Chapter Text
The group had arrived at the Horizon City Carnival located on the beach. The line to get tickets was long so Sev, Chani and Lectro agreed to stand in line while Azula and the rest waited at a local arcade.
Azula stood at the controls of a fighting game, her eyes glued to the screen with manic glee as she mashed the buttons and made her digital character throw a relentless assault to her opponent, stunning them in place and giving them no hope of recovery. With a final uppercut she demolished the last of her opponent's health bar with alien symbols meaning victory appearing on her screen and defeat flashing on the screen of her opponent's machine.
"Ha! Once again I am undefeated!" She shouted in elation before looking over to face her victim, "Tell me peasant, how does it feel to know that you will forever be a mark of shame in your family's history?!"
Her opponent, a small alien child that resembled a newt, looked up at her with large glossy eyes that began to water with his lips quivering as he started to cry.
The child's older sister appeared soothing him and scorned her, "What is wrong with you? He's only five!" She then escorted the boy out.
"You're only encouraging his weakness by coddling him!" she shouted back as they left before turning her attention back to the machine, "Well, that was fun. Who's next?"
The other players in the area shied away not wanting anything to do with her after witnessing her unsportsmanlike behavior that only fed her ego, "Come now, is no one brave enough to face the mighty princess Azula?"
"Congrats on beating a small child in a game of Street Brawler. You must be so proud." Angara said as she clapped sarcastically.
"I am. Thank you. I just need to humble and remind those under me that there will always be someone better." She said in a self aggrandizing way.
"You stunlocked him into the corner and wailed on him till you won. That's not being better, that's using cheap amateur tricks to win a fight."
"In a fight it's best to use any strategy you can to achieve victory." She argued back.
"You do realize this is an arcade game right? And its main purpose is to have fun, not fixate on winning, right?"
"Life is one big competition. No matter how big or small, everything determines a winner or loser, and I intend on being the winner. Besides, you can have fun while winning."
Angara only rolled her eyes.
"You're welcome to take a shot at stealing my victory streak." Azula said, still high on her win against several children.
"I don't really like Street Brawler, so no. But you know who's really good at this game? Gax. Why don't you try taking a shot at a master?"
"Alright, fine. Where is the little toad?"
Gax stood at a claw machine carefully trying to catch a cute pink plushie for his sister only for it to slip out of the machine's claws. He cursed while pounding the glass in protest before an idea came to mind. He looked over his shoulders making sure the coast was clear before jumping down to the prize slot, opening it and sliding his long tongue up into the compartment and carefully grasping his target.
"Gax!" Angara shouted prompting him to panic and pretend he wasn't doing anything despite his tongue still stuck in the slot door.
"The pup here needs some bullying. Show her what a real master is like!"
He swiftly pulled his tongue free with the now acquired plushie and made his way to the opposing machine. They both selected their characters, Azula stuck with the large muscled red fighter because he looked to be the strongest while Gax selected a slimmer green snake man.
The match started with Azula going to rush in an attempt to corner him however Gax's character whipped at hers with his tail giving him a greater reach that kept her at bay before lunging at her and striking her character with a series of combos that made her fly through the air and would continue to hit her with upward strikes keeping her in the air all the while hitting her with a taunt before finishing her off with one last combo.
The screen flashed with bright red words with a deep gutterly voice saying, "FINISH HIM!"
Gax's character grabbed hers and ripped them in half in a brutal display of pixelated cartoon violence that was then followed by the announcer saying, "TOTAL CARNAGE!"
Azula sat there with her mouth agape at how quickly Gax managed to defeat her along with the brutal execution of her character, that she didn't even know could be done, all while he laughed and danced victoriously.
"You're right pup. Life is fun when you're winning." Angara taunted.
She side eyed her, "You weren't the one playing."
"This feels like a win to me."
She disregarded Angara's comment, "I demand a rematch!"
Just then Sev entered the arcade with tickets in hand, "Got the tickets, let's get to it guys!"
"CHUN PACHI!" Gax announced leaving the game with no intention of following Azula's request.
"Hey! wait a minute! I said I demand a rematch!"
Gax turned to her and shrugged his shoulders before saying, "WOMP WOMP!" before walking off.
"Quite being a sore loser, pup. Carnival is calling to us." Angara said, passing her by.
Azula half-heartedly followed the group still wanting that rematch and observed the carnival around them. Rides of various shapes and sizes sat around them with lines of people following their length with others weaving through them with food from stalls or prizes from game booths in hand.
"Hey firespitter!" Sev called out as he made his way to her from a food stall, "You hungry? They had a discount on fresh javro's." he held out a large golden brown grub like creature that was covered in some sort of sauce wrapped in foil. The main thing that caught her attention was that the creature was still alive with its pincers opening and closing rapidly.
She looked at the supposed food item with disgust, "Does it have to be alive?"
"Yeah, once these things bite the dust their meat starts to decay fast so you gotta eat them fresh." He said with a mouthful after biting the head off of his own, "Make sure you bite the head and chew it up quickly because these things bite back and they bite hard. Trust me I'm speaking from experience."
The giant grub that was held before her hissed loudly letting its discontent be known, "Sev, I appreciate the offer, but I am not eating that thing."
"Suit yourself. Hey Angara, you want this?"
"Yeah I do, I'm starving." she then bit its head off chewing it up quickly causing Azula to gag at the sight of it. Any semblance of an appetite she may have had was gone.
"Those things can't be good for you." Lectro commented.
"What should we do first? The lines for the attractions aren't that long today." Chani said.
"GUT BUSTER!" Gax shouted catching Azula off guard with how it was the only thing that left his mouth that she could understand.
"Nah, we need to do the tower drop first." Sev responded.
Azula observed the various rides around them, seeing that many were lower tech than what she had seen before and a bit rusted, looking as though they could fall apart at a moment's notice.
"Are these attractions even safe to be on?"
"Don't worry, firespitter. This place has been operating for decades without incident. Everything here is completely safe." Sev said.
A rollercoaster passed overhead and with a screw coming loose landing before Azula's feet not giving her any confidence in his words.
"Why don't we just steer clear of this particular ride?" Lectro suggested.
They were interrupted by Chani who excitedly pointed to a ride with a smaller line, "Guy's! Let's go on this one!"
