#already did so much that i was putting off but geniuinely i need to like. move out of my room and then move back in.

[qyriaha]

finally medicated after nearly 3 months. got so much to do.

[readingsbylibramc]

karmic reading for @neptunianwaterofdream

hello! welcome to your reading. I'm going to give you a quick overview of what I'm going to talk about in this karmic reading: I'm going to analyze in-depth your south and north node in your birth chart, with all the aspects they make. in addition, I'm going to analyze every major aspect that represents a karmic debt, as well as easier aspects that represent what you have mastered in your previous life time. I will also analyze the placements of your planets in your chart to determine your soul's age, and hence whether you're an old soul or a new soul. last but not least, I'm also going to talk about your life purpose, what you need to put aside in this lifetime to focus on something bigger that will help you nurture your soul. let's get started!

🌕 Moon

pisces moon in the 1st house: in a karmic reading, your moon indicates something you’ve mastered in a previous life of yours, and that hence comes natural and automatic to you. in fact, there’s a theory that states that your moon sign in this life used to be your sun sign in a previous existence of yours! with moon being in the sign of pisces, I feel like it probably comes natural to you to detach from the real world to get in touch with your higher self. you've always been a highly spiritual person, even if you didn't realize it at first. you probably have a strong manifestation game, you have a very vivid imagination and with positive thoughts you're able to attract everything you want. you're the creator of your own reality. you used to be a very stable person in your past life, especially economically. yet, there was probably something in your past life that you bring with you in this lifetime as well. perhaps, since you also have neptune in the 12th house, you used to have some sort of addiction, perhaps to alcohol or drugs that didn't allow you to live live your life to the fullest. hence, in this lifetime, you feel like you have thousands of ideas, of talents... your soul probably recalls them from a past life of yours, but with the instability of your pisces moon it could be hard to take action to work for your goals. you are probably quite insecure, and you're afraid to take the wrong step. my advice would be to start meditating, find ways to increase your confidence. security comes from confidence, so once you've mastered that you'll be halfway through.

pisces moon conjunct pisces jupiter: in your past life, you were probably very successful. you were very lucky, it was as if the universe constantly had your back. your life was overall very positive, you were definitely someone extremely wealthy back then. perhaps, since this square involves the moon, it could even be that you were rich thanks to your family. it could even be that you were a famous celebrity, such an artist, an actor, etc. since your moon is placed in leo. or at least, even if you weren't famous, you had a lot of support from your peers, you were popular among them. you probably had lots of friends, you were an extrovert, it was rare for you to have a boring day. yet, in this lifetime, this positive energy may project differently with this conjunction. in fact, you could have the tendency to take what you have for granted. you could be very, maybe too optimistic, you're certain that everything you wish will come true if it's meant to be. while this obviously makes you positive, it could also make you a bit superficial. in addition, this placement could also indicate that you tend to over-indulge into material things like shopping, eating... you struggle with balance, and you may enjoy luxury way too much. I'd be careful and have a schedule. keep track of your finances, start being picky, set your own boundaries and remember to always be grateful for what you have.

pisces moon square sagittarius pluto: with this placement I get the feeling that you also used to have some scorpio placements in your past life, or perhaps you had planets in your 8th house. you used to embody scorpio energy: you were very secretive, you liked being in control, especially with capricorn being in your 12th house's cusp. you could have been even too controlling in a certain sense, especially of people. I feel like you used to be someone in charge of something, maybe of a business, and hence you had a lot of influence on other people. perhaps, you took advantage of the influence you had on other people, and hence people felt restricted from you. you could have been a very demanding boss, or perhaps an extremely possessive lover. as a result, in this lifetime it’s like you’re meant to experience the hardships that those people you hurt in your past existence had to endure. for instance, you may often attract potentially dangerous lovers, possessive people just like you used to be. you could easily feel overwhelmed by others, or even by your own feelings. as a result you’re not able to properly handle your emotions, as they’re quite intense. you feel out of control, and therefore you’re not 100% confident of yourself either as you don’t feel stable, secure.

