It was easy to tell when someone hadn't visited Ba Sing Se before. Their eyes gleamed as they glimpsed the walls from afar, and their amazement didn't stop even after their ship had crossed the Outer Wall. The work of the earthbenders who allowed them through the wall kept Haru gawking in amazement, while Song gazed around herself in wonder, thrilled to see that some of the Earth Kingdom's heritage hadn't been too affected by the Fire Nation's conquest.
Ty Lee as well gazed around herself in wonder and, despite his attempts to hide it, so did Renkai. All his fellow guards had already seen more than enough of Ba Sing Se after two chaotic trips there with the Princess, and they were uneasy in the city rather than excited to be there, as were Azula and Sokka. But to the newcomers, the architectural wonder that used to be the Earth Kingdom Capital was still a spectacle to behold.
"You'd never traveled here before?" Sokka asked Ty Lee, as she clutched at the ship's railing, eyes wide as she took in the Agrarian Zone. She shook her head.
"When I was with the circus, we always asked the owner if we could have a show in Ba Sing Se, but the city was still under Earth Kingdom control at the time. After the conquest it was in such a state of chaos that we were told we were better off performing anywhere but there. So… this is my first time!"
Sokka smiled and nodded, keenly watching the Inner Wall that stood far in the distance. The Barge would come to a stop soon at the Lake's docks, and they would head into the city right away… he swallowed hard, apprehensive. He had no idea what a stress-free trip to Ba Sing Se might be like, but he hoped he would find out this time around. There ought to be no Dai Li, no Long Feng, no Rough Rhinos…
But maybe there were different dangers to be found there. His stomach clenched at the thought: they hadn't traveled to the Earth Kingdom since their chaotic conflict with Jeong Jeong. The White Lotus had a knack for hiding in unexpected shadows, but he would keep an eye out everywhere regardless, just in case. He didn't intend to be caught off-guard by that man ever again.
Familiar footsteps came up behind him. Sokka smiled instinctively as Azula stopped by his side, eyes set on the city ahead. Ty Lee waved at her friend, who nodded in her direction.
"I sent word to the city yesterday about our early arrival. A group of carriages should be waiting at the docks and they'll take you to the Palace," she explained to Ty Lee. "It will be a relatively long journey, but I expect you can be patient through it?"
"I will try," said Ty Lee, with an awkward smile. "But that sounds like you're not coming with us…"
"That's because I'm not," said Azula, with raised eyebrows. "I have a more direct traveling method, after all…"
She glanced up at the sky, where the dark shape of her dragon loomed above them. Xin Long landed on deck before long, proudly puffed up before Ty Lee, who smiled as she admired him. Azula rolled her eyes at the dragon's arrogant behavior, basking in Ty Lee's attention as he was.
"I suppose we'll see you all within a few hours," said Azula, moving towards her dragon, as she chanced a glance at Sokka. "Unless, that is, you'd like to take a carriage instead?"
Sokka snorted and shook his head, happily joining her by Xin Long's side. The pair mounted the saddle quickly, while Ty Lee waved them off with a small smile. Xin Long trotted across the deck before jumping into the air, where he hovered and sped up on his way to the city.
Ty Lee smiled happily as she watched them shrink into the clouds above. She didn't notice someone had snuck up behind her until the man spoke.
"The Princess took her gladiator with her?" the guard asked. Ty Lee jumped, nodding and inching away from the man instinctively.
"She usually does, I, uh… I think?" she said, nervous. She had no idea who this guard was, or what sort of information she was allowed to disclose. Surely she couldn't say anything about Sokka and Azula's true relationship, but was she expected to get this guy off their trail, too…?
"Do you know why?" the man asked. Ty Lee gritted her teeth before shrugging.
"I suppose… it's force of habit?" she said. "They always go to the Royal Dome on the dragon, or when they come visit me for her gladiator's training against mine…"
"There was no need for it this time, though," said the guard. Ty Lee pouted.
"Maybe you should ask the Princess once you reach the city, then. I'm sure she will have a better answer than me," she declared, crossing her arms over her chest.
Renkai frowned as he watched the Princess's infamous friend from the corner of his eye. She wasn't saying anything too incriminating, but she was a good candidate from whom he could obtain the information he was supposed to provide for the General…
"I suppose she would, wouldn't she?" he mused.
He shrugged, walking away from the grimacing woman, who glared after him as he left her alone on deck. She didn't quite enjoy being by herself, but it absolutely beat being grilled by a random guard about whatever she knew of Sokka and Azula's relationship…
The Princess and her gladiator had wasted no time as soon as the clouds were giving them the cover they needed. His arms were tightly wrapped around her, and she had twisted her body to kiss him fully, with as much power as she could muster while they were alone together.
"We always do say we're going to be careful, but then we never are," she said once they parted, with a weak smile. "We do have to try to be more careful this time, though. Ba Sing Se is dangerous, perhaps more dangerous than the Fire Nation Palace."
"And we haven't been here since we really got started. We can, at least, agree on that, right?" he said, smirking. Azula laughed.
"Yeah, well, our full-blown, fully-committed relationship likely started after our last visit to Ba Sing Se, yes," she admitted, dropping against his chest. "Even back then we had to be cautious, though. I don't know this Palace nearly as well as I know my home, and we shouldn't drop our guard. We're already arriving earlier than scheduled, so…"
"It's a real shame that we are," Sokka pouted, dropping his head on her shoulder. "I would've gladly snuck into your cabin more often if the weather hadn't been so nice. Damn tides, being so favorable for our trip…"
"I do suppose we'll sneak around once in a while," she said, sighing. "We're too reckless not to. But, you know…"
"Always keeping an eye out for trouble," said Sokka, smiling and stroking her abdomen with his thumb. Azula hummed.
"It's been a while since we last were in the Earth Kingdom, after all," she muttered, her pleasant mood darkening fast. "I would like to think we will be safe in the Palace, but…"
"We should be," said Sokka, kissing the top of Azula's head. "But we'll be cautious, both over our relationship and any White Lotus lurkers hiding anywhere. Nothing's bound to happen, but if anything did, we're going to be ready."
"Good," said Azula, smiling and sighing as she relaxed against his chest. "In case we get no chances to be together until we're on our way home… I love you."
"I love you more!" Sokka declared, smirking as he hugged her tightly. Azula laughed and held his arms around her, joyful to be caught in his warm embrace.
They had to fix their appearances, as ever, before diving below the cloudy cover that kept them safe from any onlookers. Sokka's hands remained near Azula's waist until she was finished with tweaking her makeup. He had already wiped his face clean too and was indulging in their last moments of privacy until Xin Long dove towards the city.
The progress towards Ba Sing Se was quick for the Princess and her gladiator, but much slower and bumpier for the rest of her companions. The carriages arrived half an hour after they were docked in, and the journey towards the city was rather long as well. Progressing through Ba Sing Se's crowded streets was no easy feat either, but at least it was entertaining: Ty Lee kept glancing out through her carriage's windows, commenting on everything in sight. Haru sat beside her, quiet and self-aware, while Song and Rui Shi sat opposite to them, her hand in his. The young woman was the picture of nervousness and anxiety, but she was joyful about visiting the city anyways. Ba Sing Se, boisterous as it was, still had more green than red to its architecture and decorations even within the Inner Wall. It would have felt like the war hadn't touched it… if it weren't for the soldiers in Fire Nation uniforms who checked their carriages at every barrier, to make sure they had the proper clearance to enter the higher rings of the city.
The Middle Ring was less crowded and more spacious, while the Upper Ring was nothing short of luxurious. After stepping off the carriage at the Palace stairs, Ty Lee couldn't hold back her broadest grin.