The ride itself was a cart-like contraption resting at the radius of a circular arena attached to a metal arm in the center. The line for it was truly not very long as they didn't need to wait. The vehicle could only house up to four people with Azula taking the front seat with Chani while Lectro was pushed behind them by Gax. Sev and Angara opted to hang back to finish their meals.
"Why do I have to come along?" Lectro asked as he locked in his seatbelt.
"Because you're a stick in the mud who needs some thrills." Chani responded.
Azula looked around the contraption trying to ascertain its function as the compartment began to lift off the ground, "So, what is it that this-" the cart suddenly accelerated as it spun around the arena, the speed of which forced her back against the seat as she gripped the arm rest holding on for dear life while Chani and her brother threw their arms in the air crying out in glee. Lectro cried out in terror as the ride elicited memories of the car chase on Ginza.
She gripped the seat hard as the ride continued to spin, feeling the speed push her against the seat as it moved faster until slowing down to a steady halt.
They exited the ride feeling dizzy with Chani and Gax high on the adrenaline rush while Azula and Lectro weren't so enthusiastic.
"Ya'll have fun?" Sev asked, delighted by seeing their dizzy forms.
Azula stabilized herself on the nearest object, "It felt as though I was being shot through a cannon."
"That's not even the worst of it pup." Angara chuckled.
Azula was dragged around the amusement park, forced to partake in various rides such as tower drops, compartments that were launched into the air, hover roller coasters, bumper vehicles, and various spinning rides. All of which wore her out.
After taking part in the various adrenaline inducing rides the group walked amongst the stalls filled with games meant to win various prizes.
"What ride should we try next?" Chani asked the group.
"Maybe we can ease up on them for a while. Lunch is threatening to come back the way it came." Lectro said, holding his stomach and mouth.
"I think we just about went on all of them." Sev said.
"CHAKARI GA RAHITA!"
"You're right brother! We should try the house of mirrors!" Chani translated.
"I don't know about that. Those mirror hallways are kinda cramped for guys like me." Sev said.
"If you plan on going to that one then leave me out of it." Azula said.
Given that the first manifestation of her hallucinations was in front of a mirror, the idea of being trapped in a maze made of them sounded like torture to her.
"I think I want a break from the rides for a while." Angara said.
Sev agreed, "Yeah, let's try winning some prizes instead! I feel like schooling this clown in a few games." He pointed to Gax.
Gax raised his slimy brow to him as he issued a challenge, "GASHI WA KRAKI NA?!"
"Yeah! I know I can win more prizes than you, and I can do it without the use of my augmentations."
"OH! SHAASH GARINIA KO SHARI?!"
"Yes I will put money on that ya little turd!" Sev sassed back as the two best friends ran to one of the booths like children.
Chani saw a booth with a mystical fortune teller present, "That person over there is doing thalm readings! I wonder what the future holds for me."
"Sounds like a scam if you ask me." Lectro said.
Chani gasped at him, "The outer world is no scam! Maybe if you had a little faith your inner thalm would take on a more pleasant color."
"I'm just saying fortune tellers are like professional liars. They just tell you what you want to hear."
"Alright, then let's hear what they have to say about your fortunes." Chani wrapped her arms around his and dragged him towards the fortune teller as he protested leaving Azula and Angara alone.
They both scowled at each other.
"It seems the outer world really wants us to hang out." Angara droned.
Azula answered back with an unenthusiastic, "Hurray."
They separated to the various booths with Azula and Angara waiting their turn to partake in a shooting game. It was very similar to the holographic targets on board the station's shooting range only this one had more family friendly decor littered with holographic cartoon characters flying across what looked to be a space pirate themed backdrop.
Angara grabbed herself one of the electric blasters, spinning it around in her hand like a sharpshooter, "Bet I can get a higher score than you, pup."
Azula tested out the aim of hers, "Don't celebrate too early. I've been getting better with these as of late."
"Think you're a sharpshooter like My'Rell?"
"Not quite, but she has given me a few pointers." Azula punctuated by firing at a moving target managing to hit it.
Angara scoffed, "Lucky shot." She quickly drew her toy weapon blasting three targets with pinpoint accuracy while shooting a smug grin at her opponent.
Azula grimaced at her cockyness as she took aim and fired, managing to take out four targets.
This escalated in the two princesses doing everything they can to one up each other and score the most points. Azula managed to keep pace however it was clear by the various trick shots Angara was showing off and by how easily she was able to hit the more difficult targets that she still had a lot to learn when it came to gunplay.
Ultimately Angara won due to her many years experience handling a blaster, managed to score the highest and won a giant egg shaped stuffed creature as large as her torso.
Azula sulked at the loss quietly as they exited the booth, "You only won because you have more experience than I do."
"Daaawww! Is da widdle pwimative baby mad because she didn't get a pwize?" Angara teased back with a babying tone.
Azula only huffed as they walked.
"You know, pup, if you learn to lighten up you'd be able to have more fun."
She scoffed, "I don't need to lighten up in order to have fun! I'm perfectly fun as I am now."
Angara gave her a mocking laugh as she turned to her with her giant stuffed animal blocking her view as she spoke and gestured through it, "Pup, you're wound up tighter than an industrial compressed spring. I can practically feel the tension coming off you right now."
"Why do you care?"
"I don't, you're just killing my vibe."
Azula rolled her eyes as they reached the edge of the pier and sulked.
"If you want we can go at it again and you can try to win yourself a stuffed… whatever this thing is. I think it's supposed to be a cartoon character or something."
"No, I'm done with these stupid games."
"Come on, pup. Come get your ass whooped again." Angara said holding the stuffed toy closer to her and adopting an exaggerated cartoon voice that fit the toy and poked at her with its stumpy arms, "Is da fire pwincess scared that she's gonna keep losing to whittle ol me?"
She didn't react to her teasing and chose to remain silent.
"Huh?" Angara poked her in the arm.
Azula continued to ignore her knowing she would get bored eventually.
"Huh?" Angara poked her again in the shoulder.
Azula still refused to give her the satisfaction of a reaction.
"Huh?" Angara poked her in the face.
Something in Azula snapped and she grabbed the toy then threw it into the water.
Angara lost her playful energy and only looked on in discontent, "Smooth pup. Real smooth."
"You shouldn't have had it so close to my face."
