Ten tailed behind them, and glanced around once they moved back into the main hallway, noticing more servants had come out to clean up. There was a lot of damage, though he hoped that it would get dealt with quickly; the place was already dark and gloomy enough as it was. He was unsure why Fire Lord Sozin had rebuilt the palace in the way he had, but nothing had been done to make it look any less dark. It was as if the man himself was a dragon, making a den in some massive red and black cavern.
The thought amused him enough that he turned to face his father, "Have you ever thought this place looks like what you'd think a dragon's den would look like?" he asked, "Like a volcano tube." he suggested, and his father just huffed.
"I have." he confirmed, "We are in need of some redecoration."
"I wish there was dragons." Zuko mumbled, making Lu Ten chuckle.
"Yeah, that would be cool." he agreed with the sentiment.
"Excuse me, have you forgotten the name they gave me, son?" Iroh asked him; the Prince struggled to hold back a laugh.
"Yes, with that belly, you sure are a dragon." he acknowledged, making his father chuckle.
He let out a small wisp of fire from his lips, as if he were blowing a whistle, making Zuko's eyes light up.
"Do it again!" he asked, and Lu Ten shook his head; that was the oldest trick his father had.
He did, making a fire stream which spilled down the hallway, lighting it up for a few moments before it dissipated; it certainly frightened a few servants who were making their way down the other way, though they were quickly relieved once they saw it was the royals surrounded by their guards. As they drew closer to the infirmary, Lu Ten noticed more guards standing duty, closing off the whole hallway ahead of them, though they moved out of the way when they saw who was coming.
"Are you here for your brother, your highness?" one of the guards asked Iroh, who nodded.
"I am. Is he recovering?"
"He's conscious, your highness. That's more than we can say for those that put him in this state." the Imperial Firebender noted, sounding almost sorry for the people his brother had faced.
It was no secret that Ozai was perhaps one of the most ferocious and ruthless firebenders alive, with the power and skill to back it up; Iroh himself would prefer to avoid even sparring against him because of it. Zuko didn't seem to notice his comments, and tried to walk past the guards, who let him through.
"Dad!" he called out to his father, Iroh grasped his hand once more.
"This way, Zuko." he directed him inside the infirmary, Lu Ten following him inside.
Upon entering, his gut dropped in his stomach, looking at all the injured guards, with burns, cuts, and head injuries, many of them unconscious, being tended to by nurses and physicians; one of the many people in the room was his uncle, who was on a bed by the corner of the room, with a guard stationed by his side. Ozai looked out of it, with a bandage covering his forehead, and a dazed look on his face. Zuko, upon seeing his father, rushed over to his bedside, and grasped at his right hand, which was hanging off the bed.
"Dad, are you okay?" he asked him, the Prince reflexively pulling his arm up, obviously not wanting to be touched.
As Lu Ten and his father approached, Ozai blinked a few times, reaching his hand back down to touch his son's face, realising who it was, "Zuko." he whispered his name, "Where's... where's your sister?"
"The servants- uh, they have her." he tried to explain, his nervous tone starkly contrasting with his panicked one only a few moments prior.
"Do not worry, Brother." Iroh addressed him, "Azula is in safe hands. A dozen guards are holding the quarters."
"As I left them." he mumbled, reaching a hand for his forehead, "Where is she..." he added, and his brother stepped closer.
"Safe, Ozai. Azula is safe."
"No... not her." he shook his head, before sighing, his eyes darting around the room, "I- where is Father?"
"He is commanding the guards... dealing with those that attacked you." he clarified, and the Prince nodded, seeming at least somewhat pleased.
"Good, good." he whispered once more, pulling himself up onto his bottom, no longer lying down; his robes were as tattered as Iroh's and he had bandages covering his arms and legs, though Lu Ten noticed he was still wearing his plate boots.
"How many did you fight, Uncle?" he asked Ozai, wondering how he had gotten as hurt as he had.
"Enough." he simply responded, creating a fireball in his formerly limp right hand, right in front of Zuko's face.
Though Lu Ten expected his cousin to be scared, his expression shifted to a smile, "Dad's fire is good." he observed.
"Yes, it is." he confirmed, "They were no match for a master firebender."
"You need your rest, Ozai." Iroh warned him, "I'll make sure Zuko is fed and tended to while you recover."
Ozai didn't thank Iroh, but simply nodded, before he turned his gaze down to Zuko, "My son."
"Yes, Dad?" his eyes turned up to him, ready to hear whatever he had to say.
"You must never let fools like this take advantage of you. The enemies of the Fire Nation need to be punished." he told him, and Zuko nodded, not saying anything else.
Ozai touched his face once more, before pulling his arm back, obviously wanting to rest, "Leave me." he requested, and he did, Zuko following Iroh away.
Lu Ten looked at his uncle for a few moments, and just nodded, pleased that he had fought so hard for their household, "Thank you, Uncle."
"I didn't do it for you." he warned him, before turning his gaze away, closing his eyes as he continued to rest.
The Prince turned his gaze back to his own father, and grasped him by the arm before he could do anything else, "You need to have your burns checked."
"Yes, yes, I told you, I'm just about to call over a physician." he reassured him, raising a hand to get the attention of one of the physicians who was presently unoccupied, "Could you see my burns, please, if you're not busy." he requested, and the physician quickly paced over to him.
"Of course, your highness. You are the heir of our nation, it would be an honour to do so." he reassured him with the usual pleasantries; his position in the line of succession did afford him more attention than the average guard, even if many of them were far more hurt than he was.
"My needs do not come before any of these fine men who serve to protect our lives." he argued, before glancing around, "Do I need to sit?"
"Yes, that would be best." the physician confirmed, "Then I may inspect your burns."
Iroh sat himself on a chair that was unoccupied, and with that, the physician began to inspect his burns; Zuko stepped over and grasped Lu Ten's arm, "Is Uncle okay?"
"He will be, Zuko." he reassured him, "Isn't that right, Father?"
"Certainly, it's just a few burns. I've faced far worse."
