Chapter 46 – and the 'winner' is…
"I will forever love this man's inability to just make a grilled cheese."
"OMFG Ozai is now 0-2 vs grilled cheese."
"Ozai intentionally fucks up a grilled cheese AGAIN to make sure the meme continues to live on. Man knows how to internet."
"Does… does Ozai Nakamura not know what a grilled cheese is?"
"That's a good-looking short rib sandwich, not a grilled cheese."
"Throwing a grilled cheese sandwich in an oven is like the chef's equivalent of cheating on your math test."
"At least there are some positive comments, too," Azula cringed at Katara's well-meaning attempts to find some upsides in the disaster that was the reaction to Ozai's latest video upload. The whole team had gathered in the upstairs apartment, following the final debrief Ozai had given Azula before returning to Ba Sing Se. In truth, he had mostly shouted the debrief at her, but Azula had more or less expected that.
"Also, it's not getting ratioed into oblivion like his first attempt," Sokka said, trying to sound encouraging. "There are still more upvotes than downvotes, so it's… not that bad, surely?" The others all nodded uncertainly along to Sokka's words.
"And when it comes to the reasons why people are downvoting, it's all due to things that you were completely uninvolved with," Yue added. "I don't see how your father can blame you for the video not landing the way he hoped. Maybe he'll come around and realize that he was being unfair."
"That doesn't sound like something Ozai Nakamura would do, though," Suki snorted, sitting next to her girlfriend with an arm around Yue's waist. "Anyway, what exactly does he blame you for? You didn't exactly specify that. All we know is that there was a lot of shouting."
"Apparently, it's my fault for not stopping him from making bad choices with the recipe," Azula shrugged, feeling strangely hollow about the whole thing. Ozai's shouty disapprovals in the past usually left her shaking and on the edge of a panic attack. Right now, she just felt empty, completely emotionally exhausted.
"Did you actually know what he was going to make, though?" Toph asked. Sir Cunningham was snoozing at her feet as Toph shared the loveseat with Aang. "I think we all assumed that it was just going to be the advertised grilled cheese."
"Apparently, it's my fault for not being clairvoyant," Azula sighed. "Also, I picked a bad spot in the car park because the sun was in my father's eyes. Oh, and let's not forget the bad, poorly educated crowd who failed to recognize my father's genius. According to Ozai, all of my social media followers are complete morons."
"Hey, I'm your social media follower," Katara frowned. "Up yours, Ozai," she exclaimed, giving a one-fingered salute to an imaginary Ozai.
"Your father makes some of the most pathetic excuses I have ever heard," Suki rolled her eyes. "It's like he doesn't understand that everyone sees through them."
"Well, that's how it has always been in this family," Azula shrugged. "And I firmly believe I could have recovered from this disaster… until that other video landed on TikTok." The other video was by now a viral sensation of her father badly burning his hand by accidentally grabbing the handle of a hot pan, after Sokka had carelessly failed to place a towel over the handle. What made the video blow up was Ozai's extremely comical reaction to getting burned, and countless memes with Ozai squealing, cursing and jumping around the kitchen were already flooding the internet.
"I'm so sorry about that…" Aang sighed, looking like he wanted to dissolve and disappear under the loveseat. "I'll never stop feeling guilty about letting that happen."
"I think we already established that it wasn't your fault, dumbass," Toph groaned. "Even Azula has stopped trying to kill you." Indeed, Azula's first reaction after seeing that cursed video pop up online had been to try and strangle Aang. Suki and Toph had only barely managed to restrain Azula until she had calmed down and started thinking rationally again. Once Azula's violent urges had subsided, she had looked through Aang's phone to realize that he had spoken the truth about deleting the video a few days after it had been taken.
After that, calculating the real culprit became much easier. The video had been posted on a recently made sock account. Jet had still been working at The Northern Lights by the time said video was shot. Even if Aang didn't remember giving his phone to Jet, most of the restaurant staff generally didn't have much time to browse their phones while at work, so Jet would have had ample opportunities to gain access to Aang's phone and copy the video. It was clear to Azula that Jet was the only one who could have delivered this damaging blow, and she was seriously considering doing a quick hit and run on that slimy asshole for putting her in this situation where Ozai had given her one of the worst chewings out in years.
"Don't worry about it, Aang, I know you're not to blame," Azula said. "This dirty trick has Jet's fingerprints all over it."
