"Of course. Good night," I say after the departing girl.
Left alone, I once again turn my attention to the starry sky outside the window. Everything with her is just so complicated...
It all happened so unexpectedly. I was somewhat unprepared for it and was caught off guard. I needed to think everything over again. The cost of a mistake is too great. I have to be careful not to completely destroy Azula's already fragile psyche with my feelings. I know. For me, it won't be a problem. Too many of my plans and goals are tied to her, and even though I have Ty Lee now, I have already grown attached to the troublesome princess. I simply do not want to abandon her after forming a contract and investing all that effort into building our relationship.
It's entirely possible that feelings and attachments have started to surface not only for me due to our long collaboration. Her confession, or proposal, is a clear testament that I am no longer indifferent to her. The girl had many reasons for these feelings to appear. I stand out from all the men she has encountered in her life. I pay attention to her merits and diligence, treat her like a person and not a princess, I do not bow down, I do not humiliate myself, I can fully stand up for myself, and I have a sharp mind and an attractive appearance. Even if that appearance is transparent.
I think I am starting to suffer from narcissism. I need to get some air.
Closing the window, I fly out. The night wind gently passes through my transparent body. I did not fly high in the sky for long, deciding to settle on the roof of the mansion where Azula and her friends were resting. Only the wind kept me company. Although I could barely feel its presence, even those sensations were pleasant. They reminded me that I am still alive.
The streets below were deserted. The city's residents mostly led a daytime lifestyle, and only guards patrolled the urban area, paying special attention to the mansion's territory. Yes, the princess was guarded better than the apple of their eye, especially in connection with recent events. But despite the number of people around the mansion, it was very quiet. Such silence is only possible at night when the slightest rustle can be easily heard from afar.
A wonderful place for contemplation.
Azula and I... We certainly can be together, but how strong and long-lasting will our relationship be? And how will it end? This question tormented me right here and now. After all, if everything goes wrong, our relationship could end with warm feelings turning into ordinary hatred. And from there, it could lead to irreparable consequences.
Having been born in the information age, where the number of divorces exceeded ninety percent, I simply did not believe in love. My cynical nature only strengthened this opinion. Some believe in god, some in Santa Claus, some in justice... for me, love has always been right next to these mythical concepts. Everyone knows about it, but no one can define it. Frankly, I did not see normal relationships in my first life. Naturally, with such experience, I do not know how to build a good relationship. In this, Azula and I are similar; each of us had problems with family, and as a result, psychological trauma and difficulty finding contact with society. Perhaps that is why I am so drawn to her? Although, she has many other merits that captivate the soul.
Is this why I am feeling fear? Although not immediately, I understood what I was feeling right now. I was afraid of serious relationships. I cannot even remember when I last pondered such foolish things as starting a relationship with someone. Marriage? Fidelity? No. That is not for me. And Ty Lee... I am not sure I can give up the relationship that exists between the acrobat and me. But I need to talk to the princess as soon as possible, which means I must figure myself out quickly. It is better not to put it off like Azula did with this question.
I need to regain my composure and think everything over one more time.
Reflecting on the future, the past, my character, and the factors that shape it, I enjoyed the night sky, the cool wind, waiting for the first rays of dawn...
***
"Wake up…" a familiar voice full of tenderness reached Azula.
— Yoaru? I hope you have a reason for waking me up at such an early hour? — the displeased princess instantly woke up, without any hint of sleepiness. In a fraction of a moment, she understood the situation, as only one being in the world would dare to wake her so boldly. A being for whom she harbors certain incomprehensible feelings.
"Yes. I have thought about your proposal and realized that if I am going to think about it, it should only be with you," the brazen spirit replies, lying down next to her on the bed.
Only about ten centimeters separated their faces. Close, even intimate.
— A-and what? — the princess elegantly arches an eyebrow, not at all embarrassed by such closeness. On the contrary, she looked into her interlocutor's eyes with interest, awaiting answers and further actions on his part.
«I woke you up an hour earlier than usual. We have a whole hour to talk. No one will disturb us. We can discuss everything in the minutest detail," the interlocutor replies with a slight half-smile.
— You woke me up just for this? How foolish, you should have let me rest for an extra hour, — the girl answered disappointedly, but soon continued more calmly: — I believe I made you a clearly transparent offer, and you... — the girl waited in silence, yielding the floor to her interlocutor.
"Don't speak as if we're planning a wedding here. I am amenable to a relationship, but first, let's discuss everything in detail. Your concepts of a relationship between a man and a woman might differ from mine. Starkly different, Azula," voice, gaze, Yoaru was serious as never before.