Sitting at the dining table, Zuko's eyes were set on the window, glancing out towards the town they were approaching in the distance, and the sea beyond it. He had just eaten his breakfast, but now with it out of the way, all he could think about was the next stop on the progress. Though they'd only been travelling for just ten days through the Fire Nation, he felt like it had lasted longer than that. He felt that perhaps it was due to all the work it involved, and the numerous intelligence briefings he received, and the directions he had to provide the Intelligence Service detail that had come along with them on the progress.
Their attempts to narrow down his father's location hadn't given much results; all they had learned was that a number of groups of defected Intelligence Service agents, mercenaries and organised criminals had been found pressuring local officials and industrialists to aid their efforts, though they'd had mixed success. These agents could be traced to have arrived in most of these settlements in the weeks following his father's deposition from the position of Interim Fire Lord. This meant that they weren't likely coming from and to a central location, where his father would be coordinating his efforts.
However, the existence of such a location was almost certain, given that the Intelligence Service had already intercepted a number of coded letters that followed their own rules. However, these letters were of little use without the context behind them, though the locations were widely varied, indicating that there were likely multiple steps between an agent or handler and his father's command centre.
Zuko frowned, frustrated that all his mind could go over was those very facts. The lack of certainty had begun to anger him more and more, and though he had tried to keep his mind off it by doing things like Pai Sho, reading, and even studying some texts that he might have otherwise been made to read by his tutors, he felt the presence of his work in his mind at all times.
"Still thinking about it, aren't you?" Azula addressed her brother, who blinked a few times, not realising she was paying attention to him; glancing over to her, he noted she had finished her breakfast as well, explaining why she would have realised he was so out of it.
"Uh... yeah." he confirmed, "I just want to get this over and done with."
"What, the whole progress?" she asked, and the Prince sighed.
"Well, I actually don't mind the part where we learn about all the different random towns in the Fire Nation, their histories and what their issues are, but I do mind the constant streams of information about every possible tie someone might have to Father." he explained his thoughts on the matter, making Ty Lee snicker.
"So, you're a history nerd." she observed, and he just covered his face, finding her description more embarrassing than what he really thought he was doing; he had to know about his nation if he was going to rule it one day.
"No, I- uh, I need to learn things if I'll ever be the Fire Lord. The Fire Nation is a big place."
"Not as big as the Earth Kingdom." Azula commented as she picked up her cup of tea.
As she sipped, Zuko turned his eyes back to the window, his gaze momentarily catching Mai's; in a way, he did miss when it was just them. It was just easier, even if they had been in a lot of danger. Perhaps he was just being nostalgic and a bit possessive, recalling their discussion about the skewers. His mind momentarily turned to them, and he smiled; Azula pointed at him suddenly, as if he'd done something terrible.
"Aha! There, he thought about the stupid skewers again!" she accused him, quite accurately.
"Shit." he mumbled, covering his mouth as he struggled to hold back a laugh, "Don't say that every time I smile... I won't ever be able to be happy in peace again."
"But you were thinking about them." Mai commented, taking his sister's side.
"Y-yeah..." he mumbled, "I've got to find some more good food." he admitted, before glancing at the others, "Who wants fire flakes?"
"How about fried dumplings?" Ty Lee suggested, and Azula's head perked up.
"Or mochi. Please, can we have mochi?" she asked, and Zuko snickered, recalling how much she'd shovel those down when she was younger.
"Don't let her near them. She can't have a stomach ache when she might actually have to do public speaking." he tried to argue against that, and though his sister raised a finger, ready to retort, she just sighed.
"Against my better judgement, I'll agree with that." she admitted, before narrowing her eyes at them, "But I want some."
"Yeah, how about we get the servants to go buy us some while we're dealing with our meetings?" Ty Lee suggested, and the group nodded in agreement, even Mai, who must have been craving something, even if she wasn't going to say what.
The Prince then glanced at the bowls Mai and Ty Lee had, noting that they were almost finished; that told him that he'd only be sitting for a little longer before they got up and readied themselves to enter the next town on the list. It was a seaside town by the name of Kurosuna, which he had heard had a bustling fishing and crabbing industry, and was a relatively important port for shipping goods around the western side of the country due to its relatively central location along the coastline.
Kurosuna was a reasonably large town, though it sprawled outwards; even at that point, as they were still quite a way away from the train station, he could already see houses and some bigger manors and estates in the distance. Everywhere there were homes, families, reminding him of how populous his nation really was; the Fire Nation might not have compared to the huge and expansive Earth Kingdom in terms of size, but they purportedly had a quarter as many people, which given the actual landmass they had to fit on, it was quite impressive.
When the two girls finished their breakfasts, Ty Lee immediately got up, and glanced out the window, "We're nearly there." she noted, sounding eager to get off the train again, "So, are we gonna tell those servants to go buy us those snacks?" she asked, and Azula just chuckled at her attitude.
"Yes, we can." she confirmed, gesturing down the carriage, "It's not going to take that long, come with me." she suggested, and the group all got up from their booth.
Zuko and Mai remained behind the other two as they led them down through the carriages, heading towards the back of the train, where the servants stayed; the Prince kept himself close by the girl, who seemed to notice this and looked slightly amused.
"What, did you miss me all the way across that table?" she asked, and he shook his head, realising he needed to keep his cool.
"No, no, I just was wondering what snack you wanted." he lied, giving her the first question he could draw from his mind.
"Fire flakes are good." she recalled what he said he wanted, and he scrunched his lips up.
"So you'll be having some of mine." he observed, and she gestured around them.
"This is all yours. It's nothing new, Zuko." she reminded him, and the Prince sheepishly smiled.
"Yeah, I guess that's the benefit of being friends with a Prince of the Fire Nation." he noted, and she raised one of her eyebrows.
"Friends?" she questioned that specific term, making him almost cough out of surprise, clearing his throat as he turned away, wondering what to say to that.
"Uh, yeah... friends." he nodded, trying not to be any more awkward than he already was.
"Just kiss already!" Ty Lee decried their awkwardness rather openly, her shouts earning her a shove from Azula.
"Come on, don't stop them now. I find immense enjoyment out of my brother's awkwardness." she argued, turning to wink at them, and the Prince just groaned.
