They made their way away from the prison, and Azula found herself forced to carry two small children.
“Don't they have parents?” She asked Katara. “They smell.”
Katara glanced back at the wounded- the ones who weren't benders anymore. “No,” she said. “Not ones who can carry them.”
Katara was leading two slightly-older children by the hands. They couldn't have been more than six. They had golden eyes, and Azula decided, with little justification, that they were firebenders.
“Ty Lee is an airbender,” she said. “They didn't know, so they didn't have her under as tight of security. She made a glider. That's how she escaped.”
“You didn't tell us that before,” Katara said. There was mistrust in her voice again. “I just found out,” Azula said. She shifted the toddlers slightly. They'd fallen asleep and suddenly seemed to weigh twice as much. “Father tried to make her a firebender. I thought it just didn't take. Here, this is where we turn.”
They walked down an alleyway, and Toph easily picked the lock of the door of one of the buildings.
The garage was dark, and Azula didn't want to take the time to find a light switch. She made fire, and held it in the air. “This way,” she said, loudly enough for the group behind her to her to hear. “Follow me.”
In the corner of the garage was a group of tour buses.
Sokka came running up behind them, with a jingling sound that let Azula know he'd been successful in acquiring the keys from the main office.
“Wonderful,” Azula said.
Katara turned to face the crowd. “We're going to take this bus far enough away that Ozai won't know where to look for it. If any of you have a place you think you'll be safe, we'll help you get there. And if you don't, we have places you can go.”
“Someone's going to trace the bus,” a man in the back of the crowd said. “They'll find us.”
“We're only using the bus for a little while,” Azula said calmly. “And the one we've chosen wasn't scheduled to be taken for another week. If we're lucky, no one will notice that we've taken it until we've finished with it.”
She helped everyone file on to the bus, and put the sleeping toddlers on seats next to responsible-looking adults. Responsible-looking adults who were far, far from her seat.
The plan had been for Zuko to drive. He was the only one of them old enough to have his driver's license. But Uncle was well, and a much less suspicious-looking choice, so he took the wheel.
“Is everyone fastened in?” he asked.
There were a couple of clicks as belts fastened.
Uncle was a careful driver. That was good. This escape had been more than risky enough.
Azula sat back in her seat, closed her eyes, and started planning her next step. Where could Ty Lee have gone?
But then someone nudged her shoulder. It was a woman, thin and wasted. Azula could tell she'd had her bending taken from her. There was a sort of hollow look in her eyes.
Azula knew that look.
“Yes?” Azula said.
“It's your fault I was in there,” the woman said. “I know you.”
Azula shrugged. “If it wasn't me, it would have been another of Fa- of Ozai's agents. You'd be in the same position.”
The woman did not look like she appreciated the logic of that statement.
“The only difference,” Azula said, “is that some other agent wouldn't have broken you out again.”
“It doesn't matter,” the woman said. “They already took what they wanted from me.”
“He did it to me, too, you know,” Azula said. “He took my firebending. But I got mine back.”
There was hope in the woman's eyes, suddenly. “How?”
“The Avatar met with a spirit who gave him the power to restore bending to those who have lost it,” Azula said. This had the benefit of being absolutely true, and having nothing whatsoever to do with the question the woman had asked.
“Would he do it for me?” the woman asked.
“I don't know. But you can ask him.”
Aang hadn't practiced his spirit bending. It was unlikely that he'd be willing to try it on this desperate woman. But it gave her hope, and it got her to shut up, so that Azula could think more.
Azula settled back into her planning. But between the soft seat and the gentle bumping motion of the bus, it wasn't long before she drifted into an uneasy sleep, full of uncontrolled fires and broken gliders tumbling to the earth.
Re: Prison Break (3/3)
“Don't they have parents?” She asked Katara. “They smell.”
Katara glanced back at the wounded- the ones who weren't benders anymore. “No,” she said. “Not ones who can carry them.”
Katara was leading two slightly-older children by the hands. They couldn't have been more than six. They had golden eyes, and Azula decided, with little justification, that they were firebenders.
“Ty Lee is an airbender,” she said. “They didn't know, so they didn't have her under as tight of security. She made a glider. That's how she escaped.”
“You didn't tell us that before,” Katara said. There was mistrust in her voice again.
“I just found out,” Azula said. She shifted the toddlers slightly. They'd fallen asleep and suddenly seemed to weigh twice as much. “Father tried to make her a firebender. I thought it just didn't take. Here, this is where we turn.”
They walked down an alleyway, and Toph easily picked the lock of the door of one of the buildings.
The garage was dark, and Azula didn't want to take the time to find a light switch. She made fire, and held it in the air. “This way,” she said, loudly enough for the group behind her to her to hear. “Follow me.”
In the corner of the garage was a group of tour buses.
Sokka came running up behind them, with a jingling sound that let Azula know he'd been successful in acquiring the keys from the main office.
“Wonderful,” Azula said.
Katara turned to face the crowd. “We're going to take this bus far enough away that Ozai won't know where to look for it. If any of you have a place you think you'll be safe, we'll help you get there. And if you don't, we have places you can go.”
“Someone's going to trace the bus,” a man in the back of the crowd said. “They'll find us.”
“We're only using the bus for a little while,” Azula said calmly. “And the one we've chosen wasn't scheduled to be taken for another week. If we're lucky, no one will notice that we've taken it until we've finished with it.”
She helped everyone file on to the bus, and put the sleeping toddlers on seats next to responsible-looking adults. Responsible-looking adults who were far, far from her seat.
The plan had been for Zuko to drive. He was the only one of them old enough to have his driver's license. But Uncle was well, and a much less suspicious-looking choice, so he took the wheel.
“Is everyone fastened in?” he asked.
There were a couple of clicks as belts fastened.
Uncle was a careful driver. That was good. This escape had been more than risky enough.
Azula sat back in her seat, closed her eyes, and started planning her next step. Where could Ty Lee have gone?
But then someone nudged her shoulder. It was a woman, thin and wasted. Azula could tell she'd had her bending taken from her. There was a sort of hollow look in her eyes.
Azula knew that look.
“Yes?” Azula said.
“It's your fault I was in there,” the woman said. “I know you.”
Azula shrugged. “If it wasn't me, it would have been another of Fa- of Ozai's agents. You'd be in the same position.”
The woman did not look like she appreciated the logic of that statement.
“The only difference,” Azula said, “is that some other agent wouldn't have broken you out again.”
“It doesn't matter,” the woman said. “They already took what they wanted from me.”
“He did it to me, too, you know,” Azula said. “He took my firebending. But I got mine back.”
There was hope in the woman's eyes, suddenly. “How?”
“The Avatar met with a spirit who gave him the power to restore bending to those who have lost it,” Azula said. This had the benefit of being absolutely true, and having nothing whatsoever to do with the question the woman had asked.
“Would he do it for me?” the woman asked.
“I don't know. But you can ask him.”
Aang hadn't practiced his spirit bending. It was unlikely that he'd be willing to try it on this desperate woman. But it gave her hope, and it got her to shut up, so that Azula could think more.
Azula settled back into her planning. But between the soft seat and the gentle bumping motion of the bus, it wasn't long before she drifted into an uneasy sleep, full of uncontrolled fires and broken gliders tumbling to the earth.