🌙 Lunar nodes

aquarius south node in the 1st house: this is another placement that indicates that your past life was surely very busy! you most likely used to thrive in social events, you liked being surrounded by people and you most likely used to work in a field that required teamwork and social interactions. again, this is also another placement that indicates that you could have been a celebrity in one of your past lives. you were someone who liked being in the spotlight, but not just to be praised, but also to prove the world who you were. it could also be that you liked helping people, and hence you had a reputation for being particularly kind with your peers, you loved being acknowledged for your passions. yet, sometimes you probably came off as a know-it-all, especially with your south node being in the first house. in fact, while you geniuinely liked helping others, you preferred doing it for your own success and reputation. for instance, you could be the leader of your group during a teamwork, and you'd be the leader only to show the teacher you studied hard instead of just leading your mates. in your previous life, you also were very fiery. you were sometimes quite impulsive and hard-to-handle, but overall you were most likely a reliable person.

leo north node in the 7th house: due to your aquarius south node, you could still feel the need to be around people. you may need constant approval for instance, you care a lot about what others' think of you. you could be prone to teamwork and collaboration, as it is your comfort-zone, but your leo north node wants you to step out of it to be independent. you need to be that one star that doesn't need other stars to shine, you have to stand up for yourself without needing others' reassurance. that doesn't mean that you shouldn't be sociable or have friends of course, but you need to stand up for yourself, without caring about what others think. especially since your north node is placed in the 7th house, I feel like you're particularly lucky when it comes to the people you meet, and that's very helpful in your chart. you feel the need to be around others, and it's completely fine to surround yourself with people you love, just make sure that you don't feel repressed. you shouldn't depend on others. if you don't acknowledge your indipendence, you'll never have a stable relationship with someone else, not necessarily a friend but even a partner, as you'll start depending too much on them and you'd lose your individuality.

🪐 Saturn

aries saturn in the 3rd house: your saturn being in aries basically confirms what I’ve said above. from a karmic point of view, saturn represents what you’are afraid of in this lifetime, probably because you handled those matters in an unhealthy way during your past life. in your case, aries represents action, violence, your idea of self. as I’ve already mentioned above, you probably had loads of power in your hand in your past existence, but you probably took advantage of it. you were most likely arrogant and self-centered, you didn’t care about others’ feelings, and your behaviour most likely brought you tons of conflicts. as a result, in this lifetime you’re actually afraid of confrontation. you most likely repress your emotions and your ambitions, you probably feel as if they’re too much for you to handle and it’s not worth it. you could also be deeply scared of physical violence, even though you may somehow feel intrigued by horrors and this type of stuff due to your scorpio energy. in fact, many people with their saturn in aries probably had to see blood at a certain point in their past existences. you could have been killed, or perhaps you killed someone. you could have been a soldier, or maybe just someone who experienced lots of extremes challenges throughout their life. now, you just want your soul to rest. you probably feel very spiritual, and you want to care about nurturing your inner self rather than making new experiences in the world.

aries saturn opposite scorpio sun: this placement actually has a similar effect to your moon square pluto aspect. in fact, you most likely feel as if the whole world is against you. you feel restricted as if you constantly need to improve yourself. you’re insecure, and therefore it’s extremely hard for you to think highly of yourself. since your saturn is in aries, you feel restricted to take action to achieve your goals, most likely because you feel undeserving to be successful. connected to your past life, you probably used to have so much influence on others that you could have made others insecure. maybe you did it on purpose, maybe you were just intimidating, but many people gave up on their dreams because they didn’t feel enough. today, you’re experiencing the same. this karmic debt indicates that you’re supposed to treat others how you’d like to be treated. being private and keeping everything for yourself won’t lead you anywhere, so if you have something to say, especially if it’s something kind or positive for others, don’t be afraid to express your thoughts. if you start taking new paths and decisions you’ll finally start feeling more in control of your feelings, of your life, and with more control you’ll also get to feel more confident about your abilities.

