The Scarred Fire Lord

( A Post Canon Zuko RP Account - Selective- Under Construction)

[scarredlord]

firelxrdsdaughter‌:

scarredlord‌:

If Uncle was dead he didn’t want Azula to see it. Not after everything they had already gone through as kids. It was one more thing she did not need. 

“Let me.” Zuko pushed her to the side of the door with a gentle firmness. His knuckles rapped against the wood. Waited. Again. Nothing.

He reached out hesitantly. Would he be ready for what might be behind the door? There was no questioning it, he’d just have to be.

With a thin scrape he slid the door open by a few inches, just enough for him to be able to see in. Through the dimness of the room Zuko could not see his Uncle. Not him, not even his bed roll upon the ground.

“I don’t see him…” A whisper as he peered into the room. As if he could be mistaken and his uncle could just be sleeping somewhere else within the room.

At first she willingly let Zuko move her out of the way, not quite mentally prepared for what might await them beyond their uncle’s closed door. But it didn’t take long for Azula to lose her patience once Zuko, too, started to pussy-foot around the situation.

Rolling her eyes at him, scoffing, Azula surged forward, pushing Zuko out of the way far less elegantly than he had removed her and opening the door wide. She stepped into the dim interior of the room, the shutters closed to the moonlight beyond, and called a hot little flame into the center of her palm.

She felt the familiar thrum of the fire’s heartbeat, and the room was cast in blue light.

No one was there. The bedroll lay undisturbed in the corner where their uncle always stored it, and his books were still strewn about even though she’d asked him a hundred times to tidy them up so that she didn’t always have to trip over them while she was cleaning. There was a stack of empty tea cups at the low table where he drafted his letters.

Azula pursed her lips at them. 

“That’s because he isn’t here,” she said finally, sending a few stripes of flame from her fingertips and to the lantern in the center of the room. It blazed bright blue for a moment before cooling to a yellow flame, flickering cheerfully where she’d set it. 

Azula shook the heat from her hands and braced them on her hips, arms akimbo.

But then where was he? The feeling of relief that she’d had flood through her was replaced once again by the knots in her stomach. Azula swallowed down, mind ticking at what felt a snail’s pace. 

It was pretty late…

“Maybe we should go out and look for him.”

Zuko rubbed at his arm as Azula stepped passed him into the room. He followed her into the room. Tea cups, bed roll, the lantern Azula newly lit flickered as did the nervous feeling beating within his chest. He wasn’t here, but that did not necessarily mean he was okay. Where would they even begin to look? Where would he be at this hour aside from the shop? The market wasn’t open at this time. Uncle wasn’t one to go out for drinks, and if he did he certainly would have said something to one of them if not both.  “Where?” He finally said, there was no ‘if’ in his mind at this point. “He’s not exactly out at the market.” At least Zuko wouldn’t think so. All of the vendors there would have closed up shop by now. 

[firelxrdsdaughter]

scarredlord‌:

firelxrdsdaughter‌:

“No,” she said, “why do you think I called out when I cut myself?” 

Azula’s mouth pulled back into the semblance of a grimace, her brow notching. “He didn’t say anything to you about going anywhere?”

That made sense. Uncle would have come if he heard her calling out.

“No, he didn’t say anything.” He would have wouldn’t he? “Maybe he took a nap?”

Where that line of thought took him he did not like. Uncle was not a young man. “We should check his room, just in case.”

In case.

It didn’t take a large leap in logic to follow Zuko’s train of thought. That their uncle was old. That he rarely did anything without telling them. That he had simply quietly disappeared from the tea shop and their house without saying a word to them.

Azula felt her hands clench in the thick fabric of the rug before she secured it back on the line rather haphazardly. She nodded at Zuko.

“Right. I’m sure it’s fine…” Silence passed between them for a moment, Azula’s chest clenching, “We should definitely check on him.”

She turned on her heel, heading for the house at a pace far quicker than it seemed possible. She felt as though she only took two leaping bounds and was through the back door and turning left to clamour up the stairs. 

The hallway was dark and quiet, save for the light that poured from Zuko’s abandoned room. She strode passed it and to the end of the narrow hall, hand reaching for the handle to his door before she stopped.

Azula took a breath, glancing behind her to see where Zuko was, and then raised her hand to knock on the wooden frame to see if their Uncle might answer first.

[scarredlord]

If Uncle was dead he didn't want Azula to see it. Not after everything they had already gone through as kids. It was one more thing she did not need.

"Let me." Zuko pushed her to the side of the door with a gentle firmness. His knuckles rapped against the wood. Waited. Again. Nothing.

He reached out hesitantly. Would he be ready for what might be behind the door? There was no questioning it, he'd just have to be.

With a thin scrape he slid the door open by a few inches, just enough for him to be able to see in. Through the dimness of the room Zuko could not see his Uncle. Not him, not even his bed roll upon the ground.

"I don't see him..." A whisper as he peered into the room. As if he could be mistaken and his uncle could just be sleeping somewhere else within the room.

[firelxrdsdaughter]

scarredlord‌:

firelxrdsdaughter‌:

Azula knew that their uncle was leaning toward leaving. She’d overheard him speaking with a guest she’d never seen before a few weeks earlier, settling something between them. They’d struck a deal of some kind.

It had taken nothing for her to surmise that her uncle was preparing for the worst.

Azula came forward, picking up the rug to turn it this way and that, inspecting the surface. Yes, that would do for now.

Time to put it back.

“Speaking of Uncle, do you know where he is?” His absence still weighed at the back of her mind, worrisome. She was certain that he was fine, but it didn’t change the fact that it was unusual that their uncle would have left without telling at least one of them where he’d gone. 

Azula reached for the rug, starting to fold it up awkwardly for transport back into the building.

“Oh.” While he had been in his room he had thought Iroh had been with her. “I don’t know.”

Zuko turned his head to look back at the house. As if Iroh would be just standing there quietly watching them.

If he wasn’t here, where was he?

“He hadn’t been helping you?”

“No,” she said, “why do you think I called out when I cut myself?” 

Azula’s mouth pulled back into the semblance of a grimace, her brow notching. “He didn’t say anything to you about going anywhere?”

[scarredlord]

That made sense. Uncle would have come if he heard her calling out.

"No, he didn't say anything." He would have wouldn't he? "Maybe he took a nap?"

Where that line of thought took him he did not like. Uncle was not a young man. "We should check his room, just in case."

In case.

[firelxrdsdaughter]

scarredlord‌:

firelxrdsdaughter‌:

“The element of surprise,” Azula supplied, turning her face away before the spray of dust from the rug could hit her. 

Certainly whatever Sozin had been expecting it had not been a complete turn of the South against his decree. 

If their grandfather were to be believed, then the Southerners had been nothing more than farmers and pleasure seekers before they had suddenly turned and grabbed for power. Hardly an organized fighting force. 