"So, what does it all mean?" Katara asked, looking a little confused. "Are you now in danger of losing the competition because the whole world knows that your father squeals like Sir Cunningham when he slightly burns himself?" Azula noticed that Katara couldn't quite keep a certain hopefulness out of her voice when talking about the possibility of Azula losing the contest. Azula also hated that she would have to crush this hope of Katara's.
"There's still no danger of me losing," Azula shrugged. "You probably don't realize the contempt that my father has always had for Zuko. In order for him to win, I needed to fail way more miserably than I did. Also, I actually haven't failed in my primary assignment. The restaurant is running beautifully and delivering steady profits, something that Ozai himself acknowledged. Sure, my father is annoyed with me right now, but it's for concerns that are not directly related to the competition."
"Also, Ozai definitely yelled at Zuko a lot while he was at The Blue Spirit," Ty Lee said, cuddling against Sokka's side. She was wearing a beige sweater with a smiling cat face and a caption that spelled 'Mother of Cats'. "So, it's not like Azula's dad was super happy with everything that Zuko did. I think Azula still has it in the bag. Unfortunately," she added quietly, but still loud enough for Azula to hear and frown at.
"Well, we still have some three weeks left until the end of the month," Suki shrugged. "That seems like plenty of time to recover from this disaster and win your father over once again. Even if you're certain about winning the competition, it probably won't hurt to put in an extra effort to make sure you've clinched it."
"Normally, I would say that you're absolutely correct, Suki, but this brings us to the main thing I wanted to talk to you about," Azula sighed. "The last thing that my father told me before leaving was that he expects me and Zuko to return to Ba Sing Se next Saturday." Her friends looked shocked and confused at Azula's words. "Yes, he's cutting the contest a little short," Azula explained. "I think he feels like he's seen everything that he needed to see before making a decision."
"So… that's it then," Katara muttered. She was looking pale and shaken. "Barely a week left…"
"I can't believe you're doing this to us, bitch," Toph was the only one able to find an angry voice. "I hate you, you know that, right?"
"You don't, not really," Azula said, trying to put on a brave face, even if she was feeling very crestfallen, especially because of Katara's reaction.
"Not the first time I'm seeing Azula abandoning her friends and running back to her father," Ty Lee sighed. "It never feels good, let me tell you that. But I remember the first time she did that to me and Mai, and that really sucked. Just so you know, Azula, there's a lot of people in this room feeling very shitty right now."
"I understand that," Azula cringed. "But we have to make the best of the cards we've been dealt. I'm really determined to leave this restaurant in the best state I can for Sokka and Katara… and for everyone working here. Which means that we still have plenty of things to take care off over the short time we have left."
"Then let's get to work," Katara spoke decisively, getting up from her seat with determination etched in her face. "At least it beats sitting around and feeling miserable, right?" she asked, earning nothing but slightly dejected nods from everyone present.
The dreaded Saturday of Azula's departure from Caldera City was finally upon them. Azula had booked the earliest flight she could in hopes that it would discourage her friends from getting up at six in the morning to come and see her off. She had even suggested throwing a little farewell party on Friday evening at the restaurant, but that idea had been shot down immediately. It seemed as if nobody was interested in a sorrowful downer of an evening, and instead, all of her friends had insisted on coming to the airport. So, they had closed the restaurant as normal on Friday evening, and now early on Saturday, here they all were, in the departure terminal of Caldera International Airport, having come to say their goodbyes to Azula.
Azula found the occasion both awkward and depressing. The tiny voice shouting at her for being a complete idiot for leaving had been growing louder and louder, and Azula was by now struggling to silence it. A part of her could not and did not want to imagine what it would be like to not be a part of the group of friends making their restaurant a better place for themselves and their customers. The idea of 'winning' some nebulous competition was starting to feel less and less important by the day, especially when she already felt like she had such a prize in Katara and her new friends. And yet, at the same time, there was something about Azula that pushed her to see through that which she had started. So, she'd go and win this damnable competition, and after that… well, she was no longer so certain as to what would come after.
With Azula's luggage all checked in, she waited until the last possible moment to go through the security and proceed to the gate, where her friends would not be able to follow. She just couldn't bear to leave before she absolutely had to even if the awkward silence and frivolous small talk among the group of friends trying to put on brave faces was not making Azula feel any better. Finally, with forty minutes before the gate closed, Azula knew that she could not wait any longer and it was time to go.