aries saturn opposite scorpio venus: with this aries saturn of yours, you most likely have the tendency to be a loner, you don’t like being with other people. with this prominent opposition to venus, your introversion is probably even stronger. as a result, you could actually fear love and commitment. you may tame relationships in general, or perhaps you don’t want to waste your time and energy on connections that are lacking of love and feelings. I don’t see you being a player in your past life, though. actually, I imagine it’s quite the opposite; you were someone who was very career-oriented, you had tons of responsibilities to take care of and hence you weren’t really interested in relationships. you could have been a bit emotionally cold and insensitive, and hence you could have broken a heart or two. because of that, you may ironically find yourself being more attracted to people that aren’t ready for the healthy connection you want, and as a result you either end up with controlling partners or you experience a few rejections. perhaps, you could even be the one to block people from loving you just because you don’t feel worthy of love, you probably feel as if you’re not good at relationships. remember that karmic debts are made to be paid, not to be ignored; you’re not supposed to run away from love, or you’re never going to learn from your mistakes. take advantage of your knowledge of astrology to learn more about yourself, in this way you’ll be more in control of your feelings and you’ll know how to act. even if you fall and experience loss in love, it’s just for your personal growth.

☔️ Retrograde planets

pisces jupiter retrograde: jupiter retrograde certainly means that you used to have lots of material success in your past life. you don’t have to be a multi-millionare in the past, but you certainly weren’t poor either. as a result, your attention was focused towards material matters, you probably used to spend a lot ot money and your ultimate goal was becoming wealthy. therefore, we could say that you were quite superficial. I don’t know why, but I’m keeping to see five in my head, so probably it could be that you had some fifth house or leo placements. in this lifetime, jupiter teaches you about spirituality, about your higher self. you’re more inclined on learning about your inner self than socializing, exploring the world. you want to become a master for yourself, not for others. this placement is also quite tricky, though; in fact, jupiter is the planet of abundance, of luck and success, not necessarily material. when this planet is retrograde, it means that its energy is directed inwards, and hence you may constantly feel unlucky. this is not true, of course, but your karma certainly won’t allow you to get everything easily. in fact, luck comes from self-analysis. if you don’t work on yourself, on your confidence, you’ll never be able to achieve the success you want.

aries saturn retrograde: saturn retrograde brings a sense of insecurity, a lack of stability. you most likely feel ignored, you feel that it’s almost useless to work hard beacuse you don’t get recognized for it, you may often come second, or perhaps you don’t receive enough recognition as you’d like. you are your worst critic, you’re constantly judging yourself and you’re very pessimistic. probably, in your past life you were someone who experienced some traumas with authoritative figures. perhaps, you were mistreated by your boss, by your co-workers, or maybe even by another relevant figure in your life such as your parents, you were forced to hide yourself, to limit your choices as you were forced to do what they wanted you to do. maybe, you couldn’t choose what career path you wanted to pursue for instance, and hence you weren't in control of your life. in this lifetime, you're hence afraid of taking action, of standing up for yourself. you may not have big aspirations, as you're afraid of going too far from your comfort-zone. as a result, you just end up being full of regrets by yourself. I feel like it would be efficient of you to start understanding what matters for you in your life and work hard on it. whether it's love, family, career, it doesn't matter. take advantage of your ability to get to know yourself in-depth and dedicate yourself to what you truly like. in this way, your soul will finally feel accomplished.

🏔 Hard aspects

scorpio sun square aquarius uranus: just like I've already said above, during your past life you were forced to depend on something or someone else. maybe, since you also have neptune, the planet of addictions, in the 12th house, the house that symbolizes past lives in a birth chart, you actually used to struggle with drugs and/or alcohol addiction, which obviously restricted you from achieving great success, or at least the success that you desired. as a result, in this lifetime you feel a strong urge to be independent. you can't stand having others telling you what to do, you're quite stubborn, especially with your prominent scorpio dominance. you don't want to be tied down, as you feel different from others, and as a result you may often feel alone, as if no one understands. combined with your saturn aries retrograde, you end up having this strong sense of rebellion stuck inside of you, as you can't seem to find a way to let this tempest you have in yourself out. you are hard to pin down, you could change your mind often, and hence you may struggle to find a stability in your life, whether it's in a person or in something material like a job. I feel like your karma wants you to stop being so self-centered and individualistic. I assume that teamwork would do wonders for you, you'd certainly discover a new part of yourself. I am quite sure that in your previous lives it was always hard for you to be sociable, you didn't enjoy people's company, and it's something that the universe is trying to make you understand.