— What are you getting at? — the princess challenges him with her gaze.
"We simply need to clarify a few points. You are aware of what Ty Lee and I do in the evenings, aren't you? I do not intend to remain exclusively faithful to you, especially since I already have a relationship of sorts with another girl. Perhaps this will repel you, or perhaps it won't. But this matter with other ladies needs to be discussed," he declares in an impartially serious tone.
For this alone, most girls in the world would at least end the conversation, if not slap him or challenge him to a duel, but the princess... she was different from others in many ways. And she was aware of this. Her relationship with the acrobat, though a small secret, was known to Azula from the very beginning. Therefore, the girl maintained her composure without difficulty and continued in a calm tone.
— Repel me? Quite possibly. I wanted to talk about that yesterday. Especially what exactly your relationship with my friend consists of, — the girl's tone seemed deceptively relaxed, but Yoaru did not fall for it at all.
"Good, let's discuss it. I wouldn't call it love, more like friendship. A very close friendship. So close that I might 'take offense' if you decide to harm such a sweet girl," the interlocutor replied with a slight hint of a threat.
But the princess had long grown accustomed to and accepted the fact that she could do nothing to the spirit, no matter how hard she tried or wished. She remained completely calm; the times when such trifles could bother her were long past. She is now much stronger than her former self, both in body and mind.
— Friendship, you say? — she arches an eyebrow, giving her interlocutor a look full of superiority.
"Yes, it's difficult to claim anything more without a body."
— I thought it was called something slightly different. On the one hand, I'm glad that my friend has found such a good "friend," but on the other, I'm a little envious.
"Oh, how familiar. An unpleasant feeling, isn't it?" — the spirit interrupted sarcastically.
Yoaru knew very well how rarely Azula had experienced the feeling of envy in her life. Indeed, who could the princess of the strongest nation in the world envy? The answer: no one. She used to think so, but now everything has changed.
— Would you mind not interrupting me? Thank you. I am not against your relationship with Ty Lee. As you already said: we are not planning a wedding. Our relationship is not that strong or time-tested. You yourself must know how difficult it was for me to take the first step. My family…
"I understand, you don't have to continue. I can see how hard it is for you to remember that," — the spirit interrupts, not allowing the girl to finish. Earning a grateful look.
— In short, for now, I see us exclusively as secret lovers. And I want to warn you, I too might "take offense" if you pay too much attention to unknown girls. Just like my father took offense at my brother, — the princess replies in his own manner. — But I think this conversation can wait until we resolve your problem with the lack of a body.
After all, only two girls could see the spirit, so Azula was not afraid of much competition for his attention. And when he gets a body, the poison in the world is not planning on disappearing yet. And no one can predict an accident. The girl calmed herself with such thoughts.
"I understand, this is quite brazen on my part. I'm glad you are so understanding. And I want to clarify. Are we only talking about otherworldly girls? Are Ty Lee, or Mai, not included? And what if I introduce you to some girls, and you become friends?" — the spirit clarifies with a slight smirk.
— Two isn't enough for you? It's amazing how big of a harem you are planning for yourself when you get a body? And will you be able to handle it? — the princess declares in an ironic tone, giving her interlocutor a condescending look.
"Just clarifying. I don't want a harem. Too much of a headache with one. But I don't rule out small flings in the future, and I don't want you to leave them with a burn across half their face because of my attention to them," — the interlocutor replies in a serious tone.
— Who do you take me for?
"For the princess of the most powerful nation in the world? Monogamy is not particularly widespread in your culture; quite the opposite, there is a lot of tolerance and equality. Astonishingly much. The women in the army alone are remarkable; most of your internal forces consist of them."
— That's part of the reason we're winning the Hundred Year War. Well, never mind. Let those be extreme measures, but we have strayed from the topic somewhat, — the girl sits up on the bed and stretches her arms toward the ceiling. Doing so causes the sash of her robe to completely come undone and her barely covered breasts are shown to the world. Yoaru raises himself up after her. They sit and look at each other, not at all embarrassed by the situation. — You know. We talk as if you no longer have the problem of being bodiless.
"Indeed. The conversation went off track. I'm interested in what you expect from our relationship? What are you counting on? You'd better tell me straight now to avoid problems of misunderstanding."
— Yoaru, I thought you were smarter. Fine, I will speak more directly: I also want to be friends with you, in the very same sense that you are friends with Ty Lee. Because you know, I already tried being friends on my own; I want something new, — at this answer, the interlocutor froze, comprehending what he heard.