"Alright, I guess this is it," Azula sighed. "Let's line up for the final round of goodbyes, I suppose."
"I'll go first," Aang offered. Azula walked up to the Air Nation lad. "I honestly never thought I would end up being an actual cook in a professional kitchen, not before you came to The Northern Lights. So, I wanted to thank you for giving me both the opportunity to prove myself and the confidence to succeed. You're a really amazing friend, Azula."
"You're welcome, Aang," Azula replied, trying not to choke up at the earnest words of her friend. "Any restaurant would be grateful to have someone like you in their kitchen, a talented hard-worker who only needed to be given an opportunity. And I think Mingxia will similarly prove herself as your pastry chef, once she has finished her training. I can see both of you going far in this industry."
"Aww, thanks, Mingxia will be so happy when I tell her what you said," Aang sniffed, vigorously shaking Azula's hand before she moved on to Toph and Sir Cunningham.
"Hey, uh… so, you know I really want to call you names for being an idiot and leaving us, but… I guess this isn't the time for that, so I'll just sign my name under everything Aang said about opportunity and confidence," Toph said. "I thought I'd be stuck forever doing some low paid menial work, if anybody would hire me at all, but look at where I am now, challenging Suki for the position of the head chef."
"Hey! No, you're not!" Suki exclaimed in protest.
"Only kidding," Toph cackled.
"I'll be honest, I had no idea what to make of you at first," Azula confessed, shaking Toph's hand. "I wasn't sure you had a place in my vision for the restaurant. But I'm glad that we managed to unlock your hidden talents. You're a real fighter, Toph. I don't think I've ever met anyone as determined not to allow their disability get in the way."
"Ugh, stop making me blush, you dumb bitch," Toph grumbled, releasing Azula's hand and dabbing at her cheeks.
"Sorry about that," Azula apologized with a sad smile on her face as she kneeled in front of Sir Cunningham and petted the pig, also giving the good hog some affectionate ear scratches. "And you, keep being a good boy and don't stop hunting for those truffles, okay?" Sir Cunningham oinked cheerfully in reply.
"Of course, he will," proud owner Toph replied proudly. "Together with Droopy, they'll comb the nearby forests and find all the truffles."
"Speaking of Droopy, we all expected Kiyi and your mom to be here with us," Sokka said when it was his turn to say farewells to Azula.
"We already said our goodbyes yesterday," Azula lied. In truth, she had completely misdirected Kiyi and Ursa by giving them the wrong time of her departure. Azula knew that if her mother and sister were present to say their farewells, Kiyi would inevitably burst into tears, and Azula didn't think she could bear that without starting to cry herself, which was a display she was desperate to avoid. Parting with Katara was going to be a massive challenge already. Obviously, Kiyi was going to be really mad about the deception, but Azula planned to ply her with gifts and apologies later.
"Uh-huh," Sokka said, sounding a little dubious as if sensing her lies. "Anyway, I just wanted to say that despite being a bit of a pain in the ass, you were really good to work with. You really know your stuff and the changes you introduced to the restaurant saved our bacon, so… thank you so much for everything you've done," Sokka continued, then surprising Azula by pulling her into a suffocating bear hug.
"Ugh, unhand me, you oaf!" Azula protested, struggling until Sokka finally released her. Azula quickly straightened her ruffled up pantsuit. "Anyway, if we're being completely serious. Sokka, I really appreciated your limitless energy and crazy ideas. Your heart is definitely in the right place. As long as you remain in charge of the restaurant, you're going to do well. You simply must remember to apply your energy in the right places."
"Heard, boss," Sokka grinned, saluting at her. "I'm not going to mess with the menu ever again, I swear."
"Also, hug Ty Lee from me," Azula added before moving on. "I hope she doesn't stay mad at me for too long." Azula had sat down with Mai and Ty Lee the day before. Her best childhood friends had given her an unexpectedly harsh chewing out, for some reason having been certain that Azula would reconsider going back at the very last moment. Their persuasive arguments that Azula was leaving behind the best things she'd ever had were still ringing loudly in Azula's ears.
"She's way sadder than she's angry, I would say," Sokka sighed. "Just make sure to keep in touch with her, and she'll forgive you. Eventually."