"It might just be more beautiful than the Fire Nation Capital, and that's saying a lot! Goodness, Ba Sing Se is wonderful!" she exclaimed. Song giggled.
"It is rather beautiful," she admitted, but she turned towards the tall stairs instead of examining their surroundings any further.
Somewhere in that Palace awaited her mother. The more she thought about it, the more miraculous everything seemed to be… and it was all thanks to Rui Shi and his quick realization upon meeting her mother. She smiled at him, thinking she had too much to be grateful for… and found him chuckling at the stairs, apparently. She raised an eyebrow.
"Is something the matter?" she asked. Rui Shi shook his head.
"Not really, only… in our last visit here I had to help General Iroh's gladiator from the top of those stairs. He was running towards us, with the Dai Li chasing him and… then that ridiculous earthbender tore up the stairs and threw them at them."
"Seriously? Toph did that?" Song said, eyes wide. Rui Shi chuckled.
"It was a crazy day," he said. "It happened right after I first met your mother. I only hope this visit to Ba Sing Se isn't chaotic. It would be a first, admittedly, but still…"
"Let's hope so indeed," said Song, smiling. He jerked his head towards the stairs.
"Shall we, then?"
Climbing all the way to the Palace was strenuous for Song, who usually didn't exercise too much. The Imperial Guards climbed along with the rest of them, while Ty Lee practically bounced upstairs quickly. Haru lagged behind, often encouraging Song to keep going until finally everyone was at the top of the tall stairs.
"It's unbelievable," said Ty Lee, smiling wildly at the tall structure that rose before her. "It's so beautiful!"
The Palace was breathtaking, Song agreed silently. She smiled at the sight of it, never having hoped to see the greatest of earthbending's constructions in her life. She hadn't expected it before the war turned to the Fire Nation's favor, and she certainly hadn't thought she'd see it after becoming a slave. She clutched at Rui Shi's robe, and he smiled at her from under his ornate helmet.
"She's in here," he said. Song smiled and nodded.
"Let's go. The more time I can spend with her, the better," she said, excitedly. Rui Shi
Agreed promptly.
A group of Fire Nation soldiers greeted them at the entrance, but someone else stood deeper inside, with a group of Palace servants. The servants seemed happy, well-nourished and properly dressed. Song didn't recognize her mother amongst them, but she hoped her parent would look just as healthy as everyone else did.
"Welcome to Ba Sing Se," said the young woman at the front of the group, her spikey hair sticking out from the bun she wore. Her clothes were beautiful, but not as ostentatious as the ones worn by most people in the upper ring. "I hope you had a pleasant journey!"
"It was quite wonderful, yes," Ty Lee answered immediately, beaming. "This is such an incredible city! I'm in awe, truly!"
"Well, that's good to know," said the woman, laughing. "I'm Jin, my husband asked me to welcome you. He's currently busy overseeing accommodations for the Princess's dragon, so…"
"Oh, you're Tiang's wife?" Ty Lee asked, eyes widening with interest. "I've heard so much about you! Is it true you're from the Lower Ring? That you're the first woman who ever rejected him? That he spent days writing love letters to you until you agreed to move to the Palace with him?"
"Uh… huh?" she said, with an awkward grin. "Well, I am from the Lower Ring, but the rest of it seems… well, either entirely fabricated or inflated, but still…"
"You know, you must be the most envied woman in the Fire Nation," said Ty Lee, laughing. "So many girls wanted to marry Tiang, you have no idea! He was one of the most popular military figures, what with his great looks and how gentle he's always been? He's such a catch! You're so lucky!"
"Yeah, I know that I am…" said Jin, with a surprised smile. "Though I do wonder if he had any idea of how popular he was. He was so awkward when courting me that, uh… wait, I'm supposed to be welcoming you here, aren't I?"
"Oh, my bad," said Ty Lee, with an apologetic grin. "I'm Ty Lee, Princess Azula's friend and partner in the Pairs Tournament we joined! This over here is Haru, my gladiator, and this is Song, the Princess's healer, who's here to visit someone important!"
"Oh?" said Jin, turning towards Song. "Who might that be?"
Song smiled shyly, and Rui Shi nudged her onwards. Jin certainly looked like a noble, but the warmth in her eyes told Song she was still humble, still in touch with her roots. She was someone worth trusting.
"My mother is here, serving at the Palace. I have been communicating with her through messenger hawk," Song explained. Jin gasped in surprise, smiling at her. "She works in your kitchen, her name is Myeung…"
"That's…! Oh, that's lovely! Wonderful! Yes, I know exactly who she is!" she said. "Alright, let's head inside and I'll fetch her for you right away!"
Song smiled too, tears of joy already welling in her eyes. Rui Shi wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they followed Jin, with the rest of their group tagging along behind them.
Jin led them through the Palace; by then, the retinue of servants split off their group as they headed to take care of their duties. The governor's wife opened the door to a sitting room where they found Azula and Sokka, who were holding a conversation they interrupted immediately upon the intrusion.
"Ah, took you guys long enough," said Azula, offering Ty Lee a cruel smirk. The non-bender pouted.
"Of course it did, you flew in on a dragon!" she exclaimed, taking her seat beside Azula. "Oh, but I got the chance to see so much of the city, Azula, and it's amazing!"
"I suppose you could say that…" Azula said, with a grimace. Sokka smirked.
"Don't mind her, she's still recovering from all our chaotic incidents from our previous visits. Waiting to no avail for any word on the Rhinos, then being stuck in the Lower Ring because of Iroh, and oh, how to forget, the horror of riding public transportation!"
Azula shot him a dirty glare, and Sokka's satisfied smirk only widened further. Azula shook her head, as Haru and Song sat at the table too. Fei Li, in his captain outfit, stepped forward into Azula's field of vision.
"Uh, Princess? We shall, uh, oversee the unpacking and such?" he said. Azula raised an eyebrow, smiling weakly.
"Why, yes, that is your duty, Captain," she said. Fei Li tensed up at the words. "Please do so."
"I… right," he said, gulping. Rui Shi stepped towards him before he could leave, though.
"Fei Li, uh, Captain," he said. Again, Fei Li's discomfort over his new title was apparent, even though his face was concealed from sight. "Can I stay here for now? I'll take up an extra shift later, if you need me to, but…"
"You don't need to take up anything, no, none of that! Just, you know, stay here. Or, hey, maybe I'll order you to stay! That's right, your duty is to stay here! Ha!"
Rui Shi blinked blankly, as Fei Li pointed a finger at him. The new captain only seemed to realize his behavior was ridiculous when it was far too late to take it back.
"U-uh, yeah, well, never mind. Just stay, we'll go, nothing ventured, nothing gained, don't let the cat-owl get your tongue and all that…" he said, waving a hand towards him. "Alright, the rest of you, let's go."
The group of Imperial Guards left under Fei Li's lead, though instead of behaving with the expected tension and strictness they usually did, they teased their new leader as they returned to the corridor. The group that remained watched them leave, while Jin poured cups of warm tea for each of the new arrivals.
"I'll go find Myeung now," she told Song. "Enjoy the drink."
"Right. Thank you!" Song called out, as the regal lady walked towards another door in the sitting room.
"She seems pretty nice," said Ty Lee, smiling brightly.
"Did you overwhelm her with your over-the-top enthusiasm yet?" Azula asked, smirking. Ty Lee pouted.
"Of course not, why would you think so?" she said. Azula raised her eyebrows skeptically. Ty Lee harrumphed. "Well, surely you're just jealous because I'm going to become friends with her and leave you to your own devices!"
"Oh, the horror! How will I ever survive without you hugging me at random every ten minutes?" Azula asked, rolling her eyes. Ty Lee huffed while Sokka chuckled.
