#so like. there's many places one could take this concept

[harunovella]

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ every thought I'm thinking of is you; t.f.

synopsis: you never knew your parents had this much worry when it came to your college life, hiring a bodyguard for you, you just never expected to fall in love this quickly… let alone, let him be your first... content: fem!reader, bodyguard!toji, age gap, older man/younger woman, one sided love, slight obsession, reader is a little bit dramatic but she wants what she wants and what she wants is toji, love confessions, guilt, loss of virginity, pwp, oral (f receiving), unprotected sex, aftercare (he is the king of after care ok), toji is a boob man, ambiguous/open ending, not beta read! note: okay but the concept of bodyguard!toji came to me a as a dream way before I wrote my leon fic where he basically becomes reader's guard... anyway, pls enjoy! I love dramatic endings, oops- title inspo (pls listen!)

Being a professional bodyguard meant being hired to protect those important, those who were wealthy. The array of politicians, actors, musicians—you name it—that hired him made his resume endless. However, this was a first. You were a first. Hired by a pair of rich folks to watch over their daughter who enjoyed her college years a little... too much. 

Being careless was quite the understatement. Sure, you were doing fine academically, excelling in your classes to get one step closer to your degree... but that didn't stop you from having a full college life. Even if you weren't in a dorm. What, with the success of your parents, you lived in a neighborhood near one of the country's most finest universities. There was no need to live on campus, you could stay home. 

Which is why you were always out at the wee hours of the night, not returning home until the sun rose. That was dramatic, but that was how your parents felt. You stayed up late, partied, got home at an ungodly hour and yet managed to be booked and busy the following day. No one knew how you did it, you just said it was you enjoying your youth. You thanked the universe for being blessed with beauty and brains, you weren't sure how you'd survive the life you were living. 

You just never expected your habits to be this concerning that you had to have someone watch over you like the others watched over your home and parents. You were used to bodyguards... but never one who almost always showed up everywhere you went. 

Toji felt like a glorified babysitter, and if it wasn't for how much your parents paid him, he would've never taken the job. He took his role seriously, he was a bodyguard and that's exactly what he did, especially when his salary was high, he had no questions. Just to protect. Even if the job was anything but easy. 

He had been through a lot in his career, the many death threats, nearly taking god knows how many bullets... the scars he's earned. Yet, nothing seemed harder than watching a young woman who wanted to live her life freely and carelessly. Especially a young woman who was nothing but a flirt and a tease. Wanting nothing more than to have his attention rather than ignore his existence. 

You, of course, never expected your personal body guard to be the sexiest man alive. Through and through. From head to toe. The dark, fringed hair. Those piercing green eyes that looked as if god got the exact colors of spring grass and replicated them in his irises. The build of his body, bigger than any man you had ever seen... so burly and strong. Arms so thick, muscles so wide. He was so broad, it made you salivate. You never liked men that were overly large. However, Toji? He was on another level. You wanted him. You needed him. No man ever made your mouth water or your body tingle the way this man did. All he did was watch after you, drag you home, and literally put you in your place. With the most indifferent expressions ever, almost never showing emotion even if there was a hint of annoyance in his tone when he scolded you. 

Yet, you looked up at him with hearts in your eyes, his words entering one ear and exiting the other as you gazed up at him. Your focus would settle on the scar that decorated his lips, you licking your own as you itched to kiss him. He had no clue the power he had on you. You were love drunk, completely smitten, he was the man of your dreams. As pathetic as it sounded, you wanted to even marry him. He could yell at you all he wanted, saying how you worry your parents and that he isn't your babysitter, but you'd still gaze up at him with the most loving eyes. 

Toji didn't know what he was going to do with you. 

It's probably what got him in this situation in the first place. 

He had stepped out to get some fresh air, processing the events that unraveled before him moments prior. Gathering his thoughts, trying to understand his feelings... trying to manage through all that had been going on that lead to this. He wasn't gone for long, just took a walk around the neighborhood to ease himself... he didn't expect to come back to your home with you completely missing. 

He called your name several times, searching every inch of the house once he found your window open in hopes it was all a ploy. You were an actress, quite the attention seeker when it came to him. You lived to make his heart race and play with his head. You enjoyed the cat and mouse chase, but something told him this wasn't that. This wasn't a joke. This was serious. And he hated it. 

"Cmon, answer me..." he grumbled, calling your cell phone, only to hear ringing coming from your bed. Shoving some of your pillows and plushies around, he growled. You left your phone behind. Did you actually leave out the window? It wasn't the first time... but you never left your phone behind. 

Rubbing his forehead, pinching the bridge of his nose and huffing, Toji recalled the events that lead to this very moment. 

Your parents had been out of town for the weekend and you invited some of your friends over, sneakily stealing from their stash of liquor that wasn't so hidden. It was meant for gatherings or when either of them needed to lay back and relax. Your mother's best wine stacked up, your father's favorite whiskeys shelved. You couldn't recall how much you had consumed when Toji found you, kicking your friends out before handling you. 

You were a bit of a klutz while tipsy, a clingy mess who couldn't seem to let go of Toji. Like a leach, latching onto him and giggling. Hiccuping as you slurred your words. You were quite the lightweight—or at least drank a little too much. Toji had dealt with a drunken you before, always handling you to make sure you didn't go home like this. He was your savior, quite the massive angel when he sobered you up enough to avoid your parent's disappointment and wrath. Another reason why you fell so hard for him. 

Personal space wasn't a thing for you, you were all over him, hugging his arm, squeezing his bicep. Batting your lashes up to him, pressing your breasts against his side while dressed in that cute outfit that you'd sleep in. You had hoped to have your friends sleep over, but that didn't work out when Toji dismissed them. They were all used to him and never questioned him. Slightly annoyed, but they'd never cross a man like him. He was big and terrifying (and they knew you were head over heels for him).

It took everything in his power to keep things civil, asking you how much you had, trying to keep you from doing something you'd regret. However, that didn't stop you from pushing. You were persistent. You wanted what you wanted, and when you zeroed in on something, you'd stop at nothing. 

Settling you down and giving you water, making sure you chugged it all as he went through his usual routine to get you sober, you just sat there, happily. Gazing up at him and beaming with the brightest smile, you thanked him for caring for you. Going as far as calling him a true gentleman. He knew what you were doing, it was nothing new. Sighing and running his hand through his hair, he took your hand and pulled you up to your feet, leading you to your bedroom to get some rest. 

"Get some sleep, you need it," he said but you only whined. 

"I'm not tired," you frowned, shaking your head stubbornly and crossing your arms like a child. 

"You need to," he said sternly. 

"Nuh uh! Not unless you join me," you grinned but Toji shook his head. 

"No," he said your name in an almost warning tone. 

"Why not?" You pouted once again. "Why are you so dismissive of my advancements, huh?"

"Because I'm a gentleman," he said, using your own words against you. This making your pout deepen as you huffed. 

"I want you, Toji," you confessed, still frowning but looking away now. 

"You're just a kid, you don't know what you want," he dismissed as you rolled your eyes. You've heard that plenty. 

"I am not a kid, Toji. I know what I want and what I want is you." Without a second thought as Toji watched you stand on your bed, you grabbed the collar of his button down and tugged him in to you. Your lips slammed against his, not lasting any longer than a couple of seconds before Toji pushed you back. 

He was in shock, heart racing and eyes wide with confusion. Not that he never saw it coming, but a part of him almost nearly didn't want you to stop. And that was dangerous. He couldn't even have an inkling of desire for you. You were his assignment. Nothing more, nothing less. You were a child compared to him. A young woman with her whole life ahead of her, barely in her 20s and kissing a man in his mid 30s. "Don't ever do that again," he warned as you blinked a few times, frowning and eyes watering. "Get some sleep, you're not thinking straight," he said before storming out, shutting your door a bit roughly behind him. Leaving you there hurt, confused, angry and heartbroken. 

Snapping out of his thoughts at the not too distant memory that happened less than an hour prior, Toji cursed under his breath. He shouldn't have done any of that, shouldn't have handled the situation the way he had. Truth be told, he enjoyed your presence. He enjoyed your infatuation towards him. He liked that you were clingy and needy of his attention. It filled the void within him that he had struggled with for so long, using other women and gambling to cover it up. Who was he to have a girl like you by his side when he wasn't man enough? He wasn't the man for you. You deserved better. So much better. He wished you put the energy and effort you put into him, on to someone else. Someone more deserving. Someone more age appropriate. Not your bodyguard who was just a tamed assassin. A man who could kill and not feel an inkling of remorse. 

Yet, here he was, blaming himself and chasing after you. He couldn't let anything happen to you. Couldn't let you get hurt. Not only would he lose his job and possibly his head, but he'd never forgive himself if something were to happen and he never saw you again. Wouldn't forgive himself if he never had the opportunity to clear the air. God, what were you doing to him? Never did he care this much about a client! Let alone, a woman!

You couldn't be too far, he came back right when it began to rain. If you were smart enough, you were hiding out somewhere to avoid him. 

At least, he hoped. 

Of course, you, in all your dramatic wisdom, were walking in the rain. Arms clutching to yourself, trembling at the cold and the lack of layers on. In nothing but your pajamas and slippers. You were being over the top, but your mind was so clouded. Not only by the alcohol, but the fact that the man you were madly in love with rejected you. Sees you as nothing more than a child when you weren't. Just because you liked to have fun in your youth. Why did you have to fall for him? 

Crying as your head throbbed, barely able to focus on your surroundings, especially at a late hour like this one. You should've stayed home and just cried yourself to sleep. You were just so angry! You just wanted to leave and never see him again!

Suddenly, the sound of a booming voice shouting your name caught your attention. Looking over to see Toji exit his car and run after you, you quickened your pace. You wanted nothing to do with him, you didn't want to see his stupidly handsome face. You just wanted to be left alone, why couldn't he understand that?! 

Yet, here you were, being chased by him. You knew you wouldn't get far, he was too skilled and you may have ran from him a few times in the past only to be snatched up each time. Of course, even with that lingering in your head, you still hoped maybe this time you could escape him. Even if all those other times you ran with the desire of him catching you. This time? You wanted to be as far away from him as possible. 

Only to trip over uneven pavement. Lovely. 

Grunting and whimpering from the sudden impact, you were ready to force yourself up and keep going, only for him to snatch you up. 

"Are you crazy?!" He shouted in your face, hands gripping your upper arms as he shook you. "Do you know what time it is?! Do you know what could've happened to you?! You could've been kidnapped or killed!"

Feeling your blood boil as you panted, you pressed your small palms against him, shoving him off of you. "Get away from me! Don't touch me!" Continuously trying to push him away, Toji wouldn't budge. Growing frustrated and antsy, you acted before you even thought, your palm meeting his cheek as you slapped him. 

With a low snarl, Toji glared down at you, grinding his teeth. He couldn't understand why you were behaving this way, his denial towards you shouldn't have been such a big of a deal. It was a stupid crush, he was sure. Something shallow. So why did you continue to fight him?

Capturing your wrists and pinning your hands down as he pressed you against the light pole behind you, Toji hissed, "you need to start acting like a damn adult, not this childish bullshit—"

"Make me," you spoke through clenched teeth. You were shaking from both anger and the coldness of the late night showers. You looked deep into his eyes with, what could've been read as, deep hatred. He knew you didn't hate him, but you were furious. 

Feeling his heart race from the adrenaline, skipping a sudden beat from your threat, hating how they suddenly triggered something within, Toji snarled. He felt pathetic knowing he was feeling something he shouldn't towards you, fighting everything in him to suppress whatever it was, being why he reacted so roughly. Like he always did. "Stop behaving like a fucking brat. Grow up. You're a 20 year old college student. Not a 15 year old girl with a crush on her teacher. Act your age and stop thinking the world revolves around you, like you're invincible, when there are those who care and worry about you—"

"Fuck you!" You snapped. "You don't care about me!"

"Who says I don't?! I'm literally right here!" He shouted. 

"You're here because it's your job and so you can get paid!" You snapped back. "You don't care about me, not one bit! You never did! I was always just a paycheck! I hate that I fell in love with you!" Instantly regretting your words, realizing what you just said, you panicked. Looking absolutely mortified, you felt Toji's grip tighten around your wrists. You wanted to melt, puddle up and evaporate. Disappear from this universe. How could you let that slip?! Sure, you had an obvious crush but never love! At least, you wouldn't dare admit that!

Suddenly, you tried slipping from his grip, thrashing around to escape, punching his chest and telling him to let you go. Practically begging him to. Instead, he loosened his grip on one of your wrists and grabbed a fistful of your hair, angling your head as his lips collided with your own. 

It was far more intense than any other kiss you've ever had, the way he was practically eating your face. Tongue nearly down your throat, stealing every breath you had, saliva spreading in a sloppy manner. You didn't even think, your body acting before you could as your hands reached into his hair. Gripping and tugging at the dark locks roughly. Biting his lip hard enough until he bled, Toji hissed and landed a harsh smack against your ass, earning a yelp from you. 

"Is this what you wanted?" He asked in what was possibly the lowest voice he could muster. As if it was filled with anger, annoyance, worry and... lust. 

You couldn't even look at him, ashamed in yourself as you shook your head, speaking in the saddest voice, "I just want you to love me back..."

For once, Toji felt off guard, his eyes widening as his grip on you instantly loosened. His chest heaved as his heart thudded against his ribcage. It wasn't even pathetic the way you spoke, far from it. If anything, he felt bad that you wanted someone like from him. And he hated that a piece of him—a big one at that—wanted to give that to you. You did a number on him and you didn't even know it yet. Even in the rain his body felt like it was on fire, as if his skin would melt off. His mind was a mess, thinking about your confession and desires. How attached he's grown to you without truly realizing it. The interactions you've shared and the small advancements made. He hated that... a part of him knew he's fallen for you, too. Quite possibly since the first interaction when he told himself you were nothing more than a spoiled brat and to suppress those feelings... when, in reality, you were nothing but kind. A little wild and youthful, but you never did anything to make him hate you. Never did anything to make his job boring. You were a lot to handle but, he liked it. He enjoyed the thrill of the chase. He enjoyed you. But, god, did it feel so wrong for you to want a man like him with such a troubled past. With almost nothing to offer. 

"Fuck..." he cursed under his breath as you suddenly looked at him with pure confusion. Blinking in bewilderment. "I'm taking you to my place." Without a second thought, he lifted you up and took you to his car, driving you to his place and knowing very well this could end terribly for the both of you. 

But, he couldn't stop now, not with his hand on your thigh as he drove and not when he pulled you into his place when you two arrived. And definitely not when he stood before you, towering your figure as you looked up at him with those doe eyes that made him want to fucking melt. 

"Do you really want me?" He asked. "If you're not sure you can take it I rather you just shower and take my bed before I do something I'd regret."

"Toji, I want you so badly, it hurts," you nearly whispered in desperation, not wanting to lose any chances of having him. He had no idea how fast he made your heart race (or made your inner thighs ache) in deep need for him. 

Stalking towards you and cornering you as your back collided with a wall, Toji asked you once again, "are you sure?"

Nodding, you looked up at him with a shaky body, desperate to feel his touch. "Yes, please..."

Toji's hand instantly wrapped around your neck, thumb and pointer finger pressing against your jaw as he pulled you in. He lips smashed against yours, shoving his tongue past them with no hesitation. It felt like he was trying to consume you, exploring every inch your mouth had to offer, moans slipping past your part lips every time he'd sloppily kiss the corners of your mouth. The shared salvia smeared as you felt yourself becoming lightheaded. Your knees were just about to give out, your heart pounding in your chest and humming in your ears. Toji's grip tightened as his free hand slipped under your now soaked camisole. Groping and squeezing at your left breast, thumb brush against your hardened nipple before he pinched it. You moaned slightly into his mouth, panting against him as his tongue intertwined with your own. 

Easily lifting you up with one arm, he brought you to his bed, dropping you on it and wasting no time with undressing. He unbuttoned the dress shirt he wore, nearly tearing it off and doing the same with the shirt underneath. His shoes long gone as he tossed your slippers to a side. You sat up on your elbows, trying to catch your breath as you watched the god of a man strip before you. Sure, the suits he wore while on duty hugged his body painfully so, you knew this man was ripped. It was obvious with his towering size and broad shoulders... but to see him shirtless before you? Every line and curve, the shapes of his muscles bulging, the deep v cut and trail of hair that lead to what you needed most. You swore you were going to pass out. This was the man of your dreams, your soulmate, you knew it to be true. And now... you had him, nearly bare before you as he slipped off his pants and wore nothing but his black boxers. 

Toji gripped your ankles and tugged you close as you looked up at him, wide eyed and lips parted. Your chest heaved as he crawled over you, hand pressing against the back of your head, pulling you into a slightly gentler kiss. He still chased after your lips, still desired to taste you, but he wasn't trying to swallow you whole this time. Not that you would mind.  You'd give him everything if you could. 

His large hands gripped your waist as he adjusted himself, straddling you and leaning on his heels before reaching for the hem of your top. Eyeing you and the haze that fogged your eyes, he took in a sharp breath. "Are you sure about this?" Hearing you hum, he shook his head. "No, I need to hear you say it."

"Yes, Toji... Please..." you begged, voice nearly cracking in desperation and need of him. 

Taking in a deep breath, eyeing you once more, he lifted your top a bit to reveal your body, stopping midway before he could expose your breasts. "I won't stop until you tell me to."

"I won't," you shook your head stubbornly. "I need you."

Letting out a small huff as his head dropped, grip tightening around your top, itching to just rip it off and tear you apart, Toji bit down. You weren't like the other women, never would be, he wasn't going to just fuck you without a care. He had some decency. At least, when it came to you. He'd never admit to himself why. 

Lifting your top off and dropping it to a side, Toji took your body in, your curves and every little mark that were unique to you—whether it was a scar or freckle—it was as if he was mapping your skin. You were squirming, whether it'd be desperation, anxiety, or insecurity, Toji dove in. He gave your breasts the attention they deserved, taking one in his mouth and the other occupied in his bear paw of a hand. He licked at the skin as his fingers teased your other nipple, biting and breathing against the wet skin, making you tremble beneath him. 

He switched positions, moaning into your mounds in a sound you've never heard before. If you had to guess, by the way he gave your chest so much focus, how he sucked at them as if they were his life force, and the way he was basically humping you... you'd say Toji was a boob guy. Through and through, no matter the size, he just loved the feeling of the supple flesh in his hands, in his mouth... his aching dick between them, even. If you knew any better, and if Toji lost all self control, he definitely would've fucked them. 

But not now, not this time. It was his first time with you, he needed to learn your body. Explore every inch of it. What turns you on, what makes your eyes roll back, what has you seeing stars. 

Toji gripped at your shorts, tugging them down and tossing it onto your matching top. Kissing down your belly, nibbling along the way and leaving marks in his wake, Toji found himself nestled between your thighs. God, if there was something he loved more than boobs were a woman's thighs. Thick or not, he loved them, loved having them wrapped around his neck, suffocating him. If he had a way to go, it would be by them. 

Kissing your inner thighs, making it to the apex of them, the scent of your arousal was driving him insane. It felt as if he couldn't control himself, grip tightening around your waist as his finger tips dug into your flesh. Not seeming to care of you had a barrier blocking him, Toji buried his face further into you, nose nudging your clothed clit as you shuddered. The shock that was sent throughout your body made your heart race faster as you watched him. It was like he was in a trance, even with your panties still on. 

Burying his nose further into you as you trembled, Toji couldn't help but lick against the cloth, tongue nudging your bundle of nerves as your legs shook. "You better not muffle your sounds, I wanna hear it all," he warned as he looked at you, you instantly nodding. Grinning, he yanked your panties off before he pulled your thighs over his shoulders. Your pussy, in all its glory, bare before him. He couldn't help but grin at the sight, the scent driving him mad as he found himself rutting against the mattress. Truly, a woman's body was his ultimate weakness. 

Purposefully tossing your panties in a different direction to keep for himself (for future—personal—use, of course), Toji dove in. He didn't even bother to give a single warning. Open mouthed, practically making out with your pussy, your head fell back as you began to squirm. Your moans grew louder the further Toji teased you. With every lick and every suck of your clit, to the prodding of your hole with his tongue, you felt as if you forgot to breathe. 

Your thighs were clenching against his head, Toji's grip tightening to prevent you from suffocating him (even if he wanted to welcome it). The sounds were disgusting in a way that turned you. It was almost painful, how good it felt. The way he worked you open with just his tongue, slurping every bit of your essence that leaked. It didn't take Toji long to figure out how to make you come. It wasn't going to be the only time, anyway. 

You felt completely spent, lying almost limp before him. You should've known this man was an expert, but a part of you... that was rather innocent, had believed it was going to happen once when he was in you. Of course, you should've know once wasn't enough. No. Not when he introduced his thick fingers, spreading you open, pumping deeply into you as he watched you squirm. He was nearly getting off to it, the way you panted and moaned his name, smaller hands gripping at his sheets as your toes curled. He grinned to himself, licking his scar as he pushed your legs further apart, pumping his fingers faster into you, proud of himself for making you come a second time.

"Look at me," he demanded as your eyes fluttered open. Hooded and exhausted. You watched as he slipped his two fingers out of you, soaked in your release. He watched them in awe as you squirmed in embarrassment. Toji only made it worse when he brought them into his mouth, sucking with an obnoxious groan. It was then you noticed the painful bulge tenting in his underwear, an obvious wet spot that had formed. Did he get off... to you getting off?

"Fuck... 'm not gonna get used to that. Best I've ever had. So fucking good," he breathed as you took in deep breaths. "I think you're ready f'r me."

Gulping as he stood up to strip his underwear, an audible gasp left your lips as you eyed his cock. The tip red and leaking. Oh, you definitely weren't going to handle that. It was monster sized, there was no way no amount of prep would prepare you for the girth of his size. 

"Don't worry, I'll make it fit," he smirked, the twitch of his scarred lip making you let out an uncontrollable moan. He was hot and he knew it... and somehow that made it all the better. 

Kneeling before you and gripping your thighs, parting them and aligning himself with you, he reached in between and coated his length with your juices, pumping a few times before pushing into you. A gasp got caught in your throat as you nearly choked. Just barely in and you were squirming. "It's— Too big!"

"Too big? You were so desperate earlier," he nearly whispered, voice low and sending a chill down your spine. He pulled back and pushed further in, the stretch stinging and bringing tears to your eyes as you bit your bottom lip. "You can take it."

"Too much— 's too much," you breathed, hand gripping his forearms as if it would stop him. 

Instead, Toji laughed, pulling back and pushing in. Thrusting in and out at a steady peace to let you adjust to his size—until he began to reach deeper. Feeling as if you couldn't breathe, Toji leaned into you. Fucking you slowly and deeply, he left open mouth kisses along your neck and shoulders, biting the skin and leaving his mark behind. He couldn't help but lick at you, the sweat that was beading on your skin. You were intoxicating, he couldn't seem to have enough. All the little sounds, how you moaned his name. The way you begged. How your legs wrapped around him, keeping him in deep even if you cried that he was too much. 

He lifted his head enough to kiss you, tongue meeting tongue as he moaned into your mouth. God, it was all so much, yet... not enough. You wanted more, your body craved him. Your nails clawed at his back as your heels dug into him. He bit and sucked your bottom lip, lifting himself to look at your fucked out face. Swollen lips, teary cheeks, sprawled out hair soaked from the rain. You were an angel straight from heaven sent to him. He couldn't get enough. He needed more. More more more. 

Licking your tears away, deepening his thrusts as he grunted in your ear, your eyes rolled back, seeing galaxies the way his cock reached so deeply into you. You were sure he was going to mold himself against you. "Toji— I— I'm—" you were at a loss for words, mind going blank as you felt that chord within you snap. You came so hard, body trembling and overstimulated that you cried out while pulling at his hair. Toji rode it out, caressing your head and praising you as he continued to thrust in and out of you. 

"You did so good, so good. My good girl. You did so good," he praised as you trembled beneath him. Feeling his own orgasm building up, Toji eyed you and nearly came at the sight of your fucked out face. He fucked you dumb, he was sure there was no thoughts in that little head of yours. "In or out?"

"In— In..." you breathed, eyes barely able to stay open as your hands fell limp against his back, lost in his locks as you tried catching your breath. 

"Look at me," he said as you gulped, eyes fluttering open. He kept his focus locked on you, thrusting a few more times before stilling, coming deeply within your womb without looking away. It was almost the most beautiful thing you had ever seen. You weren't sure how he did it, so enthralled by those emerald eyes, you were afraid that you'd do whatever he said with how hypnotized you were. 

Staying in you for a moments worth as his forehead pressed against your own, breathing each other in, Toji pulled out, earning a whine from you. Nearly flopping on his back, catching his breath as his heart raced, he rolled to his side and snuck a hand in between your legs, feeling the way his come was leaking from you before he gathered it and plugged his finger into you. You let out a small cry, turning your face to hide into his chest. 

"Can't let any of it go to waste, can we?" He asked as you shook your head. Toji moved to leave kisses down your thigh as he pulled his hand away, lifting your legs enough to eye the way his seed pooled beneath you. All the guilt was out the window with how clouded his mind was. Having you this way, you giving yourself to him even if it was all so very wrong. 

He hated to admit, he doesn't remember the last time he had sex like this that wasn't a way just to fulfill himself and only himself. Instead, he was getting off to you. Getting off to the way he made you feel. Especially that blissed out expression on your face... If only he could fuck you again and again and again until—

Toji stopped himself there before the thoughts got worse. You were spent, exhausted and probably unable to move a single limb. He had to clean the both of you up. "C'mon, can't stay like this, as much as I'd love to." Patting your thigh as you groaned, he leaned in and left a few more kisses against your lips, you lazily reciprocating them. 

Toji lifted you in his arms and brought you to his shower. Your body was shaking and legs were surely weak. He made sure the water was warm enough for the two of you, helping clean one another in sluggish movements (more from you and your exhaustion). Toji dried you up after, wrapping a towel around his waist as he helped ruffle your hair with the towel and dress you in one of his shirts. He sat you on his couch with a cup of water as he changed his bedsheets. Bringing you back to the bed, cuddling up against one another as you tried to morph into him, desperate for his warmth, you nuzzled his bare chest. His scent was intoxicating, your eyes falling heavy as you felt your body being carried away into your world of dreams. 

"I'm so thankful you're my first," you mumbled sleepily. Toji's once droopy eyes shot open. 

"I was... your first?" He asked with all sorts of hesitation. You were a virgin... and he took your virginity? 

"Mhm... I was saving myself for someone special enough. Guess that was you," you said before falling asleep, deep enough to not have an inkling that your words would be the reason why Toji hardly slept that night. 

Toji took you home the following day bright and early before your parents returned from their business trip. You freshened up and felt a sense of ease and happiness that you've never felt before. Ready to return back to Toji to say your goodbyes as he spoke to your parents, you found yourself hiding behind a wall as your heart skipped a beat and smile dropped at his words. 

"I apologize for the late notice but I'll need to take a leave of absence. I already have a few people lined up that can take over my position," Toji said. "I'll give you their contacts."

"What happened? Is everything alright?" Your father asked. 

"It's personal reasons I rather not disclose, but I assure you these people can watch over your daughter at a level almost nearing mine."

"I hope all is well, thank you for all you've done for us. Will we be seeing you again?" Your mother asked. 

It was what felt like hours before Toji spoke up again, leaving you with a heavy heart that dropped to your feet at his last words, "I am unsure," he admitted. "I wish nothing but the best for you."

Those last words weren't directed towards your parents, it was almost as if Toji knew you were listening. Was he really abandoning you after last night? Did your confession mean nothing to him? Did he... use you? Your bottom lip began to quiver as your eyes pooled up at his last words:

"Take care."

#haruno writes; #jjk toji #toji fushiguro #toji zenin #toji x reader #toji x you #toji smut #toji x y/n #fushiguro toji x you #fushiguro toji x reader #toji fushiguro x you #toji fushiguro x y/n #jjk smut #jjk x reader #toji fushiguro x reader

[lordprettyflackotara]

if u think i’m pretty || chris sturniolo

SMUT. 18+. Minors DNI. tw: hate fucking. lots of it. bickering while fucking? idk you get the gist. finally got around to writing about chris. can you believe i scrapped like 5 fics? 🥴 yeah me either! also, sequel with matt if yall want it ;)

“Christopher fucking Sturniolo!”

Your words were laced with venom, the staircase rumbling beneath you as you stomped upstairs. Faintly you could hear Matt call out for you, your mind too filled with rage to hear him properly.

Pornographic moans flooded your eardrums as you reached Chris’s room, your eyes nearly rolling into the back of your head. Your closed fist rattled his door, the dramatic moans coming to a screeching halt.

“Open the fucking door dickwad!” You screamed. Impatiently you tapped your foot, deciding he was taking too long. You grabbed the door handle, (surprised to find it unlocked), and swung the door open.

It was almost comical watching Chris and a girl you didn’t know scramble to get themselves dressed.

“What the fuck are you doing in here? Get the fuck out! Haven’t you ever heard of privacy?” Chris spat, shoving his gray sweatpants on. For a brief moment you felt bad for the girl, her waterline filling with tears. She was just one of many you had seen this week. You grabbed a shirt you presumed to be hers, handing it to her. You took a deep breath, containing your anger as you looked at her.

“Please get dressed and for the love of God, find someone better to fuck,” You sighed. The blonde was gone in a flash, practically sprinting out of Chris’s room. You crossed your arms, shooting lasers out of your eyes as you glared at the brunette across from you. Oh, only if looks could kill.

“I’m not believing my phone magically teleported into the dishwasher of all places,” You snarled. Your phone had been missing for six hours straight, your iphones location still saying it was at the triplets house. You had dragged Matt and Nick all around their house, searching from the ceiling to the floor. When you had finally accepted defeat, you had opened the dishwasher to grab a bowl to make a snack.

And to your displeasure, your phone was sopping wet, sitting in plain sight on the rack.