"Please, spirits, kill me now." he pleaded to the sky he couldn't see above them, and Mai just let out a sigh.
"At least your Uncle isn't here to say anything."
He blinked a few times, recalling all the off-handed comments Iroh had made, and nodded, "Yeah, you're right. He's way worse than Azula."
"Excuse me?" his sister asked, not even looking at him, raising a hand to her mouth, "How could I, Princess Azula, not be the most annoying person in your life. I make a great effort to annoy you, Brother."
"Yeah, you're a little rusty." he jokingly commented, knowing she was still really just as annoying, but presumably lacked the motivation to be constantly harping on him; she had other things to think about, just as he did.
The group soon reached the place Azula had been aiming for; she knocked on the door of the room they'd reached, and a few moments later, it was opened up by a middle aged servant, who was dressed better than the others he'd seen on the train.
"Ah, Princess Azula." he addressed her, "Did you need to speak with any of my servants?"
"No." she shook her head, "We have a shopping list, of sorts. While we're here in Kurosuna, we want you to send someone out to buy us some snacks." she gave her idea, and the servant paced back into his room, pulling out a piece of paper to write down their requests.
"So, Princess?" he asked, and Azula turned to face the others.
"So, everyone say want they want."
"Fried dumplings... komodo-rhino ones. No, shrimp. Wait..." Ty Lee gave out a stream of thoughts, without much actual decision being made.
"Fire flakes, please. The more, the better." Zuko gave his choice, specifying the quantity as he knew Mai would be having some, "Oh, and some sizzle-crisps." he added, knowing that he always liked those.
"Mochi, and maybe some fruit tarts." Azula gave her own opinion, eyeing Mai as she gave her second idea, which made the other girl briefly smile, before turning her eyes to Ty Lee, "Come on."
"How about this: fire cakes, fried komodo rhino dumplings, fried shrimp dumplings, and some roast duck." she gave a bunch of different snack foods that she'd like; Zuko just snickered at the thought of her trying to eat all of what she just asked for.
"I can make sure those are all ready for you." he acknowledged, and Azula nodded.
"Good." she expressed her approval, before turning around, "Let's get to the guards. We need to be ready to leave." she directed the group, and the Prince nodded.
"Yeah, I'm sure the local officials will take issue if we're tardy." he noted, and his sister just scoffed.
"I'm me. Being tardy is against my very being." she reminded him, taking the lead of the group once more.
As they paced along towards the entrance carriage, where the guards would be mustering, he saw them draw into Kurosuna, the buildings growing denser and taller as the railway moved into the centre of town. By the time they reached the guards, they had begun slowing down, the station surrounding them on both sides. He noticed that on the left side, where the doors where, a massive crowd had formed on the station, full of citizens ready to see the royal siblings. Like the other places they had been visiting, most of the towns hadn't seen anyone from the royal household for generations.
The Imperial Firebenders formed a protective ring around the royal siblings and their companions, who were standing behind them. As they opened the doors, it revealed a group of local officials, which had to be local mayor and their fellow councillors, consisting of a group of six. The mayor, distinguished by her golden trimmed robes and unique headpiece, stepped forward and bowed at the siblings.
As she did, the local people cheered and called out to the siblings, either on cue or out of actual amazement of their presence; Zuko did not think so highly of himself that it would actually be the latter, though the kinds of things children learned in school about the Fire Lord and their family might have led to such forced adoration.
"Your highnesses, I welcome you to Kurosuna." the Mayor addressed them, before gesturing to her sternum, "I am Mayor Huayu, the elected representative of this district." she explained, the Prince and Princess stepping forward to address her.
"Thank you for such a warm welcome." Zuko acknowledged the crowd around them, "We expect you will give us a tour around your town." he noted recalling that from the itinerary he was sent before their arrival; Azula hadn't read it, so he had to say something so she didn't end up fumbling their rather formal introduction to the Mayor.
"Yes, I shall. Myself and the councillors are familiar with different wards of the town, and we will do our best to tell you all we can about the locales, their industries, and populace."
"Brilliant." Azula feigned interest, "We would be grateful to learn as much as we can about your town."
Those words couldn't be a whole lie, given their interest in finding out as much as they could about their Father's operations in the town. Given it was of some importance economically, and as a port city that hosted a Fire Navy base, he expected there would at least be a token presence.
"Well, you shall, your highnesses, I assure you of that." Huayu told them with a smile, before gesturing for them to follow, "Please, this way." she indicated for them to follow.
Just as they were about to follow, Zuko saw a sudden flash of light in the corner of his eye, and quickly glanced to his right, seeing an explosion before he heard it; he quickly flung his arm out, throwing Azula down to the ground as he took a dive, hearing and feeling the explosion that burst out from the train behind them.
"Get down!" he heard one of his guards shout out behind them, and felt the heat of the explosion coursing over them.
He tried to look back, but it was too bright, and his ears rang painfully; he grit his teeth, struggling to pull himself back up. His sister seemed annoyed by getting slammed nearly face first into the ground, but she didn't seem so annoyed when she saw the flames and smoke behind them. His ears were consumed by the screaming of the crowd, who frantically tried to run away. Though he thought he ought to be hurting more from the flames, which he hadn't had a chance to deflect, he realised that the Imperial Firebenders had held off the explosion, protecting the group from harm.
They could not, however, stop the explosion from consuming the train carriage, which was consumed by flames, the smell of wood and fabric burning filling his nose.
His sister let out a poorly timed laugh, "Fucking idiots." she derided whoever had set off the explosion, "Somebody didn't time that right."
Her voice only barely noticeable to Zuko's ears as they rang, and he glanced around a few more times, trying to see if Ty Lee or Mai were hurt. Both of them were crouching down, but neither seemed to be burnt, much to his relief. He reached his arm over to Mai, who was grasping at her own ears, before she drew out her knives, ready to fight at once, "We need to move." she told him with grit teeth, very clearly annoyed with the situation.
Azula grasped Zuko by the shoulder, "She's right. We need to move, Zuko."
