#consider it yet another of my middle fingers at people pretending multiple things are impossible

[seyaryminamoto]

The Shadows in her Reflection: Sokkla Saturdays 2023

One day, the moon that reigned over the skies darkened. Concerned by the rare phenomenon, the last thing Sokka expects to learn is that Azula, of all people, might be the key to solving this lunar mystery. By traveling the world together, the Water Tribe Warrior and the Fire Nation's Fallen Princess will seek to fulfill Yue's final wishes in what might just become a lifechanging, memorable adventure for the unlikely pair...

Rated: M

On FF.net//On AO3

A/N: Life's becoming very busy for me lately, so I went out of my way to start this one ASAP in the hopes of finishing it on time for the event. Alas, I haven't fully written everything for it yet, but here's my first entry nonetheless. Worth saying this is a comics-compliant story, a rarity coming from me, yes... it takes place around 10 years after the war ended. It's quite possibly my first attempt to fully write an Azula redemption story based on canon itself (Gladiator is, quite clearly, its own thing and her arc there isn't exaaactly a redemption arc, at least, not the one some people are looking for when it comes to Azula). While obviously Sokka and Azula are very important and at the core of this tale, there's one more connection for Azula in this story that's crucial for her development, and I really hope you guys will have fun seeing it develop and unfold.

Anyway, this is not a one-shot collection, for once: we're here for 8 chapters of a slightly unusual plot choice for my standards, but that I really hope many of you will have plenty of fun reading!

One day, a comet crashed into the moon.

It wasn't Sozin's Comet, which might have destroyed the cosmic body altogether with its power: it was smaller, but harmful nonetheless. The collision couldn't be seen from the planet the moon orbited around, either, for it happened on the dark side of the moon.

A cloud of debris, of filth, rose from the collision spot, where the remains of that comet embedded itself into the moon. It seemed to wish to merge with it, perhaps to take over the moon altogether: the exosphere grew polluted, and the debris from the collision didn't float away into space in due time. It remained locked around the moon, instead… it obscured it. The sun's light had once reflected powerfully upon its surface… but as bright as its rays might be, that noxious cloud muddled and impeded their connection.

And so, the moon started to fade from the sky, leaving but a vestige, a faded glimmer of white, to be seen in the night sky.

The shackled and restrained women wouldn't threaten the Fire Lord anymore. His patience had long run its course after ten years of sabotage by their group. He stepped up to the leader, chained and on her knees, merely a few paces away from the location of her last act of vicious cruelty. Hiding behind a mask of white and purple, she was responsible for the latest case of reckless arson in which he had finally captured them…

Zuko tore the mask away from the woman's face forcefully.

It was not his sister.

His shock, and the time he wasted standing near her without saying anything, emboldened Zirin sufficiently to spit on his face.

Zuko growled, pushing back and wiping the insult off his cheek hastily: his guards rushed in, as though to beat the woman up further, but Zuko raised a hand.

"Stop!" he exclaimed, glaring at the woman again. Zirin's fury failed to be disguised behind the dangerous smirk she offered him. "You… where is she? Why are you wearing her mask?!"

"Because someone had to," Zirin responded. "Because… she has matters to resolve. But she'll come back stronger… and when she does, she'll tear you to shreds as she always should have, Fire Lord Zuko!"

Zuko snarled: he had never understood why the false Kemurikage had joined Azula's ranks, or what kind of loyalty she elicited in them. But part of him suspected, even from some time ago, that it wasn't true loyalty to Azula… rather, it might be pure, unbridled hatred reserved for him. Why?

But he hadn't captured the group for the sake of understanding their grudges. While he certainly meant to make every last one of them pay for their crimes in due time, the main reason why he had chased them for so long was to find Azula.

"Where is she?" he hissed. Zirin scoffed.

"You're too late. She's going to find what she seeks, and with its power, she will destroy you. She's going to…"

"Do you realize that I could kill you right now?"

Zirin finally stopped talking. Zuko's glare froze her heart over for at least an instant: he elicited genuine fear out of her, as well as the rest of the women chained and crouching behind her. The Fire Lord scowled, making his point apparent even more effectively by raising a hand and evoking his flames in it.

"The last time you lot caused more trouble than you were worth, I told myself that another misstep of that magnitude would be enough. I'd do it. I'd execute you all. And you just went and outdid yourselves, of all things. Makes matters rather easy for me, doesn't it?" Zuko hissed. Zirin snarled.

"You wouldn't dare…"

"Azula wanted me to be a stronger Fire Lord, didn't she? The kind who makes the difficult choices, no matter how appalling they might be. Maybe it's time I live up to her expectations," he said: there wasn't a hint of falsehood in his voice. He meant every word he had spoken.

Zirin shivered as Zuko stepped closer to her, still wielding the fire dangerously.

"She's not going to come here to save you. She won't get here on time if I decide to deal my justice to you, right here, right now," he said. "The only way you get to live longer than a few more minutes is if you tell me, right now, where she went. I'm willing to go through each one of your friends, one by one, until I get my answer. Might as well start with you."

He had her. The fear in her eyes was genuine. No, this wasn't the Fire Lord he wanted to be… but they truly had forced his hand. He found patience and compassion at short supply whenever it involved his sister's terrorist group these days.

"So, now that we've established your life means nothing to me and I could snuff it out in a second… tell me: where is Azula?"

Zirin might have meant to continue fighting back… but when she opened her mouth, she spoke with words that Zuko feared might be a trick of some sort, for they were the last he had ever expected to hear as an answer to his inquiries:

"The Northern Water Tribe."

He had looked into the phenomenon in the sky: every astronomer he spoke to would reiterate that they didn't understand it any more than Sokka did. The Water Tribesman felt a worse pang of fear every time he gazed up at the moon these days: its brightness faded more each day, it felt like… was it drifting away from their world, for no reason? Would that make any sense? As much as it was harder to see it lately, it didn't appear to have shrunken in size…

The sun's glow hadn't changed, either: otherwise, life in their world would have also been impacted severely by a weaker source of sunlight. Everything was normal. Even the tides were normal. The moon was the only thing that wasn't.

"I don't know, Sokka. I've tried to communicate with Yue in the Spirit World, yes, but it just doesn't work that way," Aang sighed, after Sokka asked about it for the umpteenth time during dinner, in Air Temple Island.

"She has to look for you instead, is it? You told me she came to you once when you had run away from us, when we were only just approaching the Fire Nation," Sokka said, frowning. "Do you have to wait for her to do that again? Aang, I… I don't like this. I don't know if it's a spiritual thing or if it's something else, something more material, but it's freaking me out."

"It's not affecting my bending," Katara said. "Which, yes, I know isn't your primary concern, Sokka, but I think it means the moon is there. It very much is."

"But why is it so dim? Am I the only one who thinks something's got to be messed up here?" Sokka groaned.

"Well, I have no idea what's a bright moon or a dim moon, so you might just be," Toph said, wiggling her toes as she relaxed by the table, feet propped upon it. At this point, nobody even bothered telling her not to be so careless.

"Sokka, I'll keep trying, but…" Aang started, only for his words to be cut off by a squawking messenger hawk.

"What…? Zuko?" Toph raised her eyebrows, turning her head towards the sound. "Or are you expecting letters from someone else lately, Twinkle Toes?"

Aang rose to his feet, approaching the creature immediately. Sokka merely spared a moment's attention to the matter before frowning again at the food before him, on the table: what could possibly be wrong with the moon? He had looked into it everywhere, and nobody had ever registered a phenomenon like this…

"Uh… uh-oh," Aang grimaced, turning towards the rest of the group. "Guys? Zuko needs our help."

"Why?" Sokka said, with a grimace. "The hell did he get up to now? And hey, I asked for your help with this first! If anything, he can get in line…"

"I don't think he can," Aang said, eyeing Sokka with uncertainty. "Look, I'd love to help you, Sokka, but I'm not sure how to go about it to begin with. Aside from that? Well… Zuko's problem may be more immediate and more urgent. Didn't the moon start acting up a year ago?"

"It did, but it feels like it just gets worse!" Sokka exclaimed. "It is urgent!"

"Well, so is what Zuko told me," Aang said, breathing deeply. "I don't know, maybe it'll even help you find clues if you come with me. Maybe the Northern Water Tribe has information about the moon, they ought to be experts…"

"Wait… the Northern Water Tribe?" Katara frowned. "Why? What's going on?"

"Nobody really knows, but… apparently, Azula is on her way there," Aang said.

The room fell silent. Tension rose quickly, even if everyone remained silent: the Fire Lord's estranged sister, ten years on the run, wreaking havoc across the world, had been a sore thumb for Zuko ever since he had taken the Fire Nation throne. She turned up once in a while, but never for anything good. She continued to be a menace that terrified the bulk of the world population, a feared terrorist who mainly operated, however, in the Fire Nation itself… hence, the rest of the nations had never involved themselves in her capture. Some leaders, particularly those who still had not forgiven the Fire Nation for the Hundred Year War, appeared to thrive in knowing that the dangerous firebender was on the loose and causing chaos in her nation now, rather than in everyone else's.

They certainly would set aside such thoughts going forward, though, if she had finally started venturing into their lands.

"What the hell is she doing in the Northern Water Tribe?" Sokka asked, frowning. "She had nothing to do with that place. She wasn't even in the siege of the north…!"

"Whatever her intent is, it can't be good," Aang grimaced. "Come with us, you can investigate the moon there if you want, Sokka, but we have to go."

"Not a dull day in this life," Katara sighed, shaking her head. "Toph? Can you stay and watch over Bumi?"

"Pfft. Take him with you. I'm not babysitting no weird, loud kids," Toph snapped. Katara huffed, and Aang smiled a little at her.

"He'll be safe with us. Let's take him too, might as well…"

He was nervous. Fear guided their every choice: whatever Azula was up to, this was a profound change of behavior, entirely unlike her. Had she decided to return to the old Fire Lords' legacy after all? Did she intend to destroy the other cultures again, rather than solely focusing on sabotaging her brother's rule?

And with the moon being in such shape… Sokka didn't think he could do right by Yue when it came to that particular problem, but he certainly could help by keeping her people safe. As much as he wanted to learn more about the moon's condition, Aang wasn't wrong to suggest that he joined them. Even if he had no idea if he'd be able to help much against Azula, should it come to that, he meant to be there to offer whatever support Aang and Katara might need of him.

"Alright. Let's get going," Sokka said: his compliance, and the fact that they didn't need to say more to convince him, appeased and surprised his friends.

His mood hadn't been the brightest over the past months. Perhaps over the last year, altogether. It didn't suit the typically rambunctious man to grow withdrawn and thoughtful, but to most, it seemed to be a matter of guilt and fear pertaining the moon and its status. His constant investigations on the subject, his anguish, seemed to drive many people away from him… though no one had drifted quite as far from him as Suki. After making up her mind to move to Republic City, two years earlier, misfires in their relationship had resulted in their return to a long-distance relationship, though this time, one that hardly seemed to be a relationship at all. She was back in Kyoshi Island right now: Sokka hadn't seen her in over six months.

Katara often suggested that he ought to visit her again, trying her best to be supportive of her brother while also struggling to keep up with his fluctuating moods. After a first visit to Kyoshi Island after she left Republic City, Sokka never agreed to go again. His travels, as of late, solely related to meeting astronomers and researching whatever he could about a darkening moon. To this moment, he had found nothing.

Thus, he hoped things would change for the better once they landed in the Northern Water Tribe: local troops received them, standing in a rare alliance with a cluster of Fire Nation soldiers, too. That the day had come when they could work together rather than fighting each other certainly felt like a miracle, but it was one that Sokka couldn't even bother cherishing right now.

"We're expecting Azula to arrive by sea, on a stolen hot-air balloon," Zuko explained, once Aang, Katara and Sokka arrived – Bumi nestled in his mother's arms, sucking on his thumb. "It seems she took one from the Air Force's base…"

"What, she took it just like that?" Sokka asked. Zuko grimaced.

"She beat up everyone on her way in and out, if you really want me to specify that much…"

"Any deaths?" Aang asked. Zuko shook his head.

"Not that I know of. She just wanted the balloon, I guess," he said. "I have no idea if she even knows how to pilot them, but if she doesn't, then she'll take longer to arrive, or she might even…"

"You're not wishing an accident will stop her from getting here, are you?" Aang grimaced.

"Well… I'm not, not fully. A non-lethal one, maybe, but… who the hell can control how that kind of thing happens?" Zuko sighed, shaking his head. "At any rate, we'll keep watch over the skies. She'll be arriving in the shroud of darkness, we're in the dark period after all… so spotting her won't be easy. But we have to do our best to catch her once she shows up."

"We'll find her. Appa can patrol the skies, and if anything's amiss, we'll track her down at once…" Aang said. Sokka sighed, running a hand over his hair.

"It sounds like you guys have most everything under control, right?" he said. Zuko eyed him remorsefully. "I'm just going to go find a lunar expert, if there's any. It's the main reason why I wanted to come anyway, and… I think you guys will get her without issue, right? Right."

"Sokka…" Katara sighed. "Please, at least don't get your hopes too high. What's going on with Azula is manageable, at least, but…"

"Is it? Girl's been on the run for ten years and nobody's locked her down since we took her to look for their mom," Sokka said: his words hit square in the pride of his three friends. "I'm just saying…"

"If that's the kind of thing you'll be saying, maybe go find your astronomer after all," Zuko scoffed. Sokka shrugged, raising his hands defensively.

"Call me if there's anything I can do… though I rather doubt it," he said, turning on his heels and marching out of the Palace room where Zuko had been outlining their plans and strategies to capture Azula so far.