“You have zero proof I did that, literally zero,” Chris argued. Your eyes briefly flickered to his exposed chest, the amount of skin throwing you off. You shook your head, showing Chris your ruined phone. “Really? Because I can’t recall the last time you did dishes but you magically did them last night,” You snapped. Chris shrugged nonchalantly, a cocky smirk creeping across his lips.

“What can I say? I figured i’d help out the household,”

That’s it.

You chucked your phone at him, the brunette dodging the attack by seconds. It was ruined away, even the rice method was unable to save your phone. It smacked against the wall, the sound making Chris jump. “Maybe your phone wouldn’t be ruined if you weren’t having very LOUD phone sex with your boyfriend!” Chris yelled. You threw your hands up in the air, completely dumbfounded. “What are you talking about? Why would I ever-” You began arguing, before it clicked.

You weren’t having phone sex with anyone, that was for sure. But you stayed over at the Sturniolo household frequently, to the point where you were there more often than you were home. As much as Chris drove you insane, you couldn’t deny how attractive he was. The concept of the attraction being forbidden, soured by years and years of bickering, did something inside of you.

You could feel heat rushing to your cheeks, even though you didn’t want it to. Chris snickered at your loss of words, shooting you a genuine smile. “What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?” He teased. In a swift motion you dashed across the room, your palm connecting with his cheek. Your tension with Chris had never gone beyond yelling. He had never crawled under your skin so much before, embarrassment seeping over you as you thought about the whole house hearing what he said.

A long pause silenced the room, the sound of the slap echoing through out your ears. Chris took a moment to process what you had just done, before his sharp gaze meant yours. His hand flew to your throat, gripping the sides as he threw you against the nearest wall. The air was knocked out of your lungs, your body in fight or flight mode. He easily towered over you, his sharp blue eyes filled with rage.

“You’re such a fucking whore,” Chris grumbled. He squeezed the sides of your neck harder, a whimper escaping your lips. His grip loosened, his attention fully dedicated to the sound you had made. The brunette tilted his head to the side curiously, as if he hadn’t believed what he just heard. “Did you just whimper?” He questioned. You shook your head no, Chris’s knee spreading your legs apart. Testing the waters, he brought his face closer to yours.

“You know, your little stunt prevented me from finishing earlier. Perhaps you’d like to help me out,” Chris purred, the glint of lust in your eyes telling him everything he needed to know. You rolled your eyes, your heart beginning to race as his body pressed against yours. “If you’re going to kiss me get on with it before I change my mind,” You said plainly. Chris’s grip on your throat tightened, your airway becoming restricted.

“You’ve always been a mouthy one,” He muttered, roughly bringing his lips to yours.

Chris hated how good you tasted, how good you smelled. He hated how your skin always looked so soft, your lips so plump. He despised how confident you were, always charging into everything in your life head first. What Chris actually liked, was that you challenged him. He knew that his infatuation with you wasn’t actually feelings, just raw and untamed lust. But fuck, with your lips against his, it made him want to change his mind.

The two of you clawed off each other’s clothes, discarding the clothing to the floor. Chris’s tongue swiped across your lower lip, before sliding inside. His kisses were rough and sloppy, your body addicted to the electricity he made run down your spine. You pushed him harshly against the bed, his back hitting the soft mattress underneath him.

You straddled him quickly, attempting to take control of the situation. Ever so slowly you grinded your wet cunt against his exposed shaft, a groan escaping his lips. Chris cockily put his hands behind his head, admiring you. “Go ahead, get yourself off just by grinding on me. You can do it pretty girl,” Chris instructed. You felt heat dash across your cheeks at the sound of his praise, your hips moving seemingly on their own.

Curses left your lips as you threw your head back. “Making me get myself off since you can’t do it? Figures,” You managed to say, your movements becoming more desperate. Chris leaned forward on his elbows, watching your cunt slide up and down his shift. “I’d watch your words ma, i’ll overstimulate you until you’re nothing but a cock craving whore,” Chris warned. His warning felt real, the threat in it seeking genuinely true. Even if you didn’t want to believe it.

Chris bit his bottom lip as you shamelessly grinded against him, every little movement providing pleasure to your clit. “You really think i’d fuck as many girls as I do if I couldn’t make them cum? I thought you were supposed to be smart,” Chris said coldly, mockingly tilting his head to the side. Your gaze landed back on the man beneath you, ignoring his cock in between your folds. “Yeah? I thought I was supposed to be overstimulated by now. What happened to that?” You challenged.

He was quick to change positions, your back landing against the mattress before you could think. He roughly spread your thighs apart, shoving two fingers into your cunt. A gasp of surprise was ripped from your throat, his spare hand resuming its place as your personal collar. Chris’s name spilled off of your lips as his fingers curled inside of you, his name becoming a sinful mantra. “What happened? Not so cocky now are we?” Chris taunted, watching you fall apart on his fingers.

The sight of you was enough to make his cock throb, his body craving attention. Chris remained focused, determined to corrupt you. “Open your fucking mouth slut,” Chris ordered. You so without a second thought, flattening your tongue across your bottom lip. He gripped your face harshly, leaning over and spitting into your mouth. “Swallow it,” He growled, watching you intently. You did as you were told, swallowing his saliva. You felt humiliated as it slid down your throat, the feeling euphoric.

“Thats a good girl, now why don’t you cum on my fingers for me? Hmm?” Chris asked. His words of praise made the rope inside of you snap, your orgasm washing over you without warning. Your vision went white, your thighs trembling as Chris removed his fingers from your aching cunt. You watched as he sucked them clean, maintaining eye contact with you as he did so.

Still coming down from your high, you put every last bit of energy into rolling your eyes. “Are you going to fuck me or just stare?” You asked. Chris’s cocky smile fell, replaced with a frown. “Nothings ever good enough for you, is it?” He replied, crawling on top of you. He brushed the tip of his cock up and down your folds teasingly, enjoying hearing you audibly whine for him. “Why’d you destroy my phone?” You asked, your coherent thoughts interrupted by him shoving himself inside of you.

You both moaned in unison, the unholy sounds vibrating off of the walls. “Why’d you decide to have phone sex in my house?” Chris gritted out, sliding himself further into you. He had more girth than you expected, your walls struggling to accommodate his size. “I asked you first dipshit,” You spat, fighting back a groan as he slid in further. Chris could feel your walls spasming around his cock, the sensation enough to make him cum right then and there. But he knew you’d never let him live it down.

“Yeah? Well I asked you second,” Chris replied, bottoming out inside of you. The tip of his shaft brushed against your g spot, the slightest movement of his hips making you whimper. “If you must know I wasn’t having phone sex, dumbass,” You said honestly. Chris pulled his hips back at a teasing rate, entertaining the argument. “Yeah? So what were you doing?” He questioned, doubting what you were saying. His hips bucked back into yours, hitting your g spot purposefully slow. He was drawing his thrust out, enjoying the sight of you squirming beneath him.

“I-I was thinking of you, alright? Now are you going to fuck me or what?” You rambled, embarrassed by your confession. Chris paused for a moment, soaking in your words. He leaned forward, his breath hot against your ear. “Is that so? Well, I destroyed your phone because I got jealous. You belong under me, just like this, taking my cock,” Chris purred, ignoring the embarrassment of his own confession. He pulled back slightly, allowing the two of you to make eye contact.

Out of breath and desperate, both of you panted as you stared into each other’s eyes. “Well, in that case, you better get on with it,” You said weakly. The same cocky smile that you hated plastered across his lips, his hips bucking into yours quickly. Your nails dug into his back as his hips continued to slam into yours, his cock buried inside of your cunt. Chris couldn’t hold back his own groans, your walls milking his cock dry.

With glazed eyes he met your gaze, relishing in the sound of your groans, chanting his name. “Open your mouth for me,” He ordered, his cock abusing your cervix. Chris enjoyed that you didn’t hesitate, obeying him without a second thought. He put two fingers into your mouth, shoving them as far back as he could. “Now fucking suck them slut,” He growled. With each degrading word you squeezed him harder, your body snitching on your hidden desire.

“You look so pretty like this, when you aren’t yapping that mouth of yours,” He huffed. A painful whine came from his lips, your nails purposefully digging deeper into his back. You pathetically bobbed your head up and down on his fingers, concealing your smirk as you heard him in audible pain. Chris slithered his spare hand down to your cunt, drawing fast and sloppy circles around your clit.

“Go on, cum for me. Cum on my cock like the good girl you are for me,” Chris panted. The extra sensation was enough to make you throw your head back, Chris’s fingers still lodged in your mouth. Your warning of your orgasm was muffled, your thighs shaking violently under him. The sight was going to be burned into Chris’s memory forever, the feeling of your cunt spasming around him giving him an undeniable ego boost. He fucked you through your orgasm, becoming preoccupied with chasing his own.

His fingers roughly grabbed your waist, fucking you rougher. “Shit, i’m gonna cum,” He admitted. Chris watched, mesmerized as his cock slid in and out of your cunt. “Where do you want it?” He asked, his hips beginning to stutter. You grabbed him by his throat, dragging him towards you. You put your mouth next to his ear, smirking as you told him, “Inside of me.”

You filthy fuck. For the first time your name fell from Chris’s lips as he came, his warm seed flooding your cunt. In unison you both tried to catch your breath, Chris carefully slipping out of you. The room was silent, besides desperate breathing, a knock came from Chris’s door.

“Yeah?”

“Your uh, doordash is here dude,” Matt said awkwardly. You could hear him place a bag in front of his bedroom door. “Thanks,” Chris replied, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

“Hey Chris?”

“Yeah?”

“Next time maybe fuck a little quieter, Nicks pretty pissed.”

You exchanged glances with Chris, watching as he shoved on a shirt.

“You heard him, be quiet next time,”

“Next time? There won’t be a next time. Mr.I lasted thirty seconds.”

The sound of you two bickering made Matt roll his eyes, causing him to walk away. He wondered if you both would ever get married, or if you both would hate fuck forever. He shrugged at the idea, heading back downstairs. All Matt knew for sure, was that your moans made him cum the hardest he ever had. And that, was enough for him.

#chris sturniolo smut #chris sturniolo x you #chris sturniolo x reader #chris sturniolo #christopher sturniolo #chris sturniolo x y/n #matt sturniolo x you #matt sturniolo smut #matt sturniolo x reader #matthew sturniolo #matt sturniolo #matthew sturniolo smut #sturniolo triplets #sturniolo fanfic #sturniolo x reader #sturniolo smut

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

If it’s alright, I have a question about Vil and Epel’s relationship. I understand that the accent changing plot line is just a cultural politeness thing that didn’t carry over outside of Japan, but the other parts of changing Epel’s behavior don’t quite make sense.

Why exactly is Epel being forced to call macarons his favorite food? And act very soft-spoken? I can’t see how these fit in with the politeness aspect of the table manners, no abrasive language, etc. It just doesn’t give a very good impression, especially in combination with the unfortunate implication of giving Epel a Southern accent for the “change your accent” plot point.

Before I get to responding to the questions posed by this ask, allow me to explain for those who may not be familiar with this controversy! This is so we can all go into reading this post from the same starting point.

I've made titles to denote the explanation of background knowledge and to denote responding to the questions actually asked to me! If you're already familiar with the Vil-Epel-accent debacle then feel free to skip the first section!

Disclaimer: I’m speaking on these concepts as I personally understand them. However, I am not a native Japanese speaker so I’d advise that you consult additional resources with a better understanding of the language and culture. Two resources I enjoy are Yuurei and MysteryShopTLs, who have both also addressed Epel’s accent and how it was localized.

The Accent, EN vs JP

It’s well-known that Epel is a character with a heavy accent who has been explicitly told by Vil, his dorm leader, to alter the way he speaks. In EN, Epel speaks with what appears to be a southern (as in, “from the southern United States”) accent. Therefore, when Vil tells him to stop speaking in the accent, it feels as though Vil is shaming him for his southern roots and culture. This has also led to fans (especially of the EN-only sphere) thinking that Vil believes Epel’s accent is “unrefined” and “makes him sound uncouth/uneducated”, which is why Vil tells Epel to cover it up. I have even received asks conveying as much in the past (here is one example).

In the original JP, Epel speaks in a way that does not closely resemble any real-world Japanese dialect but rather a blend of them. If you ask a native Japanese speaker, they would likely tell you that it is difficult to understand what Epel is saying and that it sounds as though he is speaking rudely or too casually. People could genuinely take offense to the accent because it can be mistaken as something else entirely. This is obviously very different than the real-world accent (which many people can still understand and wouldn’t perceive as rude) that Epel was localized to have. The decision to give him a southern accent, then, does not completely carry over its original JP connotations into EN.

What remains the same in both EN and JP is the reason Vil provides for telling Epel to adjust the way he communicates. As he says in EN, “Speak properly" to which Epel immediately assumes the command comes from a place of elitism/classism and Vil thinking Epel's manner of speaking is beneath him. Vil responds with, "Stop misinterpreting my instructions. I have nothing against your home or its dialect. What I object to is your attitude. Being proud of your home is all well and good, but there is a time and a place for that. The way you address your superiors is entirely unacceptable." (Keep in mind that before this, Epel was the one instigating a fight with Vil and subsequently got his ass whooped for disrespecting an upperclassman. As the victor, he declares that Epel must do as he says--that's the "culture" of NRC. The weak obey the strong, so if Epel wants to do whatever he wants, then Vil challenges him to beat Epel in a fight. Until then, the loser must obey the winner. Epel agrees to these conditions.) This may be a little hard for western English speakers to wrap their heads around, but MANY Asian countries, Japan included, run on a hierarchical system which is embedded even into their languages. Japanese, for example, has honorifics to denote the relationship between the speaker and the listener, as well as variations on the same word depending on the context ("boku", "ore", "watashi", "atashi", etc. are all valid ways to refer to oneself, "onii-san", "onii-sama", "aniki", "kyodai", etc. are all ways to refer to a brother, whether blood-related or not). In some cases, it's considered rude to call others by their first name unless you know them well, and even then it's not common to see a first name without an honorific. This is not as strictly adhered to in English, which is perhaps where a cultural disconnect occurs. What Vil is referring to in his instructions to Epel is what is known in the world of linguistics as "code switching", or changing how one communicates to suit the situation. Part of code switching is changing one's "register", or the level of formality you use. So for example, I could use a colloquial/casual register when I speak with my friends, but I may shift to a more polite and formal register when I speak with my professors, a boss, or an older relative. Vil, then, is critiquing Epel for not speaking politely to his seniors (something which is expected in Japanese culture, but not expected among those in similar grade levels in western cultures).

In the Harveston Sledathon event, we get to venture to Epel's hometown and hear how the locals speak. Indeed, we get more instances of people who speak in the same way Epel does. It's the Harveston dialect, which is so distinctive that it basically sounds like a whole different language. (There are also languages like this in real life; consider Mandarin and Cantonese; technically they are both "Chinese" but Mandarin and Cantonese speakers would not be able to comprehend one another even if they use the same written language). However, it's notable that Marja (Epel's grandmother) and the mayor of Harveston are able to code switch flawlessly into a more standardized tongue. They explain that this is a skill they have developed because it helps in communicating with tourists/visitors to the village and for whenever they travel to the nearby city to sell their wares. This reinforces Vil's point that there is a "time and place" for certain ways of speaking, which Epel needs to consider.

Macarons and Soft-Spokeness

Accent thing aside, some English-speaking fans take issue with Vil's stern treatment of Epel, particularly in instances in which Vil seems to be exerting significant control over his underclassman's behaviors. (Japanese-speaking fans largely do not hold the same sentiment.) Examples of this include Vil forcing Epel to state that his favorite food is macarons, as well as making Epel present as soft-spoken even when he's just among his peers. I will now be addressing both of these points. TO BE CLEAR, I am NOT trying to defend Vil but rather I'm just going to speculate about why the circumstances are the way that they are and/or why perceptions of his attitude may differ.

Starting with macarons! It is stated in Epel's official profile and by Epel himself in his Birthday Boy vignettes that his favorite food is yakiniku (Japanese grilled meat). However, macarons are also listed as his favorite food, and this is notable because he's the only character with two foods listed instead of just one. In the aforementioned Birthday Boy vignettes, Epel is quick to qualify his love of meats with, "Well, I do have one thing I like even more. It's, ah, macarons." When asked what he likes about them, he says, "They're... cute. And sweet! And they come in lots of different flavors." His voice here sounds hesitant, so it's not clear whether he's being entirely honest or not. He even admits in a whisper that, "[Macarons] are not very filling, but still." Epel again complains about macarons being good but not very filling when he has some in the City of Flowers/Fleur City. To this, Azul asks, "Why do you look so unimpressed, Epel? I thought macarons were your favorite food. [...] But was my intel mistaken? Would you prefer something with a stronger flavor profile?" Epel insists he is fine, and Azul responds with, "Excellent, then my intel bears out." This creates some confusion over whether Epel actually likes macarons or not. I doubt that the information Azul has on others is inaccurate. Plus, Epel states of his own free will to the player (who is interviewing him) that he also likes macarons. This leads me to believe that while Epel doesn't outright hate macarons, he does like them alright (but still prefers grilled meat more). The only thing he seems to have an issue with is how unsubstantial macarons are as a food item.

Now... why does Vil make him state that macarons are his favorite food instead of grilled meat? It's sort of touched on in Epel's Ceremonial Robes vignettes. In them, Vil chides Epel for his poor table manners and asks him to state his favorite food. Epel responds with grilled meat/barbeque, which earns him a smack from his dorm leader. (Vil actually smacks Epel multiple times in these vignettes as punishment, which ended up being another source of ire in the English-speaking part of the fandom; such a thing is more common in Asia and its media, so it's not seen as too outrageous in Japan.) "Do my ears deceive me?" Vil says. "I could've sworn I heard a word unfit to be spoken in this noble dorm. I will ask you again. As a student of Pomefiore–a dorm founded upon the tenacity of the Fairest Queen–what is your favorite food?" From this dialogue, it can be surmised that Vil's reasoning for drilling the macarons in as Epel's favorite food is because it is something that is more befitting of the regal "image" of the Fairest Queen and the dorm made in her honor. Vil seems to regard grilled meat as an inelegant food which does not suit the Fairest Queen nor Pomefiore.

The second thing the asker brought up is Epel's soft-spokeness. I guess I'm a little confused by this??? Soft-spokeness is a part of being polite; it ties back to volume control (ie "indoor voice" being softer than "outdoor voice"). I also don't recall a specific instance of Vil chastising Epel for NOT being soft-spoken at all times. He allows Epel to be loud sometimes and raises his voice himself. I feel like volume is not something that Vil harps on as much as other things like cursing or speaking politely to the correct authority figures (unless, of course, volume is important to the level of politeness required for the current conversation). I could be wrong on this though, so please let me know if you know of any specific instances of Vil being mad about Epel speaking loudly that I may have missed! What I do find odd is how... consistently (?) Epel tries to keep polite even when Vil is not around to monitor him. When Vil and Epel first met, Vil makes it clear that there is a "time and place" for Epel's accent, and it's not when addressing seniors. So... by the logic, shouldn't Vil be okay with Epel acting more relaxed or rowdy around first years or more casual settings in general? Why does Epel need to maintain the facade of being polite even when not in the presence of his superiors? Why does Epel seem to even act fearful about word of his misbehavior/rudeness getting back to his dorm leader and even make others swear they won't divulge the incidents to Vil?

One theory I'll propose is the entirety of book 5. Vil was insistent then on having Epel in the NRC Tribe. He wanted to weaponize Epel's cuteness, which he believed could compete with his long-time rival, Neige. This probably fed into Vil's demands for Epel to appear and act dainty and innocent, traits which Neige effortlessly possesses. Vil literally even refers to Epel as his "Poison Apple" that will help him defeat Neige. After book 5, Vil seems to have eased up on his rigidity. However, I will caution that this explanation may or may not align well with vignettes and/or event stories, which do not always work in a cohesive timeline with the main story.

Perhaps a more all-encompassing explanation is... this is probably because Vil is just very strict about how his dorm members present themselves at all times, since they are expansions of Pomefiore and of himself as the leader. Both the macarons and Epel's attitude are reflections of the dorm he (a celebrity who is very aware of the public eyes on him + his reputation) is affiliated with, and Vil won't have them poorly represented. He is the dorm leader, so he has the "right" to rule and impose his ideals as he sees fit. It's a similar situation to Riddle forcing the Heartslabyul students to follow silly, nonsensical rules (because they're tradition) or risk a scolding or a beheading. And again, Epel is following along because (as established in book 5), he has agreed to submit to Vil’s orders until he beats Vil in combat.

At the end of the day, I don't think Epel being forced to call macarons his favorite food is a huge deal. Is anything that big lost in claiming you like something that isn't your actual favorite food? It's not like Vil is forcing Epel to claim he likes eating something that would actually harm him (like, if Epel had an almond allergy or something).

What's more dubious is how VIl governs Epel's attitude and temperament at seemingly all times (to the point of eliciting some apprehension from Epel). Given the most generous reading, maybe it's Vil's way of teaching Epel maturity and how to keep his voice down since Epel had zero of it and acted loudly brazen when he first enrolled. It doesn't help Epel if he's quiet and well-mannered in very limited social situations; it has to be "generalized" or expand to other scenarios for Vil's lessons to truly be instilled in him. (Like... what would happen if Vil DIDN'T hold Epel in check? His classmates would not be able to understand Epel's speech, and he might get into trouble by picking fights with others.) This is a life skill that Epel lacks, unlike his grandma and the Harveston mayor, and Vil's teaching it to him via "tough love" (though whether you approve of his methods or not is up to interpretation). Recall that Vil also teaches Epel to embrace femininity as its own strength and to disregard outdated gender norms--this could be considered another "lesson". I doubt that anything Vil imposes is done maliciously, but rather comes from a place of wanting others to be better and to shine their brightest, even if that path is difficult or painful. Epel, as the rebel in this circumstance, of course does not enjoy being told what to do and misbehaves in small ways. There’s a limit on how much he can misbehave though, as it would hurt his pride to be reminded of his failure to one-up Vil. He's like a kid that doesn't want to be caught cussing or acting out by his parent. It can be seen as immaturity and an unwillingness to change or to grow up, but it can also be seen as someone who wants to freely be able to express themselves or to be their "truest" self. Epel is rowdy and headstrong, and it's difficult for him to repress these parts of himself. Given the least generous reading, Vil is oppressing and stifling Epel in many ways that extend beyond what his dorm leader position should reasonably allow him to do. In fact, a popular fan translation for book 5 is "The Beautiful Oppressor", as Vil is frequently shown limiting the liberties of his NRC Tribe members during their training arc, not just Epel's.

Which is the truth here? Why do those in the English side of the fandom decry Vil's actions and side with Epel whereas the Japanese side see little issue with this?

I wager that this predominantly comes down to, again, cultural differences. Many English-speaking fans are based in the west (particularly the USA and Canada, where the EN servers first launched), places which emphasize individuality and self-expression. Of course they would be more likely to take Epel's side, as he's the one trying to be himself and stand out in his own way. Meanwhile collectivism--an ideology which stresses conformity with a group--dominates in the east. They are more likely to see no problems with Vil's actions because, to them, he is acting in the ways he is to "guide" Epel and show him how to best "fit in" with Pomefiore and at NRC. I believe the whole "being soft-spoken" thing also ties back to cultural differences; speaking loudly is something else that can be considered rude in Japan, so it's entirely possible that Vil encouraging Epel to be soft-spoken is another element of politeness that did not translate well to English (as the western world tends to be much louder and more animated in their conversations).

What it boils down to is that the way Vil and Epel's relationship was written did not work well for a western audience, whose values and perspective is VERY different from the original audience TWST had. It appeals far more to a Japanese fanbase than a western one, and has resulted in many misunderstandings or anger about Vil's character because of this.

I'm not sure if I managed to adequately explain everything, but I hope that this at least helps you to see from a different perspective!!

#twst #twisted wonderland #Vil Schoenheit #Epel Felmier #disney twisted wonderland #disney twst #harveston sledathon spoilers #Marja Felmier #notes from the writing raven #question #book 5 spoilers #twst en #twisted wonderland en #Neige LeBlanche #Azul Ashengrotto

[yanderes-galore]

Hello can I request a yandere concept between ennard (hope I spelled it right) with a reader who finds out the truth about them that they aren’t actually Micheal? It can be platonic or romantic I’m not good picking ( I hope you have a nice day btw!)

Sure! So sorry for the long wait, I hope it was worth it :(

Read this as a supplementary concept to this one

Yandere! Ennard with Darling realizing they aren't Michael

Supplementary Concept

Pairing: Platonic/Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Manipulation, Stalking, Body horror, Disturbing descriptions, Clingy behavior, Isolation, Implied kidnapping, Blood, Vomit, Forced companionship.

Let's be honest, at a certain point you can tell when Michael isn't Michael.

As his friend, you know him.

You've known his trauma and might have even been a childhood friend.

So when he disappears for a few days... and returns acting strange... you originally think maybe he's just sick or upset.

He doesn't seem to remember much about you... and while he looks like Michael for the most part...

It all feels too uncanny.

There's various issues going on that's described in the previous concept.

Multiple personalities, twitching, odd smells, purple skin, glowing eyes, mechanical whirring....

Ennard is unable to replicate Michael completely.

There's always something off.

It doesn't help that Ennard becomes obsessed... often stalking and visiting you in their tattered disguise.

Honestly, it won't take you long before you learn the truth.

You can figure it out yourself.

At first you had just been keeping an eye on Michael to make sure he was okay after his absence.

But now... as you notice the smell and uncanny nature... there's just no hiding it.

Ennard is aware of their time limit.

They just thought they'd have more time.

However, Ennard nearly freezes when you pull them aside.

They see the concern in your eyes, along with the fear when you're met with a glowing gaze.

"Michael... what's wrong?"

Ennard struggles with a response, doing their best to replicate Michael's speech once again.

"Nothing's wrong...?"

"Don't you dare lie to me!"

Ennard pauses at your sudden... assertive tone.

If they could sweat... they would.

"What do you mean?"

"You never went to the hospital to get checked, you don't seem right... and that smell! You smell like a... corpse."

Ennard twitches, making you jump a bit.

Corpse... you poor thing, too smart for your own good.

"... we thought we could enjoy you a little bit longer..."

"Michael" murmurs, looking saddened.

"We? What do you mean 'We'?"

"We aren't Michael... but we wish we were so we could stay."

Mechanical whirring echoes in the room as you notice Michael's purple skin tear.

You back up, nausea setting in as the smell gets worse.

Sickening snaps and rips echo in the room... blood pooling down and staining the... thing.

The sight makes you lurch over and vomit, the stress and smell squeezing your stomach in an uncomfortable vice.

Like some sort of stomach churning alien... Ennard emerges from the skin of your friend.

You nearly lose your stomach again as the mechanical beast stumbles forward... an amalgamated circus clown of robotic parts.

"We don't want to say goodbye..."

The robot murmurs sadly, stepping forward as you scramble to stay back.

"Maybe we don't have to...! Maybe you can stay...."

You go to try and leave, only for the mangle of parts to pounce.

Wires dig into your skin like claws... situating you in place like a trap.

Ennard's many mechanical eyes stare down at you.

They take in your scared expression and giggle.

"You're our friend now... we're so much better than Michael."

The robot coos towards you, grip tight and unrelenting.

"We'll be your friend forever... you just have to come with us."

You struggle the best you can, but the wires dig too deep.

"Your fear is funny... but don't be scared...."

You're walked towards the backdoor of your home, the robot giggling.

"We'll take you away... so It's just us and you! If you fight us..."

The robot hisses... turning you so you stare at their bloody face plates.

"We have other ways of keeping you with us forever..."

Your mind flashes to thoughts of Michael... and you learn it's better if you cooperate.

#yandere five nights at freddys #yandere fnaf #yandere fnaf sister location #yandere ennard

[osirisiii-bc]

Primo Emeritus: Florence.

This is the first of my posts where I locate each Papa in Italian cities based on the occult influences/history of each city. I hope you find it interesting and useful!

Primo Emeritus, The Old One, the embodiment of all that is sacred. A personality like his deserves to be located in an ancient city full of art, poetry, and history, shaped by the esoteric and alchemical obsessions of the Medici family, amidst the enduring shadow of centuries-old Satanic cults.

Let’s see why I have chosen Florence for Primo.

In this chapel of ritual…

From the early 70s to the late 80s, a series of murders occurred in various regions of middle-north Italy, with the most infamous taking place in Tuscany, known as the case of the 'Monster of Florence' (Mostro di Firenze), which resulted in the deaths of 14 people - officially, but it is believed there were way more.

The theory is that these murders were part of a large network of Satanic rituals involving influential figures from Rome, Perugia, and Florence. This network is supposedly still active. The original cult allegedly responsible for initiating these rituals seems to be the 'Rosa rossa' (Red Rose) cult. 

A fertile ground for writing Ritual...

2. The creator of Hell.

Florence is the birthplace of Dante Alighieri, the renowned author of the Divine Comedy and the creator of the now canonical structure of Hell.

Primo could have had many more things in common with Dante than we expect: indeed, it is said that Alighieri was part of an esoteric cult named ‘Fedeli d’Amore’ (Loyals to Love), probably affiliated with the Templars. From there, Dante is said to have drawn inspiration for his symbolic and esoteric tales, as well as his passion for numbers.

Keep an eye on Dante, as he will eventually come back in the next chapters.

3. The ghost behind the open window.

It’s not a Ghost story without an actual ghost.

In Piazza Santissima Annunziata, there is a building, Palazzo Grifoni, that holds a mysterious detail: a window that remains open at all times, whether day or night, summer or winter. Legend has it that a woman of the Grifone family bid farewell from that window to her lover, likely Ferdinando I, who departed for war. She waited for him by that same open window throughout her life, but he never returned, dying in battle. When she passed away, the window was finally closed. However, soon after, numerous mysterious events happened in the building, to the point the residents concluded that the building was haunted by the ghost of the woman, and they have kept the window open ever since not to upset her.

