It could be... Who: Azula and Ty Lee What: serious conversations and roller skate purchases When: 3/27 Where: out and about, mostly Rating: PG Status: complete
Ty Lee hummed as she brought in Azula’s lunch, as bouncy as ever. She was trying to be extra cheerful, in fact, to make Azula smile more. It was her mission to make Azula smile as much as possible. She set the tray down in front of her boss, and took her sandwich to her seat. The cafeteria had her favorite sandwich today, and that made Ty Lee pretty happy. She knew it was important to savor the little things.
Azula could hide her injury pretty well by now. She nodded at Ty Lee, picking up her sandwich and sniffing it. She looked at Ty Lee, and smiled at her bouncy behavior. “Thank you. You didn’t need to get me anything.”
“You get grouchy when you don’t eat. Plus I know running around too much is still uncomfortable. And I wanted to run around for a little bit, see if I could pick up some new gossip. But it’s still all just people talking about the warehouse that got broken into Wednesday.” She shrugged and sipped her water. It wasn’t one of Azula’s warehouses, so she didn’t care very much.
"Any information I might care about?" Truthfully, Azula didn't care. It was her uncle who lost face, which was amusing, so it didn't seem like something she had to worry about. What was more important was how difficult it was to watch Ty Lee do anything and not be distracted.
“Nope. Just the same old same old.” Ty Lee shrugged. “Do you want to go out and do something tonight? I think it might be fun to do some exploring around town or. . . something.” She wanted to get Azula away from her work for a little bit.
“I may regret this..but okay. Surprise me. We’ll do whatever you want.” Azula resumed eating her sandwich. She indulged Ty Lee, overly much, but keeping a friend through indulgence and respect was proving to a lot more fun than ruling them through fear.
There was still a fragile thread when it came to trust. Parts of Azula that watched and waited for that trust to be broken.
“Oooh, how about roller skating!” Ty Lee smiled widely. Everybody loved roller skating, there was no way that could bother Azula too much.
“....rollerskating?” Azula sounded incredulous. She hadn’t been roller skating since she was five. “People still do that? Do they have to be roller skates? Can’t they be those..blade things?” She liked blades, they were sharp.
“Sure! Same thing, really. Oh, or we could go to beach. It’ll be late, but it’s kind of nice when it’s dark. So peaceful, just you and the waves.” Ty Lee smiled at each new idea. They could go see a movie, they could go to an amusement park for a couple hours. . . the sky was really the limit.
Azula thought about it. “Lets do both. Lets rollerskate, and then go to the beach. It’ll be near midnight. It could be...” She scrunched up her face as she searched for the word.
“Fun? Enjoyable? Awesome? Amazing?” Ty Lee supplied, with laughs between each suggestion.
“Romantic.”
Ty Lee stopped abruptly. “It would be, yeah.” She didn’t know what to say to that. Did Azula want romance? “I could see if one of the girls on the network wants to come along. I can get you guys ice cream or something.” She wanted Azula to be happy, after all.
Azula looked hurt, for just a moment. A second, really, was all it lasted, but it was there. It cut her, that Ty Lee would jump so quickly to setting Azula up. She looked away. “It’s less romantic when there’s a third, Ty Lee.”
“Oh.” Ty Lee looked down. “I could stay in the car, but I’d be less effective that way, and I already let you get shot once.” She didn’t want to leave Azula alone with some stranger from the network.
“We do not need anyone from the network.” Azula looked at Ty Lee, anger in her eyes. “Nevermind. The idea is stupid.”
Ty Lee opened her mouth, then closed it again. She looked at her sandwich for a little bit. “You want to go on a date with me?”
Azula closed her eyes, forcing herself to relax her jaw, and to prevent herself from snapping at her bodyguard. “Fantastic, you’re not entirely dense. Of course I do!”
“Why?” The idea just didn’t compute, and that time Azula’s mockery hurt.
Looking dumbfounded, Azula stared at Ty Lee. “You’re not just a bodyguard to me. You’re not just..someone I use. Is it that difficult to think that I have feelings?”
“It’s difficult to understand why you’d date me.” Ty Lee said with a shrug. “You should date someone who’s your equal.” Ty Lee knew she wasn’t, but it didn’t bother her. That was just her place in the world.
Azula frowned, then she sighed and leaned back in her cushy chair. “You’re better than me Ty Lee...” Her voice grew faint. “Always were.”
“Not at all.” Ty Lee countered. “Okay, I’m a better dancer and singer than you. I can lick the back of my knees and you can’t. But you’re a strong, noble person, and nobody tells you what to do.”
