Zuko
"Fuck me." Jian groaned, rubbing his forehead. 'Lee' having finished retelling his investigation of the empty silo, the strange idol, and his conversation with the mayor. "When it rains, it pours huh?"
Zuko sat with the man as the other soldiers rested for the night, ostensibly going out to find the long-gone villagers' the next morning. The sky had darkened enough that the small flame of their candle was needed, even if the sun hadn't quite set just yet. The silence of the night was only broken by their words and the gentle pattering of rain.
"Is it as bad as I thought?" Spirits were something that you did not mess with unless you were fully prepared. Even then, it was still a bad idea. There was a reason that the Fire Sages were so venerated in the Fire Nation despite the possible threat they might pose to a Fire Lord.
"Honestly?" Jian chuckled, though there was little humor in the act. "Probably worse. You are spot on about it being spirit bullshit. This place reeks with all the signs. Disappearances, eerie feelings, and the constant state of having more questions than answers. All tell-tale signs."
"So how is it worse?"
"You seem to think we have some way of dealing with spirits, and you aren't completely wrong." The commander admitted. "Ba Sing Se might be a bunch of exploitative bastards, but even they know better than to recklessly waste manpower. We have some old Dai Li artifacts made by the Madam; they should be able to restrain a spirit. In theory, at least."
"What's the catch then?" If he was starting with the good, then the gut punch was likely to come right afterward.
"The set-up time is obscene." The man took out a stack of old, faded paper sigils. A thick black ink in strange script covered the slips, the words almost fluid and shifting. "You have to surround the Spirit or their source with a formation of these sigils, provide some blood as a sacrifice, and allow it to build up enough to take effect."
"How long?"
"Five minutes." The Captain tapped his finger on the table. "Which doesn't sound like much, but these sigils are like beacons to Spirits, so they see it coming from a mile away. While the formation isn't fragile despite being made of paper, it also can't really withstand the direct action of a spirit, so it's up to us schmucks to protect it until it can take effect. Five minutes might as well be an eternity."
"Can't we-"
"Not to mention the biggest hole in this little plan, the fact that we have no idea the capabilities of the spirit responsible. Our only shot of winning will be if this is some grunt. If it is a higher ranking being amongst Famine's court, we will be charging to our deaths."
"In that case, what is the plan?" Zuko leaned in. "If something happened here, we need to do something!"
"Do we?" Jian asked, and Zuko looked at him, mouth slightly agape. He had expected many things, but the sheer cold callousness of the question threw him for a loop.
"You are thinking like a kid, more hot-blooded than the ash-breathers themselves." Zuko clenched his fists, glaring. "Consider it from a logistical point of view. What would even be the point at this stage?"
Jian waved his hand.
"The villagers are gone, probably dead." He paused. Hopefully just dead. Weinan is already lost. There was hardly a reason to stay before whatever this was, the only ones left being those too destitute or stubborn to move to better lands. We make a move, what happens? We lose men. Good men who can be saving people throughout the Earth Kingdom just to save a scrap of land no one wants. Personally? I think we have enough of that in the Disputed Lands. If you really want, we can send a message to the officers back at camp and have them send a more equipped group to deal with this mess."
"They could still be alive!" Zuko growled. He couldn't afford to shout and rage as he might have once if he were speaking with his Uncle. Despite their association, Jian and he weren't nearly so close. Nor were they in a place where they could afford to be overheard. "And if they aren't…or they've met a fate worse than death, don't we have an obligation to bring them justice? To do the honorable thing?"
"See, you act all gruff, so I keep forgetting that you aren't a man quite yet, boy." The jaded older man tapped a finger on the wooden desk, seemingly more interested in observing the pattern of the wood that made the table than in their conversation. Yet as he paused, his eyes gazed directly into Zuko's own.