"I suppose you'd rather I don't do that, because only Sokka is allowed to…" she started, but Azula interrupted her.
"Not here, Ty Lee," Azula said, curtly. Ty Lee blinked before nodding.
"Oh. Well, speaking of which…"
"I said not here, didn't I?" Azula said. Ty Lee frowned.
"But this is important," she said, her voice much softer now. "Some guy, one of your guards, kind of started asking me suddenly if I knew why you were flying to Ba Sing Se with Sokka. I tried to give him an elusive answer, but…"
Azula's initial irritation had shifted into curiosity, but once Ty Lee had spoken more, the Princess found frustration rising inside her again. Her eyebrow twitched as she scowled at her own teacup.
"So Renkai's already at it, then?" she hissed. Sokka swallowed hard.
"Who's Renkai?" Ty Lee asked. Rui Shi sighed.
"A new member of our squad. We, uh, strongly suspected he was assigned just to find whatever dirt he could on the Princess…"
"And if he didn't find any, he might even make it up just to accomplish his mission," said Azula, with a dry grin. "I suppose he's willing to look into what everyone else takes for granted…"
"Should I stop riding with you, then?" Sokka asked, frowning. Azula waved a hand carelessly in his direction.
"No, if you stopped after all this time, just after he voiced concern about it to one of my friends, we would be far more suspicious," Azula declared. "You said so yourself when we first took off, if we changed our behavior by now it would only confirm that we do have something to hide. So forget it. We won't let him think he's caught us doing anything out of bounds."
"Unless he ever does…" Sokka muttered.
"If he did, I suppose I'll have to do away with him in a very final way," Azula said, with a thread of a voice, smiling sarcastically at Sokka. He gulped.
"Alright, then. Alright," he said. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that."
"At any rate, don't worry too much, Ty Lee. Thanks for letting us know, but…"
The door Jin had left through opened again. Song's head darted up immediately, and her lips parted when her eyes fell upon the short, white-haired woman who had accompanied the governor's wife. Those features, so familiar even after all those years apart…
The fragile smiles on their faces were accompanied by tears and soft laughter. Song jumped up to her feet, as Myeung nearly stumbled on her way to her daughter. Song was roughly a few inches taller than her mother, so it was she who enveloped her in the tightest hug. Myeung laughed, hugging Song back as they swayed in place.
Rui Shi grinned brightly as the mother and daughter talked with such rushed words that they could barely understand each other. Their tearful laughter was heartwarming for all of them, though it was also difficult to watch, in a sense. They felt like intruders, for the reencounter between mother and daughter surely should have been more private… even though it was clear that neither Song nor her mother seemed to remember anyone else existed.
"Well, uh…" said Azula, biting her lip. "I should check if Governor Tiang has made any progress with the matter of my dragon's temporary refuge."
"Yeah, I'll come with you," Sokka said, finishing his tea quickly.
Ty Lee blinked as the pair slipped away quietly. She glanced over at Haru as well, finding he was watching Song and Myeung's reunion with a gentle smile on his face. She grimaced, wondering if he had ever smiled like that at her. The sudden, jealousy-fueled thought that he might have developed feelings for someone else burst into mind. She grimaced and stood up too, knowing she was seeing monsters where there were only shadows, but also knowing she had to step away from the scene if she was to stop feeling this way. Yet, just as she was about to head outside she, came face-to-face with Jin.
"You'll take your leave as well?" she asked, surprised. Ty Lee bit her lip.
"I thought about checking out the Palace, if that's okay?" she said, smiling awkwardly. "I mean, I don't know if it is, but…"
"Huh. I suppose I could show you around, then," said Jin, smiling. "Unless you'd rather see everything yourself?"
"Why, not at all," said Ty Lee, grinning more enthusiastically now. "Thanks!"
It was Haru's turn to eye Ty Lee wistfully. He swallowed hard, itching to go with her, but the latest distance between them deterred him. He gritted his teeth and watched her leave, guessing that if she had wanted him there she would have said so. He would have to stay, and hope he wouldn't be a bother for Song, Myeung and Rui Shi…
Ba Sing Se's Palace was as beautiful and impressive as the rest of the city had been. Ty Lee was delighted by the elegant white, green and gold buildings and the opulent gardens, happy to ask questions whenever Jin showed her any new locations. She was thrilled upon checking out her room, quickly testing the bed and sighing happily at the softness of the mattress.
"It's nearly as good as the one on Azula's ship… only, it's static, so it's better yet!" she declared, beaming. Jin laughed softly.
"I'm glad it's to your liking," she said. "Your gladiator has his room next to yours, Tiang figured you would want to be close by. It's the same with the Princess and hers, so…"
"What?" said Ty Lee, sitting up. "He's… got his own room?"
"Was he not supposed to…?" Jin asked, blinking blankly. Ty Lee blushed.
"N-no, I mean, uh, that's not a problem!" she said, jumping off the bed and smiling awkwardly. "Not a problem at all! I just thought, you know, you could've just bunked both him and Sokka together, they get along just fine, but haha, it is a huge Palace after all! I'm sure you can afford to give everyone their own room."
"We can," said Jin, with a weak grin. "It's really no trouble."
"No, none at all, I'm sure…" said Ty Lee, biting her lip and smiling as enthusiastically as she could. "Say, I did ask before if you could share your story with Tiang? Is it okay to tell me about it now?"
"Oh, uh, do you really want to know?" said Jin, smiling awkwardly. "Goodness, well… I suppose I should start from the beginning."
"Please do!" Ty Lee said, beaming as Jin led the way out of the room again.
They paced together through the corridors, on their way to a comfortable garden. Once they were sitting at a smooth stone bench, among beautiful bushes and shrubs with countless blooming flowers, Jin began telling her tale.
"Well, when Tiang first arrived he brought an army with him. He conquered our city with violence and threats, powered by that comet…" she said, sighing. "I feared most of us would die, but fortunately quite a lot of us survived. It was bad, though. And once that was over, we had no idea what to expect. Then he was granted the rule of Ba Sing Se, as some sort of reward for his successful conquest campaign, I suppose. Everyone, of course, despised him for what he'd done and nobody wanted to be ruled by him… but what choice did we have? Our generals were incarcerated, as was our King… most our army had been torn apart, and they had advancements like tanks that allowed them to do as they pleased. And that huge drill with which they could destroy the walls… it was a very dark time in the city."
"It sounds awful," said Ty Lee, biting her lip. "And it must have been worse in the Lower Ring, right?"
"It was," Jin said. "We were the first to be affected when the firebenders charged through the Inner Wall, after all. And we had never been helped much by our own King, so… we never thought these Fire Nation invaders would help us in any way either. So, when we saw soldiers patrolling through the Lower Ring we merely glared at them and hoped they'd leave as soon as possible. They would enter establishments, and come out looking disgruntled… it was very unpleasant. One day they did it to my favorite teashop, but I wasn't there. Upon visiting the teashop later I found out that the conqueror was leading these apparent inspections of the Lower Ring…"
"Oh, goodness. That sounds like a risky thing to do," Ty Lee said. Jin grinned.
"He has always been rather bold. It seems he would stand there, reciting all sorts of shortcomings of the shops to his men, who wrote everything down. He did that for a while, in many different shops, but of course, eventually someone, in some other establishment, lashed out at him. He just retired with his group after that happened. Their strange patrolling ended after that day.
"Then, a few months later, a group of earthbenders showed up in the lower ring. At first we had no idea what to make of them, but when they started working on fixing our streets we realized they were here to help us. We had no idea who was paying them to do it, and many of us assumed they were just Lower Ring people who had decided to do something about our living conditions… but they weren't. One of my friends worked up the courage to talk to them, and… they were contracted by the Governor. They were being paid quite handsomely for repairing the damage throughout the city, but they had been told to begin with the Lower Ring…"
"He'd been inspecting the state of the city then? Oh, that's surprising," said Ty Lee. Jin nodded.