🌈 Easy aspects

scorpio mercury sextile capricorn neptune: this easy aspect indicates that you're very in tune with your higher self in this lifetime. first of all, you're very intuitive and psychic, especially since your mercury is in the sign of scorpio. because of that, you should definitely try to do a past life regression if you want to know more in-depth who you used to be in the past, I'm sure that you'd be able to get a lot of info through your intuition. you may also experience frequent deja-vus, or perhaps you could dream moments of a past life of yours while you sleep. it's a very powerful placement that makes you highly spiritual.

🏡 12th house

12th house cusp in capricorn: in a karmic reading, the 12th house indicates the higher part of yourself, your soul. because of that, it's usually associated with your previous lives, your karma and your previous identity before coming into this world. since your 12th house cusp lies in the sign of capricorn, I imagine that you were some sort of authority in your past existence. you probably were some sort of leader or boss, and because of that you obviously had a lot of responisibilities that made your life feel a little bit dull. you used to think so much about your duties that you didn't dedicate much time to yourself, to your mental health. you could have been so work-oriented that you didn't enjoy fun, youth, amusement, love... you could have been a career-oriented person, and since chiron is also placed in the 10th house, I get the feeling that you could have lots of unsolved karma from your previous existence. you were a very authoritative and logical person, you probably weren't a much spiritual person back then. same goes for your career, you probably didn't have a creative job. you could have had an ordinary job in a bank, an office, etc. something very practical that didn't really need mental stimulation. this placement can as well indicate that you were wealthy in your previous lifetime, but you probably had troubles handling all of your finances. because of that, you probably struggle with excess and impulsive shopping as your pisces moon being conjunct your jupiter suggests, you may be a bit materialistic. talking about your soul's age, I think you're an old soul. you're a very secretive and private person who has lots of knowledge, but you prefer staying by yourself. you don't need to show off, as your attention is directed inwards to find out who you truly are in this world.

capricorn neptune in the 12th house: in your past life you were associated with neptunian matters. since the house cusp falls in the rational sign of capricorn, I don't really believe you used to be a poet or an artist, nor a spiritual person. as I've already said above, I feel like you had some sort of enemy that restricted you from being 100% satisfied with your life, as if something was lacking. it could even be that you suffered from an addiction or, in the worst case, you were murdered, but I'd suggest you to do a past life regression to find out something more specific than this. it could also be that you weren't mentally stable, perhaps you could have been stuck in some sort of asylum, and hence you couldn't really make the most out of your past life, I see a lot of regrets and missed opportunities.

this is the end! thank you again for booking a reading, let me know if you have any questions :) - libramc xx

- not corrected yet -

[bellatrixobsessed1]

Trail (Part 1)

As promised, Azula & Zuko as cryptid hunters. Not at all inspired by Supernatural or anything. Like, Wrought Iron Machine this is a new and improved version of an older fic; https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12720884/1/The-Hunt

In this chapter they are going after Nessie. 

The loch has the appearance of a bowl of soup, murky and with steam coiling up in thick blankets from the broath. Azula never had any such love for the water, much less being in such a flimsy boat. Though Zhao is rather adamant that his boat is the sturdiest in the whole of Scotland.

She squints out into the fog, trying her hardest to get a sense of anything really. The weather vexes her to a degree--just how the hell is she supposed to get a magazine worthy shot in these conditions?

At the very least, she supposes that she has the satisfaction of winning another debate. The one wherein Zuko had insisted that her rather pricey waterproof camera equipment was a waste of cash. She carefully shields her camera under the protective layer of her new camera cover.

With careful hands, she cleans the lens with her shirt and holds the camera out. She messes with it for a moment or two, zooming in and out trying to find an optimal focus.

"Can you put that away!?" Zuko snaps. "We're not here to take pictures this time.”

Perhaps he isn’t, but she is. It is how she funds getting new equipment and their trips as a whole from gas money to hotel fees. She is about to remind him as much when he continues. “We're here to get rid of that thing once and for all!"

"Get rid of it?" Azula asks as she snaps a test picture.

"Kill it, lass." Zhao clarifies

"I know what he means." Azula grumbles. "Killing it was never part of the plan."