"Honor has no place in war," Jian spoke, the most coldly he ever had, not angry but resolute and uncompromising. "War is a place where honor goes to die. If people were truly honorable, then war wouldn't have reached this place at all. We wouldn't have fought for a century against the Fire Nation. We can't win every fight, spirits, we can't even win most of them! So, we must pick and choose, and no one hates it more than me, but what is the alternative? Getting my men killed just on the unlikely hope that those poor sods aren't facing a fate worse than death? Not a fight we can pick."
Zuko said nothing.
"If you want to speak of honor, talk to the Air Nomads." Zuko remained silent. "Let the charred bones of monks and children tell you of honor."
Father had been right to be so strict. Even with the constant reminder, he had yet to learn his lesson. True strength was cold-blooded.
"We move on, kid." Jian shook his head. "Leave this place for dead and try your best to stop another Weinan in the future, that is all we can do."
"What if this is just the beginning?" Zuko asked. "Today, it is some settlement in the middle of nowhere. Tomorrow? Next year? What is stopping it from reaching Gaoling or even Omashu?"
"At that point, Ba Sing Se would take some sort of action." The Captain sighed. "Better numbers, better equipped, better…"
The words trailed off, and Zuko couldn't help but wonder what he was going to say. Better men, more trained and ready. Better prepared, mentally and physically? Or perhaps better people, ready to fight and die even for a sliver of a chance.
"Good night, Lee."
Part of him hoped that the Captain would call out to him, hatch some brilliant plan to turn things around and save everyone.
Something, anything, other than turning a blind eye to evil and suffering and moving on for the sake of logistical efficiency. The same thinking that Father and Azula wielded.
The kind of thinking that Uncle had always praised Zuko for never indulging in.
But Zuko heard nothing more from the man as he walked to bed.
Nothing but a defeated sigh from a defeated man.
Naturally, the one-time an adage of Uncle's wouldn't be unwelcome, but actually appreciated was the time when he wasn't around to sprout his vague nonsense that in hindsight always seemed to make more sense.
What I wouldn't give for some stupid, wise advice just about now… Uncle…are you safe?
And so Zuko fell asleep, that lost feeling only growing stronger.
Iroh
Iroh felt that his luck had been strange in recent times. Not bad, not good. But certainly weird.
His imprisonment had been carefully thought out, which he had found quite flattering considering how out of shape he was.
Despite his initial concerns, it appeared that Azula was either unaware of his escape or had decided not to pursue them like a rabid dog and instead chose an alternative strategy. He had never considered her having given up the chase; it was simply not in his niece's nature.
There were benefits and detriments to this alike. On the one hand, it gave Iroh time to catch his breath and find Zuko again. On the other hand, it meant that Azula was scheming against them, and sadly, it appeared that the strategic ability that skipped a generation in Ozai had reappeared again.
The Pai Sho player who was willing to put aside momentary glee for long-term strategy was always the more formidable.
And his niece had always been a mean Pai Sho player.
Their separation had gone from a minor inconvenience to a major obstacle now that a week had passed. He had waited for some time in the nearby port. Azula was clever enough not to waste time, so Iroh had used that to his advantage and doubled back to the outskirts of the port.
That and it gave him a chance to try some of the local tea leaves! Apparently, the port's tea leaves had a unique flavor that made them one of its primary exports. With the benefits of hindsight, the fact that he had never heard of these leaves before should have been the first warning sign.
Iroh had stayed in an inn after impressing the hostess of the inn with his certainly not exaggerated feats of daring (curated for those not of the Fire Nation), even if he had earned the enmity of her husband.
"What a horrid twist!" Iroh sighed, sitting to the side while listening to a tsungi horn player botch his performance. It was only a matter of time before the hostess kicked the poor man out. "I've lost my reckless nephew, and to make matters worse, the tea leaves here stayed indigenous for a reason; they are terrible!"
Sozin must have conquered this place, tried the leaves, and then decided to abandon it! On this matter, Iroh approved the decision of his grandfather.
But bad tea aside, it was clear that Iroh would have to start searching for his nephew now that he hadn't popped up in the vicinity. Finding the Avatar would be the most efficient way to find Zuko, for Iroh knew his nephew enough to recognize that he would only be emboldened and driven to lunacy by this turn of events.