"…Did I just hear that correctly?" The thought flashes through the spirit's mind.
"You mean masturbation?" Yoaru clarifies, while Azula sits calmly and waits for an answer.
— Such a dirty and obscene word is unworthy of being uttered in polite circles. Yes, that is exactly what I mean.
"Wow… You were doing such dirty things in secret from me. And how did I not notice?" — the spirit replies distractedly, rolling his eyes skyward.
— I know how to choose moments for privacy.
"Heh, and how was it? Did you enjoy it?"
— Pleasant. It helps relieve stress and relax. Afterward, I feel full of energy.
"I see…"
— You still haven't answered, are you ready to become my lover? I am tired of repeating myself over and over. This is somewhat embarrassing. A little more, and I will begin to seriously doubt your mental abilities, — the princess says in a falsely tired voice.
At her words, Yoaru only grins wider.
"Ho? I see, I finally understand everything. No, don't say anything more. You want this, I want this, there's time, why not? This will be the most unusual experience of your entire life, I promise you!" — the spirit speaks with an inspired voice, grabbing the girl by the shoulders, sharply tossing her onto the bed, and looming over the defenseless maiden.
— Ahem, here? Now? This is kind of sudden, and what if the girls hear? — the girl lost all her resolve, but Yoaru was no longer intending to retreat.
"They won't hear. I promise, I will be gentle, at first," — finishing his words, he closes in, covering her lips with a passionate kiss that awakened warmth and pleasure from the depths of the princess's soul.
Yoaru savored the bewildered gaze of his paramour while their tongues engaged in an active struggle.
— M-m-m! — with a muffled groan, Azula wrapped her arms around his neck, but it immediately became intangible. The Spirit himself vanished, entering the girl's body as soon as she recovered and began to respond to his actions.
His actions elicited another moan with a surge of pleasant feelings and warmth that swept through the princess's body in an army of goosebumps.
— Yoaru? — Zula says in surprise, considering the sensations. She had never experienced such intense pleasure during possession before.
Now… it was getting so warm and pleasant. She did not feel such great pleasure and arousal when she did it alone. Yoaru must have done something to her body. With every moment, the arousal was stronger and stronger, as was the pleasure washing over her in waves.
"I am inside you. I will need your hands, do not resist," — after a brief answer, her hands began to live a life of their own against their owner's wishes. Touching her neck, they slid down to her breasts. The left paused, beginning to gently, but demandingly play with the princess's globes, while the right continued to descend lower, to her abdomen, and then to the girl's delicate *cunt*.
— Ha… — because of what her hands were doing, Azula had to bite her lip so as not to accidentally let out such shameful moans of pleasure. The last thing she wanted now was to attract the attention of her friends. Not after she had decided to confess her feelings…
— M-m-m!!! — The princess felt her fingers gently beginning to caress her lower lips. Another moan was suppressed by the girl's will. How pleasant this was, it was no comparison to her past attempts. Azula felt that in a little while, she would reach an orgasm!
— Heh. Did you do the same to Ty Lee? A-ah?! — as soon as she said this, two fingers instantly appeared in her mouth. Immediately understanding what was wanted of her, she began to lick them. Although it was shameful and humiliating, right now the princess felt only the ever-increasing arousal that was swiftly consuming her mind.
"No. You simply awaken a passionate flame in me; I do not want to hold back!"
— M-m… — a couple of fingers gently stroke the lips of her *pussy*, after which they cautiously enter the girl's depths, — Ah!
"It's time to put an end to the light foreplay and attend to you properly," — Yoaru's voice was full of solemn triumph.
"That was just a warm-up?" flashed through the princess's mind, before it drowned in an ocean of blissful ecstasy…
(***)
— Ha… Ha… Ha…
Heavy sighs, futile attempts to catch her breath, her chest rising and falling in rhythm, sweat all over her body, and a slight smile of happiness. Now, Azula, uncovered by clothing, looked terrifyingly feminine and desirable. Only the lack of a body and the accompanying hormones prevented me from leaping onto her again, driven by lust. However, this did not prevent me from brazenly sitting on her and enjoying the vulgar sight of the once proud princess.
— Stop.
"Stop what?"
— Don't look at me like that. It's embarrassing.
"I can't, you are too sexy," — at my words, the girl's face flushes even redder. She looks away.
— Tired, sweaty, and "dirty"?
"Yes, I like that. You are beautiful in any state. However, Mai and Ty Lee have already woken up, it's time for you to go to the bath and return to your routine," — I reluctantly get off her, helping to cover her naked body with the fabric of the robe, and then tie the knot. Azula's mind was still under the impression of the indecency that had occurred.