"It's what we brought ye here tae do." Zhao shrugs.

Zuko nods in agreement. "That's what I came to do. I didn't sail all the way to Scotland to gawk at the thing."

Azula is none surprised to hear it. “We don’t need to hunt down everything that has a vague sense of mystery to it.”

“We’re cryptid hunters.”

“I prefer, investigators or researchers.” She counters. All the same she is certain that she won’t get through to him. He has a vicious passion that she doesn’t share. A certain blinding need for vengeance. She recalls with vivid clarity standing in a graveyard on a dreary morning like this one, peering at a grave marked with their mother’s name. Perhaps she doesn’t share his hot-tempered bloodlust because she wasn’t as close with the woman. Or perhaps it is simply that she handles her mother’s passing differently--her temperament is starkly different from her brother’s. “There is only one Loch Ness Monster, if we kill her, we waste research opportunities.” She doesn’t want to admit it, but she has a soft spot for certain monsters. Something she attributes to having been accused of being one for the better part of her life.

It is a strange feat to know that it is Zuko who adores the fame and glory that comes with conquering the town terror. It is more like her to covet the thrill of a conquer.Such has been her nature since she had learned to speak. And yet she finds herself enjoying the smaller aspects of the hunt. Much like Iroh, she had a knack for adventure, the roads they constantly take to provide her with a sense of ease and clarity. Her camera doesn’t just capture the unknown. Its lens have captured mundane beauty and the average road trip sights.

More like herself, Azula also enjoys the intellectual acclaim that came from studying the remains and the behavioral patterns the cryptids had once exhibited in life. She enjoys seeing her photos in the glossy pages of various nature magazines, and on the odd occasion featured on the cover.

Curiosity and prestige, vengeance and a need to protect. She supposes that it is good that they have differing goals. They can pick up what the other lacks.

Azula sighs as a light rain begins putting a dampness in her clothing. She hopes that it won’t worsen, it is hard enough already to make out anything in the dense mist. The girl yawns, they have been out here for hours now just drifting idly along. So far she has only jumped at false alarms.

The misty rain thickens into a thicker shower. Nothing unbearable but still a nuisance. She leans against the railing, staring blankly into the depths of the water.

“This is ridiculous.” Zuko throws his hands up. “Why did you insist that we try to find this thing in the fog? We’d have better luck with clearer weather?"

"Nessie doesn't like to show 'erself in the sunlight. Ah only ever see 'er in the mist." Zhao pauses. “All’a us only ever see ‘er in the mist.”

Azula rolls her eyes, she should have seen the squabble coming, bored as they all were. As their bickering progresses continued, Azula studies the water with a closer eye. A sandy cloud beneath the water seems to swirl as though more dust is being kicked up. Azula reaches for her camera. The other two are paying her no mind, heavily engrossed in their argument.

Whatever is responsible for the peculiar motion darts deeper into the water, where a visual is even harder to come by. For a long moment the water is still save for the bobbing of their boat, it puts an instinctive pounding in Azula’s heart. The underwater cloud disperses revealing a coiled indent in the sand. Azula snaps a quick picture before very softly calling, "Zuko."

"It ain't too rainy, ye just be a weakling, lad." Zhao declares boldly.

"Alright, you tell me what you see out there." Zuko points at an extraordinarily dense patch of fog.

A few feet ahead the water churns and splits. What little light that is able to peirce through the mist, glints off of whatever is emerging. "Zuko." Azula repeats with a hint more urgency, but not enough concern to put her camera down. This could be her one chance to get the perfect snapshot, to provide definitive proof…

She can earn them a very stable income.

"Ah ken see a buncha trees." Zhao interrupts her thoughts.

"Those aren't trees they're large rocks."

"They're trees, ye arse."

The creature begins to rise, slowly and gracefully, its motions tantalizing Azula. With a grin, she takes another picture and another just in case she somehow managed to miss her first shot. From what she can see in the gloomy half-light, the creature is obsidian black in color with a green sheen when the light hits it just right. And with, as she perceives, a smooth texture. She thinks that it is more akin to dolphin skin than fish scales. It could probably pass for an eel if it weren’t so massive and hadn’t it such an impressive maw. "Zuzu” She tries again and with more volume. “I think that you’ll care more about this than winning your petty…”

Zuko threw his hands into the air again, "The sun could be beaming red-hot into my eye sockets, I'd still be have better luck sighting Nessie than I do right now!"