"I'll do my best," Azula promised, moving on to say farewells to Yue and immediately finding herself pulled into a tearful embrace. Yue and Suki hadn't brought Kya and the kittens with them, but Azula had made sure to say proper goodbyes a few days ago. While Kya had been subdued about her leaving, Azula's promise to play a game of online Pai Sho with the precocious child prodigy every day had gone a long way towards improving Kya's mood, and it was a promise that Azula definitely intended to keep.
"I still can't believe you're leaving," Yue sobbed into Azula's shoulder. "I was hoping that you would reconsider at the last moment, but Suki keeps telling me that sort of thing only happens in cheap romcoms."
"I'm sorry this isn't one of those romcoms, Yue," Azula managed. Yue's reaction was breaking Azula's heart, and she had no idea how she was going to get through saying her farewells to Katara after this.
"Well… don't be sorry. I should apologize for making such a messy scene," Yue sniffed, slowly disentangling herself from Azula. "I should be focusing on thanking you for everything you did for the restaurant, and for me and Kya personally. And if you hadn't come along and shaken things up, Suki and I probably would have never realized how perfect we are for each other. For all of these things, you'll be in my thoughts forever."
"Please, Yue, don't say such things. I don't have the time to reapply my makeup before the flight," Azula spoke in a strained voice, struggling to keep the tears from spilling out. "It was a pleasure to work alongside you, Yue. You're not just the beautiful face of The Northern Lights. You're also its soul and its beating heart, you and Katara both. I'm very glad to have met you, Yue."
"Me too, Azula. And please, don't remain a stranger," Yue said, hugging Azula one more time and then bursting into tears as she pushed Azula towards Suki.
"Ugh, I'm terrible at making speeches," Suki groaned. "When it comes to all that emotional stuff, I'll just be like… what Yue said."
"My girlfriend Suki, a talented chef, worst ever wordsmith," Yue sighed before punching Suki's shoulder.
"Sheesh, I wasn't finished, you know," Suki protested, then turning back to face Azula. "I remember when I first met you, I was feeling so beaten down and demoralized that I was seriously considering quitting the profession and doing something completely different. I had lost all passion for cooking, but then you came along, and you restored my passion. You didn't just make me a better cook, you made me want to get better, and that's so much more important, because now I constantly strive for improvement even without you being there, always looking over my shoulder."
"I'm glad that I could motivate you, Suki," Azula smiled. "And I'm even happier that you didn't quit the profession. If you had done that, the world would have lost a truly great up and coming chef. I know that with you holding the reins in the kitchen, the future of The Northern Lights is safe and secure. I look forward to witnessing your further growth over the next few years."
"That's right, I don't intend to stop. The only way is up, baby," Suki chuckled confidently as she and Azula embraced, affectionally clapping each other on the back. Once they had separated, Suki nudged Azula towards Katara. "Go on, make the worst mistake of your life, you dumb bitch," Suki said, rolling her eyes.
"R-right," Azula managed, stepping up to Katara to bid her farewells. Katara was somehow managing to keep her facial expression neutral, even if Azula could tell that she was struggling mightily. For a few uncomfortable moments, they both just stood there, barely able to face each other, and certainly not knowing what to say. Azula couldn't decide whether a hug would be appropriate, but then again, they had been living together and sharing a bed for almost two whole months, being girlfriends in everything but the name. They'd shared something special that distance could surely never break completely, so Azula decided that under all the circumstances, a hug was definitely appropriate.
Azula began to edge a little towards Katara, as if testing the reaction of the other girl. At first, Katara seemed to be edging towards her as well, but then she stopped, pulled back and shot out her arm, grabbing Azula's palm for a firm shake that made Azula's spirits sink down to her heels. "I'll never forget what you did, keeping our family restaurant afloat and setting us up for future success and prosperity," Katara spoke in a slightly trembling voice, uttering a rather rehearsed sounding line. "You saved my family from financial ruin, and for that, I will never forget you, Azula. From the bottom of my heart, thank you."
"I… you're very welcome," Azula managed, still holding Katara's hand, but the handshake did not feel very comfortable. Azula's hands were shaking hard, and she was sure that her palm felt cold and clammy to the touch. "It was so sad to see both you and Sokka working so hard, but not getting anywhere. You care so much and you work so hard. You deserved better, and I'm glad that I could change your fortunes. Now that you have the recipe for success figured out, I know you won't take your eyes off the prize."
"I won't," Katara nodded, finally releasing Azula's hand. "Goodbye, Azula. I hope that when you receive your own prize, it will be worth it and exactly what you hoped for."
