#(zuko kicks him in the face. unhand me.)

[discordiansamba]

okay but what if I gave knowledge seeker Zuko some shapeshifting. as a treat. you can't spend three years on the boundary of the spirit world, living with spirits and doing the job of one without it having some kind of impact on you. add in that he has no memory of his past, and well... you get a human that is slowly in the process of transforming into a spirit.

just consider it. for a moment. fox Zuko. it's delightful. I need no other reason, really. he's so casual about it. REALLY not helping the spirit allegations.

[dancingkirby]

Finally another Azula Chapter!

Yooooo, I’m all done with the first two acts of the story now!  (Except for editing and adding on any new ideas, that is.)  And, as promised, here is Azula’s second PoV chapter.

WARNING: Non-graphic incest in the first part.

PAST

Flush with the excitement of the rally and freshly scrubbed, Azula was preparing for the audience with Father that she knew was imminent.  It felt good to be back in her armor; the red and pink outfit had been both pretty and practical, but simply didn’t offer the same amount of protection. On the outside, she looked every bit the maiden warrior-princess.  However, her inner layers were not nearly as modest.

Shiza made her patented frown as Azula rejected her usual bindings in favor of Daddy’s favorite pair of lingerie.  Azula was fairly certain that Shiza had known about their secret relationship for some time; it would be hard for her not to since she was the one getting Azula ready most of the time.  However, they appeared to have reached a silent agreement that they would both pretend she didn’t know.

The knocks on the door came at the perfect time, just as Shiza was putting the makeup knife away. So it was Father who wanted to speak with her first, then.

“Are you…will you be all right?” Shiza asked tentatively as Azula turned towards the door. What an odd question.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” she replied.  

The throne room was empty save for herself and the Fire Lord…just as it had been when he’d sent her on this mission over three months ago.  Azula stopped a respectful distance away, knelt, and pressed her forehead to the floor.  Even when she raised her head, she remained kneeling with her eyes downcast, only daring to look up when she heard him part the flames.  

“The conqueror of Ba Sing Se,” Father said.

Azula would have liked to bask in the praise, but knew exactly what she was expected to say. She made a noise of demurral before responding, “I would never have been able to do it if I hadn’t had such a wonderful teacher.”

“Indeed,” Father replied, slowly walking down the steps.  His nearness made Azula quake in her boots, and not entirely out of fear. But she couldn’t think about that now.

“And your brother slayed the Avatar,” he continued, tugging on his beard.  “I was surprised.  I didn’t think he had it in him.”

How was she going to make this story believable?

“I didn’t either,” she began, trying to stall for a few seconds to think up the details.  “I was busy fighting the waterbender.  But then the Avatar was preoccupied, and Zuko saw his chance and took it.”  Should she say he used lightning?  No, that would be stretching credulity a bit too much.  “Fire blast straight to the back.  It was so precise and powerful that the Avatar never even knew what hit him.  And if that didn’t kill him instantly, the long fall to the ground certainly did.”

There.  That seemed to be an acceptable enough fudging of the truth.  She didn’t mention that they still hadn’t got official confirmation that the Avatar was actually dead, which was making her a little nervous.

“Wonderful,” Father proclaimed.  The story appeared to have passed his muster, and Azula made an internal sigh of relief.

“I take it that you received my dispatches about the intelligence I gathered?” she inquired.  Father smirked.

“Yes.  They’re planning an invasion during the eclipse. How precious.”

Azula allowed her face to relax the tiniest bit, and said, “I have no doubt that they think they’re the first people to ever try such a thing.  The Earth King sang like a sparrowkeet about their super-secret plans without me even having to try. I wish you’d been there to see for yourself; you would have loved it.”  Those idiots. They would have had increased security measures that day regardless.  

Father gave a shout of laughter so loud and sudden that even Azula was startled.  

“So do I!” he exclaimed.  “But let us discuss that a little later, shall we?  There are other matters I would like to attend to first.”

