He was fast, but more than that, he was efficient. His movements were ridiculously quick, his three-pronged spear jabbing at Sokka without any restraint, his shield barring all of the Blue Wolf's attacks when his agility wouldn't do the job for him.
The Dark Rook was a blur in the battlefield, his black armor topped by a feathered cape that danced behind him wherever he went. His nimble attacks were intelligent, and blocking them wasn't quite as easy as defending from many other non-bending gladiators.
Sokka had always relied on speed and attack to defeat his foes, for he seldom found himself outdone by an enemy in either department. His sword was sharp enough to cut across every material in the world, as far as he knew… and yet the Dark Rook kept dodging him, slipping out of his grasp and constantly leaving him to rearrange his thoughts and reconsider his strategies.
Azula watched warily, having expected less from this particular rival. She knew better than to underestimate other fighters, but it hadn't occurred to her that the Dark Rook would outdo Sokka in several areas he had mastered over the years. The man was agile, resourceful, surely with years of experience to back up his talents. A man who had fought over seven hundred times would be expected to have an edge over Sokka, even if she didn't like accepting that reality.
On some level, she hoped Sokka wouldn't win. Over the past months Sokka had already outdone the Clown, the Stealth Cloud, the Silent Knight and Shadow Bolt: the Dark Rook was the only fighter who stood between the Blue Wolf and the top-ranked non-bender, the Mad Alchemist. And as much as the Mad Alchemist had barely just breached the top fifty, Azula suspected he would be far from an easy rival, even when Sokka was in the best shape he had ever been in.
And yet the Dark Rook wasn't all that daunting for Sokka, going by how confident and steady her gladiator had been so far. Sokka was testing the waters, it seemed, constantly seeking openings in his opponent's fighting style, openings that didn't seem to exist. Whenever he tried to cut the spear he would fail, and the opposite gladiator knew better than to let Space Sword touch his shield: he was well aware of how likely Sokka was to cut across strong metal without a hitch.
What he wasn't aware of, naturally, was of Sokka's complete and utter recklessness. The Blue Wolf was renowned for his ability to resort to the most unexpected measures to win fights, and that included jumping in the line of danger when any other gladiator would back away from the enemy.
Such was what he did when the Dark Rook attempted to stab his face with his spear. Instead of dodging, though, Sokka leapt… and the spear crashed against his armor.
Azula frowned, wondering if that had been a bad call or a good one. In anyone's eyes, it'd look as though Sokka had made a mistake… but the Dark Rook now stared at Sokka with confusion, his confident stance betraying unease.
Sokka moved forward again, and again the spear dashed out to keep him at bay: Sokka ran into it, though, letting the steel crash against his armor before swinging down Space Sword's sharp blade towards the spear's staff.
The Dark Rook jumped out of the way quickly, keeping his spear safe when he did. Sokka huffed and twirled his sword in his hand in expectation. The Dark Rook's fuzzy black hair couldn't hide the confusion in his eyes.
"W-what sort of madman… walks into a spear?" he asked.
"The one you're looking at right now" Sokka replied, with a smirk.
That threw him off, enough that when Sokka lunged again, and the Dark Rook raised his shield to defend himself, he forgot that the shield was every bit as breakable as the spear, at least when facing off against the Blue Wolf.
The tip of Space Sword left a visible gash on the shield, and the Dark Rook leapt back. Again, he jabbed with the spear quickly, just to put distance between them, but Sokka threatened to grab it. It was a long pursuit, one that pushed the Dark Rook all the way to the border of the ring, where the spikes waited…
"You shouldn't keep walking backwards, it's not going to be healthy for you!" Sokka shouted, still attempting to cut either the shield or the spear.
The Dark Rook roared in frustration and tossed the shield at Sokka in a wild frenzy. Sokka evaded it by twisting his torso out of the way, and the confused stare he was going to direct to his opponent vanished quickly when the butt of the spear slammed straight into Sokka's forehead.
The crowd roared, some with concern, others in celebration, but either thing proved premature: Sokka clasped the spear before the Rook could pull it away, and this time he didn't let go until Space Sword had cut the spear in three different pieces.
The Dark Rook stared at his broken spear in horror before darting off to pick up his shield. Sokka rubbed his forehead with his fingertips, guessing he was going to look like a cheap rendition of combustion man now, with a red bruise where the man had his tattooed eye… why hadn't he used the deadly end of the spear, though? It would have been much more effective, and yet it seemed the Rook was holding back, somehow…
Sokka could hear the crowd chanting, and he wasn't sure if it was in his favor or against him. The Dark Rook, unlike many other fighters he had faced, was well-known and well-loved, so the crowd seemed impossible to predict today. Still, their enthusiasm accompanied the intensifying battle, and as they were louder now, Sokka knew he had to turn around and ready himself for whatever the Dark Rook might…
He turned on his heels to find the near-broken shield soaring at full speed in his direction once more.
Sokka dodged by instinct, but he didn't stop there: he swung Space Sword fast and hard enough to finish cracking the shield: it broke into halves when it crashed against the wall, right amidst the spikes that lined it.
"Woah… woah" said Sokka, smiling a little as he assessed what he'd done "Well, uh, I guess you can fight with two shields now. Or two halves, I suppose that's more like it, but still…"
The Dark Rook didn't seem amused, and he only snarled before tossing something Sokka didn't expect: it was a container not unlike his bombs, and it fell square at his feet. The Blue Wolf knew to be wary of it: the brittle container shattered and a strange dark substance burst from it before he could put enough distance between it and himself. A strange, dark and sticky substance.
"Ugh! That's gross!" Sokka groaned, as the sludge fell upon his boots "The hell is this?!"
"I heard you fight with bombs, it shouldn't be that strange to you!" the Dark Rook taunted him, his voice tone betraying he was smiling, although Sokka couldn't see it, busy as he was attempting to stop the gooey mass from reaching any more of his clothes.
The sludge was corrosive, he could tell as soon as he laid eyes upon it. It had splattered on his boots, and he could already feel the soles weakening against the power of whatever acid substance this was. Sokka grimaced before withdrawing his boomerang and tossing it: the move distracted the Dark Rook long enough for Sokka to shrug out of his boots and continue fighting bare-footed.
"That… can't be good" Azula said, staring at him in chagrin. Not only was he likely to beg her for a new pair of boots, and shopping with him was bound to be a nightmare with how undecisive he could prove to be… but the last thing he needed was exposing any parts of his body to his opponent's acidic attacks.
"It's fun, though, isn't it?" said the sponsor beside her, smirking "I had wanted to test your gladiator for quite some time, and indeed, he's proving to be unexpectedly resilient. I can certainly say I hadn't enjoyed myself in a non-bending combat for quite some time…"
"I'm glad it's been entertaining" Azula said, glancing at the man with uncertainty. She was sure she'd seen the black-haired man somewhere before, quite possibly in this very Arena… yet she couldn't place him. For some reason, she couldn't figure out why he was familiar at all.
"Well, the sludge was pretty smart, I'll give you that!" Sokka shouted at the Dark Rook, who seemed pleased with himself "But since you've brought up my bombs…!"