"I…" Azula opened her mouth to reply, but words were starting to fail her. It wasn't just Katara who thought that Azula was letting go of a far better prize in order to chase after the table scraps offered by her father. Azula's resolve was well and truly cracking now, because more and more she was starting to suspect that all she would find in Ba Sing Se would be a nicer golden leash of her father. "Thank you, Katara. I hope we both find what we're looking for," Azula instead finished lamely, just in time with the PA announcement, calling everyone flying to Ba Sing Se to proceed to the gate. "Okay, so I… really need to go now," Azula managed, tearing her eyes away from Katara's face and looking over the entire group of friends she was leaving behind. "Bye, everyone!" she exclaimed, turning to walk away towards the security checkpoint, biting on the inside of her cheek to help hold back the tears.
Some fifteen minutes later, Azula was ascending the ramp up to her plane. The main hall of the departure terminal was still well within her view, and as Azula turned to look in that direction, she could see the entire group of friends standing by a window and comforting one another while waving farewells to her. Azula numbly raised an arm to wave back when she realized that someone was missing from the group. Katara wasn't with the others. Azula frantically looked around, catching a glimpse of Katara's dress as something blue flashed just around the corner.
The very thought that Katara was feeling too hurt and distressed to stay and wave her off was more upsetting to Azula than anything so far. Walking like in a daze, with legs made of stone, Azula somehow made it to her seat and took her place. As the cabin crew went through their routine checks and began the safety instructions for the passengers, Azula felt herself torn to pieces by powerful instincts doing battle within her, one instinct pushing her to obey her father and the other desperately urging her to get off this plane and never return to Ba Sing Se.
The internal battle was still raging on by the time the cabin crew finally closed and sealed the doors of the plane. Azula suddenly felt completely trapped, starting to hyperventilate. Now that it was too late to go back, she realized that she couldn't go through with this. She just couldn't do what her father was asking from her, not anymore.
"Sure, you can," someone spoke up right next to her, startling Azula. She quickly looked around, then downwards to realize that she was sitting next to a little girl, maybe a couple of years older than Kya. The girl was looking up at her with a concerned expression in her wide eyes.
"W-what?" Azula blinked uncertainly. Had she been speaking aloud without realizing it? She was definitely way past her breaking point, slipping hard.
"I also thought I couldn't do it when I was new to flying," the girl said with a serious expression on her face. "But it's not so bad, you'll see."
"Oh, I… I wasn't talking about-" Azula tried to explain herself, but the girl wasn't really listening, instead offering Azula a slightly smudged bag of hard candy.
"Go on, take some candy!" the girl urged her. "It really helps when we're taking off."
"I don't really-" Azula made a half-hearted attempt to refuse the offer. It looked like the girl had already gone through the bag several times, perhaps counting or sorting her candy, and being a bit of a germaphobe, Azula was not too keen on accepting the proffered gift.
"It's alright, miss, feel free to take some, we have more," the girl's father joined in, sitting by the window. The girl was beaming at her hopefully, nodding her head. Azula cursed her recently developed weakness, sighed internally and took some of the offered candy, thanking the exuberant child.
"There you go," the little girl looked excited as she watched Azula pop one of the sour cherry candies in her mouth. "You're going to be just fine now. I'll keep an eye on you during the flight, too."
"Thank you," Azula mustered a faint smile. "You're very helpful." The little girl looked extremely proud at the praise, while her father snickered into his palm.
"Just let me know if she becomes too much," the man told Azula in a quiet voice, while affectionally ruffling his daughter's hair with a loving expression in his eyes. "She loves nothing more than making new friends, even if it's not always reciprocated."
"It's… fine, I don't mind," Azula replied quickly. "She's adorable."
"That she is," the man chuckled. "She's just very excited because she hasn't seen her mom in a while. She works as a translator in Ba Sing Se."
"I can understand the excitement," Azula said quietly, feeling a little shaken after observing the exchange between the father and his daughter. She could feel so much love just from these simple words and casual gestures, and it made Azula think about how she was leaving behind a similar kind of love and happiness in order to rush home to a father who had never treated her with unconditional gentleness and kindness. Was she earnestly going to make that choice, and if she was, then what was wrong with her?