In fact, Azula rather thought that they had not changed all that much. They still sought pleasure over serious politics, and it was what made them such singularly ineffective rulers. 

Azula’s light mood grew heavier, and soured as suddenly as though someone had struck her.

“….Perhaps it would be for the best if we simply left the Fire Nation again…”

“I don’t know.”

They had planted roots, established themselves here. The shop had regular clients. To up and move again would be hard on business, hard on them. Dangerous people had their eyes on them here, though they did not know what it was they were looking at. That Sozin’s blood was at their steps.

The discomfort of relocating would be preferable to whatever the Fire Lord’s family or maybe even the Qiao-ists would do to them if the found out who they really were.

“If Uncle thinks so.” He’d leave that call to him. Iroh had been hiding longer than either of them so he would have a keener sense for if it was truly time to be on the move.

The rug was hit twice more before Zuko lowered his arms finally. “I think it’s good now,” he said, referring to the rug.

Azula knew that their uncle was leaning toward leaving. She’d overheard him speaking with a guest she’d never seen before a few weeks earlier, settling something between them. They’d struck a deal of some kind.

It had taken nothing for her to surmise that her uncle was preparing for the worst.

Azula came forward, picking up the rug to turn it this way and that, inspecting the surface. Yes, that would do for now.

Time to put it back.

“Speaking of Uncle, do you know where he is?” His absence still weighed at the back of her mind, worrisome. She was certain that he was fine, but it didn’t change the fact that it was unusual that their uncle would have left without telling at least one of them where he’d gone. 

Azula reached for the rug, starting to fold it up awkwardly for transport back into the building.

[scarredlord]

"Oh." While he had been in his room he had thought Iroh had been with her. "I don't know."

Zuko turned his head to look back at the house. As if Iroh would be just standing there quietly watching them.

If he wasn't here, where was he?

"He hadn't been helping you?"

[firelxrdsdaughter]

scarredlord‌:

firelxrdsdaughter‌:

“Mm…She said he was nice,” she answered. Ty Lee had said little more on the matter at all, “Pleasant tempered and pleasant looking.”

Azula shrugged slightly once again. 

“So who knows? It could just mean he’s a pushover. She certainly doesn’t like to be contradicted.” Then again, Azula wasn’t entirely certain that Ty Lee even knew what she liked or didn’t like.

The two seemed to switch places at random. 

“But they did choose him for her, so he cannot be all that much of a threat to the status quo, I would imagine.”

No. Most likely not. They would not want to risk losing what they had. Ironically in holding so tightly to their riches they were eventually going to lose them.

Eventually.

Probably.

“No. They wouldn’t.” He frowned, and lifted the paddle to whack the rug again. There was a moment’s hesitation beforehand in order to give Azula time to turn her face away.

“How did these morons ascend to the throne?” He knew, he’d heard the story multiple times from Father. A bastard courtesan in part, though mostly the weaponization of the people through false accusations and promises they could not possibly keep in the long term.

None of the true born Mudanese nobles themselves had dirtied their hands directly.

“The element of surprise,” Azula supplied, turning her face away before the spray of dust from the rug could hit her. 

Certainly whatever Sozin had been expecting it had not been a complete turn of the South against his decree. 

If their grandfather were to be believed, then the Southerners had been nothing more than farmers and pleasure seekers before they had suddenly turned and grabbed for power. Hardly an organized fighting force. 

In fact, Azula rather thought that they had not changed all that much. They still sought pleasure over serious politics, and it was what made them such singularly ineffective rulers. 

Azula’s light mood grew heavier, and soured as suddenly as though someone had struck her.

“….Perhaps it would be for the best if we simply left the Fire Nation again…”

[scarredlord]

"I don't know."

They had planted roots, established themselves here. The shop had regular clients. To up and move again would be hard on business, hard on them. Dangerous people had their eyes on them here, though they did not know what it was they were looking at. That Sozin's blood was at their steps.

The discomfort of relocating would be preferable to whatever the Fire Lord's family or maybe even the Qiao-ists would do to them if the found out who they really were.

"If Uncle thinks so." He'd leave that call to him. Iroh had been hiding longer than either of them so he would have a keener sense for if it was truly time to be on the move.

The rug was hit twice more before Zuko lowered his arms finally. "I think it's good now," he said, referring to the rug.

[firelxrdsdaughter]

scarredlord‌:

firelxrdsdaughter‌:

“Alright mister grumpy,” she said, laughing a little at Zuko’s very serious answer, “I was only kidding.”

Marrying Kuei was the last thing on her list of things to do.

“Mm…” Azula finished with adjusting the rug, stepping back and out of the line of fire again, “well, as of right now she is engaged to Gen of Iron Wharf, and I cannot see her self-absorbed family really making the decision to break that off.”

Even Azula could understand the logical politics behind marrying someone like Gen. His family controlled a large portion of the Nation’s economics with their iron. Not to mention they were desirably Southern.

Considering the royal family’s hubris, Azula was not convinced that even if Kuei did offer a marriage they would consider it. 

“They’re more likely to send an insulting denial back to him and bring the entire nation down with them in the aftermath.”

Azula was right. They’d never go for that. They were silly, vain, frivolous and proud. A great combination in a ruling class. There would never be a peace agreement.

He didn’t know about the Iron Wharf engagement. It made sense. If they were already closely tied to Shipwright’s Cove a marriage to another naval province made sense. The country was at war afterall. In addition to warships they were rich with iron. This was an unusually smart decision on the part of the royal family. Well, at least from what he knew of the situation which wasn’t that much.

“That’s interesting. Did she say anything about what he’s like?” Is he smarter than they are? He assumed the princess had told Azula this, but maybe she was able to read between the lines enough to know.

Maybe whoever this guy was would help turn the country around. If there was a country left to fix by the time he could. It was too optimistic of a thought perhaps.

“Mm…She said he was nice,” she answered. Ty Lee had said little more on the matter at all, “Pleasant tempered and pleasant looking.”

Azula shrugged slightly once again. 

“So who knows? It could just mean he’s a pushover. She certainly doesn’t like to be contradicted.” Then again, Azula wasn’t entirely certain that Ty Lee even knew what she liked or didn’t like.

The two seemed to switch places at random. 

“But they did choose him for her, so he cannot be all that much of a threat to the status quo, I would imagine.”

[scarredlord]

No. Most likely not. They would not want to risk losing what they had. Ironically in holding so tightly to their riches they were eventually going to lose them.

Eventually.

Probably.

"No. They wouldn't." He frowned, and lifted the paddle to whack the rug again. The was a moment's hesitation beforehand in order to give Azula time to turn her face away.

"How did these morons ascend to the throne?" He knew, he'd heard the story multiple times from Father. A bastard courtesan in part, though mostly the weaponization of the people through false accusations and promises they could not possibly keep in the long term.

None of the true born Mudanese nobles themselves had dirtied their hands directly.