"Worst of all, I am not there to guide him when he most needs it." It was settled, after tonight, he would begin the long trek to find his nephew. Zuko's first target was most likely Omashu, so Iroh could either focus on travelling there as swiftly as possible or assume that Zuko would once again fail to capture the Avatar and go to Ba Sing Se.
"Such decisions I must make." He wanted to cry. "Believe in my nephew or recognize the clearly established pattern! And the worst thing is, the bitter taste of those two choices is still preferable to this dreadful tea!"
Coming back to the topic of the bad tea, before trying it, he had believed that there was no such thing as 'bad tea', only poor tea-preparers and tasters. This place had disabused him of that notion.
Worse yet, it was somehow both terrible, unhealthy, and addictive in equal measures. He had no clue why he kept wanting to drink more, despite it being so horrible. Perhaps his mind was simply unable to comprehend the idea of such vile tea and kept forgetting?
No nephew, all his Pai Sho partners had quit in rage at losing to his superior skill and wisdom with accusations of cheating, and terrible tea that he couldn't stop drinking and wasting his meagre coin on.
Truly, this was rock bottom.
"Which one of you is Mushi?" A gruff voice shouted, a large man followed by what must be goons pushing into the building. "Speak up now! Or everyone here is going to have to suffer."
How sad for this Mushi fellow, but that was karma. Associating with ruffians such as this never ended well. If only Zuko was here, Iroh could share this wisdom and make fun of him for the 'pirate incident'.
"Nicely done Uncle!" Zuko smiled, giving him a hug. "Your wisdom has once again truly astounded me!"
Wait.
He remembered an important detail, interrupting his imagination.
Iroh was currently hiding from the Fire Nation under a fake identity, even if he hadn't done a particularly good job at keeping to the role, his alias finally came back to mind.
Mushi.
What a good thing Zuko wasn't here to see this! How embarrassing it would have been to be forced to eat his own words, and that smug self-assured expression that he had no doubt his nephew would assume.
"Nicely done Uncle" Zuko scowled, sarcastically while clapping his hands slowly. "Your 'wisdom' has, once again, truly astounded me."
He had done nothing to deserve this! He did not even know these people!
"That's him over there." The timid cabbage-sales man who he had played Pai Sho with, and soundly whopped, betrayed him with no hesitation. "The fat old man with the tea!"
"You didn't have to add the fat part." Iroh glanced at his belly. He had let himself go a bit, hadn't he? That would be something to fix, once this mess was sorted out.
"It is Ir-erm, Mushi!" 'Mushi' stood up, still holding the pot of tea and not almost saying his actual name, because that would be foolish. "I am sure this is just an unfortunate misunderstanding, we can talk things out and laugh about how things almost got messy!"
"Shut it!" The lead goon, a bulky man and possibly an earth-bender if the lack of shoes and his bulky build were any indicator. "The Boss wants to speak with you."
"Could I bring my tea?"
"I mean, sure?" The goon shrugged. "Not sure why you would though, this place's tea is horrible."
"Where were you a week ago?" Iroh huffed, picking up his things and shooting the cabbage salesman a glare as he walked with the goods out of the inn. A lousy spirit made for a lousy Pai Sho player! "How is this place still in business!"
"The other places were worse."
Iroh shuddered at thought before sighing and following behind the young man. It was rude to think of someone as a mere 'goon' instead of a living, breathing-
"Hurry up geezer!" The hot-headed criminal growled. "I can't have you croak before we reach the boss man!"
He was wrong. A goon through and through. Knowing his recent luck, this would likely be taking up quite a bit of his time.
Hopefully, the Avatar has not already made too much progress!
Yoru
As time went on, I became increasingly aware that at this point I only really remembered some of the broad strokes of the Last Airbender series. More than enough to be useful, but there was always the reasonable worry that I would forget some small, seemingly insignificant but would cascade into a series of events beyond my dominion.
