"She's awake," I voiced the change I saw in the girl.
— Yoaru? — she said sleepily, opening her eyes. — What happened? Where are we? What time is it? Or what day? — the now not-so-sleeping beauty immediately began to show activity.
Azula moved to sit up on the bed, but I didn't allow it.
"Quiet, you'll draw the guards, and I'd like to talk to you alone for a bit before I let you go to them," I placed my hand on the girl's shoulder, helping her lie back down on the bed. And without giving the Princess time to complain, I asked the next question: "What is the last thing you remember?"
— Why such a strange question? Although... — the Princess mused, — my memory is somewhat clouded.
"I was afraid of that. Try to recall yesterday, it's easier if you start from the very beginning," I told the girl in a gentle voice, not wanting to give her more reason to worry.
— Maybe you'll just tell me what happened to me? — alas, my soft, soothing tone was useless.
"All in good time. Now you can start recalling the past day. Don't worry, everything is fine and under control now. You are in the mayor's mansion, guarded by your soldiers. Our conversation won't take long and will be exclusively beneficial," I continued to insist.
— Fine, — Azula replied warily, relaxing on the bed and beginning to recount what she remembered. I sat next to her and listened carefully.
The story began with the morning, but the simple trivialities of morning routines and topics of conversation with friends were uninteresting to me, as were most of Azula's orders and actions regarding her subordinates. I already knew all of that from her friends. The presence of these memories was reassuring. Their existence meant that her brain hadn't been damaged by the poison and her memory was intact. Which meant the little Princess was completely healthy.
Soon the Princess's story began to approach the ending I already knew.
— ...walking around the city. We were, you could say, having fun. Everything was wonderful, but... suddenly, there was an attack. The assassin was an amateur, however... I underestimated his foolishness. He attacked swiftly and was instantly met with fire. His life was cut short at that very moment. Only death did not frighten him. When I realized this, he had already managed to inflict a small wound on me—a scratch. And then... then... I can't recall anything specific. Only the worried glances of Mai and Ty Lee, and the blue sky. Yoaru, what happened next? — the Princess's thoughtful gaze turned to me, wanting answers.
I had no reason to hide them.
"The knife was poisoned. One scratch was enough to kill you. As you have probably already guessed, everything worked out. The assassin acted according to a plan, arranged a small massacre of a healer and his assistants, and then went looking for you. The assassination attempt might have been successful if I hadn't been nearby. You can find out all the details about the killer's identity from Mai. As I suspected, she is excellent as your deputy. The soldiers dug up a solid amount of compromising information on everyone he had ever contacted. Everything points to it being a personal initiative; you can check the investigation reports later and verify everything personally," I dumped all the news on the girl, carefully watching her impassive face.
It seemed that the near-successful assassination attempt had not impressed Azula. However, a brush with death leaves no one indifferent. And her next question only proved my theory that the person before me was merely a mask.
— I could have died?
"Yes, you could have, but no, you are still alive. I saved you. Although, I wasn't the only one. When you see her, thank Ty Lee properly. She provided invaluable assistance in your treatment. As did several quick-acting guards. The ones with medical knowledge, but you can check with Mai about that. I'll just say that your healing specialists helped you hold on until I arrived, and then I did everything possible for your recovery," I told her, recalling how difficult it was to deal with the poison.
— I see... — Azula replied with just a single word.
However, the girl's tone was full of contemplation. Staring at the ceiling, she was lost in thought, submerging her mind into the depths of her own thoughts. Led by the interest to look into them, I decided to ask:
"In general, we're almost done. Lastly, I wanted to ask how you feel?"
— Normal, — the girl replied calmly, but... I could not be fooled by such a trivial lie.
"Really? You managed to avoid death, and now you feel so awful?" I said with feigned surprise, lying down next to her and continuing to stare at her intently.
— I told you: I feel normal, — she replied more roughly, starting to get angry.
Cute. The thought flashed through my mind, witnessing the girl's slight anger.
"'Normal' means 'everything is bad, but I won't tell you about it.' Or 'leave me alone, my problems are not your concern.' I feel like after everything that has been between us, I've earned a little of your trust, but if not, then I won't bother you with my questions," a little inherited acting skill, and now Azula felt somewhat uncomfortable, feeling guilt. If she were in her right mind, my play would have been immediately exposed, but the recent events and the girl's thoughtfulness played into my hands.
Taking a deep breath and letting out a prolonged exhale, she continued.
— I don't know. Strange feelings. Everything seems fine, but at the same time, it's not. I... have never been this close to... the end of my life, — Azula answered me in a thoughtful voice with frequent pauses in her speech, avoiding the word "death."
"Do you want to talk about it? Share your worries? Thoughts? Concerns? Fears? I'm always ready to listen to you," I offered the girl in a friendly voice, suggesting a little intimacy.
— Hmm... — she narrowed her eyes. — No. We have nothing to talk about. I'm fine. I was just a little confused.
Somehow, I felt a certain disappointment and bitterness. Azula is Azula; everything has always been and will always be complicated with her. But I would like more trust between us, especially after what I did. Only for Azula is admitting the existence of feelings difficult. In her understanding, feelings are for the weak, at least that's how it used to be. The girl still can't figure herself out, her feelings, or admit the presence of her fears.