By now, Nessie has been well and roused by their dispute. Her slender neck rises completely from the water. Azula can  faintly make out what looks like a dorsal fin. The creature opens its mouth to reveal something akin to a set of shark teeth. Geniuine concern begins to set in and Azula wonders if she has been mistaken in think that Nessie is a more demure and friendly beast.

The fog curls ominously around the creature’s long neck. With a half satisfied and half horrified expression, Azula takes her magazine quality shot. To Zuko she hollars at full volume, “you'll have a better chance of sighting her if you turn around and look!"

Zhao spares her only an uncarring backwards glance, "Eh…what's the lass fussin' aboot?"

In one final display of immaturity, Zuko looks right at the sea monster and says pointedly to Zhao, "I don't know I can't see it through the mist." Azula has to admire that reckless brazeness of it all. She rolls her eyes as Nessie surges.

Ever an oppertuinist she smugly remarks, "I told you that I'd need it eventually."

“Really, you want to do this now?” Zuko grumbles.

“You and Zhao blew me off for petty debates.” Azula shrugs as  Nessie slams into their boat. Azula stumbles and clutches her camera protectivly.

"Lassie, get yer priorities taegether." Zhao remarks.

The boat rocks with the collision of the beast's body and sea-sickness sets in. Upon gazing at a decently large dent in the ship’s steel haul, Azula recalls that swimming is not her strong suit.  

"Still don't want to kill it?" Zuko asks hopefully.

Oddly, she doesn’t. She frowns in concentration as she fights to get the boat’s engine whirring again. Unlike herself, Zhao didn't seem to have come all that prepared for this endeavor. She looks at the dashboard. "You didn't happen to bring any extra fuel did you?"

"Int it much left, but Ah goat some." Zhao rummages through his belongings.

"Hurry up and find it!" Zuko grimaces as the Loch Ness Monster lands a third strike. Zuko, despite Azula’s protests, takes hold of his gun again and cocks it. He ignored her outrage and took aim, firing a shot at the patch of water wherein Nessie had been last spotted.  

"You're just going to make her angry." Azula cautions. "We won't stand a chance then."

"If I hit the right spot…" Zuko starts.

"We're not killing it!" Azula argues again.

"It'll kill us."

She can’t quite refute that line of reasoning other than pointing out that they had picked a fight in Nessie's territory. Regardless, Azula very much wants to escape with her life and her camera. Reluctantly she releases her hold on Zuko’s arm.

He steadied his gun once more only to have his nearly perfect alignment stolen by another blow. This time the boat overturns. The option to right it once more is stolen by Nessie's stubby but powerful tail coming down on it with a vengeance.

"Ah shite." Zhao yells as he finds himself dipping beneath the waves.

"Shut up and swim." Azula instructs. For her it is easier said than done with the extra weight of her camera. But she'll be damned if she lets their efforts go completely to waste. She scans, with a swelling sense of panic, the water for a chunk of the boat or any large sea debris. Some distance down the lake she spies a fairly large log. All she has to do was make it there.

She is about to vocalize her plan upon realizing that this seems to be a case of every man to himself, for Zuko and Zhao are a good many strokes ahead of her. She doesn’t think that they mean to leave her behind; she has an athletic history, why would they fret over her? Even if such isn’t the case, neither of the pair pay any mind to each other either. With nothing else to do, and a sea monster hot on her trail, she takes a deep breath and pushed herself through the water as fast as she could muster. She is distressed to find, that she isn’t fast at all between the camera and the bagginess of her clothing. Azula curses to herself, her belly tying itself in knots as the gravity of the situation begins to settle in.

She tries to gauge the distance between herself and the shoreline.

It was so far…

So far and she knows damn well that she can’t swim. She shudders as Nessie draws nearer. They have already lost their parents to these creatures. She doesn’t want to die. Not like this, not helplessly treading water. She tries to kick herself forward but the motions are so foreign to her. Her body slips beneath the surface and she finds herself truly hoping that Nessie would devour her. It seems less agonizing than suffocating. Less dismal than sinking to the bottom of the loch, water logged and gathering barnacles.  