And just like that, Father became Daddy, and Azula adapted accordingly.  She knew from years of experience how to change her entire demeanor in the blink of an eye.  As she tugged her hair out of its topknot and let it fall freely down her back, she allowed her expression to soften, looking up at Daddy through her eyelashes while biting her lip.  

“What a brilliant idea,” she said, voice changed from formal and measured to almost a purr.  This had exactly the effect on Daddy, who ran over, picked her up, and slung her over his shoulder.

“Ohh,” she whispered into his ear.  “Unhand me, you brute.”

“Do you have any idea how difficult it was for me to find a replacement for you all those months?” Daddy growled as they left the throne room and began what seemed like an unbearably long trip to his rooms.

Azula really didn’t want to think about who might have been her replacement.  Instead, she giggled and said, “I can imagine.”

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The first time did hurt, a little bit, but that was to be expected, and nothing that Azula couldn’t handle.  The second time, Daddy wasn’t in such of a big rush, so he could help make it feel good for her, too.  After he had been thoroughly satisfied–twice–he was ready to talk strategy again.  Azula always felt a little uneasy when he did this, because she wasn’t sure how to categorize this.  It was sort of in between Father and Daddy; he expected her to be all business when she didn’t have a stitch of clothing on.  

“The Avatar may be dead, but his friends will be out for revenge,” she told Daddy.  “They should not be taken lightly.  The waterbender has improved significantly even in the time I’ve fought against her, and rumor has it that the earthbender has somehow figured out how to bend metal.  If that is true, our bunker is no longer impervious.”

Daddy frowned. “That is unfortunate.  So you think that those two are our biggest threat? We will put the best of the Royal Guard at the main entrance, then, to neutralize them immediately.”

“Actually…no, I don’t think that,” Azula clarified.

“Then who is?”

Azula felt a smile tugging at her lips as she said, “The nonbender boy, believe it or not.  His name is Sokka.  He’s the brains of the group, and apparently the one who, um, figured out how to take down the drill.”  Maybe not the best idea to remind Daddy of that.  She rushed on, “Get into his head, knock him off-balance, and their entire plan will fail.”

“And you believe that you know how to do that?” Daddy asked.

Azula’s smile widened.

“I do,” she said simply.

PRESENT

She was prepared for every eventuality.

Well, maybe not every eventuality.  She supposed that perhaps they would figure out how to make a replica of her drill. Or…or maybe they’d make a giant walking suit of armor that shot energy beams so powerful that they could annihilate anything in their path.

Actually, that last one was an intriguing idea.  She’d have to remember to write that one down later.

But those were exceedingly unlikely scenarios, and she knew it.  Without the Earth Kingdom’s resources, there was no way that they would have the wherewithal to make such powerful weapons.  She was still prepared for every plausible eventuality.

Azula was quite confident that the Avatar and his friends would be heading this way.  War Minister Qin had been instructed to misdirect them, and that was a simple enough task that she thought even he couldn’t mess it up.  Everything was ready.  She had her Dai Li as backup, perched in the rafters. (Really, she wished she could have had Mai and Ty Lee with her as well, but they were sheltering in their own homes.) The past several weeks, Azula had been occupied with perfecting her nonbending fighting and evasion skills.  She’d had Ty Lee give her some pointers, and even considered getting her lover to chi-block her to mimic the effects of the eclipse (all her research indicated that said effects were not pleasant). However, she had ultimately decided against it. That might set an unfortunate precedent, after all.

Speaking of which, she thought that the effects were kicking in now.  It wasn’t so bad if one knew to expect them; mostly a sensation of cold and mild nausea.  Everything was muted this far underground, anyway.

Then…footsteps and shouting outside.  Qin had succeeded in his deception.  She adjusted her posture so she looked exactly the right combination of threatening and casual.  As the doors were blown open with a gust of wind, she smiled.  

“So, you are alive after all,” she said, just as she had rehearsed in the privacy of her bedroom countless times. “I had a hunch that you survived.  But it doesn’t matter.  I’ve known about the invasion for months.”