Sokka did exactly what he intended to do: the experts in the north were finally as concerned and eager to find a solution as Sokka was… but they had no idea what was going on, either. That discouraged the warrior at once.

After several hours of meetings with experts and visits to the local libraries to, as usual, find nothing on the phenomenon that concerned him so much, Sokka's patience was at an end. He felt demoralized, broken in ways he shouldn't be over what might just be some cosmic cloud of some sort hugging the moon…

But there more to his misery than that. He had failed Yue once, he hadn't been able to protect her from the terrible sacrifice she'd needed to make. She had been as good as a child, and she had given up her life to save her people. The magnitude of her sacrifice seemed to hit him harder and harder every time he thought about it…

His struggles with Suki weren't related to Yue, but the moon's state had certainly worsened matters further between them. His unwillingness to open up to Suki came from an obvious place: she didn't care to be second place to Yue in his heart, and no matter how many times he told her love didn't work that way, she refused to hear it. Suki's anxiety over the moon had nothing to do with his: she didn't care that it was obscured or not. She wanted him to have his head down on earth rather than up in the sky… and the more she had pressured him about it, the less he wanted to do that.

Memories of Yue shouldn't have been so painful, he had lost her so soon… they barely even had a relationship by the time she kissed him goodbye. He'd never know what might have been. Perhaps that, over all, tormented him beyond reason. But deep down, what hurt most was the knowledge that someone as valuable, as loyal, as true to her people was gone… the Northern Water Tribe would grieve her death forevermore, he knew they would.

His feet carried him aimlessly across the Water Tribe's streets until he reached a location he had approached by instinct: the bridge where he had met Yue for their very first private outing. Where he had given her a gift… where she had kissed him before running away from him. The mixed signals he got from her never made sense to him… perhaps that was why the moon's condition anguished him so. It certainly was much like Yue to show distress signals that simply didn't make sense and that he couldn't interpret, try as though he might…

The bridge finally came into view. He was of half a mind to step on it, to talk to the moon from there, in the abstract, irrational hopes that doing so would help Yue… when he realized that someone else, clad in a heavy blue parka, stood exactly where he had wanted to go.

He frowned: it was quite late by now. Was someone else meeting their beloved at the bridge that night? Maybe it was a popular spot for that purpose, and he just didn't know it…

But even though he could only see the person from behind, he had the feeling they weren't actually waiting for something. No, whatever they wanted, it was already there…

In the water, right underneath the bridge.

Had they dropped something? No, they weren't acting with the urgency of someone who had lost a valuable in the canal. Instead, they were… speaking. It was a female voice, he realized, as he approached it…

A familiar female voice, he thought, with a dark shiver.

It wasn't enough that she was speaking when there was no one else around: she was gesticulating in strange ways, too, as if... as if she were arguing with something. With someone. With the water? With the river?

Sokka's heart sank: Azula was already here. And from what he could tell, Zuko's claims that her sanity was somehow restored were entirely untrue, just as Sokka had constantly suspected.

"… You're entirely out of your mind if you expect I can get there just like that! He's already here, he brought soldiers, and if any of them spot me, I'll be done for!"

Sokka frowned, inching closer quietly: she knew Zuko was here, then. Of course she did…

"And no, I refuse to send the hot-air balloon away as a decoy. If I did that, I'd be stuck in this frozen hellscape unless your people so very kindly tossed me into the sea and I miraculously survived long enough to reach the Northern Earth Kingdom. And as powerful a firebender as I may be, I would not survive a dip in your terribly frozen sea."

Who the hell was she talking to? Sokka frowned. Before, she constantly spoke to someone, or about someone, who appeared to be her mother… but not this time. Now, she was talking to someone from the Northern Water Tribe…? Who had she ever even met from the Tribe? She wouldn't have come across anyone from the North Pole in the last decade, she only ever operated in the Fire Nation after all…

"Ugh, just… shut up. I brought you where you wanted to go, didn't I? Isn't this enough? Flow into this river and find your pathetic fish. Get back inside it and leave me be."

A pathetic fish? Sokka frowned. A northerner… and a fish? His heart pounded, and he frowned as he glanced towards the arguing Azula again.

It made no sense. It couldn't be.

But… could it?

Curses, was Azula connected to whatever was happening to the moon?

The idea made him see red for a moment. He snarled as he stopped hiding, striding up to the bridge with a heavy scowl: she didn't notice him, busy as she was scoffing at whatever she had just heard from the river now…

"I am absolutely unconcerned with your sad stories of failed romances, understood? What do I care if you shamelessly kissed that idiot here? Honestly, though… what kind of terrible taste in men did you have to do something like that, Yue?"

Sokka froze on the spot. His footfall startled Azula when he stopped abruptly.

She jumped, immediately taking up a defensive stance… and her eyes widened when they found his.

"W-what…? You…! Wait. Wait… oh! Oh, so that's it!" Azula exclaimed, lowering her hands again at the sight of him. Sokka gritted his teeth, taking a defensive kata of his own. "This is what you wanted! Yue, he's here!"

She turned towards the river: Sokka gritted his teeth, glancing at the water to find there was nothing there. Azula, however, spoke with such enthusiasm he was taken aback entirely.

"Azula…?" he called her, his voice trembling and uneasy.

"There you go! He came to see you! Aren't you happy now? He still loves you, congratulations!" Azula smiled wildly. "Now, would you so kindly get out of my head and leave me be?!"

The final declaration caused Sokka's confusion to increase… far more than his apprehension, though. He blinked blankly before stepping closer, startling the fallen Princess.

"You. Stay where you are. What do you think you're doing?" she said, her previous, near hysterical excitement shifting completely into wariness.

"I… need an explanation. Right now," Sokka said. Azula scowled, eyes scouring him and their surroundings quickly.

"You're… alone? Where's the Avatar? I saw the shaggy beast descending into the city," Azula said. Sokka grimaced.

"You… for how long have you been here, exactly?"

"I arrived about a day before Zuzu did. The wretch couldn't have taken residence in a more inconvenient place of the city for my purposes," Azula said, with a dry grin. Sokka scowled. "But I should be used to it by now. My brother's certain my entire life is a matter of inconveniencing him, but the longer this goes on, the more certain I become that it's the other way around, instead."

"No kidding," Sokka said, skeptically. "What, exactly, were you trying to do? You said something about… wait, Azula. You… you mentioned Yue. A fish, too. W-what were you…? Are you trying to kill the Moon Spirit too?"

"Ah. Of course you'd think that," Azula said, before letting out a derisive smile. "I would not be quite so self-defeating, mind you. If I did that, I might just cause a major catastrophe, where the ocean would go berserk as it tried to tear me to shreds, much as it did with Admiral Zhao. I wouldn't quite wish to share in his fate, you see… not to mention, that damnable fish is my only hope to get rid of the unpleasant stowaway I'm carrying in my head, so, mind you, I'd like to keep it alive and healthy for the time being so I can send her back there as soon as possible."

"Well… the experts said the fish, Tui, is alive and healthy," Sokka said. Azula shrugged.

"Good for it. Her. Whatever you want to call a fish," she sighed, shaking her head before glancing at the river again. "What do you mean….? I'm not going to do that. You haven't pestered me for a year just for me to play nice and greet your ex for you. Shut up."

"Azula… this is weird. I'm supposed to be here to help them capture you because evidently that's why Zuko came here, I don't need to tell you that…" Sokka said. Azula scoffed, glaring at him sideways.

"Indeed. And yet you're here, talking to me, not brandishing weapons, just… looking at me like you're a terrified puppy too curious for his own good," Azula said, eyeing him skeptically. "Why?"

"Because…! Because I've overheard what you're saying to the river and I…! Okay, you know what? Just… tell me: what the hell is going on?" Sokka asked, eyes wide and pleading. "Look, I should be raising alarms and telling everyone that you're already here and up to no good…"

"But you're not," Azula said, raising an eyebrow. "Which suggests you're either having a leave of your senses or… you don't trust them to help you handle me. Not that you stand a chance on your own either, but still…"

"You don't want to kill Tui, you said. But you're… talking to Yue? In the river?" Sokka grimaced. Azula huffed and rolled her eyes.

"If it makes you feel any better? I'd much rather not be doing that at all. Your adored favorite princess is actually a colossal pain in the ass," she said, with a dry grin. Sokka shuddered.

"I… I don't understand," Sokka said, shaking his head. "I don't get it. Azula… you're talking to Yue? You're seeing Yue? B-but… why? Wasn't it your mother you used to see before?"

"Heh. Funny. I thought you'd never realized what my problem was," Azula smirked derisively. "My brother certainly never did. Maybe I should commend you for having basic intelligence rather than lacking it entirely, as he and the rest of your friends do, but that's as far as I'll go with flattery in your direction. As for why am I seeing your ex? Beats me. I don't know. I didn't ask for this. It just… started happening. A year ago, or so."

"A year?" Sokka said: he raised his gaze towards the moon, darkened as it remained. "That's… that's when the moon started to darken, Azula."

"Oh?" Azula said, blinking blankly and glancing into the night sky as well. "Huh. So, this annoying fool decided she was bored of being the moon and took to hounding me about nonsense instead? Isn't that nice of her?"

"What nonsense? Azula, what is she saying?" Sokka asked. "I…!"

"Wait," Azula frowned, raising a hand as to slow him down. She raised an eyebrow slowly, inching away from him. "Mind you… if I had an ex, which I don't, and my worst enemy started saying they're seeing said ex in all reflective surfaces they come across, and even in dreams on occasion, I would likely assume they're lying because normal people don't do that."

"We've established that you see things since well over ten years ago," Sokka said, with a dry grin. "But usually, as far as I could guess, it was stuff related to you. Right?"

"Right," Azula said, folding her arms over her chest.

"Look… if this were anything else, if you were doing this at some other time, I'd assume you've lost it and that you're going crazy again. But… the moon is like this. It's been a year. Nobody has given me any answers! I've never been able to figure out what's wrong with it, and you're finally a way to unravel that, if just a bit? So… so, please, talk to me. Tell me what's wrong. Tell me what she wants. I-if we achieve it, maybe the moon will clear up again! And then…!"

"And then you'll appease your conscience and I'll somehow get rid of her?" Azula asked, with a dry grin. "I expect otherwise. She's fickle, annoying, childish…! Yes, you're childish! You are as good as a child to me! You're sixteen, aren't you? Learn your place and stop speaking up against your elders!"

Sokka froze on the spot: yes, Yue would be sixteen, stuck forever at that age… the age she was when she had sacrificed herself. He was ten years older than her right now. Somehow, the thought hadn't truly materialized in his head so far.

He leaned over the bridge slightly, glancing into the reflection of the river… to find nothing. Just his muddled reflection, along with Azula's.

"You can't see anything, can you?" Azula asked him. Sokka sighed and shook his head. "Well, she can see you right now. She says… that you were more handsome back when you were younger."

"She… what?!" Sokka squeaked, cheeks flushing. Azula turned up her nose, a devious smirk spreading over her face. "Y-you… take that back! She didn't say that! Even if it were true, she wouldn't have, and you…! Can she actually see me? Azula, can she really…?!"

"Oh, only vaguely. She mostly sees whatever's around me," Azula said, with a shrug, as Sokka approached her. "Or so she says. Anyway, you do believe me when I say that she speaks with me, even though it's uncalled for constantly, and that it's truly your former girlfriend, or…?"

Sokka was nearly in contact with her when she trailed off, glaring at him in disdain as she inched away from him. Sokka smiled awkwardly.

"I just figured, I need to stand closer for her to see, so maybe if I stand close to you, I'll see her too…?"

"Step back or I will send you to the next life faster than you can say 'Yue.'"

"Okay, fine! Damn, I just… fuck, you have no idea what this means to me," Sokka said, stepping back indeed and smiling slightly. "I've spent a year thinking she's… she's catatonic! That she's been attacked, maybe, or that she's in trouble…! But she's just… what, taking a vacation inside your head?"

"If only she could've picked a better head to spend time in," Azula growled, glaring at the reflection again. "Oh, shut up. Empty praises will get you nowhere."

"What? Did she… praise you?" Sokka blinked blankly. Azula scoffed.

"She does more often than not. Empty words, not unlike the ones I've spent my entire life hearing," Azula said, bitterly. Sokka grimaced.

"Yue was an honest person, though. If she has something good to say about you…"

"She might as well save it. I don't want to hear it, and I'll never believe it," Azula said, firmly. She shook her head. "I'm not here, however, to discuss my confidence, self-esteem or people's willingness to sing my praises. I brought this annoyance to the Northern Water Tribe because she missed her people and I figured I might be able to get rid of her, at last, if I brought her here. She's a deceptive little brat, though, and asked to come to this bridge first, only to reminisce on whatever nonsense you two shared as teenagers here, and then she told me that I'll have to enter this terribly secret and secluded oasis hidden somewhere behind the Palace she used to live in, because she might just be able to flow out of me and into the fish if I take her there. So… that's why I'm here. I do not care for this place, I don't have the slightest intention of bringing anyone harm unless they do it to me first, and all I really, truly need is to be free from voices and illusions and seeing things that aren't there!"

Azula's chest heaved as she finished her rant. Sokka listened patiently throughout it all, and she glared at him defiantly after she was done, waiting for an answer. Her flow of thought had gone slightly overboard, it was true, but…

"Okay," Sokka said. Azula frowned. "Look… I don't think I should trust you. I'm not sure I'd ever know how. But at the same time… you're bound to be the only way I'll ever find a solution for Yue, for saving the moon, outright. Maybe… maybe if you see her in the oasis's pond, you'll truly be able to set yourself free from this connection. Although, before that, could you ask her if she wants to connect with me instead? I wouldn't mind… I wouldn't mind seeing her again."