— Yes. True, — the girl repeats distractedly, heading towards the bedroom exit, but after a couple of steps, she turns around, giving me a thoughtful look. — But before I go, I want to know, what did you do to me?
"What do you mean?"
— I have tried masturbating before. What was between us is incomparable to what you were doing to my body!
"Ah, you mean that. I would like to say that every woman who lays with a man experiences this, but no. Only I am capable of such a thing."
— Don't waste my time.
"Fine, fine. Let's just say, I slightly increased your sensitivity, directed energy into the right channel, and caused a resonance of our emotions. I learned all of this through fire-healing. It was very pleasant for me too; we will definitely repeat it as soon as the opportunity arises. And strictly between us, doing this with you is much more enjoyable than with Ty Lee," — I give the girl a chance to be proud of herself. Although I didn't lie at all, everything really worked out much more pleasantly with Azula. I even know why. The ideal similarity of our energy was the reason.
— Hmm! I'm going to shower. Anyway, I have a lot of things to do today; you don't have to wait for me.
"I wasn't going to."
She left, leaving me alone in the room. I did not stay in the room for long, heading off to my own business. The pleasant memories of what had happened will warm my heart for a very long time.
Azula talked with her friends, and then the girls went their separate ways, noting that the princess was in an amazingly wonderful mood. That is what good sex does to girls.
Today was the last day the squad spent in the city. At the same time, the city itself was one of the last located close to the borders. Only a few cities remained, which were located close to the mountains, and one even among the mountains that previously belonged to the Air Nomads, and are now the unused territory of the Fire Nation. This meant that all the following cities would be more boring in terms of events. However, I will find something to occupy myself with; the girls need attention.
At the same time, the change of seasons was approaching, which meant I had to hurry to the Mother of Faces. The chances of getting into the Great Library are extremely slim; I was no longer counting on it. And if the Mother of Faces does not work out, well, my backup plan is already ready, and Azula is more favorably disposed towards me than ever before. I am not too worried about this. In terms of time, we are not only on schedule, but we will even have half a month left in reserve.
After a long silence, when Zula was contemplating her feelings for me until she finally confessed, we began to talk and spend time together much more often, discussing our impressions and other small details of life. Unfortunately, enjoying the princess during the journey was not possible. Or rather, it was possible every night, but then her reputation would suffer. Nevertheless, even so, the girl became noticeably kinder to me. And not only to me. Azula became kinder and more condescending to everyone. For example, she offered Berkrut treatment for his throat and minor injuries, allegedly for good work instead of a tip. The mercenary agreed. The princess treated him, but despite his strengthened health, the silent mercenary remained just as silent. It is a habit, what can you do, but the man began to speak much more smoothly and easily, for which he was grateful.
As for Azula and me... the relationship between us moved to a new level, or even several. I was even able to confirm that the princess was not at all jealous of Ty Lee. The situation was like this: in the next city, the princess and I repeated our evening games. It was after these that Zula impressed me even more.
— Where are you going? — the girl, sweaty after our caresses, inquired.
"To attend to my spiritual affairs," — I reply vaguely, turning around to once again behold the pleasing sight: a satisfied woman.
— To Ty Lee? — she quickly guesses. I saw no point in lying to her. Lying would only make things worse.
"You guessed it. Are you jealous?"
— No, and I will not be jealous, as long as I remain your first priority. Go on, make my best friend the happiest woman on earth.
"You are an amazing individual, Azula."
— I know, praise me more often, you are quite good at it. Good night, or should I rather say, have a good night?
"Sleep well, Zula, you will always be the best and the most irreplaceable."
In fact, that very evening I finally realized that I get much more pleasure and emotion from Azula than from Ty Lee. However, I did not intend to abandon or break off my relationship with the acrobat. There was something swine-like about it, as if I were using the girl for my own purposes. And Zula is not against my relationship with her; I even think the princess is more for it than against it. The girls were best friends not only in words but in deed. An amazingly strong female friendship. Perhaps their feelings for each other are not only friendly. I wonder, if I insisted on it, could I sway them towards lesbian sex?
That night I devoted myself entirely to contemplating the reasons for Azula's behavior. Perhaps she herself wanted a threesome with me and Ty Lee? But that sounded so fantastic and fortunate that I did not believe in such an outcome. However, such thoughts began to visit my mind more and more often.
This city was no different from a dozen others. Azula conducted her inspection and we moved on. Next in line was the last city near the border; it was located closest to the mountains and bordered a deserted air temple.
Mountains… at least some variety.