It was these ponderings that caused me to enter a trance-like state and not the relentless pestering from Ty-Lee.
The babbling girl was unrelenting in her questions regarding the Spirit World. If not for Yule and the subsequent modernization of the holiday not being a thing here, I would have suspected that I had made Christmas come early.
Thankfully, she seemed less interested in my own nature compared to understanding the true nature and function of the spiritual world.
Questions like: 'What is the Spirit World like?', Can you tell me about spirit culture?', 'What makes spirits so different from humans?', and so on.
Due to lacking a complete formal understanding of the Spirit World like the Fire Sages, her sources of information seemed to be 'anyone saying anything and everything'.
Ty-Lee's questions were surprisingly down-to-earth, all things considered.
"Is there a cabbage spirit?"
Mostly.
"Possibly but probably not, there isn't a spirit for every single thing." I sighed, answering yet another question to the still bright-eyed acrobat. "Significant concepts and their respective spirits, such as the Sun and Moon have existed since time immemorial. Spirits related to objects and more mundane physical items develop based on perceptions, time, and often enough the emotions and thoughts of the people around them and imbued into the item."
"How do you know?" Ty-Lee asked, not pointedly but filled with curiosity. "I mean, just because you might just be a spirit doesn't mean you know every spirit, right? I don't think anyone in the Fire Nation knows the face of every person in Caldera City, not even the Fire Lord!"
If Azula heard that, she'd take it as a challenge.
"It is different for spirits." I rolled my eyes. "There is an inherent connection between all spirits, weak or strong. The weaker ones might be able to fade into the background and some of the cleverer ones know how to hide themselves from prying eyes, but the connection always remains in some form or another. This is the reason why the Avatar is capable of communing with the spirits with relative ease, they already have a direct line of contact and appear as 'one of the spirits. Though Avatar Yangchen appears to have soured the opinions of many elder spirits on Avatars in general."
"Why?" Ty-Lee scratched her hair. "Wasn't Avatar Yangchen pretty famous or something? I don't really know much about her, especially not compared to Avatar Kyoshi! I heard Roku was pretty cool…for a traitor, I mean. Hehe."
"No need to mince words around me if the Princess is not around." Being adopted by an extrovert would be a convenient way to get into contact with more people. Phenomenal cosmic powers seemed to have mostly enhanced my tendencies to only be associated with a small group of people, which was not ideal for the Spirit of War nor was it beneficial in holding onto that remnant of humanity that remained within. "Avatar Yangchen was a hero to humans. But her actions were seen as blatant human favoritism. Unlike humans, most spirits live for a long time if they aren't functionally immortal. And they all share a tendency to hold a grudge for a long time."
"Oh!" Ty-Lee nodded, though she seemed to be looking out towards the doorway. "Ok, I understand!"
She did not, in fact, understand. That much was evident, but it was hardly my place to intervene. Perhaps we would be unlucky enough to meet a disgruntled spirit and reveal the nastier side of the spirit world.
We sat in silence for a moment, Ty-Lee having apparently exhausted her biggest questions and simply letting the new information sink in while I sat and tried to recall how normal human interactions beyond the military setting worked.
"Since you have had the pleasure of questioning me thus far, would you permit me a few questions of my own?" I asked, regaining the girl's attention.
What a smooth and natural way to continue the conversation, full marks brain. Unless this goes wrong, in which case screw you.
"Sure!" She beamed. Ty-Lee certainly the extroversion of three girls in one, so it made sense how her extreme rounded out Mai's anti-social gothness and Azula's mental instability.
"What exactly is your history with Azula." I raised a hand and interrupted her reflex response. "Specifically, beyond your superficial meeting in the Academy. What truly made this 'connection' between the you, Mai, and her."
Ty-Lee went quiet.
"If I have overstepped, merely…"
"Ah, no nothing like that!" Ty-Lee waved away my concerns. "If anything, I'm the one who got a bit too pushy! First time meeting a real spirit, and all that. I was just thinking back, it was a while ago and I was a kid!"