The Dark Rook had been preparing for this. He knew a smokescreen would come, and then he'd need to dash out of it as soon as possible, before the bomb was defused, if he could…
The Blue Wolf threw the bomb with incredibly good aim, straight at the Dark Rook's head. The Dark Rook was unable to dodge it or do anything about it as it crashed right into him… and its contents were released immediately.
He frowned upon noticing there wasn't that much smoke pouring out of the small sphere… but within instants he realized it wasn't just a faulty bomb.
The Dark Rook covered his nose and mouth with his hands and rushed away from the stench bomb, completely disgusted and disoriented by the cocktail of disturbing smells mixed in it. Sokka chuckled with malice and ran in the same direction the Dark Rook was running to: Sokka's breathing techniques would spare him from the worst consequences to come from the stench bomb's effects.
"That's one thing I really do owe Toph: she sure inspired me to improve my bomb game" Sokka snickered, before reaching the confused Dark Rook and punching him without holding back.
The Dark Rook stumbled back and fell in the sand. Sokka was only attacking with his free hand, unwilling to use Space Sword when his opponent was already in bad shape. The Dark Rook struggled to find his footing again, and when he did Sokka landed a kick in his chest, launching him back towards one of the wooden furniture structures. He didn't destroy it, fortunately, but he bumped his head against it all the same.
"Shit…" the Dark Rook growled, before pushing himself to his feet and pulling out his last two weapons.
Sokka raised his eyebrows in surprise upon seeing the nunchakus. That wasn't something he'd dealt with until now, and that worried him slightly: if the Dark Rook was as fast as he'd been during the start of the fight, chopping up his weapons wouldn't be easy…
"The time is up!"
Sokka's eyes widened, as the Dark Rook stared at him in confusion. The crowd seemed disappointed, a feeling Sokka shared completely.
"Woah, just… how is it over so fast?!" Sokka said, turning and looking up at the Judges' Balcony. The Dark Rook only blinked blankly and waited for Sokka to finish his piece.
"Well, this was the time limit as agreed by the sponsors" the megaphone man said, now used to Sokka's tendency of talking to him through the fight "Therefore, it's over!"
"Well, damn it… give us ten more minutes, maybe?!"
A murmur of interest ran through the crowd. The Dark Rook blinked blankly, and the megaphone man stared down at Sokka with confusion. He disappeared after a moment, and Sokka grimaced before glancing at Azula's balcony. Unsurprisingly, she was covering her face with a hand. Sokka couldn't help but smile guiltily at the sight.
"You… want more time? Really?" The Dark Rook said "Do you think that way you can crush me, or…?"
"What? Hell no! I'm… I'm actually having fun, is all" Sokka said, shrugging. The Dark Rook's eyes widened.
"You're enjoying this? Fighting… barefoot?" The Dark Rook asked, pointing at Sokka's feet. Sokka glanced down at them, wiggling his toes in the sand.
"Well, it's a new experience" he said, with an awkward smile "It's just… you're the best non-bender I've fought, really. I'm not sure I can be satisfied when you were about to show me whatever you can do with those things…"
With that, Sokka pointed at the nunchakus. The Dark Rook smiled and nodded.
"Looks like I wasn't wrong earlier to think you're insane" he said "Only a crazy person would ask for more time in the sand pit when he can finally just pack up and go home"
"Hey, if you don't want to do it that's up to you, but I thought it was worth a shot" Sokka said, smiling. The Dark Rook sighed and looked at Sokka dubiously.
Azula's fingers had rubbed her forehead as she waited to hear from the staff members. She had no doubt one would come rushing to the sponsors' balcony to ask if extending the fight was alright or not, and she briefly wondered what the opposite sponsor would think…
Only briefly, though. As soon as she heard the man laughing beside her, she knew what his opinion would be.
"Oh, he's crazy! He's absolutely crazy!" the man laughed, shaking his head. Azula sighed.
"There's no denying that anymore, I suppose…" she said, as the sponsor wiped his eyes with his sleeve.
"Here I thought I hadn't underestimated you, Princess, but it seems no estimation will ever be accurate when it comes to you and your fighter" he said, laughing still "You're as unpredictable as they come!"
"I suppose it may seem so to you, but truthfully, most the absurd ideas are his doing, not mine" Azula said, with a weak grin.
The door to the balcony opened, and as expected, a staff member showed up to ask if the time limit for the fight could be extended. They came to a decision before long, and by the time the staff member had run off to convey it to the judges, Sokka had picked up his boomerang while the Dark Rook looked at his useless shield with sad eyes.
"Did it mean much to you?" Sokka asked. The Dark Rook waved a hand carelessly in his direction.
"Nah, it just cost a lot of money" he said. Sokka sighed "No need to feel bad, I knew you were likely to break my gear…"
"Heard about my antics much?"
"Never heard enough about them to think you'd ask for a time limit extension, though" said the Dark Rook, snickering. Sokka laughed.
"To be fair, I'd never done that before" he said.
"The time limit has been extended by ten more minutes, by mutual agreement between the sponsors!" the megaphone man announced, and the crowd cheered wildly. Sokka smiled proudly and looked at the Dark Rook eagerly.
"Alright, then! Bring on the chainsticks!" Sokka exclaimed, sounding as excited as a little boy. The Dark Rook snorted and raised his weapons.
"You're more insane by the minute, Blue Wolf!" he yelled, before jumping forward with his nunchakus.
The Dark Rook was a threat again with these new weapons, but Sokka knew they were the last two he had left on him. Once they were out of the way, Sokka would most likely have an easy road to victory… but destroying his opponent's weapons wasn't likely to be as easy this time as it was earlier: the nunchakus moved at ridiculous speeds, fast enough that Sokka wasn't sure he could keep up with them. From what he could see, the Dark Rook would try to disarm Sokka just as Sokka was trying to disarm him: if neither one gained an advantage, the ten extra minutes would prove to have been a pointless whim for Sokka. He breathed deeply and focused, watching the pattern of the nunchakus while walking backwards, ever wary, his weapon in tow…
When there was enough distance between them, the Dark Rook would simply swing the nunchakus circularly, waiting for Sokka to approach. The wooden sticks would no doubt be painful enough to stun Sokka if they reached his body, so he would have to attack from a distance, perhaps… and even that could be a waste. His boomerang would likely just be repealed by the circular-swinging nunchakus, and he wouldn't make any progress if that happened, not even in terms of distracting his opponent.
Perhaps that was just an indicator of what his next move should be. Sokka frowned with determination, guessing no tricks would work anymore. Just like tricks weren't what helped him outdo the Millennium Dragon.
And so he dashed forward, head-on. The Dark Rook stopped swinging the weapons circularly, and he attempted to strike Sokka with the left one just seconds before Sokka feinted back again. Now the right one, and Sokka jumped back before dashing in again. Not once did the sturdy wood reach him, as he waited again for the opening, the one opportunity he'd get to take down his foe…
But once it became clear the opportunity wasn't likely to arrive, Sokka released his club.