Before they could do anything else, another explosion went off, this time further down the train, and he immediately realised what it was, "The engine." he gasped, before turning to the Mayor, who alongside the councillors was cowering, while the public was frantic, screaming as they ran from the train in fear.
"Move it, now!" one of the Imperial Firebenders, who'd clearly had enough waiting around, "I will not stand around waiting for somebody to try and kill you both." he took command of the situation; Azula clearly wanted to reprimand the man, but she obviously agreed with the sentiment.
With that, the group rushed forward, leading the Mayor and her fellow councillors down the street into Kurosuna; Zuko turned his gaze to Huayu, knowing she'd have somewhere for them to go, "Where is the local Home Guard base?" he asked her, and she gestured down the street.
"Right in the middle of town, by the town hall." she clarified, and he nodded.
"We should move there at once. Our formalities can wait, everyone's safety is priority!" he declared, and the officials understood his reasoning for effectively cancelling their trip around Kurosuna; once they had assessed the situation, they could decide what should be done concerning the current leg of the progress.
As they rushed along, he slowed himself purposefully so he was alongside Mai, and he looked at her, noting her frayed hair and messed up makeup, "Are you alright?" he asked her, and she just stared ahead.
"Are you?" she questioned him back.
"I mean, I'm annoyed, but I'm not hurt." he gave his honest opinion, "How about you?"
"About the same." she conceded, which wasn't surprising; Zuko turned his gaze ahead, realising they had almost had a repeat of what happened to him back at his father's hideout in the capital.
"I won't let this happen again. That was too close a call." he admitted his feelings, letting his emotions spill out, his lips forming a snarl as he struggled not to curse out his father.
"This could give us a lead." she reminded him of the natural consequence of such a bold move by his father's agents.
Zuko pursed his lips, realising that one positive outcome of the debacle they'd just found themselves in.
"Maybe I'll finally be able to tell him how much of an arsehole he's been." he acknowledged, and Mai just grimaced.
"Was he always like this?" she asked, and the Prince's expression hardened; though he knew his father had been kinder when he and his sister were younger, an attempt at being a loving father had evaporated as soon as his ambitions consumed his soul.
"I'd prefer if it were inevitable... then I mightn't hate him as much."
The town of Kurosuna was still busy, despite the explosion that had rocked the train. Princess Azula had been allowed to leave the Home Guard base in the centre of town, though only under the disguise of a commoner, and accompanied by Ty Lee, who was also given a disguise, despite not being a royal. Her recognisable braid and outfit would have attracted far too much attention when they were walking the streets, so she had to put on the clothes of a common working woman. The two of them looked ready to work in a butcher or loomery, but that was the exact point; they wanted to look as unassuming as possible, without makeup or their distinctive hairstyles.
Her brother and Mai had remained in the Home Guard base, speaking with the local officials to dissuade their fears and ensure at least a semblance of calm, all while coordinating the efforts of the Intelligence Service operatives which were searching the city, just as she was. She just knew she couldn't spend possibly days holed up in that base, while they waited for the train to be repaired and the railway to be fixed. As she and Ty Lee walked the streets, they kept a keen eye out for anyone who might seem suspicious; she obviously expected the agents of her father to be in disguise, but there was a specific kind of person who wouldn't be disguised, because one wouldn't first assume them to be working for her father.
The Fire Nation, despite the Home Guard's strong presence in the homeland, was rife with criminal syndicates, though this was rarely acknowledged publicly. These groups lacked much power, primarily because it was so much easier to be a corrupt Homeguardsman or some other kind of public official; despite their thorough examination processes, even the lowest of officials could become corrupt. The chance to make some more ban, taking a portion of the Fire Nation's burgeoning wealth, was often too hard a chance to pass up.
Azula hadn't learned this information as part of her formal education, but instead through recent instructions by the Intelligence Service, who were well aware of the dealings of criminal syndicates, and Zuko had already proved that they had been hired by her father at least once to deal with threats to her father's plans. They were a useful proxy, but they stood out like sore thumbs, making them easy leads to follow.
She quickly noticed some oddly dressed individuals, though they were clearly factory workers, moving barrels out of a factory and onto a cart; she could have followed the cart, but that might have led nowhere. She decided, based on the fact the workers were wearing bandanas and were clearly armed, though the weapons were concealed in their pants, decided to investigate the factory, which was described as a distillery, though she doubted that was its only purpose. There were a few clear entrances, but they would be hard to sneak through, so she decided she'd have to form a plan with her friend.
"This should be interesting, Ty Lee." she noted, before scrunching her lips, "Cause a distraction, and I'll-" she began, before sighing, "No, you're better at acrobatics." she realised, "Gesturing to a higher window on the side of the factory, "Get to that office, and search their records for anything suspicious, I'll cause a distraction."
"How?" she asked, and the Princess just pursed her lips.
"Oh, I have my methods." she reassured her, not wanting to spoil her plan; the Princess then lowered her breath, "You're not going to like my plan."
"Why?" Ty Lee asked, and the Princess sighed.
"Well, I have to pretend to be a threat... much less than I actually am." she acknowledged, "Actually, for safety..." she began, gesturing to her solar plexus, "Stop me from bending."
"Oh no." her friend gasped, realising what she was intending.
"Just do it, I'll be fine." she reassured her, and her friend jabbed her, rather softly, where requested; when Azula reached her hands out, trying to conjure some flames onto her palms, nothing came of it.
"Now, get back, this is about to get... stupid." she admitted the stupidity of her plan as she approached one of the entrances of the factory; when a worker tried to stop her from entering, she kicked him square in the chest, throwing him onto the street.
"What the fuck!" one of the passersby screamed in fear, and most of the pedestrians dashed away in fear; Ty Lee did so, though down the alleyway adjacent, so she could enact the plan.
Azula reached over to the man's pants, and pulled them down, revealing the curved dagger he had fastened to his thigh; she took it, and kicked him in the head to knock him unconscious.
Another worker stepped out of the factory's door, and looked at her with dread, "Wh-what the fuck is this?"
"Compliments from a rival." she lied, thinking that was a believable story behind her appearance.