[firelxrdsdaughter]

scarredlord‌:

firelxrdsdaughter‌:

Azula grimaced violently at the suggestion. 

“Spirits no, don’t even say that.” The idea of having the world’s greatest tyrant in her marital bed was enough to turn Azula’s stomach without the added effect of her not ever wanting to get into a marriage bed at all. Not really. 

She supposed in some ways she was luckier than Ty Lee. She wouldn’t be forced to wed a complete stranger for the political clout. She could simply be herself, and not have to worry about whether or not she ever made a marriage at all.

Though of course, most people would have Azula believe that it was a crime for her to be well into her twenties and with no suitor to speak of. Girls your age have already had children of their own and run their own households. What are you doing wasting your life away in this tea shop? 

Or the classic: You’re too beautiful to be alone, as though her physical attractiveness predicated whether or not she deserved loneliness. 

None of those well meaning Aunties had ever asked her if she was happy as she was. They simply assumed that she couldn’t be. 

“Although…” Azula reached up to adjust the rug that Zuko had been beating, making certain that it did not drop to the ground below it, “maybe you’d fancy the expensive Earth Kingdom clothes and the feather beds that would come with being the brother of the Earth Queen?” 

“I’d hate it.” The answer came not even a breath span after Azula had finished stating it. “I can’t imagine anything that would make me happy about you marrying him.” A warmongering tyrant, the enemy of the nation. His war had killed so many and not just in their own nation.

Surely Azula was joking based on the face she had pulled earlier, but the thought that she would sacrifice her own happiness for them to live more comfortably was distressing at best.

“At the rate the war seems to be going your pest might just be forced to beat you to it anyways.” She had the right bloodline and was not bright enough to successfully enact a coup against him.

“Alright mister grumpy,” she said, laughing a little at Zuko’s very serious answer, “I was only kidding.”

Marrying Kuei was the last thing on her list of things to do.

“Mm…” Azula finished with adjusting the rug, stepping back and out of the line of fire again, “well, as of right now she is engaged to Gen of Iron Wharf, and I cannot see her self-absorbed family really making the decision to break that off.”

Even Azula could understand the logical politics behind marrying someone like Gen. His family controlled a large portion of the Nation’s economics with their iron. Not to mention they were desirably Southern.

Considering the royal family’s hubris, Azula was not convinced that even if Kuei did offer a marriage they would consider it. 

“They’re more likely to send an insulting denial back to him and bring the entire nation down with them in the aftermath.”

[scarredlord]

Azula was right. They'd never go for that. They were silly, vain, frivolous and proud. A great combination in a ruling class. There would never be a peace agreement.

He didn't know about the Iron Wharf engagement. It made sense. If they were already closely tied to Shipwright’s Cove a marriage to another naval province made sense. The country was at war afterall. In addition to warships they were rich with iron. This was an unusually smart decision on the part of the royal family. Well, at least from what he knew of the situation which wasn't that much.

"That's interesting. Did she say anything about what he's like?" Is he smarter than they are? He assumed the princess had told Azula this, but maybe she was able to read between the lines enough to know.

Maybe whoever this guy was would help turn the country around. If there was a country left to fix by the time he could. It was too optimistic of a thought perhaps.

[firelxrdsdaughter]

scarredlord‌:

firelxrdsdaughter‌:

“I am careful,” she assured him.

Azula could already imagine what might happen if Qiao and the others were to find out the origins of their family: Initially they might prop them up to lend legitimacy to their movement. She would never put it passed Qiao to use them as a sort of banner for his cause, only to toss them aside and get rid of them once he’d taken control from the current monarchs.

He was a staunch anti-royalist, after all…And Azula could not say that she blamed him. Ambition for the Fire Nation throne had corrupted her father, and having the power had corrupted the current ruling family beyond recognition. 

What would that power do to her if she could wield it? What would it do to Zuko, or Iroh?

“It’s you who needs to be more careful,” Azula said pointedly, though her mouth tucked into a crooked smile at the words. “Or your libido might end you up in a jail cell of some kind.”

“Sure, whatever.” Zuko scoffed with a laugh- though he wasn’t particularly pleased with his baby sister talking like that. She would eternally be ten in his mind by default. Seeing her as an adult took effort that he didn’t always want to make.

“I’m not the one with at least two dangerous admirers to contend with. All you need now is King Kuei to have the worst trifecta of interest ever.” Not fair, because it wasn’t her fault. The princess hopefully did not have that sort of interest either. It would take longer for her to leave them alone.

The recent Qiao revelation left him even more on edge.

While Azula was seemingly busy trying to set him up with random customers maybe he needed to do the same. She needed a safer proposal than what Qiao was offering. Someone stable, humble and willing to assist around the shop.

Azula grimaced violently at the suggestion. 

“Spirits no, don’t even say that.” The idea of having the world’s greatest tyrant in her marital bed was enough to turn Azula’s stomach without the added effect of her not ever wanting to get into a marriage bed at all. Not really. 

She supposed in some ways she was luckier than Ty Lee. She wouldn’t be forced to wed a complete stranger for the political clout. She could simply be herself, and not have to worry about whether or not she ever made a marriage at all.

Though of course, most people would have Azula believe that it was a crime for her to be well into her twenties and with no suitor to speak of. Girls your age have already had children of their own and run their own households. What are you doing wasting your life away in this tea shop? 

Or the classic: You’re too beautiful to be alone, as though her physical attractiveness predicated whether or not she deserved loneliness. 

None of those well meaning Aunties had ever asked her if she was happy as she was. They simply assumed that she couldn’t be. 

“Although…” Azula reached up to adjust the rug that Zuko had been beating, making certain that it did not drop to the ground below it, “maybe you’d fancy the expensive Earth Kingdom clothes and the feather beds that would come with being the brother of the Earth Queen?” 

[scarredlord]

"I'd hate it." The answer came not even a breath span after Azula had finished stating it. "I can't imagine anything that would make me happy about you marrying him." A warmongering tyrant, the enemy of the nation. His war had killed so many and not just in their own nation.

Surely Azula was joking based on the face she had pulled earlier, but the thought that she would sacrifice her own happiness for them to live more comfortably was distressing at best.

"At the rate the war seems to be going your pest might just be forced to beat you to it anyways." She had the right bloodline and was not bright enough to successfully enact a coup against him.

[firelxrdsdaughter]

scarredlord‌:

firelxrdsdaughter‌:

Azula watched the play of emotion over Zuko’s face from surprise and confusion all the way to…Resolve? Grim certainty? Hard to tell on her brother’s features sometimes. 

She backed off as Zuko took over her chore for her, lifting a sleeve to cover her face as the dust flew into the night air, dissipating under its weight. She raised her eyebrows.

Azula shrugged. 

“Maybe I don’t want him interfering in my business,” she pointed out, “so someone like him who is always busy with his cause and out of the house would be ideal.”