The Dark Rook stared in chagrin as Sokka took aim with the heavy weapon. He clenched his fists around his chainsticks and rushed in, ready to attack Sokka before the Blue Wolf could fling the heavy club against him: no nunchaku technique would help him fight back against a heavy projectile like that one…
He had to take down the Blue Wolf's club: once he did he might just have a chance to defeat him. If the Blue Wolf couldn't use his latest weapon, the Dark Rook would have the chance to turn the tides against the Princess's gladiator…
And so, he slung the nunchakus around the club, hoping to yank it out of Sokka's hands.
The Dark Rook pulled violently, putting all his might into it… perhaps too much of his might. He suddenly toppled back into the ground, feeling uneasy about how quickly that club had receded out of the Blue Wolf's grasp…
The Dark Rook's eyes widened when he saw the second stick of both nunchakus had been sliced through cleanly.
The Blue Wolf had relinquished his club without putting forward any resistance: as soon as the Dark Rook had fallen prey to his own violent pulling, Sokka had taken the opportunity to cut the Rook's weapons. And now the Blue Wolf towered over him, a black sword gleaming under the dome's bright lights.
"Looks like sometimes you just have to make the openings yourself, huh?" Sokka smirked. The Dark Rook sighed "Hey, now, don't look at me like that! You didn't come all this way without knowing how to fight hand-to-hand, or did you?"
"Kind of hard to fight hand-to-hand if you've got a sword, a club, a boomerang and who knows what else on you" The Dark Rook grumbled. Sokka grimaced before shrugging "What? You know I'm right"
"I know you're whiny, that I know" said Sokka, smiling suddenly as he sheathed his sword.
The Dark Rook stared at him in surprise as Sokka raised his eyebrows and his fists.
"Come on, then! This fight's been too much fun to give it a boring conclusion!" he said.
The Dark Rook smiled a little before jumping to his feet and tackling Sokka. The Blue Wolf remained on his feet, wrapping his arms around the enemy: soon enough he had lifted the Dark Rook and tossed him away from himself, as though he were a potato sack or. The Dark Rook fell on his feet and smirked before attacking again, but this time Sokka met the Dark Rook's assault with one of his own: a strong fist square into his jaw.
There was a lot of debate to be had about who was superior in terms of agility, but not in terms of physical strength: Sokka had developed muscles and power that were the envy of many other gladiators in the ring. It had been a long process, but he was more than capable of holding his own against others in terms of physical prowess. More often than not, the sturdy Water Tribesman would be vastly superior to his enemies in those regards.
And he proved as much this time too, although the Dark Rook was considerably resilient, unlike many other gladiators. He endured the attacks and carried on being agile and nimble, regardless of the blows he'd received. Sokka's armor shielded him from most the Dark Rook's attacks, but the Dark Rook's armor wasn't of the same quality as Sokka's, and it scarcely could defend him from Sokka's fierce and strategical blows.
The Dark Rook was faltering, swaying in place while Sokka stared at him, chest heaving. This was the way Sokka could exert his choices, he knew as much: by giving a fight his all when he needed to, and by backing off when his opponent was in no shape to continue fighting fairly.
"You okay?" Sokka asked. The Dark Rook coughed, wiping a thread of blood from his lower lip.
"I'm fine, I…" he said, his eyesight unfocused, his legs shaking…
"The, uh, extended time limit is over!"
The Dark Rook nearly collapsed in relief. It was over. He was supposed to win against this same gladiator another day, he knew that was what his sponsor had planned, but for now… for now he would be content to go home and rest.
Sokka breathed out and smiled at the megaphone man, who offered Sokka a thumbs-up. Sokka chuckled and responded to the gesture, leading to a wild cheer from the crowd again. How they loved it when he did that…
The stands were completely full again, to his profound relief. It had taken a little over half a year before it could happen, but it finally had… and he was glad for it. People felt safe enough to attend the Arena again, and when there was less trouble in the Gladiator Business, Azula was more likely to be in a better mood.
"You sure you're fine?" Sokka asked the Dark Rook again, glancing at him with uncertainty. The Dark Rook was supporting his weight on his knees, and he raised his head to offer Sokka a dubious grin.
"You really shouldn't look out for your opponents so much" he said "Feels like you're not taking things seriously"
"Hey, I can take things seriously while making sure I didn't break your bones or anything of the sort" said Sokka, smiling and stepping towards the man "Sorry about your weapons, though. You're a force to be reckoned with when it comes to those sticks of yours…"
"You're a force to be reckoned with, period" said the Dark Rook rising to his full height again. Even so, he was around half a head shorter than Sokka "I guess all rumors about you were true, after all… you're just as unpredictable and capable as your sponsor"
"Oh, now, that's a stretch" said Sokka, eyes wide. The Dark Rook actually laughed "You've never met her, I figure, else you wouldn't say something so controversial…"
"Indeed I haven't" said the Dark Rook "But one hears things. Even when faced with impossible odds, she overcomes every challenge… and you do that in the ring too, don't you?"
"I try, I guess. But it remains to be seen if I can keep doing it…"
"The judges have decided on a winner!" the megaphone man called, and Sokka wished he could keep from feeling nervous over an announcement he'd heard as often as this one…
"After deliberation on the merits of each fighter, we've determined only one gladiator can be victorious, regardless of how outstanding their techniques may be" the head of the judges said into the megaphone "Therefore, today's victory belongs to… the Blue Wolf"
The cheers in the Dome were deafening. Even music accompanied it, surprising Sokka: had the Blue Pack hired a group of musicians, or had they started a musical group themselves? He laughed in disbelief at the sounds and glanced about himself in amazement. As much as Sokka would never forget the horrors he had seen through his years as a gladiator, sometimes he could appreciate the League for what it was. Sometimes, if just once in a while, it didn't feel like gladiators were just demeaning jobs for warriors fallen from grace.
"Well, couldn't have been any other way" said the Dark Rook, smiling at Sokka "Congratulations"
"Thanks" said Sokka, smiling too before offering his hand to the Dark Rook. The man stared at it in confusion.
"You want a handshake?" he asked "I-I mean… you're sure about that?"
"I was actually going for something like…" said Sokka, stepping closer and clasping the other man's forearm "This. That's a greeting of respect from my tribe"
The cheers earlier had seemed to be the expected enthusiasm from the gladiatorial crowds: after Sokka clasped his rival's arm, though, the cheers of the Blue Wolf's supporters were joined by the Dark Rook's fans. Instead of demeaning their hero, the Blue Wolf was choosing to acknowledge him, and that certainly was something worth celebrating.
"Oh…" said the Dark Rook, surprised before smiling and answering by wrapping his fingers around Sokka's armored forearm "Am I really worthy of that?"
"Heh, I'd think so. You were a fun opponent, for sure" Sokka laughed "Thanks for the fight"
"Right. Thank you for, well, whatever this is" he smiled, as the staff members reached them.
The crowd had only grown wilder after the final exchange, and it continued to roar as Sokka and the Dark Rook left the fighting area. Azula smiled and shook her head, wondering how had Sokka become so talented at riling up the crowd, both deliberately and accidentally.