She then rushed the man, who weaved out of the way of her dagger slashes, before she was able to trip him over and kick him in the gut; she followed right through the door, and rang the dagger against a metal drum she found, getting the workers' attention, "Somebody's been a bad boy." she warned them, enjoying her playful act as the workers drew out their daggers, ready to fight her, "Ah, well, I can't train with the Home Guard, this is good enough." she whispered to herself, waiting for them to attack her.
As the workers rushed her, she spun around, weaving out of the way of their attempts to stab her, tripping most of them with her feet, slashing a few to try and slow them down. She ran frantically through the factory, trying to find something that she could use to prove her theories. She leapt up onto a drum of liquid and kicked the neighbouring drum's lid off, revealing a pungent smell inside. They were making blasting jelly, not alcohol.
"That's what I thought." she pursed her lips, and was forced to backflip when one of the workers lunged at her; she landed skilfully on her own two feet before spinning around, "And just where was all that blasting jelly going, might I ask?"
"What is this bitch going on about?" she heard a shout from above, looking up to a metal walkway where she could see somebody who must have been the gang-leader, a well dressed fellow in fancy robes, though they were rather tacky, when compared to what she as a Princess wore, "Get her!" he ordered the workers.
They continued lunging at her, swinging and thrusting their daggers to no avail as she ducked, weaved and somersaulted out of the way, slashing them up and tripping them over as she went along. She climbed up the metal staircase that led up to the leader, who must have realised she was going for him, as he rushed to try and reach his office, or some escape exit. Whatever he tried failed quite quickly as he was struck by Ty Lee, who had chi-blocked his arms and gut, presumably to stop him from bending if he were even capable of it.
He frantically glanced around, and Azula drew a hood over her face, not wanting him to ever recognise her, "Now, now, I really just have a few simple questions."
"Wh-who the fuck are you?" he asked, and Azula just laughed.
"Oh, far worse than anything you are thinking." she reassured him, hoping her maniacal act would make him squirm and release all the secrets he must have been waiting to leave in his grave.
"I- I'm not a rat!" he retorted, and Ty Lee kicked him over, forcing him to his knees.
"Yeah, a rat on those guys, no. But on other guys... we'll see." she deduced Azula's plan, and the Princess gestured to her.
"Did you get anything good in there?"
"We can talk about it once you're done with him." she argued, and the Princess smirked.
"Fair enough." she accepted her proposition, before holding the dagger against the boss's throat, "Who was the blasting jelly for?"
"Wh-what blast-" he began, before he was smacked across the face; Azula was not playing around- she wanted her answers.
"Ah-ah please..." he begged, "I- I have been getting orders from a guy... he's- well, I don't know his real name." he told her something of substance, though it didn't tell her if it had anything to do with her father, "He must be rich, because he keeps making 'em."
"Sounds familiar." Ty Lee observed, "Go on." she prodded him, as Azula drew the dagger closer to his throat; she could hear the workers running up the metal walkway behind her, already having got up after their beatings; as she wasn't a chi-blocker like Ty Lee, without her bending, her assaults, short of stabbing any of them, would not have kept them down for long.
"I receive letters- they're handwritten." he explained, and Ty Lee raised one up.
"Like this?" she asked him, the leader gasping as he saw it; that was enough information for the Princess, who kicked him in the chest, throwing him to the side.
He nearly fell right off the metal walkway, down into the distilling vats below. His men did seem at least slightly concerned for his safety as they moved to aid him instead of chasing after Azula and Ty Lee, who ran into the leader's office, and jumped right out of the window, scaling down a pipe on the exterior wall; she realised that was how her friend had got inside, and smiled at the thought of how easily they'd gotten away with their move.
When they got down to the street level, they were in luck, as the Home Guard had yet to arrive, though she was sure they would, so Azula rushed off down the alleyway, deciding that it would just be best to return to the Home Guard base, explain themselves and make sure the Home Guard wasn't spending the evening looking for the wrong people. They needed to hunt down whoever bombed the train, not the two girls who had just beaten up a gang-leader and his cronies.
The Princess rushed down the alleyway, turned and the next corner, and turned a few more times after that; once she was confident the workers wouldn't be able to trace them down quickly enough for it to matter, Azula tossed the dagger out of her hand turned her gaze to Ty Lee, who had been looking through the letter.
"What is it?" she asked, and Ty Lee scrunched her lips.
"This definitely has to be from your dad. That's why I took it." she explained herself, and the Princess took a quick glance at the letter, which immediately struck her as having her father's handwriting; that was proof that it had come from him, though how directly it had come to Kurosuna was the more important question on her mind.
It was frustratingly vague on specifics, only asking for a large quantity of blasting jelly, which would be valued by an inspector, before they were paid for it; it was to be delivered to a warehouse in the port of Kurosuna, and after that they were to leave the warehouse and not return to it again. The terse words were of no surprise to Azula, who understood that her father wanted the operations to run smoothly, and avoid anyone making issues by trying to press him for more ban if they figured out that he was the one making the orders.
The warehouse's address was given, which was useful, but she doubted she'd find all too much of interest there, given the letter was dated to over a week prior. If her father was still making orders, he likely would have changed the drop-off point to something different. Ozai's plans were likely accelerating if he was going around buying blasting jelly. It most likely served a purpose in some future terror attack he had planned, which she might have a chance to stop if she was able to find her father.
It was possible that her father's men had employed blasting jelly from that very factory to attack the train, though the two might have been unrelated; she lacked any concrete evidence as of yet, but she assumed that the Intelligence Service agents scouring the city would either prove or disprove any claim she made there.
"This might help. We can have the Home Guard raid that address... but other than that, I doubt there's much we can do."
"Maybe try to follow another cart. Find that one we saw earlier?" Ty Lee suggested, but Azula shook her head.
"I'd rather not get tangled up in things without my guards, Ty Lee." she warned her, "We've already put ourselves in enough danger already. And I have a feeling that that gang-leader will inform my father about today's events."
"But he must already know we're in Kurosuna." Ty Lee argued, "What good does this do us?"
"He knows we're going to find him, it's only a matter of time. Once he sends his people... his actual people after us, then we can trace them right back to him." she acknowledged, "Or Zuko finds a good lead. Either way, we win."