The look of shock on the trio’s faces (the waterbender girl wasn’t with them; too bad) was quite possibly the most gratifying thing that Azula had seen in her entire life. Did they perhaps think of her as some sort of supernatural entity with psychic powers?  She was happy to let them continue believing that.  The somewhat more mundane truth was, they hadn’t been quite as good as hiding as they thought they were, and she had received intelligence from multiple islands about a group matching their descriptions.

“Where is he? Where’s the Fire Lord?” the Avatar demanded.  Did he honestly think she was going to just tell him?

“Mm.  You mean I’m not good enough for you?  You’re hurting my feelings,” she said as she stood up, letting the barest hint of the voice she used for Daddy seep through.  She would do whatever it took to keep them distracted.

“Stop wasting our time and give use the information,” Sokka demanded, gesturing with his sword.  He’d caught on quickly, just as Azula had expected. “You’re powerless right now, so you’re in no position to refuse.”

Pfft. Look who’s talking.

The earthbender (her name was…Toph?) added, “And stick to the truth.   I’ll be able to tell if you’re lying.”

“Are you sure? I’m a pretty good liar,” Azula answered. Quickly casting around in her head for the most ridiculous statement possible, she said, “I am a four hundred-foot-tall purple platypus bear with pink horns and silver wings.”

It took no effort at all.  Every successful member of the Fire Nation royal family learned to lie almost as soon as they could talk.  When one was in such a high-stakes position, wearing one’s feelings on one’s sleeve could be deadly.  Zuzu had learned that the hard way.  

“…Okay, you’re good, I admit it,” Toph said.  Azula managed to not so much as even flinch as the earthbender trapped her in a column that went up to her chin.  “But you ought to consider telling the truth anyway!”

So far, everything was going exactly according to plan; it was almost too easy.  By Azula’s mental count, about two minutes had passed since the start of the eclipse.  All she had to do was to continue to occupy them for six more.  

Azula and the Dai Li had agreed that the latter would make their presence in the room known as soon as Toph tried earthbending for the first time.  Right on cue, the column binding Azula crumbled into nothing.  Her trio of adversaries looked flabbergasted again; Azula could almost hear them thinking, “Wait…she can earthbend?!”

“When I left Ba Sing Se, I brought home some souvenirs…Dai Li agents!” she explained.

The fight that followed was more an amusement than anything else.  At last, Azula got to show off the results of her extensive practice. No matter what obstacle they might throw at her, she could leap, jump, or flip through it.  It was rather like what she’d always imagined that airbending would feel like; sometimes, she looked at Ty Lee’s gray eyes and wondered.

Finally, Sokka realized how much time had passed, and told the other two to stop attacking.

“She’s just playing with us.  She’s not even trying to win this fight!” he said, a note of panic creeping into his voice.

(If he thought Azula hadn’t noticed how his eyes raked over her body as she flew past him, he was deluding himself.)

“Not true!  I’m giving it my all,” Azula informed him.  Technically, this wasn’t even a lie, since she didn’t specify what “it” was.  They bickered a while longer, accusing her of wasting their time when they were doing a perfectly good job at it themselves.  Then Sokka got them back to their senses again, and the three of them turned and started walking away.

“It’s a trap.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Azula said.  There were only a couple of minutes left in the eclipse now; she doubted that they’d reach Father in time even if they did know the way.  And if they blundered their way into one of the rooms surrounding his…it would not be pleasant for them.

“Ignore!” Sokka urged them as they continued walking.

It was time.  She’d been looking forward to this moment for the whole fight.

“So, Sokka’s your name, right?” she began.  “My favorite prisoner used to mention you all the time.”

He halted, turned his head back to look at her.  She had him.

Azula continued, “She was convinced you were going to come rescue her.  Of course, you never came, and she gave up on you!”  As his face crumpled, she felt a surge of triumph and…something else?

Had she thought that her trick with the dagger was going to work?  Not really.  Things would be more convenient for her that way, of course, but it would have put this part of her plan to a disappointingly premature end.  In any case, Toph disarmed her and threw her against the rough stone wall hard enough that Azula was certain it would leave a nasty bruise, and Sokka had her pinned before she could retaliate.  