The mental image of Ty Lee’s flexibility completely derailed Azula’s thought processes and it took her a full minute to collect herself. “I mean, in your heart. You’re a good person underneath it all. I’m...not.”
“That’s stupid, of course you’re a good person.” Ty Lee said with a laugh. “You’re just a grumpy, bossy good person.”
“I’m a killer. I think of ways to hurt people. I used to be willing to...suggest terrible things. I’m a bad person, Ty Lee. I don’t deserve someone like you.”
Ty Lee got up and moved to sit on Azula’s desk. She even went so far as to grab Azula’s chin and lift it up. “A bad person would have killed me for letting them get hurt. A bad person wouldn’t have her brother come over and talk right afterward. A bad person would have let Iroh punish me. You might have done some bad things, Azula, but I’ve killed people, I’ve hurt people. Do you know how many ways I could kill you with the paperweight on your desk? Even with your fire powers, I just have to be quick enough and have good enough aim. What matters is why you do these things, what you gain from it.”
Azula never loved Ty Lee more than just then. She was still hurting, and still a little morose and angry, but the other girl’s words helped. “We’re too young for all of this. But we’re here, and we’re doing it. I just want a night where we can be normal people in love.”
Ty Lee felt a little guilty, because she wasn’t sure she loved Azula. She wasn’t sure Azula loved her, either. She didn’t really know what it meant to have romantic love. But she did want to spend time out on a date with her, which was maybe a start. “We should go on a date tonight, then.”
“Okay. Let me tell Uncle Iroh we’re leaving.” She pushed away from the desk, and got to her feet. She thought she was able to roller skate, and do most things that were fairly active by now, if she was careful, and she was tired of laying around, anyway.
She also wanted a minute or two to collect herself. She walked out of the office, and used the time to get to Iroh’s to calm down.
Iroh was pacing his office when he heard Azula knock. He missed Hari already. Damn the police for keeping him, just because he had a bloody knife in his hand. It could have come from anywhere, and it’s not like the injured woman was ever found.
He pulled the door open, ready to yell at whoever was on the other side. He refrained when he saw Azula. “Oh, I was hoping you were someone unimportant. Come in, Azula.” He stepped aside for her.
“Ty Lee and I are going home early.” She smiled charmingly, and lied, “I don’t feel too well.”
She doubted Iroh would let her go out with her bodyguard on a date, and even just the idea of rollerskating might make him side-eye her.
“Yes, you certainly look ill.” Iroh replied dryly. “But it’s too pretty to stay inside.” He’d be playing hookey if he had anything better to do than pace. “Don’t strain yourself, Azula. You do need to rest, still.”
She sighed, rolling her eyes. “I won’t strain myself, I promise, Uncle. Ty Lee wants to do something … fun.” Fine. He saw through her and she didn’t feel like pushing the lies.
Iroh chuckled. “Finally, she does something useful.” He smiled, briefly. “Enjoy yourself Azula, the chances to do so are few and far between.”
Azula frowned suspiciously, then shrugged her shoulder. “Okay. Take your own advice, old man.” She turned to go.
Iroh chuckled, but there was little humor in it. He closed the door and resumed pacing.
Ty Lee was humming as she thought of the things she’d want to take a rollerskating/beach walking date with Azula. Drinks for sure, and maybe marshmallows? They could have a fire. That would be nice.
Azula stepped back into her office. “Ready to go?” She smiled at Ty Lee, then stroked her face.
“Yep! We need to grab marshmallows, water, and a blanket when we get our skates. You have skates, right?” She wasn’t sure if Azula did or not.
“No. And I want those blades.” Skates were for babies. “Roller blades? Do they still make those? Can we get them where we get the other stuff?”
“Yeah, they’re easy to find.” Ty Lee nodded. “I don’t have skates anymore either, so we can get them together.” She smiled brightly and offered her hand to Azula.
Azula took her hand. She would happily walk hand in hand if it was safe. It wasn't but she held on regardless. As long as she could.
"You can drive."
Ty Lee squeezed her hand just before they parted. She smiled at Azula when the subject of driving came up. “Thank you-” She paused. Was she still supposed to address Azula as boss if they were on a date? She knew anything else was a little too friendly for the office parking garage, so she left off the name. She did scurry around the car to get Azula’s door for her, but that was expected.
Azula copped a feel as she slid in. It was a subtle, almost unnoticable thing, and she grinned like the cat that caught the canary as she buckled up.
Ty Lee giggled and bounced around to the driver’s seat. She started the car and drove off, driving very quickly. When they were a few blocks from the office she leaned over to kiss Azula. “Naughty Azula.” Her tone of voice showed that she was pleased with the attention.