Angara rolled her eyes as she thought of how to get it back before the waves took it out to sea, "You're a real sore loser. You know that?"
"That wasn't me being a sore loser! That was you being an annoyance!"
"And here I thought you were going to honor our little truce." Angara said as she ripped a loose board from the dock and attempted to guide the stuffed animal back with it.
"I was honoring it. You were the one who provoked me!"
"That was just some light teasing! I literally do that all the time to Sev and Gax all that time and they don't throw my stuff into the ocean! Well… Sev doesn't at least."
"Really? That's your idea of friendship?"
"Yes! I know you and I aren't exactly friends but that's what they do, mess with each other. Didn't any of yours ever mess with you?"
"No. My former friends knew their place and that it would be unwise to provoke me."
Angara managed to pull the floating plush close enough for her to grab, "Can you even call that a friendship? At this point why even have any?"
Azula didn't answer that but it wasn't entirely true, after all she did allow Mai to get away with many of her sarcastic remarks, many of which would have been severely reprimanded if spoken by any other.
"What went on in my personal life on earth is none of your business." she said annoyed, "Where are the others? I'm ready to move on."
Angara rang the water out of it, "Just relax, they're probably still playing games. We'll just wait for them."
Azula groaned, "Who knows how long that will take."
"By the outer world, just shut up and relax! You're making me anxious."
She rolled her eyes, "I can't help it. I was raised to be diligent, to always be ready for surprises and to complete any tasks that needed to be done as soon as possible. It's not in my nature to just sit around and do nothing."
"And what are you gonna do instead? Make plans on how you're gonna take over your planet?"
That is exactly what she planned on doing but she wasn't willing to admit that and instead gave her a list of other things, "There are dozens of things that I need to do. For instance, learning to speak without the use of these translation devices that hurt my ears and are a chore to carry around, understanding technology that is far beyond my understanding and learning about everything else that goes on in the galaxy. There is so much for me to learn and if I am to adapt I need to understand it all as quickly as possible."
The Ke'Kuvon shook her head, "You sound just like My'Rell when she gets worked up. Always going on and on about how to fix and plan around every little problem she can think of. And she wonders why she doesn't sleep well."
That wasn't something Azula ever considered about their leader. My'Rell seemed so calm and in control at all times that is was difficult to imagine her letting anxiety get to her or as an insomniac.
"Really? I never would have guessed she was like that."
"You have no idea. Getting My'Rell to relax is like trying to saw through wood with a dull blade. Shaul tells her to take a vacation all the tiem but she's always got some excuse to not go on one. That woman's a workaholic. The way she acts it's like she's planning to take on the whole empire."
"Well this Courtix character has been running amok on everyone's mind and given what I've heard of him he's not an opponent to take lightly."
"Don't remind me. He's probably gonna show up at the worst time imaginable, which is why I ought to knock My'Rell out myself just so she can be well rested enough to deal with him."
It was here Azula realized something and wished to be clarified, "I've noticed something. You dislike Pendarens, for very justifiable reasons, yet you seem to harbor no ill will towards My'Rell. Why is that?"
Angara finished ringing out the plush, "Trust me, when we first met I had nothing but ill will for her. After all, we met on the worst day of my race's existence. Honestly thought she saved us just so she could give us false hope and space us all personally, we weren't expecting her to go awol, and all she asked in return was that some of us work with her to build up the Crimson Storm."
Azula watched the sun set off in the eastern horizon, "I can't help but notice that there aren't any other Ke'Kuvon around."
"Kowari and some of the others pitched in to get the storm afloat but once that was done they left feeling their obligation was done. I stuck around mostly because My'Rell was able to figure out who I really was and didn't want her blabbing about it to the Empire just in case she ever changed her mind. Plus, at the time I felt I had a duty to uphold by helping the woman that turned her back on her own nation for us, after all none of us would be here if she hadn't helped us. Still took a while for me to not want to shoot her and all the other Pendarens in the crew, but after hanging around her for a while I saw that she's not like most of those imperial types that constantly look down on us, "lesser races." She actually cares about others and isn't brainwashed like most of her kind. Can't say the same for some of the others. Well… maybe except for Serrin I guess."
"Who?"
"Another bounty hunter."
"You don't feel those duties now?" She refocused the conversation not wanting to go on another tangent.
Angara's expression tightened once more, "Drop it pup. I mean it this time."
"Oh come now, Angara. We're both of royal descent, I'm probably the only one in the universe who can relate to you right now. I'm sure you have some royal grievances you'd like to share." Azula saw this as an opportunity to gain Angara's trust once more and pounced on it.
"I'm not royalty anymore and you are the last person I'd ever want to share my personal feelings with."
"Not even a little? I'm hurt." Azula teased, "And quit it with that defeatist talk. Not royalty, you are! You should own it. Being royalty is the pinnacle of society that one must be lucky to be born in or have to claw tooth and nail to achieve. Where's your fire, your anger? I've seen it directed towards me and I must admit you are quite a terrifying foe, and that's not something I admit lightly. If I were you I'd be mustering every ounce of strength I can get to return to the fight and take revenge on the empire."
Angara only gave her a hard stare and a cold response, "You don't know me pup. You don't know what I've been through."
"Maybe not, but as sickening as it is for me to say this, I do believe you are better than just sitting out here on the sidelines pretending to be nobody."
Angara said nothing and instead stared off into the horizon pondering Azula's words.
"Besides, as a princess you shouldn't have to live in such squalor. I mean really living in a spaceship in one of the SeCore's hangers? That's no way for one of royal blood to live." Azula continued on however it seemed to have less to do with Angara and more to do with her own personal grievances of not living the luxurious life she once knew, "For instance; I would claim the most comfortable room on the station for myself, like the ship I just so happened to take from Slater, then I would also have over a dozen servants at my beck and call…" She continued on a tirade of her personal complaints about living as a peasant that caused Angara to zone out halfway through, until she spotted the others on their way all the while Azula was still going on about her list of princessly demands while occasionally bringing up Angara's princessly status.
Not wanting the others to suspect her royal origin Angara did the only sensible thing she could think of, firmly plant her boot in Azula's rear and kicked her off the dock.