"Unless they actually kill us." her friend warned her, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Are you sure this is really a good idea?"
"We've already done the deed, Ty Lee. All we're waiting for is the reaction." she argued, before gesturing for her to follow, "Come on, we can't just stand around."
She followed after the Princess, who had decided that taking the alleyways and backstreets back to the Home Guard base was the best course of action, as it would allow her to avoid any of the gang members she had earned the ire of, nor the Home Guard itself, which would soon learn of her criminal acts. In her defence, she was doing them for the cause of national security, though if they didn't recognise her and tried to arrest her, things would get messy very quickly.
The route she took was rather quiet, and she didn't run into many pedestrians, and she doubted any of them recognised her, given the fact they all seemed to ignore her and Ty Lee, going about their business; as they approached the Home Guard base itself, reaching it via a long alleyway that led to the town square, she realised that the masses were still interested in what was going on with the progress. They had massed around the town square and the adjacent Home Guard base, where she doubted her brother would be making any public appearances, at least until he had a grasp on who exactly was responsible for the explosions.
They were forced into the tightly packed crowd, who were listening to one of the town councillors, who was giving an update on the investigation on the train attack, at least the public side of it, where the Home Guard was doing their own searches.
"Please, remain calm, and return to your workplaces and homes. There is nothing to be concerned about at the moment; we do not believe another attack will occur." he tried to dissuade their fears, and the Princess just chuckled; he was lying through his teeth, and though that was nothing strange to her, it seemed odd given his low status as a town councillor.
The councillor was not permitted to discuss the Intelligence Service's actions, due to the organisation's dangerous focus on her father's rebellion, which was clearly linked to the attack, even if it would not be publicly stated. She wasn't aiming for the councillor, but rather for the rear gate of the base, which was, to their luck, still clear, with two Imperial Firebenders awaiting their return.
When she and Ty Lee pushed out of the crowd, the guards took notice of them, and quickly recognised them, despite their disguises; they opened the gate for them, allowing the girls to enter, where they were soon greeted by an Intelligence Service agent, who had a frantic look on his face.
"Ah, Princess Azula, it is good that you have returned. We have received a number of promisings updates. Your brother will want to see you... both of you." he explained, momentarily glancing at Ty Lee before letting them pass.
"We have found things ourselves." she told him, Ty Lee showing off the letter, before the two of them made their way into the base, entering the offices that formed a central compound; there all they had to do was turn a corner and enter an operations room, where her brother, Mai, and the Intelligence Service analysts had set themselves up.
When the guard standing present opened the door, Zuko rose to his feet, with an eager look on his face, "Azula, we have news."
"So do we." she told him, Ty Lee placing the letter down on the table in front of the Prince.
"What's this?" he asked, turning the letter over to read it, "Oh." he mumbled, presumably having recognised their father's handwriting.
"We found this in a distillery run by a gang. They produce blasting jelly, presumably for other criminal operations... and for our father." she explained what she knew, her brother raising his fingers to his chin, leaving Mai to respond.
"That's... well, that might explain everything that happened today." she admitted, glancing over to the Princess, "We have gotten some interesting descriptions from the Intelligence Service and Home Guard, of some suspicious people that might be associated with the bombing."
"And?" Azula asked, knowing there was more to it than that.
"Well, the descriptions fit the group that took over Kakouko. A group of criminals wearing various theatre masks to mask their identities. Led by Kuraiken... he nearly killed us." she recalled, and Zuko grimaced.
"Yes, and now, I have good reason to believe he is in Kurosuna, or was here recently. If we can find his agents and trace them, we'll be a step closer to Father." he acknowledged the opportunity they had, "So, we will continue our searches. I will send some agents to the drop off point for these explosives. If that leads anywhere, then we might have two paths to find Father." he noted, before handing the letter to one of the analysts behind him, "Find this location, and send some men there. You heard what I said." he directed the agent, who quickly turned around to write down the address on the letter.
Azula turned her gaze back to her brother, and wondered what might come of his plan to follow the thugs, "How dangerous are these thugs?"
"Not as dangerous as you, if that's what you fear." he reassured her, and the Princess scoffed.
"Nobody is." she retorted, placing her hands down on the table, "So then, who's going to go on a little criminal hunt?"
"Now, we have people to do that. You don't need to go out again."
"How about me and Ty Lee do something once you have a lead?" Mai suggested, crossing her arms, "You and Azula will be too easily recognised by your father's agents."
"You were there in Kakouko." the Prince warned her, and she pointed at her face.
"Wearing a mask. They had no idea who I was, unless they had all of Ozai's intel on us... which I doubt they did. They didn't even recognise the Dark Water Spirit." she argued, and Ty Lee tilted her head.
"Sorry, the who?" she asked, making the Prince chuckle.
"I wear a mask from a play when I want to hide my identity... it just happened to make me blend in with those thugs." he explained, and Azula rolled her eyes.
"So, you're admitting you dress as a criminal?" she asked, and Zuko looked at her suspiciously.
"In Father's eyes we are criminals, so does it really matter?"
Ty Lee raised a finger to her chin, "Yeah, we have done some questionable things."
"Don't you get started about anything I've done." Azula warned her, "Everyone here knows what you did at the prison platform." she reminded her, and the acrobat just sheepishly smiled.
"Hey, I was just doing what we're doing right now... the right thing."
With the darkness of night as their cover, some men in masks thought it was the best time to enter a warehouse and take some conspicuous barrels. It was just their luck that Ty Lee knew exactly what was in those barrels, and who the thieves, if one wanted to call them that, were; they were criminals hired by Azula's father, under the command of the man Mai had referred to as Kuraiken. A serious gangster, as some of the girls at school might call him; some people romanticised criminals, even if it was frowned upon by her parents and other nobles like them.
She understood the appeal of the ideal, given her own free-spirited nature; going around, doing whatever you wanted, making money without having to worry about actually doing work. You took what you could, and lived with it; however, she couldn't really say the men who were taking blasting jelly, presumably to enact acts of terror, or even try and murder her and her friends, were fitting such an ideal. They were going far beyond any measly crumbs they could steal from those more fortunate, and serving the very people they ought to be against.