.oOo.

Zuko is panting furiously panting heavily by the time he reaches the shore. His limbs are completely spent and his energy terribly depleted. He'd put so much time into this trip and will gain nothing from it, and with the world just as infested as it has ever been. The famous Loch Ness will still plague the waters a hazardously as before. He slams his fist into the sand. What kind of hunters are they if they can’t even take down one beast.

One of a lower threat level at that.

"Laddy, Ah don't see yer sister anywhere." Zhao interrupts his furious thoughts.

Zuko bolts upright and scans the beach for himself. "She's here, she has to be." He scrambles to his feet and screams her name, only to have it echo back it him. "Azula!" He shouts again. The world around him is so terribly quiet. Even Zhao has nothing to say.

Zuko balls his hands. He  can’t lose her too. At times she is downright dreadful to work with, controlling and condescending. But he can’t lose her. He can’t let the supernatural claim any more of his family.

But the loneliness of the beach tells him that he already has.

The rain is falling in sheets now, even if he tries to make out her tiny form, he doesn’t have much hope of spotting it.

"Ah think we should gather a search party, aye?"

"That's not going to do any good." Zuko mumbles. "Not in this weather." It’ll be too late by the time it clears. He doesn’t think he can handle seeing her body anyhow. She looks enough like their mother to hurt him twice over.

This time Zhao doesn’t argue. "If ye wanna stand 'ere n wait then ye do that. Ah am gaun tae get some help."

Zuko supposes that he should thank the man. Instead he stares blankly at the thrashing water. A ways off, he can swear that he is able to make out the silhouette of his foe. A dark shape drawing ever closer and this time he doesn’t have his gun. Much like Azula, that seems to be lost to the sea. Yet the sheer force of his anger roots him in place—somehow, he'll avenge his sister, he’ll die doing so.

Death doesn’t seem so bad with his mother dead and his father missing. And with his sister so freshly claimed.  Even still, he can practically hear her making an commanding him to stand down and let Nessie off easy.

Time crawls slowly. Nessie languidly coasts along with no sense of urgency, none the wiser to the fury she was heading towards.

Zuko can see her with more clarity now, the creature that has haunted the loch for so long. She is every bit horrifying as the locals had warned. Those eyes, large and glassy, bare into him. Fully aware of the folly it is, he takes a sizable rock in his hand. Before he can throw his rudimentary weapon, Nessie bows her head.

As if it were some mundane, every day occurrence, Azula leaps off of the creature. She looks battered, her lip bleeds at its corner. “Azula.” He whispers.

She gives him a small wave, she leans against the monster for a tad longer.

“Get away from that thing.” Zuko shouts.

Azula rolls her eyes. “This thing saved me.”

“She wouldn’t have had to if she hadn’t attacked us in the first place.”

“Honestly, Zuzu, we drove a noisy boat into the middle of the loch and began screaming and yelling…” She trails off. “Personally, I wouldn’t take kindly to someone kicking our hotell door in and causing a scene.” She runs her hand over the monster’s hide.

“That thing is…”

She cuts him off. “If it is like the creature that killed mother, then I’d be dead already.” To drive her point home, she begins stroking its snout. He cringes all over as her hand nears its mouth. She goes much too far to prove herself correct. The sea monster nudges Azula’s forehead, throwing off balance. And with a rather great sound and a surprising speed, darts back towards the cloudier parts of the loch.

With a cocky grin, Azula holds up her camera. "I still have the pictures too."

Zuko sighs, unsure if he is impressed or furious that she had managed to hang onto the camera. “So?”

Azula shrugs. “I don’t think that I will release them.”

"What do you mean you aren’t going to release them?" Zuko roars. "You went through all of that trouble to protect the damn camera and you're not going to release the photos?"

"I'm glad you're okay too, Zu-Zu." Azula waves him off. "No, I won't. None of the clearer shots anyhow. She doesn't need more people like you going after her. If they get real proof, they will go after her.”