She resurfaced in surprise and anger, "WHAT IN AGNI'S NAME IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"
The others came by their side seeing everything with Chani being the first to say something, "Angara! Why did you do that?"
"She had a bug on her butt… got it." Angara lied, unfazed by what she did.
"I think you could've handled that differently." Lectro said.
"And here I thought you two were starting to get along." Sev said as Gax laughed hysterically.
Chani helped pull Azula back up now seething as steam began to rise on her, "You think you're real funny, don't you?"
"Like I said pup, you had a huge bug on ya and I just reacted. Sorry." She wasn't really sorry and Azula knew it.
Sev placed a hand on her shoulder, "The important thing now is that she's sorry. Ain't that right Angara?"
She shrugged her shoulders, not really caring.
"And now that you've said you're sorry I feel that now I have to say it to you as well."
Angara raised a tattooed brow, "Why?"
"For this." Sev quickly grabbed both of her arms, "Firespitter! Quick, grab her legs!"
"Wait! Sev, what are you doing?!" She panicked as he lifted her.
A devilish grin spread across her face once she realized what he was doing and quickly ran to her as she began kicking her feet until she was able to wrap her arms around both legs and successfully fight back against her struggling.
"Don't you guys dare!" Angara warned.
"On three!" Sev grinned.
"I'm serious! If you guys throw me in I'm gonna…"
"One!" Sev said.
"Chani! Lectro! Do something!"
Lectro couldn't hide the smile this image was generating, "I think this is kinda earned. Don't you think Chani?"
"Right!" Chani agreed as she pulled out her communicator and started recording, "This will make a fun memory!"
"Two!" Azula said.
"At least empty my pockets first!"
"Three!" both Sev and Azula shouted.
"Wait, empty my pockets! EMPTY MY POCKETS!" Angara screamed as they threw her into the water.
She resurfaced being met with the laughs of the group with none laughing harder than Azula, "Okay fine, I guess I deserved that."
"More than you know." Azula said.
After being pulled out of the water both princesses stood in a drying station, an open booth that shot hot air at them in all directions as a convenient way for beach goers to get dry quickly. They waited there to get dry before heading back to the space port until Sev returned to them with a flier.
"Hey guy's, check this out! Someone was handing out fliers for a party down at an old warehouse not too far away from here." He handed them the flier.
"A party in a warehouse?" Azula questioned, "Clearly it's not a good one if it takes place there."
"That's where you're wrong, fire spitter. Underground parties are the best kind." Sev responded.
"Yeah, this ain't your stuffy rich people type of party. This is a rave, something that'll probably blow your mind." Angara said, taking the flier as she stepped out of the booth.
Chani peaked over the Ke'Kuvon's shoulder, "I've been to some of these parties before, they're really fun! We should go, it'll be a fun way to end the day!"
"It sounds more like an illegal get together between low lives." Azula said.
"I have to agree, this does sound kinda sketchy." Lectro added with Gax repeating what he said in a childish mocking way.
"Fine, then you guys can sit in the truck while we have fun. Might be best anyway, I don't think the pup could handle it."
Azula narrowed her eyes to her, "I just survived being trapped on a planet without my bending from a ruthless crime lord. A party is child's play."
"I just don't see you as the raving type. What, with that gigantic stick up your rear."
"I do not have a giant stick up my rear! Right Sev?"
Sev looked away scratching the back of his head, "Firespitter, that stick is so long I can grab it and wave you around like a flag." he deadpanned, earning him a kick to the leg from Azula.
"Have you ever even been to a party before?" Angara questioned.
Azula scoffed, stepping out of her booth now trying to calm her frizzy hair, "Of course I have! As princess I was expected to attend many formal gatherings with other members of the nobility."
"No, I don't mean one of your so-called, "formal get togethers" where all you do is stand around looking high and mighty. I mean a real party with music, dancing and people having a good time."
She searched her memories with her last vacation to Ember island coming to mind, "Once. My brother and I, along with my former friends, pretended to be commoners and attended a house party. We ended up burning it to the ground."
"Dang, partied so hard you burnt the place down? Didn't think you had it in ya firespitter!" Sev laughed, patting her on the back.
"Yes, that's just how fun I am." Azula lied trying to boost her own confidence as memories of her attempts at flirting came to mind making her feel less enthusiastic about attending what her companions' definition of a party was.
"Alright, since you're so confident let's get to it."
"Yeah, party time!" Sev cheered with Gax as they jumped back in the truck.
"Just don't cramp our style, pup." Angara said as she rebraided her hair.
"You took the words right out of my mouth. And stop calling me pup!"
They all entered Sev's truck excited for the party, all except Lectro who was still against the idea.
They left the carnival and arrived at the old warehouse just as night fell, finding it was packed with other vehicles of those attending. Before entering, Azula could hear the rhythmic beats of music and see the flashing lights from every opening.
Inside the warehouse it was loud, louder than any interior space should be, with a crowd of young people of various species dancing to the fast paced electronic beats, ethereal lyrics and synthetic noises that passed for music. Lights that were crudely put up flashed and changed color reacting to the music as a DJ stood in a raised platform surrounded by speakers in the back operating a strange array of equipment to control the party. She was expecting something informal however this was far away from what she thought.
"Still think you can handle this?" Angara asked smugly.
Azula held her chin up, "It's not what I expected, but I can adapt. Shall we?" She followed the rest in as they intermingled into the crowd and started moving to the beat.
Chani seemed to fit right in as she danced with the other party goers easily with her brother following suit in his own manic way, Sev showed off his own surprisingly coordinated moves while minding the crowd so he didn't accidentally club anyone with his heavy limbs and Angara had more subdued movements easing into the atmosphere. Azula stood awkwardly at the sidelines unable to pierce the wall of people. She tried politely to ask them to move aside before demanding they move shortly after but the music drowned out her voice and her audio translater wasn't loud enough to alert them of her presence. Instead of making a scene she resigned herself to sticking to the edge of the crowd.
She didn't know what to do and she couldn't try and mimic what others were doing as no one person moved the same. It was all too hectic, wild and unorderly with her personal space being invaded constantly as aliens of various shapes and sizes bumped into her not paying attention to their surroundings like a troop of hog monkeys acting out in excitement. She had been taught many things by many great artisans and masters, however the art of dancing was not one of them. Paired with the loud music and blinding lights that made it difficult to find the others she was quickly becoming overstimulated and had to pull herself away.
