— Azula, what is it? — as soon as the two girls walked past another post with silent guards from the imperial entourage, they immediately resumed their conversation.
— A surprise, — the princess answered her best friend once again, climbing the narrow staircase.
— You never gave me surprises. Well… — Ty Lee replied thoughtfully, placing a finger on her lips and stepping up the stairs slightly behind Azula, — unless you count that surprise that night. Remember? The moon was so beautiful then, and the wind was so cold, and you were so hot…
— Be quiet, — the girls climbed the stairs, met another guard, turned right, and walked along the corridors to the next staircase. — We already talked about this. What happened then and what is between us is best kept a secret from everyone. I might run into problems if unpleasant rumors, tarnishing my reputation, start circulating among the soldiers, and later, the entire Fire Nation. As for the surprise, you will understand immediately when we arrive.
— But I am curious… — Ty Lee whined in a pitiful voice, but no answer followed. The girls walked past another pair of guards, and after going up one more floor, they continued down the long and winding corridors of the princess's frigate pagoda. Only when they had moved far enough away for no outside ears to hear them did the acrobat speak again: — Is it edible?
— No.
— Is it something that can be worn as jewelry? Maybe it is clothing?
Sighing heavily, Azula replied:
— No.
"I allow her too much, but on the other hand, I really want to keep spoiling my Lee," — the princess indulged in thought, noticing that since they became lovers, Ty Lee had become much freer and more confident whenever they were alone. She should probably rein the acrobat in, but Ty Lee was excellent at sensing the moments when she could be a lover and when their relationship had to look purely friendly. The highly secret nature of their relationship fully satisfied Azula. That is why the princess often pampered her girl, allowing her to behave as Ty Lee wished. She herself found pleasure in often seeing her lover's genuine smile.
— Is it something one can drink to relax, while simultaneously feeling their mind cloud? — the soft voice of the pretty acrobat pulled her out of her own reflections.
— What? — Azula muttered in surprise, stopping in the middle of the corridor and meeting her companion's gaze. — Ty Lee, I do not like where you are going with this. I have not forgotten how inappropriately you consumed alcohol, and I am still displeased with that fact, — Azula said in a quiet tone, reining in her lover.
— I am sorry, I just thought that now, on your ship, we are completely safe and could relax a little, just the two of us, so to speak. You have never tried alcohol, have you? We could have a little drink together, — the acrobat replied in an apologetic, timid voice, nervously fidgeting with her long braid.
— Hmm? — Azula's gaze lingered pleasurably over the girl's timid figure, taking the time to observe her lover's embarrassed face and hesitant look. — Drink together? It sounds tempting. I will think about your offer, — the princess drew out playfully, batting her eyes, but regaining her cold demeanor, she continued walking down the corridor. — Now stop guessing; we are almost there.
— Okay, — a smile immediately blossomed on Ty Lee's face, and she followed the princess, gracefully performing acrobatic stunts.
The girls went up a couple more floors, straight to Azula's private chambers, which were almost on the top floor of the princess's frigate pagoda. On the way, they continued to talk about neutral topics, the weather, time, food, and other such things. Until they reached the very last door of the corridor, beyond which was only the princess's bedroom.
— Your chambers? I should have guessed. What is in there?
— You will see soon. He is here, behind the door. Try to control yourself and be quiet; my staff of maidservants is nearby.
— Ooh. How intriguing, — Ty Lee drawled, examining her lover with anticipation.
The girls exchanged glances; Azula reached for the door handle. She pulled it toward her. The massive metal door began to open slowly without making a sound. The princess entered first. Ty Lee followed immediately, instantly beginning to examine the already familiar, exquisite, and rich interior of her lover's imperial chambers. The acrobat's gaze quickly swept over the wardrobe, the desk, the rug, and swiftly settled on the ghost hovering in the room.
— Yoar!… — a hand immediately covered the acrobat's mouth, preventing her from shouting the name of her friend, who was thoughtfully hovering over her bed.
— Control yourself, — Azula reminded her in a stern voice, having barely managed to close the door for better soundproofing.