But that's not all: the Ferdinando I statue placed in the square, has his face turned to look right to that window… At the very end, he finally came back to her.

4. The Boboli alchemical garden.

Boboli represents a very particular case of an alchemical garden conceived to be ‘accessible’ only to those who have a strong alchemical and esoteric knowledge. It is built as a symbolic route where you can contemplate the principles of magical and alchemical doctrine along the way. You’ll be welcomed by two fountains, placed one on top of the other: the Mose’s (it is an indoor fountain) and the Carciofo’s (artichoke). They are believed to represent the esoteric concept of “as above so below”, but the references to esoteric concepts are present along the whole garden.

Primo would have surely loved this place.

#ghost band #the band ghost #primo emeritus #papa emeritus i #papa primo #italian cities #ghost theories #Ghost band theories

[yuri-is-online]

I hope im not the only one who finds it kinda annoying when people write mc/prefect as someone who doesn't have basic table manners just so they can be taught by riddle in riddle x readers, or if they're slovenly and ungraceful just so vil can chide and "fix" them in vil x readers, or any other incompetent reader/yuu x competent LI dynamics out there. I know readers are supposed to be "empty" and flexible for many kinds of readers, but it started to feel alot like self-depreciation for me.

I can't say I've seen too many fics with this specific set up, but there's a pretty good chance I ignored and forgot about them. I am more familiar with the Vil concept though, at least I think? But either way I think the issue you might be finding with these things is that they focus on Yuu's incompetence/inability to function as opposed to the potential for intimacy the scenario could create σ(￣、￣=)

This sort of feels like a weird point to bring up, but table etiquette and basic manners can sort of mean two different things. The type of manners you could argue Riddle would want to see expressed at tea/at an unbirthday party could be much more formal than Yuu is used to, which could make for a cute set up for a fic! Picture Riddle trying his best to teach Yuu about etiquette and finding himself having trouble keeping proper decorum, he wants to hold Yuu's hand so badly, he finds himself letting his finger brush up against the back of Yuu's hand while he tries to guide them through what fork to use... or Riddle trying to teach Yuu to dance and getting too caught up in how excited he is to touch them that he forgets to speak (,,>﹏<,,)

And with Vil, I think people like the concept of having someone dote on them and dress them up in expensive things, but there is also a fundamental misunderstanding of Vil's character that a lot of people have where they think he would see someone in basic sweats and assume they need to be "fixed." The main thing Vil desires is for people to work on self improvement and accept nothing less than the best version of themselves. He's not a Kardashian who wants everything airbrushed and the same, he even admits to being privileged in his upbringing and not understanding Neige's struggles in book 6, he's such a well rounded character, maybe the best in the entire game but back to the topic I am actually on-

Walking someone through a skin care routine or washing their hair, especially if they are having a hard time taking care of themselves due to injury or mental distress is something that can be so painfully intimate. People have different ways of caring for themselves and the VOLUMES it speaks to have someone learn and know your language of self love is sosososo important. Makeup is something Vil loves to express himself with, watching him pick out things to use on Yuu so he can express his love through his work shouldn't be about how he is "fixing" Yuu because that's not how Vil would see it. He is speaking to the beauty he already sees and enhancing it with his own, picture him slowly, deliberately, tracing a lip stain onto Yuu's lips and drawing out the process so he can experience what it is like to kiss them without breaching the delicate line his contract has forced him to walk. How he watches Yuu lick their lips later in the night and swears he can feels it; Yuu worries that they're doing something wrong when Vil keeps insisting on doing their make up because he's always so slow about it but really he just wants to place his claim on them in as subtle and intimate a way as possible.

or something i dunno this was just where my mind went

#<3 asks #twisted wonderland

[seyaryminamoto]

Leap of Faith: Sokkla Saturdays 2022

Day Six: Falling in love

On FF.net//On AO3

I've always been a firm believer of the philosophy that, if you have a problem with canon, the best thing you can do is write your own take on it. This particular story came to mind as a result of my grievances with the unexplored potential of some ideas and concepts canon introduced too late in the game and that could have impacted the show positively if they had been planned all along.

Therefore... here goes a canon divergence based on one of the most controversial choices from The Search. This is a more Azula-centric story, but I hope you guys will enjoy it regardless. The Sokkla will begin to happen around halfway through the story, in case anyone needs to know that.

Hope you enjoy this one!

"I can do more than give you a new face. I can give you a new mind – one that does not remember the life that came before."

"Will I remember my children?"

"Are they part of the life you wish to forget?"

"Yes."

"Then you will not remember them."

It was a tempting offer. An easier way to live. So much easier…

And so wrong. The burst of pain the very notion caused inside her soul seemed to snap everything into focus again: Ikem – Noren, whatever the right name should be anymore – may have been welcome company, and yet… how could she compare the feelings he elicited inside her to the feelings her children did? Ultimately, he was a good man… but she was no longer the woman he had once loved. No longer the innocent, joyful woman he had wished to marry long ago.

"Then a new face will do, and nothing more."

"Are you certain?"

"I appreciate your generosity. I thank you for your gift. I will endeavor to make the most of the new life it will grant me… a life I will live for them, as I always meant to."

"Then very well. Hold still…"

A new servant arrived at the Fire Nation's Royal Palace. Her name was Noriko.

She was assigned to Zuko at first. She sought to serve the young, hot-headed and enthusiastic prince with devotion: the child was already on the verge of teenage life when she arrived, and he devoted most his energy to obtaining the approval of his father and uncle.

At times, her duties required for her to serve Princess Azula briefly as well. Where Prince Zuko's constant overlooking of Noriko could be easily traced to being caught up in his personal pursuits of approval, to a point of near-blindness over everything and everyone else, the same could not be said for Princess Azula, though it wasn't for the best: she was abrasive, dismissive, judgmental and quick to undermine any figure of authority in her life save her father, and no meaningless servant could hope to earn her respect. The dynamics of that family had changed irreparably on the day they had become the primary branch of the Royal Family.

One afternoon, Noriko did her chores in Zuko's bedroom only to be told, briefly afterwards, that she was to stop such duties at once. She was perplexed and she requested an explanation…

"Prince Zuko has been banished for speaking out of turn in a war meeting and for disrespecting his father in an Agni Kai. He will not be welcome in Fire Nation lands until he redeems himself by finding the Avatar. Such is Fire Lord Ozai's will."

The royal butler offered no further explanations. Noriko could ask for them, but she would receive a severe reprimand if she failed to focus on her new responsibilities, no matter if her anguish upon hearing of Zuko's fate was so powerful she nearly lost her composure right then and there:

"From this day forward, you will serve Princess Azula."

She didn't like Noriko.

She was nosey, more than any other staff members of the Palace. She asked asinine questions. She wanted to know if she was doing well in school. She even attempted to watch some of her firebending training sessions and even had the gall to tell Azula, at one point, that one of her newest maneuvers was too dangerous – as if any firebending could be too dangerous for a prodigy like her.

So, upon being told that the woman had been assigned as her personal handmaiden, Azula was irritable. She dismissed Noriko quickly on the very first day of her assignment, noticing the woman's eyes were red with tears – she did not care to listen to any manner of whining over Zuko's fate. Ozai had determined it was the appropriate fate for one who committed the faults Zuko had: going against Fire Lord Ozai in any regards was treason. If this fool of a woman did not understand that, it wasn't Azula's problem.

She wasn't quite as annoying over the first weeks of her assignment as Azula had dreaded… probably because she spent most her time sulking over Zuko. But one day, Azula had been sitting casually at her desk, finishing one of her very final school assignments before graduation, when the woman stepped up nervously.

"Princess… the Palace guards have asked me to deliver this message to you."

The young princess scoffed as she took the paper – what an unnerving woman. She shook her head dismissively as she spread the message open…

I need to talk to you. I don't know who else to ask. Please come to the bay, to the westernmost dock. Hide your identity so no one knows you've seen me. I know this is sudden… but I need you.

Azula scoffed: she fisted the letter and it burned quickly, the blue hue of her fire scorching it to cinders. Noriko, behind her, gasped.

"Princess…!"

"Did you read the message? Should you be looking into my private correspondence?" Azula retorted. Noriko actually looked angry. "You're dismissed. I will take a nap now."

The woman snarled before walking away. She had swallowed her insolence somehow, then? Good. It was what she ought to do.

Azula finished her school assignment before rising to her feet. She approached her closet, pulling out a long cloak with a hood, and she draped it over her shoulders. She picked a bag of money she could spare: then, she opened the secret passageway that connected to her bedroom and she snuck out of the confines of her suite without being noticed.

She had been furious. She had no right to say anything, not in this life, not in this form, and yet… she had genuinely expected better. She had believed Azula would be better than that…!

Her mental rant slowed down when a cloaked figure crossed her line of sight briefly, in the corridor Noriko was about to enter. The woman frowned, watching the cloaked figure cast a blue flame in a small surface of the wall… a secret passageway. Oh, Azula was always fond of claiming she'd found those… but they weren't empty boasts. She truly had found them, then, and…

And she was leaving the Palace.

Was she going to see Zuko, after all?

Noriko didn't need to think twice about what she'd do next.

She found him in a back alley by the harbor. He was covered in a fabric that might just have been something he found lying about rather than a genuine blanket. He had seemed shocked to see her… no matter if he was the one who had asked her to come for him.

"I need a ship. I need a crew. But Father… he won't give me anything. He won't so much as look at me. Please… help me."

Azula frowned: it wasn't as if she could convince Ozai to change his mind about Zuko's punishment. However much he preferred her over her brother, he'd probably banish her along with Zuko if she dared question any of his choices…

"I need a ship. That's… that's all I ask."

"Flattering as it is to know you need me… I can't guarantee any success. You understand that, don't you?" Azula said, staring down at him sternly. Zuko swallowed hard and nodded. "Then… I'll try to make it happen. But do try to take better care of yourself too, Zuzu."

She tossed the bag of coin to him. Zuko gasped in a pitiful way as he picked it up: he truly was as good as a beggar at this point. To think he had been the proud heir of Fire Lord Ozai merely a few days ago… if just out of the sheer indignity of knowing a member of her own family was living in such unsightly conditions, Azula would have to fulfill his request, somehow.

"I will do whatever I can. You will owe me much for this, Zuzu," Azula said.

"I… I know."

That was the sole answer she received. No words of gratitude. Not that Azula expected any, to begin with.

Two days later, a small ship set sail out of the Fire Nation harbor: aboard it, Iroh and Zuko would sail the seas in search of the Avatar to fulfill Ozai's condition so his son's honor would be restored. Once Azula proposed the possibility of getting rid of both Iroh and Zuko by providing her brother with what he'd asked of her, Ozai had found the possibility of arranging a ship for them profoundly appealing.

Her life, then, would go back to normal… to a fault. Right now, she was the de-facto heir to the Throne since there were no other eligible candidates around.

Perhaps that should have meant she could get rid of her handmaiden if she was too irritating… and it seemed she was about to be annoying again when she stepped up to speak with Azula on the day the ship had sailed.

"Prince Zuko and General Iroh have taken their leave, Princess," she said. Azula hummed.

"Good for them. My father was surprisingly generous, wasn't he? Providing them with a ship and a crew, as he did…" Azula said, casually. Noriko swallowed hard.

"You… are much more kindhearted than you allow anyone to see."

Azula gasped: she had been in the middle of testing a new shade of lipstick when the woman said such utterly uncalled for and offensive words. Her jaw dropped.

"I… what? How… how dare you?" Azula said: her voice hitched in a rather foolish way. Was she actually experiencing some level of… unnecessary satisfaction upon hearing such unusual words?

Her outrage was answered by a kindly smile. An irritatingly kind smile.

"That… that shade is much too strong for you, though," Noriko said, frowning slightly next. "You are too young for makeup like that. I suggest… this one. This shade is much nicer…"

"That shade looks like something my mother would wear," Azula said, cuttingly: Noriko froze on the spot. "I'm fine with this one. And besides, I didn't ask for your opinion."

"I… I understand."

Noriko backed down… but Azula's mind did not. She turned towards the mirror again: was this hue really out of place? Maybe it did feel like it was. She grimaced before glancing at the woman anew.

"What… what shade would you propose otherwise? And don't say the one that looks like my mother's. I'm not saying I would wear whatever you choose, I'm only wondering because…"

"Because you wish to find out what's outdated, perhaps?" Noriko asked, with a weak smile. Azula winced. "An old woman like me surely has no idea what is in fashion these days with young girls like you."

"That… yes. Exactly," Azula said. Noriko smiled again and stepped forward.

"Then… here. This one," she said. "Also avoid this one. As for your eyes, though… have you ever attempted to wear eye liner? Perhaps you would like to try that…"

"I… haven't attempted it, no," Azula admitted, unexpectedly bashful. "My friend Ty Lee, she… she tried it and poked her eye with the brush. My friend Mai only wears eye liner, though…"

"You're all of age to start trying out makeup, of course," Noriko smiled. "Well… perhaps I can teach you how to apply it. Then… you could try doing it yourself, and that way you'll grow used to wearing it so you can do it as often as you like."

Azula blinked blankly: how had this woman gone from being so bitter at her merely a couple of days ago to offering her guidance when it came to makeup? It was strange, and random, and…

And not entirely unwelcome.

"Well… you may try. I suppose," was her response: she should have been more eloquent, perhaps try to threaten the woman somehow, to ensure she understood there were boundaries she couldn't overstep…

And yet it seemed Noriko would overstep every single one of them. She certainly tried to, in the three years that followed.

She followed Azula most everywhere. She took care of all her chores, did most everything she could by herself, working tirelessly even when Azula purposefully gave her more work than necessary. Azula couldn't understand the woman's strange willingness to be around her, or to do extra work, but she grew used to it, on the most part.

Still, Noriko was opinionated and surprisingly authoritarian sometimes: Azula's training sessions weren't perfectly placid, beautiful matters in the slightest, and the Princess never failed to wind up more disheveled than she ought to be… to which Lo and Li always had comments, of course. Azula was used to it, if annoyed by it, naturally. But on a day when Noriko happened to watch her…

"Her hair is beautiful, whether it's out of place or not! How dare you make her feel self-aware about it?! Her bending feat was impressive, and her hair is magnificent! Do not say that to my d-… t-to the Princess ever again!"

Azula blinked blankly. Lo and Li appeared perplexed. The handmaiden was flustered after her outburst… but she didn't back down. There was something unexpectedly regal about her stubbornness, even Azula had to admit as much.

Thus, Lo and Li never commented negatively on Azula's hair again.

The strange woman rejoiced in Azula's every accomplishment in ways not even the Fire Lord did: she would bring her snacks – always healthy ones, of course – every time Azula learned and mastered a new firebending form, even if she constantly seemed terrified that she might get hurt while bending. A foolish concern, of course… but a strange part of Azula even grew fond of Noriko's anxious comments and questions about how she felt right after she landed a difficult kata – she even cried the first time Azula bent lightning. She went all out on Azula's birthdays, too, ensuring to provide a small, personal celebration to her in the morning, before Azula had to focus on the more formal events of the day.

It was strange, out of place… and it was probably the first time Azula genuinely felt cared for by someone. She clashed with Noriko at times… clashes that occasionally reminded her of her conflicts with her own mother. But curiously, as time passed, the arguments changed in nature: sometimes Noriko refused, outright, to leave Azula if she was having a bad day. If Azula made mistakes, if Azula felt uneasy, she would never accept Azula's orders to leave her be. She would stay until she could do something, anything, to make her laugh. And sometimes she couldn't succeed at it… in which cases, Azula would wind up taking a nap and waking up to find the woman still sitting by her bedside.

She wasn't used to this.

She didn't mind it as much as she thought she would, at first.

Thus, Azula suspected that Noriko would join her once Ozai tasked her with a mission, her very first mission, to hunt down Zuko and Iroh, a failure and a traitor, and bring them home.

Upon hearing of Azula's assignment, the woman rushed off to pack both their bags for the long voyage that awaited them.

"This is no leisure journey. We are to find my brother and my uncle and bring them back to the Fire Nation, as commanded by the Fire Lord. They have disgraced him with their foolishness and failures. More competent soldiers than them will carry forward the search for the Avatar. Do you understand this, Noriko?"

Noriko sighed and nodded: bottling up her urges to rebuff the Princess's words was almost a talent by now. She hoped her compliance would reassure Azula… for as soon as the opportunity arose, Noriko meant to help Zuko once he was aboard. She would help the two siblings bridge their distance once again, and she would ensure that Azula stood up for her brother when they faced Ozai, just as she had stood up for him when requesting the ship and crew that had accompanied Zuko for three years. She might be wrong to place such hopes on Azula, considering she never held back from fulfilling her father's orders… but Noriko had taken care of the girl for all these years. In that time, she had found there was so much more under the surface… so much substance behind the abrasiveness and arrogance that served as a barrier for the Princess, a barrier with which she kept everyone and everything at bay. A barrier Noriko had challenged multiple times by now, in a myriad of ways… and the Princess hadn't fired her for it, no matter if she had threatened to, sometimes. To this day, she kept Noriko by her side…

Until, of course, it was time for her to speak with her brother and uncle. By then, she expressly demanded that Noriko stayed behind, and the older woman pouted as the girl took off alone to the Fire Nation colony's Resort.

Noriko had only sulked for a few hours, lounging carelessly on the ship's deck, when the Princess returned with a triumphant smile: she had set her plan in motion, and Zuko appeared to wish to come home indeed. That he wouldn't understand in which quality he'd return was no concern for her, of course: all that mattered was fulfilling her father's orders at all costs.

Iroh and Zuko showed up at the harbor of the Fire Nation Resort on the next morning: Azula welcomed them graciously, and Noriko lurked on the ship's deck… the sight of the banished prince, however, erased the smile from her face: his hair, mostly shaved and bound in a tight ponytail, appeared to highlight his scar as best as possible. Her heart clenched as Azula continued to speak: Zuko's face… he was scarred, he had been through so much pain and Noriko hadn't had a chance to do anything for him. She would do her best to help him now, of course she would… and she would reason with Azula. She would convince her to…

"Set our course for home, Captain."

Azula's voice rang in that beautiful morning, and Noriko's clenched heart hurt in more ways than she could explain as Zuko gazed at Azula with hope…

"You heard the Princess! Raise the anchors! We're taking the prisoners home!"

Zuko and Iroh were halfway up the ramp when the captain carelessly blurted out the worst words he could have.

The resulting pandemonium was nearly impossible to follow: Iroh had been prepared for the deception, unlike Zuko. Even so, Zuko wasted no time jumping ahead to shout at Azula, to lash out against her for her misdeed.

"You lied to me!"

"Like I've never done that before," was her simple response: the guards stood between her and Zuko, defending her from him…

Though their defense fell apart disturbingly quickly: after successfully circumventing both firebenders and knocking them off the ship, Zuko rushed up to the deck, and a fierce fight broke out between him and his sister, even if an alarmingly one-sided one. Zuko attacked aggressively, violently, while Azula merely seemed to make a display of her fighting superiority by dodging his attacks and keeping them from reaching their target, mostly.

"Zuko! Let's go!"

Noriko winced upon hearing those words in Iroh's voice: she had taken to shrinking in a corner, away from the battle… only to realize then that everything had truly gone awry. There would be no reconciliation between the siblings, no chance of healing their bond… Zuko had recognized Azula's cruel intent before anything positive could happen between them.

"N-no, no… Zuko! Azula! Don't fight, please…!" Noriko cried out, stepping forward nervously as Azula taunted her brother:

"You know, Father blames Uncle for the loss of the North Pole! And he considers you a miserable failure for not finding the Avatar!" she said, with a vicious smirk. "Why would he want you back home, except to lock you up where you can no longer embarrass him?"

Zuko roared, and he continued to fight recklessly: Azula's cruel barbs landed perfectly, spurring him into a wild frenzy that she could take advantage of, down to even scratching her brother's forehead with her dangerously long nails…

"Azula, stop!"

Her focus broke when she heard those words. Azula's eyes widened.

"What are you…?!" Azula roared: Noriko rushed towards her, and because of her distraction, Zuko succeeded at landing a blow against Azula's shoulder. "Ugh…!"

Zuko kept screaming in frustration and rage as he attacked, but he certainly rejoiced over his first successful attack. Azula scowled as she kicked at him: a burst of blue fire he failed to anticipate pushed him back, causing him to jump away while Azula glared at the woman on deck.

"Get back inside the ship, you fool!" Azula exclaimed… only to be ignored when Noriko rushed to stand between them.

"Prince Zuko, I beg you, please listen to…!"

His response was another roar: he rushed ahead, trying to dodge the woman he regarded as a simple, meaningless obstacle standing between his sister and himself.

"Get out of here!" Azula shouted at Noriko… only for the handmaiden to decide that her best course of action was to throw her arms around Zuko.

"Stop…! Stop fighting…!"

"Get off me!"

A furious shove that knocked her off balance sent her towards the ship's railing.

Azula gasped, eyes wide as the handmaiden tripped clumsily: she wouldn't fall. She would simply bounce back against the railing, and she wouldn't…!

The momentum sent her overboard.

"NO!"

Zuko froze on the spot just as Iroh marched up the deck, ready to defend his nephew from Azula… only for Azula to inexplicably throw herself off the side of the ship. Zuko blinked blankly, frowning at what he could only read as utterly atypical behavior from his sister…

"Zuko! The way is clear! Let's go!" Iroh told him urgently.

Zuko swallowed hard and nodded: one more glance at the railing through which Azula had vanished wouldn't offer any more answers about whatever had gotten into his sister, or about whoever that woman was… so he simply obeyed his uncle, joining him in running through the long dock and then, into the depths of the northern Earth Kingdom's wilderness.

An hour later, Noriko shivered guiltily on the shores of the Fire Nation resort as Azula finished giving some menacing speech or another about the hunt for Zuko and Iroh. Her guilt only seemed to worsen by the minute… most of all because she knew Azula would hold her responsible for the failure of this mission. She had already reprimanded the captain fiercely – even though Azula had been dripping wet after swimming Noriko back to safety, she had scared the man profusely with her flaring temper.

The Princess, irritable but dry now, marched up to Noriko next. Her brow was furrowed, and Noriko eyed her apologetically before bowing her head.

"I… I apologize, Princess. I didn't intend to…"

"Did you get any treatment for your burn?"

Noriko winced: yes, it hurt, but she hadn't thought it would mean or matter much in the grand scheme of things. Zuko had been bending, he had applied some fire into his shove, it had burned through her clothes… but the soaking in the ocean had at least cooled down the potential pain, which certainly hadn't been as bad as Zuko's scar, nowhere near as severe as that.

"I… I'm fine. I don't need…"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Azula hissed, shaking her head. "Utter fool, taking such risks and then failing to heed your Princess's commands…! Go to Lo and Li and have them treat you, now!"

"Y-yes, Princess. Of course."

Noriko rose to her feet: it felt as though the Princess was indeed scolding her… and yet she wanted her taken care of. Protected. Healed, even. Noriko's heart clenched as she glanced over her shoulder… at the fourteen-year-old who stood, fuming, behind her. Her gaze was lost elsewhere, full of frustration and anger at the backfiring of her plan… it was easy, at times, to think of her as a much greater, stronger individual than the child Noriko could only see her as, to this moment.

They replenished their supplies and took off anew a few days later. The Princess's frustration at the captain, at the incompetent guards who had not just failed to hold their own against Iroh but even against Zuko, seemed to mount constantly. She attempted to school herself back into proper tranquility, however, and she even appeared pleased when Lo and Li advised her not to search for Iroh and Zuko with the full Royal Procession. The words daunted Noriko, however: if they were a liability, so was she. Would she be left behind as well? It was quite likely…

… Or so she thought, until she found herself riding a mongoose dragon and following the Princess into the location where a traveling circus had been stationed recently, near the very heart of the Earth Kingdom. Why Azula decided to bring her along, why she hadn't scolded Noriko at all since the incident on the ship, Noriko still had no idea… but she was delighted to witness Azula's reunion with her childhood friend.

"Azula!" Ty Lee exclaimed: the girl's handstand – or finger stand, for she only used her index fingers, to Noriko's utter surprise and amazement – broke as she dropped gracefully on the ground, performing a quick reverence before hugging the Princess. "And… you brought a friend!"

"This is Noriko," Azula said, curtly. "She travels with me."

"It is my pleasure to… to meet you, lady Ty Lee," Noriko said, with a gentle smile – she knew Ty Lee already… but Ty Lee would have no memory of having met the maid. Only of the woman she had been, long ago…

"The pleasure's all mine!" Ty Lee grinned brightly.

"Say… what is the daughter of a nobleman doing here? Certainly, our parents didn't send us to the Royal Fire Academy for Girls to end up… in places like these," Azula said, glaring with distaste around herself. Ty Lee, however, seemed utterly unconcerned with Azula's words or judgment, simply stretching her legs, swinging them back and forth while lying on her chest, on the ground. "I have a proposition for you. I'm hunting a traitor: you remember my old fuddy-duddy uncle, don't you?"

"Oh, yeah! He was so funny!" Ty Lee said, smiling carelessly.

"I would be honored if you would join me on my mission," Azula said, with a sharp grin. Ty Lee, however, stopped smiling quickly.

"Oh, I… uh, would love to," Ty Lee said, before jumping back on her feet, to stand upright. "But the truth is, I'm really happy here. I mean, my aura has never been pinker!"

Azula grimaced as she eyed the platypus-bear nearby – it had only just lain an egg, it seemed.

"… I'll take your word for it," was her initial response to Ty Lee's claims. "Well, I wouldn't want you to give up the life you love just to please me…"

"Thank you, Azula," Ty Lee said. Noriko smiled warmly at Azula's friend, and then at the Princess. The kindness she constantly hid beneath her harsh exterior continued to amaze her, it truly did–…

"Of course, before I leave, I'm going to catch your show."

Noriko blinked blankly, staring at the Princess in surprise: Ty Lee winced, and Noriko noticed the movement and unease of the girl as she responded to Azula's statement.

"Uh… yeah, sure! Of course!"

And so, Noriko found herself sitting by the Princess's side as the circus function began that evening – she found she truly didn't enjoy these events much, and Azula noticed it quickly.

"Is something wrong, Noriko?" Azula asked.

"Oh, only… I suppose I prefer other kinds of spectacles," Noriko said, with a gentle smile. "Like… like theater. Perhaps next time we could…"

"We aren't sightseeing, Noriko. We don't have the luxury of choosing our sources of entertainment," Azula said, bluntly. Noriko smiled sadly and nodded.

"I know. I understand you're hoping to show your support for the lady Ty Lee. I'm sure she's grateful for it," Noriko said. Azula eyed her skeptically. "Princess?"

"You're too old to be so naïve," Azula said, bluntly. Noriko's eyes widened.

"What did you…?" Noriko said, a surge of proud irritation taking root in her heart: old? She wasn't that old! She certainly looked older than she was, but how could she…?

Oh, the urge to scold the child beside her and tell her not to speak to her so callously almost overcame her. Her face flushed, and she couldn't suppress a frustrated pout. Azula blinked blankly as she noticed her companion's reaction.

"Oh, did I upset you?" she asked, amused. "If I must spell out the truth for you, we're here to recruit Ty Lee, even now."

"We are? But you said…"

"I simply need to be more convincing."

Noriko's jaw dropped at the Princess's certainty: Ty Lee's turn on the tight-rope had arrived, and the Princess smirked at her friend's efforts to remain suspended on that complicated, dangerous position and contraption, so high up in the air…

"Do you think she'll fall?" Azula asked the master of ceremonies, who was startled by the question.

"Of course not!" the man responded, proudly.

"Then wouldn't it be more interesting if you removed the net?"

Noriko gasped. Azula ignored her.

"Ah… the thing is, the performers…"

"You're right, you're right. That's been done," Azula reasoned, toying with her hair carelessly. "I know: set the net on fire!"

"No!"

Azula froze. The master of ceremonies stared at her and her companion in utter fright… as Azula turned a scowl upon Noriko.

"Did you just…?"

"I did!" Noriko scoffed, folding her arms over her chest. Azula let out a bark of disbelieving laughter. "Princess: you're better than this!"

"What are you…?" Azula growled: Noriko's glare gave away that she was on one of her stubborn sprees all over again. The Princess rolled her eyes and scoffed. "You're impossible."

"Princess…!"

"We'll talk after!"

Her refusal to make a scene in the middle of the performance was quite welcome, though her mood through the rest of the evening was dreadful anyway: once the performance ended, Azula dragged Noriko behind the circus's largest tent, glaring pointedly at her.

"What do you think you're doing, raising your voice at me in front of that man?!" Azula said. "I brought you with me because I believed you wouldn't sabotage my efforts and cause the trouble the Royal Procession has! And this is what you choose to make of that opportunity?!"

"You came here to find a friend," Noriko said: her tone immediately caused Azula to frown… that strange frown that hinted at some level of fear. Of recognizing that she had been scolded in a similar way, with similar energy, by one of the few people she had genuinely feared in her life. "And I expect you to do exactly that, Princess Azula. Recruit her by terrifying her into complying with you, and you'll only recruit an unwilling vassal who will be looking for any opportunity, any chance, to run away at once!"

"Is that so?" Azula said, glaring at Noriko, who glared back. "The subtleties of recruitment are irrelevant in the face of the Fire Lord's orders! I have come here to ensure I can fulfill my father's commands, and I will!"

"And I have come with you to ensure that you do not lose yourself in fulfilling them," Noriko responded, stubbornly. Azula huffed.

"If that's how it is, you're going back to the ship. And I'll watch another of Ty Lee's shows tomorrow," Azula declared, scowling heavily.

"I won't go back," Noriko said, simply. Azula huffed.

"You really think you can talk back to me? We're not home, curses, Noriko! We're in the Earth Kingdom, we're fulfilling my father's mission, whatever it takes! So…!"

"Not whatever it takes," Noriko stated. Azula scoffed.

"That's treasonous."