"I think he returned to that teashop about a year later. He had done a lot for the city by then, even if most everyone was still antagonistic towards him. But he wanted to see for himself that the Lower Ring was in better shape than it had been, and it pleased him to discover that it was. He had a cup of tea just on one day when I was there too, and he asked if he could sit with me, as the place was rather crowded… and despite my reservations, I let him. We talked for hours, and I, uh, was bold about my opinions on the war and what he'd done when he conquered Ba Sing Se. He listened to everything I had to say, though, and didn't try to excuse himself at all. That surprised me, really… he was more than met the eye. He had been helping fund important research in Ba Sing Se's university and working hard to provide whatever economic support the Agrarian Zone needed. It seems there was plenty of money in the King's coffers that Tiang believed had better use elsewhere, so…"
"And that's the better use he gave it, then?" said Ty Lee, smiling in amazement. "Wow, he really is… he really is a great guy, huh?"
"I suppose he is," laughed Jin. "I was impressed, but I didn't want to let it show. Still, I wasn't as hostile towards him as most people still were, so… he came by again. And again. And a lot of times, always looking for a chance to talk to me, and ask me what I thought was needed in Ba Sing Se. He made many of my suggestions come true, helped the people in ways the Earth King and his advisors never did, so… well, I was very conflicted about him. As a woman I had grown too fond of him, while my Earth Kingdom pride was absolutely opposed to him, still. And I suppose my common sense, unaffected by that pride, told me he was doing good things. He really was, so… I didn't know what to make of him."
"So, you were resisting the attraction, then?" Ty Lee giggled. "Did he do the same thing?"
"Oh, he sure didn't. He didn't even hide it," said Jin, laughing. "One day he simply blurted out that he really liked me, even if he didn't think I'd want him the same way. I told him I might, in time… mainly because I already did, to some degree, but I needed to be sure, you know? So he did his best to woo me, always listening to what I had to say and making as many of my dreams come true as he could. Eventually I found myself kissing him without knowing why on earth I'd waited so long to do it, so… yeah, he was pretty successful in his attempts to court me. Even though I was probably the least appropriate match for him."
"The nobles back home weren't very happy," Ty Lee said, nodding. "I suppose neither were the highborn from Ba Sing Se: if they're anything like Fire Nation nobility, they would have wanted their own daughters to marry Tiang, regardless of him being the invader and all that…"
"I think that's part of why he was determined to avoid the nobles and their bold advances," said Jin. "He knew he could be a political tool for them, and he didn't care to be, so… he just showed them where they could stick their ambitions by marrying me, I guess. I did wonder, sometimes, if he had chosen me out of convenience… but truthfully, he has been such a great husband and governor that I can't imagine myself any happier than I have been with him. He could have chosen any Lower Ring girl if he wanted to, but he chose me, and he allowed it to be my choice, in the end. So he proved he was a good man, better than many who had ruled over this city before."
"Better than the Earth King?" Ty Lee asked. Jin grimaced. "Is that a sore subject…?"
"I visit him often," said Jin. "He's imprisoned in the Palace's own cellblock. I always bring him tea, books… but he doesn't want anything to do with me, or anyone else. The word of town is that he hardly ruled the city at all, and that the terrible management was his advisor's fault, not his. A man called Long Feng?"
"Hmm, sounds familiar, maybe?" said Ty Lee, before shrugging. "Well, at any rate, it sounds like you've had a pretty hectic life! And that is a very beautiful love story, if I say so myself."
"Thanks," said Jin, smiling bashfully. "And you? Are you married, or do you have anyone…?"
"Uh, I… I've had a few relationships here and there," said Ty Lee, with an enigmatic shrug. "Nothing serious, though. My longest relationship was probably with my circus, actually? I was there for three years, straight out of school, and…"
"The circus?" Jin said, eyes lighting up. "What do you mean, you were with the circus?"
"Why, I mean I was working in the circus, of course," said Ty Lee, blinking blankly.
"So you were a circus performer?" Jin said, her enthusiasm quickly infecting Ty Lee too.
"Indeed, I was!" said Ty Lee, smiling proudly. "I was an acrobat, to be exact. I walked the tight rope and…"
"Amazing!" Jin said, beaming. "Can I see a trick or two? I mean, if you'd think that's okay…?"
"Why, sure! Nobody ever wants to see my tricks!" Ty Lee laughed, before bouncing off her seat, cartwheeling twice before doing a flip. She landed successfully, a proud smile on her face as Jin clapped.
"That's so cool! I always wanted to see a circus! They never did stop by the Lower Ring," said Jin, biting her lip. "I ought to tell Tiang to invite one nowadays. It'd be so wonderful to watch an actual circus performance."
"Well, the Gladiator Business has kind of hi-jacked the entertainment industry," said Ty Lee, with an awkward smile. "I'm not complaining, I make much more money out of it, but I think there are less traveling circuses all over the world these days because of that…"
"I suppose that's true… I'd still like to see a circus, though. And they'd definitely be a hit in the Lower Ring, since most people there don't go to the Green Gates," said Jin. "The Gladiator League is a pricier hobby than you'd think, even if Tiang did lower the prices for riding the train… but anyways, a circus would do well there, I'm sure of it."
"I'd hope so," said Ty Lee, smiling as she leapt up on a classy banister in the garden. She walked through it without a care in the world, switching to walking on her hands when the urge hit her. Jin watched her enthusiastically. "But yeah, I guess romance-wise, I'm… not that lucky. I've been, uh, with someone for a couple of years now? But I think he's… not really into me."
"Oh? Why wouldn't he be?" said Jin, surprised. "You're so nice and fun, and you're an acrobat, of all things! I can't see what wouldn't be appealing about you."
"That's very nice of you," said Ty Lee, laughing before jumping off the railing and sighing. "But I suppose, uh… it's complicated."
"More complicated than falling in love with the general who conquered your city?" Jin asked, with a weak smile. Ty Lee grimaced.
"I guess not. It's hard to top that," she said, deciding not to reveal that she did know one relationship that was more complicated still… "Well, you see, the guy I'm seeing is kind of, well…"
Jin raised her eyebrows, and Ty Lee sighed, moving to sit beside her again. She bit her lip for a moment before finally opening up.
"It's not really a formal relationship. If anything, I suppose it looks like I'm… taking advantage of him," she sighed. "It's my gladiator."
Jin's eyes widened, though Ty Lee averted her gaze and didn't notice it. Jin swallowed hard, a hand on her chin.
"Huh. I suppose that's why you were surprised he'd be in a different room from yours?" she asked. Ty Lee tensed up. "If you'd prefer it, I can arrange it so…"
"N-no, like I said, it's complicated," said Ty Lee, waving a hand carelessly. "It's probably better if we're in separate rooms. I think he's just… well, it's like he's assumed that he can't say no to me because I'm his sponsor. If he has any feelings for me, well, maybe they're not even romantic feelings. He's a very nice guy, and he's very sweet, and he's practically everything I ever wanted in a man, but… he doesn't speak his mind at all. And because of that, I… I've started doubting that he really wants me. I've been thinking that maybe he just believes he has no choice but to be with me, since he's a slave and I'm his master…"
"That sounds awful," said Jin, grimacing. "I'm sorry to hear that. I guess these mixed-nation relationships can be tricky. Tiang and I have managed to work through ours, but… I don't think everyone is that lucky."
"I don't know, it might just be me," said Ty Lee, sighing and hanging her head. "I've never had much luck in love. I've always played it as a fun thing, like it's great to be single and available, but I… I'd like a real relationship, too. And I thought for a while that what I had with Haru was one, but… I've been really unsure of it for a while now. He has no idea what he wants, and… I guess eventually he'll just realize that he doesn't want me."