“The point is, I’m not afraid to be alone, so you don’t have to worry about me.”

“I’m your older brother. It’s my job to worry.”

As he struck the rug again Zuko wondered if Qiao’s interest in his sister’s hand was almost as dangerous as whatever game the crown princess was playing. The fickle princess would leave them alone eventually, he doubted that Qiao would be as quick to move on to someone else.

If the princess found out who they were they would likely be imprisoned or executed, Qiao… Zuko was not entirely sure other than it would not be preferable for him to know.

With the royals now added to their precarious situation Zuko wondered how far it all would have to go before Uncle decided that they needed to leave Caldera. He wondered if it was preferrable. They had planted some semblance of roots and vague stability here, yet would it be worth it if they wound up dead.

Zuko sighed, “Just be careful. With her, with him, with all of it.”

“I am careful,” she assured him.

Azula could already imagine what might happen if Qiao and the others were to find out the origins of their family: Initially they might prop them up to lend legitimacy to their movement. She would never put it passed Qiao to use them as a sort of banner for his cause, only to toss them aside and get rid of them once he’d taken control from the current monarchs.

He was a staunch anti-royalist, after all…And Azula could not say that she blamed him. Ambition for the Fire Nation throne had corrupted her father, and having the power had corrupted the current ruling family beyond recognition. 

What would that power do to her if she could wield it? What would it do to Zuko, or Iroh?

“It’s you who needs to be more careful,” Azula said pointedly, though her mouth tucked into a crooked smile at the words. “Or your libido might end you up in a jail cell of some kind.”

[scarredlord]

"Sure, whatever." Zuko scoffed with a laugh- though he wasn't particularly pleased with his baby sister talking like that. She would eternally be ten in his mind by default. Seeing her as an adult took effort that he didn't always want to make.

"I'm not the one with at least two dangerous admirers to contend with. All you need now is King Kuei to have the worst trifecta of interest ever." Not fair, because it wasn't her fault. The princess hopefully did not have that sort of interest either. It would take longer for her to leave them alone.

The recent Qiao revelation left him even more on edge.

While Azula was seemingly busy trying to set him up with random customers maybe he needed to do the same. She needed a safer proposal than what Qiao was offering. Someone stable, humble and willing to assist around the shop.

[firelxrdsdaughter]

scarredlord‌:

firelxrdsdaughter‌:

Azula frowned at Zuko’s question, beating the rug a second and third time with her good arm. It wasn’t nearly as effective as it would have been if she’d had two good hands. 

This was going to take a while.

“I imagine that I would continue here,” she answered simply. “It’s not as though you’d be going very far? And a woman typically goes to stay with her husband’s family anyway…And Uncle and I are your family.”

Azula raised her eyebrows at Zuko.

“Unless you’re trying to tell me that if you were to get married you’d literally run away from us?” Not that she’d blame him, Iroh was known to eavesdrop on private moments. 

“Not sure who’d help to take care of your kids then.” Azula offered her brother a cheeky smile.

“Anyway, it doesn’t exactly matter does it? We’re not talking about me. But If I did somehow manage to get lonely, maybe I would finally accept one of Qiao Ren’s proposals.” Not that Azula had ever told anyone before now that Qiao had proposed to her three times…And that she had started to think that maybe he wasn’t just joking.

What.

He took the paddle carefully from her hand as he noticed her struggle. Her other hand was far too injured to assist with beating the rug. Besides, he needed something to do as he turned over the idea of Qiao having proposed to Azula.

Thwack.

She had to be kidding.

Thwack.

When he thought of it, however, the degree of interest Qiao had shown her was beyond what the cause might have normally warranted.

The dust gradually settled. Zuko watched as the last of it faded away from the night.

“I don’t think marrying him would help with that.” On the contrary, regardless of how the conflict ended Zuko suspected the man might not make it safely to the other end if it. Regardless of who held the majority of the Pai Sho tiles, royalty or not, he would be viewed as a real or potential threat.

“He wouldn’t be someone to settle down and run a tea shop with.”

Azula watched the play of emotion over Zuko’s face from surprise and confusion all the way to…Resolve? Grim certainty? Hard to tell on her brother’s features sometimes. 

She backed off as Zuko took over her chore for her, lifting a sleeve to cover her face as the dust flew into the night air, dissipating under its weight. She raised her eyebrows.

Azula shrugged. 

“Maybe I don’t want him interfering in my business,” she pointed out, “so someone like him who is always busy with his cause and out of the house would be ideal.”

“The point is, I’m not afraid to be alone, so you don’t have to worry about me.”

[scarredlord]

"I'm your older brother. It's my job to worry."

As he struck the rug again Zuko wondered if Qiao's interest in his sister's hand was almost as dangerous as whatever game the crown princess was playing. The fickle princess would leave them alone eventually, he doubted that Qiao would be as quick to move on to someone else.

If the princess found out who they were they would likely be imprisoned or executed, Qiao... Zuko was not entirely sure other than it would not be preferable for him to know.

With the royals now added to their precarious situation Zuko wondered how far it all would have to go before Uncle decided that they needed to leave Caldera. He wondered if it was preferrable. They had planted some semblance of roots and vague stability here, yet would it be worth it if they wound up dead.

Zuko sighed, "Just be careful. With her, with him, with all of it."

[firelxrdsdaughter]

scarredlord‌:

firelxrdsdaughter‌:

“Maybe,” Azula answered, “but what I mean is that if our lineage were to ever accidentally come out in her presence it would be a lot less damning than in the presence of anyone else of high standing.”

Azula tugged on the ends of the rug, trying to make it as straight as possible over the rope so that when she got to bashing the dust from it it would not wrinkle or capture more dirt than it released.

“And…if for some reason the country did fall apart at the seams, and the nobility and royal family were deposed? I can’t imagine that Mai would be sad to lose the status that keeps her so rigidly under its control. She strikes me as someone who would be happy with a simpler life than the one she lives now.”

Azula wandered over to the wrap-around porch where their roof hung over the walkway, sheilding it from the elements. She found the racket she needed to beat the carpet clean, hefting it in her good hand and wandering back to the rug.

“…And she already finds you attractive and stuff, I guess.” Azula drew back her arm, giving the first heavy slap of the racket against the rug, turning her face away from the spray of dust which resulted from the motion.

Zuko turned his face away just in time to avoid the debris flying from the rug. The dust that littered the moonlight had thinned before he replied.

“ Okay, let’s say that I wind up running off and marrying the amazing, secretly hillarious, noblewoman Mai whose family doesn’t care that tying themselves to us would put them in the royal family’s line of fire.”

A lot of unlikely things all together.

“What happens to you?”

Without a doubt she’d stay to run the tea shop, but what else? Surely that wasn’t all she wanted from life. And what if the royal family found her? If uncle had passed she would be fighting them alone on their doorstep in a city they controlled. He would be away wherever it was Lady Mai was and unable to help her. It made more sense for him to find someone closer if he were to involve himself in anything serious.