So, when the carriage full of barrels was locked up and sent moving down the street, she had to follow; Mai was by her side, and the two of them were no stranger to running around in the dark. They had done it many times as children, when they wanted to go have fun together, or perhaps more accurately, when Ty Lee did. She'd drag her along no matter what she said, because she certainly had use for less gloom in those days. She might have still been just as gloomy, but she was far less apprehensive towards going out.
Now, it wasn't for any fun activities they could get up to, like going to carnivals, markets, or exploring the caldera, but to hunt down very serious threats to the Fire Nation as a whole. She had never expected to be doing something of the sort when she learned about careers at school; she had always imagined herself becoming an acrobatics instructor or simply doing what she had been before Ozai had to go and ruin it.
The circus had been fun, and though she had felt fulfilled, she would certainly feel much more fulfilled by actually helping her country; she might not have been as patriotic as the royal siblings or Mai, but she understood what was happening. A civil war was in progress, and it was in everyone's best interests for it to end as soon as possible.
The carriage was drawn through the port district, and the pair remained some distance behind it, hiding in the shadows, away from the streetlights that lined the street. She realised that the carriage wasn't heading to the port itself, but guessed that it was instead heading for some depot in the countryside, perhaps so the blasting jelly could be moved by train. That made the most sense to her, given that was how they were getting around; barring a ship, it was the quickest way across the Fire Nation.
"Where do you think they're headed?" she asked Mai, who momentarily stopped, glancing back down the street.
"We're heading uphill. I think we're about to cross the railway. If they don't follow the road to the next train station, they must be heading somewhere else." she gave her own deductions, "I memorised the map before we left."
The pair of them paced up along the street, keeping in the dark as the carriage crossed the train tracks and moved into the outskirts of Kurosuna. The carriage kept moving on up the street, and Ty Lee began to realise an issue, which was that though the streetlights stopped, the street narrowed drastically, making it harder for them to hide themselves from the group they were following. So she diverted off the street, making her way down an alleyway to try and find a parallel path. Mai followed her, and when they reached a crossroad, her friend gestured further uphill.
"They'll cross over there." she argued, and Ty Lee nodded, before pursing her lips; now that they had an opportunity to get quite close to the carriage, they might have the opportunity to eavesdrop.
"Let's have a listen." she suggested, before dashing down the alleyway back towards the main road; now that she was ahead of the carriage, she crouched down by some bushes, and awaited its arrival.
Mai got over soon enough and crouched behind her, pulling a hood over her head, while both of them eagerly glanced over the bush, watching as the carriage was slowly drawn along by a dragon moose. When it got close enough, she finally was able to hear a conversation between the two men driving the carriage.
"Do you think the Home Guard's going to check us?" one of them asked the other, and the man shook his head.
"We're taking a backroad for a reason. We'll get where we need to go, trust me." the other man assured him, and Ty Lee glanced along the street, noting that it did indeed lead to a backroad which led further up the hill into some farmland, past which she could see a few large manor houses, which were only noticeable in the dark due to all their brightly lit windows.
The fact they didn't say anything about where they were actually going annoyed Ty Lee, but she guessed they might say something again before they moved out of earshot.
To her luck they did, the second man speaking once more, "Just keep your eye out for rats. The boss doesn't want anyone catching a whiff of this job. It's... well, after the train, we've got to be careful." he warned him.
Though it mightn't have seemed obvious to somebody who might have offhandedly heard their conversation, it was clear he was talking about the Intelligence Service, and not literal rats; their operatives were still out in the city, and a few agents were tailing them at that very moment, following from a distance to aid them in case a fight broke out. Ty Lee and Mai were trying to be careful, not wanting to stop their targets from reaching their destination; if they didn't get there, then they'd never know what they were actually planning to do.
"What are you expecting me to kill one?" the other man asked, sounding sceptical of his own abilities, and the man responded by knocking his fist on the wall of the carriage behind them.
"Not by yourself, because we've got backup." he reminded him, and a few moments later, the knocks were repeated back lightly, but loud enough that Ty Lee made them out; she did realise that there were ten people at the warehouse, from what she could recall, but she didn't make out who remained and who got inside the carriage.
The carriage then passed by without another word out of either man, and once they were far enough away, Mai turned to face her, grasping Ty Lee by the shoulder, "So, they're expecting somebody. Not necessarily us."
"I got that. We should be a little more careful." she acknowledged, before glancing back at the carriage, "Let's hope they don't go too far."
"Yeah, I'd like to go to bed." Mai gave her own opinion, "My night was not meant to be spent chasing a carriage that might be heading for the middle of nowhere."
"Oh, and what were you going to do?" Ty Lee asked, and her friend didn't like the suggestion.
"Don't you dare." she warned her, before rising back to her feet, "Come on, let's keep moving. Eventually, they'll choose a path, and we can tell Zuko he needs to send people up that way."
"But there could be a lot of stuff out there. They could be going to the next town over." she argued, and Mai furrowed a brow.
"Then why go all this way? There's a road along the railway, and I'm sure they have some way to get past the checks with the Home Guard. Some actual barrels of rice wine, I guess." she argued, "They can't be that stupid... or cautious. They must be going somewhere closer."
"Fine, let's cross over into the fields over there." she gestured across the street, "We can see them, and keep our distance."
"Let's hope nobody's got any pig-chickens sleeping out there." she mumbled, and Ty Lee snickered.
"What do you think I'd trip on one?" she asked, and Mai didn't respond, leaving the question unanswered.
The two of them quickly made their way across the word, crossing into the field where they were able to move along through the lines of vegetables. It would have been much harder if they were stalks of grain, but they were in luck that nothing like that was growing in their path. They crossed over a low wall of stones, over into a field where there were indeed pig-chickens, though the animals feathers were noticeable enough for them to avoid stepping on them as Mai had suggested.
They soon reached a grassy, unused field, with no animals or crops in it, and watched from there as the cart turned down a path that cut between two of the fields, leading up into the hills. Before they could follow, Mai stopped her, gesturing ahead towards what she had thought was a large stone in the fence, but was actually a person, who perked up and approached the carriage.