Jin sighed, patting Ty Lee's shoulder gently. Ty Lee sighed and smiled at her.
"I'm glad you're luckier than me, though. You've probably been through a lot in life, and it's only fair that you'd find a great guy like Tiang. And he's lucky to have you, too! It's pretty clear he needs you and all your advice, huh?"
"Well, yeah, I'd like to think he does," said Jin, with a soft laugh.
The two girls watched the sunset together before returning to the sitting room where they had left the rest of their group. Azula and Sokka weren't back yet, but Haru looked a lot more comfortable by now, sitting on one side of Song's mother as the healer sat at the other, with her mother's hand in hers. Song was beaming brightly while Rui Shi sat next to her too, smiling warmly, his helmet removed.
"… And I thought he was handsome since I first met him, but I never imagined he would be with her! Don't you think it's wonderful, Haru?" Myeung was asking the earthbender. He laughed shyly.
"Quite. They make a good match," he said. Song smiled gratefully at him before glancing over at Rui Shi, who was blushing brightly.
"I was so elated when she wrote to me about it. I want my daughter to have the happiest life she can live," she said, squeezing Song's hand gently. Song laughed softly.
"I think that's what I'm doing these days, especially now that I've seen you again," she said. Myeung smiled and cupped her daughter's cheek with her free hand.
"You're the greatest gift a mother could have asked for, truly," said Myeung.
Jin smiled and leaned over the table to pick up the used teacups, and only then did Myeung notice her. She jumped, moving to help Jin, but the governor's wife waved a hand to dismiss her.
"None of that, Myeung. You're not on duty right now," she told her. Myeung laughed.
"Oh, nonsense…" she said, but she smiled gratefully at Jin anyways. "Lady Jin is truly too kind, Song. I'm fortunate to work with her, and with governor Tiang, too. They're wonderful young people, so respectful and wise…"
"I'm happy to hear that," said Song, smiling at Jin, who grinned shyly as she placed the empty mugs on a tray. "Thank you for being so kind to my mother for all this time."
"It's the least we could do," she said. "Her roast duck is a work of art. She should be the chef in highest demand by all the nobility, with her amazing cooking skills…"
"Song learned a lot from you," Rui Shi added, smiling. "I'm lucky to have sampled both your cooking, your meals are always splendid."
"Rui Shi…" said Song, giggling shyly. He was absolutely unashamed of his words, and she reached out for his hand too.
"I ought to get back to work, though…" said Myeung, moving to stand up. "Dinnertime is coming up, and…"
"I just said you're off duty!" Jin laughed. "You're not working tonight, seriously, Myeung…!"
A new set of voices approached through the corridor. A quick glance told Ty Lee that Azula was back, and not just with Sokka, but with Governor Tiang too. Jin's eyes lit up immediately upon seeing her husband.
"… We can arrange for more food to be brought for your dragon, if you would consider it appropriate," Tiang was saying, eagerly. "We may not have planned well enough on that front, but…"
"There's no need for that. If he eats too much, he'll be too heavy to fly," Azula replied, with a smirk. "This shall be good enough, Governor, really. You've done a remarkable job so far."
"Well, if there's anything else you need, just let me know," he said, with a satisfied smile.
They entered the room now, and Sokka smiled happily at the sight of Song, holding both Rui Shi and her mother's hands. She grinned at him too, her gratefulness plain to see on her face.
"Welcome, everyone!" said Tiang, smiling brightly too. "It's my honor to be your host, as it always is when the Princess and her companions grace us with their visit. I hope you'll find the Palace to your liking."
"So far, so good!" Ty Lee declared enthusiastically. "It's a wonderful place. Thank you for having us!"
"You're most welcome," said Tiang, grinning at her. "Dinner will be served shortly, so if all of you would like to relocate to the dining room…?"
Myeung clearly hadn't dined among the important guests of the house very often, and she was visibly nervous about being here instead of in the kitchens. Jin and Tiang refused to have her elsewhere, however, and the older lady was too happy to be reunited with her daughter to step away from her for too long. The group was eating at a large hall, with long tables and tall ceilings that, it seemed, had been the location of many fancy gatherings in the past.
"I've seldom held any parties, myself," said Tiang. He sat at one end of the long table, his wife at the other end. Ty Lee and Haru sat near Jin, while Azula and Sokka sat with Tiang. "But from what I've heard, the Earth King held no shortage of his own celebrations in this very hall. Well, what I heard from a few nobles, anyways…"
"Not what you've heard from the King himself, I assume?" Azula said, raising her eyebrows. Tiang shook his head, as Sokka frowned.
"What's that supposed to mean?" he said. "What happened to the guy? I know Omashu's King is imprisoned, but…"
"King Kuei is imprisoned as well. By choice, pretty much," said Tiang, sighing. "We've offered him better accommodations, but even if we leave the cell door open, he refuses to get out. He's… rather stubborn, and prouder than most men I've encountered in my lifetime."
"Not unheard of in a royal, I suppose," said Azula, with a shrug. Sokka grimaced.
"Do you at least treat him with, you know, dignity?" he asked. Tiang nodded.
"With much more dignity than our other prisoners get, at any rate. Long Feng is locked under several layers of security, as are the Dai Li agents we restrained, and that's a lot of them, I'll say," he grimaced, shaking his head. "But Kuei is at the topmost cell, practically at the entrance. If he wanted to make a run for it, he probably could. I don't think he's interested in doing that, though. I don't know what he wants."
"Have you asked?" Sokka said. Tiang huffed.
"Well, no, but I guess it's not true that I don't know," he said. "He wants the Fire Nation out of his city and continent. Unsurprising, isn't it?"
"I suppose it's not," Sokka conceded, brow furrowed lightly.
He didn't see Azula's irritated grimace, but he didn't need to: she never enjoyed it when Sokka poked the buzzard-wasp nest that was the subject of the war, but by now she respected and accepted his opinions, unlike how it used to be. She would let him speak his mind, even if she dreaded he might get himself, and her by extension, in trouble for it.
But Sokka knew better than before. Azula hadn't been the only one to understand the proper boundaries of their relationship over time: he would talk to her about this eventually, but only once they were alone. Whatever he wanted to do about Kuei, he'd run it by her first of all. He didn't have a solid idea yet, but as Tiang changed the subject Sokka decided to make up his mind about it later.
Dinner finished without a hitch, and uncharacteristically for them, Azula and Sokka remained in their own rooms throughout the night. It did seem like torture to have only one wall keeping them apart, but the knowledge that any servant or guard could be outside, watching them, sufficed to keep their impulses at bay. They made up for it on the next day, though, by turning down Ty Lee's insistent demands that they all joined in on Jin's tour through the city.
"I've seen more of this city than I ever hoped to," Azula answered curtly after breakfast. "As a matter of fact, I've probably seen more of it than what many of its residents have seen. Frankly, I would sooner stay in the Palace."
"Well, then, stay here and get bored," Ty Lee said, smiling and shrugging. "I suppose your life is always so exciting that you do want some boredom?"
"Direly," said Azula, eyes wide. Ty Lee giggled before turning to Sokka.
"And I suppose, knowing you…?" she said. He smiled and shrugged at her, at which she rolled her eyes. "Peas in a pod. Fine, then, I'll just bring you souvenirs! See you when we get back!"
Sokka smiled and waved as Ty Lee raced down the Palace's corridors to meet up with the rest of the group. Only by the time they were gone did he dare meet Azula's gaze, who jerked her head, so he'd follow her towards another corridor. Sokka complied immediately, keeping up with her pace, ever delighted to be alone with her.