"You're disgusting," Azula said. Sokka shuddered, glaring at her after her words sank in. Azula turned over the bridge and scowled. "This fool has been with a face-painted Kyoshi Warrior loser for the past ten years and yet he wants to see you again, isn't that right? Not only was he disloyal to you by choosing her, now he's disloyal to her by being here, asking to see you. Is this truly the man you were quite so keen on, Princess Yue?"

"You already questioned her taste in men before, thank you very much," Sokka said, eyebrow twitching. "I want to see Yue again, and that's not a crime, damn you! I care about her, I always will! She was my first love. I'm not expecting for her to come back from the dead, she has a duty as the Moon Spirit and she has to fulfill it…! But I… I have unresolved business, okay? I have burdens and things I'd like to talk about with her. If there's anything she needs, anything she wants, I'd love to make it happen. And no, I don't mean I want a reward, or that I want two girlfriends…! I just want her to be at peace. I want Yue to be safe and sound. I want to look up at the sky and believe she's watching over me, and that she'll always be watching over her people, too. Is that so awful of me?"

"It… sounds embellished and far too idealistic now. Either you're not being honest or you're far more upstanding than I expected. And I would sooner believe it's the former," Azula said. Sokka scoffed, pressing a hand to his face.

"Leave it to my luck that the one person who can help me communicate with Yue would be you," Sokka hissed. "Look, you'll kill two birds with one stone if you can transfer her to me somehow! You won't have to take her wherever you go anymore, and I won't pester you constantly about how Yue is doing, which I would otherwise, so…!"

"Wait. Wait," Azula frowned, staring at him in chagrin. "Are you trying to tell me… that if I don't do whatever you want me to do, you intend on stalking me for the rest of our miserable lives in retaliation for my unwillingness to cooperate with you?"

"Exactly. That," Sokka said, with a proud, sarcastic smile.

Azula scoffed, rolling her eyes and glaring at him.

"I refuse to play anything by your rules. The fact that you haven't rushed off to tell my brother that I'm here is… alarming," Azula snapped. "You'll give me away to him whenever you've had your fill of talking to Yue through me, I'm sure…"

"Not that you've done any of that for me so far," Sokka said, with a raised eyebrow. "Can she hear me?"

"Somewhat," Azula said, and he couldn't gauge whether she was being truthful or not.

"And you won't tell me what she's saying, even if she's talking to me, or will you?"

"Don't take it the wrong way, but she's long learned that I'm the only one who hears her. She smiled like a fool when she heard your voice and when she could hear you, yes, but she didn't speak directly to you so far, and…" Azula's word were cut off by a most unwelcome interruption. Her nose twitched slightly with irritation before she rolled her eyes and said. "Fine. Never mind. She says 'hi.'"

Sokka, to his utter disbelief, actually blurted out a chuckle at Azula's frustration. The fallen Princess glared at him reproachfully.

"I'm sorry this is happening to you, Azula," he said, with surprising honesty. "I bet it's incredibly inconvenient. But… it feels like you and her are the most unlikely combination, doesn't it?"

"Tell me about it," Azula huffed, shaking her head. "But that's not my concern right now, is it? I'll happily break off the unlikely combination and set her free, but I need to get to that place and… and I need your word that you won't give me away to Zuko after that's done. There's that, too."

"Oh. Uh…" Azula glared at him fiercely, and Sokka grimaced. "Look, I… wouldn't really want to give you away to him, true, especially when you're the first chance I've had to talk to Yue in over ten years. But… Zuko's not in a good place right now, Azula."

"Well, he's freezing his ass off in the North Pole, evidently, but…"

"I don't mean literally, I mean emotionally, or psychologically, or… whatever," Sokka sighed. "Your antics have had him on his toes for a long time. Reforming the Fire Nation is easier said than done…"

"Why, of course it is."

"And international pressures are always gaining on him. My point is… he captured your allies, and he made them tell him where you had gone. He… basically threatened he'd kill them if they didn't cooperate, going by what he told me."

"Pfft," Azula smirked, shaking her head. "And they didn't call his bluff? That's…"

"It wasn't a bluff," Sokka said. Azula's mirth dwindled. "I'm serious, Azula. I think he wouldn't kill you, no, but… he doesn't want you causing trouble anymore, and he's becoming harsher, and colder, and… well, maybe closer to your father, in a sense."

"Well, that's… not good for me, now, is it?" Azula said, with a weak smile. "While I would gladly have him resemble my father in the respectable senses that he could…"

"Would you, really?" Sokka asked, with a distasteful grimace.

"I'm certain he's going to take after him in the worst ways. Such as… treating his sole sibling as a problem to be rid of. Which…"

"Which is exactly what you've been trying to be for him over the past years, isn't it?" Sokka asked. Azula's discomfort couldn't be more apparent. "Look, you're the key to sorting out whatever's going on in the sky. I can already tell that you are. But Zuko… he's going to be a hazard for you. So, whether you work with me, whether you get rid of Yue, whether the sky is restored or not… ultimately, your brother is going to hunt you down and…"

"And lock me up somewhere so I will no longer embarrass him," Azula recited, her voice muted. Sokka grimaced. "Someplace like… the asylum, I suppose. He did it once before. No doubt he'd do it again if he had the chance. More so if… i-if he knew I'm seeing and hearing things that aren't there again. I… Sokka, you…"

"Huh. We're on first-name basis, are we?"

"You've called me Azula, I might as well do the same," she hissed, staring at him intensely. "Swear to me you won't let me fall into his hands. Help me… and whatever the hell I need to do to fix your Princess and send her back into her fish, I'll do it."

"It's honestly quite messed up, isn't it?" Sokka said, running a hand over his hair as he scrutinized her with uncertainty. "It's like… like you're holding Yue hostage against your will."

"Or she's holding me against hers. Which is illogical," Azula hissed. Sokka sighed. "I may be wrong to think I'm a victim in all of this, but I swear to you, I asked for none of it. It was bad enough to see my mother in my head only to realize later that it was never her, and that I truly had lost my senses…"

"Azula…" Sokka said, eyeing her with compassion. She snarled, stepping away from me.

"Don't… don't pity me. That's the last thing you ought to do," she hissed. "My mind's broken state is my business. Hence why I'd much rather your former girlfriend stopped making it hers. But clearly… I'm at a standstill in a crossroads that I'd much rather not be in. So all I can think of doing, right now, is fixing this mess by returning her to where she's supposed to go. Either you come with me and help me do it, or…"

"I will."

Azula frowned. Sokka breathed deeply and nodded.

"I'll get you there. I know a way," he said, glancing back towards the cliffs that hugged the Water Tribe's Palace. "Just… will be a slightly long hike. But if you're up for it…"

"I'm ready for anything. Most of all, to stop seeing and hearing Yue," Azula said, with a dry grin. "If you're serious… then lead the way."

Sokka nodded: within moments, he and Azula, who hid her face under the hood of the parka she most likely had stolen at some point in her journey, had walked all the way to the outskirts of the Northern Water Tribe. A long climb uphill, exhausting and draining, more so under such low temperatures, eventually saw them reaching the cliffs, and from there, they had to walk the icy trek all the way to the back of the city: long ago, Zuko had escaped with Aang through the zigzagging trail that led into the oasis from the tall cliffs of the polar casket. It stood to reason that they would be able to enter the oasis undetected that way, too.

"Say… I've agreed to not hand you over to Zuko," Sokka said, walking by Azula's side: she was much calmer now, when there were no reflections from which Yue could peer at her. "But even though I did… are you going to keep causing trouble for him after this is said and done?"

"That's not your business," Azula answered, curtly. Sokka sighed.

"It kind of is. He'll kill me too if I help you keep messing with him," Sokka groaned. Azula smirked.

"He might. You could wind up stuck with me just as badly as Yue is, how about that?" she said. "A most unfortunate fate for you, peasant."

"You already proved you know my name. Use it," Sokka said, huffing.

"I'll call you whatever I please," Azula said, simply. Sokka rolled his eyes.

"Either way, my point is… can you just do something else with your life?" Sokka asked. "It has to get old, trying to piss off your older bro-…"

"No, it really doesn't."

"Seriously?"

"It's better than anything else I can do anyway. It's not like I have anywhere to be, anywhere to go, I… I belong nowhere to begin with and he's sitting on the throne that might have given me a purpose otherwise," Azula said, with a careless shrug. "As bad as his situation might be, mine is certainly worse. He can have his throne all he wants, but he's not going to keep it without pushback of any sorts."

"You're way too smart to waste your life away doing something as nonsensical as being someone's… personal pain in the ass?" Sokka said, with a grimace. Azula scoffed. "Come on, now. You can't even tell me it's still fun for you. More so when your friends, or just allies, whatever they are, are in danger. I can try to help you break them out if you want, you know? Would be dangerous, but if you promised…"

"I'll make no promises of good behavior," Azula scoffed. "I couldn't care less to spare Zuzu from my worst…"

"And your friends from getting killed?" Sokka asked. Azula frowned.

"Are they even that?" Azula asked. "Granted, you think Zuko tried to kill them, but…"

"Threatened to, if anything…"

"It's not like they hadn't already stabbed me in the back before that, anyhow."

Sokka frowned as he stopped. Azula didn't slow down, stubbornly trudging on, her bag strapped over her shoulder.

"What…? They betrayed you?" Sokka asked, frowning. "And how the hell did they know where you would be, if that's the case? Did you ask them to come with you and they refused?"

"I'm only here now because they demanded that I came," Azula hissed. Sokka sped up, catching up to her again. "I was… distracted. Constantly scattered because of Yue popping up at every possible reflective surface around me. I was jumpy at first, when I didn't understand what was going on. I couldn't even look at poorly reflective metal without seeing a reflection of a silhouette, of something that wasn't there. She shows up in every liquid surface I see... and mirrors. Steel armor, anything of the sort. At first, when I realized what was wrong, I tried to hide it… but then, things got complicated. Zirin… she caught me talking to Yue more than once. She thought I was slipping again.

"I came clean about what was happening. They told me to get it together. I tried. Our latest operations, however, had been failures and… and yes, in part, because I'm hardly fully there. Yue is… is taking a real toll on me, damn her. And damn Zirin all the more for… for telling me to either sort this out, get rid of her, or get lost for good."

"She told you that?" Sokka said. Azula smirked, eyeing him with unrestrained deviousness.

"Funnily enough… she failed to pull off whatever it is she wanted to do when I was gone. When I was the leader? I only got a handful of us captured. One operation under Zirin's leadership and the whole group goes under. Serves her right for being so full of herself…"

Azula cackled without remorse, and Sokka raised an eyebrow as he watched her with uncertainty. In any other circumstances, he wouldn't have wanted to hear a single word Azula might say… and he found that was probably a terrible reaction now. He didn't truly understand the first thing about the woman walking beside him now… and because he didn't, now Yue was her unwilling hostage, or Azula her unwilling host, and he had no idea how to approach her. If he'd done better, tried harder to be as friendly to her as they'd been to Zuko, after he turned…

There was no denying that Azula didn't make it easy. But talking to her now revealed that her dangerously clever mind was nowhere near as hopelessly broken as Azula herself might think it was.

"Either way, it's just me and Yue, going forward. While I wouldn't particularly care whether my former allies are free or not, I certainly would rather they're not murdered," Azula said, after her amusement receded. "I understand I failed as their leader, anyway. I'm in no condition to lead the group at all, and I failed to deliver on my many promises. Nonetheless… it's a sore spot for me, as you may imagine, to so much as think of allowing my allies to turn their backs on me. I've had enough of that for a lifetime."

"Surprising that you didn't lash out at them for it, though," Sokka said. "Or did you?"

"Some insults were traded, sure. A bit of fire. Some lightning. Maybe a slap or two."

"Who landed those?"

"Me, of course. Not that Zirin didn't try, but she failed."

Sokka smiled a little, shaking his head. Azula raised an eyebrow.

"And that amuses you, somehow?" she asked.

"Sounds like you were giving as good as you got. Not much of a crime when you see it that way," Sokka said. "Look… there's just got to be a better future for you. I don't know what it could be, but…"

"Stop trying to fix my brother's messes for him. He doesn't deserve that much devotion or help," Azula said, shaking her head. "Hell knows how so many of you are so eager to eat off his hand, let alone to convince me to walk away and leave him be…"

"I don't eat off his hand," Sokka squirmed, looking at her in chagrin. Azula smirked. "But… he's my friend. And more than that, his role in the world is a little bit essential at making peace a reality, you know? But he's got, uh… quite the temper. And that means that, if he gets angry or anything sets him off, he might just end up derailing all our hard work at restoring balance so far."

"How is that any of my business?" Azula said, bluntly.

"Why would it not be? He's your brother," Sokka said. Azula scoffed.

"Ask him what that means to him. I give as good as I get, as you put it before," Azula said. "I don't need a brother who doesn't need me."

Her words struck deeply in Sokka's gut: truthfully, he had seldom tried to think of things from Azula's point of view. He had sympathized with Zuko over his struggles… but suddenly, standing on the other side of that ordeal revealed that maybe Azula acted out as she did for reasons beyond what was apparent.

"At any rate, you should shut up," Azula said, startling Sokka. "This is the first chance I've gotten for some peace and quiet for hours and you keep rambling. Be quiet."