They were all still basically kids. At least, he was pretty sure. Since being reborn, concepts such as age have become distorted.
"The first couple of times we met, I don't think we talked too much?" Ty-Lee hummed. "I liked talking a lot, but Azula was stand-offish, even back then! I think people got intimidated by the Princess, especially since Azula liked to be intimidating. She was already a fire-bender and a really good one too! The ones that tried at first were super fake and Azula made them cry!"
Well, some people are just how they are no matter how old they are.
"I was practicing some moves when one day Azula came over and started talking to me!"
Huh?
"I thought it was something more along the lines where you managed to pester her and break down those iron walls surrounding her heart and befriend her."
"That's kind of what everyone thinks." Ty-Lee shook her head, her smile becoming far gloomier. "But it was Azula who came up to me! Which I remember was weird because she once said she had already met a Ty so knowing another one would be too confusing."
For her, who is obsessed with being unique and more than just another Ty sister, that must have been a sharp blow. Especially for kid Ty-Lee. Though the idea of Azula reaching out to someone was unusual, perhaps she had been a bit more open as a child?
"Do you know why?"
"Not really?" She tapped her chin. "I asked a couple of times, but Azula just kind of ignored it or changed the subject."
So, something must have caught her eye. Something important enough that Azula had abandoned her initial impression, something she rarely did, and willingly reached out.
Azula was an interesting puzzle. Finding out what seems to make her tick was always fun. And this was another angle to approach the puzzle.
"Do you think your friend Mai will end up joining our little group?"
"Is there even a choice?" Ty-Lee shook her head, slapping her palm against her head. "Ah, I said that weirdly! What I mean is, if Azula asks, how could she say no!"
That had a lot of meanings. None of which I would pick into. For now.
"Ah, I hadn't considered that." Azula had been quite laissez-faire with me, now that I thought about it. Perhaps she didn't see the need to use violence and threats to get me in line? I suppose I had practically jumped at the opportunity to kill my old commander. "My apologies."
"Come on, being so polite and stuff!" Ty-Lee groaned, falling onto her back and kicking her legs up like a child throwing a tantrum. "How can we be friends if you act so uptight all the time? You can't be more of a stick in the mud then Mai! I mean, she's great, but she could at least pretend to laugh at one of my stories once in a while, couldn't she? Even Azula does!"
"Why are you asking me?" I asked. My knowledge of Mai was pretty much just the side-character from the show. In this world, I hadn't met her and only peripherally heard of her due to her father's appointment with Omashu following the recent conquest of the city.
"Don't you have some super spirit magic that lets you know the future or something?"
"Despite what mortals believe, spirits — though powerful and mystical — aren't perfect beings. Our powers reflect certain concepts or features, just as a bender is defined by their element, or an acrobat by their flexibility."
For all that Ty-Lee continued to poke and prod about the spiritual aspect of the world beyond what little she had gleamed of bending, I appreciated that she did not ask the obvious question again. The one I had so inelegantly side-stepped.
What kind of spirit are you?
"I believe it is now time for me to ask a question of my own." I coughed to interrupt the acrobat before she went on yet another peripherally related tangent. "Do you really want to join us?"
Princess Azula
Ty-Lee and Yoru had grown closer.
It was not an opinion, theory, or whatever other term that indicated uncertainty might be applied. It was a statement. A fact.
Azula had noted this fact as she watched them chat together as they packed up the supplies for their journey to Omashu.
Now this wasn't necessarily a strange thing. A certain degree of agreeability and companionship was to be expected after some prolonged exposure, lest they be a detriment to team cohesion and Ty-Lee was nothing if not friendly and amicable.
What was strange was the sheer swiftness of this new sprouted friendship.
Whatever barrier of manners and cordiality had seemingly evaporated the morning following their little introduction at the circus. Now they talked like old friends.