"Well, I must say that gladiator of yours is indeed something surprising" said the Dark Rook's sponsor. Somehow, he still appeared satisfied as he offered the bag of winnings to Azula, betraying no unease about parting with the money "Who'd ever heard of such cordiality between fighters?"
"He's the type to make friends wherever he goes" Azula said "He uses it to his advantage in the ring often, feels like"
"A clever man then" said the sponsor, smirking "Taking advantage of other people's weaknesses, whatever they may be, is the mark of the ambitious, of the ones with the drive and power to achieve whatever they set their minds on"
"Well… yes. I guess that goes without saying" Azula said, shrugging off the man's attempt to dispense wisdom. He seemed to notice her dismissiveness, though, and smiled awkwardly.
"Either way… I'm sure we'll meet again, Princess" he said "Perhaps under different circumstances, but nonetheless… I'm sure this won't be the last time our gladiators clash"
"I hope the next one ends in my favor just the same, then" Azula said, smiling sarcastically.
The Dark Rook's sponsor laughed his way out of the balcony, leaving Azula behind with an unpleasant, uneasy feeling twisting inside her. The man had all the makings of a noble, though he certainly wasn't one that her father held close to him. Else she would have placed him right away, surely… but somehow, as he walked away, he hardly seemed defeated. It was almost as though he had expected, or even wanted, his fighter to fall against Sokka.
Pushing aside her thoughts of the strange man as she made her way downstairs, Azula smirked as she pocketed the money: Sokka had outdone himself, if that was even a fair term to describe him anymore. Every single time Azula thought he was in a pickle he couldn't escape from, he would come up with an unforeseen idea to break himself out of trouble. She had scolded him in the past for not planning things beforehand, but his improvisation was one of the many sources of his strength as a fighter, and she had grown to appreciate it for what it was.
There wasn't bound to be much for the physicians to do with Sokka this time, but they were checking on him and his forehead bruise nonetheless. By the time Azula entered the waiting room she found him tying his belt around his shirt again, chuckling at a comment from one of the physicians about his forehead wound.
"Here you are. Yet another one in the bag, huh?" Azula asked, smiling. Sokka snickered and threw his fists into the air.
"I'm, unofficially, the second-best non-bending gladiator in the League!" he declared. Azula laughed as he celebrated briefly "Goodness, it's hard to wrap my head around it… I mean, really, we've come a long way since that first fight in Ember Island, huh?"
"And yet there's much left before us too" Azula said, nodding as the physicians stepped out of the room and closed the door for them "The Mad Alchemist is next, as you well know, and underestimating him isn't going to end well for us…"
"Oh, don't fret, I'm not underestimating anyone" Sokka chuckled "If he's mad for real, I'll have to be extra careful around him…"
"Really, now?" she asked, smirking "Here I thought you'd get along with him just fine, seeing as you're crazy enough to walk into a spear these days…"
"Hey now, I knew the armor would hold" Sokka laughed "Especially at that proximity, and with how little power he put into that thrust. So, yeah, maybe I walked into it, but the spear wasn't exactly at its most threatening…"
"And yet I worry" Azula sighed dramatically, stepping towards him and placing a hand on his chest "Where did it hit you, exactly?"
"Uh, a little more to the…"
"Here, perhaps?" she asked, biting her lip as she moved her hands to his abs. Sokka snorted, rolling his eyes as Azula touched his ribs now "Or was it over here? No, surely higher…"
"You sure are worried, probing my body like that" he smirked. Azula raised her eyebrows with her characteristic determination.
"Why, I must make sure you're fine, it's obvious!" she said. Sokka laughed as she opened his shirt, undoing his belt again. She assessed his body with a frown before groping him again, to which he had no protests "Hmm, well, the muscles are still firm and strong and delectable and… I guess I'll just keep doing this until you say it hurts, huh?"
"And I never will, just so you keep doing it" Sokka snickered. Azula laughed and leaned close to kiss his lips.
"Alright, let's save the proper bodily examination for later, if you like" she said. Sokka smirked "We need to check on the ranking after all…"
"Bummer, here I was thinking we'd have our way with each other before that" Sokka sighed dramatically "You know, these rooms really do suit that kind of nefarious purpose…"
"I know, right?" Azula said, smirking "If I didn't know any better, I'd think the chairman wants sponsors and gladiators to get frisky on these couches before and after the battles…"
"Well, I wouldn't mind doing that, if that's how my sponsor wants it…" Sokka snickered, wrapping an arm around Azula's waist. She laughed and pressed her face to his bare chest.
"Be that as it may… you did a great job today" she said, looking at him with a gentle smile "I'm proud of you"
"Ah, curses…" Sokka smiled, cupping her face between his hands "How's a common guy supposed to not melt into a puddle of giddiness when the most amazing woman in the world says something like that to him, huh?"
"I suppose the best solution for that would be for me to literally hold you together. Maybe that'll keep you from melting" Azula smirked. Sokka laughed and kissed her lips softly.
"I love you" he said "And I'm very proud of you too"
"So, we're proud of us. That's a good thing, I suppose" Azula finished, chuckling before closing his shirt and tying his sash properly around his waist. Sokka smiled as his fingertips glided over her cheek, wishing already that they could be all by themselves somewhere, alone and free to act on their feelings without fearing anyone might burst into the room at any given moment.
But it was time to consult Shoji, and this time around Sokka was rather eager to hear what their friend would have to say. For, if their calculations had been correct, Shoji would only have good news for them today…
The crowd was eager to see them, many of them waiting by the corridors to clap as they treaded towards the stairs. Down at the vestibule, the line at the bets' counter was quite long: the bright faces revealed all those people were more than pleased that Sokka had been victorious today. Congratulations reached them from everywhere, and they accepted them as graciously as possible, or at least, Azula did. Sokka mostly smiled, laughed and offered thumbs-up to people. The last gesture usually sent them in a frenzy, something Sokka was starting to find quite amusing.
Finally, the counter was there. And finally, Shoji was ready to reveal the big news they'd been waiting for…
"Princess, Blue Wolf…" said Shoji, beaming brightly as they approached him "You're officially in the top hundred!"
Azula's euphoria at the news only manifested itself through a proud, and relieved, smile. Naturally, Sokka failed at being as reserved and stoic as his sponsor. His eyes widened, his face broke into a joyous grin, and before Azula knew it, she was swept into his familiar embrace… in the middle of the vestibule, no less.
"What are you…?! Get off!" she exclaimed, blushing despite she would have gladly returned the hug, in different circumstances.
"Ack, screw your boring protocol!" Sokka laughed, lifting her slightly before setting her down again. Azula gave him a meaningful and pointed glare, to which he only responded with laughter as he released her.
"If you ever do that again…" she said, threateningly, but Sokka merely laughed it off and bounded around the counter "Sokka! I'm talking to you!"
"I know, but I'm happy, I want to hug someone and you're being a jerk!" he laughed still, pulling Shoji into the hug instead. The young man's eyes were wide too, and his cheeks were flushed: no doubt, he wasn't hugged often, let alone by gladiators "Better now?"
"You're just… unruly to the point of stupidity" Azula growled, rolling her eyes, but despite herself she smiled again while Sokka laughed and hoisted Shoji up without a care in the world "The top hundred, though… we've really made it, huh?"