— I am sorry, — the acrobat acknowledged her mistake in a quieter tone. — But it is Yoaru; he is back! He is alive! — Easily breaking free from the princess's simple grip, Ty Lee ran up to her close acquaintance. — Yoaru?! — On impulse, the acrobat jumped at the ghost with a running start, her arms wide open. The girl wanted to lock him in her embrace, but by doing so, she only passed through his transparent body, falling straight onto the bed. Nevertheless, quickly taking a sitting position, Lee continued in the same emotional voice, with small tears in her eyes: — Where were you all this time? Are you okay? When did you get back? We were so worried! We thought you had died. Were you here? Waiting for us? You…
— Hush… — Yoaru's spectral hand confidently rested on Ty Lee's head, beginning to stroke and tousle her hair soothingly. The girl froze, but soon relaxed. She fully trusted him, and such a gesture quickly began to calm her anxious heart, as did the spirit's subsequent words: — I am here, alive, if you can call it that. I am fine, everything is good. I arrived here about three days ago. I decided not to look for you but to wait at the last point of the journey where you would definitely show up.
— Is that so? I am glad you are okay, — the acrobat replied happily, quickly finding inner peace and her share of happiness from his simple actions, or even the mere fact of Yoaru's presence.
— It seems that by getting lost in my thoughts, I completely forgot about time and missed the moment you arrived, — Yoaru vocalized his thoughts aloud in a thoughtful voice, glancing at the princess, who was watching their interaction with a jealous gaze.
— This is not the first time I have noticed this flaw in you, — Azula intervened roughly in the conversation, climbing onto her bed, thereby forcing Ty Lee to move away from the ghost.
— It does not matter. Will you tell us what happened to you? I feel like there is an interesting story hidden here! — the acrobat dismissed it easily, not taking her tender gaze off Yoaru.
— I remind you, Lee's prolonged stay in my cabin is undesirable. I do not need unnecessary rumors about my non-traditional orientation, — Azula said, looking directly at Yoaru, after which she shifted her gaze to her friend. — And yes, I told him about us, — the girl finished, looking triumphantly at her friend's reaction.
— Huh? Oh, — the acrobat became embarrassed, not knowing where to put her flustered gaze. — That is kind of awkward. Azula, you should not say things so directly! You should have at least prepared me for this topic; I am blushing!
— We do not have time for any blushing, — Azula strictly cut off her lover's protests, not wanting to waste precious time unnecessarily.
An awkward silence descended among the people gathered in the cabin. The princess did not know what to say next or where to take the conversation; all she could do was frown with conflicting feelings. Ty Lee was embarrassed, blushing, and did not want to meet anyone's gaze. Neither of the girls could even guess what Yoaru was thinking about. However, this did not stop the spirit from casting meaningful glances at both of them.
— And… — Azula drawled with dissatisfaction, — no one wants to say anything?
— Why are you looking at me? — Yoaru was surprised by the princess's gaze.
— I recall you repeatedly pushed us towards… — Azula glanced at Ty Lee, then quickly shifted back to the spirit. — Let us just say: non-traditional relationships. What man does not dream of having several women? Well, you could say you got your way. I think we should discuss this first; everything else can wait.
— It is not too bad to have three wives, but it is also not too good on the other hand, — Yoaru suddenly sang, surprising the girls. — Ha! Never mind, a little song just came to mind. So, we are gathered here to decide what to do and how to proceed. What are everyone's suggestions? How shall we live from now on? — the spirit suddenly became serious, examining each of his lovers in turn.
— I am fine with everything, — the acrobat spoke up, drawing everyone's attention. — What? I have feelings for both Yoaru and Azula, and I do not want to choose just one, because my choice would hurt the one I refuse. Is not leaving things as they are the ideal option for all of us? Azula, you have feelings for him too, — at the acrobat's words, the princess frowned, and her cheeks faintly flushed. — Just as he has feelings for both of us. So why change anything? Let us all just live happily together!