No, she couldn't go through with it, not all the way like her father expected of her. She was going back and she was going to win the competition, she would do that much. Then with Zuko in shambles and forever destroyed as her rival, Azula would have more bargaining power with Ozai. She would tell her father that she would agree to become the family heiress and take on running much of the Nakamura culinary empire, but she would do it on her own terms, working from Caldera City and with Katara by her side, Azula dating the Water Tribe girl openly. If her father had at least a sliver of respect and love for her, he would agree to her demands… or risk being left heirless.
Azula arrived in Ba Sing Se a day ahead of her scheduled meeting with Ozai and Zuko, in which her father would announce the outcome of this restaurant competition, as if the results were in any doubt. While still at the airport, Azula made an online booking at one of the most prestigious hotels in the Earth Kingdom's capital, one that was close to the headquarters of Nakamura Corp. Even if Azula technically had a house in the city, she was not eager to return there. Azula definitely did not feel like being reminded of her fake relationship with Chan, or her old life in general. Also, Azula had never checked whether Chan had actually moved out after their breakup. Perhaps he was still squatting at her place, pining for Azula to come back while crying into a bowl of Ben & Jerry's and listening to Nickelback.
Despite still feeling very tense and anxious, Azula somehow managed to get almost five solid hours of sleep during the night, which came as a pleasant surprise to her. With her morning rituals carried out in timely and efficient manner, Azula arrived on the twenty fourth floor of the Nakamura Corp tower well-prepared and courteous ten minutes ahead of schedule.
Normally, Azula would be a regular guest at her father's work office, but with this lengthy assignment in Caldera City, it was now six months since her previous visit. As Azula faced an attractive young woman hovering in front of a file cabinet, she realized that there had been quite a few changes around the place, including her father getting himself a new secretary. This new girl looked like a very efficient and industrious worker, and she was also quite easy on the eye, even if her large emerald-green headpiece, tied horizontally in her hair and protruding out from both sides, seemed like a bit of a fashion disaster to Azula.
"Good morning," Azula greeted the young woman, startling her slightly. "You must be new around here."
"Good morning, Miss Azula," the secretary recovered almost instantly, flashing her a slightly robotic smile. "It's my third month here, actually. And it already feels like I've been here forever! Anyway, call me Joo Dee, Miss Azula."
"Pleased to meet you, Joo Dee," Azula offered a token polite smile. "Is my father expecting me? And more importantly, has my brother arrived yet?"
"Yes, and yes," Joo Dee's smile broadened. "Your brother arrived exactly six minutes before you."
"Yes, I've never met anyone more eager to receive ass-kicking than Zuko," Azula snorted. "Alright, I'm heading in," she started towards the doors to her father's office.
"How will you want your coffee, Miss Azula?" Joo Dee called after her.
"Black, no sugar," Azula replied before opening the doors and heading into the lion's den. The scene before her was very familiar, with her father sitting behind his massive desk like an unapproachable emperor on his throne, with Zuko shrinking into his seat before the family patriarch. "Father, a pleasure as always," Azula spoke mechanically, stepping around the table to exchange greetings with her father. She then offered Zuko a handshake, which was accepted with them glaring at each other.
"Alright, we all know why we're here, and we also know that I hate beating around the bush," Ozai began, speaking in a thunderous voice. "This competition has been dragging on way too long and at the end of it, we're all exhausted. I'm sure you're both eager to hear the results."
"Of course, father, even if considering our past competitions, I'm sure Zuko is not looking forward to this part," Azula replied with a confident smirk, while Zuko made a face and shot her a rude gesture.
"I'm sure, indeed," Ozai rolled his eyes. "Well, I have done extensive examination of all the facts," Ozai continued, slapping several thick folders lying in front of him. "Financial reports, customer feedback, profit margins, customer retention figures, all sorts of relevant statistics, it's all in here, and it has been thoroughly analyzed. First of all, I want to congratulate you both on a job well done. It's very clear to me that both restaurants are prospering because of your contributions."
"Thank you, father," Azula bowed her head.
"Yes, thank you," Zuko added frantically, looking shocked about the compliment from Ozai.
"That said, despite you both not failing your assignments, there is a clear winner," Ozai said, for some reason giving Azula a stare that was both disappointed and annoyed. "Azula, until the previous season of Kitchen Nightmares, you had always managed to beat your brother in every competition I set before you. When you failed to beat your brother in Season 8, I was concerned whether it was signaling the start of your decline. Unfortunately, my analysis of your performance in this latest restaurant competition only confirms it. While it was a close-run thing, Zuko has emerged as the clear winner."