"Y-yeah! Not by a ton of points, but you're in the right range by now!" said Shoji, with an awkward grin as Sokka finally set him down "See, considering the dropouts and the points from the fighters at the hundredth position… the Blue Wolf should be the 98th fighter right now"
"Unbelievable" said Azula, smiling. Sokka, at the other side of the counter, stared at the ranking with amazement "A rebellious fool like that one, rising so high in the ranking…"
"Oh, you knew I was incorrigible since the moment you hired me, don't pretend otherwise now" Sokka smirked "If you actually had it in your head that I'd change, well… you have to wonder who the fool really was, eh?"
"Did you just…?" Azula asked, raising her eyebrows dangerously. Sokka bit his lower lip and bounced back and forth on his heels where he was, a guilty smile on his face "Well, now, that's fascinating. You finally make good progress in the ranking, after fighting over fifteen times in the last six months… and your best idea to celebrate is to piss me off?"
"No one said I had good sense in this head of mine" Sokka chuckled. Azula smiled and shook her head.
"And at this rate, no one ever will" she said. He laughed anyways, returning to her side despite that meant risking her wrath would be more violent now. Still, Azula seemed too happy to punish Sokka's insolence properly right now "Then I guess we've truly reached the final stretch, huh?"
"Going by what people always say, this is the toughest part, right?" said Sokka. Azula shrugged.
"In some ways, but… we have our own challenge to deal with" she said "Rising through the ranking may be difficult, but you have a first goal to achieve, and… the opportunity to do so is right before us"
"Proving I'm the best non-bender, huh?" Sokka said, biting his lip again "You want to go for the Mad Alchemist right away?"
"I suppose we could have more fights with firebenders and earthbenders in between, that way you won't forget how to fight them" Azula taunted him "But yes, I think… I think it's time to try, at least"
"The Mad Alchemist, then?" said Shoji, swallowing hard "I do advise you challenge other people as well, yeah. He's strong, but also… evasive, I'd say. He's a weird fellow"
"Really?" said Sokka "Would he leave us waiting? I mean, this is the Princess… wouldn't his sponsor think that's not the kind of challenge to delay responding to?"
"I don't know for sure, maybe" said Shoji, with a weak grin "But he's always been, well, weird. They're both pretty weird, gladiator and sponsor…"
"So they're like us!" Sokka declared, beaming at Azula. She glared at him again.
"Speak for yourself. I don't hug people willy-nilly" she grumbled. Sokka huffed.
"And that's exactly what makes you weird, Princess!"
She rolled her eyes but smiled, before focusing on Shoji again. Sokka's enthusiasm was annoyingly contagious.
"Anyways, cutting to the chase" Azula said "Do you have any advice on how to deal with the Mad Alchemist?"
"Uh… that's tough to say" said Shoji, grimacing "He's… well, he's usually said to not win the same way twice. That's his, uh, catchphrase? I guess?"
"Oh? Then… I just have to corner him into only being able to win in the same ways he's won before" said Sokka, smirking. Azula raised her eyebrows "It's obvious, right? If his only way to win is something he's already done, he'll lose on purpose to keep the catchphrase alive!"
"I wouldn't bet on it, but hopefully you're right about that simple trick winning the day" Azula said "What sorts of weapons does he use, then?"
"That's also hard to say" said Shoji, biting his lip "Every now and then his sponsor shows up and brings a new list of weapons for his gladiator. It's not something outlawed by the chairman, so he's always allowed to do that… but every time it's something different. The last change was…"
Shoji withdrew some of his files from a cabinet, and while he scrolled through them, Sokka continued to smile foolishly next to Azula. She continued to warn him to stop acting like that through glares, but he remained impassive, giggling foolishly and smiling at his fans, as they squealed at the sight of him.
"You're having way too much fun" Azula grumbled. Sokka chuckled.
"You've said I had to cheer up over all these months, now that I'm finally in a better mood you want to shut me down? That doesn't make sense, Princess…" he said, proudly. Azula rolled her eyes and smiled.
"Hold back slightly, at least. It's getting ridiculous" she said. He wasn't wrong to say she was pleased to see him in such a better mood, though it scared her that his behavior might make their bond all the more apparent in the eyes of the common public.
"Oh, please, Princess. I've always been ridiculous" Sokka said, proudly. She couldn't help but laugh.
"That's the first sensible thing you've said ever since you came out of that fight" she said. Sokka snickered.
"You know that's how I brighten your day, though. The silliness is needed in this dour, nasty world of ours…"
"Okay, so… for the last fights he's used, well, an array of projectile weapons, some strange bows and arrows, darts, throwing stars, knives… and also different assortments of bombs, whether volatile or acidic ones" Shoji said, licking his lips "Before that he'd used some strange blade contraption called the multiblade? I think he plucked out his enemy's eyeball with it, but cut himself a whole bunch of times too while he used it, so…"
"Ew" said Sokka, grimacing "Does he hurt himself often?"
"More than most gladiators do, I'll say" Shoji admitted, with an awkward grin "He's a very chaotic gladiator, not very constant. Beating him can prove a very easy feat… or a completely impossible one. Depends on what kind of day he's having, I guess?"
"That… is simultaneously helpful and useless, I guess" said Azula, sighing "But we shouldn't expect you to have all the answers so easily all the time, huh?"
"I'll just say, he's very unpredictable" Shoji said, looking at Azula meaningfully "He has a tendency to slide between the cracks of the rules, you know? If he can bring five weapons, then the weapons will have multiple uses even if they only count as one. Somehow, the chairman and board have always allowed him to do that, so it's not outlawed even if some people think it should be. He also… well, uses substances, in fights. Once he used one to make an opponent fall asleep, he won by a countdown within moments of starting his fight…?"
"And all that stuff is legal, huh?" said Sokka, grimacing. If his bombs were legal, he guessed the Mad Alchemist's creations weren't outlawed either, but that warning about weapons with multiple uses seemed ominous.
"Well, yeah. Like I said, there are no regulations against it" Shoji admitted. Azula rubbed the bridge of her nose carefully.
"Any other crazy techniques worth preparing for?" Azula asked. Shoji bit his lip before shrugging.
"I don't know, really. But I guess you should prepare for acids, for sensory overload through his substances, for poison… all those things. He's called the Mad Alchemist, his strength as a fighter is found in whatever he does outside the ring to concoct his weapons"
"Meaning, the League is just a place for him to test his products" Sokka concluded. Shoji nodded "Well, that's just weird. Messed up, and weird"
"Indeed it is" Azula said, breathing deeply "See? There are much weirder things in this League than either you or I"
"That's for sure" said Sokka, with a chuckle. Azula nodded towards Shoji.
"We'll prepare for the risks, if it comes to that" she said "I'll challenge two more fighters aside from him, I'll leave our fight with him for last…"
"As you wish, Princess" said Shoji, as Azula picked up the ranking to select the two other fighters, a firebender and an earthbender.