— Oh, Lee… — Yoaru said with admiration, greatly impressed by the girl's words. — You are a miracle. A true miracle of a girl.
— Hmm… — after thinking for a moment, Azula also announced her decision: — All right, I agree. However, we will definitely return to this topic when you get a body.
— Of course. Besides, we are not getting married. If something is not working, we can always discuss the problem, or, as a last resort, end our relationship, — Yoaru said with a smile, returning to his favorite activity, which was petting Ty Lee's head.
— I am glad we came to an agreement. Azula, can Yoaru now tell us what happened to him before I go to my cabin? — Ty Lee asked, settling more comfortably in her lover's embrace.
— Ugh, all right, I guess we have a little time for a short story, — boldly moving closer to the cooing couple, Azula made it clear that she wanted similar attention. — I myself would like to hear some more details…
Yoaru was only too happy to hug both of his lovers at once.
***
After finishing telling Ty Lee the "full" story of his misfortunes, we parted ways. Rather, the acrobat left our company, heading to her own apartment. It was late; the maidservants were already trying to overhear what we were talking about. The soundproofing in the room was excellent, and we spoke in whispers, so outside ears could not learn anything extra. Thankfully. Because the topics we discussed were sometimes quite intimate, with a little flirting, touching, and kissing. Even without a body, I felt a certain excitement watching two beautiful girls kissing.
Of course, the story I told was not the absolute truth. I told exactly the same thing I had told the princess, withholding everything that was not meant for Ari's ears. I was completely sure that the fox was watching me the whole time. Perhaps it was all paranoia, but in such cases, it is better to be safe than to take unnecessary risks. The difference between my stories was only in a few interesting and not very pleasant moments for me. Azula actually forced me to elaborate on my mistakes, which caused me to be delayed for so long. Talking about one's own failures is always unpleasant, but being able to learn and approach them with understanding is a good personality trait. I had to swallow my pride and explain how it all happened.
That same evening, the princess and I talked a little more about our unusual relationship. We calmly discussed our possible future. We talked about the three of us. I tried to avoid questions like: whom I loved more. There was no right answer to them, and it was very easy to offend someone. Azula even directly confessed that she felt jealousy and envy when I paid her less attention. Assuring the princess that she would never leave my heart, I immediately began to back up my words with actions. That night, we found out just how much we had missed each other.
Once again, my mind immersed itself in the routine of the sea journey.
Unexpectedly, I realized that I had missed the endless expanse of the ocean, the salty air, and the noisy wind a little. The ship was sailing full speed toward the Fire Nation islands. I spent my free time with the girls or pondering various things. Mostly, I was thinking about how to fulfill my part of the deal or at least stay alive. This task was far from simple and had far-reaching consequences. Meanwhile, the girls were busy with their own affairs. Each of us unexpectedly had quite a lot of free time. Neither I nor Azula and her friends were part of the crew or involved in the ship's work, unlike the soldiers and sailors, so we had too much free time. We had to find a way to pass the time.
Training throughout the day and entertainment in good company from evening until night, and what happened after that was a separate matter. Practice in fire healing and energybending. Azula had a good grasp of the former and wanted to learn the latter when I told her what I had learned from the owl. I had no objections and began to transfer some of the knowledge I had obtained from the library to her. The princess and I also worked on creating our own firebending techniques, as well as mastering old ones. I learned about them from Wan Shi Tong. The girls also organized sparring sessions among themselves and with selected members of the team. Separate from all this was massage. Regarding the latter, Ty Lee somehow discovered Azula "training" with the maidservants and wanted to get a massage too. And Mai joined in a few days later.
In short, it was the usual routine, which was extremely pleasant to return to, especially after a long journey across the Earth Kingdom. Everything was just like before, when we first started traveling, but no. Everything was much better. Well… except for my relationship with Mai, which did not exist at all. How can you have a relationship with someone who cannot even see or hear you?
Time continued to fly by as usual. The change of seasons was approaching. Our next destination was a city located on the outskirts of the Fire Nation borders — Hira'a.