“I'm not doing this out of the goodness of my heart. I have conditions,” Azula said. “Well- one condition.”
“Of course you do,” Zuko said, almost growling.
“You have to help me rescue Ty Lee.”
Really, they could have hidden the wide eyes and dropped jaws a little better. It wasn't like she was completely heartless.
Well- she'd always pretended she wasn't, anyway, which amounted to the same thing in the end.
“What?” she spat out. “I'm not allowed to be in love, just because I was on the 'wrong side'?”
Zuko's eyes bugged out of his head.
“You and Ty Lee?” he said.
Really, her brother was very slow.
“Yes,” Azula said. “Father decided we were a poor match. He has her locked up. Presumably in the same place as Uncle,” she added, with a small nod towards Zuko.
“It's your fault he's locked up,” Zuko said.
Azula shrugged. “So who better to get him back? I know where Father's prisons are. I know what the security is like. I know how to get them out. But I need help.”
“And once you have Ty Lee?”
“Father won't take me back,” Azula said. “He doesn't forgive. You should know that, Zuko.”
“Is she telling the truth?” the water tribe boy asked the little earthbender. And Azula thought, she'd have to learn their names now.
“She's not lying,” the little earthbender said. “At least- I don't think she is.”
“Not right now,” Zuko said. “That doesn't mean she won't later. When she changes her mind.”
Azula didn't know what to say. She was usually so good at convincing people to do what she wanted.
“I need you, Zuko,” she said. “Just help me rescue her. I'll do anything.” It was the most honest statement she could ever remember making. But even that didn't seem to convince them.
They left her for a while, standing off where they could see her but she couldn't hear them. She thought about how this wouldn't work, how she hadn't played the situation well. She'd have to find another way to break Ty Lee out. Maybe she could sneak into the prison, somehow. She could handle any guards, as long as they didn't have time to shoot her. It could work.
She knew it wouldn't.
Not really caring what she looked like, she sat on the ground, tucked her knees up, and put her arms around them.
If Ty Lee were here now, she would say something completely inane, about how Azula's aura looked bad or something, and Azula would look up to find her mouth caught in a kiss, and everything would be better. And then Azula would be able to think again.
Ty Lee wasn't there. So Azula just sat, and waited.
It seemed to take hours for the group to make a decision.
And then the waterbender came over, and said: “We'll let you stay with us. But if you take one step out of line-”
“Then you'll kill me? That sounds familiar.”
The waterbender stopped talking for a moment. “I told you before. We're not like Ozai. We don't kill people.”
Azula shrugged.
“Just- watch it, okay?”
“I will,” Azula said, deciding that she'd better stop pissing off the people she needed to help her. “Thank you,” she added. She gave the waterbender a smile, as sincere as any other smile she'd ever given anyone that wasn't Ty Lee.
Switching sides wasn't a matter of morals. She didn't care that her father was trying to take over the world. She didn't care that he was killing people, or if those people were innocent or not.
She cared that he'd taken Ty Lee away from her. And she was going to get her back if it meant she had to rip through every soldier and maniac her father could throw at her.
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branchandroot
Heel face turn 2/2
Date: 2011-05-02 05:13 am (UTC)“Of course you do,” Zuko said, almost growling.
“You have to help me rescue Ty Lee.”
Really, they could have hidden the wide eyes and dropped jaws a little better. It wasn't like she was completely heartless.
Well- she'd always pretended she wasn't, anyway, which amounted to the same thing in the end.
“What?” she spat out. “I'm not allowed to be in love, just because I was on the 'wrong side'?”
Zuko's eyes bugged out of his head.
“You and Ty Lee?” he said.
Really, her brother was very slow.
“Yes,” Azula said. “Father decided we were a poor match. He has her locked up. Presumably in the same place as Uncle,” she added, with a small nod towards Zuko.
“It's your fault he's locked up,” Zuko said.
Azula shrugged. “So who better to get him back? I know where Father's prisons are. I know what the security is like. I know how to get them out. But I need help.”
“And once you have Ty Lee?”
“Father won't take me back,” Azula said. “He doesn't forgive. You should know that, Zuko.”
“Is she telling the truth?” the water tribe boy asked the little earthbender. And Azula thought, she'd have to learn their names now.
“She's not lying,” the little earthbender said. “At least- I don't think she is.”
“Not right now,” Zuko said. “That doesn't mean she won't later. When she changes her mind.”
Azula didn't know what to say. She was usually so good at convincing people to do what she wanted.
“I need you, Zuko,” she said. “Just help me rescue her. I'll do anything.” It was the most honest statement she could ever remember making. But even that didn't seem to convince them.
They left her for a while, standing off where they could see her but she couldn't hear them. She thought about how this wouldn't work, how she hadn't played the situation well. She'd have to find another way to break Ty Lee out. Maybe she could sneak into the prison, somehow. She could handle any guards, as long as they didn't have time to shoot her. It could work.
She knew it wouldn't.
Not really caring what she looked like, she sat on the ground, tucked her knees up, and put her arms around them.
If Ty Lee were here now, she would say something completely inane, about how Azula's aura looked bad or something, and Azula would look up to find her mouth caught in a kiss, and everything would be better. And then Azula would be able to think again.
Ty Lee wasn't there. So Azula just sat, and waited.
It seemed to take hours for the group to make a decision.
And then the waterbender came over, and said: “We'll let you stay with us. But if you take one step out of line-”
“Then you'll kill me? That sounds familiar.”
The waterbender stopped talking for a moment. “I told you before. We're not like Ozai. We don't kill people.”
Azula shrugged.
“Just- watch it, okay?”
“I will,” Azula said, deciding that she'd better stop pissing off the people she needed to help her. “Thank you,” she added. She gave the waterbender a smile, as sincere as any other smile she'd ever given anyone that wasn't Ty Lee.
Switching sides wasn't a matter of morals. She didn't care that her father was trying to take over the world. She didn't care that he was killing people, or if those people were innocent or not.
She cared that he'd taken Ty Lee away from her. And she was going to get her back if it meant she had to rip through every soldier and maniac her father could throw at her.