"I'd rather be a traitor to the Fire Lord than let you become a traitor to yourself."

Azula's eyes widened. She had no response to that, though probably not because she respected the sentiment… she was simply so confused over it that she couldn't seem to make heads or tails out of what Noriko had said.

"Who… who do you even think I am?" Azula asked: the question wasn't quite injected with affront, though. It wasn't a mere arrogant boast, a way to remind Noriko of the station of whom she spoke with… she genuinely was confused. She didn't know what Noriko saw in her… how she could be so certain of who Azula was, to the point of speaking such words without hesitation.

"I think you are Azula. And you're more than just a Princess… more than your father's agent," Noriko said, bowing her head towards Azula. "And I hope to ensure that you'll see that in time, too."

Azula's jaw dropped: and now she was affronted, for sure. Noriko didn't care, though: Noriko wouldn't back down. Not now, not like this, not under these circumstances…

"Ah! They told me you two were back here!"

Ty Lee's voice startled Azula. The Princess huffed angrily at Noriko before turning to Ty Lee with a tense grin.

"What a wonderful performance you offered, Ty Lee. I'm sure you must be proud," she said. "Though I'm certain it might be much more entertaining tomorrow, I have a few ideas for the master of…"

"Oh, I won't be performing tomorrow," Ty Lee said, with a casual shrug and a grin. Her eyes were bright as she glanced between Azula and Noriko. "You… you really do want my help, don't you, Azula?"

"I…" Azula froze on the spot: help? She didn't say that word. She didn't want Ty Lee's help, she didn't need it, she was simply a more convenient, efficient and effective companion than her procession! That was all there was to it…!

But Ty Lee's smile was surprisingly kind, genuine even. She gazed at Noriko too, nodding in her direction.

"And I feel like we're going to be great friends!" she said. Noriko smiled and bit her lip. "I'm coming with you!"

"I… I'm grateful that you will join us, lady Ty Lee. So is Princess Azula."

"Princess Azula… can speak for herself," Azula growled. Noriko raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"She can, so long as she speaks what's in her heart," Noriko said, shamelessly. Azula scoffed, and Ty Lee giggled deviously.

"What's so funny?" Azula growled, and Ty Lee clapped happily at her reaction.

"You two are! I like this team!" she said, beaming brightly.

Her simple statement brought a bright smile to Noriko's face. Azula's irritability, her failure to keep her barriers in place, her inability to control the situation fully… all of it sat poorly with the young Princess, who sulked as they rode back to her ship, with Ty Lee happily sitting behind Noriko on their mongoose dragon, chatting her ear off with all sorts of nonsense that didn't concern the Princess in the least… though a stupid, ridiculous thought came to mind once she overheard something Ty Lee was saying.

"… I just feel like your aura's somewhat familiar, you know?" Ty Lee said, sitting behind Noriko, who laughed off the girl's words. "Are you sure we never met?"

"We may have seen each other in passing at times, lady Ty Lee, when you visited Princess Azula in the Palace. Beyond that, I fear it isn't likely," Noriko answered. Ty Lee sighed.

"Well… I'm still glad to know you now, if that's the case!" Ty Lee grinned again.

Would Noriko bond more with Ty Lee? Would they become actual friends and…?

Azula's stomach twisted and tightened as she scowled, furious at herself for that foolish thought. That older woman was a pain, a maid, a servant and not a friend. Ty Lee could befriend her if she pleased, though it was quite embarrassing to be friends with an older person, Azula thought. And quite embarrassing for that older person to only have friends of such young age. Not that she knew how many people Noriko actually was friends with, to be honest…

What did she know of Noriko anyway? She was a maid… a strange one, true. She acted so motherly at times that Azula couldn't help but wonder if she was a mother, or had been one, at some point. What was her life's story? Who had she been before becoming part of the Palace staff?

"I'd rather be a traitor to the Fire Lord than let you become a traitor to yourself."

What the blazes did that mean? How was Noriko so utterly reckless as to utter a phrase as damning as that one? Azula ought to report it to her father once they returned, yes. She ought to…

Her heart ached at the very notion.

At the possibility of losing Noriko's constant support.

She couldn't do that. She couldn't report her, she couldn't turn her in, she couldn't…

She snarled at that realization, speeding up her mongoose dragon – thus, Noriko spurred on hers to keep up with her.

Their journey to Omashu was quick: they reached the city by the next morning. A night's rest allowed Azula to be more level-headed once they arrived: her palanquin marched her into the city, with Ty Lee and Noriko following, and they were greeted by the very person Azula wanted to see. She climbed off the palanquin and approached the dark-haired teenager, whose demeanor was as bleak as it ever had been.

"Please tell me you're here to kill me," said Mai. Azula, a hand on her hip, smirked at her friend, who smirked back. They shared a quick laugh, and Ty Lee jumped forward to hug Mai quickly.

"It's great to see you, Mai," Azula said. Mai patted Ty Lee's back gently.

"I thought you ran off and joined the circus. You said it was your calling," she said. Ty Lee grinned as she pulled back.

"Well, Azula called a little louder. And Noriko did, too!" Ty Lee grinned, clasping the older woman's hand and pulling her forward: Mai's distaste for the woman was immediate.

"Who's this?" she asked. Azula sighed.

"My handmaiden. She's rather stubborn, you see, and won't leave me alone for an instant," Azula said, rolling her eyes. Noriko smiled fondly at Azula.

"It's always a great honor to serve the Princess. And to meet her friends, too," she said, bowing her head towards Mai.

"Well, we're not here simply for sightseeing," Azula said, with a dry grin: she clasped Mai and Ty Lee's shoulders, growing much more serious quickly. "I have a mission, and I need you both."

"Count me in: anything to get me out of this place," Mai said, immediately, scowling at the city she certainly wanted nothing more to do with.

Shortly afterwards, they learned of the current trouble plaguing Omashu: Ukano, Mai's father, had allowed all the Earth Kingdom citizens of Omashu to leave simply because of a reported disease, pentapox, something Azula had never heard of. In that chaos, Tom-Tom, Mai's younger brother, had vanished, presumably taken hostage by the citizens and the resistance that had fled the city.

Thus, Azula took charge. She prepared a plan to handle the complicated circumstances they were in: Ukano had promised to the resistance that he'd exchange King Bumi for his son. Azula had no intentions of allowing said exchange to be finalized, however: the Fire Nation did not negotiate with the enemy.

"I… I hope all goes well in the exchange today, Princess," said Noriko, by the next morning. Azula sighed.

"There will be no exchange. Did I not make that clear?"

"But… you will take back the boy, won't you?" Noriko asked. Azula frowned.

"The boy and the king. We will keep them both, and the resistance will have nothing," Azula declared, proudly. "No one stands in the way of the Fire Nation."

"Good…" Noriko said, with a gentle smile. "I'm glad you intended to save him."

"Of course I did. Why wouldn't I?" Azula said, rolling her eyes. "He's a Fire Nation citizen and I would not allow him to become a coercion tool for our enemies to exploit. The sooner he is returned to his parents, the better."

"No child deserves to grow up without their mother."

Azula froze. The words struck her deeply, in a way she didn't quite comprehend right away. She shot a glare at Noriko: did she not know Azula had grown up without a mother? At least, for the past five years?

The vacant, melancholic expression in the handmaiden's face floored her, though. Azula opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out at all. She swallowed hard and shook her head.

"Some of us have gotten by without a mother," Azula said, simply. Noriko winced: the sadness in her eyes puzzled Azula. "What? Why are you looking at me like…?"

"Your mother was… she didn't do right by you when she was around, did she?" Noriko asked. Azula frowned.

"That's not relevant, is it?" Azula said.

"I'm sorry she failed you," Noriko said. Azula scowled.

"Don't pity me for…"

"This is not pity," Noriko sighed, shaking her head. "You… you deserved better than her, Princess. You, of all children… you deserved better."

Azula's eyes widened: for the second time, Noriko uttered treacherous words… and yet this time they were words that echoed within Azula's very soul in a way she didn't anticipate. Someone saying that her mother was in the wrong…? That her mother had failed her, to a fault?

"You…" Azula started, before clearing her throat. "You will provide us with your aid in today's mission. You shall take the child… while me, Mai and Ty Lee defeat the resistance, should they put up a fight. They're likely to try. So… stay sharp, and make sure to run with the child as soon as the opportunity arises. Understood?"

"Yes, Princess," Noriko said, offering her a gentle smile. Azula nodded.

"Then let's go."

The exchange happened at the height of the tallest pyramid of Omashu. By the time they arrived, the resistance members were already there… Noriko lurked inside the construction area, hidden away from the others so she wouldn't interfere in such a delicate situation without meaning to.

Azula stepped forward, following Mai as King Bumi was lowered right behind them. The king laughed and snorted, being all around ridiculous while Azula studied the situation carefully: they were up against two teenagers, and the one standing at the front of the group them was a child, instead. The resistance was certainly peculiar…

She couldn't help but assume that the child, so young and innocent-looking, couldn't be the leader of the group. Instead… the one holding Tom-Tom caught her eye. He glared at them intensely, ignoring the baby as best he could while Tom-Tom patted his face in some foolish attempt to amuse himself.

Those clothes… blue? It was a rare color. His skin tone, too… his hairstyle, even the weapons he carried with him immediately stood out to Azula as she assessed the situation. If the circumstances were any different she might have even let herself take notice of his looks… but she had a job to do, and she'd do so now that Mai had exchanged a few words with the younger member of the other group.

"I'm sorry, but a thought just occurred to me: we're trading a two-year-old for a king? A powerful, earthbending king?" Azula recited her lines of the dialogue they had prepared ahead of the exchange. Mai glanced back at her with feigned interest. "It just doesn't seem like a fair trade, does it?"

"You're right," Mai said, glaring at her brother, at the people holding him, before raising a hand and exclaiming: "The deal's off!"

And so, the chaos began anew: Noriko barely caught sight of any of what happened once Azula bent a blast of blue flames towards her foes. But she certainly overheard her words when her fire failed to hit its target:

"The Avatar!" Azula smirked knowingly. "My lucky day."

She marched towards the construction area, on her way to a lever: she glanced towards Noriko on her way there, and she shouted:

"Go get the child, now!"

And with that, she clasped a rope and took off, rising to the height of the statue's construction site.

Noriko swallowed heavily as she ran through the construction area, towards where the enemy stood. They hadn't seen her… so she simply had to be stealthy and take the child when they were fighting, that was all she had to do…

Oh, but they were all children, and they were fighting each other instead of being friends. Her heart ached upon realizing as much, and she grieved for it in silence, arriving at the other end of the construction site just in time to see the dark-skinned boy rushing down a ladder.

"Wait! Wait!" she called, making for the ladder too.

The boy turned towards her, immediately hostile, raising his boomerang as to defend the child from her. Noriko climbed down the ladder awkwardly before reaching him, breathing heavily over the strain from the last moments.

"T-that boy belongs with his family!" she said. The young man scoffed.

"Tell that to the girl who thinks he's not worth trading a king for!" he said, though he grimaced. "To be honest, it's not like I don't see her point… but still! Stay away!"

"Princess Azula may seem harsh, but she didn't mean to keep the child from his family!" Noriko said. The boy eyed her skeptically.

"But she literally just said…! Wait. Wait. Princess who, now?!"

"Princess Azula…?" Noriko said. His jaw dropped. He grimaced before raising his voice as loudly as he could.

"KATARA! THAT FIREBENDING GIRL'S ZUKO'S SISTER!"

"WHAT?!" a female voice – that of his companion – drifted down from above.

"Do you know Zuko?" asked Noriko, eyes wide.

"Oh, you mean the crazy ponytail guy who's always trying to kill us?!"

"W-wha-…? Kill you?! That's not…!"

"Oh, lady, don't tell me you don't realize your Prince and Princess are out for blood," the boy huffed: a scary roar startled Noriko just as a massive creature flew up to their level, reaching the place where the boy stood – only then did Noriko notice he had a white whistle in his hand. "The Fire Nation's willing to discard their own, you saw it just now…!"

"She wanted me to retrieve the boy!"

Noriko's confession startled the young man just as he was about to climb on the bison's saddle. He frowned at her as Noriko breathed deeply.

"You will find it dishonorable anyway…! But she wanted both the king and the child! Her methods… they weren't the wisest, and I'll be sure to tell her so! But please… let me bring that baby back to his parents. Please."

"And what about Bumi?!" the boy huffed. "The king is…!"

An echoing laughter, drifting down through the chutes of Omashu, froze the Water Tribe boy in the middle of his demands. He glanced over his shoulder… and he saw the Avatar rushing downhill, riding the king's imprisonment device on one of the city's chutes. Shortly afterwards, one of the chutes' carts followed, ridden by none other than Princess Azula.

"Ah…!" Noriko gasped. "That's so dangerous…!"

"This is war: everything's dangerous, lady," the boy replied… though he stepped forward and offered the child to her. "You're sure you'll return him? Promise me…!"

"He'll be safe. I swear it. I promise, I… oh, thank you, young man. Thank you…" Noriko said, smiling as she took Tom-Tom in her arms when he handed her the toddler. The teenager frowned still as he jumped on the bison's saddle. "W-what is your name? So I may thank you properly…!"

"What?! You don't need to know my name, I…!"

"SOKKA!"

"Oh, damn… Katara!" Sokka shouted, shaking the reins of the bison and flying quickly to help his sister. Noriko, holding the baby, smiled as she watched him fade from her field of vision, once the construction site hid the large bison.

"Then… thank you, Sokka."

The deceitful hostage exchange didn't proceed according to plan at all: Mai and Ty Lee nearly took a bad wound upon being flung violently away by the bison's tail. Azula's relentless pursuit of the Avatar went nowhere, for King Bumi somehow proved capable of bending earth while still in imprisonment, endangering Azula in the middle of their pursuit. The Princess returned to her friends, scowling heavily… until her eyes fell upon Noriko, who had only just rejoined them too. Her lips parted at the sight of the restless boy in her arms.

"You… you did it," Azula said, stepping toward Noriko and smiling slightly. "Well, I suppose this wasn't a complete failure… though I did fail. I'm pleased that the three of you did not."

"You were chasing the Avatar… if anything, I'm relieved he didn't do anything worse to harm you," said Noriko, gazing at her with heartfelt concern.

"You got Tom-Tom?" Mai asked, puzzled. Noriko smiled as she offered the child to Mai, who picked him up almost unwillingly, going by the grimace on her face as Tom-Tom giggled carelessly in her arms.

"That young man…" Noriko said, smiling. Azula raised an eyebrow. "He handed him over to me when I told him I would bring Tom-Tom to his family. I suppose it's inevitable that we would be enemies…"

"They're the Avatar's group, so it is inevitable," Azula said, bluntly. Noriko smiled and shrugged.

"I couldn't help but think they look like good kids. Much like the three of you do."

Ty Lee giggled, jumping to hug Noriko. Mai, of course, grimaced in displeasure. Azula's heart fluttered stupidly again… but she said nothing other than nodding at Noriko until she heard a strange, scraping sound behind them.

"Well, hello again!"

Azula's jaw dropped at the sight of the King's imprisonment device: the man had somehow bent his way back to the top of the pyramid while still inside it. He laughed in a rather disturbing way as they gaped at him in surprise.

"I'm back! It's not time yet!" he said.

"It… it won't ever be time, actually," Azula said, though she smiled as she stepped towards Bumi. "But… you're back. Which means…"

"You didn't fail," Mai said, simply.

Her work to ensure that Bumi would remain their prisoner hadn't paid off, it was true… but Azula smiled upon registering that Mai was right: unlike how it had been with Zuko's capture, she had succeeded at resolving Omashu's trouble while maintaining control over both the King and Tom-Tom. She hadn't failed. She hadn't caught the Avatar, no… but she hadn't failed.

"Well, then… let's take your brother to your parents, Mai," Azula said, with a proud grin. "We'll be setting out after that."

"To find Zuko and Iroh?" said Ty Lee. Mai raised her eyebrows.

"We're tracking down her brother and uncle?" she asked. Ty Lee smirked knowingly at her.

"It'll be interesting seeing Zuko again, won't it, Mai?" she teased, and Mai finally smiled too.

"It's not just Zuko and Iroh anymore," Azula said, with determination. "We have a third target now."

From that point onwards, their group would travel through new means: Lo and Li would drive the train-tank the Mechanist had designed by the Fire Lord's command, carrying Azula's team in it. The three teenage girls would be ready to strike against their foes as soon as they found any of them.

"This is so noisy," Mai groaned – that, admittedly, was the greater drawback of the chaotic, complex machine.

"It's the best method to travel quickly across the Earth Kingdom. We won't find Zuko and Iroh if we keep traveling on my ship," Azula declared: she and Noriko shared one of the seats of the vehicle while Mai and Ty Lee sat opposite them.

"Or the Avatar," Ty Lee remarked. Azula nodded.

"All the reports my father received were correct: he is only a child after all," Azula said, crossing her legs as she folded her arms over her chest. "I expect we will be able to exploit his inexperience."

"It's not just him, though. He has that waterbender, and the other boy…" Ty Lee said. Azula hummed and nodded.

"The leader," she said. All the group stared at her in confusion. "What? He is their leader."

"How do you know that for sure?" Mai asked.

"The Avatar was standing in front of them, wasn't he?" Ty Lee asked.

"The one holding Tom-Tom was him," Azula said. "And not only that… but you say he didn't confer with the waterbender to confirm he could give you Tom-Tom, did he, Noriko?"

"Oh… he didn't," Noriko confirmed. Azula smirked.

"He makes his own decisions, he doesn't wait for the Avatar or the waterbender to give him permission to do anything, so… he's their leader."

"The non-bender is the leader?" Mai repeated. Azula raised an eyebrow.

"Is that so surprising?" she asked. "You three are non-benders and I chose to travel with you instead of my procession. Is it that unthinkable? The other two appear much younger than him, so…"

"So, it could be a matter of age?" Noriko asked. Azula shrugged.

"Well, whether you're right or not, Azula, I thought he was cute," Ty Lee said, simply. Mai scoffed as Azula sighed, shaking her head.

"Unsurprising…"

"Your tastes are weirder every day," Mai said. Ty Lee gasped, affronted.

"Says someone who thinks Zuko is cute?" Azula asked, smirking derisively at Mai. Mai huffed.

"Well, Zuko is cute too, but so is this guy, and…!" Ty Lee froze suddenly, glancing at Azula. "Wait. I guess you could just be making fun of Mai, but… oh, Azula, do you think the Avatar's friend is cute too?!"

"I… no! I didn't say that!" Azula huffed: her cheeks, however, turned red.

"You didn't not say that either, though!" Ty Lee gasped, eyes wide with delight as Mai covered her face with a hand.

"You two are out of your minds…"

"I'm not…! I never said I thought anything of the sort, he's an enemy, and…!"

"It's forbidden love!" Ty Lee exclaimed, hugging Mai's arm as Azula rolled her eyes.

"You're such a child when you get any ridiculous romance ideas in your head, Ty Lee. Honestly…"

She stopped dismissing Ty Lee, though, when her eyes fell upon Noriko: the woman's gaze glowed with wonderment and Azula tensed up immediately.

"W-what's with you?! What are you looking at me like that for?!"

"Your… your first crush? Sokka is your first crush?!"

"Sokka? Is that his name?!" Ty Lee gasped, clapping happily. "Oh, yes! Oh, I feel this is a wonderful story waiting to happen…!"

"It's not! And he's not my first crush, he's not my first anything!" Azula huffed. Mai raised an eyebrow.

"Could be why you think so highly of him, actually. To the point of assuming a non-bender could be the leader of a group that includes the Avatar…"

"Oh, you three are just… ugh!"

They would be a pain, of course they would be, for however long they cared to be: she wasn't about to admit to having found the tall boy with the boomerang a little handsome, no, otherwise they'd never let her live it down. It didn't matter if he was good-looking or not, though: she had a mission, and that boy was simply in her way. He was inconsequential, for all she truly needed to do was to capture the Avatar, Zuko and Iroh, and bring them to her father as soon as possible.

Their new plan came together a few days later, once they noticed a strange trail of white fur around the southeastern territories of the Earth Kingdom. They marched at full speed, chasing down what Azula pinpointed as fur shed by the Avatar's creature, and they even came across their group at night, in the mountains:

"You should say hi to your crush now that you have the chance…" Ty Lee smiled deviously at Azula, who shot her a scathing glare as the train-tank's door opened.

"Focus, Ty Lee," Azula hissed: within moments, she, Mai and Ty Lee took off at haste on their mongoose dragons, and Azula attacked only to be thwarted by earthbending… ah. Their team had a new member, looked like.

That attempt to attack the Avatar's exhausted group didn't yield results, either, and Azula deeply hoped no one would pretend that she'd failed to capture their foes solely over her alleged interest in that boy. Sokka was his name, was it? Noriko said as much, but… oh, his name didn't matter, all that mattered was seizing the Avatar. They could fly as far as they dared on their bison, but they wouldn't get away for good…

Until their trail led Azula's team to a river.

Azula, Mai, Ty Lee and Noriko climbed off the train-tank when Lo and Li reported something was odd about the fur's pattern. Azula confirmed as much, kneeling by the river and picking up the strange patches of fur while Ty Lee rambled about clumps behind her.

"The trail goes this way," Mai said, pointing towards the nearest batch of fur inland. Azula glared in that direction before rising to her feet, inspecting her surroundings intently.

"Is she looking for him…?" Ty Lee asked. Mai grimaced.

"Could you stop thinking about this crazy romance you've made up for two seconds?" she asked. Ty Lee giggled guiltily and shrugged.

"The Avatar is trying to give us the slip," Azula said, startling her companions and pointing towards a tree: an unnaturally broken branch suggested a flying creature might have collided with it. "We saw him using his glider in Omashu. They washed their furry creature here, and he collected fur with which he's creating a false trail."

"And… you think the bison went that way?" Mai asked, raising an eyebrow as she pointed at the broken tree. Azula nodded.

"You two will head in that direction and keep an eye out for the bison. I'll follow the Avatar's trail," she said, with determination.

"Wait… but the Avatar can't glide with lots of people, can he?" Ty Lee reasoned. Azula raised an eyebrow. "It means Sokka is that way, you know, with the bison! Azula, you should go that way!"

"This isn't the time for your nonsense, Ty Lee!" Azula huffed, glaring at her friend, who pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. "The Avatar is dangerous, and neither of you can fight him. You'll be better served by capturing his allies, you can defeat them far more easily. If you make them our hostages, we will succeed even if I fail to defeat him. We will be able to use them to capture the Avatar and then we shall deliver him to my father. It's as simple as that."

"Ugh, whatever," Mai sighed. Ty Lee pouted.

"You should go meet up with Sokka, though…"

"Curses… weren't you the one who said you found him cute? Go find him yourself, then!" Azula huffed, cheeks flushed. "All the more reason for you to go in that direction!"

"I can't do that to you! He's your first crush!" Ty Lee huffed. Azula covered her face with her hands. "No, no, no! Girl code applies here, I'm deferring to you completely, Azula! Good luck!"

"Don't wish me luck, just get on your mongoose dragon and go find that bison!" Azula huffed. Ty Lee didn't seem as moody anymore as she grinned at her, taking off to obey her orders.

Azula scowled, shaking her head dismissively… until she saw Noriko standing beside her. She raised an eyebrow and Noriko blinked blankly.

"We will be going after the Avatar, right…?" Noriko said. Azula's jaw dropped.

"We? You and me?" Azula repeated. Noriko smiled and nodded. "No, you… you'll go with Mai and Ty Lee as well."

"What? But Princess…!"

"Do as I say, Noriko!" Azula huffed, marching up to her own mongoose dragon and shooting the woman a significant glare.

She didn't allow any further rebuttals from the woman: without another word, Azula took off to follow the false trail of bison fur while Noriko was left behind with Mai and Ty Lee.

"You know… all jokes about her crush aside? Azula has changed a lot," Ty Lee said, with a more serious tone than before. Mai hummed.

"Changed?" Noriko said, glancing over her shoulder. "In what way, if I may ask…?"

"Well… she really cares about you," Ty Lee giggled: Noriko's eyes widened.

"It's as if you're the mother figure she never knew she wanted in life," Mai commented with a bored tone, before sighing. "I can't believe she's being that corny, but anyway… we have to go, don't we?"

"We do! Let's do this!" Ty Lee giggled, urging Noriko to climb on her own mongoose dragon.

The three creatures ran quickly, covering ground in a matter of moments until that large creature showed up in the sky: they heard the young man screeching his companion's name, and their bison was supposed to speed up further… but it dove down towards the ground, instead.

"Well, here's our shot…" Mai said. Ty Lee grinned brightly.

"To get Azula a date with her dream boy!"

"That's not our goal here, Ty Lee…!" Mai grimaced with distaste as her friend sped up further.

Their chase saw the mongoose dragons crossing the river awkwardly: the waterbender attacked them then. Noriko tried to stay out of the way of the two fighters, but she still attempted to help in some ways by distracting the opponents… namely Sokka.

"Hi there!" Noriko called him. Sokka winced. "Remember me?"

"Woah, weird lady!" Sokka exclaimed while dodging Mai's projectiles. "Did you turn the kid over to his family?!"

"Oh, I did indeed!" Noriko exclaimed.

"Well…! Great! Good to know!" Sokka said: he and his companion switched opponents now, and now Ty Lee fought him instead…

"We don't have to fight!" Ty Lee said. "We can just talk things over…!"

"Talk what over?!" Sokka exclaimed: his attempt to attack Ty Lee, however, went nowhere when his arm failed to move after she struck it. "Ugh…!"

"Ty Lee, cut it out!" Mai shouted while battling Katara fiercely. Ty Lee huffed, shaking her head.

"Look, my friend has a crush on you!" Ty Lee revealed, beaming brightly: the rigid Sokka, preparing to raise his weapon, froze on the spot and shot Mai a confused stare. Her reaction, of course, was that of utter disgust.

"Ew, not me!" she roared. Katara snorted.

"What the hell is going on here?!" she exclaimed, freezing Mai's latest attack in midair.

"Don't ask me!" Sokka huffed, as Ty Lee groaned in frustration.

"Princess Azula has a crush on you, Sokka!"

Sokka's jaw dropped. All fighting ceased as the girl in the pink outfit finished making her statement proudly. Mai slapped her face with a hand as Katara, her opponent, marched past her with an outraged expression on her face.

"Y-you just said… huh?!" Sokka froze on the spot, eyes wide – and bloodshot too, for he hadn't slept properly in over a day now.

"Sokka! What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Katara roared.

"You're asking me?! I have no idea either, Katara! I only saw her once in Omashu and…!"

He froze then, blinking blankly as if to remember the girl in question: his confused expression then changed to intrigue, as he raised his eyebrows and tapped his chin with his free hand.

"And she wasn't half-bad, I guess, but…"

"SOKKA!"

"What?! I'm just saying…!"

"The Princess of the Fire Nation has a crush on you?! That's seriously what's going on here?!" Katara asked, glaring at Ty Lee and at Noriko, standing not far behind her. "Is it?!"

"W-well… no, not just that, but we did come after you in the hopes of letting you know that you had an admirer, as well as, uh, well…" Noriko said, biting her lip.

"As well as capturing you and using you as bait to capture the Avatar, next," Mai stated, bluntly: Sokka and Katara glanced at her in horror as Mai stepped forward, to stand along Ty Lee and Noriko. "That's our primary mission, if anything. They're the ones who got that other nonsense into their heads."

"W-wait. But does she actually like me, or…?" Sokka asked: Katara smacked the back of his head. "Hey!"

"Stop fantasizing about dating the Fire Nation Princess! This is war, Sokka!"

"I'm not fantasizing, this could be good for us! If she actually likes me then, uh, I could actually agree to go on a date with her if she promises to leave us alone! How's that?!"

"Unlikely to work, considering you just announced your brilliant plan in front of her allies. Very smart of you," Mai said, deadpan as ever. Sokka winced.

"Uh… I'm sleep-deprived, okay? Not making the soundest decisions ever, no thanks to you, dangerous ladies," Sokka grimaced, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands. Katara, beside him, huffed and shook her head. "Why are you acting like this is my fault?"

"Because…! I mean, it has to be! Why would the Fire Nation Princess feel anything about… ah!"

"Mai!" Ty Lee gasped: her friend had rolled her eyes, clearly bored by the conversation, and she had flung another of her blades in Katara's direction.

"I really thought things would be more interesting once we caught up with them… but it looks like victory is boring," she said, glaring dangerously at the Water Tribe siblings…

A loud roar was the next thing that echoed in the area before the bison's large tail swept over Mai, Ty Lee and Noriko, flinging them right into the river they were fighting by.

The three managed to reach the safety of the shore without much trouble – the water wasn't too deep – but not before the bison and his two humans took off anew. Noriko sighed, biting her lip as she squeezed water from her braid, much as Ty Lee did.

"Well, I hope we didn't ruin Azula's chances with Sokka…" Ty Lee said, and Noriko grimaced.

"We might have. She won't be pleased," she said.

"Won't she? They took off again. Bet they're going to go help the Avatar, so… she'll get to see her 'crush', if he really is that at all," Mai said, rolling her eyes.

She spoke the words carelessly… but they sank in on Noriko after a moment.

The bison would fly in the Avatar's direction… Azula would face their full group on her own?

She might be strong enough to defeat them, she really might be. But Noriko couldn't think rationally whenever her charge was in danger.

"We have to go! Now!" she exclaimed.

They had no choice but to return to Azula's side. Azula might be strong enough to win on her own… but in the case she wasn't, Noriko meant to reach her on time to shield her from any harm, no matter what.

Fighting two opponents didn't prove as taxing as it could have been, no matter how chaotic the fighting area was: the Avatar grew cocky at one point, hovering in the ruins of a building without floors with his strange, swirling ball technique. Azula succeeded at avoiding a fall… and Zuko rushed in recklessly behind her. It was, however, not the Avatar's victory just yet, no matter how distracted he was by Zuko's undignified fall: Azula attacked, and the Avatar's defenses weren't much good this time.