Sokka waited patiently while Azula finished filing their challenges, smiling to himself as he thought about their progress. His eyes kept drifting towards his sponsor, guessing she really had to be proud of him, going by how she hadn't even scolded him all that harshly after all his risky behavior from earlier…
"Alright, one for Warrior of the Gale, one for Gold Spear and one for the Mad Alchemist" Shoji said, smiling.
"Good. I guess this is it for today, then. Thanks for your help, Shoji" she said. He smiled and nodded.
"Congratulations again" he said "If I know of a duo of gladiator and sponsor who deserve rising this fast, it's you two"
"Heh, it's only taken us three years, I don't know about how fast that is" Sokka chuckled.
"Three years, seventy-two fights, and over twenty-eight thousand points?" said Shoji, smiling in disbelief "The only other gladiator to achieve the same feat is, well…"
"The Blind Bandit" Azula answered, immediately. Shoji smiled and nodded.
"The Slate keeps her ahead of you guys" he admitted. Azula smiled too and shook her head "She won again there only a couple of months ago…"
"We'll catch up to her eventually. No need to worry about that right now" she said, before turning towards Sokka "Ready to stop making a fool of yourself in front of your crowd, then?"
"Oh, sure thing! I'm ready to go make a fool of myself wherever we may go next!" he declared. Azula laughed.
"The market, then. You need new boots" She said, glancing at his feet with a smirk. Sokka bit his lip as he wiggled his toes.
"Then you're going to buy me a new pair? Just like that? Wow, you're generous today…!"
"Push your luck by taunting me and I might change my mind all over again" she said. Sokka snorted and threw an arm around her shoulders. She tensed up immediately at his touch.
"No need to worry, I'll…!"
"And that's exactly what I meant. Forget it. No new boots now!" she interrupted, shoving him off before making her way to the door. Sokka squeaked.
"Hey! I was just messing around! You don't mean that!"
Shoji chuckled and watched them vanish through the gates. They had been moodier for a time, for understandable reasons, but they were back to normal by now. Or, well, whatever counted as normal for the Princess and her gladiator. They had never been ordinary: that wasn't a word Shoji would ever consider using to describe the pair. They were something else entirely, and he'd known as much ever since he'd first met them.
By now, it was clear to him that their bond was complex, deep, perhaps even to a dangerous extent… and it was the most fascinating thing he had ever witnessed ever since he started working in the Gladiator League. That something so beautiful could be born within such a violent system was certainly one of the finest ironies life had ever shown him…
Buying the boots was, as expected, a long and arduous process. Azula dismissed most of Sokka's favored models, for she found them crude and plain, while Sokka said they were manly and sturdy. In the end he found a pair similar enough to the ones he'd lost in the fight, thick enough to protect him from being stomped on by playful dragons and, hopefully, strong enough to keep his feet safe from acidic attacks by his enemies.
"I still think it's a waste that you basically bought the same thing you've been wearing for the better part of three years" Azula said, shaking her head as she steered Xin Long to Sokka's house after their shopping trip was over "Seriously, you have the opportunity to upgrade your gear and you waste it like this?"
"You have different priorities than mine, Azula" Sokka snickered, his hands moving over her flanks "You'd go for something stylish, no doubt, pointy boots with all sorts of Fire Nation colors…"
"I didn't say you had to go for that too, you know…"
"But my priority, Princess, is comfort and safety! And as ugly as you may find these boots, they're pretty good in those areas. In fact, I have no idea what's so ugly about them in the first place"
Azula glanced down at his feet, an eyebrow raised. Sokka looked at her questioningly.
"Well?"
"I don't see how something so plain and meek can look appealing to you, but I suppose your standards for clothes aren't as good as your standards for women…"
"Oh, really now?" Sokka smirked, looking at her with amusement. She couldn't help but smile too as she shrugged.
"Same as with food, and with art, and with so many other things where you settle for nonsense. Heck, come to think of it, if you hadn't ended up with me, you really might have settled for someone as nasty as Hina, for all I know…"
"You're seriously accusing me of having low standards, Princess? For real?" he said, as Xin Long touched down on the backyard.
"I'm only saying, when a man has only eaten hare his entire life, he has no idea there are so many better kinds of meats that are… hey!"
Sokka's arms had wrapped around her body and he hoisted them both off Xin Long's saddle with a heave. As ever, he fell on the ground first, cushioning Azula's fall with his own body, but as they weren't so high, it wasn't particularly painful, especially with his armor to protect him.
"Sokka!" Azula yelled, laughing despite herself as he did his best to tickle her under her own golden armor.
"You wicked Princess, pretending I wouldn't know any better! You know just as well as I do that you're my one true and only love, dang it!"
She laughed as they rolled over the grass, ever the victim of Sokka's tickling sprees. As much as she often struggled and pushed him off, at other times she simply relished in letting him find her weak spots as he would. Sometimes she merely enjoyed being vulnerable for him, because she knew he would never use that vulnerability to hurt her. Three years had passed indeed since their reencounter and since they'd struck their deal: lying in the grass beside him, her dragon lounging near them too, as Sokka smirked teasingly at her, was enough to assuage her many concerns and fears and dismiss her original anxieties about letting someone see her for who she was.
"One day I'll get you a nicer pair of boots" Azula assured him once he stopped tickling her. Sokka smirked and rolled his eyes "Not just comfortable and strong, but nice to look at too. It's not fitting for the Princess's gladiator to dress below his station, you see…"
"I like dressing below my station, mind you" he said, pulling her closer and kissing her brow "That way your people can see you've given a chance to a nobody like me, and that's why they trust you and believe in you as much as they do"
"Oh, really, now? It's because of you?" she asked, smirking. Sokka bit his lip and shrugged "Well… admittedly, it is. I definitely wouldn't have come this far in society without you"
"Huh? Come on, I was just messing with you…" Sokka chuckled. Azula smiled and prodded his nose with hers.
"Well, you were on-point this time around. Congratulations" she said. He kissed her lips softly before sighing and rolling on his back.
He lay splayed on the grass, staring at the darkening skies with a sense of wonder in his eyes. Azula watched him, on her side as she was, knowing he was only withdrawn momentarily, suspecting he would share his thoughts with her soon enough. Knowing, just as well, to give him his space while he decided to do so.
Xin Long was rolling back and forth in the backyard, as though trying to shrug off the saddle, when Sokka spoke. Azula had been about to tell Xin Long to stop being so frisky, for he might damage the saddle by acting that way, but her attention was drawn by Sokka again as he placed his hands under his head.
"Can you really believe we've come this far?" he said. She stared at him intently, uncertain if she should answer his question yet "I mean… it's been hard, and it's taken us a while, but Shoji is right to say we're pretty lucky to have come this far in only three years, huh?"
"Things suddenly seem more real than they used to, don't they?" Azula asked, stroking his hair gently. Sokka smiled at her.
"I guess so" he said "When we first agreed to do this… you said you wanted me to be the top gladiator in the League, and sure, I'm not there yet, but… I never really thought it'd be possible, you know?"
"Is that so?" Azula asked, raising her eyebrows skeptically "So, you strung me along for nothing, you jerk?"