When exiting to the sidelines that were more vacant and saw that Lectro was hanging there as well so she decided to join him just so she wasn't alone with all of these strangers.
"You're not going to dance?" Lectro asked, trying to make some small talk.
"We don't really dance in the fire nation."
"I'm not much of a dancer myself. I generally prefer to stay away from such loud and crowded spaces, but it seems like we got dragged here anyways."
"Indeed."
They stayed quiet for a little while longer before Lectro broke the silence once more, "So, did you have a good day?"
She shrugged her shoulders, "I suppose. It wasn't the worst day ever. I could have been arrested again."
"Thankfully that didn't happen. I'm also glad you and Angara are somewhat getting along, minus her kicking you off the pier."
"I got her back so we're fine. So is this what most people in space consider fun?"
"For some I guess. I'm more of an indoorsy analytical person."
Chani exited the crowd with Angara as the song died down, "There you guys are! I was wondering where you went."
"Thought you said you could handle this pup?" Angara asked smugly.
"I can! I just… partied too hard and needed to rest for a bit." She quickly lied, Angara was not convinced.
A deep heavy bass signaled the start of another song.
"Oh! I love this song!" Chani grabbed Lectro's hands, "Come on, let's dance!"
Lectro's body stiffened as he tried to prevent himself from being pulled onto the dance floor, "B-but I don't know how to dance!"
"You don't have to know, just do it!" She laughed as she successfully pulled him along and grabbed Azula's as well, "You too."
"No it's fine Chani I-"
She felt Angara's hands land on her shoulders, "C'mon pup. You're a party animal right? Show us your moves!" She quickly shoved Azula before she could protest.
Azula could only groan as she was dragged onto the dance floor with Sev and Gax moving to the beat. Lectro danced awkwardly with Chani trying to match her movements in an awkward manner but as the music went up in pace and he received more encouragement from Chani his confidence grew and he slowly began to dance in a way that made him look ridiculous but he didn't seem to care and was just having fun.
Azula didn't follow suit and instead stood uncomfortably.
"You're gonna dance or what pup?" Angara asked crudely.
"I'm dancing! See?" She stuttered as she began bobbing and swaying to the beat in a very stiff manner.
Angara only gave her look of pity as if she was watching a sick little animal struggling to walk, "Look pup, I know I give you a lot of crap, but if you're that uncomfortable you can just go hang out in the truck. You don't have to force yourself to be here."
Azula gave her an indignant glare, "What makes you think I'm forcing myself to be here?!"
"I mean… have you seen yourself dance?"
"What's wrong with how I dance?" She was completely oblivious to her clumsy and unrefined movements.
Angara didn't answer, not that she didn't want to, but if she was honest to her it would have felt like kicking someone while they're already down.
Azula didn't like the pitying look Angara gave her and abruptly stopped, "Okay fine! I admit it! I don't know how to dance! Go ahead, make your jokes and laugh!"
"I would if it wasn't so sad."
That response only made her angrier.
Angara sighed and eased out of her dance, "Guess you need some lessons. Just follow my lead."
"I don't need your help, I can figure it out for myself." Azula said stubbornly.
"Okay fine. Embarrass yourself further, I don't really care." Angara shot back, going back to enjoying her night.
"Okay fine! Just take the lead already!" Azula quickly said feeling self conscious after hearing Angara's critiques.
Angara moved her hips to the beat followed by the swaying of her shoulders with simple foot movements.
"Try and keep it simple, you're not looking to be the center of attention." Angara instructed as her pace quickened with the music.
"How is my footwork? When do I focus on my legs or arms?" Azula asked.
Angara rolled her eyes, "You're thinking about it too hard! It's not rocket science. Don't think, just do!"
"What do you mean just do?"
"Do I have to spell it out for you? You're too stiff! Loosen up, follow the music. Do what feels right."
Azula sighed as she copied her. As she mimicked every movement she couldn't help but feel embarrassed, embarrassed that the most feared warrior of the fire nation was moving in an uncoordinated way, something her father would have reprimanded harshly, "This is stupid, I look ridiculous."
"Don't think about it, just do it." Angara repeated.
"Easier said then-"
"DON'T THINK JUST DO!"
"OKAY! STOP SHOUTING AT ME!"
Azula stopped arguing and made another attempt, this time closing her eyes remembering what she said about doing what felt right. Not thinking, just doing.
The beat was energetic so it would dictate her pace, the synthetic melody caught the movements of her shoulders with her arms following suit, and the digital bass sending sound waves reverberating through her body made her feel disconnected from the world around her as the music took her over. Before she knew it she was flowing with it like everyone else caught in a trance of lively youthful bliss.
"Now you're doing it, pup!" The sound of Angara's encouragement briefly snapped her out of it, allowing her to see she was matching with the Ke'Kuvons movements well.
She felt more confident and danced harder not wanting to be outdone by her. Angara sensed the challenge and with a smirk went even harder. Both princesses let the music seize them as they let loose with the rest of their group matching them as they enjoyed the evening dancing the night away. Angara was so absorbed in the dance that she felt restrained by her braid choosing to undo it, letting her maroon hair flow untamed as she flung it around.
"Undo yours!" Angara cheered.
"Why?"
"It feels great! What's the point of having hair that long if you don't throw it around?"
She wanted to argue back and explain how a topknot was a sign of a fire bender's pride and status but knew that she would be rudely interrupted if she did, but she did think about it. It was expected for a fire bender to keep their hair up at all times for all to see throughout the day and only be let down in personal settings, however she was no longer in the fire nation. She was not bound by the strict societal laws of her home, no one here would judge her or even bat an eye in her direction if she were to let it loose.
Reluctantly she abided by Angara's request undoing the ribbon, thankfully she didn't bring her hair piece this time so as to not get robbed again and made undoing her hair much easier, letting it flow freely once more, "There, happy?"
"I will be when you cut loose!" Angara said as she headbanged, "Come on! Fling those locks around like a maniac!"