After a brief walk through the Palace halls, Azula finally stopped at one specific room. Sokka frowned for a moment until the familiar disposition of cushions and a small table, along with the view of the city through an ample window, struck a chord in him. His jaw dropped as Azula laughed mischievously.
"Really, Azula?" he asked, eyes wide before he smiled a little. "Really, now?"
"Come on, you might just get inspired to write a couple more poems, you never know," she smirked, turning towards the window. "Besides, it's a pretty great view."
"I suppose it is this time," Sokka mumbled, eyes raking her figure before he sighed in defeat and slumped in one of the cushions. "I don't have any paper though. Hard to write poetry if you have nothing to write it on."
"You can recite it then. Oral poetry isn't unheard of. And as you're so talented at some forms of orality, well…" Azula said, sitting as well as she stared at her nails carelessly. Sokka smirked.
"Am I, now? I had no idea you enjoyed that side of me so much," he said.
"Why, I'm sorry you didn't know. I certainly should have told you that your conversational skills are top-notch," Azula declared, smiling dryly. Sokka raised an eyebrow. "Well, what else did you think I was talking about?"
He laughed and shook his head. Azula's mischievous smirk decorated her face again. Sokka breathed deeply and glanced out the window again, taking in the bright scenery before them. The weather was good, which would allow Ty Lee's tour of Ba Sing Se to flow smoothly.
"Have you thought about what you'll do with the homeless people yet?" Sokka asked. Azula raised her eyebrows.
"Well, nothing's set in stone yet, but… I've thought the best place to begin is by relocating them, as I said. Within the Capital's area, if possible," she said. "If that can't happen, the harbor city will have to do. But I do want someone to supervise them constantly…"
"Oh? A guard?" Sokka asked. Azula shook her head.
"I need a caretaker, rather. Someone competent enough in a fight and strong-willed, who will be resourceful and who will take proper care of all those people," Azula explained. "They don't need a watchdog, they need someone who'll protect them, who will know how to tend to their needs… and someone who will have the initiative and capacity to do what needs to be done to help them."
"Hmm," said Sokka, stroking his stubble. "And I take it you don't have anyone in mind yet? Because if you don't, well… I'm always happy to help you out, you know?"
"Heh, right," said Azula, with a smirk. "I do appreciate your offer, but I doubt you want to move out of your house so you can look after seven formerly-homeless people, with duties that include cooking for them, washing their clothes…"
"Uh, yeah, I doubt I can do that," Sokka grimaced. "Though I would if you wanted me to, but… moving there? That'd mean…"
"That'd mean no privacy," Azula said, raising her eyebrows. "And, well… I doubt you'd be happy about that, would you?"
"Not at all," he chuckled.
"Besides, you don't need the money," she said, waving a hand in his direction. "Enough people have trouble getting jobs as it is. I'll hire someone."
"Will you have the funds for it?" Sokka asked. Azula shrugged.
"I'll have to present the project to my father, and he'll decide if he'll fund it. Until he decides to help me with it, I'd have to finance everything myself," she said. "At any rate, I'll keep pondering what else to do over the course of the trip. There's more to handle, such as their education and work abilities. I'll have to add that to the many things I have to figure out if I'm to reform all of them…"
"It's a pretty big commitment," said Sokka, smiling a little. "But I'm sure it will be worth it."
"At least one of us is," said Azula, but she smiled proudly nonetheless.
They fell silent briefly, as Azula tapped her chin absent-mindedly. Sokka's eyes were bearing into the table's wood until Azula's voice brought him out of his musings:
"You want to meet King Kuei, don't you?"
Sokka's eyes raised towards her, and Azula merely gave him her no-nonsense stare. He sighed and shrugged, slumping on the table.
"I suppose you'll tell me it's better if I don't, right?" he said. Azula shrugged.
"Better for whom?" she asked. "It may be less disappointing for you, if he really is as unresponsive as it seems he is, but I have no opinion on whether you ought to do it or not."
"You don't think it's a bad idea then?" Sokka asked, raising his head in surprise. "Do you trust me to meet face to face with an Earth King and not become a mess? Hell, you trust me not to let him out of the Palace, so he can start a rebel force all on his own?"
"Why… I didn't say either of those things," said Azula. Sokka smirked. "But going by what Tiang said, he's unwilling to go anywhere. Hell, even if he wasn't, where would he go from here? What would he do? What hopes would he have to regain his city and kingdom? Merely opening a cell door for him isn't going to help much."
"So, you're just being practical. You actually think I might do it, but you question that it'd pay off," Sokka said, amused.
"I would like to think you won't, but I may have to stand guard regardless to make sure of that," she said, raising her eyebrows. "I do trust you in many ways, Sokka, but when it comes to the war…"
"We're still on opposing sides," Sokka said. "All the same, I thought you knew that I've changed my views on a lot of things thanks to you… and I thought you'd understand that I would want to share those new views with the King."
"Oh, so he can throw you out of his cell in a fit of blind rage?" Azula asked, raising her eyebrows. "He's not likely to accept anything but the full return of his privileges, and he would be too proud to want that to happen through any means other than full-blown war. If he doesn't accept any measure of kindness from Tiang, it means he won't accept the notion that anyone from the Fire Nation could be anything other than pure evil. And that's something I assume you can understand…"
"I could, before. And I know why he feels that way," said Sokka, frowning. "But I'd still like to help him accept that not because the world has changed does it mean it's irredeemable. He'd be a lot more useful to his people outside a cell, if he really wanted to help them. I've helped my tribe more while being by your side than I did while I was in Hui Yi. Had I been too proud to accept your terms…"
"Let's not think about what could have happened, shall we?" Azula sighed, shaking her head. "At any rate, I do think that, if you ever talk to Kuei, I'll at least stand by someplace close just to make sure nothing goes out of control. I don't expect you to do anything too awful, but I don't know what can be expected from him."
"I don't mind if you're there with me, though…" said Sokka. Azula huffed.
"Not happening. If I were there, he'd definitely refuse to talk to you. You'll have a better chance to make him talk if I'm not there. Otherwise, he'd assume you're just a pathetic puppet of mine… not that he won't assume that once he finds out who you are, of course."
"I suppose he might," said Sokka, grimacing. "Well, either way, you'll agree to letting me do this?"
"I will. But only after the Tournament is over," Azula said, leveling him with a stern stare. Sokka raised an eyebrow. "If he says something hurtful, something devastating to you, I won't stand by watching how you let this whole event go to waste because your mind is in disarray. Call me paranoid if you'd like, but I'm not taking any chances on your emotional integrity if I can avoid it."
Sokka sighed, acknowledging with a shrug that her condition was reasonable enough. He would like to think he was more stable than she gave him credit for, but that was hard to assess without knowing King Kuei in the slightest. Sokka was well aware of how many emotional weaknesses he had, weaknesses that could be exploited by anyone eager to hurt him: if Kuei happened to be the kind of person who could make the most of that, Sokka might indeed jeopardize their entire venture in Ba Sing Se over a disturbing conversation.
"It would be a waste to lose lots of points if we fall on the first round of the Tournament," Sokka said, with a weak grin. "You're right, I'll hold out until it's over for us, whether we reach the final round or not."
"You're doing ridiculously well in the Ranking, too," she said, sighing. "Last I checked, you were in the 118th position, and if you do well this time you'll probably rise higher yet. Though… not much higher. Toph won at the Slate and she's barely a few positions ahead of you."
"Seriously? It didn't give her much of a boost?" Sokka asked, grimacing. "That's unsettling, but we did say it's harder to rise the higher we are, so…"
"Yeah, we should get used to it," said Azula. "Either way, talking with the king will wait until after the Green Gates are well behind us. That's my only condition."