“I don’t know what you mean.” She inspected her nails after the kiss, though there was a soft smile on her face. She felt like she could finally relax for the first time all day, even if she occasionally checked for followers.
Ty Lee just giggled in reply, and sent them toward a sporting goods store. She parked and ran around the car to open the door for Azula again, helping her out so she wouldn’t tug on her stitches much. There was some caressing involved in the exercise, but she was certain nobody would notice. She was just a friend helping someone out of the car.
Azula was enjoying their secret little game, and her caresses were just as subtle. “I’m okay, Ty Lee..” The protest was a token one. She really didn’t mind the help. She always did like being the center of attention.
“Of course, Azula.” She giggled a little. “Let’s go get some skates!” She tugged Azula toward the sports store, just an eager girl pulling her friend along, as far as anyone else knew.
There was part of Azula that hated this. This act. She who thrived on weaving webs of lies. But she most of all wanted to show off this beautiful, always happy woman. It warred with a desire to keep her safe.
She ignored these thoughts, and let Ty Lee drag her through the store.
As Ty Lee had hoped, rollerblades were easy to come by. Much easier than skates, which made her a little sad. She like the way they looked, but she didn’t want to delay their date for too long. She did at least get a set with pink wheels, which cheered her up immensely..
Azula was torn between red, and blue. In her closet back home, was a black leather mask with blue flames embroidered into it. It was something that had gotten no use in a couple of months, but it was a pattern and a color she liked, for obvious reasons.
But she loved red, too.
“Flames make it go faster, right?” She went with the red.
“That’s the idea.” Ty Lee said with a solemn nod, before bursting into giggles. “But you can’t go too fast, or I won’t be able to keep up!” She carried their skates up to the register.
“I can make my hands rockets,” she offered, grinning to herself. She followed Ty Lee. “Water, and blankets, too?”
“Then I’ll never catch up! And marshmallows.” She put the rollerblades on the counter and stepped aside. Azula was the only one of them with money at the moment.
“Marshmallows? To roast?” She supposed she could handle the fire easily enough. She pulled out her wallet and paid in cash.
“Yes! Since it’ll be dark part of the time, I thought it might be, you know.” Romantic. She went over to grab the bags. “I can run in when we get to the grocery store.”
Azula snuck a kiss when she thought they were alone, and then nodded. “Okay. Lets get going then.” She had the wildest urge to show off.
Ty Lee sighed after the kiss, and nodded. The trip to the grocery store didn’t take long, and Ty Lee ran through the aisles, grabbing beach towels, marshmallows, and bottles of water. She also grabbed some flowers, which would hopefully make Azula smile. They were a beautiful shade of orange-y red.
Azula tapped her finger on the window while she waited, listening to some Japanese r&b cd she’d picked up, after seeing the singer on the valarnet. She thought she could make out to this song.
Ty Lee got back into the car, pausing when she heard the singer on the radio. “Oh, I love this song. It’s so pretty.” She smiled brightly at Azula, and started the car again.
“It makes me think of you,” Azula said, looking at Ty Lee out of the corner of her eye. She smiled, a secret smile.
Ty Lee smiled, a silly, pleased smile. “I want you to think of me.” She obviously thought about Azula a lot, but it was more than just being her bodyguard that made her do so.
"Every chance I get..." Azula put the top down and rested a hand on her lover's leg. "Have you had any weird dreams lately?"
Ty Lee focused harder on the road. “A couple? Just some weird stuff about a school.” And having a family.
“Mm. Did you know anyone at that school?” Like a really spoiled princess. She eyedarted.
Ty Lee nodded. “Oh yes. A beautiful, temperamental girl who bossed me around a lot. But I liked her, because she always had the best plans for getting into trouble.”
Azula smiled, and felt the tension in her chest release. “She sounds brilliant.”
“She was a pain in the butt.” Ty Lee said, giving Azula a teasing look. “But she was one of my best friends, even when she got a little scary.”
She squeezed her hand. "I hope she likes roller skating."
Ty Lee squeezed back. “I do too. She needs a little more fun than she seemed to have in the dreams. Her father was an asshole.” Which was saying a lot. Ty Lee didn’t curse lightly.
“You have no idea,” Azula murmured. “Then I think she’ll have to have a lot of fun, but she’ll need help.”
“Luckily, I know a lot about fun in the dreams as well.” Ty Lee beamed at her. “And I can handle her mood swings.”
Azula laughed. It was a rare sort of happy laugh that lacked any sort of underlying malice.