Azula didn't have anything to say back but decided to follow her lead and threw her head throwing her hair around like she was waving a flag around proudly. It felt liberating as if all tension within her was being thrown out of her body and she couldn't help but smile and laugh without a care in the world. She felt something she had never felt before, like she could breathe easy, the weight of responsibility lifted from her shoulders, the worry of maintaining her composure was gone, schemes and plans for the future weren't important and the best part, her mind was silent. No intrusive voices telling her what to do next or trying to manipulate her. This feeling was new and alien to her, like she had taken a breath of invigorating fresh air for the first time after spending her whole life breathing in smog. She felt at peace, she felt free.
Sev momentarily paused his dance once he saw the two princesses dancing together with barely a hint of malice for one another, "Hey look at that, they're actually getting along."
Chani couldn't help but smile as she continued her dance, "I knew those two would get along eventually."
"I wonder how long it'll last."
Chani lightly slapped his side, "Don't say that! This is the start of a beautiful friendship!"
This didn't last long as the music was suddenly cut off as the doors were kicked open revealing Proxly and his band of law enforcers as he made a declaration, "This party ends here! You are all trespassing on private property and in violation of Horizon city's noise curfew laws!"
The first reaction anyone had was to flee. What was once a room filled with dancing youths devolved into a stampede as people pushed each other out of the way trying to avoid the officers that began arresting the party goers. The DJ even abandoned his equipment to escape out an old window.
"Wait, so this was an illegal party after all?" Azula asked as Angara grabbed her by the arm and pulled her away.
"Time to go! I'm not getting arrested again!"
"How are we getting out of here? They're blocking the main entrance?" Lectro cried as his anxiety took over.
Sev looked around and locked onto a particularly weak looking wall, "I've got an idea!"
Before anyone could ask he charged into the wall using his mass to smash through it with ease with the others following before law enforcement could notice.
They ran back to his truck piling in and taking off as more hovering police cars arrived. In the chaos of fleeing party goers they managed to escape without catching any attention and made their way back to the spaceport taking the shuttle back to the station.
Back on the station the group found themselves in the galley enjoying a late dinner. It wasn't as crowded at this time with only a few other members of the storm hanging about and none were as lively as this group.
"So your first thought was to just run through a wall?" Azula asked as she tied her hair up into a ponytail.
"You had a better idea?" Sev responded by stuffing his face with food.
"No, but I don't think that would have been my first option."
"If I had my armor I would have jettisoned my way out of there." Angara said, "The rest of you would have been on your own."
"CHAGATA KA RAKA!" Gax said while punching the air.
"Brother, Proxly would have eaten you if you even tried that on him." Chani said.
"I'm just glad we got out of there before he caught us. I'm pretty sure My'Rell wouldn't be too happy bailing all six of us out." Lectro added.
"She was super mad at just bailing me and the pup out last time, so she'd probably blow a gasket." Angara laughed.
"You know I really wished you would stop calling me that." Azula said, annoyed.
"Too bad, I'm already used to it." Angara said before biting into what looked like a purple chicken leg.
"You could just use my name."
"I like pup better. Pup." She said smugly before taking another bite.
"I think it sounds cute." Chani beamed.
"Cute isn't a word I would describe the Azula." Sev said, "You know she only calls you that because you don't like it."
"True." Angara confirmed.
"Why don't you come up with something for her? I have a feeling you are pretty good at coming up with nicknames." Lectro suggested.
"You think I haven't tried? She just takes any insult I throw at her. Not like Zuko who screams and shouts over any little comment I make." She reminisced.
"Something tells me you were an annoying little brat to him." Angara chuckled.
Azula laughed, "That is an accusation I cannot dispute. But I just couldn't help it, he made it so easy." Reminiscing on how she would tease poor Zuko brought a nostalgic smile to her, from the times she'd blame Zuko for all the bad things she did while making herself out as a pure little angel to embarrassing him with her exemplary firebending skills. Good memories.
"The one thing that never fails to rile him up is when I would call him Zuzu. Oh, he hated that. Always made me think he was going to burn something down every time I even breathed the name. Good times." The memory of their Agni Kai reared its ugly head causing her to lose her smile.
"Think he'd still get mad if you called him that now?" Lectro asked.
"Undoubtedly so. Although now I'd have more than an annoying nickname to say to him. Damn traitor." She quickly downed her drink.
Sensing Azula's change in attitude Angara decided it was probably best to steer the conversation away from her brother, "You said you fought in a war pup. Got any good war stories?"
"I only fought in the final year of it but I managed to gain some stories from my experience."
"That's right, you conquered a city, right? How'd you manage that?" Sev said leaning in with interest along with Gax who was just as interested.
"I suppose I could share how I conquered the Earth Kingdom capital." She said smugly, "It started with me overseeing our first attempt to breach the walls with a giant drill. It was probably as big as the SeCore."
Lectro's interest was caught, "Really? So your people managed to construct a massive structure despite your primitive status! Tell me, what was it powered by?"
"From what I understand coal and steam engines."
"Fascinating! A steam engine to power such a structure must have taken years- no decades to complete."
"Yes and thousands in taxes that ended up getting flushed down the drain. It was destroyed due to an… unforeseen factor." She groaned at the thought of the Avatar, "The drill, though great in concept, took a colossal amount of resources to make and power it, a colossal amount of manpower only for it to end as a colossal failure. So I took it upon myself to infiltrate the city."
"GASH KA RAMI NAMINA?!"
"Gax is asking why you didn't send spies in the first place." Sev said.
"We sent countless spies over the years, yet we never heard back from any of them and I quickly found the reason why, Dai Li agents. Elite earth benders that where the secret police keeping order within those walls. Nothing happened without them knowing about it and guess who was in charge of the city instead of the king? The timing of my arrival couldn't have been any more perfect. The leader of the Dai Li had been deposed once his king wisened up to his scheming and was in chian's. Needless to say he wasn't very happy with where he was and was willing to aid me in my plans. In the end I managed to get Ba Sing Se's greatest protectors to hand me the city on a silver platter."
"I get it, you took advantage of the infighting. Smart." Sev said.
"Can't imagine this alliance lasted long?" Angara said.
"No. After we overthrew the king the head of the Dai Li immediately tried to betray me except I was a bit more persuasive with his men than he was and they saw me as an even greater leader."
Chani was genuinely impressed, "Oh wow. Maybe we should get you to negotiate contracts for us. Charisma like that could really help us."
"What happened after you took the city?" Lectro pressed.