Sokka smiled and nodded in agreement and submission. Azula raised her eyebrows, as though anticipating some sort of rebuttal.
"What?" Sokka huffed. "I can accept that. Haru's already in bad enough shape because of whatever's going on with him and Ty Lee, so I shouldn't make things worse, right?"
"Oh, you could. But I'm glad you're choosing not to," said Azula, smiling before sighing. "They worry me, those two."
"Yeah, me too," said Sokka, biting his lip. "Who'd have thought the day would come when you and I would be more stable than Ty Lee and Haru?"
"Truthfully, I didn't," Azula said, with a weak smile. "We have always been so conflictive, while those two are the opposite, usually. Ty Lee certainly is better off when she gets worked up about stupid, pointless things. When it comes to serious matters she shuts down and basically waits for it to go away. And she's doing that again, now."
"Do you think she has real feelings for Haru, though?" Sokka asked. "Or she's just so comfortable with him that she's unwilling to change her current situation because of that?"
"I don't know. I don't even think she knows," said Azula, with a sigh. "She has been through a lot of toil with most her relationships to date, but I never thought she had closed herself off to love until this mess started. I suspect she likes him more than she ever planned to, but she's holding back from genuinely loving him. Which, I suppose, is a good thing… Haru is hardly a convenient match if she ever hopes to return to her family's good graces."
"Does she?" Sokka asked. Azula shrugged.
"She did before. Maybe it doesn't matter to her as much anymore, but it used to matter. She had hated her life at home for as long as I've known her, but after things took such a bad turn for her, she seemed hellbent on returning to her terrible life, at whatever cost, over the kind of life she had after her fall from grace."
"She hasn't said anything like that for as long as I've known her, though," Sokka commented. Azula nodded.
"She has gotten used to her situation. The Gladiator League was also a pretty helpful distraction at first, and later on it became a source of income and purpose, I guess. But I don't know for sure that she's given up on finding a better life than this one. She may say she has, but she's an accomplished liar in her own right, especially when it comes to trying to convince herself of something or another…"
"It feels like they're completely out of their depths," said Sokka, sighing. "If only we could help in some other way…"
"If it means we'd assure our success in the Tournament, I would be willing to help too," Azula smirked. Sokka's eyebrow twitched disapprovingly. "But I guess, on some level, I feel like it's not our place to tell them what to do or how to handle this. If she asks for advice I'll give it, but…"
"That'd be fine, but you did bring up the Tournament," Sokka said, raising an eyebrow. "You may have forgotten, but the last time we fought one of these I had a partner who started out as another enemy rather than an ally. I'm not saying Haru will act the same way, but… if he's out of sorts, like I am whenever I have problems of my own, things won't work out so well in the Arena for us."
"I suppose, but what do you expect me to do?" Azula asked, grimacing. "I've already told Ty Lee what I think, but she's determined to ask for advice only to ignore it later."
"Well, maybe bring up the Tournament the next time you talk to her about this," said Sokka, sighing. "Haru could get badly hurt if we're careless in the ring. I doubt talking to him would kill her…"
"It won't, but she may think it will," Azula said, with a shrug. "Still, who knows? Maybe they'll come back from their sightseeing trip completely wrapped up in each other, despite everything."
"Odd to hear you being so positive about the future," Sokka smirked. Azula scoffed.
"I suppose you'd rather I become a herald of doom, then? Oh no, we're never going to succeed at the Tournament! We'll drop out at the first round and lose around seven hundred points in a single fight!"
Sokka laughed at her melodramatic behavior. She smirked at him, before shaking her head.
"Sad as it may be to admit it, though, maybe I should tell Ty Lee to talk to him. I already told her to, but clearly I went ignored."
"Don't take it to heart," said Sokka, with a weak grin. "It looks like she's not in the business of listening to anyone."
"Ah, speaking of experience?" Azula asked. Sokka whistled innocently. "I do suppose that's something you two have in common."
"Now, really, Princess, don't pretend you're much better," he smirked. "Nobody can tell you what to do, or can they?"
"I suppose my father can," Azula admitted, with a shrug. "But other than him…"
"Unruly and powerful. It's a dangerous combination," Sokka commented. Azula smirked.
"Rebellious and stubborn, with no sense of self-preservation, is even worse," she said. "Are you ready for tomorrow, though?"
"I think so," Sokka said. "I could go for some sparring on the day before the Tournament, though… I know you think I need to rest, but I'll go easy on you!"
"Ah? You'll go easy on me, is it?" Azula asked, with an indignant smirk. "Well, that's so thoughtful of you. You've just convinced me to tear you to shreds by saying that…"
"Hey, now, remember the Tournament? I have to stay in good shape for it…" he laughed, as Azula stood up and smirked at him from above.
"You're not going to retreat now, are you? I never pegged you for a coward…" she said. Sokka huffed.
"Fine, then, fine, let's do this or we'll spent the day poking at each other until we snap," he squealed, jumping to his feet. "So I guess I won't go easy on you after all!"
"Just what I wanted to hear," she smirked, as she led the way back through the Palace corridors.
The Princess and her gladiator spent most their day training together. They were near the front of the Palace, fire of dual colors flashing around them, blades clashing fiercely late into the afternoon, until they were distracted by the return of the tour. Azula's hopes to see Ty Lee and Haru in better moods came true in a rather inconvenient way: Ty Lee was rather invested in her conversation with Jin, while Haru seemed to have developed a friendship of his own with Song. They seemed to be happy, but not with each other.
Jin excused herself quickly, heading into the Palace to oversee dinner, while Ty Lee showed Sokka the souvenirs she'd bought for him: she had selected traditional Earth Kingdom outfits that completely disrupted his usual color combinations, but Sokka rather appreciated them anyways. Azula didn't pay much attention to the gifts, though, not even when Ty Lee offered her one of her own.
"Look, it's a makeup set! I thought you'd like it," she said, beaming. Azula stared at her with a slight frown that made Ty Lee stop smiling quickly. "What, you don't like it? Jin said it was the best in the…"
"I think I want a word with you, Ty Lee. Alone," she said, shaking her head and leading her friend away wordlessly.
Ty Lee grimaced, but didn't even glance back. She missed out on Haru's lingering gaze on her, but Sokka noticed it. Song excused herself as well, and she and Rui Shi walked back inside so the young woman could meet up with her mother again. It provided Sokka with the chance to talk with his friend, just as Azula was doing right now.
"Haru?" he said, raising his eyebrows. The earthbender tensed up. "You okay, pal?"
"I'm… fine," said Haru, with a nervous smile. "Just… you know, wondering what the Princess wanted, but it's nothing, really. Nothing at all…"
"Heh," said Sokka, raising an eyebrow in disbelief. "Say, uh… are things alright with you and Ty Lee lately? Azula mentioned…"
"It's fine," Haru blurted out quickly. Sokka frowned. "We're… it's just… it's nothing serious. I mean, we'll figure things out. Don't worry."
"Hey, if someone knows how complicated this kind of bond can be, it's me," Sokka said, stepping towards Haru and placing a hand on his shoulder. "I can help you, Haru. If anything's wrong…"
"I… I appreciate it," said Haru, with a sad smile. "But I don't think… I really doubt you can help. You may think it's the same as what you've been through, but… it's not. Your relationship with the Princess is different, whether you realize that or not. It's not what most people have. It's not what Ty Lee and I ever had."
"That doesn't mean I can't help, though," said Sokka, grimacing. "This is your first fight, isn't it?"