This was good for team cohesion, yes, but it was strange. Logically, they must have met up afterwards and talked, since they weren't nearly this close after their initial conversation. Azula had expected that Ty-Lee would try and talk with the Special Officer on her own as a classic way of taking his measure and so she had, quite politely and generously at that, refrained from interfering.
But the speed at which the acclimatization occurred had taken her aback
What had happened to them to get along so well so swiftly?
It had taken far longer for cordiality beyond acknowledgement of their station and skill in bending between Yoru and herself.
Fine. After some consideration, perhaps Azula was feeling slightly peeved.
But that was understandable. Reasonable. Was it not?
She had travelled with the Special Officer for several weeks on their way to the circus. She had been friendly and conversational! Yet in less than twenty-four hours Ty-Lee had managed to achieve further gains in companionship than Azula herself.
"That's because they know what you are." The gentle voice of her mother was quiet, but it might as well have been a war cry for how it rang in the Princess' ears. "A monster."
"Are you two ready?" Azula asked, ignoring her mother's voice and knocking Yoru and Ty-Lee out of a discussion about something or the other. Spirits if she was not mistaken. Most likely more info regarding his past in the Fire Sages considering Ty-Lee's own fascination with the spiritual. "I would like to set out as quickly as possible. If we are going to risk passing through the Disputed Lands, the faster the better."
Perhaps that was the reason behind their swift closeness? A significant shared similarity could prove a strong connection right from the beginning.
"A fair point Princess." Yoru nodded while Ty-Lee blanched slightly before cheering up quickly, though Azula barely registered the sight.
Did she not share several similarities and connections with the Special Officer as well? Both of them were talented Firebenders, loyal to the Fire Lord, and militaristic from hair buns to boots. Well bun in her case and whatever peasant cut that Yoru was sprouting. It was for the best, top knots and all those other hair styles always brought to mind the old farts of the Capital, her Father, or her loser brother.
"T-the Disputed Lands?" Ty-Lee seemed shocked, but her tone seemed more indicative of fear. Reasonable. Especially for non-benders. "Can't we just head to the port and take a ship?"
Omashu was Fire Nation territory now, but the safest route involved a combination of sailing to the other edge of the Earth continent and then several days' worth of travel doubling back and avoiding the desert. Precious time that would prevent them from picking up the Avatar's, and by proxy Zuko's, trail. Thus, they would instead cut through the Disputed Lands to get to Omashu directly on their Mongoose Lizards.
A simple plan, with one glaring flaw. They would need to cross the Disputed Lands.
The Disputed Lands referred to the territory where the bulk of the Earth Kingdom armies pointlessly held back the Fire Nation offensive, on the border of the Fire Nation colonies and the large empty plains of the southern Earth Kingdom. These lands featured the fiercest fighting and changed hands between the two powers so often that map makers had long since given up stating which side held the areas.
Outside of the armies meeting on the battlefield, only the destitute roamed the lands seeking to loot the weapons and armor of the deceased for whatever meagre profit they could manage.
"The most dangerous territory in the world" and even more drastic epithets like "the Spirit's Wake". The rabble might be loud, useless, and almost entirely an eyesore but they did make amusing little nicknames. All the better for her. Soon she might even be remembered as Azula, the Princess Who Put the Spirits to Sleep Again, Permanently. Ideally, something a bit catchier.
A minor footnote would record Special Officer Yoru and Ty-Lee's presence. Truly, she was the ideal heir of the Fire Nation. Powerful, elegant, regal, and magnanimous to her allies. Her brother could stand to take notes.
The renewed Fire Nation offensive meant the Disputed Lands were at an all-time peak in terms of danger, with covert operatives on both sides attempting to gain an edge. The good news was that their team was small and experienced enough in combat that a short cut through was within the bounds of reason, despite how uncomfortable crossing through seemed to make Ty-Lee.
"Do we really have to?" The acrobat fidgeted. "I only saw some parts of the Disputed Lands from a distance when we visited Oyster Bay a while back. It gave me the heebie jeebies!"
"Is that some sort of disease?" Azula asked, tilting her head in confusion. "I haven't heard of it before."