With one powerful blow, Azula succeeded at knocking Zuko down briefly, flinging him through a wall while chasing after the Avatar before he ran away: her razor-sharp firebending tore down chunks of the building, causing the Avatar to fall amid debris… and that meant her victory was as good as guaranteed, at long last.

Azula stepped forward: she shot fire into the crumbled building, causing the boy to gape at her in fear as the blue inferno turned orange once she stopped bending it. She dared smirk, raising a hand menacingly, ready to summon a new burst of blue fire…

A sudden water whip that wrapped around Azula's wrist, yanking her back and away from the Avatar: the waterbender? Curses: Mai and Ty Lee had failed…

"STAY AWAY FROM MY BROTHER!"

Azula blinked blankly as she turned around: the attack she had been readying faltered as she stared at the waterbender in perplexity. Was the Avatar her brother? They looked nothing alike…

"Katara!" the Avatar cried out: Azula scowled before powering her fire again: the water whip struck her anew, but her flames succeeded at causing her new enemy to flee.

Azula ran after her: the Avatar was trapped in debris, but if new people had joined the fray, it meant her intent to capture the boy was about to become more complicated…

Her certainty to fight against the newcomers wavered, however, when she came across the tall boomerang boy, even if he was brandishing a club right now, instead.

"Uh… hi there?" Sokka said, before swinging the club in her direction.

"Sokka!" Katara's shout startled Azula. "Don't flirt with her!"

"I just said hi!"

Azula's eyes widened: her stance nearly broke as she leapt away from them both: flirting? This was a battle!

"What nonsense are you prattling about?!" Azula huffed, aiming a new attack at the boy, who screamed and rushed away from her.

"See? I told you it made no sense! She doesn't like me, her friends are just crazy!"

Azula's eyebrow twitched as her eyes widened.

No way.

Those idiots hadn't told this complete stranger that she had some sort of crush on him, had they?

"What did you just…?" Azula gasped: the Avatar had managed to loosen up the debris by now, though, causing Azula to backtrack as the three made to corner her.

Still, something about the boy's words caused unrest in her chest. She glared at Sokka in particular, trying to sound menacing and intimidating… rather than fearful.

"Where are they? What have you done to my allies?!" she shouted.

"Uh, it was Appa, but they just got soaked in a river," Sokka responded. "I'm sure they're fine, though…"

Azula snarled: she expected Mai and Ty Lee would be alright… but a strange part of her heart suddenly seemed to quake in terror over Noriko's fate. The woman was no fighter, she was hardly a capable rider, let alone could she do more than that… she had sent her away to the safer fight deliberately, to ensure she would be fine. And now…

Now she had to defeat these three in order to return to her.

Well, she'd ensure to bring the captured Avatar with her once she reunited with Noriko, that much was a certainty.

She fought the Avatar's group, finding them far more resilient and skilled at fighting firebenders than she anticipated – she knew herself fortunate that their current location was as dry as it was, otherwise, the waterbender would have been a much bigger threat. Yet while all three of her foes were clearly merciless, the ridiculous banter over her alleged feelings for the tall boy had yet to cease.

"Say what? She likes you, Sokka? Wow!" the Avatar laughed. Sokka made a sound of frustration and exasperation.

"What's so surprising about it?! I'm not a bad catch!"

"I never said I felt anything of the sort!" Azula roared: why the hell were her cheeks flushing? Why the blazes was she embarrassed over something that wasn't even real…?

She had very little time to ponder that when she nearly fell face-first into the dirt: the team's new earthbender knocked off her balance, and the others rejoiced in her apparently unexpected arrival. Azula, however, wouldn't stick around to let her enemies continue gathering their strength. Curses, she had hoped to take the Avatar, but now…

Her attempt to run away was broken by her uncle, who knocked her down with his voluminous belly somehow.

After that, Azula found herself backed into a corner, breathing heavily as her foes closed in around her, including her brother. She smirked as she scanned the opponents, knowing the situation was not in her favor, but the minute she found an opening, even a measly one…

"Are you going to ask her out?" the Avatar blurted out suddenly: Azula's focus broke, just as Iroh glanced at the earthbender.

"Aang!" Sokka huffed: his cheeks were red… much like Azula's were, too.

"Ask her out? Was that what this was about all along?" the earthbender girl smirked. "Guess that's one reason to chase a guy all across the world, huh?"

"That's not what…! Ugh! I have no interest in any of you! Enemies and traitors…" Azula hissed, eyes gliding over the others frantically… only to land on a disgusted Zuko. "What's with the face, Zuzu?"

"Zuzu?!" Sokka and Katara exclaimed as Zuko blushed. Aang snickered.

"That's what she calls him," he confirmed.

"You know what? I think I wouldn't mind asking her out if just because of that," Sokka laughed…

And Azula's stomach fluttered. He just said… what? No. She wouldn't say yes even if he did ask her anywhere, and…!

She was losing her mind. She was losing her grip. What was wrong with her? They were closing in, ready to strike, they were her enemies and she couldn't fall into their control! If she did, then…!

The sudden sound of very heavy and fast footsteps startled her. She frowned, glancing in the direction of the sound as the grounds beneath their feet shook with ripples of heavy movement…

Her jaw dropped when Noriko, riding a mongoose dragon, her hair a chaotic mess, showed up around the corner, running in her direction.

"AZULA!"

The Princess's eyes widened. A few of her opponents actually ventured a glance towards the approaching mongoose dragon, followed by two more such creatures…

"What are you doing…?" was all Azula could say before the creature arrived.

Noriko leaned down, scooping her up as if she were a child, and the mongoose dragon rode off, away from the dangerous scene where Azula had almost become a prisoner to her enemies.

"Wait…!" Katara gasped: she didn't dare attack and, to her surprise, neither did Zuko nor Iroh, much closer to the creature than she had been.

Zuko watched the mongoose dragon with utmost confusion… and his eyes met Noriko's. For a moment, their gazes collided and the older woman offered him sympathy, regret, even… and then she took off anyway, her mongoose dragon trotting off into the distance.

"Wait for me!" Ty Lee exclaimed: she spurred her mongoose dragon to follow the other two, leaving Azula's many opponents to watch as she vanished into the distance.

"What just happened…?" Toph said.

"Sokka's girlfriend got stolen away, I guess," Aang said, with a shrug. Sokka grimaced, cheeks flushing anew.

"She's not my girlfriend! She said she doesn't like me!"

"She does."

"What d'you know?! Uh, wait a second…" Sokka blinked blankly as he realized the one insisting on it had not been any of his friends, let alone Iroh or Zuko…

Instead, it was Azula's companion: the dark-haired one that marched her mongoose dragon up to Zuko. The exiled prince gazed at her in confusion.

"Mai…" he said. "What are you doing here?"

"Azula recruited me to help her find you and your uncle. Guess I found you alright," Mai said. Zuko frowned.

"Well, she's gone and you should go with her too. I'm not letting Azula catch me," he said, stubbornly.

"That's none of my concern. I simply came here to find you," Mai said, bluntly. Zuko raised his sole eyebrow.

"W-wait… you mean you won't turn me in to the Fire Nation?" he asked. Mai blinked blankly.

"Do you want me to?"

"No!"

"Then why would I?" Mai said. "I came here for you, Zuko. I'm staying with you."

Zuko's jaw dropped: Iroh, beside him, let out a hearty giggle, elbowing his ribs gently as his nephew's cheeks lit up.

"I guess you found a lady friend…!" he said.

"Uncle…! Cut it out!" Zuko huffed.

Mai raised an eyebrow before glancing to her right: the Avatar's group, it seemed, was sneaking off silently. The bison wasn't far away, and by the time Zuko noticed they were halfway there, the group broke into a full sprint, climbing on the creature's saddle quickly.

"WAIT!" Zuko roared, but it was obvious the Avatar's group wasn't about to waste their chances to run away. "Damn it… gone again!"

"Zuko…" Iroh said, and his nephew groaned.

"I know, I know… I'll do better next time, damn it, but I was so close!" he growled. Iroh sighed, though a smile lit his face quickly.

"Though… if we catch them eventually, we could just take the Avatar and distract Azula by handing over the boy she likes, should she close in on us!" Iroh declared: Zuko grimaced Iroh grinned at Mai. "Because you say she does like him, do you?"

"Looks like it. I have no idea what she sees in him… but I don't really care," Mai said, simply: her eyes fell upon Zuko again, and he felt his stomach twisting with unexpected nervousness upon realizing that the person Mai had come here for, the only real reason why she had joined Azula, was him…

"We're fugitives," Zuko said. "And we're in danger, Mai, constantly. You're sure you're going to take your chances joining me and Uncle Iroh?"

She smiled: the sight was unusual, and Iroh found it a little foreboding… but Zuko smiled, pleasantly surprised, all in all, by the surprising outcome that day had brought him. Iroh was back by his side… and so was Mai.

"You're fools! Utter fools! Of all the things you could've done… you went and told the enemy that I was romantically interested in him?!"

Hidden away in a distant, abandoned cabin, far from the ghost town where the fight had taken place, Azula stared down Noriko and Ty Lee, who eyed Azula guiltily.

"Well… I thought he looked like he might be interested too," Ty Lee pouted: Azula cried out in exasperation. "And he really did look like it! His sister – I think she's his sister anyway – she was scolding him for it and, well… it was kind of funny, heh. But I mean, Azula…!"

"We were out of line," Noriko said, and Azula turned towards her with a heavy frown. The woman closed her eyes and bowed her head towards the Princess. "I… I thought we could help you find some happiness, but… I made a terrible mistake by not showing better sense or restraint. You were in grave danger, and I… I'm sorry, Princess. I'm sorry."

Azula's anger froze over: the genuine emotion in Noriko's voice took her by surprise. Even Ty Lee seemed confused by how seriously the woman was taking her mistakes… by how worried she had been for Azula's sake. The Princess, however, wasn't about to voice her own emotions just yet. She cleared her throat and shook her head.

"If so… then very well. I accept your apology," Azula said. Ty Lee raised her eyebrows, smiling at Azula. "Hers, not yours. Considering you haven't even apologized…"

"But Azula…!"

"Save it!"

Ty Lee pouted as Azula shook her head: they would rest in the cabin for now, and they'd find whatever they could to eat and feed the exhausted mongoose dragons before making the long trek back to the train-tank. Survival was the priority, not people's feelings, let alone people who didn't seem to care to understand what Azula's actual feelings were, in the first place…

They built a small fire within the hut, and Ty Lee fell asleep quickly after a weak dinner comprised by wild berries that Azula deeply hoped wouldn't be poisonous. She sat within the cabin too, but Noriko sat outside instead. The Princess breathed out slowly before making up her mind to speak with the woman – hours had gone by since the chaotic confrontation in the ghost town, so Azula's frustration had dimmed sufficiently to speak calmly with Noriko, at the very least.

The woman sat right by the door, hugging her knees to her chest. Azula sat beside her, and Noriko spared her a guilty glance.

"You should rest, Princess. I'm keeping watch…"

"You don't have to do that," Azula said, curtly. Noriko smiled sadly.

"I can't do much else for you… I'm as good as a liability. If I can at least ensure that you'll sleep soundly… then my presence here will be justified, regardless of the mistakes I've made."

"Mistakes?" Azula asked. "You mean… telling that boy whatever you told him?"

"Well… that was a mistake too, and we were out of place for certain. I'm sorry about that," Noriko said, eyeing her remorsefully. "I hope… I hope we didn't humiliate you. And that, if you truly feel anything for that boy, well…"

"He's an enemy," Azula said, curtly. Noriko smiled and shrugged.

"He seems like a good boy," she said. Azula raised her eyebrows. "They all do, truth be told. It… it seems like such a waste that this world would be so dark and unpleasant. In other circumstances… all of you might be friends. But as it is…"

"You make a sport of saying treasonous things, seems like," Azula said, softly. Noriko smiled.

"Either way, I… I'm also sorry for intervening without your request or permission. I couldn't… couldn't think properly once I realized you were in danger. All I could do, all I wanted to do, was rescue you…"

"And you did," Azula said, simply. Noriko gritted her teeth.

"You had a chance to finish your two missions… and I took you away before you could do so. I… I would likely do that again, if anything similar happened, and that… that makes me a terrible companion for you, I fear. I care for you so much that… that the mere notion of you being hurt sends me into a spiral of panic. I need to protect you and yet… I'm so weak that I have no idea how to do it. I… I'm sorry, Princess. I'm sorry. I wish I were a better companion than I can be."

Azula's eyes widened: she cared for her…? Well, that was no surprise, Noriko had always watched over her. But that was the first time she had said those words so bluntly, and…

It was the first time anyone had said those words to her, altogether.

Azula flinched, swallowing hard and averting her gaze from the woman: that tingling, growing sensation within her chest seemed to embrace her heart now… to trigger a strange feeling she wasn't sure she had experienced before. Because someone cared for her… someone wanted her to be safe, even if it was someone who had next to no tools, no means to ensure that she would be.

But Noriko had looked after her for three years. She had fixed Azula's hair, helped her make better choices with her makeup, talked with her about anything Azula wanted to talk about, and sat in silence whenever Azula wanted silence, too. She had taken care of Azula's laundry, of fixing her bed, of bringing her every meal, accompanying her to places, even places as distant as the Earth Kingdom's southeastern territories, where they were now…

She had jumped into what could have been mortal danger today, too, just to pick up Azula and take her to safety.

"For someone who… who feels so weak, it's quite unnerving how strong you are," Azula said, with a small smile. "No one else stands up to me as much as you do, so… don't sell yourself so short, Noriko."

"I… w-well, I'm glad that doesn't displease you much, if so," Noriko said, smiling a little too. Azula breathed deeply, glancing at her with uncertainty.

"You probably shouldn't have done what you did. And I… I probably should have scolded you for it. But the odds weren't in my favor today. Even if I managed to flee somehow, I… I would have never captured Zuko, Iroh or the Avatar. And Mai stayed with Zuko, to boot… not that it's surprising, really."

"She has always… uh, always liked him, I understand?" Noriko asked. Azula nodded.

"I suppose what you and Ty Lee started about me and this boy amused her only so she could get back at me for all my teasing of her crush on him," Azula sighed.

"Is… Zuko good to her?" Noriko asked. Azula raised an eyebrow.

"Good?" she repeated. "In what sense, exactly?"

"Do you think they could have a… a healthy relationship?" Noriko asked. Azula scoffed.

"Unlikely… though that's true to any members of my family, I suppose," Azula said, with a shrug. "We're royal. Very little about us can be healthy, Noriko."

"I suppose that makes sense, but…" Noriko said, sighing. "I suppose I had hopes that the two of you might find happiness, regardless of the family's pressures."

"Happiness isn't a priority," Azula said, simply. "The Fire Nation and the Fire Lord are. All our happiness should come from…"

"From serving him?" Noriko asked. Azula nodded, though her brow furrowed slightly. "You have experienced happiness, though… haven't you? If only in small ways."

"I don't know," Azula said, simply – her heart, fickle and treacherous, urged her to say yes.

"If not…" Noriko said, gritting her teeth. "Then I hope you do, in the future. As I hope Zuko does, too, no matter if, well… if sometimes it feels like I don't know who he is anymore."

"Oh? Because of his scar?" Azula asked. Noriko winced, but she shook her head.

"His scar… the physical side of it isn't all there was to his pain," she said. "His father's rejection, his failure to rise to his expectations… all of it must have devastated him. But the truth is, I… I don't think he's ever noticed me, Princess. I stood between the two of you, and…"

"And he shoved you off," Azula repeated, scowling.

"Right now, he stared at me and… and it felt like the first time he's properly seen at all," Noriko said, biting her lip "I'm worried about his demeanor, his behavior, his treatment of others. When I started working for him, at the Palace, I… I felt invisible. As though he couldn't see me because all he could see was his father. The only thing that mattered was pleasing him… and those of us who weren't Ozai were as good as insignificant. You, of course, weren't insignificant, but…"

"But I was an obstacle in his path. A challenge he needed to prove himself superior to," Azula finished. Noriko grimaced. "Mai… she was a girl who liked him, and I suppose that boosted his self-esteem even higher than it got boosted after he became heir to the throne. You'd have thought he'd always been born to be Fire Lord, with the way his confidence grew in the years since… since Father's coronation."

"I believe he… he is a good boy. That his heart is in the right place," Noriko said. "But… he's gone astray in ways I never anticipated. So I… I'm left to wonder if I knew him at all. I suppose I should ask you, shouldn't I? About… about who your brother really is,"

"You know who he is," Azula said, simply. "The Crown Prince in Exile…"

"That's his title. That's not who he is."

It wasn't the first time Noriko said words of the sort. The conviction with which she spoke them made Azula self-aware, and she shivered as she glanced at the stern woman beside her.

"What he's been through would change and hurt anyone… it's been a scarring, damning experience in ways most of us would never understand. I know I'll never truly understand his pain… I hope you don't, either," Noriko said, gazing at Azula heartily. "It isn't out of lack of empathy that I say what I do, only… out of fear of who he might have become in the years of his exile. Even if he was so keen on chasing after his father when I first knew him… he wasn't the volatile, angry young man we've met since your mission began. He was fighting you, wasn't he? He wasn't… wasn't helping you capture the Avatar."

"He wants to capture the Avatar himself," Azula said, simply. "I suppose it never occurred to him that, if he fought alongside me, perhaps the two of us could be victorious…"

"But the Avatar is just a boy," Noriko said. Azula grimaced.

"He's a mission."

"He's more than that. Just as you are more than a Princess, and Zuko more than a Prince in exile," Noriko said. Azula gritted her teeth: she could have simply dismissed Noriko's insolences, been affronted by them… but she glanced at her with confusion instead.

"You say that, but… how are you so sure?" Azula asked. "I… I've been my father's daughter all my life. Whatever he wants from me, I deliver the results he requires of me. That's my purpose. That's…"

"You are more than your father's orders. So is Zuko," said Noriko.

Her hand reached out, clasping Azula's gently. The Princess's shame urged her to yank her hand away… but she didn't. For some reason, she didn't.

"I wished to know who Zuko is, if you have any better notion of the answer than I do… for if he's nothing without his title, it means all the potential I know he has in his kind heart is going to waste."

Azula's eyes widened. Her hand, still in Noriko's, trembled slightly.

"Potential?" she repeated. Noriko nodded. "You… you don't mean, of course, as Fire Lord. You mean… as an individual? As a person?"

"Of course," Noriko sighed, closing her eyes sorrowfully. "A good man might not be able to be a great king… but I'd rather he is a good man above all else."

Azula frowned. A good man? Was Zuko one? Whether he was or wasn't… Azula herself certainly wasn't a good person. Noriko would be quite disappointed if she saw Azula without her titles, then, if she got to know her for who she was…

But in truth, the notion of lacking her title was as terrifying as it was intriguing. She certainly didn't want to empathize with Zuko's position much, but what would she do, were she in a similar situation? Granted, she was traveling the Earth Kingdom, hoping to obtain victories for the Fire Nation that she would later offer her father as a sign of her effectiveness, her loyalty, her true devotion to his cause… but she was traveling with Noriko, now with Ty Lee as well, while living as distantly from the luxurious life she had ever indulged in – a dinner comprised by wild berries? She'd never eaten anything as weak as that for a meal. A needling, prickling fear kept gnawing away at her insecurities, too: what if she failed? What if she couldn't capture Zuko and Iroh? What if the Avatar gave her the slip, too? There was one more endeavor, one thing her father wanted done in the Earth Kingdom and, as far as she knew, the Drill might already be on its way to Ba Sing Se… could she join that mission, even take command in it, in order to claim an important victory to prove to her father that she wasn't useless?

If so… she would be no better than Zuko.

Even if her father had given her all the resources he had, she was constantly faced by failure. Needing a victory, any victory, to prove she wasn't as weak as her brother was embarrassing: she knew herself better than him, why would she need to prove otherwise? Yet Ozai's harshness, the unyielding steel of her father's glare, daunted her whenever she recalled it. He wouldn't care whether she was a better firebender or a better strategist or a better leader if she had no results to prove it. If he concluded that he'd squandered countless resources on her only for her efforts to yield no fruit…

In a twisted sort of way, it seemed she would discover who she was without a title eventually, whether she liked it or not.

"How…?" Azula said, swallowing hard before composing her words fully. "How do you know someone isn't a good person? Or if they are one, anyway? Zuko… well, he's not exactly stellar in my opinion. But… I suppose he has some manner of instinctive bravery that makes him charge into everything without hesitation. Is that a sign of a good person?"

"I… suppose it's a sign of recklessness, truth be told," Noriko said. "He should take better care of himself, but…"

"He hardly thinks he should, I expect, for our father has made it clear that he's a failure," Azula said. "He's desperate to prove otherwise."

"He wants his father's love and approval," Noriko said. Azula gritted her teeth.

"And I'm no better."

Her confession spilled before she knew what she was doing. Noriko's eyes widened, but Azula offered her a dry, insincere grin.

"I won't lie to myself about something as obvious as that," she said. "Nor is there any point in lying about it to you. I… I don't know if Zuko is, down to his core, a decent person… I do know I'm not one, myself."

"Azula, that's not…"

She glanced at Noriko with a slight frown: the woman paused upon realizing she hadn't spoken with the appropriate respect for one of her position, even if she had such slipups quite often. She pulled her hand back nervously, lowering her gaze.

"Princess… you are young. You are still getting to know yourself. You still have chances and opportunities to… to discover you are more than who you think you are."

"And if I'm not?" Azula said, eyeing Noriko skeptically. "You… you may think everyone is like you. You're too kind, if anything… and most people aren't like you. I know I'm not."

"You helped your brother when no one else did," Noriko said. Azula tensed up. "His ship… it was your doing. His crew, even the opportunity to travel with Iroh…"

"I… I only did that because it was convenient for me," Azula said, stubbornly. "Because without Zuko nearby, my position as my father's heir was cemented further. And I convinced Father solely because he wanted Iroh gone, too. I… I offered him a way to achieve both his goals in a single choice."

"And in doing so, you ensured your brother would have a chance to fulfill his mission with a faithful companion, his uncle," Noriko said. Azula gritted her teeth. "I… I fear I don't believe that's your true motive, Azula. You hide behind all these walls, these pretenses of cruelty solely because it's what you believe your father would approve of… probably because it is. He has spent years teaching you to crush any obstacles in your way… and you have spent those years learning how to circumvent them quietly instead, I suspect."

"You're wishful," Azula said, stubbornly. Noriko raised her eyebrows.

"Am I, truly?" she asked. The Princess scoffed.

"What I said before… you're too kind. Too nice. You're too good a person, and that somehow has convinced you that the rest of us are just like…"

"I'm not a good person, Azula. I haven't been one for a long time."

The Princess's jaw dropped: she stared at Noriko in utter disbelief, finding the woman crestfallen, her head bowed in apparent remorse.

"Of all the things you've said tonight, that's by far the most ridiculous one," Azula blurted out. "If you're a bad person, the rest of us don't stand a chance."

"You… you don't know who I was. Who I've been. The things I've done…" Noriko said, shaking her head. Azula raised an eyebrow. "I…"

For a moment, it seemed as though Noriko was going to say something vital. To confess something that would get a massive weight off her back… just as it would cause her situation to grow more muddled and complicated. The anticipation increased as she looked at Azula… until her expression changed, and she offered the girl a sad smile.

"I've hurt people with my actions. I've… done things I shouldn't have," she concluded. "I… I never told you, did I? That I… was married, once?"

"You were?" Azula raised her eyebrows. "You're not anymore?"

"Actually? I… I suppose I still am," Noriko said, grimacing. "All the more reason to conclude I am a bad person, isn't it? I… I married someone, when my heart yearned for someone else."

Azula's eyes widened. She blinked blankly for a moment, trying to process the information as Noriko breathed deeply, shaking her head.

"I was but a girl… a foolish, mindless girl who got swept up by fantasies. The man who loved me… he asked me to marry him. I agreed to it, we had been together since we were children, it felt like, and… and I thought I'd build a life with him. But then… a better offer came along, you could say. It was only better in terms of social advancement, truthfully, and yet I had no choice but to accept the deal, because…"

"It was what your family expected from you," Azula concluded. Noriko nodded.

"I married the second man, and… and for a long time I simply yearned for the past. Eventually, I learned to live life as best as I could with my husband, but it wasn't easy. The bad parts outdid the good. Eventually, he… he forced me to leave."

"He forced you?" Azula said, frowning. "He sent you away? And you're still married, even so?"

"I don't know… perhaps he saw our marriage legally dissolved and dismissed since then, I truly don't know," Noriko said, sighing and shaking her head. "But I… I left. I left behind so many things I treasured… and I only truly understood how badly I wanted it all back once I was faced with the impending reality that I had lost it all forever. Perhaps if… if I'd made different choices, I wouldn't have lost those I cared about…"

"You cared about him, in the end?"

"No… about our children."

Azula froze. Children? Noriko had…?

Her suspicions were right then. Her motherly behavior made far more sense if seen in this light. Was she projecting her children onto Azula, where Iroh did the same with Zuko? Her foolish heart tingled at that notion, somehow…

"I should have never left them… I should have never allowed my husband to send me away," Noriko sobbed, shaking her head as tears spilled down her face. "But I left… and I found the man who loved me, afterwards."

"You… you did?" Azula asked. "The first one? Did he take you back, or…?"

"He would have… had I allowed him to," Noriko said, swallowing hard. "We traveled together for some time and I… I tried to deceive myself into believing this was what I wanted. That this was the life I deserved to live. But ultimately… I was no longer the girl he had once loved. And he was no longer the man who had once loved me, either. He had changed, too… maybe for the better, I cannot say for sure, but he had changed regardless. I cared for him, though… just, not in the way I did once. The very notion of… of forsaking even the memory of my children and playing blind, foregoing my claim upon my identity, upon everything I was, all be it to indulge in a mindless fantasy of love? I… I couldn't do it. I broke his heart with my choices, I know I did… but I couldn't stay with him."

Azula swallowed hard. Noriko sighed, wiping the tears from her eyes as she smiled sadly.

"So… I broke the heart of the man who loved me. I left my children under the care of their father, who… who I'm sure hasn't cared for them at all. And all I can do is… is look after you as best as I can, Azula. Because even if I know I'm not much… I still hope I can justify my existence by being helpful, useful, to you."

"You've… you've been more than that."

Noriko gasped. She glanced at Azula… just in time for the Princess's hand to fall on hers now.

"I… I don't think that what you've said sounds like you're a bad person. But I suppose… I'm bad enough that nothing short of my own cruelty would faze me," Azula said, with a weak smile. "At least… at least you feel bad about leaving your children behind. At least you grieve for that. If I were in your shoes, I… I would have forsaken anything that I thought weighed me down and I wouldn't have looked back. So… if I'd felt any affection for that man, I probably would have simply chosen him. You didn't, though."

"I… I didn't," Noriko said, breathing deeply.

"I take it you couldn't return to your children, could you?" Azula asked. "Not with the father in the way, doing whatever he could to keep you away…"

"I… I've tried, but…" Noriko said, with a sad smile.

"Well… once we return to the Fire Nation, I can help you sort it out," Azula said. Noriko's eyes widened. "If you had told me of this sooner, I might have…"

"Oh, Princess, you don't have to do anything at all…"

"I do, though. You… you're a better person than you think you are, and I'm sure you'd be able to see it if you return to your kids," Azula said, firmly. Noriko smiled sadly at her.

"And then… then you claim it is me who is too kind? Princess…"

"I'm willing to do this for you, it doesn't mean I'm any better than I say I am," Azula said, curtly. "I… I envy your children, I'll say. They'll be grateful once you return to them. Once they… they realize that you've done everything in your power to be with them. My mother… she left, and she didn't even say goodbye. So… as you can see, it's not easy for me to think you're an awful person, no matter how you argue that you are one. I'm used to… to a lot worse than anything you've been capable of, Noriko."

The woman's eyes appeared to betray something deeper than Azula could understand… but she smiled sadly, squeezing Azula's hand gently.

"Perhaps we are both wrong, then. And we're both better people than we think we are."

"In your case, certainly. In mine…"

"Oh, Princess…"

Azula smiled, despite herself, at Noriko's frustrations. The woman appeared determined to defend Azula from herself… it was endearing, even. But after their conversation tonight, Azula couldn't help but feel they had grown closer… that they had cemented a strange familial bond that had been latent so far, and that she only truly appreciated now.

She had a strange sort of mother in Noriko, she supposed… but a mother, indeed. She was someone she could count on, someone she could genuinely trust… and that was such a novel, strange notion after her father had told her, numerous times, that trust was weakness. That believing in others blindly would result in nothing but betrayal. That they would hurt her and turn on her at any chance they got… but just one look at the kind-hearted Noriko persuaded her otherwise at once.

"I'm grateful… that you still wish to have me by your side," Noriko said, with a heartfelt grin. "I hope I never give you cause to feel any differently. Whatever you want from me, Princess, I…"

"Well, if that's the case, I would very much like for you to stop telling that Water Tribe boy that I like him," Azula said, startling Noriko.

"I… yes. Of course, Princess, I… I overstepped all boundaries," Noriko said, swallowing hard. "You may still have a chance with him, though, if…"

"I… come on. That's not… not relevant at all," Azula said, frowning. "It's not like he would ever consider starting a relationship with someone from the Fire Nation, he likely despises all of us altogether. And even if he were strange enough to be interested in me, well… my father would never approve. He would never let me be with someone he can't approve of."

"Solely because he's Water Tribe?" sighed Noriko. "I suppose he wouldn't be pleased, but… Sokka does seem to be a good boy. I really think all of you could be friends, if anything were different… even Zuko."

"Well, nothing is, I fear," Azula said, breathing deeply.