"If this were a fight it'd probably make more sense than it does," Haru said, with a skeptical laugh. But just as Sokka started to think his friend would open up to him, Haru shook his head and started to walk away after a gesture of farewell. "I'm sorry. Thanks for offering, but…"
"Haru," said Sokka, frowning. "You don't have to deal with this by yourself. I know it's hard to believe, but friends can help each other out even if they haven't been through the exact same experiences. We're supposed to be partners, especially now…"
"I won't fail in the ring," Haru said, sparing a quick glance at Sokka. "That's all that ought to matter. Whatever happens later, though… I'm glad you thought of me as a friend."
"Woah, what's that supposed to mean?" Sokka said, eyes wide. But Haru shook his head and kept walking, leaving the Blue Wolf standing where he was, his confusion ever growing. "Haru!"
The Emerald Rockman kept walking, head hunched, shoulders squared. Sokka stared at him in disbelief, his fears about what would happen on the next day merely increasing after this. Haru's words had been ominous, in ways he had never expected them to be. They had sounded eerily like a farewell, despite it made no sense for them to be. Or did it…?
What he had assumed to be a simple spat between the chi-blocker and her gladiator suddenly felt more convoluted than he could explain. And something – perhaps his own experiences when it came to conflicts with a Fire Nation highborn girl – told him that it didn't have to be remotely as complicated as it felt like right now.
But it was hard to judge things for what they were when he didn't understand all of what was happening, and Sokka knew that. He sighed, dreading that Haru and himself wouldn't give out their best performance despite it all, and it wasn't bound to be because of Sokka.
"How are we always the more reasonable pair of sponsor and gladiator whenever we join these tournaments…?" Sokka mumbled to himself, scratching the back of his head and wondering if Azula would have better luck with Ty Lee than he had with Haru…
Unsurprisingly, his hopes would go to waste. Azula stared at Ty Lee in disbelief, as they stood in one of the smaller rooms of the Palace.
"So, you've seriously not dealt with any of it yet? You haven't even talked to him?" she asked. Ty Lee pouted.
"Azula, I'm no good at that kind of thing, alright?" she groaned. "I don't want this to be over, you know? And if it ends then it's better if it does after the Tournament is done, don't you think?"
"I absolutely don't," Azula snapped. "You could've solved this problem ages ago! You had an entire trip to do it, and instead you've delayed it and avoided it, letting it fester so much that it may just destroy you at this rate…"
"Oh, please," said Ty Lee, rolling her eyes. "Azula, I know you're worried, but seriously, you can stop worrying that much! Haru is fine, I'm the one with the problem and…!"
"How are you so sure of that?" Azula asked, raising her eyebrows. "How do you know Haru is fine when you haven't talked with him in…?"
"Because he's happier than I've seen him in ages!" Ty Lee said, waving a hand towards Azula carelessly. "He talked more to Song this afternoon than he has talked with me in the last three months! He's happy, he made a new friend, he's doing perfectly well while I…!"
"Ty Lee, I know you were an acrobat, but your ability to jump to conclusion is…"
"Come on!" Ty Lee snapped. "I'll deal with this when I'm ready, Azula! Haru's going to be fine, and frankly, it doesn't suit you at all to be this concerned about what's going on between us!"
"Ah, so now, after so many years of wanting me to be more involved with your personal life, you're shoving me away?" Azula asked, eyebrows raised. "You're doing the same as you did with me and Sokka, the minute we were more open around you, you just wanted us to stop… seriously, Ty Lee, what's the matter with you?"
"What's the matter with me?!" Ty Lee said. "I just want to live my life! I don't have all the answers now, Azula, but I don't have to have them! I'm not like you, and Haru isn't like Sokka, and as much as you may think you're some great romance connoisseur now, you're not! You've only experienced one relationship, it hardly makes you an expert on how these things work!"
Azula stared at Ty Lee with wide eyes. There was a little remorse in the girl's brown eyes, but she didn't take back any of what she'd said. Azula breathed out and shook her head, taking a step back and lifting her hands in defeat.
"Fine. As you'd have it," she said. "Truthfully, I shouldn't have gotten involved at all in the first place. Do whatever you'll do, I won't get in your way anymore."
"Azula…" Ty Lee said, but the Princess stormed away without another word.
For a long time, she had been swept into Sokka's habits to help others, to provide support for people even if they didn't want any. It had paid off, and she had gotten used to doing it. She had helped Toph before, and it had worked wonders. She had helped Yang and Haiyan too, and it hadn't been catastrophic either. But now Ty Lee was reminding her of why she never put herself out there for people before, of why she would avoid being swept into anything that didn't concern her directly.
Sokka was standing halfway through the next corridor she stepped into. He turned upon hearing her footsteps, a spark of hope in his eyes, but it died quickly when he saw the expression on her face.
"Azula…?"
"Forget it," she said, shaking her head as she walked towards him. "I'm done dealing with this nonsense. It's not our business, and frankly, I'm tired. I have enough to worry about on my end, and if all she's going to do is tell me to shut up then…!"
Sokka's hands landed on her shoulders when Azula reached him. His concerned eyes found her furious ones. She knew he would have embraced her outright, perhaps even kissed her, to appease her, but the risk would have been too great in Ba Sing Se's Palace halls. He only dared stop her this way, conveying more than words through their eye contact.
"You did the best you could," he said, finally, as he dropped his hands. "I guess Ty Lee is far more stubborn than I ever gave her credit for."
"Not just stubborn, deep down she's just being a coward," Azula growled. "I hate to say it, but I'm as good as assuming you'll lose seven hundred points tomorrow because of all this. I know you handled yourself well even with Toph against you in your first fight the last tournament, but this time…"
"I'll do the best I can. And if it's not enough, well… at least we'll have tried. And we won't have to drop out of the ranking, seeing as we will have fought and lost anyways," said Sokka, with a weak grin. "Haru isn't in good shape, though. And he as well refuses to talk to me. So…"
"So we make a sorry excuse for a team, all four of us," Azula huffed. Sokka smiled weakly.
"At the very least, you and I are still on the same page," he said. His words gave her pause, and she looked at him with uncertainty. "As bad as things can get, we still have each other."
"We do. But I do hold you responsible for this," she grunted. Sokka raised his eyebrows. "You've gotten me into the habit of helping people, and I was so used to it that it didn't even cross my mind that Ty Lee outright didn't want it. I just…"
"You did whatever you could. And now I'll have to do the same, too," he said, gritting his teeth. "Don't let this eat away at you, Azula. I know it's awful, but…"
"But we have no choice other than to move forward," said Azula, sighing. "Maybe you can avoid losing seven hundred points outright, but even if you survive the first fight, this is the last time we'll join one of these tournaments. I seriously… I don't have it in me anymore to keep trying to fix everyone else's lives. It's not our problem."
"I guess it's not," Sokka muttered, lowering his gaze and nodding. "I guess it's not."
"And if you do lose those points… I won't be mad at you. I promise," said Azula, with a weak smile. Sokka raised his eyebrows as he looked at her.
The Princess let herself reach for his hand, and Sokka intertwined their fingers briefly. Again, their eyes met and conveyed what could not be spoken anymore. Their relationship had survived the worst threats so far: whatever came from this chaotic situation wouldn't be a burden on them, not when they had endured much worse. If only Ty Lee and Haru could say the same…
The brief contact between their hands ended quickly, but it was long enough for one onlooker to see them. Renkai's brow drew together as he watched the Princess and the gladiator walking away. He had been hiding behind a corner, hoping to listen in on the conversation: their words hadn't yielded enough material to suspect anything specific… but the Princess not only had allowed the gladiator to place his hands on her shoulders, it seemed she had reached out to touch him too. It wasn't easy to see from this angle, but it was the only explanation for her movements…
Perhaps he wouldn't even need to question the Princess's friend, after all.
A/N:
Kigozula is hosting a Gladiator Week on Tumblr starting next week. Letting you guys know in case any of you are interested in being part of it.