“WHERE. IS.  SUKI?!” he snarled.  Oh, did he think that Azula had tortured his little girlfriend?  She was happy for him to continue thinking that.  Father would have used torture, yes, but Azula didn’t see the point of resorting to it when there were other, more subtle ways of getting what she wanted.

She continued to smile down at him, saying nothing, and couldn’t help but notice that his Fire Nation topknot suited him well.  So did that primitive…thing that passed for a military uniform with the Water Tribe barbarians.  That darker blue was definitely his color; he should wear it more often.  

“Where’s Suki?” Sokka repeated, interrupting her musings. “Answer me!”  The Avatar tried to get him to back off, but he didn’t listen. “Where are you keeping her?!”

Azula simply smiled even more.  Making him angry was so…so…wait.  Was that just her feeling the eclipse about to end, or was her body responding to him?  Daddy had had her against walls, many times, and often as enraged as Sokka was now.  That was all it was.  Still…if she managed to take Sokka prisoner as well, maybe she could…

No.  Daddy wouldn’t allow that.  And even if he did, it was a stupid idea.  Thankfully, before her hormones could come up with any further less-than-brilliant schemes, Azula was bailed out by the sound of a large explosion coming from the general direction of Father’s room.  She could feel her own power resurging as well.  

“Oh!  Sounds like the firebending’s back on!” she said in faux-surprise.  She had herself freed within a few seconds, and generously informed her opponents of her father’s location.

Azula felt elated as she ran out of the room.  Her plan had been a complete success; Father would be so happy when he heard.  She didn’t have any time to check in with him, though; she had to hurry onto an airship to make sure the Avatar and his friends got out and stayed out.

…Right after she found a bathroom.

[redrobin-detective]

I don't know if you're still accepting prompts, but how about something to do with ATLA? The gaang (and/or Iroh) steal Zuko for after he's overworked trying to run a post-war country on his own, and have to hide from his guards while goofing off. Regardless, I'm looking forward to seeing some of the prompts xx

I would absolutely love towrite something for ATLA, I haven’t written for it in a long time but it’s sucha rich world that I’m eager to stick my toes in it again. I hope you’re proud;I did actual research for this one.

It started, as most ofheadaches usually do, because of Aang and Sokka. The group- he refused to callthem by their childish nickname of ‘the gaang’ despite Sokka’s bestattempts- was in Fire Nation officially because of a peace conference but inactuality because Zuko’s 18th birthday was just a few months away. They hadbeen unable to gather due to conflicting schedules last year and the WaterTribe siblings were insisting they celebrate now. While Fire Nation citizenswere typically deemed of age at 16, the passage to adulthood was delayed until18 on the poles and was a significantly more momentous occasion apparently. 

Despitethe fact that he was stressed over running his still half ruined country, finishingpreparations for the opening ceremony of the peace conference this evening,trying to figure out how not make a fool of himself onan international stage (still a work in progress) and dealing with the generalchaos that came when the Avatar’s entourage… he was still happy to see his friends. 

“We should play somegames!” Aang, the Avatar, the single most powerful being in the known universegrinned, grinned as he balanced on his head. 

“Don’t you have work todo?” Zuko moaned, resisting the urge to undo his top knot and run his handsthrough his hair. “You can’t possible have enough free time to justifydistractions like that.”

“Not normally but you’reonly going to be a kid for a little while longer!” Aang pouted, airbendinghimself upright. “I know you’re busy, we’re all busy, but we never seeeach other anymore except for official stuff and we deserve some time tocelebrate your birthday since we’ve missed every other one up until now.”

“My birthday’s not evenuntil the next season, you just want an excuse to play around,” Zuko grumbledbut it’s nice in a way. They’ve been friends for two, going on three, years butthe fact that they genuinely seem to enjoy his company still continues to be arelief and a pleasure.