They sat in silence for a moment, watching the twinkling stars above, the silence of the dry land that spread before their eyes. In that moment, Azula built her resolve to ask a question she never thought she'd speak… but upon letting Noriko into her heart as she had, it became slightly easier to feel like she could share her thoughts with her. Like she could ask questions and not be judged or ridiculed for them. Thus, she breathed deeply, her voice trembling slightly as she blurted out.

"What… what is it like, falling in love?"

Noriko raised an eyebrow. Azula's cheeks heated up as she turned her gaze away from the woman.

"I only ask because… well, it hasn't really happened to me, I don't think. All your insistence about this boy, Sokka… I don't think it makes any sense, but I just thought I'd find out if there's anything in common between that notion and, well, whatever all of you have assumed I feel towards him."

Her awkward explanations made her feel more self-aware yet… and Noriko's answer took her by surprise.

"Falling in love… to be honest, I'm not sure I've ever experienced it. Not in the way people usually talk about it," she said. Azula frowned.

"But… you were going to marry that man, and then you married the other man? You had no feelings for either of them?"

"I had feelings for the first of them, yes, but… I was young. I didn't truly understand my heart, and… and he understood his all too well. Before I knew it, I was in a relationship with him and it was even comfortable, I suppose, but… it feels like I never truly made the choice to be with him myself," Noriko said, with a sigh. "It was as though, because we grew up together, it was expected that our bond would become romantic… and I never truly slowed down to think it through. Not until I was walking away for good. By then… I realized that maybe I just wanted to return to him because he was all I knew, and that maybe I didn't love him as deeply as I had realized I could love someone…"

"What do you mean?" Azula asked. Noriko smiled sadly.

"What I felt for my children… that was love. The purest, truest love I ever experienced. It was love, because I… my heart was lighter whenever they were around. Every dark thing in my life faded away as long as I was with them. They were so young, and conflictive… but deep down I just wanted them to be friends, just as I wanted to look after them myself. I wanted to protect them forever… and I couldn't do that. To this day, nothing I've ever done fills me with sorrow as that awareness.

"I wanted to help them find happiness. Their laughter, their joy… they brought a smile to my face every day, and I wanted to ensure theirs would last for as long as possible. I wanted them safe, protected from the horrors of this world. I wanted them to live in peace, even if it wouldn't be likely to happen in a world at war. Their needs, their hopes… they were so much more important than my own. Nothing could have mattered more… nothing has ever mattered more to me. In the end… I lived for them. To this day, I live on for them. Without them, I would be lost. I would have no true purpose. I suppose… you could say they're the ones who taught me who I was. The ones who taught me how I wanted to live my life. And every day I'm away from them, I… I feel this anguish inside me, this dread that I might never be with them again. That, even if I returned… they might not want or need me anymore. And that would hurt, yes, but… but even if that were the case, I'd be happy as long as they are, too. I would accept it, so long as they can live the lives they deserve to live. That is all that matters."

Azula blinked blankly as Noriko breathed out slowly, turning a sad smile upon the girl beside her. Azula swallowed hard, turning her gaze away.

"Well… safe to say I'm not falling in love with that boy, if that's what I'm supposed to be feeling for him," she concluded, cheeks reddening. Noriko laughed, squeezing her hand gently.

"Oh, dear…" she said: Azula's eyes widened upon hearing an unusual term of endearment used on her. "This is the way you'll feel once you have established a proper bond, first. And it's true… it might not be him. But if the day comes when you find someone you care for, if you allow that relationship to blossom fully… you may come to feel exactly as I feel about my children. Thus… I can't really tell you much about falling in love, I fear. If I ever truly loved Ikem, I hardly noticed the 'falling in love' stage, personally. Like I said… it felt like we were always together, like our relationship was a given. So… you'll have to explore that for yourself, Azula. Whether now or in the future."

Azula swallowed hard but shrugged. Her cheeks were red still over her recklessness upon asking such a question… also over the answers she had received. Imagining herself feeling anything quite as profound as what Noriko had described towards that Water Tribe boy sounded idyllic and quite unlikely…

"In the future, at best," Azula said, shaking her head. "It's not like I had any manner of certainty about him as a potential match for me, but then you and Ty Lee told him I liked him. I don't even know if I do or not, to begin with. Him being handsome is beside the point…"

"True. Though you took notice of his leadership, and I think you may have some respect for him…"

"I have to respect my opponent, especially if it's one I have yet to outdo," Azula said, simply. "But either way… like I said before, nothing is bound to come from this, and not solely because of that. My father… even if I ever grew to feel what you explained, he'd never accept it."

"Well… you'll call me treacherous anew for saying so, but your heart is more important than your father's approval," Noriko stated, simply. Azula frowned.

"My… heart?" Azula said, with a slow, derisive smile. "Well, that sounds wishful of you, but… I don't think I have one. At least… my mother didn't think I did."

"W-what…?" Noriko said: her face paled, and Azula eyed her with uncertainty.

"Well, she… she thought I was a monster," Azula said, with a shrug now. "It's not like she's wrong, so…"

"Azula…!"

Noriko's voice suddenly sounded terribly familiar. Again, it reminded her of the way someone had scolded her, long ago, whenever she misbehaved. Even that frown on her face… Azula almost flinched away, shocked by her companion's reaction. What had she said that could be so outrageous? She was a monster… that was what her mother believed, so why…?

She couldn't elaborate a single thought, or say any words, before Noriko made her next move.

Azula froze cold, the impact of Noriko's choice flooring her at once. A flush rose over her face over how reckless and outrageous this woman dared be…

She was hugging her.

Noriko was hugging her.

She had no memory of ever being hugged this way. Ty Lee was rather given to quick, random embraces, but not this way. Not with as strong emotions as the ones Noriko conveyed now. Not with that intensity... not with that affection.

Azula shivered, raising her hand as to push Noriko away… knowing, quickly, that the woman wouldn't yield. So… it would be a waste to try to make her stop doing this and remember their social standing. She wouldn't listen, anyway, it was pointless to try and fight off this embrace, so…

So her hands fell upon her companion's back. Her face wound up pressed to her shoulder as Noriko's grip around her tightened.

"I… I'm so sorry," she said. Azula gritted her teeth.

"You don't have to…"

"I do. You're not… you never were a monster. You could never be a monster! Your mother… she was a miserable, foolish woman with no notion of the severity of her words and actions…"

"You can't… c-can't keep saying those sorts of treasonous things," Azula said, though her heart churned upon hearing those words.

"She was… she was unworthy of her children. Unworthy of calling herself your mother," Noriko said: tears spilled down her face as she shook her head repeatedly. "She didn't see… she didn't see what I've seen. She didn't know you as I do. She didn't understand you… a-and wherever she is, I guarantee she… she regrets failing you every day, for she could never be the mother you deserved. But… but that's not what matters. What matters is your wellbeing, Azula, your… your peace of mind. You're not a monster, Azula… you were never one. Any fool who would think so… is far more monstruous than you could ever hope to be."

Azula shivered, uncertain of how to answer those words. Uncertain if they warranted an answer at all. She should warn Noriko not to say anything so treacherous again, or else she'd be in trouble, and–…

A soft sob burst from her lips before she knew it.

Only upon hearing her own choked sound did Azula realize that tears were spilling down her cheeks, too.

She held onto Noriko tightly, unable to temper or restrain her tears. Unable to process what the woman's words truly meant just yet. Knowing that someone didn't think her to be a monster, however… Noriko, the strangely kind-hearted woman who had somehow chosen to take care of her, didn't think she was a monster. She wasn't here solely because it was her job… she truly cared about Azula. She truly cared…

The words she had spoken earlier about her children rang powerfully within her heart: was that how Noriko felt about her? Was that why she was so defensive over Azula, so willing to lash out at Ursa…? Did Noriko actually love her?

The realization broke her down even further: whether the tears were caused by sadness over thoughts of her mother, or over relief to know someone appeared to love her unconditionally, they still spilled from her eyes and unleashed the depths of her despair and hope, of her passion and misery. The restraints that Azula herself, her father, her advisors and even her mother had bound around her throughout her fourteen years of life came undone, leaving her bare, pure and true to who she was, for the first time in her life.

They had meant to return to the train-tank by morning, but it seemed their feeble meal of berries didn't sit so well with Ty Lee or with the mongoose dragons. The former circus performer had woken up groaning and moaning over a stomachache – she had certainly eaten more than Azula and Noriko had. The Princess had left Noriko to care for her friend, then, and she had taken a walk in the nearby areas, wandering the dry canyon lands they had wound up taking refuge at. It was easy to miss the Fire Nation in lands as foreign and distinct as those of the Earth Kingdom… lands she knew she didn't belong in, and where she didn't seek any manner of belonging, either.

Noriko's words from the previous night continued to round her mind: the notion of learning who she was without her title, of discovering her true self without the privileges, the luxury… what about her bending? She had always considered that to be a crucial part of who she was… but it wasn't everything she was, either. Noriko might even think it wasn't that important… not as important as her choices, or her understanding of the world, at least.

It was so strange that a woman like her would have as much power over Azula as she did. So strange that Azula would allow her to hold that power, too… but after last night, it was easy to understand why she did. After last night, she couldn't help but cling to the first time she had been hugged in such a genuine way. The first time she had ever heard someone dismissing her mother's words… something about the passionate defense Noriko had made of Azula had struck her as odd. Had she known Ursa, perhaps? Did they have a clash at some point or another? Was Ursa somehow responsible for something terrible that had befallen Noriko? Her vitriol towards her mother should have shocked Azula, it should have even upset her… perhaps Ursa was right, and she was a monster after all, for she had even felt relief upon hearing someone convey something other than praise and admiration towards the Fire Lord's missing wife. She would have taken a stand to defend Ursa, she supposed, if only she were a better person… but she wasn't one. She had felt appeased for once in her life… for once, she had felt understood. Her experiences hadn't been dismissed in the face of every good thing Ursa had done… of how nice she had been to Zuko. Whatever Noriko's reasons might be, she had thoroughly shaken up Azula's heart last night, and the Princess still had no idea of what to do about it…

Her ruminations were interrupted by a sudden scream, coming from a cluster of trees on a lower area of the canyon: a male scream, she thought, but she couldn't be sure. She had thought there was no one nearby… wary, and ready for any confrontation, she approached the source of the voice slowly.

Azula's footsteps were as quiet as could be – it was made all the easier by the strange noises drifting from what she soon noticed to be a crack on the ground. Azula frowned, approaching steadily…

Her eyes widened, and she gasped, when she saw Sokka's head, as well as some of his fingers, poking out of the crack on the ground.

Her gasp alerted him that he wasn't alone. He whimpered, turning his head towards her, perhaps hoping to ask for help… then he noticed who she was, and he flinched.

"Oh, just my luck. Dinner runs away and then she shows up…" he groaned, glaring at her. Azula scoffed, glaring right back. "Don't even think about it!"

"Well, well… the Avatar's friend," Azula said, with a slow smirk. "Did you get left behind somehow? They must be rather ruthless if they decided to abandon you this way. Was it some manner of mutiny?"

"Mutiny?" Sokka repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"You know the meaning of the word, don't you? As you're their leader, they decided to rebel against you and buried you here…" Azula said: Sokka's eyes widened.

"I… ha! You think I am the leader too, don't you?!" Sokka exclaimed, smiling. Azula raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I'm going to tell Katara that you… u-uh, anyway, that's not it though. They didn't bury me here, it was an accident."

"You… fell into this crack by accident?" Azula said, blinking blankly. Sokka grimaced. "Heh. Well, that's… not very dignified of you. Maybe you really aren't the leader after…"

"I am, though!" Sokka exclaimed, blushing as he squirmed awkwardly in the crack. "Ugh! This stupid, damn…!"

Azula raised an eyebrow as she watched him struggle against his restraints. His hair was slightly disheveled right now, with a few strands hanging loosely around his head. It wasn't an unappealing appearance, she supposed, but she'd do best to do something other than admire him mindlessly.

"Then I take it your friends are around here?" Azula asked.

"Yeah, and yours aren't, so I don't know what you hope to pull off, but you'd better save it," Sokka grunted. "Aang's already becoming an earthbending master, and he's going to have you biting his dust if you try to attack him now…"

"That… sounds unlikely," Azula said. Sokka frowned. "You're lying, aren't you? He's nowhere close to being a master yet."

"I… how do you know I was lying?" Sokka grimaced. Azula smirked.

"You're terribly transparent. No matter if you're just a head on the ground," Azula said, breathing deeply. "I appreciate the information, of course…"

"Augh!" Sokka scowled: she hadn't known all along that it was a lie, but he had wound up confirming as much by blurting out that foolish question. He eyed her warily, and Azula smirked at him.

"Anything else you'd like to share?" she asked.

"Heh, not a chance. What're you going to do, set me on fire, huh?!" Sokka asked, confrontationally.

"Well, that would be no fun while you're stuck in the ground this way, I have to say," Azula smirked. Sokka pouted.

"Then… what, I'm at your mercy?" Sokka asked. "Well, you're getting nothing from me! Be it information or anything else…!"

"Anything else?" Azula asked, raising an eyebrow. Sokka's cheeks flushed, and her own did too. "I… no. Don't even… I told you that's not what's going on here! I don't even know you!"

"Yeah, and I don't know you either! So clearly, we have nothing to do with each other on a personal level, right?" he said. Azula scowled at him. "Therefore… y-you wouldn't try to kiss me while I'm helpless or something, right?"

"That… would be very uncomfortable. I would have to crawl on all fours to do it. That sounds undignified and stupid," Azula said, pointedly. Sokka snorted.

"Well… that's an argument I can accept, I guess," he said. "You do have standards, huh?"

"Evidently," Azula said, glaring at him pointedly. Sokka blinked blankly before balking.

"Hey! I'm a real catch! Your friends think so anyway, and surely you think so too, or else they wouldn't think you…"

"They were entirely out of line by deciding who I allegedly have any manner of interest in," Azula scoffed, glaring at Sokka. He winced, pouting slightly. "I never said I liked you."

"Oh…?" Sokka blinked blankly. "Then… you don't like me? Really?"

Azula frowned as she stared at him: something about those blue eyes was terribly compelling… though she could as good as hear the gears inside his mind turning. Much as those inside her own head did.

He genuinely thought she liked him. If he was so foolish as to assume as much… then she could, perhaps, profit off his assumption. She might be able to convince him that it was true, all in a bid to ensure he would underestimate her… Azula raised her eyebrows, and her pause caused him to eye her even more warily.

"You really don't, do you?"

"I… never said I didn't, either," Azula said: her cheeks flushed stupidly, but she certainly hoped that would make her pretense more believable. Sokka scoffed.

"Are you sure?" he said. "Look, I get that the appeal of a guy like me can be difficult to resist for a girl like you…"

"A girl like me?" Azula repeated, blinking blankly and folding her arms over her chest. "And just what is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, you know… handsome? Smart? Terribly unlucky?" Sokka said, with a sigh. "Oh, who am I kidding? To be honest, when your friend said you liked me I just… kind of blanked for a minute. I mean, a crush at first sight's not an unthinkable concept, but I don't think a girl like you would…"

"What does that mean, exactly?" Azula said, stepping closer to Sokka and glaring at him pointedly before kneeling beside him. "A girl like me? What kind of girl am I?"

"W-well… you're Fire Nation. And you're a Princess," Sokka swallowed hard… and his cheeks reddened as he tore his eyes away from her. "And you're pretty. So I figure if you want a boyfriend you'd get yourself some Fire Nation guy rather than me, right? That part never made sense to me, and it still doesn't, so that's why it's easier to believe you don't like me. See?"

"You…" Azula blinked blankly before blurting out a question without even thinking it through. "You really think I'm pretty?"

Sokka frowned, glancing up at her: she seemed… surprised. Innocently so. That certainly wasn't what he had expected from the Fire Nation Princess. Was she that vain? That didn't look like vanity, truth be told. Insecure, then…?

"I mean… I have eyes," Sokka said, shrugging weakly and wincing for the difficulty in doing so while stuck in that hole. "Damn it! Anyway, well… is it that big a deal if I do? You're not going to actually like me now just because I said that, are you?"

"I… no!" Azula said, with a nervous smile: her cheeks remained red enough to match her clothes. "That would be… foolish. I'm well aware of how appealing I am for boys like you, so…"

"Great! And I'm aware of how appealing I am for girls like you," Sokka said, with a dry grin. "We've reached a nice understanding, haven't we, dangerous lady?"

"Dangerous…?" Azula repeated. Sokka smiled a little.

"It's kind of what I figured I'd call you and your friends…"

"My name is Azula," she replied, curtly. Sokka raised his eyebrows. "It… it's fitting for you to know it, considering I know yours. Sokka, isn't it?"

"Oh… huh. I guess you heard it at some point… Katara did shout a lot of weird things yesterday," Sokka said, with a weak smile.

"My handmaiden told me what it was, actually. She's the one you handed Tom-Tom to," she said. Sokka raised an eyebrow. "Mai's little brother? The child?"

"Ah! Oh. I see now," Sokka said. "She's a bit old compared to everyone else traveling with you, huh?"

"Not really. The drivers of the train-tank are older," Azula said. Sokka grimaced. "We are quite diverse in that sense, you see…"

"Is it safe to have older people driving a big dangerous vehicle…?" Sokka said. Azula smirked.

"Not really, but the vehicle isn't trying to be safe, so… I can't pretend I care," she said. Sokka blinked blankly. "At any rate, as fascinating as it may be for us to chat this way, I'm assuming you'd like to get out of there, wouldn't you?"

"Oh… yeah! But, um, well…" Sokka eyed her apprehensively, and Azula smirked at him. "Not that I want to reject your offer, if that's what you're offering? But if you want something from me once I'm out of here, eh, well, I don't think that's going to happen. I'm not handing Aang over to you."

"Is that the only thing you'd refuse to do?" Azula asked, probing him without much subtlety. Sokka blinked blankly.

"Uh… I won't hand Katara, either. Or Toph. Or myself, if I can help it…" he said. Azula smirked.

"Alright. How about… if I ask you to abandon them and join me?" she teased. Sokka scoffed. "Ah, see? There are other things you wouldn't be open to doing after all…"

"Well, I'm not down for eating rocks either, but I wouldn't think you'd tell me to do that! And believe me, I've tried, it's not fun, so don't make me do that again…"

"You've… tried eating rocks?" Azula said, raising her eyebrows. "Your group lives in more precarious conditions than I thought…"

"Well, I haven't had much to eat today, so I guess maybe we do," Sokka grimaced. "I was trying to hunt, and the little rascal I was going to capture escaped before I could catch it. So… I'm hungry. What about it?"

Azula might have answered his query with a dismissive sneer… but she couldn't do so before her own stomach growled loudly. Sokka gasped as she blushed, and then his smile caught her unawares.

"And you're hungry too!" he said. "Okay, get me out of here and I can hunt something. I'll give you half of it, and we'll go our separate ways, with full stomachs!"

"That's not… not the reward I had in mind," Azula said: she had to play up this nonsense now. She had to do it and make certain that this boy would lower his guard with her completely. It seemed to her he had lowered it considerably already, so…

"Uh… but you're starving too," Sokka pointed out. Azula shook her head.

"I don't need to obey the mandate of my stomach at every waking moment," she said – she certainly would have liked to, but that wasn't the priority right now. "This time, I… would obey another mandate. I… I suppose I don't owe you any explanations, do I? So… simply agree to my terms and I'll see about how to get you out of there. Understood?"

"And what's that?" Sokka asked, raising an eyebrow. "Your terms, I mean. A favor for a favor?"

"Indeed," Azula said. Sokka's brow furrowed as she prepared herself to reveal her grand demand… "I want… a date with you."

Sokka's preparation for a horrible demand was deflated instantly. His jaw dropped, and the Princess simply blushed at his reaction.

"I… what?! Y-you're extorting a date out of me?!"

"You're extorting a rather considerable effort out of me," Azula responded, simply. "In order to get you out of that hole, I have to find a way to break the land apart, something unlikely considering I'm not an earthbender, and I don't have any tools to achieve that with any degree of success, let alone with any certainty that I won't make matters worse…"

"U-uh…" Sokka grimaced as Azula continued.

"Or I could seek to yank you out of there. Which I suppose I could very well try right now…" Azula said, eying him warily. "But if you're as stuck as you say you are, it won't be easy. You'll probably be in pain once I try."

"I can handle it," Sokka said, bluntly. "Though… that doesn't mean I've agreed to it yet. Didn't you say you never said you liked me?"

"I did say that. And then I said that I didn't say I didn't."

"This is confusing," Sokka grimaced, hanging his head slightly.

"Is it that appalling, perhaps even embarrassing, to go on a date with me?" Azula asked, with a weak smile. Sokka winced and stared at her with surprise. "Ah… scary, perhaps, is the right word. What do you think I'll do to you, Sokka?"

"Uh… I don't know. But I guess… a date's a date, right?" Sokka said, swallowing hard. "We'd spend time together, and uh… hold hands? See a pretty place or something and that's it?"

"Well, we would be spending quality time together, mind you…" Azula said, rolling her eyes as she spoke with a hint of pride. Sokka couldn't help but smile.

"If that's really what you're thinking, then… I can accept it," Sokka said, with a shrug. Azula's eyes widened. "What? I mean, I don't like Fire Nation people, but at least you're pretty…"

"Heh. Well, then… if you really think so, I suppose I shall begin devising a plan to break you free," Azula said, folding her arms over her chest as she assessed her surroundings: the fool had agreed to it, then. She would make the most of his trust in her, gain proper insight into the workings of his group, perhaps even find a way to knock him out and use him as a hostage the Avatar would need to save at all costs…

But in all his foolishness, Sokka was sharp. She couldn't be too obvious about her intent. Masking everything behind a date would work. Acting like a lovestruck fool would be appropriate.

"Well, then… the tree branches above us are resilient, don't you think?" Azula asked. Sokka glanced up. "I may be able to use a rope, then, throw it over a branch, tie it around your… well, chest, if possible. Your neck would certainly be too dangerous…"

"I'd choke!" Sokka exclaimed. Azula chuckled. "You have a wicked sense of humor, don't you?"

"You could certainly call it that," she said. "Very well, then… hmm. But if the branch breaks…"

"You need support on two sides of the branch for it to be steady," Sokka said. Azula raised an eyebrow. "And if the branch is very tall, it'll be harder to keep it strong. You have to have good foundations for a tall construct not to break or fall."

"Especially one that would have no central support, of course," Azula said, frowning as she eyed Sokka with interest. "Your pain is another matter, too. Everything hurts while you're getting crushed down there, right? So… you may need to be chi-blocked once the operation to extract you begins."

"Chi-blocked?!" Sokka winced. "That's…"

"Unfortunately, I don't know the subtleties of the technique myself… meaning I'll have to hope Ty Lee's stomach has recovered," Azula said, with a dry grin. Sokka grimaced. "Rest assured, you won't feel a thing by then. But beyond that… do you really think the tree won't do?"

"I mean, it might? But it's not going to be easy," Sokka said, eyeing Azula warily. "Or safe. I think you need two foundations, you should set them down at either side of me, not too close together but not too far apart. Then…"

"A beam, of a sort, across those foundations. Perhaps a wooden plank," Azula said. "But if it moves around a lot…"

"Put big boulders to affix it to either side?" Sokka suggested. Azula hummed and nodded. "But not too many, I guess, or the weight might be too much…"

"The plank should be flexible enough to withstand your weight, but not so much that it wouldn't be firm and allow the rope to reel you up…"

"But not too firm, or it'll break as soon as you start pulling me. So… maybe we need extra support? Very big foundations? A thicker plank?"

"Hmm…"

They discussed the possibilities for what might have been around an hour. By the time they decided on a plan, though, Azula started to rummage through the area to seek the elements they needed: not much in the wilderness sufficed… so her best bet for some of their rudimentary tools would have to be found elsewhere.

"You're going to get your friends now…?" Sokka asked, nervously. Azula nodded.

"And a few other things too. The cabin we stayed in might have been empty, but with any luck, it might have a few wooden planks in good enough state for us to use. Don't go anywhere… oh, woops," she said, with a careless shrug. Sokka huffed.

"Ha ha! You're so funny, Azula!" he retorted, bitterly: she shot him a devious grin over her shoulder as she raised a hand in farewell.

"I'll be back shortly. Bear with it, Sokka."

He didn't quite expect he'd feel lonely once she walked away… he also didn't expect he'd wind up admiring her figure as she did exactly that. Strangely, while he had certainly processed that she was pretty before, the reality of it hadn't truly dawned on him until he'd seen her up close, pondering how to get him out of the hole. She was surprisingly civil and agreeable compared to her volatile brother, Sokka reasoned, no matter how persistent and dangerous she was…

About another hour passed, and his stomach churned with hunger when Azula finally returned: the women with her appeared as hungry as him, and Azula wasn't as strong as when she'd first found Sokka, either. Still, they brought planks from the house with them, as well as an old rope that Sokka deeply hoped wouldn't bite too unpleasantly into his skin.

"It's good to see you again, Sokka," Noriko said, with a gentle smile. Sokka let out a nervous laugh.

"Hello, uh… I have no idea what your name is," he said. Noriko chuckled.

"I am Noriko, and this is Ty Lee," she said, gesturing at the pale girl next to her, who still looked somewhat sickly. "You already know Princess Azula, of course…"

"Yep," Sokka said, casting a glance at the girl: she was already hard at work at preparing the rocky foundations of their contraption to rescue Sokka.

"That thing over there…" Azula said, gesturing at a white weapon lying on the floor behind Sokka.

"You mean my machete?" Sokka asked.

"It's our only actual available tool to build this system with," Azula remarked, reaching for it and glancing at Sokka. "You don't mind lending it to me if it's for your sake, do you?"

"Well… I guess not," Sokka said.

"What about the boomerang?" Ty Lee asked, looking at Sokka's back. "It's right there…"

"Not sure I know what we'd use it for, but if anything comes up, I suppose we will," Azula stated. "You do have a much more dangerous weapon… a club, I suppose? The one you nearly struck me with yesterday?"

Noriko gasped in horror, and Sokka blushed as he lowered his gaze shamefully. Azula eyed her handmaiden skeptically.

"It's not like I wasn't trying to set them on fire, myself," she said, and Noriko pouted.

"Still…"

"You didn't really, uh, try that hard with me, though," Sokka said. Azula raised an eyebrow. "Just saying, when I attacked you with my club…"

"You don't think I'm stupid enough to assume that a weapon as heavy as that one could be countered with fire, do you?" Azula said. "Your arsenal of weapons is… somewhat impressive, I suppose. Don't expect everyone to underestimate you just because you're not a bender."

"Well… mostly, it seems like it's benders who underestimate me," Sokka remarked, with a pout. "When you guys were chasing us, Toph just went and basically said I didn't count in the fight because I was a non-bender…"

"Toph?" Azula asked.

"Our new teammate. The earthbender," Sokka said. "Who is teaching Aang earthbending right now, so…"

"Why don't you just call for them to help if there's an earthbender you can ask…?" Ty Lee said. Sokka blinked blankly.

"Uh… well, I got a bit far from them when I was looking for food, and… and then she showed up," Sokka said. Azula raised an eyebrow. "I mean, you kind of found me two seconds after I fell in this stupid hole, so…"

"So, if I had been any less fortunate, I might have come across you before you fell at all?" Azula said, with a smirk.

"Well… I would've held my own against you in a fight. Still can, so…" Sokka said, blushing. Azula chuckled.

"Perhaps that's what we'll test on our… uh, well. Never mind," she said: her face flushed, and it was the first thing that got Ty Lee to act like herself again as she smirked at Azula.

"What? Azula, what happened here…?" she asked, with a teasing voice. Azula scoffed, glaring at her.

"We have work to do. Get to it."

"Azula! You have to tell me! Well, rather, us! You know Noriko and I are very supportive of your forbidden romance…!"

"Our… forbidden romance? Like, we're already in one?" Sokka asked, glancing at Azula, who sighed and shook her head.

"Don't listen to their nonsense. Everyone, get to work now," Azula said, firmly.

"Right, right. We'll save your boyfriend, Azula, no worries…" Ty Lee said, with a devious smirk: both Sokka and Azula shot her a nonchalant glare, and she could only giggle at how similar they were.

The work to yank him out of the hole began then: Noriko and Azula built the rudimentary system they tested gradually, ensuring that the planks from the cabin's walls and ceiling would work properly for their purposes. Meanwhile, Ty Lee found the better rocks to hold the weight of the planks, ensuring to gather many, as per Azula's command. Eventually, Noriko took to digging lightly around Sokka, and the others followed by using his machete and boomerang to break the ground slightly, if carefully, in the hopes that his release would be easier.

"Alright… we're ready," Azula declared: it was almost sunset by then, and Sokka reeled from the need to eat something, much like the rest of them did.

Azula, Ty Lee and Noriko would pull the rope they had set up atop the beam: they had bound it around Sokka's chest as best they could, but before the pulling could begin…

"Here we go!" Ty Lee grinned: her fists tapped Sokka's nape and spine with perfect precision, and Sokka yelped as his body suddenly lost all feeling. "How's that?"

"I… don't feel anything anywhere. Nice job," Sokka grimaced.

"Then we have no time to waste," Azula said: her hands remained firm on the rope, and she waited for Ty Lee to take her place before exclaiming: "Pull!"

Three weakened, hungry women – one of whom had struggled with indigestion that morning – weren't in the best of conditions to break Sokka's body free from the chasm he was stuck in, but their joint efforts began to deliver results in time. Sokka winced, not so much over pain but over the strange feeling of his body being pulled and shifted against his will, when he couldn't quite feel much… but even after one of his hands was freed, and his situation slightly less uncomfortable for it, he wasn't fully free just yet.

"Pull… harder!" Azula shouted.

"I can't do much else, Azula…!" Ty Lee groaned, the rope digging into her palms. Noriko did apply further strength, sweat dropping down her brow…

The plank upon which the rope rested suddenly made an unsettling sound: Azula gasped, yanking more of the rope on impulse – if it was going to break, then at least it better be after Sokka was free…

She pulled harder: the plank snapped and the entire contraption collapsed around Sokka.