From the way Azula spoke of Lady Mai she wanted it to be serious.

Azula frowned at Zuko’s question, beating the rug a second and third time with her good arm. It wasn’t nearly as effective as it would have been if she’d had two good hands. 

This was going to take a while.

“I imagine that I would continue here,” she answered simply. “It’s not as though you’d be going very far? And a woman typically goes to stay with her husband’s family anyway…And Uncle and I are your family.”

Azula raised her eyebrows at Zuko.

“Unless you’re trying to tell me that if you were to get married you’d literally run away from us?” Not that she’d blame him, Iroh was known to eavesdrop on private moments. 

“Not sure who’d help to take care of your kids then.” Azula offered her brother a cheeky smile.

“Anyway, it doesn’t exactly matter does it? We’re not talking about me. But If I did somehow manage to get lonely, maybe I would finally accept one of Qiao Ren’s proposals.” Not that Azula had ever told anyone before now that Qiao had proposed to her three times…And that she had started to think that maybe he wasn’t just joking.

[scarredlord]

What.

He took the paddle carefully from her hand as he noticed her struggle. Her other hand was far too injured to assist with beating the rug. Besides, he needed something to do as he turned over the idea of Qiao having proposed to Azula.

Thwack.

She had to be kidding.

Thwack.

When he thought of it, however, the degree of interest Qiao had shown her was beyond what the cause might have normally warranted.

The dust gradually settled. Zuko watched as the last of it faded away from the night.

"I don't think marrying him would help with that." On the contrary, regardless of how the conflict ended Zuko suspected the man might not make it safely to the other end if it. Regardless of who held the majority of the Pai Sho tiles, royalty or not, he would be viewed as a real or potential threat.

"He wouldn't be someone to settle down and run a tea shop with."

[firelxrdsdaughter]

scarredlord‌:

firelxrdsdaughter‌:

Azula didn’t see how her abilities with strategy could help her when she didn’t have an army at her back or the resources to build one. Perhaps if Qiao’s movement ever got big enough there might be enough man power…But it would take convincing. Years of convincing and building up morale.

“You sound like uncle,” she settled on saying.

Speaking of their old caretaker, Azula was uncertain of where he had gone off to. Usually if the two of them were having a row he was out and about to make certain that it did not escalate to something that neither of them could fix.

He was conspicuously absent.

Azula took it as a sign. “…There’s a rally tonight,” she said at length, dragging her attention from where she’d fixed it down the hall and back to her brother, “With the brothers of flame….Do you want to come?”

His hand rubbed at the tension that had been building at the back of his neck.  Normally he’d want to, but these past couple months had been worrisome. Even his appearances as The Blue Spirit had dwindled in number ever since the crown princess began visiting them regularly. What if the princess’s visits were not as clandestine as she believed? What if they were being vetted by someone whose loyalties were solely hers? Some nameless shadow watching over her like a guardian spirit…. How many people would they potentially jeopardize in coming to a rally? “Maybe… Do you think that’s a good idea with all the attention you’ve been getting? Even if they don’t know who we are, but find you with the brothers of flame-” 

Zuko was right, of course, and Azula should have known better. No doubt they were under surveillance, even if they hadn’t spotted any obvious spies yet. 

She reached up, massaging the skin between her eyebrows. 

Somehow, Azula doubted that Qiao wouldn’t notice her absence, but what other choice did she have? It would be worse to lead some potential watchdog to Qiao and his party’s leadership and compromise the entire operation. 

“I suppose you’re right,” Azula said finally. She stepped back from the edge of the rug, moving to the farthest end to start rolling it up into a more manageable shape. Dust flew out of it at every motion of her arms to make it into a compact roll. 

“Help me with this,” she instructed. Now that Zuko had been torn away from whatever had distracted him from his chores (aside from thoughts of Manami), he could return to them and help her finish up more quickly.

“You know,” Azula broached as she lifted her end of the carpet roll, “if you’re really that desperate for affection, Lady Mai who frequents the establishment quite often is interested in you.”

[scarredlord]

“I’m not desperate- wait, what?” Zuko nearly dropped his end of the rug.

He wouldn’t have guessed that at all. She hadn’t told him as much. If she liked him wouldn’t he have noticed?

“Lady Mai? Really? She seems rather severe, don’t you think?” It would be like dating a rock, he imagined. Then again, he never paid her much notice. Maybe she wasn’t as…..her as he thought, or maybe she was.

Even if she was, what would make them anymore equal than him and Manami?

[firelxrdsdaughter]

“Well, considering your obssession with Manami I would have thought that you like emotionally unavailable women,” Azula teased. She adjusted her grip on the carpet once Zuko had regained his own hold over it, looking over her shoulder to make certain that she didn’t trip over anything on the way to the back entrance and the garden beyond.

“But no; Actually Mai’s quite funny and very passionate. She’s just not…in your face about it, I suppose. If anything I’d say she’s just shy.”

Azula shifted the weight of the carpet onto a shoulder, turning to slide open the back door. It scraped against the track, noisy, banging into the ajar position with something like a protest at being moved at all. Azula huffed a breath and changed her grip on the carpet once more.

[scarredlord]

He didn’t see any of that, but again he hadn’t paid her much attention previously. Yes, she was pretty, so was the crown princess and he wanted nothing to do with her romantically.

“If you think she’s so funny and ‘very passionate’ why don’t you date her, Azula?”

Zuko shifted his grip on the rug and Azula struggled with the door, settling shortly before they stepped over the garden threshold. The air hit him; warm, humid. It was too heavy out for his tastes. It was in rare moments like this that he missed the Earth Kingdom. Conversely during the winter there he had missed the Fire Nation.

[firelxrdsdaughter]

“I’m not really interested in her in that way, Zuzu.” She made a face at her brother, “And she didn’t express interest in me. She expressed interest in you.”

Azula took a moment to breathe before she looked up at the length of rope tied from the building across the width of the yard to a tree on the other side by the outer walls. She braced herself, beginning the process of hefting the heavy burden onto the line.

Stray pieces of her hair had already begun to stick to her skin with sweat from the humidity of the outdoors. In the bushes, crickets were singing loudly, nearly drowning out the sounds of the street beyond the tea shop.

“Besides…Her mother is Lady Michi…Daughter of Fire Lord Sozin’s father’s brother’s son’s…son or something like that.” She lowered her voice a little, so as not to be overheard by their neighbours.

[scarredlord]

Zuko barely managed to refrain from laughing at the expression she pulled at his teasing suggestion. It hadn’t been that long ago that she told him that she had no interest in anyone really. Still, he wondered at times if she would be happy being entirely alone, without even a business partner or really close neighbor she couldn’t shake off. He wasn’t that much older than her, but if something were to happen to him and Uncle what would become of her?