"Well… I can't be quiet just like that," Sokka pouted. Azula huffed, rolling her eyes. "There's a lot of things I want to know, a lot of things I want to ask, and…"

"And I should be the least of your concerns. You're here for Yue, aren't you?" Azula scoffed. Sokka winced.

"Right. Uh. Thing is, it's hard to figure out what to do with that, but… say, you can see her, you said? In every reflection you look at? Like, in place of yourself, or…?"

"Behind my reflection, usually," Azula answered. "What about it?"

"Well… what does she look like?"

"Oh? Either you're finally questioning the veracity of my tales or you're being a creep. I'm not sure which one is worse," Azula said. Sokka winced.

"I just… well, maybe more the first one than the second?" Sokka admitted. "Though a part of me does wonder if she really is stuck at sixteen. I'm not sure why I didn't think about that ever before…"

"Because you've grown older and you foolishly assumed so would she. Not the case," Azula said, simply. "She's indeed a sixteen-year-old girl with dark skin, blue eyes, white wavy hair that seems to float, much like her fancy white robes. Frankly, that dress she wears is far more elegant than anything I've seen the rest of her people wear. Guess they left the good fashion for the royalty…"

"Or that's just her moon outfit," Sokka said, with a careless grin. Azula raised an eyebrow.

"Huh. I have no idea how spirits handle dress codes," she admitted. "But frankly, I doubt I'll ever understand the first thing about them. Spiritual matters are unnerving."

"Really? Says the girl who was masquerading as a spirit…"

"I assumed everyone else would think they were unnerving too, and they'd run away or die of fright if we presented ourselves as such," Azula said, simply. Sokka eyed her skeptically. "What?"

"You make no sense," he said, though he smiled slightly at her. "It's kind of entertaining, though."

"Why, I aim to please," Azula said, with a sarcastic grin that suggested the opposite thing, instead.

They reached the chasm then, and Azula glanced down at the oasis. From this distance, she couldn't see Yue… but she knew she would, once they were in the oasis itself.

"Come," Sokka urged her, approaching the entrance of the zigzagging trail that led into the oasis. "This way."

Azula followed him down, and they moved as quietly and inconspicuously as possible: they could see from afar how the military alliance between the Fire Nation and the Water Tribe happened to be in full swing. Numerous hot-air balloons were ready to intercept hers… firebenders, waterbenders, non-benders, everyone wanted a piece of her, from the looks of it. She sighed: it was a good thing that Yue had been able to navigate her into the city safely, and that she had lain low in it for as long as she could manage.

The oasis was a rare location in the Tribe, where it was warm enough that Azula finally stopped stoking her inner fire to get by. She sighed in relief as she followed Sokka, crossing small wooden bridges until she finally reached the pond…

Two koi fish, one black, one white, swam in its waters. Sokka sighed happily at the sight of the white one.

"Seems untouched. Good," he said, smiling kindly at the spirit. Tui and La continued swimming together, and Sokka turned towards Azula. "As you know, if you do anything you shouldn't…"

"I won't hurt the one thing that might just get me out of this mess, damn you. You don't need to say it again," Azula huffed, approaching the pond and glaring at the fish.

To Sokka's surprise, Tui broke formation from La… as though to stare at Azula. The Princess scowled… and upon looking into the water, she soon saw Yue.

"Well? Get going. Your ride is here," Azula hissed.

Youthful, kind and earnest, Yue smiled at her, and then at Tui.

"My manifested form upon the human world… it's good to see that it remains intact. This is the Moon Spirit, Azula."

"I can see that. Now, kindly get out of my head and into the fish, would you?" Azula scoffed.

Yue's smile soured slightly: the clueless expression on her face brought a scowl to Azula's.

"I… I'm not trying to say that I can't do it, but, uh, I… I don't really know how."

"You… what? You don't know how?!" Azula exclaimed.

"Don't be mad! I just…!"

"You brought me all the way here just to make fun of me? Get out of my head and into the fish, right this moment!"

"I would love to! But I don't know how, I said!" Yue exclaimed, flustered, tears in the corners of her eyes.

Azula's chest heaved as she glared at her. Yue's manipulative remorse would not affect her. It couldn't. It wouldn't. She was just…

"You miserable, irksome, spoiled brat!" Azula roared. Sokka gripped her shoulder, and Azula shook her off.

"Be quiet!" he urged her, startling Azula. She had expected a scolding over how she was treating Yue, instead. "They're going to notice you're here if you keep this up. So… shush. If you have to berate her, do it… quietly. Nicely."

"Nicely? Fuck off," Azula said, rolling her eyes, even though she didn't raise her voice again. "I've been stuck with this annoyance for a year. And she can't even figure out her problems and help herself out of my head! I'm quite certain it can't be a nice place to inhabit, even I would like a break from myself from time to time, so I sincerely doubt that she's…!"

"W-well… you're quite smart. I do like the way you think, even if you do things that aren't that nice. But you're so skilled at seeing through people, at devising plans quickly, and…!"

"Stop it! I want no pointless, ridiculous, empty praise from you!" Azula scoffed. Sokka grimaced.

"She was praising you again?" he asked. Azula snorted.

"I know! It's maddening," Azula shook her head.

"What… what was she praising about you?" Sokka asked, puzzled. Azula stared at him skeptically. "I'm just wondering…!"

"She said I'm smart. That she likes the way I see through people," Azula said, with a sardonic grin. "And I'll give her a new one right now: you're thinking there's nothing about me worth praising, aren't you?"

"What? No! I mean, there definitely are things I'd praise about you, but I'm just… surprised that Yue would pick up on them?" Sokka said, with a weak smile. Azula glared at him.

"You're a worse liar than she is."

"I'm not lying, though! You are smart as hell, that's why you're a menace to begin with!" Sokka squeaked. "And along with that, you're an incredibly powerful firebender, the strongest one alive as far as I know..."

"And don't you forget it," Azula said – somehow, his words were hitting the right place that Yue's seldom ever did.

"And you're…!" Sokka started, before freezing where he was. He cleared his throat and shook his head. "Anyway…"

"I'm… what?" Azula said, raising an eyebrow. Sokka grimaced.

"Can I tell you later?"

"Later, when?"

"Later when Yue can't hear it," he said. Azula scoffed.

"What? You're…? Oh, wait. You were going to praise my godlike beauty, weren't you?" Azula smirked, turning towards the pond again. "See how reliable he is? You're so stuck on him and hung up on the fool who can't see half a pretty girl without thinking…"

"You're much prettier than what you think you are!"

Azula froze: Yue's eagerness caught her off guard entirely as the reflection in the pond almost seemed flustered to say it.

"I wasn't about to say it because I knew you'd think I was lying, but it's not a lie!" Yue exclaimed, enthusiastically. "You're a very beautiful lady. Or, uh, well… runaway. I don't know what term you'd prefer for me to use…"

"Can spirits get hit on the head and lose all sense?" Azula asked. Yue blinked blankly.

"W-well… maybe? I don't know. Could they?"

"I'm asking because I'm starting to think that's what happened to you!" Azula exclaimed. Yue winced. "I'm taunting you, damn it: he's your ex! He's awkward about praising another girl's beauty in front of you! Why would you…?"

"Oh! Oh. Well, I don't think there's anything wrong with that, actually. A lot of girls are beautiful after all, many of whom I never knew, many of whom I never will. But I can see you very clearly sometimes, and I know that you're…"

"That's not the point, damn you!"

"Well, if you think I should be jealous… I'm jealous of a lot of things, actually. But that's neither here nor there."

"Oh, so you are jealous after all? Of… of what?" Azula said, frowning. Yue bit her lip and shrugged. "Yue…"

"Let's just say… I just want Sokka to be happy," Yue smiled, hands upon her chest. "I want him to live a full life, too. That I can't do it… it's no reason for him not to. And if he likes a girl, or loves one, well… I hope he'll find all the happiness with her that I couldn't grant him."

"You… you can't be this nice. That's ridiculous," Azula said, with a disgusted expression across her face. "Moreover, why are we discussing this at all?! Get into the fish!"

"I can't do it, I said. And with you being this cranky and constantly pretending I'm lying, I feel even more disinclined to stay in the pond forever."

"What, you're going to hound me until I decide your way of thinking and living is correct?" Azula asked, with a sardonic smile. "Well, yippie, then! Yue is right about everything, ever! Sokka is allowed to ogle every girl that crosses his path because she just wants him to be happy, like the absolute selfless koala-bear cub that she is!"

"Hey, don't talk to her like that!" Sokka huffed, though he frowned. "But… she said that? For real?"

"That she just wants you to be happy? She did. Isn't it ridiculous?" Azula said, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. Sokka frowned. "What? You're not going to tell me that…"

"I feel the same way about her."

Azula raised an eyebrow. Sokka's face shifted into a fierce mask… one that gave away his regrets and remorse far more profoundly than anything else might. She blinked blankly.

"Well, that's… good. Good for you," Azula said with a sarcastic smile. "But it has nothing to do with me. In fact, as you're both such selfless, pure, kind souls, maybe you should look into turning into the black fish. The ocean, right? Go on, do that, swim with her forever. Or, better yet, become her host in my stead. How about you do that? Then you can spend your life looking at your reflection in a mirror and telling Yue that you want her happiness while she tells you she wants yours and…! And I'll be free. Which is all that matters to me. How about it?"

"I… look, I'd take her off your hands if I could, but if she doesn't know how to go about it, neither do I," Sokka said, rubbing his forehead with his fingertips. "At best, maybe we could ask Aang if…"

"Not a chance. You're not involving the Avatar in this. Three's already a crowd, the Avatar would turn it into a full-blown party," Azula said, shaking her head.

"I don't know what to do, okay?" Sokka said, with a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry you're involved in this because... well, technically, it shouldn't have anything to do with you. You never even knew Yue and you've already spent a year stuck in this situation…"

"Exactly," Azula said, raising her hands emphatically before running her fingers through her hair.

"But at the same time… you're the only chance I have to communicate with her directly and figure out what's going on," Sokka said. Azula scoffed.

"Why would I…?"

"If we sort out what's going on with the moon?" Sokka said, gesturing towards the grey sphere in the sky. "Maybe we can break the two of you free from each other. So ask Yue… or tell me her answer, anyway, if something changed recently. Or rather, a year ago. Ask her… if there's something wrong and we can fix it. Please."

Azula frowned but turned towards the pond again. Yue gazed at her helplessly, and Azula crooked an eyebrow.

"Well? Cat-owl got your tongue? You're a lot more chipper than that, usually," she said.

Yue sighed, lowering her gaze. Something immediately alerted Azula that Yue might be lying when she answered that question… but that was no one of Azula's business, even if that were the case.

"I… I don't really know," Yue said, nervously. "One day… something crashed into the moon. I think it was a comet? I'm not sure, I don't really know what it was. I just felt it, and it jolted me around violently. It felt like something loosened up in me, I guess. Ever since, I… I've been able to see you. Whatever happened that day, I… I can see you and only a little bit around you. I see you through every reflection. But as for why it happened, or how, or what it was, I… I don't know any of that. I also don't know how to fix it."

"So, in short, you're not much use," Azula said, cuttingly. Sokka frowned. "You don't know what happened beyond this strange cosmic collision or what you need to do to fix it."

"Cosmic collision?" Sokka repeated.

"Something crashed against the dark side of the moon, or so she says. After that, she wound up here," Azula said, pointing at her head.

She didn't say more. Didn't pressure more. She could tell that Yue was hiding something. She didn't know if she could trust Sokka to keep his cool if he realized Yue wasn't being completely truthful about whatever she had just explained.

"Then… maybe something loosened up?" Sokka grimaced.

"If you're about to wonder how does someone fix the moon, why, don't ask me. Get your earthbending friend to fly across space and do it herself," Azula suggested. Sokka grimaced.

"She wouldn't go for it," he sighed. "But… damn. Then something did happen. Something physical. And maybe… maybe she's here because of a bigger reason than we know. Like… you know how sometimes people say spirits haunt the living because they have unfinished business?"

"And she does?" Azula asked, glancing at Yue in the pond with utter skepticism. Yue's eyes gleamed upon hearing Sokka's latest idea. "I don't know about that. What kind of unfinished business are we talking about here, and how would she go about fulfilling it? Because so far, I'm carrying her around with me, but she isn't controlling me or anything of the sort. So, if you get any funny ideas of being with her through my body or so…"

"If she can't even go into the fish, how's she going to possess you completely?" Sokka sighed. "Look, I know what it looks like, but… I get it. She's the girl I lost years ago. But I'm not that boy anymore. I'm fully grown… and I just want to do right by her. I failed Yue, okay? Right here, in this very place, I couldn't stop Zhao from doing what he did, I couldn't save her from her fate. I've carried that with me from the moment it happened and I don't think I'll ever stop being burdened by that, so…"

"So… that's it. It's your fault," Azula concluded. Sokka winced. "She can't go back to business as usual because she has to fix whatever's fucked up in your head."

"Wait, what? No! It… it can't be about me! There's a lot of people here who loved her too!" Sokka exclaimed, blushing. Azula hummed, glancing about herself.

"True, to a fault. I suppose… she had her people's love. Her father's love," Azula said, bitterly. "You were but a footnote."

"I… hey!"

"He was much more than that."

"Oh, really?" Azula regarded Yue with a sneer once more. Yue frowned.

"Sokka… was my first true friend. My first chance at knowing something beyond the boundaries of the North Pole. He… he was fascinating to me. Him and his sister and the Avatar… they were younger than me, but they were heroes in the making. I looked up to them. I wanted… I wanted to know what it was like. If I hadn't died, I… I would have liked to join Sokka one day, maybe, traveling the world. But of course, that never could happen, so…"

"So, it is his fault for giving you false expectations."

