Azula burns bright (bornoffire) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2012-05-31 05:23:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, azula, ty lee |
"I'll get something for us in a second, I swear"
Who: Azula and Ty Lee
What: business mettings, talking, kung fu flicks and chinese food
When: Wednesday!
Where: Their condo
Status: Complete
Rating: PG-13 for making grown businessmen cry.
Azula was struggling. She knew she was. Sweat beaded on the back of her neck, and she wished Ty Lee were here. The meeting seemed to never end, and she'd gone past her pain tolerance about 2 hours ago - and past her own ability to cope about twenty-five minutes ago.
But Azula was stubborn. If she could force her face to not pale, force the sweat to remain off-camera, she would do it. The make-up she'd worn helped. She wouldn't give in to a little pain, and in fact she used it. She used it to put pressure on one of the members of the board, and turn the others against him.
He was weak. He had to go.
Finally, she shut down the camera and the television she used for the conferences, and rested her head on the table for a very long moment. Then she relented and let herself have a pill. Just one.
She laid down on the couch and contemplated many things.
Ty Lee was tired, and her usually bouncy spirits were flagging. She'd been splitting her time between taking care of Azula and trying to keep up with her training. Her new trainer, who she'd decided to take on as her coach, was extremely demanding. It'd been heaven and hell for the last 3 days, and while she was grateful, the honest thing was that she just wanted a break.
The straw that broke the camel had been practicing her landings today. She hadn't been sticking them, especially on her uneven bar routine, and the coach - sensing she could do better - had driven her to dismount over and over again until she got it right. In her exhaustion, her grip had slipped off the bar and she'd tumbled to the mat. It had been more of an injury to her pride than her physical self, but her foot had rolled underneath her. It ached, but at least her coach had let her go home for the day.
When she got there, she dropped her duffel in place and headed over to the other couch, then flopped there. Like a vegetable. Could it be nap time now?
No, it wasn't naptime, because Azula was in desperate need of entertainment. The TV wasn't doing it. She looked at the clock, then over at the zombie on the other couch, "You're home early. I thought I told you I would be fine."
"Nnh hnn." Ty Lee mumbled, sounding every bit like the zombie she looked like. She wasn't moving. Not unless Azula was in serious need of aid, and even then she wasn't sure she was moving. Not this time. Just 5 more minutes.
"Overworked?" She raised an eyebrow and smirked a little bit. At some point she'd fallen asleep. It was later than she realized. But Azula thought Ty Lee was here too soon, and she didn't like quitters.
"Nnhf."
The zombie lady moved just slightly, so that her mouth wasn't pressed up against the couch, and she could look at Azula a little better, "No, just... I got a reprieve for the day."
Azula looked her over, then tilted her nose up slightly, "Don't injure yourself. You're useless if you're hurt."
"I rolled my foot, but it should be fine tomorrow."
Sometimes Ty Lee wondered why every conversation with Azula had to be like navigating a minefield. She'd enjoyed the one they'd had Sunday night, if only because they were both just being honest with eachother. It was silly of her to think that that would really change anything. She hadn't wanted to admit to the foot issue, if only because it would be a weakness. But since she was home early anyway, there was nothing to do about it but be honest.
Azula said something surprising, "Stay off it tonight. If you're feeling stiff tomorrow I'll send you to someone to get it massaged."
Ty Lee tried not to stare at Azula as if she'd just sprouted 3 heads, "That's very generous of you."
"We can't have you failing because of your foot," Azula pointed out, as if Ty Lee being injured wasn't really her concern. She glanced over at the tired girl, her eyes saying more than her words ever could.
"We really wouldn't want that," Ty Lee agreed. She couldn't nod, though, becuase she was still a blob of zombie gymnast on the couch, and nodding would require movement.
Azula let out a sigh, "Are you hungry?" Clearly Ty Lee's entertainment value was going to be low tonight. There was this odd feeling of walking on eggshells between them since she'd put her fist through the table. She wasn't sure if Ty Lee was scared - or if she was.
"I'll get something for us in a second, I swear," it was like she was apologizing for not having gotten up sooner, or for being lazier than usual, "Maybe we could watch a movie and just relax tonight."
She watched Azula's face, unsure about the concern she read in it. Was that really there? She was almost afraid to hope.
Azula's concern shifted to disbelief. Not every question or statement meant she wanted Ty Lee to do something! "I wasn't asking you to get me anything, I was asking if you were hungry." She actually sounded a little miffed.
"No, I know, it's just that with your hand, I don't want you to get me anything, and you probably havn't eaten, either."
"Not since before the meeting," She admitted, reaching for her phone. She tossed it to Ty Lee, "Call, I don't care what."