"After we took Ba Sing Se the war was practically over. I came home a war hero and all that was left was to clean up the remaining resistance forces and counter a feeble little invasion I managed to learn about. There were still the northern water tribes that needed to be dealt with but I'm sure they would have submitted once we put a little more pressure on them."
The way she had worded that last response sent a wave of caution down the others as it sounded very similar to what an imperial Pendaren would say. Angara in particular arched her brow as if an alarm had gone off. The mention of small resisting forces being crushed by a larger enemy brought up her own old memories. Dark memories of hardship, pain and loss.
"I have to say, that was fascinating to hear about, particularly the drill!" Lectro continued his enthusiastic praise with Azula proudly soaking it in, completely oblivious of how the others reacted.
Angara washed her meal down and slammed the cup hard, cutting off the praise, "Just out of curiosity, what was this war being fought over?" She asked with a hard and determined look.
The look was apparent to Azula, it was one of a challenge, one she didn't appreciate but answered truthfully as she had nothing to hide regarding that question.
"One hundred years ago my great grandfather had a vision of a united world. We are the pinnacle of civilization on earth and he wished to share our greatness to the rest of the world so that all four nations could live as one. The other nations wanted to reject this gift in favor of stagnation. We just needed to show them the errors of their ways."
Angara's face tightened as her voice took on an edge, "So you thought your way of doing things was the best way and tried to enforce it on everyone else? Just like the Pendarens." The accusation was clear and the light friendly atmosphere of the table quickly faded away, "What happens when people just want to live the way they want instead?"
Azula's brow tightened as she answered back with her own edge, "Our way is the way of progress. It's the only way. If they want to obstruct our path then it's their own fault if they get trampled."
Angara growled, "Spoken like a true Pendaren."
Both princesses began to glare daggers at one another with the tension at the table beginning to grow before Lectro decided to step in, "Now hang on! Let's not go throwing accusations around like that. Every species has a history with empires expanding and what not. These are just universal concepts."
Angara ignored him, "Couldn't help but notice you said the four nations but you only talk about fighting two of them. What happened to the third one? Did they push the hardest against you or were they just the first to be stuck under your boot?"
Chani tried to butt in as well, trying to bring back the friendly atmosphere from before, "Come on guys, we were having a really good time. Let's not fight."
"The air nomads posed the greatest threat to us. We had to get rid of them!" Azula spat back ignoring Chani's plea's.
Angara scoffed, "You couldn't control them so you killed them all! Just like how the Pendarens tried to do with my people! I guess I shouldn't be surprised that evil like them can develop on primitive worlds too."
Azula slammed her hands on the table as she rose from her seat, "Don't try to compare your squabble with the Pendarens with the conflict of my world! It's not the same!"
"It is the same! You're trying to micromanage and subjugate people who don't want you shoving your ideal down their throats, saying that you're the arbiters of how things should be done when you're just a bunch of narcissists who think the universe revolves around them!"
"My people brought order and innovation everywhere we went! It's not my fault they couldn't see the good we were doing for them!"
"Did they ask for your help? No, they probably didn't, so instead of acting like a controlling parent you should just leave people be! Order isn't something that can be imposed by others!"
Azula was growing tired of being on the receiving end of Angara's words and decided to end this with her own remark that she guarantees will end the conversation, "If a nation has the power to spread and share its greatness with those inferior to them then that's their right! Perhaps if the Ke'Kuvon king knew his place and heeded the will of a superior power then maybe his own brother wouldn't have had to stab him in the back!"
Angara exploded with rage standing up so fast that her seat flew out from under her, "YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SAY ANYTHING!" Sev jumped in front of her as she rounded the corner of the table like she was going to pounce on her like a berserk animal, "YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED THAT NIGHT! YOU DON'T KNOW PAIN, THE SUFFERING THAT NIGHT CAUSED ALL OF US!" Tears welled up in her eyes that housed an unrelenting fury unlike any Azula had ever seen before; a mix of anger, sadness and pain that cut her deep to her core. Pain she could not share the true extent of with anyone present and Azula knew this.
"Okay! I think dinner time is over! How about we turn in for the night?" Sev grabbed Angara and began pulling her away as she continued screaming obscenities and graphically detailed threats with Chani following attempting to calm her down.
Azula smirked, she finally managed to say something to trigger a decent response from her. It may have been a low blow but at least it put her in her place for now. The others at the table were not as enthused as they sat there awkwardly.
Lectro drummed his fingers for a bit before breaking the silence nervously, "Well… uh… I think that's enough excitement for me today. B3's probably got all that data transferred by now so I think I'll go and see that… night everyone." He quickly ran out of there before anything could keep him there any longer.
Gax sighed, making a remark that Azula couldn't understand before waddling off on his own.
Azula was alone, all the people he was having a good time with left her behind and it left a strange feeling in her, like a big empty pit appeared in her chest. She should feel happy to put Angara in her place, however her happiness faded quickly. The silence was deafening. She couldn't stand sitting alone so she went back to her quarters all the while thinking about this strange feeling. She always felt better after insulting someone, especially as deeply as she did now, so why didn't she feel any better?
She decided not to dwell on it and instead sat in bed writing in her journal recording the events of the day.
*****
"I believe I may have managed to establish some trust between myself and my group within the Crimson Storm, however I think it may have been all for nothing all because of that stupid brutish woman Angara. I swear she manages to make any form of enjoyment fade away, she's worse than Zuko sometimes.
To think that things actually started out quite decently when our trip to the planet started. I found myself having fun with the little group I found myself in. Clothes shopping was a bit of a pain as most of what is considered fashionable out here is downright hideous on earth, but the experience wasn't so bad.
I found the zoo trip to be enlightening. The various oddities that place called animals was very entertaining, I wonder how much chaos they would bring if one were to set them free. I was a bit mixed on the Carnival though. Some of the rides were entertaining however some were stress inducing. It was especially annoying having that wretch Angara kicking me off the pier but I was able to toss her in thanks to Sev so I suppose things turned out great in the end.
And the "Rave" as they called it, that we visited was more fun than I had anticipated. Who would have known that dancing around to music that was entirely too loud would have been such a liberating experience. I guess I see why so many fire nation youths began starting illegal dance parties towards the end of the war.