The Brothers of Flame had their cause, but the cause would always matter more than she did individually.

At the mention of Lady Mai’s lineage he frowned in confusion, straining as he helped in configuring the rug.

“Huh,” He too kept his voice low, “that would all matter if I were a prince- which I am not and will never be.”

[firelxrdsdaughter]

“Maybe,” Azula answered, “but what I mean is that if our lineage were to ever accidentally come out in her presence it would be a lot less damning than in the presence of anyone else of high standing.”

Azula tugged on the ends of the rug, trying to make it as straight as possible over the rope so that when she got to bashing the dust from it it would not wrinkle or capture more dirt than it released.

“And…if for some reason the country did fall apart at the seams, and the nobility and royal family were deposed? I can’t imagine that Mai would be sad to lose the status that keeps her so rigidly under its control. She strikes me as someone who would be happy with a simpler life than the one she lives now.”

Azula wandered over to the wrap-around porch where their roof hung over the walkway, sheilding it from the elements. She found the racket she needed to beat the carpet clean, hefting it in her good hand and wandering back to the rug.

“…And she already finds you attractive and stuff, I guess.” Azula drew back her arm, giving the first heavy slap of the racket against the rug, turning her face away from the spray of dust which resulted from the motion.

[scarredlord]

Zuko turned his face away just in time to avoid the debris flying from the rug. The dust that littered the moonlight had thinned before he replied.

" Okay, let's say that I wind up running off and marrying the amazing, secretly hillarious, noblewoman Mai whose family doesn't care that tying themselves to us would put them in the royal family's line of fire."

A lot of unlikely things all together.

"What happens to you?"

Without a doubt she'd stay to run the tea shop, but what else? Surely that wasn't all she wanted from life. And what if the royal family found her? If uncle had passed she would be fighting them alone on their doorstep in a city they controlled. He would be away wherever it was Lady Mai was and unable to help her. It made more sense for him to find someone closer if he were to involve himself in anything serious.

From the way Azula spoke of Lady Mai she wanted it to be serious.

[firelxrdsdaughter]

scarredlord‌:

firelxrdsdaughter‌:

Azula didn’t see how her abilities with strategy could help her when she didn’t have an army at her back or the resources to build one. Perhaps if Qiao’s movement ever got big enough there might be enough man power…But it would take convincing. Years of convincing and building up morale.

“You sound like uncle,” she settled on saying.

Speaking of their old caretaker, Azula was uncertain of where he had gone off to. Usually if the two of them were having a row he was out and about to make certain that it did not escalate to something that neither of them could fix.

He was conspicuously absent.

Azula took it as a sign. “…There’s a rally tonight,” she said at length, dragging her attention from where she’d fixed it down the hall and back to her brother, “With the brothers of flame….Do you want to come?”

His hand rubbed at the tension that had been building at the back of his neck.  Normally he’d want to, but these past couple months had been worrisome. Even his appearances as The Blue Spirit had dwindled in number ever since the crown princess began visiting them regularly. What if the princess’s visits were not as clandestine as she believed? What if they were being vetted by someone whose loyalties were solely hers? Some nameless shadow watching over her like a guardian spirit…. How many people would they potentially jeopardize in coming to a rally? “Maybe… Do you think that’s a good idea with all the attention you’ve been getting? Even if they don’t know who we are, but find you with the brothers of flame-” 

Zuko was right, of course, and Azula should have known better. No doubt they were under surveillance, even if they hadn’t spotted any obvious spies yet. 

She reached up, massaging the skin between her eyebrows. 

Somehow, Azula doubted that Qiao wouldn’t notice her absence, but what other choice did she have? It would be worse to lead some potential watchdog to Qiao and his party’s leadership and compromise the entire operation. 

“I suppose you’re right,” Azula said finally. She stepped back from the edge of the rug, moving to the farthest end to start rolling it up into a more manageable shape. Dust flew out of it at every motion of her arms to make it into a compact roll. 

“Help me with this,” she instructed. Now that Zuko had been torn away from whatever had distracted him from his chores (aside from thoughts of Manami), he could return to them and help her finish up more quickly.

“You know,” Azula broached as she lifted her end of the carpet roll, “if you’re really that desperate for affection, Lady Mai who frequents the establishment quite often is interested in you.”

[scarredlord]

“I’m not desperate- wait, what?” Zuko nearly dropped his end of the rug.

He wouldn’t have guessed that at all. She hadn’t told him as much. If she liked him wouldn’t he have noticed?

“Lady Mai? Really? She seems rather severe, don’t you think?” It would be like dating a rock, he imagined. Then again, he never paid her much notice. Maybe she wasn’t as…..her as he thought, or maybe she was.

Even if she was, what would make them anymore equal than him and Manami?

[firelxrdsdaughter]

“Well, considering your obssession with Manami I would have thought that you like emotionally unavailable women,” Azula teased. She adjusted her grip on the carpet once Zuko had regained his own hold over it, looking over her shoulder to make certain that she didn’t trip over anything on the way to the back entrance and the garden beyond.

“But no; Actually Mai’s quite funny and very passionate. She’s just not…in your face about it, I suppose. If anything I’d say she’s just shy.”

Azula shifted the weight of the carpet onto a shoulder, turning to slide open the back door. It scraped against the track, noisy, banging into the ajar position with something like a protest at being moved at all. Azula huffed a breath and changed her grip on the carpet once more.

[scarredlord]

He didn’t see any of that, but again he hadn’t paid her much attention previously. Yes, she was pretty, so was the crown princess and he wanted nothing to do with her romantically.

“If you think she’s so funny and ‘very passionate’ why don’t you date her, Azula?”

Zuko shifted his grip on the rug and Azula struggled with the door, settling shortly before they stepped over the garden threshold. The air hit him; warm, humid. It was too heavy out for his tastes. It was in rare moments like this that he missed the Earth Kingdom. Conversely during the winter there he had missed the Fire Nation.

[firelxrdsdaughter]

“I’m not really interested in her in that way, Zuzu.” She made a face at her brother, “And she didn’t express interest in me. She expressed interest in you.”

Azula took a moment to breathe before she looked up at the length of rope tied from the building across the width of the yard to a tree on the other side by the outer walls. She braced herself, beginning the process of hefting the heavy burden onto the line.

Stray pieces of her hair had already begun to stick to her skin with sweat from the humidity of the outdoors. In the bushes, crickets were singing loudly, nearly drowning out the sounds of the street beyond the tea shop.

“Besides…Her mother is Lady Michi…Daughter of Fire Lord Sozin’s father’s brother’s son’s…son or something like that.” She lowered her voice a little, so as not to be overheard by their neighbours.

[scarredlord]

Zuko barely managed to refrain from laughing at the expression she pulled at his teasing suggestion. It hadn't been that long ago that she told him that she had no interest in anyone really. Still, he wondered at times if she would be happy being entirely alone, without even a business partner or really close neighbor she couldn't shake off. He wasn't that much older than her, but if something were to happen to him and Uncle what would become of her?