"That's not true. And… actually, I know now! If Sokka is right and I have unfinished business… it's because of the dreams and hopes I couldn't fulfill. If that's why I'm still here… then that's what you have to do. Azula: I want to see the world!"

"Oh, really, now? And you think I'm some sort of magical entity that grants wishes willy-nilly?" Azula asked, hands on her hips. "You want to see the world? In case you haven't noticed, Yue, I'm not exactly welcome anywhere in this damn planet, I'm not even supposed to be here to begin with. I can't take you anywhere you want to go."

"Wait… she wants to see the world, then?" Sokka said, a slow smile spreading over his face. Azula scoffed.

"What's it to you?" she said.

"Azula… this might just be the chance to fix things," he said. Azula rolled her eyes. "I know, this all sounds stupid to you… but it's not. I never could do anything for her, but if I can help you do this, if the two of us can show her the world…!"

"Wait, help me do this? You'd help me travel wherever she wants to go?" Azula asked, amused and dismissive. "I doubt even you can pull that off, Sokka, and…"

"And what if that's the only solution for this?" Sokka asked. "What if she won't leave until she's fulfilled, happy, satisfied with everything she saw?"

"Then she'll be unfulfilled, unhappy and unsatisfied for as long as I may live, and then we'll just go our separate ways once I die. I'll just spend my entire life burdened with a spirit that decided to hitch a ride in my head," Azula snapped, glaring at the pond again. Yue pouted.

"I might just leave if it works out. If we see all the places I'd like to see, I… I'll at least shut up more often. Can I offer you that much?"

"That's hardly worth anything, as far as promises go," Azula grumbled.

"Well, beyond doing this, I don't know what else we could do. And frankly, Azula, you could do much worse…"

"Oh, I could? And what made you the judge of that?"

"I won't be that needy, I won't be that picky! I just… I just want to experience things alongside you. I could be asking you for far worse, like… like spending a year or longer folding paper cranes so that they can fulfill my wish to, say, gain a new body so that I can experience all those things myself! Would you rather do that, instead?"

"Don't get cheeky with me, you…"

"Then listen to me, please: you came this far. I love my hometown and I missed it and I'm glad that we came…"

"Just admit that you told me to bring you to the fish just because you wanted to come back and see everything."

"Well, yes, but I did think this would work. I never imagined it wouldn't. When I sacrificed myself, I just flowed into Tui's body myself. I didn't expect it not to happen now… which I think means some part of me is still there, maybe. Either way, though… maybe all spirits go through moments like these. Where you suddenly regain access to the human world, and you long for what you've lost…?"

"Like a midlife crisis, but with spirits?"

"Yes! I mean, maybe? Does that make sense?"

"None of this makes the slightest bit of sense, Yue, so that question is unnecessary at the moment," Azula huffed, shaking her head.

"I'm just saying… I'm not asking you to do anything that awful. And besides, we both know that you're not even sure what to do next. Your friends weren't very nice the last time you were with them. So… why not give this a chance? Maybe, by traveling, we can also learn more about this kind of thing, about spirits and their cycles, and even learn if there's legends about the Moon Spirit that preceded me. Might be that they went on a journey like this! Right?"

"Beats me," Azula sighed, shaking her head and glaring at Sokka skeptically. "You."

"Me?" Sokka said, arms folded over his chest. "What is it? What is she saying?"

"She's adamant that she wants us to go on this damn road trip you proposed. You say you'd go too," Azula said. "You want to do right by that girl, which means you'll be stuck with me for the foreseeable future. Do you love her quite so much that you'd bear with me for that long?"

"Uh… yeah. I think so," Sokka said. Azula laughed.

"I have the feeling you're going to regret that," she said. Sokka shook his head.

"I don't think so," he said. "But then… we're doing this? We're traveling the world together?" he asked. Azula sighed heavily, rolling her eyes.

"I'm all out of ideas. And I have nothing better to do. Getting pushed around and annoyed to death by this fool sounds like all I've got at hand at the moment," Azula growled. Yue, despite the insults, grinned giddily at her. "I'll just say it's rather inappropriate of you to say you love her or that you want to do right by her when you're taken, Sokka. What would Suki say, I wonder?"

Yue winced, eyeing Azula guiltily. Azula teasingly mouthed the word 'homewrecker' at her, and Yue pouted in her direction as Sokka sighed, shaking his head.

"I don't know what she'd say. She'll be fine, though," Sokka said. Azula raised an eyebrow. "I've spent the last year trying to figure out how to help Yue, she knows I have, and I'm not about to stop now. So…"

"Terribly trusting of her if that's how it is," Azula said, a pang of guilt, and even envy, blooming in her heart. To think Sokka had someone who trusted him to that extent, to the point where she wouldn't mind seeing him off on a journey where he would be reconnecting, possibly, with his first love… a relationship of that nature had to be incredibly strong.

"Yeah, well, that's neither here nor there. Where's your hot-air balloon?" Sokka asked. Azula shrugged. "I'll get my things and meet you there. Is that too much to ask?"

"I left it in a cave right past the city's walls," Azula said. "Yue navigated us into the city from there. Somehow, she didn't lead me astray. Can you get there on your own?"

"I hope so," Sokka said, breathing heavily. "I'll leave a message behind for the others to know I'm okay. I won't tell them about you, though. They'd hound us and hunt us down if I did."

"Just for the record… do you think you'll be safe, traveling with me?" Azula asked, amused. Sokka huffed.

"I'm not so brittle or breakable as to be scared of you like that, Princess," he said. Azula's amusement increased. "Along with that… if you did anything that could hurt me, I'm sure Yue would be very upset about it too. And then you'd get scolded by her constantly for having hurt me. You wouldn't want to put up with that, now, would you?"

His words did give her pause. Her amusement receded and she sighed as Sokka grinned proudly at her.

"Whatever. Meet me at the balloon in an hour. If you take any longer than that, we're leaving without you."

"Well, now, damn! No need to be so grumpy! In fact… wait here. I'll come back right here, we'll climb out, then we'll get to your balloon much easier that way. I don't know if I'd lose my way otherwise…"

"Get it over with quickly, then," Azula sighed, shaking her head.

Sokka grinned and sprung off through the wooden door at the other side of the oasis. Azula watched him go at first, before focusing her gaze on Yue. The Princess in the water smiled warmly at her.

"What weren't you telling me before? I didn't ask in front of him, but I ask now," Azula said. Yue winced. "Something's wrong with you, isn't there? Something weirder than we know. What's your purpose, exactly?"

"I'm not lying when I say that I wish I knew. But I really, really don't," Yue said, gazing at Azula earnestly. "Moreover… you'll be better off just enjoying the journey."

"Isn't the journey about you? You're the one who ought to enjoy it, not me," Azula huffed. Yue smiled.

"Going on the road with Sokka… I barely even let myself imagine that possibility. You haven't really set out yet, but it already feels like you'll help me fulfill a dream, Azula. Thank you."

"Why on earth are you so hung up on him?" Azula grimaced. "Not that I can't tell that he loves you lots, but… you are a Princess. Surely there were other better catches for you…"

"He's very handsome. You know he is."

"That's not my point," Azula said, stubbornly. "He's annoying, obnoxious, rambunctious, sanctimonious, loud…"

"He's fun. He's caring. He's kind. He's loyal. He loves people with his whole heart."

"Don't you think maybe you idealized him a little much?" Azula said. Yue giggled and shrugged.

"Then maybe I'll get to know him better, his real self, thanks to you. I do want to know what kind of man he has grown into… what kind of person he has been ever since I lost him. You could be right, but… I won't know unless we travel with him, anyway."

"Say what you will… I don't like setting out on this journey when you have ulterior motives," Azula said, curtly.

"Funny thing for you to say, considering you've been up to no good and having ulterior motives with everything you do for as long as I've known you, and most likely all your life…"

"Sass doesn't befit someone who looks as delicate as you."

"Unfortunately, I have plenty to offer you even so," Yue said, stubbornly. "I know you don't want to trust me. You don't want to trust anyone. But I swear… I don't want anything bad to happen to you. Or to Sokka. I want this journey to be… well, liberating for all three of us. It might do you good, even beyond what you expect. Don't you think?"

"Beyond cutting you loose and out of my brain? Perhaps," Azula said, curtly.

A journey with no ill intent, no deeper meaning beyond… sightseeing. Traveling. Tourism, she supposed. The concept was odd, out of place, especially considering she was a wanted criminal in at least two nations. Then again, a devious part of her couldn't help but wonder if she could give people the slip… if she could escape notice and avoid capture by Earth Kingdom or Fire Nation forces alike. Mocking Zuko and King Kuei that way certainly had its appeal…

She smirked after that. The Avatar's friend as her companion might just be a boon rather than a curse too, provided he could give her access to places she couldn't reach as herself. She could very well go incognito, hide behind other identities…

"Maybe you truly were a blessing in disguise all along," Azula told Yue: the Princess's reflection in the water offered her a broad grin.

Five minutes later, Sokka turned up. Azula nodded in his direction, and he cast one last glance at the pond, at the place where he had lost Yue, before setting out, following Azula in the uphill climb out of the oasis, and towards her hidden hot-air balloon. Strange circumstances had brought them together, but for the first time in a year, Sokka had broken his standstill… he was ready to get going. If there was anything left for him to do to help Yue find peace, he'd endeavor to do it, without question.

They faded from view again. The light faded, once they did.

Yue smiled, tightly hugging herself as she sat in place, in that unsettling darkness with tendrils that wrapped around her legs, slowly rising. She simply wanted to wait for the next glimpse into Azula's world, for any sign of life, of wonderment… of the fulfillment she ever felt whenever she could see the woman she had connected with.

"Yue…!"

A deep growl, and afterwards, a devious chuckle. The smile froze over her face, and tears bloomed in her eyes.

"You still have hope, I see! Hope, hope, hope, you silly girl, you beautiful girl, you wicked girl…! You know they cannot save you. You know no one can save you. No one would care to. Not even that boy you crave so much…"

She didn't truly crave him that way anymore. It didn't matter if she explained: no one listened. They thought they understood her human needs… they truly didn't. She knew her fate had been sealed when she gave up her life to save the Moon Spirit, and that all hope of a future with him had died at that moment. There was but one thing she wanted anymore, and it was all she could possibly want…

"You are safe here, with me. You are mine here, mine! Mine alone! And you will never belong to anyone else again!"

The tear spilled. She covered her ears: it didn't suffice to keep the noise from booming inside her head, reminding her bitterly that she would never go free… never again.

[ohdaim]

Such Small Scenes - Chapter 12

Mutual Masturbation

All previous chapters are posted on AO3.

Luna had arrived to the spa full of tension that was now being expertly massaged out of her. She’d fretted over the vouchers briefly before sucking it up and taking the implied gesture for all she could assume it to be. Doing as the voucher suggested, she’d invited a friend. To Ignis’ surprise (and her own, to be frank) that friend happened to be him.

This revelation was what had her arriving in such duress. The wave at one another when meeting outside the entrance. The laugh and denial to the receptionist that this was in any way a date. The silence of standing alone together in the massage room while the masseuses prepared themselves.

All of it was building up to an unbearable level of awkward.

That was until firm hands began to work her muscles loose. She moaned softly, then bit her lip in embarrassment at not catching herself in time. She’d needed this desperately, not having known it until she became a puddle of bliss on the massage table.

Her legs were jelly afterward. She wobbled on the way to the washroom, stretching freely once Ignis closed the door behind them. The lock of it clicked, and if not for the relaxed feeling overpowering all else, the sudden stretch of quiet between them would have her fretting all over again.

They were supposed to be cleaning themselves for the next hour to get rid of the toxins the masseuses had forced to the surface. Luna didn’t know what that actually meant. There was an open shower at one end of the room, separated by a short wall of opaque glass. At the other end was a large bathtub. Caught between the options, Luna looked from one end to the other, then made for the shower.

Two steps forward, she nearly ran into Ignis, who seemed to be thinking the same. She gripped the towel more tightly around herself and looked up at him. His hair had been flattened, and while one of his hands came to his own towel to pull it taut, the other lifted to brush tawny strands out of his face.

“I assumed you’d take the bath,” he said.

“I prefer showers.”

“As do I.”

Luna stared at him, unsure as to where this conversation was going, if anywhere at all. “Ah, well. Splendid. Let’s shower together, then.” The words left her before she’d mentally given the okay. Lifting a hand to her mouth, she shook her head. “On second thought—”

“There’s plenty of room for two,” he interrupted, looking past her to the shower.

She followed his gaze, her eyes falling over the tiled floor of the open space. A drain was at the center; she supposed they could keep to opposite sides of that without any issue. Before she could vocalize her agreement, Ignis was removing his towel. He hang it from a hook near the short glass wall separating the shower from the rest of the room.

She looked purposefully away from him as he stepped in. She may have seen everything he had to offer plenty of times over, but he wasn’t being paid to be with her right now. She’d invited him as a friend, and friends didn’t stare at one another in the nude. It just wasn’t polite.

Water began to fall from an overhead source mounted into the ceiling. Ignis stretched an arm out to let it drip over him, and the quick draw back and curl of his fingers told her it was cold. She stalled there, watching him slowly step under the fall. A shiver ran up his back, hitching at his broad shoulders. The oil glistened on his skin, shining in the sunlight that reached through the wide window set against one of the walls. Because of the oil, the water rolled clear off him. When he bent to use one of the body washes they’d been given, allowing her quite the eyeful, she felt it was time to move.