Azula gasped as the rope's resistance faded: she dropped it and rushed towards the chasm, eyes wide, shoving everything out of the way to find Sokka still in the hole, down to his waist now… but he lay face-first on the ground.

"Sokka? Sokka!" she called him, forcefully pulling him up, to look directly at his face…

"I'm… sort of okay," he said, eyes meeting hers. Azula blushed: she had thought he was unconscious, and now they were too close for comfort.

"Then you shouldn't have dropped on the ground like that…!" Azula huffed, setting him down again and stepping forward, yanking him out of the hole fully, forcefully: finally, his legs were loose and Sokka was free… even if he had yet to move at all.

"Chi-blocked… remember?" Sokka said: Azula flushed upon realizing the anesthetic effect of the chi-blocking also translated in inability to move.

"But it's done! You're free!" Ty Lee exclaimed, clapping for a moment before dropping on her knees. "And I'm tired. And hungry. And I really want to go to the train-tank now."

"We will," Azula said, breathing out slowly before turning towards Sokka and pushing him over so he'd lie on his back. "You're alright?"

"I… I'm fine. Your concern is touching," Sokka chuckled: she scowled at him as he grinned carelessly at her. "Don't know what you'd want to do for that date, but I could go for eating a feast right now."

"Uh… oh. Right," Azula blinked blankly: immersed as she was in this operation, she had outright forgotten she wasn't pulling Sokka out of the hole for the sake of it. She had a mission, she was supposed to use him to get information, to lure out the Avatar, to…

"A DATE?!"

Her cheeks flushed as she heard Noriko gasp, after Ty Lee's apparently absent energies returned fast enough for her to shout those words.

"T-that's not…!" Azula said, turning towards her two companions with an unrelenting fluster. "He doesn't mean…! I mean, well, we reached an agreement, and that's…!"

Noriko's foolish grin made Azula feel even more self-aware with each passing moment: curses, why was she so happy? It was bad enough with Ty Lee being such an annoying, hopeless romantic… but Noriko shouldn't be so supportive of this nonsense too. It almost made Azula take this matter seriously when she knew she shouldn't. When she knew that, to Sokka, she was simply…

She glanced back at him… and found he was smiling. Her heart skipped a beat.

Just then, a rustling sound and a sudden sensation of movement in the corner of her eye caused Azula to tear her gaze away from Sokka… and towards a newly arrived, apparently distraught Avatar.

He was confused and alarmed once he lay eyes upon her. It certainly didn't help that Azula was leaning over Sokka, who still had a rope over his chest, while Azula's companions sat nearby, looking thrilled about whatever was happening there.

"Sokka!" Aang gasped, scowling before raising his hands to summon air.

"No, no, Aang! Stop!" Sokka shouted: the burst of air caused them to blow off violently, and not even Azula's attempt to grab onto Sokka's hand kept her from being flung away from Sokka.

The Avatar rushed in then, untying Sokka's makeshift harness while constantly glaring at the two girls and the woman who traveled with them: Noriko had tried to cushion Azula's body from being blown off into a rocky wall, though she hadn't been very successful at it. Ty Lee groaned, no doubt exasperated, tired and annoyed all over again.

"Stay away from him!" Aang shouted.

"Aang, they saved my life!"

The Avatar froze then, his bending cut off just as Azula huffed, incorporating herself and leveling a glare in his direction. The boy's jaw dropped before he turned his confused gaze towards Sokka anew.

"T-they… how? When?! You're tied up and you can't move, they chi-blocked you!"

"I was stuck in a hole and Azula got me out!" Sokka said. "Well, Azula, Noriko and Ty Lee did, but still…"

"Woah. You got all their names?" Aang blinked blankly. Sokka sighed.

"He was stuck in there for hours. And not you, nor any of his friends, so much as noticed," Azula hissed, dusting herself off as she marched up to the Avatar. Aang grimaced, jumping upright and positioning himself as though to fight. "Would you have preferred it if we left him there so wild beasts could turn him into their snack?"

"Uh… no," Aang swallowed hard, lowering his hands. "Thank you, if you really did this, but… why did you do it?"

"Because they're going on a date!" Ty Lee exclaimed. Azula groaned, dropping her face in her hands as Sokka let out a careless laugh. Aang's eyes widened.

"Woah… so it's true that you like each other? That's great, Sokka!" Aang exclaimed, beaming. "This way we won't have to fight her anymore!"

"Who said anything like that?" Azula huffed, glaring at Aang. "That's neither here nor…!"

"Oh, so that's how it is… you're friends with the girl who was trying to hunt us down, Sokka?"

Azula frowned, turning towards the newest arrival on the scene: the short earthbender rested against the rocky wall, arms crossed, the Avatar's staff resting by her side on the wall. Aang gasped.

"Toph…!"

"Can't say I like the sound of that," she said, with a smirk.

She raised a rock from the ground with a heavy stomp: everyone in the group gasped in confusion as Aang jumped forward.

"Toph! Stop! Sokka says they saved him!"

"And I say I don't buy it!" Toph said: even now, she was smirking. "What're you going to do? Run away because I don't believe you? Come on: prove your point, Twinkle Toes! Stand your ground and fight back, or I'll hurl this rock right at them!"

Aang yelled: he stepped forward and flung a flurry of air at Toph: she simply used the rock as a shield, smirking at Aang.

"You'll have to do better than that!"

The Avatar roared: his stance was firm, his arms and legs were tense, full of power…

Toph flung the rock at him. He jumped forward, roaring fiercely…

The rock stopped in midair. Aang gasped: he felt control over the rock for the first time, his body channeling the strength required to hold his own against Toph at last. He smiled, dropping the rock again, and this time, nothing he did was based on airbending.

"I… I did it?" Aang gasped, smiling brightly. "I did it!"

"See? You did have what it takes, Twinkle Toes," Toph smirked.

They seemed to have as good as forgotten about Sokka now, focused instead on the Avatar's first success at earthbending. Azula gritted her teeth, approaching the confused Noriko.

"We may have overstayed our welcome. We should…" she started, but she couldn't finish the sentence before someone interrupted her.

"Wait… but you're all hungry," Sokka said, flinching as the feeling started to return to his body. "And it's getting pretty late, right? Can't we call a truce, just for tonight?"

"Oh? A truce?" Azula asked, raising her eyebrows. Sokka smiled awkwardly as he pushed himself up to a sitting position, uneasily.

"You can go right back to hunting us… in two days or something. How about it?" Sokka asked.

Azula snorted lightly, but she smiled: truthfully, eating more berries that might not be entirely healthy for them didn't sound like the right idea. She wasn't sure what they'd eat, anyway, considering the circumstances… but at least it was an agreeable proposal, if nothing else.

"This doesn't count for our agreement, though: too many people around," Azula said, with a shrug. Sokka smiled awkwardly, cheeks slightly red before he nodded.

"Agreed."

Katara, it seemed, was frantically looking for her brother when the whole group finally made their return to camp… though she gasped in utmost confusion upon finding three new people had joined them, even if with no apparent ill-intent.

"Don't overreact!" Sokka warned his sister, an arm draped around Aang's shoulders as he helped him walk. "They're just… staying for dinner. We don't really have much for dinner, but that's okay, right?"

"What's…? What…? What?!" Katara shook her head, glaring at Sokka. "Oh, no. Don't you tell me now that you're seriously flirting with the Princess of the Fire Nation…!"

"I'm not!"

"He's not," Azula said, quickly.

"He is!" Ty Lee exclaimed, and both Azula and Sokka groaned in response to her claim. Of course, Katara was quicker to believe her than the other two, raising a menacing hand in their direction.

"I… I don't know what's going on, but I do know that I don't like it," she said, gritting her teeth.

"Katara… they saved Sokka, or at least, that's what he says," Aang explained, with a small smile.

"And we're hungry. And tired," Ty Lee added, with a groggy smile.

Katara blinked blankly: her compassion appeared to be about to rear its head, but her confusion still won out as she stared at her brother in perplexity.

"Saved you from what, exactly?"

He would share the story as the whole group took to finding food: an apple tree was the source of their meal this time, no matter if the fruit wasn't a very fulfilling one, and the two groups in a truce sat together by the fire Azula ignited for them, resting and recovering after a long, complicated day. Katara's distrust of the Fire Nation women didn't diminish, but even she, once the meal was about to end, couldn't help but remark:

"At least they're not as bad as Zuko."

Noriko grimaced upon hearing those words, but she said nothing. Clearly, the banished prince either had very few chances to prove himself to the Avatar's team… or he had simply allowed his darkest impulses to take the wheel upon each of those chances, instead. Whatever the truth might be, it was out of her hands right now.

Tired as they were, Ty Lee and Noriko wound up sleeping against a tree trunk while the Avatar's team took to their own accommodations: Sokka offered to keep watch, something Katara didn't appear too comfortable with, but seeing as he was the neutral party and mediator between both the Avatar's group and the Fire Nation one, strange as that concept might be, it seemed that he was the more likely one to keep the dangerous Princess at bay without violence.

"Well… that was a weird day," Sokka said, with an awkward grin directed at the Princess, the only other person who remained conscious in the group. The two of them sat side by side at one of the canyon's ridges, their legs dangling in the air as the cool night air brushed against them lightly. "But I'm glad you showed up when you did. Still pretty surreal that you went that far to help me… but I'm grateful that you did."

"I wasn't exactly doing it selflessly…" Azula said. Sokka smiled and shrugged.

"You did it anyhow. Pretty sure your brother would've laughed in my face and walked away… or decided to finish the job and set me on fire while I was trapped, I don't know," Sokka said. Azula raised an eyebrow.

"It sounds like he's been quite the nuisance for you and your group," Azula said. "Has he ever come even close to capturing any of you?"

"A few times. But we managed to escape anyway," Sokka smirked. "He caught me and Katara once, you know? He asked me how stupid I thought he was. I was honest and told him I thought he was 'pretty stupid', and…"

Azula couldn't muffle her devious laugh as she covered her mouth with a hand. Sokka grinned, swaying his legs even more enthusiastically over the ledge.

"I… I can only imagine the look on his face upon hearing that," Azula said, with another devious chuckle.

"Figured you might find it funny. Guess you and Zuko are a bit like Katara and me," Sokka said. "Nothing makes her laugh harder than seeing me make a fool of myself, so…"

"Well… I suspect your sister and you have a far more agreeable bond than mine with my brother," Azula said, glancing up at the sky. "He and I… well, we're enemies now. Our father tasked me with bringing him home… and that's what I'm supposed to be doing. Not having apples for dinner with the Avatar and his friends."

"Heh… I thought that it'd be 'Sokka and his friends,'" the Water Tribe boy said, and Azula's cheeks flushed.

"Well… perhaps it should be. You are their leader, after all," Azula remarked. Sokka chuckled, shaking his head.

"I'm probably blowing it out of proportion. I'm not really… well, leader material, I guess," he said, smiling sadly at her.

"Oh, really? What do you know about leader material?" Azula asked. Sokka blinked blankly. "Nothing, it seems. Clearly."

"W-well, I…"

"The very reason why I assumed you were the leader was precisely because I could sense that potential from you, Sokka," Azula said, bluntly. "And so far, you haven't proven me wrong. It only took a few words from you for the Avatar to fight his own earthbending teacher, to save me and my allies from her attacks. If that's not the sign of leadership that inspires genuine loyalty, I don't know what is."

"Heh, I guess when you put it that way…" Sokka smiled, blushing slightly. "You know… I used to think all Fire Nation people were monsters."

Azula shuddered upon hearing those words. His tone wasn't confrontational at all… even if his words were dangerous ones to utter near her.

"Well…. You wouldn't be the first to believe that," Azula said, simply. "Everyone believes I am one… well, except for one person."

"Make that two, then. Because I don't believe that either," Sokka said. Azula's eyes widened. "Whatever your motives… you saved me today. Thank you."

"I…" Azula's heart quickened its pace again: gratitude? She wasn't used to that. She wasn't sure what to even feel about receiving those words… she swallowed hard, biting her lip. "Well, I suppose I accept that sentiment. Though…"

"We have a date to schedule for the future, yeah," Sokka chuckled. "It'll be tough, scheduling it in the middle of a war, but… I'll look forward to it."

"We are in the middle of a war," Azula remarked, knowing the mood would change darkly now. "And we're on different sides. What happened today hasn't changed that."

"I know," Sokka said, breathing deeply and releasing the air slowly. "I guess I'll probably run into you in battlefields in the future again. Though… I can't say I look forward to it at all. Doesn't matter how much I connect with you, or how much I might enjoy talking with you or watching you work on strange engineering experiments…"

"It didn't go as well as it should have," Azula admitted, and Sokka chuckled.

"Either way… the truth is that we mean to defeat your father," Sokka said. "And we'll restore harmony after we do."

"Restore harmony," Azula repeated, glancing at Sokka. "Between… all four elements?"

Sokka swallowed hard before nodding. A shiver shook Azula deeply.

"It's… it's easier to see it now, after a day like today," Sokka said, with a gentle smile. "All four elements working together? It's… it's kind of a cool idea, isn't it?"

"Even after everything the Fire Nation did? After all the monsters we've unleashed in this world?" Azula asked. "Would you forgive the Fire Nation as easily as that?"

"Heh, well… I don't know if the full nation. I'd rather make up my mind for each specific situation," Sokka said. "I once met an Earth Kingdom guy who hated the Fire Nation so much that he nearly destroyed a village just to get back at the soldiers stationed there… with no regard over the many Earth Kingdom people in that very same occupied town. If it weren't for an old man from the Fire Nation who vouched for me, a man I'd saved from that guy, too… if it weren't for him, hundreds of lives would have been lost that day. So… anything's possible. Your nation wouldn't have to be the villains, the monsters, if you made a different choice. And… I think you made a different one today."

"I… chose you?" Azula said, raising her eyebrows. Sokka smiled and shrugged.

"We do have a date to go on, after all."

She didn't know yet if she agreed with everything he'd said – her heart was turbulent and jumbled, after all. But she still couldn't help but smile back, hoping he might be right about everything he'd said so far. For, if he was…

Maybe she was more than a monster, underneath her title.

Maybe she wasn't even a monster, to begin with.

"Anyway… I'd rather we were friends than enemies," Sokka said, with a shrug. "I know there's not much I can do about it… but I hope you know that. And that you also know that… I wouldn't be all that against it if we were a little more than friends, too."

Azula froze up. Sokka averted his gaze from hers once she searched him with her eyes. Her perplexity only gave way to a profound blush… until she smiled.

He held himself on that ledge with his hands on the rock: Azula dared reach her pinky finger out, brushing against his softly. Sokka raised an eyebrow, puzzled at first… but then he smiled. An innocent, simple grin… and yet it stirred feelings in Azula's chest that she had never thought she'd know. Feelings she had experienced already, if in a different way, over Noriko…

Affection. That was the right term for it.

She didn't dare think much more of it… didn't dare make more of it. It wouldn't do for her to be swept up by the situation only to wind up falling in love with him indeed…

But by the next morning, it seemed that was inevitable: the Avatar's group gathered their things, ready to take off on the next leg of their journey. Sokka lagged behind briefly, smiling at Azula in particular.

"Guess we'll be seeing each other, so… maybe we'll decide on that date next time," he said. Azula shrugged.

"Maybe we will," she agreed. He raised a hand in farewell… the very hand she had dared touch just lightly last night.

"See you, then… uh, Noriko, Ty Lee. Azula."

The way he spoke her name shot wild adrenaline through her system: the young man turned around, marching up to his friends, who seemed to not fly on the bison so far, all be it to ensure the Avatar would have time to work on more earthbending while they traveled by walking on land. They would shrink in the distance, and their voices would fade, and…

And Azula's chest would continue to yearn for something she didn't understand. To cling to the second person who, in a matter of days, had turned her understanding of herself upside down, entirely.

"Well, that was a crazy adventure," Ty Lee said, smiling and stretching her arms. "We should go, though. Lo and Li will be waiting and… I miss Mai. Maybe we should go look for her."

"Look for her where?" Noriko asked, puzzled. "Is it possible to track her down now? She stayed with Zuko…"

"It would be possible, but difficult," Azula said, curtly. Noriko hummed.

"Then we'll simply go to the train-tank?" she asked. "To continue our mission without her?"

Their mission… Azula's mission. Capturing Zuko and Iroh, the primary mission her father had given her, had resulted in utter failure. Her chosen mission to take the Avatar had failed, too. Then there was the matter of the Drill… which was likely on its way to Ba Sing Se by now. Her body shuddered at the thought: she shouldn't find it unsettling. She should be proud of what their great nation had accomplished… she should want their army to conquer a city. She should want all those things…

And yet in a world where there was only Fire Nation, she would never find a Water Tribe boy like him.

She couldn't resent them for causing her so much turmoil. She shouldn't. Sokka was only trying to be nice… to be a friend. But… perhaps he already was more than that in the heart she hadn't even known was there, dwelling inside her.

Who was she without her titles? What did it mean to be loyal to the Fire Nation? So much of her conversation with Noriko had shaken her… the woman was wise in strange, unexpected ways. So perhaps she'd know what to do. Perhaps…

Azula turned towards the woman, eyes heartfelt. Noriko raised her eyebrows.

"You told me… that you wondered who my brother was without his title," Azula said. "That if he was nothing without it, he was wasting away his life… and that's no different for me either."

"I did say that," Noriko whispered. Azula swallowed hard.

"And… what if my idea on how to find out who I am without mine isn't, well… an idea that would be agreeable with the Fire Nation?" Azula said.

"With the Fire Nation, or the Fire Lord?" Noriko said, curtly. Azula swallowed hard.

"I don't know. I… I don't know," she admitted. Ty Lee listened on the sidelines, her eyes widening at the unusually insecure side of Azula she was witnessing now. "I just… I don't know if this makes any sense. They don't want… they don't want to destroy the Fire Nation. He doesn't want that, at least. What the Fire Nation is trying to do… why are we even doing it? What is the point of it?"

"That's a question that has plagued many… and I fear not a lot of people come to a good answer for it," said Noriko, stepping forward and cupping Azula's face gently with a hand. "But Azula… you're a child. A young child, just like all the rest of you, and you shouldn't be fighting in any wars. You should be making friends… living a life you can find true enjoyment in. A good father, a loving father, would prioritize his daughter's heart… if Ozai cannot do that, then he doesn't deserve to call himself your father."

Ty Lee gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. Azula didn't flinch, though: those were treacherous words, as usual… and yet they rang deeply in her heart as she raised her gaze towards Noriko.

"What if this fails?" Azula asked. "What if… if this nonsense idea I've got in my head goes nowhere? What if he and I don't really…?"

"If true, long, everlasting love weren't born from your bond?" asked Noriko, with a gentle smile. "It wouldn't be the end of the world if it doesn't. You deserve to live your life... a life that has already been marred by warfare and chaos. You deserve to test the waters and find someone to share your life with, if you would like to do so. More than anything… you deserve to be your own person, dear. Not just your father's daughter… not just the Princess of the Fire Nation. You are those things, yes… but you are so much more than that too, Azula. And maybe… maybe it's time you see that for yourself. For I already see it… and I know your potential is beautiful. It's marvelous… and if you wish to reach for it now, I'll stand by you every step of the way. I promise."

Azula swallowed hard… glancing quickly at Ty Lee. She blinked blankly, eyes shifting between Noriko and Azula repeatedly…

"You… you can go back to your circus, if you want. Or find Mai. I shouldn't have dragged you out for this when I can't even… can't even find my resolve to keep doing it anymore," Azula admitted. Ty Lee shook her head rapidly, though.

"Oh, I need to be here with you, though! If you and Sokka do become an item, I have to give you lots of relationship advice!" Ty Lee giggled. Azula rolled her eyes.

"I'd rather ask Noriko…"

"Well… I'm not much good at romance, as you know, Princess," Noriko sighed, shaking her head. Azula raised her eyebrows. "So perhaps lady Ty Lee's advice would be better."

"Oh, yes!" Ty Lee giggled, clapping happily as Azula smiled, shaking his head.

"So… you'll stay. And you… you will too, Noriko?" Azula said. Noriko smiled and clasped her hand gently. "I suppose… I really might find out who I am underneath all the titles then? I've been intrigued by the notion since you said that to me, but…"

"You're worried about what you'll find?" Noriko asked. Azula nodded subtly. "Aren't we all, Princess. Aren't we all."

Azula smiled again as Noriko withdrew her hand: even then, her eyes radiated genuine affection… and Azula's heart warmed further upon knowing she had her approval. More than that, she had her affection… she had her support with whatever she might do going forward.

"Whatever the outcome may be…" Noriko said, her voice heartfelt and earnest. "I'm proud of you, my child."

Azula's heart pounded hard in her chest… for those were words she hadn't heard before, either. Words she had longed for, coveted without quite knowing it… words that meant something so different coming from Noriko than they would coming from her father.

But why had her voice sounded so strangely familiar suddenly?

Why did her eyes seem more… gold?

What was that strange, sudden mirage, that brought the notion of Ursa to mind when Azula was gazing at Noriko, instead?

Her lips parted… but she closed them again: just as suddenly as that strange visual had crossed her mind, it was gone again as soon as her rational mind interjected – her longing to hear those words from Ursa had brought her to think of her, surely that was all there was to it…

But she had Noriko. She had her, and if all went well, she'd have more friends, going forward. A smile spread over her face as she let herself imagine a world so different from the one the Fire Lord fought for… a world where Noriko's kindness might be the norm, rather than Ozai's coldness. A world where children didn't have to go to war against each other… where a prince, or a princess, wouldn't need to undergo trials and complications beyond compare to find out who they truly were.

It sounded idyllic… and she had so much to think about, so much to ponder, so much to think about thoroughly before she was ready to embrace it in full. But she might do best to think about such things, to talk about them, once she genuinely expanded her worldview beyond the confines and limitations of the Fire Nation.

She turned on her heels and she began walking with long strides, followed by Noriko and Ty Lee. Lo and Li might grow weary of waiting… Azula hoped they'd eventually return to her Barge, at least, and simply go home: she wasn't bound to need the train-tank anymore.

The sound of their footsteps on the dry land were first sensed by Toph: she warned the others, and Sokka slowed down, glancing over his shoulder. His heart sped up, and he smiled, once he saw Azula was smiling, too.

She didn't settle for a light brush from their fingers: this time, her hand wrapped gently around his palm once she reached him.

And so, they walked together, hands linked, into a brighter future.

#sokkla #sokka #azula #sokkla saturdays 2022 #sokklasaturdays #this is... the AU where Ursa chooses NOT to forget her children #and how her presence could actually change a fair few things #like honestly there's so many ways to take this concept #I took it in this direction because that's my calling in this fandom #but I really think all the takes on how Azula should have magically known better #can be refuted via actually giving her someone who helps her orient her moral compass properly #and who could be better for that role... than Noriko? :') #anyway here goes #hope you guys enjoy this one #sorry if the ending feels a little underwhelming #ngl I have no idea where this story would go after this but eh #that felt like the right place to end it :'D

[dualumina]

Apparently seeing a single Reddit comment mention how something is like Gilead is enough for the brain to decide "let's read the handmaid's wiki page talking about Gilead" and long story short it's been five hours we now know the plot of Handmaid's Tale

#adhd? never met her #you couldn't pay us to actively watch it because there's just SO many themes we can't deal with. #but it's one of those morbid curiousity type of things. wiki pages are so nice at alleviating that. #did not expect that it took place in present day America and that the rest of the world is basically the same #also didn't completely expect - but was not as surprised - that there's different roles besides the maids #but besides that? oh yeah it's just as messed up as we initially thought #if you like it good for you. just not our thing #there is exactly one good thing we enjoyed from the parts of the plot we read tho: #''ok you're meant to get pregnant from my husband but he's infertile. why not try with our driver?'' & the maid/driver fall in love #that's a decent writing prompt to work with. a twist on the usual ''and they were both servants'' or ''it's an arranged marriage thing'' #like take out the whole conception necessity you could reflavour it as ''you're suppose to marry X but they're ace so why not marry Y?'' #and X is like a high ranking person while Y is slightly lower ranking than X

[orcelito]

oh caving stresses me O U T

like not to be a Vast truther or w/e (except i totally am) but lksjdlfksjdf the cave diving episode of TMA freaked me out soooo bad & ya if i see a video of someone cave diving im like what are you DOINGGGGGG that's the EARTHHHHHHHH what if it BREAKSSSSSSSSSS it's literally so anxiety-inducing. im like not even claustrophobic, i love my little hidey-holes, but i can NOT deal with cave diving, thank u very much

#speculation nation #i have only experienced a few caves and they were big caves. those are okay #the well traveled and very secure caves. miss me with those tiny little passages and GOD FORBID u dive underwater #but back to the TMA reference lskjdfldkjf the Vast is my fav entity and i Love its episodes #im just absolutely enthralled with the idea of things so much bigger than me. up to and including Giant Fucking Monsters #gargantuan creatures that are larger than a mountain. maybe even larger. #there's just something so...................<3 wonderful about that. #yes they could kill me in an instant. i still love them. #also me being scared of heights but still loving being up high. it's hitting the ground im scared of not falling #ft Gravity Rush being my fav game bc the entire concept is falling from many high places but never fearing hitting the ground #if i play a video game and i have the option to climb up high then by GOD im gonna do it. i GOTTA see the view from the top #and even better in games like botw or gravity rush where i can JUMP... and then end up just fine <3 #tho in dragon age inquisition there's that one cliff in the uhhh that one stormy place idr what it's called #i remember i used to love just fucking jumping off that cliff. yes it has fall damage no i didnt care #it was never enough fall damage to actually kill me. so of COURSE i jumped from up high #and of course jumping from the tip top of skyhold out to the ground outside. of Course. #what this all means to say is. yes i love the Vast. and yes the Buried is my most feared of the fears. just cant handle it #im ready to become an avatar of the Vast come ON just come and take me already!!!!! i wanna do cool lightning shit lol

[gingerbreadmonsters]

OMG youre right 😭😭😭 idk if the fandom would be able to handle a listener that is kinda lazy, I feel like theyd get called selfish or some shit 💀💀 Begging Erik for a “comforting you into doing the damn thing you have to do”

I seen so many people relating to all the listeners that overwork (so all of them 😐) like damn. You got the energy for that? wild. Makes me feel a little bad but aight okay that’s fine.

god that would be AMAZING as an audio...... catch me playing that on loop to get me through my day 😫😫 if i had the energy to work like those listeners i would be literally unstoppable!!

i know that the whole point of this kind of self-insert bf audio stuff is to put yourself in the listener's shoes, feeling like the characters are speaking directly to you, and that people don't generally enjoy feeling like they're being criticised - but damn i do wish we could have a little more collective tolerance for listeners who aren't necessarily wonderful perfect people whose only downside is that they're too good at what they do 🕺🕺

#i have absolutely nothing against any of the listeners whatsoever - i really like how mr erik does things #i love the listeners and i love putting myself in their places and imagining myself in their shoes #but in my personal opinion if a listener does something you don't agree with or that you think is bad or wrong or whatever #then why is your immediate reaction to start kicking and screaming saying that they're instantly an awful monstrous character who you hate #and not to just say 'well ok i would never do that' and move on #this is why i get a little bit nervous when people say they 'kin' the listeners #we do realise that the listener is DESIGNED to be as blank as possible so that as many people as possible can project onto them don't we? #and thus the character you're identifying with is just..... you?? #either that or you're identifying with a fanon version of the listener character that has been constructed by the fans #and thus is an ever-changing concept of a character that not everyone will interpret in the same way #this is not to bash or criticise outright anyone who kins characters - do what you want dude it has nothing to do with me #but it makes me very wary in this fandom in particular #bc that feeling of OVER-identifying with a character and going for TOO long of a walk in their shoes #is when we get that super-reactionary hyperbolic '[x character] SUCKS!!!' thing that just ends up making everyone feel bad #it's what happened to bright eyes and it's what's happening to cutie #(and you could argue that it happened to imp!baby as well but that's a slightly different kettle of fish that we don't need to get into) #idk dudes do whatever you want it's none of my business #(but please do take a moment to ask yourself one question:) #(why do you think i felt that i had to give a disclaimer that i didn't hate any of the listener characters - who don't really exist?) #ginger speaks to anons #hope you're having a great week anon!! #it's nearly the weekend..... almost.... 🥳🥳

[justanotherbirdbrain-blog]

A Workshop for Creating Magical/ Fictional Crystals: A Guide from a Geologist

Hi folks, its me, here to talk about fictional writing again! Today I'm just tackling the idea of magical stones/mana stones by looking at existing minerals today and some neat properties that they have, and how you can apply these things to a fictional world. The goal is mainly to help you if you are stuck trying to come up with a unique magic system, or a unique identification/characteristic of your mineral.

First Things First: Mineral Shapes

I am exhausted, petered out, down-right fatigued by seeing every mineral depicted with having the crystal structure of calcite and quartz. There are soooooo many cooler, more interesting crystal structures, don't you think you would stop and take a look at a perfect cube in nature? It is completely unsettling.

Second: Color

Color within minerals can either be really important, or not important at all! It is your choice to decide if color is going to be something that means something to your mineral. But what are some times when the color is important? Well.... there are some elements that are called chromophores, this classification just indicates that these elements, when present, will determine the color of whatever they are in. So, if you wanted to treat mana like a chromophore, you could say, "Oh everything that contains mana turns green!" This could mean that regardless of the mineral, if that mineral is a specific color, it means it contains mana. This concept is exciting because you can just stop here and use minerals that already exist! You can also use it as an indicator for a magical ore! Chromophores are typically metals, so if you are making a new metal weapon, making the ore of that metal a unique color would make a lot of sense!

However, your mineral can also just be every color of the rainbow like quartz and perhaps that's what makes identifying your mana stones elusive and create an illusion of scarcity that your character can solve.