The Brothers of Flame had their cause, but the cause would always matter more than she did individually.

At the mention of Lady Mai's lineage he frowned in confusion, straining as he helped in configuring the rug.

"Huh," He too kept his voice low, "that would all matter if I were a prince- which I am not and will never be."

[firelxrdsdaughter]

scarredlord‌:

firelxrdsdaughter‌:

Azula didn’t see how her abilities with strategy could help her when she didn’t have an army at her back or the resources to build one. Perhaps if Qiao’s movement ever got big enough there might be enough man power…But it would take convincing. Years of convincing and building up morale.

“You sound like uncle,” she settled on saying.

Speaking of their old caretaker, Azula was uncertain of where he had gone off to. Usually if the two of them were having a row he was out and about to make certain that it did not escalate to something that neither of them could fix.

He was conspicuously absent.

Azula took it as a sign. “…There’s a rally tonight,” she said at length, dragging her attention from where she’d fixed it down the hall and back to her brother, “With the brothers of flame….Do you want to come?”

His hand rubbed at the tension that had been building at the back of his neck.  Normally he’d want to, but these past couple months had been worrisome. Even his appearances as The Blue Spirit had dwindled in number ever since the crown princess began visiting them regularly. What if the princess’s visits were not as clandestine as she believed? What if they were being vetted by someone whose loyalties were solely hers? Some nameless shadow watching over her like a guardian spirit…. How many people would they potentially jeopardize in coming to a rally? “Maybe… Do you think that’s a good idea with all the attention you’ve been getting? Even if they don’t know who we are, but find you with the brothers of flame-” 

Zuko was right, of course, and Azula should have known better. No doubt they were under surveillance, even if they hadn’t spotted any obvious spies yet. 

She reached up, massaging the skin between her eyebrows. 

Somehow, Azula doubted that Qiao wouldn’t notice her absence, but what other choice did she have? It would be worse to lead some potential watchdog to Qiao and his party’s leadership and compromise the entire operation. 

“I suppose you’re right,” Azula said finally. She stepped back from the edge of the rug, moving to the farthest end to start rolling it up into a more manageable shape. Dust flew out of it at every motion of her arms to make it into a compact roll. 

“Help me with this,” she instructed. Now that Zuko had been torn away from whatever had distracted him from his chores (aside from thoughts of Manami), he could return to them and help her finish up more quickly.

“You know,” Azula broached as she lifted her end of the carpet roll, “if you’re really that desperate for affection, Lady Mai who frequents the establishment quite often is interested in you.”

[scarredlord]

“I’m not desperate- wait, what?” Zuko nearly dropped his end of the rug.

He wouldn’t have guessed that at all. She hadn’t told him as much. If she liked him wouldn’t he have noticed?

“Lady Mai? Really? She seems rather severe, don’t you think?” It would be like dating a rock, he imagined. Then again, he never paid her much notice. Maybe she wasn’t as…..her as he thought, or maybe she was.

Even if she was, what would make them anymore equal than him and Manami?

[firelxrdsdaughter]

“Well, considering your obssession with Manami I would have thought that you like emotionally unavailable women,” Azula teased. She adjusted her grip on the carpet once Zuko had regained his own hold over it, looking over her shoulder to make certain that she didn’t trip over anything on the way to the back entrance and the garden beyond.

“But no; Actually Mai’s quite funny and very passionate. She’s just not…in your face about it, I suppose. If anything I’d say she’s just shy.”

Azula shifted the weight of the carpet onto a shoulder, turning to slide open the back door. It scraped against the track, noisy, banging into the ajar position with something like a protest at being moved at all. Azula huffed a breath and changed her grip on the carpet once more.

[scarredlord]

He didn't see any of that, but again he hadn't paid her much attention previously. Yes, she was pretty, so was the crown princess and he wanted nothing to do with her romantically.

"If you think she's so funny and 'very passionate' why don't you date her, Azula?"

Zuko shifted his grip on the rug and Azula struggled with the door, settling shortly before they stepped over the garden threshold. The air hit him; warm, humid. It was too heavy out for his tastes. It was in rare moments like this that he missed the Earth Kingdom. Conversely during the winter there he had missed the Fire Nation.

[firelxrdsdaughter]

scarredlord‌:

firelxrdsdaughter‌:

Azula didn’t see how her abilities with strategy could help her when she didn’t have an army at her back or the resources to build one. Perhaps if Qiao’s movement ever got big enough there might be enough man power…But it would take convincing. Years of convincing and building up morale.

“You sound like uncle,” she settled on saying.

Speaking of their old caretaker, Azula was uncertain of where he had gone off to. Usually if the two of them were having a row he was out and about to make certain that it did not escalate to something that neither of them could fix.

He was conspicuously absent.

Azula took it as a sign. “…There’s a rally tonight,” she said at length, dragging her attention from where she’d fixed it down the hall and back to her brother, “With the brothers of flame….Do you want to come?”

His hand rubbed at the tension that had been building at the back of his neck.  Normally he’d want to, but these past couple months had been worrisome. Even his appearances as The Blue Spirit had dwindled in number ever since the crown princess began visiting them regularly. What if the princess’s visits were not as clandestine as she believed? What if they were being vetted by someone whose loyalties were solely hers? Some nameless shadow watching over her like a guardian spirit…. How many people would they potentially jeopardize in coming to a rally? “Maybe… Do you think that’s a good idea with all the attention you’ve been getting? Even if they don’t know who we are, but find you with the brothers of flame-” 

Zuko was right, of course, and Azula should have known better. No doubt they were under surveillance, even if they hadn’t spotted any obvious spies yet. 

She reached up, massaging the skin between her eyebrows. 

Somehow, Azula doubted that Qiao wouldn’t notice her absence, but what other choice did she have? It would be worse to lead some potential watchdog to Qiao and his party’s leadership and compromise the entire operation. 

“I suppose you’re right,” Azula said finally. She stepped back from the edge of the rug, moving to the farthest end to start rolling it up into a more manageable shape. Dust flew out of it at every motion of her arms to make it into a compact roll. 

“Help me with this,” she instructed. Now that Zuko had been torn away from whatever had distracted him from his chores (aside from thoughts of Manami), he could return to them and help her finish up more quickly.

“You know,” Azula broached as she lifted her end of the carpet roll, “if you’re really that desperate for affection, Lady Mai who frequents the establishment quite often is interested in you.”

[scarredlord]

"I'm not desperate- wait, what?" Zuko nearly dropped his end of the rug.

He wouldn't have guessed that at all. She hadn’t told him as much. If she liked him wouldn't he have noticed?

"Lady Mai? Really? She seems rather severe, don't you think?" It would be like dating a rock, he imagined. Then again, he never paid her much notice. Maybe she wasn't as.....her as he thought, or maybe she was.