Her towel took its place next to his as she stepped in. Hands coming to her hair, she made sure it was still securely pulled back. The spread of water that fell was wide, as if the shower was meant for multiple people. She didn’t think deeply on what that suggested, tentatively holding a hand under the flow to test the temperature.

The hot water soothed, and the further in she stepped, the more relaxed she became. Ignis turned around to face her, his eyes much freer in their roam of her body than she’d given herself when watching him. She fought the urge to cover herself, her hands making sweeps of her shoulders and upper arms with the soaps.

“Thank you,” she said, as if this were all normal. “This is the best gift I’ve received in a long while.”

Ignis nodded, water dripping down his jaw and neck. “Thank you for choosing to share the experience with me. I admit, I was surprised by your request.”

That made two of them, but Luna wasn’t going to voice her own confusion. She tilted her head back to keep her hair away from the flow of water, letting it run down her chest and shoulders to rinse away the soap.

“Of course. Should anyone need a day to pamper their physical form, it’s you.” It was a little awkward to speak this way. She had to raise her voice to make sure he could hear her over the noise of the water hitting the tile below. Her eyes met his as she stepped back, but she couldn’t read his expression through the rain of water between them. “Considering your occupation.”

“How thoughtful.” He took a step toward her to stand directly underneath the flow. He ran a hand through his hair to brush it out of his face, the other hand remaining idle at his side. “Care for a hand?”

Luna paused with an arm stretched over her opposite shoulder. She was trying to wash her shoulder blades, but she couldn’t reach. Had there been a brush or something, this wouldn’t have been an issue. She lowered her arm, pretending not to notice the way Ignis’ eyes dropped to her chest with the motion. Warmth bloomed on her face as she nodded.

“Please.”

Turning around was difficult. Instinct told her not to let anyone behind her, and when his hand met her shoulder, she couldn’t help becoming tense.

His touch disappeared a moment later. “Ah, should I—”

“It’s fine.” She reached back without looking, touching his side. Her fingertips grazed wet skin, seeking out his hand. Once he seemed to catch on, putting his hand in hers, she drew it up to her shoulder. “Much appreciated, dear.”

She was still tense, but he made no further comments on it. His hands were steady, smoothing over her shoulders and down her back. The soap began to lather, and she dipped her head forward, closing her eyes at the comfort of it. Slowly, she relaxed at the touch, a contented sigh leaving her when his hands made their way back up to her shoulders.

When she felt like he’d done a thorough job—Astrals, she couldn’t let herself think about how close his fingertips came to touching her behind—she rounded on him, careful not to let her hair meet the steady fall of water.

“Your turn.”

Ignis arched perfect brows, as if unprepared. It lasted for only a moment, a small smile coming to his face. He faced away from her, speaking up as soon as her soapy hands meet his broad shoulders. “Was I mistaken to think this an exception to our usual dates?”

Her hands freeze over his shoulder blades. “Dates?”

“In reference to my paid visits.”

“Right.” She slowly slid her palms down his back, the cogs in her mind turning. “I’m not paying you for today. I should’ve made it clearer from the beginning.”

He shook his head, and water dripped from his hair down his shoulders. “It’s obvious now, in your tentative touch.”

Her hands stopped mid-back, just below her eye level. Ignis shifted, tilting his head to peer at her over his shoulder. She frowned at him, then dug the heels of her hands into his back in a slow push upward. He could think her hesitant all he wanted. That didn’t make it true.

A soft chuckle rocked his shoulders. “Consider me surprised.”

“That I’m washing your back? It’s preferable to letting the oils ruin your clothing.”

He didn’t respond right away, and she could sense it, his amusement, even though she could no longer see his smile. “That you would let me touch you. You’re rather dominant and adverse to allowing me to do my job.”

She scoffed. “I let you do your work. I wouldn’t be paying you otherwise.”

He lifted a hand, and the muscles in his back shifted underneath her palms. “We’ve yet to sleep with one another. I’m underutilized every evening we spend together.”

“Give yourself more credit, Ignis.” A laugh bubbled out of her. “Don’t reduce your profession down to simply inserting yourself into someone for a scant few moments of pleasure.”

Her hands dropped when he turned around fully to face her. He wasn’t smiling anymore, an eyebrow arched high. His arms crossed over his chest, water dripping off of him in soapy rivulets. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you regularly neglect yourself.”

She blinked up at him, her mouth slowly falling open. “That’s none of your business.”

“Isn’t it?” He tilted his head, not looking at all convinced.

“As a hired lover, you satisfy me plenty.” She sounded more defensive than she meant to. “As a friend, you should mind your own.”

Something about what she said made him falter. His smile waned into a flat line, and his arms fell loosely to his sides. Her eyes followed them down, drawn to the one thing she’d done well to avoid looking at throughout the shower.

Now, she stared. Because, at some point between washing one another, Ignis had gotten hard.

She looked away quickly, a hand coming to the elbow of her opposite arm. The blush on her face burned hotter. This was so inappropriate. Such a typical male reaction, and she’d been silly enough to think that impossible for someone like Ignis. She took a step back, looking around the entire shower before peering up at him.

His own face was a deep shade of red. He didn’t make a move to cover himself, but his eyes were averted. Another step back brought her out of reach, only the softest mist of the shower hitting her. Against her better judgement, she took in his lean form standing prone in the middle of the shower. His cock twitched when she looked at it again, as if knowing how it affected her.

The third step back had her meeting the half wall of glass that made up one of the shower’s borders. It was cold to the touch. She shivered a little as she leaned back against it. She lifted a hand to the edge, gripping it for purchase while her other hand lowered to the juncture between her thighs.

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, still avoiding her gaze. The water continued to pour over him, and Luna— she watched. His taut muscles moved under wet skin, the inticing sight of his want driving her forward. Her fingers parted her lips, swirling circles in a growing wetness.

“Ignis.”

He finally looked at her, his lips parting as his eyes trail downward. One step toward her, he stopped when she quickly shook her head.

“Don’t pass the drain.”

He looked down, his toes resting over the ornate grate in the tiled floor. It had to be the boundary, and she had to make it clear that it can’t be crossed. Somewhere deep inside, it pleased her that he’d gotten aroused by a simple shower with her. The thought of it was the single driving force for her fingers delving between her folds.

Thankfully, he caught on quickly. One of his hands curled around his cock in a loose hold. He began to languidly slide his palm over it, his eyes roaming her body.

Everything about this was completely out of line. Despite this—or perhaps  because  of this?—Luna reveled in how his eyes ate at her. She pressed her fingers deeper, bending them at the knuckle.

Ignis pumped his hand harder, the head of him pink and beading with precum. Luna couldn’t look away. She didn’t  want  to look away. With a heavy swallow, she rubbed her thumb over her clit and imagined Ignis crossing the shower to stop her. She pictured, with clairty so strong she almost rhought she could will it to happen, him pulling her hand away to replace her fingers with his cock.

It was too long, too thick, too  big.  She had no doubt that it would feel incredible inside her. But that’s not why he was invited here today. He was here as a friend only; he couldn’t cross the boundary. Only she couldn’t quite recall why having a boundary was so important.

His hand jerking hard over his rigid cock, Ignis began to pant and relax in place. He stepped toward her again, passing over the drain. She didn’t voice a correction as none were coming to her. Pushing off from the wall, she withdrew her hand slowly, sliding the slick of her wetness between her fingers. Ignis stopped in front of her, and when she lifted her hand to touch his chest, he took her by the wrist, drawing her fingers to his mouth. His eyes remained steady on hers, his lips closing around her fingers. She gasped at the way his tongue met her skin. He stroked himself as he slowly slid her fingers out of his mouth and released her.

With her hand suddenly free, she lowered it to touch his chest. Then, thinking better of it, she turned away from him and strengthened her grip on the edge of the short wall. Returning her hand to the wet heat between her legs, she glanced over her shoulder at Ignis, curious about what he would do. He’d already crossed the line.

She didn’t know what she hoped for, waiting with her fingers caressing her entrance. Bent at the waist, she gave him as much of an eyeful as he’d shown her earlier. Her heart raced at being watched. When her fingers parted her lips and began to play in full view for him, she bit back a moan.

A hand touched her waist, sliding around to cup her ass. She ducked her head, breathing heavily against the glass. Her fingers pressed further, drawing herself closer to the edge. His touch heightened the feeling.

“Ignis,” she breathed before gritting her teeth. His fingers dug into her skin, more of him coming to press against her. She felt it, his cock resting hard behind her. He continued to stroke it, his pace quickening to match the tenacity of her own fingers delving into her aching heat.

The orgasm hit her suddenly, the build up tipping over into tremors down her legs. Her thighs rocked, then pressed together. Her knees felt weak. They began to buckle as the euphoric feeling burst through her, and Ignis’ hand on her moved again, catching at her waist before she could let herself slide to the floor.

Her grip on the wall was so tight, her fingers were sore. She rested against it, catching her breath. After two, she felt something hot hit her back. In the moment, she thought it was the shower. Until a low moan was drawn out of Ignis, punctuated by his hold on her growing tighter.

His heat left her several beats later, once they’d calmed down and she could stand properly to face him. His chest was still rocking heavily with each breath, and his eyes were lidded in their aim down to her.

Shame crept up on her. Was he upset that she’d told him to stay back only to invite him closer in what was arguably the same breath? He should’ve been, but she couldn’t tell. So she felt the need to reassure him. “I’ll pay you for today. For— for that.”

He stepped underneath the constant fall of water, lifting his hand to clean it of cum. “There’s no need.”

Following his lead, she began to rinse herself of what he’d spilled onto her back. “Don’t say that. I hadn’t planned for this, but it happened. You should be compensated.”

“Luna.” Her name was sharp on his tongue, though the words that followed were much gentler. Indifferent. “Think nothing of this.”

“I’m afraid I can’t.”

He looked down at her, brushing his wet hair back with a hand. “It’s not out of the ordinary.”

She couldn’t believe she was washing his cum off of her as they had this conversation. “Yes it is. Inviting you here was meant to be platonic. What we did—”

“Was a great deal of fun,” he said, cutting her off. “You needn’t worry. I go to bed with all my friends.”

Balking was a new thing for Luna. She didn’t generally find herself getting worked up over things. But this… this was atrocious.

“Platonic sex?” The incredulity was heavy in her tone, and she didn’t care.

Ignis rolled a shrug over his shoulders. “If I weren’t able to separate physical intimacy and romantic attraction, I wouldn’t have chosen my line of work.”

She took a deep breath, staring up at him with a broadening sense of unease. “It would make me feel better to pay you.”

He opened his eyes against the downpour of water to tilt his head in a curious look down at her. “You’re embarrassed.”

The statement made her start. “No.  No.  I’m doing the right thing.”

“I understand your ill-placed shame.” He was ignoring her, returning to cleaning himself off as if their interaction had barely broken his stride. “But paying me won’t remove that feeling.”

She scoffed, but her reply fell silent, left in her throat. He could read her that well, apparently. It unsettled her further, and she let the conversation die there. The shower was silent for the rest of the hour, though every time he looked at her, she made sure to frown to negate every blush it brought to her face.

[hysterialevi]

Where the Demons Sleep pt. 4 (Cobblebats)

From Oswald’s POV

Wiping sweat from my brow, I continued to slam my fists into the punching bag as it swayed from the ceiling, dangling with a soft, metallic rattle. Most of the gangsters were already asleep by now, and I was actually starting to feel quite fatigued myself, but I wanted to get as much training in as possible. My situation with William was precarious enough with all the money I owed him, and knowing the type of man he was, I had no intentions to make things worse. Yet.

Taking a short break, I gently unwrapped the bandages from my sore hands and wandered over to my bed, plopping down onto its somewhat plush mattress. I couldn’t remember the last time I got a full night’s rest, and I had almost forgotten what it felt like to be wide-awake. Between helping Braxton deal with our new boss, and trying to keep William satisfied with me, every day was a constant struggle, and I dreamt of the day that we could be on our own again. Unleashed, and out of debt. That may not have sounded like much of a goal to other people, but to me, it was paradise. 

Scanning my eyes over the numerous tattoos on my arms, I thought back to when I got each of them, memories flooding my head. Some of them had been done out of impulse, purely for looks, and didn’t really have much meaning to me. The rest however, practically turned my body into a walking photo album. It was almost like looking back into the past -- back to a time when my biggest worries would’ve been a sigh of relief today, and I was still living the dream in Gotham. I only hoped that I could turn that into my future too.

Suddenly, before I could think anymore, I heard a series of rapid knocks come from the door, followed by a soft, innocent voice calling my name. I instantly knew who it was: Rosie.

“...Oz?” She quietly said. “Are you in there?”

“Yeah,” I replied, mumbling more than I intended, “gimme a second. I’ll be right there.”

Forcing myself out of bed, I tiredly trudged over to the entrance and put on my best “awake” face, trying to hide the sheer exhaustion that was slowly turning me into a corpse. It was quite late at the moment, and as far as I was concerned, William didn’t like his people talking with me or Braxton, so what the hell was Rosie doing here? I mentally sighed. Maybe she wanted to talk more about our “relationship,” and how she’d like it to go a step forward. After all, it was pretty obvious that the girl held feelings for me, and she wasn’t exactly the best at hiding them.

Opening the door, I found Rosie standing a bit far away from my room, waiting patiently in the hall with some sort of file in her hands. Her long, red hair was tied in an elegant bun, and she wore a rather modest, grey dress along with some black tights and heels to match. Her eyes were bashfully turned away from mine, and she gazed awkwardly around the corridor, hoping not to make contact. What was wrong with her?