"Giving her the heebie jeebies means that the sight gave her a sense of fear or anxiety." Yoru explained. "And Ty-Lee, while I share your apprehension about bringing the Princess across such territory, if we wish to reasonably intercept the Avatar we cannot afford the longer, safer route."
"But the juju is seriously bad!"
Azula glanced at Yoru once more, eyebrow raised.
"Another colloquialism." The Special Officer explained. "Bad luck or vibes."
"Well, while I agree that crossing the Disputed Lands is far from ideal, we hardly have a choice at this point." Azula let out a sigh. Hopefully this would show that she agreed with Ty-Lee's ridiculous superstitions. "With the Armada sunk, our Navy is all but destroyed. We can't reasonably go around. A route by land that doesn't pass through will take far too long for the Avatar's trail to be picked up, even though our current plan is already straining the chances of doing so successfully."
"There have been some whispers from what is left of the Northern Information network about the Sky Bison leaving the North Pole, which can only mean that the Avatar is ready to find his earth bending teacher and there is hardly a finer candidate than King Bumi." Yoru added. "This makes Omashu are only true lead and opportunity to pick up the trail, afterwards…"
"I get it, you don't have to say the same thing fifty times!" Ty-Lee groaned, in that child-like way that seemed to convey the opposite sentiment. "Just cause we need to doesn't mean I have to like it, does it?"
Part of Azula wanted to snap that since her Princess had decided on a course of action that yes, it did while the other, the slightly more reasonably and socially pragmatic part, realized that ruining Ty-Lee's mood before they began travelling through a place her friend didn't like would be far more unpleasant and restrained her urge.
"If it bothers you that much, we can have some…girl talk…while making our way through." Ty-Lee's method of 'girl-talk' was exhausting physically, mentally, spiritually, and any other possible variation thereof. It was, however, vastly superior to Ty-Lee's moping, which was the alternative.
"Are you for real Azula?" Of course she was 'for real'. Her lies were complex masterworks or to mess with Zuko, they were wasted on Ty-Lee. Perhaps teasing Mai would be fun, though. "Oh my gosh! I have sooooo much that I want to catch up with you about!"
Well, as irritating as Ty-Lee could be at times, it was nicer than the somewhat distant approach the girl had been employing in their initial meeting. It felt more like back at the Royal Fire Academy for Girls, when it had been her, Ty-Lee, and Mai against the world.
"My apologies Princess, but is it really a 'girl-talk' if I am to be there?" Yoru asked, cocking his head like some kind of confused animal. It occurred to Azula once again just how strangely dissonant it was to see how he acted in civil conversation to the relentless maniac that he became in combat.
There was something very wrong with this man.
"There is a simple solution to that problem." Azula smiled. "Just don't talk Special Officer, think of it as a command from your Princess."
Yoru sent her an unamused glare. For all his snark, he did seem to respect hierarchies and direct commands. Perhaps if he was good, she would rescind the order sometime later. Honestly, she was doing him a favor. Ty-Lee had the unique ability to speak without breathing for an otherworldly amount of time.
"What?" The acrobat tittered. Of course, Azula would have a bit of fun with this as well. "No affirmation of understanding? The Fire Nation Navy's standards for decorum truly have gone down the drain."
Yoru's glare deepened as Ty-Lee giggled.
It was fun to tease him. Seeing someone normally so composed break character was a satisfying pass-time. Much harder than her usual punching bag, Zuko.
"Wow, you guys are really good friends, aren't you?" Ty-Lee gave a thumbs up. "I was really worried about you Azula! Mai was convinced you were going to die an old maid who got eaten by her cats."
"Mai thought what exc-" Azula's incredibly reasonable line of inquiry was cut off as Ty-Lee continued to yammer on. They would be returning to that particular comment later!
"But you are getting along with a boy that isn't your brother!" Ty-Lee beamed. "Though I guess you didn't really get along with Zuko all that much, so that doesn't make sense, but you get what I mean right?"