Even if she was, what would make them anymore equal than him and Manami?

[scarredlord]

firelxrdsdaughter‌:

scarredlord‌:

firelxrdsdaughter‌:

“Of course I don’t think she’s better,” Azula snapped. She crossed her arms over her chest, squeezing tightly. “In fact I know she isn’t. It’s just that it feels disingenuous to pretend like in this society we are considered anything but below them.”

Azula ran her tongue over her teeth. 

“Even if Lady Manami were not related to the Fire Lord, or an inquisitor, she would still always think of herself as above you. That’s just the way they are. They feel entitled to our lives, and our bodies, and our private thoughts because it’s all they or we have ever known.

“I mean – look at the situation with the crown princess,” Azula pointed out, “all I did was say no to her buying our tea leaves! I didn’t know who she was, or what she wanted, I just wanted to be done in the market and not have some idiot be swindled by our tea seller. Now she parades around here demanding my attention and full cooperation in whatever pantomime she thinks she’s playing, and all because I had the gall to tell her no! It’s ridiculous!”

Azula’s voice had raised with each passing moment that she ranted at Zuko over their situation. Over the injustice that was busy being handed out to them because fate had willed it so. The silence which followed her outburst seemed deafening because of it.

Catching her breath, she felt her shoulders hunch forward, heavy with weariness.

“And alright yes – it makes me feel as though I am worthless and nothing better than a plaything.” Azula’s voice grew brittle. She cleared her throat, blinking her stinging eyes rapidly. 

Zuko was quiet for a time, watching his little sister’s upset over this seemingly hopeless situation. He rested his hand briefly on her shoulder in an attempt at comfort. Everything she said was true. Even if it were not dangerous to become involved with Lady Manami she would never see him as even close to her equal. They never would be as long as she was a member of those in power and he was not. As long as they held all the tiles there would never be any winning against the nobility at anything.  “Did you beat her at Pai Sho?”

Azula blinked, surprise by the seeminly sudden turn in their conversation at Zuko’s question.

“What — ? Oh…Of course. Several times…” She couldn’t quite help the tiniest of smiles that curved her mouth upward at the thought of it, “the games weren’t all that challenging.”

She did love beating people though, especially when they walked right into her well crafted traps.

“…” Azula frowned, “Why?”

Of course she did. He couldn’t recall the last time he had beaten her- if there had ever been a time. Maybe if he’d played her when she was too young to even grasp the rules.  No tea cups had been broken as far as he knew, so he had been wondering if Ty Lee had been a more gracious loser than expected.  “Something to consider maybe,” Zuko said. “There have been times when power doesn’t wind up being where one would assume.” In history probably, but more recently in a book he’d read by Manami’s mother, the Lady of Shipwright’s Cove- and then regretted having started about halfway through it. There was no lifetime in which he’d be caught with a book like that.

[firelxrdsdaughter]

Azula didn’t see how her abilities with strategy could help her when she didn’t have an army at her back or the resources to build one. Perhaps if Qiao’s movement ever got big enough there might be enough man power…But it would take convincing. Years of convincing and building up morale.

“You sound like uncle,” she settled on saying.

Speaking of their old caretaker, Azula was uncertain of where he had gone off to. Usually if the two of them were having a row he was out and about to make certain that it did not escalate to something that neither of them could fix.

He was conspicuously absent.

Azula took it as a sign. “…There’s a rally tonight,” she said at length, dragging her attention from where she’d fixed it down the hall and back to her brother, “With the brothers of flame….Do you want to come?”

[scarredlord]

His hand rubbed at the tension that had been building at the back of his neck.  Normally he’d want to, but these past couple months had been worrisome. Even his appearances as The Blue Spirit had dwindled in number ever since the crown princess began visiting them regularly. What if the princess’s visits were not as clandestine as she believed? What if they were being vetted by someone whose loyalties were solely hers? Some nameless shadow watching over her like a guardian spirit.... How many people would they potentially jeopardize in coming to a rally? “Maybe... Do you think that’s a good idea with all the attention you’ve been getting? Even if they don’t know who we are, but find you with the brothers of flame-” 

[scarredlord]

firelxrdsdaughter‌:

scarredlord‌:

firelxrdsdaughter‌:

“Of course I don’t think she’s better,” Azula snapped. She crossed her arms over her chest, squeezing tightly. “In fact I know she isn’t. It’s just that it feels disingenuous to pretend like in this society we are considered anything but below them.”

Azula ran her tongue over her teeth. 

“Even if Lady Manami were not related to the Fire Lord, or an inquisitor, she would still always think of herself as above you. That’s just the way they are. They feel entitled to our lives, and our bodies, and our private thoughts because it’s all they or we have ever known.

“I mean – look at the situation with the crown princess,” Azula pointed out, “all I did was say no to her buying our tea leaves! I didn’t know who she was, or what she wanted, I just wanted to be done in the market and not have some idiot be swindled by our tea seller. Now she parades around here demanding my attention and full cooperation in whatever pantomime she thinks she’s playing, and all because I had the gall to tell her no! It’s ridiculous!”

Azula’s voice had raised with each passing moment that she ranted at Zuko over their situation. Over the injustice that was busy being handed out to them because fate had willed it so. The silence which followed her outburst seemed deafening because of it.

Catching her breath, she felt her shoulders hunch forward, heavy with weariness.

“And alright yes – it makes me feel as though I am worthless and nothing better than a plaything.” Azula’s voice grew brittle. She cleared her throat, blinking her stinging eyes rapidly. 

Zuko was quiet for a time, watching his little sister’s upset over this seemingly hopeless situation. He rested his hand briefly on her shoulder in an attempt at comfort. Everything she said was true. Even if it were not dangerous to become involved with Lady Manami she would never see him as even close to her equal. They never would be as long as she was a member of those in power and he was not. As long as they held all the tiles there would never be any winning against the nobility at anything.  “Did you beat her at Pai Sho?”

Azula blinked, surprise by the seeminly sudden turn in their conversation at Zuko’s question.

“What — ? Oh…Of course. Several times…” She couldn’t quite help the tiniest of smiles that curved her mouth upward at the thought of it, “the games weren’t all that challenging.”

She did love beating people though, especially when they walked right into her well crafted traps.

“…” Azula frowned, “Why?”

Of course she did. He couldn’t recall the last time he had beaten her- if there had ever been a time. Maybe if he’d played her when she was too young to even grasp the rules.  No tea cups had been broken as far as he knew, so he had been wondering if Ty Lee had been a more gracious loser than expected.  “Something to consider maybe,” Zuko said. “There have been times when power doesn’t wind up being where one would assume.” In history probably, but more recently in a book he’d read by Manami’s mother, the Lady of Shipwright’s Cove- and then regretted having started about halfway through it. There was no lifetime in which he’d be caught with a book like that.