“Rosie,” I greeted, “didn’t expect to see you, out of all people. What’re you doin’ here at this hour?”

An apologetic look spread across her face. “I’m sorry, Oz. I hope I didn’t wake you up.”

I shook my head. “Nah, it’s all right. It’s just -- what about William? You know your father doesn’t like when you talk to me. Or any man, for that matter. But especially me.”

Rosie stepped closer to me and lowered her voice until it was a mere whisper, double-checking to see if anyone unwanted was listening. 

“Actually,” she handed me the mysterious file, “Braxton sent me. He told me to give this to you, but he didn’t say what it was.”

Taking the file into my hand, I curiously skimmed through its contents before allowing Rosie inside and shutting the door behind us, both of us eager to discover what Braxton had delivered. 

Inside the folder, I found multiple photographs of a man who was apparently Albert Brannigan himself, along with documents containing his personal information. Brannigan was a stout, sleazy-looking, middle-aged man who may as well have had the words, “don’t trust me” printed on his forehead. Everything about him -- from his skeptical glare to the way he held his nose high in the air -- just screamed “bad news.” It reminded me a little too much of Hill, and frankly, I wasn’t surprised that William was enemies with him. Though, what really caught my attention was one of Brannigan’s other accomplices.

Alongside him and his friends, there was a third man who also appeared quite frequently in Brannigan’s company, and I found it nearly impossible to take my eyes away from him. He had neat, black hair, a clean-shaven face, and fierce blue eyes. Unlike the others however, he wasn’t decrepit or elderly...in fact, he looked significantly younger. Almost...handsome. Who was he? And why did he seem so familiar? I would’ve been lying if I said I wasn’t slightly attracted to him. 

“Well?” Rosie said, tearing me from my thoughts. “What is it? If you don’t mind me asking.”

Closing the folder, I casually tossed it onto my desk and pulled out a cigarette before taking a seat next to Rosie as she waited for a response. Even though I wasn’t looking at her, I could still feel her big, emerald eyes peering at me with interest, and I debated whether or not to tell her the full truth. Rosie was nothing like her father, and I trusted her more than a lot of the people here, but with what Braxton and I were trying to accomplish, letting any of William’s men in on our plan was a huge risk already. Not to mention when it was his bloody daughter. I supposed I could just keep out the details.

“Just some info on Albert Brannigan.” I answered. Rosie quirked a brow.

“Brannigan? Why are you interested in him?”

I breathed out a trail of smoke. “He’s our enemy. Why wouldn’t I be interested?”

“I just...wasn’t aware that you knew about him. I know my father rarely talks about anything in front of you. Especially when it concerns business.”

I shrugged, grinning. “I have my ways.”

Rosie let out a defeated sigh and averted her gaze from me. I could see her frowning a little. 

“...I know you probably don’t trust me, Oz,” she began, “and...I don’t blame you. I mean, considering how my father treats you, it only makes sense, but I just want you to remember -- if you ever need help with anything, don’t hesitate to ask. My father may not care for you, but I do. So please, if there’s anything you need assistance with, let me know. I’m here.”

Thinking about her offer, I put the cigarette back up to my lips and pondered the option of asking Rosie about who that third man was, if she even knew. Braxton and I weren’t the only ones who William kept information from, and I doubted he would be open with Rosie, seeing how protective he was towards her. Oh well. It was worth a shot. 

Standing up and walking over to the desk, I retrieved the file before returning to Rosie and showing her the photographs of Brannigan.

“Actually, there is something I’ve been wondering about.”

Her frown disappeared. “Oh? What is it?”

I pointed a finger at Brannigan’s accomplice. “This man. Do you know who he is?”

Rosie examined his features for a moment, her face lighting up with realization as her nose crinkled slightly in anger.

“Oh. Him,” her tone was oddly unfriendly. “I’ve only met him once in person, but I hope it stays that way.”

I chuckled. “Is he that bad?”

Rosie crossed her arms. “He’s not mean or anything -- in fact, he’s very good at acting like a gentleman. But you can just...tell....he’s always scheming something, you know? Nothing about him ever seems sincere. His name’s Bruce Wayne.”

My jaw hit the floor, and I had to take a minute to process what Rosie just told me. I froze.

“...B-Bruce...Wayne?” I repeated, not blinking once. “The...Bruce Wayne? As in the pretty, rich boy from Gotham?”

Rosie appeared surprised. “You know him?”

I scoffed. “Know him? We were like brothers as kids. He was the only true friend I ever had. I can’t...I can’t believe that’s him. What’s he doing with Brannigan?”

Taking a closer look at the photo, I found myself staring at Bruce for a while longer, still in shock at how much he’s grown. For the past two decades, I had been imaging Bruce as the same, cute little boy that I met back in grade school, and it was sort of strange to see him as an adult. To be honest, he didn’t look too different now, but there was still...something...about him that seemed off. And not in the good way.

It was mostly in his eyes. The way he looked at you...it wasn’t a glare necessarily, but there was no compassion behind it either. He was just...cold. No, not even cold -- just emotionless. There was nothing there, and that worried me. I hoped he didn’t grow up to become like his father. 

“...Oz?” 

I snapped back to reality, only to find Rosie staring at me with concern.

“Yeah?” 

She furrowed her brow.

“Are you okay?”

I slipped the photo back into the file, pretending as if I never saw it. “Yeah, yeah,” I quickly replied. “I’m good. It’s just...weird to see Bruce after all these years, y’know. I wonder if he even still remembers me.”

“If you two were as close as you say, then I have no doubt that he does. Though, he’s probably not the same person you’re used to.”

I sighed. “Hardly anyone is.”

Standing up from her seat, Rosie began heading towards the door. “Well, I should get going. It’s pretty late, and you need to rest. You’ve got a lot of opponents ahead of you tomorrow, and you can’t fight if you have no energy.”

I chuckled. “Why not? I’ve been doin’ it all my life.”

Rosie gave me one last smile. “You’ll make it through this, Oz. You’re strong. One of the strongest I’ve ever seen.”

I returned the smile. “...thanks, Rosie. Means a lot.”

Without saying another word, Rosie disappeared from sight and slipped out of the room, already gone before the door even had a chance to fully close. To say she was shy would’ve been an understatement. 

Taking one final drag, I smothered the cigarette in a nearby ashtray and lay down on the bed, not even bothering to shut off the lights as I kicked off my shoes and buried my face in the pillow. I wanted nothing more than to just drift off to sleep and end the day, but my mind was still stuck on Bruce, and I couldn’t help thinking about where he was now -- or what he was doing. Part of me had faith that he was the same, little Bruce I used to run around Gotham with, but after hearing what Rosie had to say about him...I wasn’t so sure. He sounded like he had turned into the men I despised, and that was the last thing I wanted.

I supposed only time would tell. If Bruce and Brannigan were truly working together, then perhaps he was much more involved in this than I thought. The only question was -- how? How did he benefit from interfering with a random gang war all the way in England? And did Bruce know I was with William? Probably not. That man pretended like I didn’t exist.

I dragged a hand down my face. This was all turning out to be far more complicated than I expected, and I wasn’t certain if I could handle it. Maybe I should’ve just kept my business in the ring and ignored Braxton’s plan, but then again, sticking with William wasn’t much better. At this point, my only options were life or death, and Braxton seemed like my best chance right now at surviving. I would just have to go with my gut and see where this all led to. For both mine and Hugh’s sake.

[m96worthy]

Piña's Camping Survival Guide Vol. 1: Getting Past The Car Search

First of all I wanna start off by saying: I am not, nor do I consider myself to be, an expert in camping. Neither in camping at a festival, or in nature. As a matter of fact I was just online at 4am the other day looking at any little tips I might not know yet. That being said, I kinda know a lot lol. I have camped at Hard and Nocturnal in the past so I have a general idea on how searches are held. To put it bluntly, it’s impossible to know just how thoroughly you’ll be searched. There’s like 6 to 8 lines of cars coming through. You may have the line with the 25 year old who see’s that the line NEEDS to keep flowing so he just skims everything; only looking for glass, alcohol, and weapons. Oooorrr you could have that middle aged dickhead, who has no idea how he got put in a position to work this job, but he’s gonna take out all his frustrations out on you by searching every inch of your shit. Including your socks. Now that being said you’re probably gonna get an average in between person. Fact is, last year was Hardfest’s first year camping. Their lines to get searched for camping were RIDICULOUS. Why? Too many dickheads searching every square inch. So in assumption that they’ll wanna improve in every way possible for a better experience … the lines should move muuuch quicker, which theoretically means less of a search. Just so everyone knows: if you see a dog I am 98% sure he can not smell your drugs. But I’m sure as hell his master will smell your fear when he brings him sniffing your car. Play it cool. Weird side trick I picked up at Nocturnal, if you have a frisbee or a throwing ball or poi balls, go nuts with them. The officer cannot and will not stop you from playing in line, and his dog will be so distracted it’s quite hilarious. Haven’t tried it yet but it seemed to work really well from what I saw. But in a nut shell your search should basically be a “take everything out” skim skim skim “alright pack everything back up” and you dip (It’s a real bitch if you have a truckload of stuff that you barely got packed in there the first time. Pack light people please trust me, you don’t need it). Now that you have the run down on what it will be like getting searched we can move on how to properly hiding yo shiiieet. There’s only really three things to ever sneak into (in my knowledge) a campground: drugs, alcohol, and a piece. Trust me you’ll be the goat of all the goatland if you’re that one neighbor who got a bong in haha. I got one in both festivals I camped at. So let’s start with drugs. We’re not gonna suger coat it here and say something like, “oh drugs? I’ll skip this section because I’m a good child and I don’t do stuff like that”. Stfu and listen you heathen. Food is your friend. I garentee you if you brought enough food there’s no way you will have more drugs than food, let’s hope. Let’s say you have a “fruit snack packet sized” baggie stuffed full of euros… well buy a box of fruit snacks (of your choice of course I’m not dictating you) and shove it in there. DON’T OPEN THE BOX. I just mean to prop open the fold with your finger and squeeze it in there (pause). Shake it around, turn it upside down, go nuts. Trust me it won’t fall out. And if it doesn’t fit? Don’t be stupid haha, use less volume per drop. Do it a dozen times if necessary. It’s more safe in your food than your luggage always. I’m sure there’s dozens of options you can have with food, once I took out a whole thing of pringles and put my weed at the bottom. Worked like a charm only problem was all my Pringles smelt and tasted like weed heavy😂 I ate them though, mama ain’t raise no bitch! But get creative, please send me your ideas, I’m never too wise to be taught something. I literally just thought of one right now though off the top of my head, might be easier said then done actually…. But take out like the middle section of a loaf of bread and cut a hole to hollow it and put it back filled with… whatever. But be careful not to alter the weight a dumbass amount, and don’t leave empty space that moves around when shaken. Think small with this even though the loaf is big. I’ll have to try it myself I dont even know don’t listen to me haha. But of course you need to know your car, you feel me? Like I can’t tell you where a good spot to hide your stuff would be, it’s your car. Then lastly the obvious but most overlooked choice: just hide it on you. You’re not gonna sit here and tell me that you can sneak that stuff in the festival, but not your campsite. As if there’s staff searching bodis more heavily than they do the day of the festival (remember this is the Friday before not Saturday morning). So yeah that’s literally everything I know with that, because I can’t think of odd things I might have overlooked. Let me know we can think of something I’m sure. Moving foward to alcohol. If you’re a beer person I’m just gonna go ahead and crush your dreams right now. At Hard you can only bring in one case of beer OR one box of wine per car. Not box per person that’s 21 like Nocturnal. It’s a bitch, life’s not fair, we can sit here and cry all day but that’s the rule. Now this is another idea off the top of my head, because I personally haven’t done it, but you can spend the time to disguise the beers in a case of soda and just super glue the case closed again. Just be sure to use a can of a similar color, and also fill the ends of the box with sodas as decoys juuust in case. A little side note to have decoys of everything that has something hidden in it (water cases, food boxes, ect). Now that I told you how to sneak in your beer all safe and sound I’m gonna turn right around and tell you to stop being a little bitch and live without it. It’s not worth it dude, for multiple reasons. One its a waste of space. I can’t stress enough how little you want to bring with you. Start planning now and be smart. Two, it’s a waste of ice. Because you’re gonna be taking these warm beers and filling the ice chest with them to cool off therefore melting the ice unnecessarily. Three, it’s a waste of time. Be happy with the one case, I know, it hurts me too. But I’m telling you if you just buy a case of beer right before you get to the speedway it’ll still be a little cold when you get inside the campground, and if not it won’t take much to cool it versus it being warm or hot even. You can use that one case you have for BP, or just general drinkage, on that first night Friday. That way you killed it off right from the jump and you have space opened up from finishing it. If you’re worried about what you’ll drink the rest of the weekend, bring liquor. Vodka and clear liquors take the cake in simplicity so I do recommend these. But basically cut out, or shimmy out it you can swing it, about 3 or so bottles from the bottom. Fill em up with your liquor and put them back. Stack between two more cases of water as decoys (no one will shame you for being over hydrated trust me) and you’re good to go. If you cut the case open just do you best to cover it. Packing tape should work, but you can try to glue it if you’re a wizard. But yo, just think about these things when you’re shopping for your supplies. Every case of water differs in packaging. Make it easy in yourself by choosing the on that looks shrink wrapped. Guy: “But what if I like brown liquor man. I only drink whisky cause I ain’t no bitch” or Girl: “but I wanna make piña coladaaaaassssss. Please Matt! Can’t we bring some captain or crown? They’ll be so good trust me” Really nigga….? I just gave you a sure fire way to get in, potentially a lot of, vodka and you’re gonna get picky on your choice of alcohol? Damn. Well… go buy 4 gallon jugs of Arizona iced tea and drink 2 of them. Why? Because I’m not gonna sit here and tell you to throw away 2 gallons of perfectly good iced tea you wasteful bitch 😂 Now, fill one with Crown and the other with Captain and be happy. “But why did I buy 4 jugs?” Decoys! Pay attention dude geez smh. Now I’m SURE there’s a whole list of ways to sneak your liquor in. You’re probably gonna try and share some with me and I’ll pretend to value those options. But I’m telling you right now from personal experience that both these methods I just said work and there’s no reason for me to know another way. Cause I don’t know like any other ways literally haha. I’m sorry, I’m only human. Wow honestly I can’t believe how much I’ve typed so far. I hope you’re soaking this in while staying semi entertained with my writing I’m trying to keep it fun. Moving forward. A piece! I’m just gonna say right here I am a spoiled ballsy bastard who loves his bongs. So I risked it for the biscuit, and it was worth it taking bong rips at camp all weekend. Hard last year I put my bong in a towel and put it at the bottom of my clothes and shoved everything on top. I had “skim guy” so no worries, nobody found it, but let’s just assume I got lucky. At Nocturnal my buddy had a panel in his car that he could pull back and stick the piece in there. Worked like a charm. But like I said this goes back to the section on knowing your car. Inside and out, if drug mules can put kilos on kilos in a Corolla I’m sure you can find a spot for your piece. Use google to help because whatever you’re thinking someone has already thought of it. Sad but true. Brushing aside my past experiences to bring fresh ideas to the table … I think I’m gonna put aside my silver spoon. There’s waaaayyy too many dope rigs and pipes and bubblers out there that normally I wouldn’t use cause I have better, but they are perfect for these moments. Go invest. And I actually have two reasons for this with one being a past trauma. But first off it’s just way easier to hide, plain and simple, 2x2" to 3x3" piece will always be easier to hide then a 5x12" peice. So secondly it’s not that I’m too scared now to try and hide it, cause I’m down. But on the very last hour we spent at Hard, I’m talking the Monday morning packing up, we were taking dabs under the canopy. And because people were clearing out around us a security officer was able to spot us from pretty far out (lol far out👽) and rolled up on us out of no where in a golf cart and took all his stuff. It was just really heartbreaking (RIP that rig) and it wasn’t even mine. I’d just hate to lose or break a 120 dollar set up when I can buy a 20 dollar little mini rig. Plus there’s always joints and wax pens as an addition or an alternative, bitches love joints and wax pens lol.