"My pick?" Ty Lee sounded like her mood was improving just at the thought. And Azula hadn't turned down the idea of watching a movie together, either. This might be a nice night, after all.
Azula was already looking through the menus on the TV to find a movie she might enjoy. She wasn't sure what she was in the mood for, really, "If you have suggestions let me know."
"Maybe something... cheesy but entertaining," the other girl offered, while going through various to go places on Azula's contact list. She suddenly had the hugest craving for chinese food, "Orange chicken?"
"Yes." To the food. Hell, to the cheesy. She started looking through some older flicks, trying to find something cheesy that wasn't lame. Azula was also wondering where Ty Lee's energy suddenly came from.
It came from reserves of sunshine that she packed into her pores by direct contact with it. Or something.
The chinese place was a favorite of theirs, and ordering the food was as easy as getting one of the owners on the line and asking them for the usual. The phone conversation was over before Azula could find a movie, and Ty Lee finally got into a sitting position before tossing Azula her phone, "Maybe some old Kung Fu movie?"
Azula snorted, shaking her head, "Lame." She flicked down the list, making assorted faces at the selections. Why some of these movies were ever made, she'd never know. Finally, she settled on one. Which happened to be a Kung Fu movie. Shut up.
She shifted over on her couch, so Ty Lee could see the movie better and they could eat together.
Ugh, moving. Why did they create moving? Ty Lee took the hint, though, and got up, then limped over to the couch Azula was sitting on, and flopped back onto it. She made no comment about the fact that the selected movie was, in fact, a Kung Fu one.
Wordlessly, Azula took Ty Lee's rolled foot and started to rub at it with her good hand. The action was so deliberate that any comment upon it would cease in said action and likely result in a Raised Voices.
Ty Lee wisely said nothing, and bit back any whimpering in pain that might result from the foot rubbing that she wasn't going to be commenting on.
Azula wasn't trying to HURT. Just help. It may or may not be helping, "I got someone fired today." She grinned.
"Ooo, was it some idiot business flunky who didn't know his stuff?" Came the bubbly response. Ty Lee was back, just like that. It took very little encouraging, apparently.
The foot hurt completely on its own and it had nothing to do with Azula's foot rubs, which were definitely helping. Ty Lee hoped that her friend would keep it up if she kept her talking, "Your board room stories are so entertaining sometimes."
"He had no idea what he was doing. He wanted to sell perfectly good property when we should be holding on to it." Some people had no patience, and while Azula wasn't exactly KNOWN for her patience, she understood that sometimes you needed to think long term to get through slumps.
Admittedly, Ty Lee knew very little about what it was Azula's family did for a living. Aside from board room stories, most of the business part of Azula's life was played very close to her chest. Still, Ty Lee nodded her head, "Did you humiliate him before you fired him?"
Azula gave her her best 'duh' face, then broke into another wicked grin, "I think he started crying."
"Crying in front of all the other board members? Even your father?" that was unbelievable! "You sure are good at what you do, Azula."
Azula grinned. When the food arrived, she made Ty Lee remain seated to take care of it, before retaking her seat - and the foot.
For her part, Ty Lee was beginning to wonder what she ever did to deserve this much one-sided attention from Azula.
Sometimes, the best mind games where the ones that left them wondering. The looks crossing Ty Lee's face were more than worth it.
There were bound to be more wonderful looks when she dug into her food!
Feigning indifference, Azula looked to the movie, having to leave Ty Lee's foot alone while she ate. She felt a source of confusion and conflict. Burying that, she lost herself in the movie, mocking it mercilessly. But by the time it was over, exhaustion have kicked on, and she slumped against Ty Lee.
There were empty take out containers everywhere by that point, and Ty Lee wanted to go to bed just about as badly as Azula did. She slumped against Azula in the same way Azula was slumping against her, and yawned a bit.
That assumed Azula wanted to move! She shifted a bit, lowering her head so that Ty Lee became more like a pillow. There was no meeting tomorrow, thank the gods, so she had every intention of sleeping in.
Ty Lee daydreamed about sleeping in. If someone asked her what she was going to do after she won a medal, that's what she was going to reply with.
"Will clean up tomorrow," Azula murmured.
"I'll do it before practice," Ty Lee offered, while running some of her fingers through Azula's hair.
"Leave it for the maid, I'll call her in." Her eyes fluttered shut. Maybe she'll allow herself one pill before bed.
At least then she'd get a good night sleep. Ty Lee would have approved of the idea if she'd heard it. She thought Azula was being silly about not taking the pills anyway.
"Sounds good," Ty Lee yawned again.
She might not have even needed one, because Azula seemed to be snoring. Of course, Azula never snores.
Ty Lee didn't even hear any snoring. And since she didn't feel like moving, she decided that she'd just sleep right there.