"Something like that" he admitted, laughing while she was the one tickling him this time, reaching for his armpits "Okay, okay, I'm sorry!"
"You'd better be!" she declared, straddling his hips as he laughed heartily. She smiled at the sight of him, ever cherishing his genuine happiness after having seen him quite miserable throughout the last six months. It had taken him a while to finally recover fully from what he'd done to the Millennium Dragon, if he was fully recovered by now, that was.
The Millennium Dragon was still in the ranking, and still fighting. But he had been out of the fighting pits for longer than usual, surely because Aonu wanted to ensure his safe recovery before sending him into dangerous combats once more. The distance between the powerful firebender and the Light Bearer, the third-best gladiator and his closest challenger, was growing smaller every day, it seemed. It wouldn't be long before Renzhi dropped to the third place, for the first time in his career.
Azula hadn't disclosed any of that to Sokka, though, knowing better than to worry him. He had taken a long time to come to terms with what he'd done, and the consequences of his actions were sure to wipe his careless smile from his face immediately. If Azula's hopes came true, by the time Sokka and Renzhi crossed paths again, the firebender would have recovered enough to put plenty of distance between himself and the Light Bearer once again.
"Okay, geez, I surrender! I was wrong, you were right, you're the greatest sponsor in history!" Sokka laughed, as Azula pinned his wrists down on the ground "Seriously, I think I even asked if you were crazy back then, right? How didn't that give away that I had absolutely no confidence in my abilities, Princess?"
"Admittedly, it did, but I thought you'd be more ambitious than that" Azula said, smirking "All things considered, you've worked very hard and given your very best efforts to come to where you are now. It only seems fitting that your opinion about how impossible our mission was would change over time. But going by your current claims… you didn't really believe it was possible until just now?"
"Well, not until just now, but you know…" Sokka said, as Azula released his wrists and relaxed atop him, propped on his armored chest "It's as if someone told you your dad's going to abdicate and you'll be Fire Lord starting tomorrow. Wouldn't you be blown away because, while it's something you've been aiming for, it's happening a bit faster than you expected it to?"
"I guess" Azula admitted, nodding "And yet I'd be ecstatic about it. Because I'd finally be able to make a certain twitchy gladiator happy by fulfilling his most outrageous demands. Such as letting him get massages at the royal spa, allowing him to eat his fill of royal banquets every day, giving him his own room at the Palace…"
"Those are my most outrageous demands?" Sokka asked, smirking "What about ending the war? Finishing off slavery? Marrying you?"
"What, those? Those are perfectly reasonable demands, mind you" Azula said, proudly. Sokka laughed and pushed himself up to kiss her "Still… I understand you'd be overwhelmed. I would be, too. It feels like we're in the last legs of a very long journey… but I'd think it's been worth it. Wouldn't you say so too?"
"Yeah. Definitely" said Sokka, stroking her cheek "No doubt there's a lot I would like to change, especially mistakes to take back and bad things I've done that I shouldn't have, but… I'm glad we're here now. I just hope I'm really good enough to be the best non-bender. Otherwise, all this talk will feel pretty pointless, huh?"
"Not really. I don't think it'd be so bad if you lost, you've won so many times by now I'm scared, even" said Azula, smirking. Sokka laughed "Are you suddenly invulnerable, by any chance, gladiator? Is it impossible to defeat you?"
"I'm pretty sure there's one person I'll only ever lose to, and she's straddling me right now" he said "Hard to keep up a perfect record when your sponsor could make you drop all weapons with just one word…"
"Oh? What word is that?" she asked, leaning closer. Sokka bit his lip.
"You tell me" he said. Azula smirked as she hovered right above his lips briefly… only to move towards his left ear instead.
"Surrender" she whispered softly. Sokka groaned and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her fiercely.
Even if he claimed he would give up against her, he was doing so as rebelliously as he could, his lips overtaking hers, hands reaching through her hair and clothes to hold her body against his. He could say she would only ever defeat him, that he couldn't stand a chance against her… but Azula knew the truth. His soul was that of a fighter, of a man who never settled for anything below what was right and true. That rebelliousness she had found so unnerving back when their partnership began had also been the most attractive element about Sokka, something she was drawn to without any control. Even when he gave up, he continued rebelling. Even when he lost, he was still willing to fight in hopes to win again in the future. He was akin to fire in ways many firebenders couldn't hope to be: resilient, adaptable and capable of coming back to his full strength even after being reduced to a few cinders. Sokka wasn't capable of true surrender: Azula hoped he never would be.
They spent a few leisure hours in the backyard, as good as playing together in the grass. By the time dusk arrived Azula returned to the Palace, as ever checking for Seethus's presence, and as ever, relieved to find no trace of the man upon resonating. She supposed Ozai was merely meeting with him elsewhere, or whenever Azula wasn't nearby. Either way, she found a familiar source of wild fire standing in one of the Palace's corridors, near Azula's own room. Zhao had been waiting for her, from the looks of it… what for? It had been a while since they'd last talked properly, exchanging nothing but common pleasantries whenever they met over the past months, since they were both quite busy. What could have changed today?
She schooled her expression into a smile, pleased to have used her resonance to figure out the man was nearby. This way she would surprise him, and not the other way around.
"Admiral, I wasn't expecting you" she startled him visibly by approaching from behind. Zhao turned quickly and grinned at her, bowing his head graciously.
"I suppose not, but I thought I'd come visit you. I watched your fight today" he said. Azula raised her eyebrows, instantly wary of what he might have seen in the vestibule afterwards.
"And?" she said. Zhao laughed.
"I was impressed, as were the chairman and the board" he said "I had hoped to catch up with you before you left, but you were gone by the time I made it through the crowds. Sokka wasn't badly wounded, I assume?"
"No, his old boots got the worst of it" said Azula, with a small smile "I bought him new ones, but they're nothing noteworthy anyhow, even if I was offering to pay for an improvement…"
"He's probably being gallant, rejecting your generosity just to remain humble" said Zhao. Azula snorted.
"No, he's being a stubborn idiot, that's what" she said. Zhao laughed now "Either way, you were here to congratulate me for our success in today's fight? Or…?"
"Well, yes, but that's not all I wanted to do" he said "I am quite interested in helping you prove that you sponsor the greatest non-bender in the Gladiator League… it's an appreciation I have had since the Brawl, and one I still stand by. Many of my peers seemed disbelieving of it the last time I spoke of my convictions, but after today you must have silenced them all"
"I suppose that's good news" said Azula, eyeing him with uncertainty "Which peers are we talking about, though? Military peers, or…?"
"Sponsors, of course" said Zhao, smirking "The High Tier, as they like to call themselves"
"Huh" said Azula, with a smile of her own "The sponsors of the top fighters, I presume"
"That's correct. The group has existed ever since the League's structure became more apparent" said Zhao "Naturally, in the first months everything was chaotic, all those fighters struggling to prove themselves superior to each other… but after a while, it was clear that some of us had taken over the top positions and the rest of the ranking settled down little by little. Once things calmed down enough, the High Tier was established. Not by me, of course, but by noble sponsors who wanted to take advantage of this new system to defy each other. I was invited to their parties until I had to travel North, by then Zhen would go in my stead. And today, Princess…"
Zhao smirked, looking at her with pride. Azula raised an eyebrow slowly at his pause.