"So what you’re trying to say is that this trip was pointless?" Zuko asks. All the same, he is grateful to be having this argument with her rather than crying over her lifeless corpse.

"Our hunts don't always have to have a point.”  Azula pauses. “Not everything has a point, sometimes things just are." She shrugs.  "But if it makes you feel better, no, it’s not completely pointless. I have a few decent shots, they're of better quality than most of shots of Nessie. I'll sell those."

Zuko sighs as things fully settle in. "I guess it doesn't matter right? As long as you're okay.” He has his arms around her before he realizes what he is doing. Try as she may, she isn’t able to evade his fluff and sappiness this time. “I’m also glad that I’ll never have to see Zhao again."

"I don't know about that last thing, Zu-Zu. He told me that he'd be interested in joining our duo."

"He what? That's not the truth. Please tell me that, that's not the truth."

"I don't know, I think it would be interesting to have him tagging along with us. I'd love to hear what he'd say if he came face to face with a some of the nastier beings.”

“He is not joining our team.” Zuko says firmly, he for one, could do without the visual. "I supposed we should catch up to him though. Before he gets everyone and their long dead ancestors to go looking for you."

"I don't know, I think that I might be fine with the attention." Azula smirked. She slings her camera case over her shoulder and follows Zuko up the beach.

.oOo.

She is wiped and aching up and down and wants to do nothing other than return to their hotel room. But Zuko insists on stopping for a bite to eat. She supposes that she is rather hungry too so she lets him have his way. Smelling of dirty lake water and drenched to her very soul, Azula sits in the booth and goes through her pictures. She feels a sense of pride, she has done very well this time around. They have all come out so clear and unmistakable. For a moment, she forgets about her discomforts and her faintly burning lungs. “They’re perfect Zuzu, look at them.”

He looks up from his coffee. “Yeah that one is pretty nice. But which ones are you submitting?”

Azula scrolls through the camera’s library and shows him a few. The ones that are somewhat blurry, but still distinguishable. “They’re clear enough to get attention but blurry enough to leave room for debate.”

Zuko nods.

“Aye lass, laddie.” Zhao greets.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Zuko scowls.

“I told you that he wants to join us.”

“Do Ah need tae submit an application?” He asks.

“Yes.” Zuko answers as Azula asks, “can you fire a gun?”

“Ah ken, very well, lass.”

“Are you any good at running?”

“Ah used tae be on the track team.”

“Are you easily frightened.”

He shakes his head no.

“Hired.”

“What!?” Zuko spits his coffee back into his cup. “No. No way.”

“I think that we can use an extra hand.”  Azula shrugs. “Especially if we’re actually going to start taking the hunting aspect more seriously.” For the longest time they have been going back and forth trying to decide if they should take on higher risk cryptids.

Zuko pinches the bridge of his nose. “We can’t afford…”

“Ah ken pay fer meself.” Zhao cut in. “Ah ken even take my own car.”

On a normal day, she would have a business card to hand the man, but those are floating at the bottom of Loch Ness. Instead she scrawls her number onto a napkin. “We’ll be in town for a few more days, until uncle finds us a new job.”

.oOo.

Zuko watches his sister pick through a pile of sheets, newspaper clippings, headline printouts, and marked up maps that she has spread out on the floor. She has a pen dangling from her mouth as she narrows her eyes in concentration.

She takes the pen from her mouth to check off the box next to, ‘track Nessie’. He follows her gaze down the list.

“Uncle has a lot of options for us this time around, which one do you want to go for?” She asks as she riffles through a few of the printouts before holding them out to him.

Zuko picks his way through them and he knows that she knows what he is going to say. “I want to track the wendigo. What do you want to do?”

Azula peers at the marked map. Just as well as she knows of his goals, Zuko knows that she is trying to decide which being will bring them closer to where they’d last heard from their father. Evidently, that puts their choices in alignment for once.

Looking over Iroh’s reports she mutters. “I’ll book a flight to Canada.” He can see on her face that she doesn’t like it. She isn’t any more fond of the cold than he is. “In the man time,” she holds out a small sum of cash, “be a dear and get us some winter wear.”

She gives the notes another scan. “From the looks of it Canada has quite a few creatures out and about this autumn. We can make a few side stops along the way.”