There are other things that can change the colors of minerals, like radiation damage, and electron exchange, but I think that is beyond what would be helpful! So lets talk about some unique color properties that happen in nature that seem magical in the first place! Maybe you don't need to design a mana stone, but you want a unique gemstone that only the royal family passes down or something (IDK).

The first one is the alexandrite effect! This is where a mineral can change color in natural light vs. incandescent light. (the mineral itself is not changing, but the lights contain different amounts of different colors that then get absorbed by the stone). Even if you don't use electricity in your fictional world, you could have the colors change in the presence of light magic. This could create fun misunderstandings about what the mineral is reacting to!

Pleochroism

Pleochroism is something that most minerals have, it is frequently used to help identify minerals in thin sections, however minerals are usually not pleochroic enough for it to be visible to the naked eye! Pleochroism is just a fancy name to describe the change in how light is absorbed based on the angle of the mineral! So if you scroll up to the first image where I showed a lot of crystal shapes, most of them have angles where they are longer and shorter! This will effect the way light travels in the crystal. Tanzanite is a popular mineral that does this.

Photochromism

This is when a mineral will change color (in a reversible way) when exposed to UV light (or sunlight), I am not going to go too into the details of why this is happening because it would require me to read some research papers and I just don't feel like it. The mineral that is best known for this is Hackmanite!

Alright! These are all the really cool color effects that might inspire you or maybe not, but now I am going to talk about how you might find your minerals within a rock!

When I see a lot of magical caves/mines, typically I see them with some variation of a geode honestly, but most minerals are not found like that! Now I am sure most of you guys have seen a geode, so I will not really talk about those, but I will talk briefly about porphyroblasts which is when the mineral grows larger than the minerals around it, this happens in metamorphic minerals!

sorry random stranger, but this is an image of garnets inside a finer-grained rock at gore mountain in New York!

Another way you might find minerals is in a pegmatite! This is when all minerals are really large! This is a formed from really slow crystalizing magma!

But something else to think about is that your mineral might just be massive, it doesn't have to have distinct crystals, it may be similar to jadeite where small grains grow together which leaves it looking smooth and seamless! A note about all of these is that you would have to mine into the rock to find these, there would not be any natural caves in these rocks! Caves are only ever really formed in limestones and maybe marbles (rocks that react with acid).

How can your characters identify these minerals?

Typically when you are out in the field you will look to see what type of rocks the minerals are found in (The overall texture of the rock will tell you how it formed). If you know how the rock formed, it will narrow down the amount of minerals you need to think about by quite a bit! Next, you are going to look closely at it and observe its crystal structure, does it have an obvious crystal? if so what is the general shape? If it is broken, how did it break? Did it fracture like glass or did it break along uniform planes. Some minerals have a thing called cleavage (breaks along planes of weakness). If a mineral exhibits this habit, it will again help narrow this down. Next we can look at color. Color can be misleading, because minerals like quartz can be any color imaginable, but minerals like olivine will always be green! The next thing your character can do is test for hardness, minerals all have a specific hardness that can help identify it as well.

After you go through all of this, your mineral might have some special property! This could be magnetism, fluorescence, reactions to acid, or any of the color changing effects I mentioned above! Other than that, your character can take it back to a lab and do a number of things to identify it, but the most typical thing would be for them to make a thin section (very thin piece of the rock) and observe it under a cross polarized microscope!

On that note folks! I hope this helped in some way in thinking of new magic mineral properties! I have other guides that explore some different fictional worldbuilding issues you might run into, but if you have any topics you would like me to cover please that I haven't mentioned already, let me know!

#geology #rocks #creative writing #fictional world #worldbuilding #dnd #dnd worldbuilding #worldbuilding stuff #writing resources #info post #information #writing

[solar-sunnyside-up]

I feel like yall don't know bout earthships??

An earthship is a building that's built out of recycled materials (glass bottles, old tires, cans, etc..) and mostly Cob walls with solarpanels, wind turbines, greenhouses, and large water capture system to ensure all you need within the walls. All these components help regulate the temp for both plants and you creating a proper oasis from all of itnall

Here's a good dissection of one to give you an idea

The most famous one, and one of the first ones ever made back in the 1970s by a small off grid group working together is The Phoenix which was built as the model for how cool these guys could be its now a place you can take tours or rent-

But now there is so many different styles and cool ideas for it! Now some of these are merely concepts

But you can adapt them to any weather for your particular light/weather/energy conditions.

The main thing about Earthships is typically they are illegal to build as the US government considers them waste sites due to the materials their built out of.

#earthship #solarpunk #cottagecore #cabin #cozy #art #hope #anticapitalism #anarchy #off grid #hopepunk

[baldursgate3tempobsessed]

Astarion Jealousy Part 2

The graphic extension to this but a lil less serious and definitely not sfw.

CW: Jealous spawn astarion who is still a sweetheart, but the drow twins get under his skin. graphic sex scenes, oral, relatively tame honestly. The sex part will be under the cut btw which is m/f. Also vampire man drinks blood. mentionable incorrect language for sex workers

~

It was odd, being home in Baldur’s Gate without the threat of Cazador always looming. Odd, but equally as wonderful. It had been so thoughtful, if not a little idiotic for Cazador to end up being your first stop in the city. The fight itself had been a blur, a barrage of intense emotions and bloody violence. Astarion had come so close to losing himself back there, losing everything that made him better than the man who almost ruined him. But then… you stopped him. You saw something more in him, a chance for a better life. A more meaningful life, away from the shackles of vampiric power obsessions. 

He was officially free. Now he could exist without any fear of his disgusting master’s retribution. He could just… be. Well… not including his darling’s own myriad of enemies that seemed to follow them about everywhere. And there was still the matter of defeating the elder brain, and lord knows if any of you made it through that alive. But at least his personal demons were slain and out of the picture.

Every little step counted after all. Perhaps some of your delusional hopefulness had finally started to rub off on him, but Astarion was actually starting to look forward to his future. Your future, together. All he had to do was get through a few more perilous adventures and then he’d really have you all to himself. 

All that said, Astarion could really go without the frequent visits to the local brothel. Was it the best place in the city for gathering information? Yes. It seemed that every walk of life in Baldur’s Gate found their way into Shar’s Caress and if you were going to find alternative passage to the underworld, this would be the best place to find it. But that didn’t mean he had to like it. For one there were the unwelcome advances to his own person, the concept of grace and personal space apparently left at the door. He was so very close to breaking the hand of the next person who thought it was appropriate to grab his ass. And if they could afford to get kicked out he would have by now. Your verbal, angry tirades in his defense could only scare off so many. 

But as terrible as his own discomfort was, it was nothing in the face of how often you were being fawned over. What was it about you that seemed to drive everyone mad? Yes you were objectively attractive, but this was frankly getting out of hand. First there was the green skinned druid doing something sensual to your mind, then there were the general stares and whispers as you walked by, and now a pair of gorgeous drow twins trying and failing to proposition you. 

It was getting tiresome. There were only so many times a man could take his lover being offered “free” services before he snapped. 

On one hand, he could respect the dedication they had to the craft. He could be considered something of a hired whore himself in his time, the old, “the first one’s free” was a tried and true trick. And he also knew, vaguely, that no one was actually trying to steal you from him. But on the other, he couldn’t help the fact that he wanted to claw their eyes out for looking at you so brazenly.

He hadn’t expected the eyes of the woman to wander over to him, like she was just noticing the possessive arm he had wrapped around your waist, “Is that your partner with you? How would you both feel about having a little fun?”

Absolutely fucking not. Maybe the old Astarion would have smiled and nodded, ready to do whatever was asked of him. But the man from that wretched era had died, or at the very least was dying. And he would be damned if he let you lay with another, never less participate in it. 

Astarion interrupted your overly-polite attempts stuttering of a refusal. He glared at them both, a sneer painted on his face, “We’ll be passing on that. You’d think the first no would have sufficed, but I suppose it’s not fair to expect everyone to have basic language comprehension. Now as illuminating as this conversation has been, we have places to be. Excuse us.”

Then he was pulling you away, happy to ignore the offended huffs of indignation he had left in his wake. 

“We’re supposed to be investigating, remember?” You said with a giggle, not even questioning him as he dragged you to the second floor, “Being rude is not the way we’ll find travel to the hells.”

“I highly doubt they would have been of use,” Astarion said as he pushed you into the first empty room he could find. He felt off, maybe even a little crazed as he turned to you, “Tell me darling, what is it about you that makes you so irresistible, hm?”

He crowded you against the closed door, ducking his head into the crook of your neck to breath you in. You smelled heavenly, you always did. He could trace the barest whiff of your blood from beneath your skin, always calling to him. You were the sweetest thing he ever tasted. Delicious even, for more reasons than one. 

“T-They just wanted my coin,” You gasped when he started to suck bruises into your skin, “That’s all.”

“I think they wanted a bit more than that,” Astarion bit out as he shoved his thigh between your legs, “What will it take for others to realize you’re mine.”

His hands were wandering, resting low to grip your hips. He was using them to move you, forcing you to grind against his thigh. You grasped at his shoulders, trying to bite back a moan as you stared at him with wide eyes, “You want to do it here? Does that door even lock?”

It looked like it didn’t, not that Astarion cared. Maybe walking in on him ravishing you would finally start getting the point across of who you belonged to. Astarion shrugged, "There are less appropriate venues than literal whore houses."

“But-”

“But I can tell you want it,” Astarion interrupted with a smirk, his hands barely working to move your body anymore. But that wasn’t stopping you from rubbing yourself all over him, “Just look at you darling. Desperate little thing. But if you really don’t want to…”

Astarion made a lazy attempt to step back, laughing out loud when your desperately pulled him back, your desire finally winning out over your common sense. But you were glaring at him, obviously annoyed that he was so good at riling you up. He had seen that look before, the one that just screamed that you were scheming something. 

He just hadn’t expected you to drop to your knees in front of him, huffing as you started to undo the fastenings to his pants, “Has anyone ever told you that you’re a bit of a shit?”

“Maybe,” Astarion said with a strained laugh, his breath catching when you pulled his half-hard cock out, “But it seems to keep getting me the things I want.”

You rolled your eyes before licking a wide strip up his cock, like you weren’t directly proving his point. You looked amazing own there, you’re half-hearted glare morphing into a blissful haze. 

Gods, how were you real? Astarion wasn’t quite sure why you were such a fan of getting him down your throat, but he knew that he was a lucky bastard for it. 

“Sweet girl,” Astarion sighed, letting a hand drift down to tangle in your hair, “Sweet girl with a perfect mouth. And you’re all mine, aren’t you?”

You made a small, affirmative noise around his cock, taking him in deeper as you clutched at his thighs. You were so good at this, so well-trained after months of being together. He loved the soft, wet sounds that would escape your lips as you swallowed him down, the pretty way your eyes would water as you encouraged him to fuck your throat, how you would squirm in place on your knees, no doubt ruining your panties with how wet you were getting. 

And no one else would ever know. No one would get to see you like this again, feel you like this. Needy, desperate, and his. Oddly enough, that thought was what sent him over the edge. He came down your throat, groaning as you eagerly swallowed around him. 

You pulled off of him slowly, panting while you smiled up at him. There was the smallest string of spit mixed with his come, connecting from the head of his cock to your lips. You licked it up, still clinging to his thighs as you hazily stared up at him. Sweet enough to make his heart skip a beat, and his dick give a valiant twitch.

He pulled you to your feet, not wasting any time in smashing your lips together. He spun you around, pushing you towards what he prayed was a clean bed. 

He pushed you back onto the sheets, making quick work of tearing your pants down your legs as he grinned down at you, “Your turn.”

He kneeled in front of you; spreading his hands over your splayed thighs to peel off your underwear. The core of you was already glistening, slick enough to make Astarion’s mouth water. He licked his lips as he spread your legs further apart, shameless as he feasted on you with his eyes. 

You were shaking in his hold, biting your bottom lip when you whined, “Stop staring already…”

“But you’re so pretty here my sweet,” Astarion cooed, tracing a single finger over the seam of your cunt, “And you’re dripping. Poor thing, have I kept you waiting too long?”

You nodded excitedly above him, your hips bucking when he let his fingers dip in further between your pussy lips. He lightly traced your clit, softly laughing at the way the simple touch made you whine.

It was his own fault that you were so needy, a fact that brought a smirk to his lips. You always got so wet after you had him down your throat, soaked and gorgeous. 

Astarion dove right in, loudly moaning as he licked into your folds. He dragged his lips upward to suckle on your clit, basking in all the cries and whimpers escaping you.

He licked back down, teasing your hole with his tongue as your legs quivered around his head. He let the sharpness of his fangs scrape against you as he started to fuck you with his tongue, threatening your most intimate places.

He knew you liked that; little minx that you were. The slight risk of pain that was always looming. It made him want to sink his fangs in you for real, a hunger that he'd sate after he had you gushing into his mouth.

You were already close, he could tell from the way your cunt was tightening around his tongue; too worked up from the thrill of being in public and the taste of him still lingering on your tongue. Astarion trailed talented fingers up to rub against your clit, his tongue still curling inside of you as you cried out. Finally falling over the edge. But that wasn't stopping him from continuing to play with you.

You had to tug on Astarion’s hair for him to finally pull away, too over sensitive to handle his talented tongue. You were still trembling by the time he leaned back, licking his lips. He rested his head on your thigh, obviously pleased with himself as he grinned up at you. He could feel your heart racing against his cheek, the sound of your blood pumping singing through your veins. It had his mouth watering for a completely different reason. 

He let his fangs drag against the delicate skin of your inner thigh, looking up at you through his lashes, "Can I?"

A superfluous question. Not when he already knew the answer before it escaped your lips.

“Y-yeah," You mumbled, lovingly gazing down at him. He would never tire of seeing that look on your face, "But be gentle? Please?” 

"Of course my love," Astarion murmured, before promptly sinking his fangs into your flesh. He had to hold you down from the way you were still trembling, your quivering only getting worse at the pleasure mixed with pain. He didn’t let himself go rabid, just enough to get a taste. He was pulling back too soon, smiling to himself at the little whine you let out. He gently licked over the wound before standing, not yet swallowing the last drops on his tongue.

Instead he leaned forward to kiss you, more than happy to share the sweet taste of your blood as he slipped his tongue into your mouth.

“Thank you my dear,” Astarion sighed as he pulled away, “That was exactly what I needed. Now I think that’s enough investigating for one day.” 

You sighed, taking the time to card your fingers through his hair, “Agreed. Though you might have to carry me out of here now.”

Wasn’t that a wonderful idea?

Astarion hummed as he pulled your clothing back on, “I think I like the sound of that," He didn't give you time to respond, too busy sweeping you up in his arms with a grin, "I'll be taking you up on that."

You squeaked when he hefted you up, bridal style, “I wasn’t being serious!”

But it was too late, Astarion was already kicking the door open. He shrugged at you, completely shameless as he winked at a few onlookers, "Then you shouldn't have suggested it."

You groaned, hiding your face in his shirt as he happily took you outside, “I’m going to get you back for this. I hope you know that.”

Astarion laughed as he kissed the top of your head, “I’m sure you will.”

It was a childish stunt, borderline on par with a jealous tantrum, but gods, did it feel good. Good enough to sate Astarion's obsessive tendencies for an impressive amount of time. Under normal circumstances. 

But what about your lives were normal?

#astarion #astarion x reader #astarion x tav #baldur's gate 3 #you'll pry my long posts out of my cold dead hands #long fic #spoilers #and thats how later astarion found himself on stage with a killer clown #whoops #still fluffy i'd say #I got a soft (in comparison to cough alternatives) jealousy trilogy in mind so one more dirty part. Also #side note #in reality everyone in your party is attractive and probably gets flirted with an equal amount at the caress #but I love the idea of astarion being hyper focused on you.

[writingwithfolklore]

Writing a Story from Start to Finish - Guide

                I see you guys in the tags and reblogs talking a lot about how you have a desire to write, but have no clue what to write about, or where to even start figuring that out. While starting any project can be incredibly daunting, I wanted to put together a little guide to hopefully make it a bit more accessible. Be warned, this will probably be a long post.

Step 1: Form an idea

All writing begins with this: an idea. Ideas can start as small as an object, or as big as a world or cast of characters. What’s important is that your idea genuinely interests you, and makes you want to explore it more.

                There are a million ways to gain inspiration for ideas, but my favourite method is a sort of brainstorm/mind map of all the little and big things you find interesting. Any tropes, characters, places, concepts, objects, animals, other stories, etc. you love—write them down. Then, start connecting the pieces. Each connection is one concept or idea you could explore further.

                If this doesn’t work for you, try using some writing prompts or check out 15 ways to spark new ideas.

                If you are a planner, proceed to Step 2. If you are a pantser, skip to step 7.

Step 2: Create your Protagonist

Now that you have a sort of concept or inspiration to work off of, you need your main character. There are about as many ways to create characters as there are characters themselves, and each method is going to work better or worse for every writer.

                At the barest minimum, all your protagonist needs is a Goal to work towards, a Reason for wanting it, and a Flaw that keeps them from having it right away.

                These three things can form a baseline character. Consider what the thing they want, why they want it, and what’s keeping from it says about them as a person.

                Rapunzel (from Disney’s Tangled) wants to see the ‘floating lights’ on her birthday. She wants to because she believes she will learn more about herself through seeing them. Her fear over disappointing and disobeying her ‘mother’ keeps her from it.

                My favourite character creation technique is actually Here—it takes you through creating character in order to create story.

                If that one doesn’t work for you, try this one. It is more focused on defining traits and figuring out the personality of the character first.

Step 3: Your Plot is your Protagonist’s Arc

As stated in the character creation technique I shared in Step 2, character is plot. By that I mean, the character’s journey is the plot of the story. We’re here to see the protagonist transform because of the circumstances incited in the beginning.

                So to form a plot, we need to know who the character is at the beginning, and what they need to learn by the end.

                Your character’s arc is A but B so C:

                A – your character and their flaw

                B – The conflict they go through

                C – how they change

“Obsessed with success, Jenny Beech works tirelessly to earn the approval of her strict parents and graduate top of her class, but when the new girl in town pulls her into a whole new world of excitement and fun, she must stand up for herself against her impossible standards and learn how to be a teen again.”

                This one sentence has everything we need to know about this story and character: “Obsessed with success (character trait/flaw), Jenny Beech works tirelessly to earn the approval of her strict parents and graduate top of her class (goal), but when the new girl in town pulls her into a new world of excitement and fun (conflict), she must stand up for herself against her impossible standards and learn how to be a teen again (change).”

                If you have these three things, congratulations! You already have a story. If you’d like, you may begin writing it now (skip to step 8). Or…

Step 4: Theme

                I did a whole post on theme you should check out here. Essentially, the big takeaway is that your theme is a lesson to impart to the readers—which means it is not a question, it is an answer.

                For the example given above, our theme would likely be something like, “Teens need to balance their additional responsibilities as they mature into young adults with the joy of being young and having fun.” Or, “Friends and a close social network is more important than having the best grades.” Or, “It’s important to take frequent time away from work in order to maintain one’s humanity.” Etc. Etc.

                Theme is conveyed through what your characters need to do to succeed (or what they do that causes their failure). If Jenny lets loose and suffers consequences for it in the end, we’re saying that she should have stuck to her studies rather than letting herself have fun. If she lets loose and is rewarded with a greater relationship with herself and her parents, we’re saying that was the correct thing to do.

Step 5: Outlining

                Now that we have a plot and a theme, we can outline our story. An outline is like a roadmap of what you’re writing. It can be as specific or broad as you want. My outlines tend to follow this structure, and I improvise the little stuff in between, but if you need to get all your ideas within your outline, that’s good too!

                Just make sure your notes make sense to you so when you need to know where to go next, you have a handy tool just for that.

Step 6: Worldbuilding

                Worldbuilding is probably where you’ll spend the most time because there’s just so much. However, I also find it one of the most fun parts. The minimal thing you need to know is your world’s normal, and how that normal is disrupted in the inciting incident.

                Jenny’s normal is school work and trying to impress her parents. The disruption is the new girl in town.

                Rapunzel’s normal is the tower and her hobbies. The disruption is Flynn breaking in.

                I did a more in-depth post on worldbuilding here, but the basics is just ask questions, explore consequences, and do plenty of research.

                Which brings us to…

Step 7: Research

                This can also be done after your first draft, but can’t be skipped entirely. It’s important when trying to convey experiences that may not be wholly your own, or unique perspectives, that you understand the context behind those things in the real world.

                Once again, ask questions, talk to people, and remain open to what you find.

Step 8: We can start writing now

                Now that you have all your planning ducks in a row (or have a good inspiration to jump from) it’s time to start writing! Either go from the outline you built, or just try out scenes. I have some tips for actually writing the dang thing that I’ll put here:

                Let me know how your writing goes, good luck!

#writing #creative writing #writers #screenwriting #writing community #writing inspiration #books #film #filmmaking #writing advice #writing masterlist #writing a story from start to finish #novel writing #planning

[ldknightshade]

morality: a character creation guide

creating and understanding your oc’s personal moral code! no, i cannot tell you whether they’re gonna come out good or bad or grey; that part is up to you.

anyway, let’s rock.

i. politics

politics are a good way to indicate things your character values, especially when it comes to large-scale concepts such as government, community, and humanity as a whole.

say what you will about either image; i’d argue for the unintiated, the right image is a good introduction to some lesser discussed ideologies… some of which your oc may or may not fall under.

either way, taking a good look at your character’s values on the economic + social side of things is a good place to start, as politics are something that, well… we all have ‘em, you can’t avoid ‘em.

clearly, this will have to be adjusted for settings that utilize other schools of thought (such as fantasy + historical fiction and the divine right of kings), but again, economic/social scale plotting will be a good start for most.

ii. religion + philosophy

is your oc religious? do they believe in a form of higher power? do they follow some sort of philosophy?

are they devout? yes, this applies to non-religious theist and atheist characters as well; in the former’s case… is their belief in a higher power something that guides many of their actions or is their belief in a higher power something that only informs a few of their actions? for the atheists; do they militant anti-theists who believe atheism is the only way and that religion is harmful? or do they not care about religion, so long as it’s thrust upon them?

for the religious: what is your oc’s relationship with the higher power in question? are they very progressive by their religion’s standards or more orthodox? how well informed of their own religion are they?

does your oc follow a particular school of philosophical thought? how does that interact with their religious identification?

iii. values

by taking their political stance and their religious + philosophical stance, you have a fairly good grasp on the things your character values.

is there anything they value - due to backstory, or what they do, or what they love - that isn’t explained by political stance and religious and/or philosophical identification? some big players here will likely be your oc’s culture and past.

of everything you’ve determined they value, what do they value the most?

iv. “the line”

everyone draws it somewhere. we all have a line we won’t cross, no matter the lengths we go for what we believe is a noble cause. where does your character draw it? how far will they go for something they truly believe is a noble cause? as discussed in part iii of my tips for morally grey characters,

would they lie? cheat? steal? manipulate? maim? what about commit acts of vandalism? arson? would they kill?

but even when we have a line, sometimes we make exceptions for a variety of reasons. additionally, there are limits to some of the lengths we’d go to.

find your character’s line, their limits and their exceptions.

v. objectivism/relativism

objectivism, as defined by the merriam-webster dictionary, is “an ethical theory that moral good is objectively real or that moral precepts are objectively valid.”

relativism, as defined by the merriam-webster dictionary, is “a view that ethical truths depend on the individuals and groups holding them.”

what take on morality, as a concept, does your character have? is morality objective? is morality subjective?

we could really delve deep into this one, but this post is long enough that i don’t think we need to get into philosophical rambling… so this is a good starting point.

either way, exploring morality as a concept and how your character views it will allow for better application of their personal moral code.

vi. application

so, now you know what they believe and have a deep understanding of your character’s moral code, all that’s left is to apply it and understand how it informs their actions while taking their personality into account.

and interesting thing to note is that we are all hypocrites; you don’t have to do this, but it might be fun to play around with the concept of their moral code and add a little bit of hypocrisy to their actions as a treat.

either way, how do your character’s various beliefs interact? how does it make them interact with the world? with others? with their friends, family, and community? with their government? with their employment? with their studies? with the earth and environment itself?

in conclusion:

there’s a lot of things that inform one’s moral compass and i will never be able to touch on them all; however, this should hopefully serve as at least a basic guide.

#ldknightshade.txt #writing #writing tips #creative writing #writing ideas #writing inspiration #writing advice #writing help #how to write #writing tumblr #writeblr

[aureum-cordis]

Lost & Found

Parental!DogDay & Child!Reader

A/N: Hey there! First post, I know, but I couldn’t help but share this. A friend of mine encouraged me to, so I hope other people like it as well! This is only the first part and I have much more planned for this story, I hope you enjoy! I know this ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, but that may or may not be intentional. Find Part 2 here!

Spoilers for Poppy Playtime Chapter 3: Deep Sleep!

Warnings: Mentions of character death, blood, gore, and the like. Child experimentation will also be mentioned. This story will contain references to the information in the game as well, if uncomfortable with any of those topics then please proceed with caution.

________________________________________________

DogDay and the others knew well that something was amiss in the building, several of the Smiling Critters had sought him out due to the fact that he was the leader. CatNap was the only one that had been distant for a long time now, becoming something that he couldn’t recognize.

And then it happened. The Hour of Joy. The metallic scent of blood was something he could never rid his nose of, his ears still rang from the sound of screaming from both children and adults. The Prototype had clearly been convincing the cat of the Smiling Critters, for nothing but praises fell out for the creature amongst that dreaded red gas that poured out of his perpetually gaping maw.

DogDay had been able to reach the others first, encouraging them to not stand idly by and follow something as monstrous as The Prototype and his newly fashioned pawn.

It ended poorly, their rebellion was met with nightmarish hallucinations and a set of claws that sliced their bodies to ribbons.

Even they were not impervious to the red gas that covered the ground like a dense fog, announcing CatNap’s presence before he could be seen. Few of them remained, far less than what once was. They rotated hideouts regularly, knowing well that they had to keep moving to avoid CatNap’s patrols.

Currently, the place they had sought refuge in was some long abandoned room of the orphanage. Those that remained were silent.

CraftyCorn was frantically drawing something on a dirtied sheet of paper, the colors bleeding against her hooves as she struggled to keep a steady grip.

Bobby BearHug was huddled in a corner, clutching a blanket that was shredded in places and nearly fell apart as she held it to her chest, her body shook from silent sobs or perhaps fear of what would come.

DogDay himself was solemn, resting on the floor with his back pressed against the wall. They had just lost Hoppy days prior, or at least it had seemed like days. Any semblance of a concept of time was lost in this pit of despair, the inability to even catch a glimpse of light that wasn’t artificial was disheartening and disorienting. The others in the room were in no state to actively patrol, their minds in shambles and in various states of decay.

There was no optimism to be found, he knew that. Any attempt to even lighten the mood would be met with dismay and the kind of disgust that caused nausea to wash over oneself and clouded any other senses. They had lost far too many for any form of joy to be found.

CatNap may have been the one to end their lives, following the guiding hand of The Prototype, but their blood was also on his hands. Their screams kept him awake, the fear in their voices as they called out and weeped for help kept him going.

Slowly, he rose from his seated position to his feet, the sun pendant that hung from his zipper clinked against the metal with the motion and swung gently before resting against his chest. It was enough of a sound to draw the eyes of CraftyCorn, to which DogDay gave a dip of his head. “I’m sorry to startle you, that wasn’t my intention,” he started, voice rough and scratchy from disuse as he met the eyes of the other.

“I’ll take the first watch, be safe and try to get some rest, please.” The please sounded pathetic in his own ears, a sign that despite his attempts to remain strong for the other survivors, he was suffering from the grief and loss of their shared companions.

The idea of losing them too was something he refused to linger on, a small sliver of hope remained in his heart despite the horrors that threatened their very lives.

CraftyCorn didn’t seem to mind the interruption, even going as far as lowering her hooves as she looked over at him, the red crayon in her grasp rolled to the floor with a quiet thump. “Be careful, DogDay.” Her voice was soft, it was a comfort in this trying time. As gentle as the very petals of the flower she once smelled like, an extension of her kind yet hardy nature.

He wanted to reassure her, to give her some hope that he might return. But that wasn’t a guarantee, he knew that.

Regardless, he nodded before approaching the door, opening it slightly before listening carefully for any sounds. Relieved to have been met with relative silence, he crept through the door before shutting it behind him. Complete silence was impossible for him to achieve, given his size and the overall state of the orphanage itself.

His movements were slow and deliberate, each placement of his hand or foot was mindful of the debris that lined the halls. Shattered picture frames with glass littering the floor and various toys that had once belonged to the children here were a common item to stumble across. There had been moments when the odd toy activated or some rotting piece of wood snapped under the pressure of a bed that rested upon it, but it was silent other than that.

His ears were active in keeping note of his surroundings, as his nose focused on the horrible scent of lavender and the intensity of it. It stuck to every crack and crevice of this building, yet it was relatively faint at the given moment, a positive in an otherwise grim situation. His eyes swept every open door that he passed by, peering into the room for several moments before moving on. To say he was tense and alert was an understatement, every fiber of his being stood on edge as he patrolled the halls.

He froze in his tracks as a sound caught his attention, a sound that he hadn’t been expecting to come across. It had been a sob, a shuddering and weak sound that left from an open door in front of him. Had he not been focused as intently as he was, he could’ve missed it. DogDay stayed in that position as he listened further, making sure that he hadn’t been imagining such a sound. His doubts were shattered as he heard the sound repeat, the fear in the weeping was unmistakable.

The thought didn’t even cross his mind that it could potentially be a trap, that some sick monster would be willing to mimic such a heartbreaking sound.

#dogday #poppy playtime #deep sleep #catnap #gender neutral reader #mute reader #child reader #wholesome #fluff #smiling critters #craftycorn #bobby bearhug #smiling critters & reader #x reader #smiling critters x reader #dogday x reader #craftycorn x reader #bobby bearhug x reader #poppy playtime x reader #poppy playtime x child reader #fanfic #lost & found