"Ugh!" Zuko grunted in annoyance. "Of course, it's always the same result! You're clearly biased towards Azula, father! No matter how well I do, she somehow always wins, doesn't she?"
"Don't take it too hard, Zuzu," Azula grinned wolfishly, reaching out to condescendingly pat Zuko's shoulder. "You put in a valiant effort, even if people who are actually smart would have realized the futility of it all and wouldn't have even bothered."
"Excuse me!" Ozai roared, making both Azula and Zuko jump in fright. "Are you two idiots even listening to me? I said that Zuko won! Azula, you lost!"
"What?!" Azula and Zuko both exclaimed aloud, looking at each other in shock.
"I… I won?" Zuko managed, his eyes wide in disbelief, starting to fill with tears of joy. "But I never win anything! Is… is this what winning feels like? Are you certain about this, father?" he gave Ozai a suspicious stare. "This isn't all a part of some cruel prank, is it?"
"It has to be," Azula repeated numbly. "This has to be some kind of a mistake. I never lose. Not to Zuko. This… this is a travesty, father! I demand a recount!"
"This is not a prank and there will be no recounts or anything of the sort!" Ozai snapped angrily. "You both need to get your shit together and accept this new reality. Zuko, you're the deserving winner! Azula, you're the pathetic loser!"
"But-" Azula began, still struggling to process what her father was saying. Zuko seemed to be facing the same problem, unsure how to react, probably still fearing that this was all an elaborate setup to prank him.
"No buts," Ozai cut her off instantly. "Now, since you actually did a decent job fixing that abysmal disaster of a restaurant, I'm prepared to offer you an opportunity to crawl back into my good graces, Azula. But the road of redemption will be long and difficult, and you will have to battle each step while being constantly reminded of your failures. I mean, you lost to Mr. Idiot Sandwich here," Ozai pointed at the stunned looking Zuko. "You should be experiencing the most crushing disappointment and shame imaginable."
Azula was slowly starting to recover from the immediate shock of Ozai's unexpected decision. Her mind was finally coming around to accept the truth that for once, in the most important competition of their lives, she had actually failed to beat her brother. Now, she was waiting for the inevitable weight of crushing disappointment to come down and shatter her, but… it was not coming. None of the feelings that Azula would normally expect to experience, such as shame, anger, disappointment, neither of them was present. Instead, Azula felt strange and almost otherworldly lightness, as if something heavy had been lifted from her shoulders. The very thought that she was experiencing relief and happiness at a moment like this, it shook Azula to her core and much to her own horror, she could not stop herself from bursting into a fit of absolutely unhinged laughter.
"Father, I think this loss has broken her completely," Zuko said, looking at Azula with a horrified expression.
"Have you gone completely insane?" Ozai yelled her. "Stop with this nonsense and accept your defeat with dignity! This is no laughing matter!"
For some inexplicable reason, Ozai's anger only made Azula laugh even harder, making her tear up. "Oh, but it is… a laughing matter," Azula wheezed.
"How is it a laughing matter? Explain, at once!" Ozai demanded. "Or do I need to slap you to put a stop to this nonsense?"
"No, just… just give me a moment," Azula managed, struggling to compose herself, which was a very difficult task when she found the whole situation so ridiculous and comical. Once she managed to stop laughing, Azula got up to her feet to square up against her father who had also risen from his seat. "You want to know what I find so funny, father? Or actually, it's more tragicomic, now that I think about it. It's how you have spent all these years brainwashing me into seeing failure as a badge of shame, a tragedy to be avoided at all costs. And yet, now that I have actually for once failed… I've never felt as liberated as ever before in my life. If I had only known that it would feel like this, I would have told you to take these endless competitions between me and Zuko, and shove them where the sun doesn't shine."
At Azula's words, Zuko gasped in sheer horror, while Ozai looked like he was about to shoot lightning from his eyes. "I strongly advise that you think very carefully about the next words coming out of your mouth, because you are rapidly moving towards complete disinheritance," Ozai spoke warningly.
"Oh, boo-hoo," Azula replied tauntingly with courage she didn't know she possessed. "I think I'm going be just fine without daddy's money. Also, since I'm finally being honest with you, father… and since you can't figure out for yourself why I've always avoided dating all those guys you tried to set me up with? It's because I'm as lesbian as they come."
"Hah!" Ozai laughed. "Now I know you're just trying to goad me. You're no lesbian, Azula."