“Yup!” Sokka interruptedwith a wide grin, inserting himself into the middle of the group and assertingas the leader of, whatever this was. “Now what can we play? It’s pretty hard tohave snowball fights and build snow tunnels in this abysmal hot weather-”

“The temperature is justright you Water Tribe Id-”

“-and ‘Kill the Firebender’seems a bit rude now that the war’s over and all,” Sokka continued, talkingover Zuko. He scrunched his face up in deep though before snapping his fingers.“I know! We can do some good old fashioned leg wrestling and frozen walruscarcass is always fun.”

“What’s that?” Aang, everthe vegetarian, asked with a grey expression.

“Oh we haven’t played thatin years,” Katara clapped with a giddy expression. “Don’t worry Aang, oneperson is the frozen walrus and is held up by the feet of everyone sitting in acircle and is passed around. Whoever drops them is the next frozen walrus.”

“I’ll pass,” Toph said,lounging on Zuko’s plush bed while dangling a reed from a nearby plant over thebed for Momo to chase. “But I’ll kick all your butts in that ball kicking gameafter you’re done your weird walrus game.”

“Those both sound great,”Aang said, practically vibrating with excitement. Zuko set down his importantdocument-that he absolutely was studying very carefully- down to address theteen. “I’ve told Sokka and Katara about airball but we also had a game called ‘hideand find’ where everyone but one person hides and that person needs to findthem!”

“We had a game like thatcalled Sardine-Trout where one person hides and everyone else seeks them andthen hides with them!” Sokka added enthusiastically. Zuko felt that he wasrapidly losing control of this situation, if he ever had it in the first place.

“Wait, come on you can’tactually be thinking of playing games when we’re supposed to coordinating thisevent,” Zuko explained, gesturing to his very important paperwork no one elseseemed to care about.

“What kind of games did youplay in the Fire Nation?” Katara asked, “Aang played a few when he went toschool here but I’m sure someone of your standing played something moresophisticated.”

“Not really,” Zuko shrugged.“Azula and her friends were the only kids my age around. I guess we chased eachother around a bit when we were young but it quickly became all about bendingtraining and avoiding Azula’s manipulations.”

“That doesn’t sound veryfun,” Toph said quietly from the bed, letting Momo take the reed and run offwith it. The atmosphere in the room plummeted and Zuko hated himself for beingat the center of it, again. How hashe had these friends for two years and still be so insanely bad at it?

“Well now it’s doublyimportant that we play right now,” Aang said loudly, shattering theuncomfortable silence. “The conference doesn’t start until later tonight and everythingis pretty much ready; we should be able to have a little bit of fun,” he insistedas he tugged Zuko to his feet. “Just for a little while, just for a fewminutes. We have the rest of our lives to fix the world, we only have so muchtime left to be kids.”

“I-” Zuko protested weaklyonly for Sokka to grab his other arm with a determined expression and, beforehe knew it, Zuko was lifted and bodily dragged out of his study room and outtowards the courtyard.

“Unhand me, I am the FireLord!” He shouted in a way he wanted to be imposing but just sounded whiney,his years at sea all over again.

“We’re not citizens and webow before no king,” Toph grinned, looking entirely too delighted by the chaos.“Just shut up and enjoy yourself, Sparky, Katara’s got that look on her face.”

“You’re blind,” he murmuredbut sure enough, Katara had a steady, slightly pinched look that told him thisactivity would be seen through whether he wanted it or not. What a mess hisfriends caused, how lucky he was to have them in the first place.

Aang asked for minutes butgot well over an hour. Zuko shed layer after layer of royal clothing as thegames got more intense until he was stripped to just his undershorts and casualshirt but there was no shame, not when he managed to sneak a ball past Toph bykicking it high into the air where she couldn’t see it. He paid for it nextround but boy did it feel good.

Aang was right, as heusually was in an annoying, roundabout way. Everything up until now had been aprelude and the real work, the work that would lay the foundations for a peacefulfuture, was almost upon them. There wouldn’t be much more time for little frivolitieslike this so taking this time now, playing out the childhood he never reallyhad, it was nice.

It was almost worth it toountil the ambassador from the Earth Kingdom caught him losing to a Water Tribepeasant in leg wrestling. He’ll never live down that shame.