"I rarely 'get what you mean', less so than usual in this case." Honestly, getting Mai to join her unit was perhaps even more compelling of a reason to reach Omashu as swiftly as possible than either the Avatar or Zuzu. Azula needed her snark as a buffer to Ty Lee's everything.
"Well, you don't hate him being around right?"
"I suppose the Special Officer's presence isn't a burden." Azula was willing to admit that he could pull his weight. He had managed to defeat her, after all. Granted, it was mostly that strange way of fire-bending that had thrown her off balance but if she were to tell her Father, it would just be a paltry excuse. Fighting new styles and techniques was something she would have to expect, especially if she was to deal with the Avatar. "His combat ability is more than adequate, and he does not appear to be a dullard. A miracle considering the ineptitude of the administration aboard that ship."
"We shouldn't speak ill of the dead." Yoru said plainly. Why not? It wasn't like they could offend the man further than ordering/following through with his assassination
She had not found an opportunity to ask about that massive explosion that Yoru had created in their battle with the bandits, but that could wait until they were on less of a time crunch.
"More than adequate?" Ty-Lee tilted her head like the small animal that she was, completely ignoring the mention of a death. "Not a dullard? Wow! That is high praise coming from you Azula!"
It was, but having it pointed out so plainly was embarrassing. Though Azula did not flush as lesser women would, instead she levelled a stern glare at Ty-Lee, who chuckled nervously.
"B-but I guess that you'd never stoop for less than the best, huh Azula?"
"You know me well Ty-Lee."
"Perhaps we can save the idle chatter for the road?" Yoru coughed. "We should get our supplies and head out as soon as possible."
"Very well." Azula shook her head. "I already took the liberty of having the staff prepare some rations, collect your personal belongs and let us meet back here the second you are done."
"Ah!" Ty-Lee cried, dashing towards her tent frantically. "I can't take everything with me, can I? I hate packing for a reason! What do I bring, what do I leave!"
Yoru and Azula watched the acrobat's shrinking figure in the distance, before sharing a glance and shrugging.
"As you know, my belongs are few and already packed." Yoru pointed out. "And you were already prepared to go before you told us the plan, I assume?"
"Your observational skills are keen." Azula smiled. "Good. It is useful that I won't need to spell out each and every thing for you like Uncle must for my dullard of a brother. Don't you agree?"
"I cannot insult the Fire Lord's son, Princess Azula." Ever the diplomat, the Special Officer neatly evaded the trap. "But I am certain that what you say must be the truth."
"Zuzu's barely even Father's son!" Azula snorted. Father would probably approve more of Yoru than his own flesh and blood. "There were even rumors that Zuko wasn't even his, but the son of some peasant. I suppose it could make sense; his fire-bending is far too mediocre to have originated from Sozin's line."
"Whatever else you may say about Zuko, he is the image of his father." Yoru mused. "And I can't imagine that gossiping about the cuckolding of the Fire Lord is a wiser idea than insulting his son."
"And that is why you are alive and proving your wisdom, unlike some of the nobles with looser tongues. Father was quite kind to them; he even tightened them up—free of charge." The Princess smirked. "Knowing when to speak is often more important than knowing what to say."
"Very wise Princess." If Azula hadn't known better, she would have thought he was mocking her.
"No need to state the obvious." She allowed her smirk to soften into a grin, still sharp but not quite as vicious. "It is good to see you getting along with Ty-Lee. My biggest worry about bringing you along was that it could throw the team's cohesion off."
"I always strive to meet and surpass the expectations placed upon me." Yoru looked towards her as he spoke. "How long do you think Ty-Lee will take to pack up 'as soon as possible'?"
"More than enough time for another sparring match." Azula, quickly ascertaining what he was suggesting, felt the pressure from planning and dealing with social interaction dissipated. Why couldn't it always be this simple? "A good stretch before riding is a splendid idea."
Burning a small forest to a crisp in combat against a skilled firebender would do wonders in letting Azula vent her emotions.