Azula was about to reply when at that very moment, Joo Dee entered the office, carrying a tray with cups of coffee. "Uh… I'm sorry, Mr. Nakamura, is this a bad moment?" she stopped halfway to Ozai's desk, sensing the palpable tension in the air.
"No, actually, it's the perfect moment, Joo Dee," Azula grinned, an idea suddenly occurring to her. She walked up to Joo Dee, took the tray from her and set it aside. Then she wasted no time in pulling Joo Dee in for a passionate kiss that lasted for a good minute, before releasing the red-faced and panting secretary. "Sure, father, I'm not a lesbian at all," Azula grinned, pointing finger guns at her father. "Anyway, I'm out of this toxic parental relationship. I'm sure you'll be in for a delightful treat, Zuzu. Meanwhile, I'm off to enjoy my freedom and find my own way in life. Bye, bitches!" Azula added before leaving the office with her head held high.
"Father, I think she actually might be a lesbian," Zuko remarked upon Azula's exit.
"Ugh," Ozai groaned. "Shut up, Zuko."
Zuko felt completely discombobulated by everything that had taken place at his father's office. He had gone through so many conflicting emotions in an extremely short period of time. While he had been trying to psych himself up before this meeting because he knew he had done a good job running The Blue Spirit, he still bore the stigma of the eternal loser that deep down did not allow him to fully believe that he could win this competition.
Then, Ozai had announced him as a winner of the competition, something that both he and Azula had at first completely failed to accept. Once Zuko had gotten past that shock, he had been struck by an almost euphoric rush as his lifelong dreams suddenly came true in an instant… only for Azula to then take the joy out of his victory by her puzzling and insane reaction that was still making Zuko's head spin.
"Now that your sister has gone completely insane, all my hopes for our family rest on you, Zuko," Ozai had told him in their brief conversation after Azula's shocking walkout. "You used to be the perennial failure of this family, so my expectations of you were understandably low. That all changes now. Suddenly, the bar is sky high, Zuko. The pressure on you will be enormous, but you can't crumble, do you hear me? Let me down, and you will be joining Azula in her self-imposed exile!"
Ozai's words were still ringing in Zuko's ears after he made his way out of his father's office. He only barely registered Joo Dee congratulating him on his victory, and also asking for Azula's phone number. Zuko was feeling utterly nauseous from the sheer weight of sudden high expectations that he had not been prepared for. The nausea and dizziness became so bad that Zuko was forced to quickly flee into the executive bathroom and empty his guts down the toilet.
Zuko still felt like crap after he had cleaned himself up as best as he could. Standing at the mirror and staring at his reflection, Zuko didn't much like what he was seeing. He was still shaking a little, looking pale and sweaty. The nerves were clearly getting to him. Perhaps what he needed now was to hear a friendly voice. Normally, Mai would be his first choice for that, or Uncle Iroh, if he and Mai were having one of their tiffs, but now, Zuko wasted no time in calling Jet.
"Well?" Jet sounded anxious. "You won, right?"
"Uh… yes, I did," Zuko replied. "How did you know?"
"Well, we just beat Azula fair and square, not even your father could deny that," Jet spoke proudly. "You don't sound very happy for some reason, though?"
"No… no, I'm… over the moon, really," Zuko managed. "Father wants me to get started here as soon as possible."
"Say no more," Jet said. "I'm booking my flight to Ba Sing Se right now."
"Whoa, hold your horses for a moment," Zuko protested. "I was planning to come back to Caldera and put all my affairs in order first."
"Like what?" Jet sounded a little frustrated. "Let me know what needs to be done and I'll take care of it for you."
"I don't think my family will appreciate you saying goodbyes to them on my behalf," Zuko snorted. "Also, I just don't want to completely abandon the restaurant. If anything, we should throw some kind of closing party for our friends."
"If you insist," Jet said, sounding like he didn't exactly agree. "I figured you would want to start on this new job as quickly as possible, but I guess you know better."
"I think I do, yes," Zuko frowned. "Anyway, see you back in Caldera. I'll try to get a flight for tomorrow."
"Alright," Jet said. "I'll throw you a real winner's welcome. And that means… shopping spree, here I come," Jet added excitedly before disconnecting the call.
Zuko sighed, pocketing the phone. Somehow, that conversation hadn't steadied his nerves much. It just didn't seem like Jet truly understood what Zuko's relationship with his father was taking out of him.