"Who-" she began, but her friend covered her mouth, and began to slowly approach as the man moved onto the path.
"Sir!" one of the drivers called out to him, "We've got the goods."
"Good, were you followed?" he asked, and they shook their heads.
"No, it seems that the town was pretty quiet this time of night." the other driver responded, and Ty Lee glanced over to the man, trying to get a look of his face; the carriage had a lantern hanging off the front, so it was possible to at least get some idea what he looked like.
He was a man probably in his thirties, with short cropped hair, and some burn scars lining his forehead, cheeks and neck; he looked tough, and he had dao hanging off his belt, just like Zuko.
Mai pushed her head down as they tried to peer over the closest stone fence, "Stop it." she whispered to her, "That's Kuraiken." she told her, and her eyes widened.
"Really?"
"I didn't forget his face from last time." she reassured her, before the two of them perked their heads up again.
"Well, let's get moving. Once you're at the estate, somebody else will take the barrels off you. It's not our problem once he has them." he explained, and Ty Lee could just guess that 'he' was Ozai; that told them that he had to be very close by.
"So he's near." she whispered to Mai, who nodded; she could barely see her friend's face, but she could tell by the rustling of her hair that she did nod.
The two of them remained there, watching as the man climbed onto the carriage, sitting himself down with the drivers; after he got on, they set off, the dragon moose leading the carriage further up the hill.
"Should we go after them?" she asked, and Mai shook her head.
"It's too dangerous. What if they find us... they'll move Ozai immediately." she argued, "We should take this back to the others." she decided, and Ty Lee nodded.
She didn't want to put the two of them in any more danger than was necessary; she was sure the Intelligence Service agents had a plan to catch Ozai, and now, they could actually act on it.
So with that, they snuck back the way they came through the tall grass of the field, and crossed back onto the road, where they could see the agents who had been following, waiting patiently; they approached the pair as they came back down the road, still out of the way of any streetlights.
One of the agents approached, gesturing to the carriage, "Do you know where they are going?"
"To Ozai." Mai told them, and the group almost looking ecstatic upon hearing that.
"Brilliant." another agent exclaimed, "So, we'll follow them from here on out. Keep our distance and disguises intact." she told them, "Thank you for coming along. I'm sure the Prince will be happy to hear that we've actually got a location on his father."
"Yes, he will be." she agreed, Ty Lee gesturing towards the carriage.
"Those guys are dangerous. They have people hidden inside the carriage with the blasting jelly they took. Their leader... Mai's fought him before, Kuraiken. He's with them." she warned, and the agents nodded.
"We have heard of him. We do not intend to engage, simply track them to their destination. Once we have it, we will return to the town at once." she explained, before gesturing up towards the path, "Alright, let's move out." she told the other agents, who began pacing up ahead.
They were dressed as labourers, which fit the environment they were in; they wouldn't seem too out of place to anyone, even the criminals who would have every reason to suspect anyone on the same path as them.
With the agents moving off, Ty Lee turned back to her friend, "So, are just going back?" she asked, and Mai narrowed her eyes.
"What, did you want to get food?" she asked, and the acrobat tilted her head, making a pout.
"Can we?" she pleaded, and Mai didn't seem convinced.
"There's food waiting for us back at the Home Guard base. They've brought our food from the train." she reminded her, and Ty Lee sighed.
"Yeah, alright." she accepted her point, and followed after her as she began walking down the street, "This place feels a little creepy at night."
"Without people, a lot of places do." Mai commented, "Not that I like people."
"You like me." she told her, and her friend just glanced back blankly.
"I tolerate you." she joked, though her face might have suggested it was a wholly serious statement; she just smiled back at her.
"You're funny, Mai." she told her, the stoic girl just continuing along, not responding to that comment.
She followed her down the street, which grew brighter with time, the street lanterns being hung closer together, and eventually, there were lanterns on both sides, and pedestrians on the street, as they drew closer to the busy centre of town; shopfronts might have been closed, but restaurants and stalls were open, and people were still all out and about, despite the events that occurred earlier that day.
The Home Guard made its presence known, standing guard on most street corners, unlike in the outskirts, where their presence was more scarce. Even if they weren't looking everywhere, she knew that the Intelligence Service agents from the train were spotting all across Kurosuna, awaiting any odd individuals to trace and track. She hadn't actually seen any other than those that were tracking them on purpose, but she was sure they were around; being inconspicuous must have just been part of the job.
When they finally reached the Home Guard base again, two Imperial Firebenders were standing at the front gate awaiting them; when they approached, the guards told the Homeguardsmen present to open the gates up. They did, and the Imperial Firebenders accompanied the two girls inside; they were led to the barracks, and once there, allowed right inside. There, Azula and Zuko sat waiting for them, though they had been playing a game of Pai Sho against each other; their heads turned to see them, surprised by their return.
"So, did you find anything?" the Prince asked them, and the pair nodded.
"We've got a good lead." Ty Lee confirmed, "We found that Kuraiken guy... he was taking the blasting jelly to your father."
"Really, already?" Azula asked, seeming impressed, "I can't tell if we're lucky or they're sloppy."
"Hopefully not on purpose." Zuko added quietly, before he raised a hand to his chin, "So, I assume the agents that were accompanying you are still tracking them?"
Mai nodded, at stepped closer, "By tomorrow, we'll know where Ozai's hiding, assuming they're actually going directly to his base of operations."
"He could still be doing things indirectly." Azula suggested, "Body doubles, messenger hawks, all of that."
"But even then, once we find the place... if he's really doing stuff like that, we can trace them back." the Prince gave his thoughts.
"Hopefully." the Princess mumbled, not sounding as optimistic, but she glanced back over to Ty Lee, "So, I assume you are both hungry now."
"Oh, yes, that's the other thing I wanted to talk about." she acknowledged, the Princess smirking.
"Well, those snacks we were asking for. They've arrived." she told them, Ty Lee raising a fist into the air.
"Oh, this night just keeps getting better!"