[wokethesleepers]

the dragon pin | self-para

He dreaded the approach of this moment. His arms were folded over his chest as he stared down at a wide map stretched along the width of the table laid at the back of the great hall, taking in the sight of all the markers that had been made around various areas of the realm, some of which were the old scribbles from the planning before the Battle of the Bastards. Since he had been proclaimed as King in the North, Jon’s main focus was strengthening the North to the best of his abilities, moving afterward to the Wall, and only then starting the streak of pleads to the other lords and, more importantly, to the Crown. The Crown needn’t know about the occurrences there, Davos had said and Jon had eagerly agreed. This kind of knowledge would eventually spread, but the northern lords and ladies had assured him it would not happen so soon. After all, in the years following Robb’s death, they had made countless preparations to ensure that their mission of seating his heir on the throne wouldn’t be hindered with. Thus, the borders of the kingdom had mostly been sealed off, secured against possible information leaks. The only way word of the new crowning would reach South would be through simple spreads of whispers. By this point, though, said whispers ought to have reached far enough. Whether they had reached King Tommen, that was yet to be debated. Regardless, Jon knew that the moment to start asking for the pledges of the rest of the armies was close and this frustrated him to no end. What sort of cause could he possibly make? Why would any of the lords believe him? Why would the Lannisters believe the word of a bastard king in open rebellion? With that thought in mind, he jumped when Sam dropped a pile of books on the table, dust leaping off the surface and twirling in the air.

“Seven hells, Sam,” Jon sneered. “Have you ever considered not carrying more than your arms can hold for once?”

“Well, I have,” Sam smiled gingerly, rubbing the dust off his palms against his clothes. “But, truth be told, it’s still better than having to take multiple trips.” Jon had ended up with Sam at Winterfell’s gates roughly two moons prior. He’d claimed that the Citadel hadn’t been for him and that he’d felt he’d been rotting away doing nothing of use. Of course, Jon had a fit of panic once he’d learned that Sam had also smuggled some incredibly important books and scrolls with him, but the fact that Sam believed them to carry crucial information on the Great War was what had convinced him to move past it, so long as it would be their secret. But he also made certain to publicly pardon Sam’s leave from the Watch, finally releasing him from his vows, much to his and Gilly’s joy. They were already discussing marriage plans, but Sam was secured in reality enough to postpone it until after the great battle, whenever it would come. Maester Wolkan was a wise and peaceful man, who was beyond overjoyed to be under the service of a Stark again, recalling the great horrors that Ramsay Bolton had made them all witnesses to. Because of that – and because Sam had never properly graduated from the Citadel – Jon kept the man as Winterfell’s official maester while Sam shared some of his duties. Wolkan was perfectly content with that, praising Sam’s wit, dedication, and his eagerness to learn. Ultimately, it had been a perfect match. With a huff, Sam reached for the pile of books and plucked from the middle of the pile a handful of letters and parchments, sloppily rolling them over the map that Jon had been focused on. “This is what I have gathered from the ravens,” he informed. Jon eyed them with a crease in his nose and Sam burst out laughing. “You are as fond of these as you were at Castle Black, are you not?” The silent look of dishearten in Jon’s face was enough of a confirmation.

“A little bit,” Jon sighed out, picking up one of the documents with a deep breath of encouragement. “Fortunately for me, if I ever find them too overwhelming, I can simply have Maester Wolkan take care of them.” His eyes rose from the unrolled parchment, glimmering with the jest rolling off his tongue. “Or you.”

“Nope, I am not complaining,” Sam dusted off a book cover. “Try changing an old man’s night pots for several weeks straight every single day and you see how much of a hassle you will find reading some letters to be.”

Jon mused, shoulders shrugging as he tossed the message he had just read to the side. “I did,” he retorted. “I was Lord Commander’s Mormont steward for a while, do not forget. He was a wise and kind man, but he was old. And like all people, he shat too.” There was a moment of silence and then Jon and Sam exchanged looks, bursting into a fit of chuckles right at the edge of it.

“What do all of these say?” Sam questioned curiously.

“Supplies,” Jon held up one message. “More weapons.” He held up another. “Complaints about mountain tribes.” And another. “Complaints about the Free Folk.” Another. “And marriage proposals.”

Sam quirked a brow. “For you?”

Jon shot him a look. “No, for you.” During this pause, he set all of the parchments back down. “What do you think?” His head shook as he absently reached for another unsealed letter. “Attach a title to your name and not even bastardy seems to matter anymore.” Whatever Sam’s response had been, it all faded into a muffle as Jon’s gaze landed on the sigil embedded into the wax sealing the parchment. His brows immediately knitted, stare absorbed by the three-headed dragon that adorned the seal.

“Jon.” Sam needed to touch his shoulder to shake him out of this trance. “What is it?”

Hesitatingly, Jon flipped the letter toward his friend, displaying the seal. “Look at the sigil.”

“Oh, my,” Sam gasped. “That is the Targaryen sigil. Why would a letter have a Targaryen sigil? Was Lady Daenerys not the last of her house?”

This reminder mingled with the grimness of her memory and the strange emotions whirred in the pit of his stomach. His bothered gaze returned to the roll. “She was,” he uttered somberly. With a moment’s reluctance, he reached out to unseal the message, starting to relay its contents. “To the newly crowned King in The North. Forgive my lack of knowledge as to your identity. Queen Daenerys Targaryen, First of Her Name, invites you to Dragonstone.” His voice died out after these particular words rolled off his tongue, the scowl etched in his features only darkening. There was no moment for getting lost now. He cleared his throat and forced himself to continue. “My Queen has expressed concerns about a great threat looming over the North from beyond the Wall. She learned of this threat during her short stay in your kingdom some time ago. She would like to personally discuss the safety of your kingdom with you and how she might be able to aid the North as well as discussing allegiances to the Iron Throne. Tyrion Lannister, Hand of the Queen.” His hands, still clutching the message, fell against the table with a heavy thud. He glanced toward Sam in silence and it was clear they were both rattled by the contents of the message.

“She’s alive,” Sam concluded, a tentative smile on his face. Jon, however, did not reciprocate it, too confined by confusion and fear to be able to ride the wave of glee that Sam wanted to see him ride. Slowly, his knees bent, his figure sinking into the large seat at the middle of the table, the parchment still between his index and middle finger and eyes wide with the awe of this turn of events.

“She cannot be,” he tried to convince himself.

“Why not?” That was such a straightforward and innocent question, yet it made such an excellent point. Sam continued, “You are. You have not seen her die, have you?” Jon’s eyes found Sam’s, glimmering with the sprouts of sheepish hope. “I have always believed we should have taken the word of Alliser Thorne of all people with a pinch of salt, to be honest. There was nothing he wished more than to see you desolated and miserable.” Jon leaned forward and reread the contents of the note, this time focusing his gaze on the signing.

“Tyrion Lannister,” Jon mumbled. “How did Tyrion Lannister end up in the service of Daenerys Targaryen?”

“Hand me that for a moment,” Sam said, though he did not wait for approval before snatching the parchment, giving it a thorough read himself. “They don’t know who you are.” Only then did Jon become aware of that fact. Suddenly, he properly processed the entirety of the note. If this truly were Daenerys, then she was reaching out to an unknown monarch and was summoning him to be allies against the threat of the Great War. For a brief moment, his heart leaped wildly.

“It has to be her,” he found himself musing before thinking, Sam’s curious gaze flickering toward him. “Tyrion would never believe in the Others. Not unless it came from someone who had seen them. Someone who had made other impossible things happen.” Then another thought unveiled. “The dragons. Did she free her dragons?” And that unleashed an avalanche of questions, overwhelming enough to make him forget about doubts altogether, suddenly flooding him with something he could not define as anything other than anticipation and rejoicing.

“Maybe she has,” Sam added. “But there is something else. They are at Dragonstone, are they not? Remember what I told you about the mountain of dragonglass?” Jon’s gaze swept toward him and it smiled without his lips twitching the slightest bit.

“I need to go,” Jon concluded hastily, shooting up from his seat. He reached out for a blank paper, a quill, and some ink, pushing them toward Sam. “Sit,” he demanded, impatiently. Sam mirrored his impatience and did not hesitate in claiming a seat and having the quill’s tip hover above the paper. “Let them know we are to depart as soon as possible. That it will take approximately a fortnight for our journey to be complete. Leave anything else out. I shall discuss all these matters in person.”

Sam hesitated. “What should I sign this as?”

“Pretend you are Ser Davos,” Jon replied. “He is tending to other duties right now, but it is within his responsibilities to represent me, after all.”

“Yes, I agree, but…” Sam stared at the parchment. “Ser Davos is writing on your behalf, is he not?” The underlying message in that question struck Jon and he felt a sudden dryness in his throat. They did not know who the King in the North was, after all. If he were to stamp his name on this message, what would Daenerys believe? Would she believe anything at all? Would she think of the message as a farce, as a twisted joke of fate?

“He is,” he said somberly, offering Sam the approval to unveil his identity. He turned heel, but stopped in his tracks for one final remark, “Leave that part toward the end.”

-------------------

This was no simple departure. There were plenty of things that needed to be taken care of, that prevented him from leaving as soon as that raven had flown off. Winterfell needed to be left in someone else’s hands. An emergency gathering was organized, gathering the lords and ladies that were close enough to show up within a maximum of a couple of days. The rest of them were to be informed through ravens. Jon was brief about his intentions and solutions. Some protested that their king could not afford to leave the North during these times, much less to meet with a Targaryen, but Jon was quick to shut off these protests by revealing the moons they had shared under the same roof, months when they had gotten to know each other well enough for unconditioned trust to bloom. During those two days, Jon had eagerly cast aside his doubts and suspicion. After all, Sam had made a valid point out of taking Thorne’s words at face value. Looking back at that awful day, he could not remember seeing the corpses of the Unsullied anywhere, which meant they hadn’t died. From what Jon had gathered on them, they would have not fled away from their queen’s protection. If he had truly died, they would have as well. And he doubted a bunch of drunken outlaws would be able to overpower a bunch of highly trained warriors. For now, all that he knew was that he was impatient, ecstatic, overtaken with anticipation. Perhaps it was because this all seemed too surreal for him to grasp and he did not fully process the meaning of this chance. With that in mind, he let the North know that Jeyne Poole would take the reins as the rightful Lady of Winterfell, a choice he was confident in. Jeyne had proven herself resilient, capable, and wise beyond her years. Moreover, he was someone he could trust, having known her since their much-more-innocent childhoods. When deciding on his company, Jon initially only settled on bringing Davos and Ghost along. That, however, changed when Melisandre insisted on her company, followed by Tormund, and then followed by Sam, who made a very solid point out of him being the only one who knew how to mine the dragonglass.

That very same day, they boarded a ship and left Winterfell behind. And, for the first time in Jon’s case, left the North behind, spending more time than needed glossing his thumb over the Targaryen pin that had been clipped to his belt throughout this whole year.