Everything had been going great, until dinner time. They asked me about the war, so I told them the goal of the fire nation, but Angara didn't seem to like my response. She accused both me and the fire nation of being like the Pendarens like it was a cardinal sin to be the dominant power.
The empire is the dominant force so why shouldn't I admire their strength, of course a weakling like Angara would be jealous of such a power and others like it. I made sure she knew it with a rather sharp response that made her throw a temper tantrum like Zuko.
However… I felt strange afterwards. I felt no satisfaction from what I said, and I don't understand why. I finally managed to put that brute Angara down, yet why do I not feel good about it?
Angara is my rival, one who had just humiliated me in the worst way imaginable earlier today. I shouldn't feel anything but elation that I hit a nerve, but it feels… hollow. Do I feel bad about what I said? No that can't be. Feeling bad for someone is beneath me and I'm sure if given the chance she would say something similar."
*****
She looked at the small statue she got of herself and the rest of the group at the zoo, staring at her neutral expression in the center of the group as the rest of them stood around her in various poses and smiling, except for Angara who also held a neutral expression.
Despite how things ended up at dinner she had to admit, she had fun today, it was the most fun she's ever experienced in her entire life, and she was somewhat sad about how things turned out.
She shook her head of these thoughts as she tossed the statue aside. She was too tired to deal with this, physically from the dancing and running along with mentally from dinner. She'll just sleep the night away and try to forget what happened.
*****
My'Rell walked the hallways of the newly acquired star yacht with Cetro as members of the engineering team assessed the structural integrity and stripping it of all nonessential equipment.
"I must say it is quite impressive that you all managed to take this ship without suffering any casualties." She said as two engineers cleared their tools out of her way.
"I count the stress it caused me as a casualty." Cetro said as he stepped out of the way of two engineers dragging some thick cables.
"How are you holding up by the way? I know you and Kanzo were close."
His four eyes darted away as he didn't want to look her in the eye when discussing such a thing, "I'm holding up as best as I can. Can't say I'm surprised though. He always did like to play with fire. I just need to get back to work."
"Are you sure about that? Why not take some time off? So you can mourn properly."
Cetro grumbled, "Now you're starting to sound like my son. I appreciate the sentiment, captain, but the last thing an old man like me needs is to be alone with his thoughts regarding mortality. I'll mourn my own way and that's by staying busy."
My'Rell sighed tiredly knowing she wasn't going to change his mind, "If that's what you want."
"Besides, you need someone who's worked this overly priced hunk of junk to tell you its worth." He changed the subject as they entered the atrium, "If you want my opinion, I say we should gut it. Salvage everything we can and sell the rest."
"What can you tell me about its performance?"
"This thing is decently sized, has a cargo bay that almost spans the entire length from nose to engine; she's fast too, faster than any ship this size should be, good fuel storage so she'll be running for a good long while before refueling and has one hell of a scanning range."
My'Rell nodded liking everything she's heard, "Why am I sensing a, "but" coming?"
"She's brittle. This thing was not built for combat; it only has two self-defense turrets, that are both broken by the way, shield capacity ain't nothing to speak highly of, hull might as well be made of paper and it's filled to the brim with redundant crap." He traveled up the steps and pointed to the abstract statue that acted as the centerpiece, "I mean look at this thing! What's the use of having this stupid thing here?"
My'Rell folded her arms and observed the looped artifact closely, "I believe it's to make the space look nicer."
"Well it's getting disassembled and used as material for the fabricator!" He leaned over the railing and barked some orders towards a few engineers, "Hey! Melt this thing down and put it with the fabricator pile!"
They entered the bar area as the alcohol was being taken for the galley and they took a seat at one of the tables.
"I'm not too sure we should scrap it just yet." My'Rell said, grabbing a bottle from a crate as one of the crew members walked by, "We have been looking for a new recon vessel for a while and based on what you just told me this thing sounds like a perfect fit. Think you can fix it up, put some bulk on it so it can take a hit and maybe install some heavier weapons?" She signaled one of the crew mates to bring them two glasses.
Cetro scratched his chin as he thought about it, "With the fabricator repairing it would be a whole lot cheaper than buying a brand-new ship. I can improvise something, but it won't be pretty."
"If you can make it functional then that's all that matters. Get rid of all non-essentials like the pool, the on-board sauna and use up the guest rooms if you have too."
"Jacuzzi too?"
My'Rell thought about it long and hard as she poured herself a drink, "Get rid of all non-essentials except the Jacuzzi. I might want to try that out at some point."
"Noted." Cetro said before downing the glass she poured for him only to recoil in disgust, "Pendaren whiskey? I don't know how you can drink this stuff."
My'Rell down her glass, "Reminds me of home."
"I think I'll stick with squig."
My'Rell poured herself another glass, "Also, before I forget, tell me about this distress call anomaly the Gold Sun's tried to blame on us."
"Right, that. Someone or something out there is luring people in with fake distress calls. Sun's lost a few ships to it and they'd probably lose this one if we didn't cut the feed and give away their trap. Sensors didn't get much of it before it disappeared."
My'Rell took this information in trying to decipher the mystery behind it but had too little information to work with, "That is concerning to say the least. I'll get with Shaul and Suldon to put out a warning to all our ships about false distress calls. Hopefully whoever it was wised-up and decided to stop that." She downed another drink, "One more thing. How was Azula during this whole mess? Didn't behave suspicious in any way?"
"No. If anything, that girl was the reason we got out of there in the first place. It was her idea to take the yacht when my plan failed. She's a little rotten brat but when things took a turn for the worst she kept a cool head, was adaptable and was able to handle her own in a fight. Then again I don't think the Sun's were expecting to get blasted in the face with fire. She even managed to hold her own against Slater down in the cargo hold."
"Guess that explains why it's a huge mess down there." My'Rell commented.
"If you want, we've got her whole fight with him recorded on the ship's security log, although it cuts out towards the end. Probably damage from when we went through that gas giant."
"I'll check it out later. I've got a billion other things to do, one of which is finding a job to send her on."
Her communicator buzzed as a call came in from her second that she answered, "Hello Shaul, what have you got for me?"
His voice came through on speaker, "I've been searching through our requests for a beginner level job as requested and I believe I've found one. Sending you the information."
She read the request on her screen quickly, "Hm… this'll do perfectly."