"Today I shall, hopefully, make amends for some of my countless mistakes towards you" he said "And I shall do so by inviting you to the upcoming meeting of the High Tier"
Azula remained silent for a moment, and she inched away a little as her confused stare changed into distrust. Zhao, though, wasn't deterred.
"Can you just invite someone to these meetings?" she asked "Didn't you say it was an exclusive thing, for top sponsors only?"
"The High Tier is comprised by sponsors in the top hundred positions, Princess" said Zhao, proudly. Azula's eyes widened "We're usually the ones who have a different kind of competition taking place in each fight. Our gladiators aren't merely here for entertainment, but to settle disputes, to prove points and superiority… they're fighting for more than just the crowd's acclaim, more than just to satisfy the wishes of carnage from so many spectators. And as far as I can see, you more than qualify within these requirements. I would have invited you sooner, but I thought I'd wait until you reached the top hundred. When I found out you had done it with this fight, I figured I'd go ahead and make my offer right away"
"Huh" said Azula, frowning a little as she considered Zhao's words "Well, for me, the Gladiator League has always been about much more than enjoying any carnage… but I wonder if these people will actually hold any respect for me if I attend their meeting without being invited by, I don't know, whoever's hosting it. Unless that's you?"
"It's not" Zhao admitted, with a smile "Flameheart's sponsor is the one hosting it this time. You may be familiar with him, he's the head of an old noble family…"
"I suppose there might be a few familiar faces in the Ranking's High Tier" Azula admitted, grimacing "Not many I'll be happy to greet outside of balls and feasts, though"
"Naturally" Zhao smiled "But you are smart enough to understand that this is the way important challenges are issued in these levels of the ranking. Many sponsors like playing aloof, ignoring challenges by dangerous rivals… cornering a sponsor in one of these meetings is the ideal way to settle on a challenge by mutual agreement. And, well… I figure you'll be challenging the Mad Alchemist soon, right?"
"Right" said Azula "I already sent one…"
"You'll be interested in this meeting, then" said Zhao "Because the Alchemist isn't the only one who's mad, if you understand what I'm trying to say…"
"The sponsor is just as unreasonable and unpredictable as the gladiator, then?" Azula asked. Zhao nodded "Shoji warned us that the sponsor was weird too, but he didn't specify how…"
"They're partners in, well, the development of whatever weapons they craft" said Zhao "Ozai had hoped they could be of some use in developing new weapons for the army, but… they're not exactly trustworthy in those regards. Their weapons are strange, difficult to build and use, confusing… it's like they're playing at being scientists rather than genuinely wanting to fight in the League"
"My gladiator theorized that they were testing their products through the fights. Is that what they do?" Azula asked. Zhao shrugged.
"Feels like it, at least. The Mad Alchemist is like no other gladiator, that's for sure. But if you want to fight him, you should attend this meeting with me" said Zhao "If I'm right, and I suspect I am, his sponsor will be there. As soon as I spot him, you can corner him and obtain your chance to prove yourself the superior sponsor of the superior non-bender"
"Are you really doing this out of the good will of your heart?" Azula asked, with amusement "I mean, I appreciate it if that's so, but… do you have anything to gain from this?"
"Merely paying you back for one of the countless favors I owe you" Zhao chuckled "Other than that? The enjoyment that will come from watching you tear down all those noblemen's pride with your words, no doubt. You'll be the first woman to attend these meetings as a sponsor rather than a date…"
"Wait, are we supposed to bring dates?" Azula asked, looking at Zhao with confusion and disgust. Zhao laughed.
"No, we're not. Some of them do it regardless, though. Generally to flaunt their newest conquests and such" said Zhao "No one will expect you to bring any marriage prospects with you, if that's what you feared"
"Good" said Azula, nodding "No dates, then. I assumed it's a sponsors-only event, so it felt a little strange that there would be dates… I mean, I doubt even the gladiators attend these things, or do they?"
"No, of course not" said Zhao, smiling and shaking his head "The fights we lead as sponsors are generally none of their business, so they'd only be in the way. It's just one of the typical gatherings for the high class, surely nothing you're not used to"
"I understand" said Azula, breathing deeply "When will this take place, then?"
"The upcoming meeting is in five days" Zhao said "You are free to attend by yourself, but as you've extended the courtesy of letting me travel with you before, I figured I'd offer to do it for you this time. Yen's estate isn't too far, but I suppose you've never been there"
"I haven't, it's true" Azula said. Going with Zhao would certainly be inconvenient, since she'd have no choice but to stay until Zhao decided he wanted to leave… well, unless she summoned Xin Long. She might as well do as much, if things dragged on so much she couldn't stand it anymore "I suppose I'll take you up on this offer, if just this one time. If the High Tier decides I'm up to their level, I may attend again when it suits me…"
"It's only reasonable" said Zhao, nodding "A lot of sponsors don't attend these meetings, no matter if they've been invited or not. As you may imagine, Aonu refuses to attend…"
"Unsurprising" Azula said, nodding "It's better that way for me, anyhow. I doubt I'll want to deal with his bitterness over how things went down at the Brawl…"
"Understandably so, Aonu is well known for holding grudges" said Zhao "And as it is, we're the two sponsors he resents most. He attended the first few meetings, surprising as it may seem… I guess the sneering and superior attitude of the others drove him to despise the High Tier altogether. If only he hadn't realized it wasn't personal… that's what nobles are like, simply"
"Some find it more offensive than others" Azula said, shrugging "Either way, his absence is bound to be for the best, as far as I'm concerned. I guess I'll see you in five days?"
"Indeed" said Zhao, bowing towards Azula again and smiling proudly "Hopefully this way the Mad Alchemist's sponsor won't dodge your challenge by making up ridiculous excuses"
"Hopefully" said Azula, smiling too "Have a good evening, Admiral"
"Likewise, Princess"
Azula watched Zhao walk away, her brow furrowed slightly. What Zhao was offering now was an opportunity: it would be up to her to make the most of it. For all this time she had sought acknowledgement, and the High Tier represented the last group of people within the League that she had yet to face directly. Sokka's victories over the other non-benders, and most of all, his defeats of the Millennium Dragon, already earned him important merits than the High Tier's members couldn't deny…
And yet earning their full acknowledgement would likely be no easy feat. She didn't expect to make any friends, and seeing how these nobles behaved all the time, they weren't bound to think much of her either, even if they pretended otherwise. Yet if she played her cards right, if she turned matters to her favor, they would have no other choice but to admit the Princess was more than just her father's daughter. And then they would admire her, or resent her, or fear her, or seek to make an ally out of her… regardless of their many possible reactions, her goal would be achieved. They wouldn't be able to deny she had earned her place in the Gladiator League in virtue of her powerful partnership with Sokka.
Within five days, she would step into an encounter with the nobility without her father's influence to shield her from their worst. And she had every intention to prove herself up to this challenge, as Sokka always was up to the challenges she had set up for him so far: the time had come to face off against the High Tier.