"Is that so? Fine. In that case, I'll leave you now. You can rest, or go and cheer up your subordinates. The news that you are alive and that your father won't hold them accountable for your death will surely please the people," I replied to the Princess in a cool voice, getting up from the bed and slowly moving away.
But a word spoken to my back didn't allow me to leave.
— Yoaru...
"Yes?"
— You saved my life.
"I wasn't the only one who put effort into it, but generally, that's correct."
— Just... I want you to know. You can count on imperial gratitude, — so that's it; she does feel grateful. Even if she doesn't understand how to express it. Such pleasant words are definitely successful progress in our relationship.
"Nice. I'll remember your words. And now I advised you to rest, and cheer everyone up with your recovery in the morning. I'll return to my affairs and... Azula. I'm glad you're alive. Try not to get into such dangerous trouble again and don't make me worry," I decided to be a little frank before leaving.
After all, this incident made me look differently at my... relationship with her? No, the word "interactions" would be more appropriate here. Although, I wouldn't say I don't want more.
I had grown attached to the girl.
Perhaps this was an inevitable outcome, because for quite a long time, I could only communicate with her. However, feelings don't interfere with my goals at all, and if necessary, I can suppress them, as I did before in my past life. But will the goal be worth the sacrifices made for it?
Meanwhile, the Princess chose to stay in bed. It was late night. Sleep refused to come to her. Instead of resting, she indulged in reflections, examining the scar she got from the assassin for a long time. A cut on her forearm, closer to the elbow joint; that's where the strike landed. I hadn't removed it; I didn't have enough strength, and then I forgot about its existence. I'll talk to her about it sometime. I wonder how she'll feel about it?
Having finished peering, as soon as she fell asleep, I returned to where I had left off. Namely, transferring my knowledge onto paper. Ty Lee helped me a little with this. Well, she helped by delivering everything needed to the room and locking it, and then I calmly worked in solitude.
I've been doing this for several weeks now, and although I can only work in cities and not during the entire journey, I have already done a lot, on the contrary, very much. I think I've already written enough for the Spirit's payment, and it's time to slow down. Besides, my knowledge isn't that accurate or extensive. Reproducing the technologies independently, without external help, will be difficult. But at the same time, with the help of the future Fire Lord and ruler of the whole world, it will be within my power to change this world beyond recognition. If only I wished to.
Why did I recall this? It's simple. I was running out of knowledge that could be put on paper and implemented in the future. Which means I will soon have more free time.
Soon, but for now, I successfully worked until dawn...
The sun illuminated a new day.
I returned to observing Azula with the first rays of the sun. I was curious how much her behavior would change after such a close encounter with death. I had no doubt that she would change at least a little. There were already facts indicating this. And in the recent past, a similar thing happened. She is no longer the arrogant bitch who stood before me at the moment of our first acquaintance.
The Princess was absent from her room, but finding her was not a problem for me.
As I thought, the girl had slightly changed her views on life. The first thing she did, after a long conversation with Ty Lee, was to promise to reward everyone who distinguished themselves in this incident, namely Mai, Ty Lee, and several guards with medical skills. Everyone would be given a medal, and other benefits were also provided to the lucky ones. Azula had learned to be grateful for service.
Regarding the assassination attempt itself: the Princess desired justice, not a foolish massacre for attempted murder. The old Azula could have easily burned down the entire city or at least executed or dismissed the mayor for the attempted murder of an imperial personage. A lot could have been stretched to fit the crime, but now she acted more restrainedly. Not punishing people who were only indirectly guilty of the attempt, but adhering to the law and showing mercy. After all, the mayor is responsible for any crimes that occur in his city. But besides this incident, he had no crimes, so the Princess decided only to reprimand him and intimidate him a little.
Amazing softness on her part.
Observing the girl all day, I noticed that Azula began to spend much more time with her friends, getting much more pleasure from such a pastime. And their interactions changed. It was noticeable to the naked eye how much more she began to trust them than before. This was evident in both more personal conversations and other minor details. If their friendship had previously caused some doubt, now it was perfectly clear that Mai and Ty Lee were truly the Princess's most trusted individuals. The girl even allowed her friends to persuade her to gather and play a game to brighten the evening. It seemed they hadn't played this game since they disembarked from the ship.
How fast time flies; busy with routine matters, they themselves didn't notice how the day full of work and problems ended. And now evening had come; the girls gathered together in one of the mansion's bedrooms and began to play...
— Is it edible? — the acrobat asked her friends sitting nearby.
— No, — the Princess replied with a smile.
— Can it be touched? — Ty Lee continued.
— No.
— Is it fun?
— Yes.
— What could it be? This is so difficult! I want to use my friend's help! — the acrobat exclaimed playfully, giving Azula an endearing look. Meanwhile, a piece of paper with the word "Joy" was attached to the girl's forehead.
— That's against the rules, — Azula replied with a smile, enjoying the game and not hiding it.
— Okay, in that case, is it related to me somehow? — Ty Lee continued to guess with even greater enthusiasm.
— Yes.
— Very much related, — Mai, who was sitting next to Azula, supported the Princess with a slight smile.
— Circus! — Ty Lee made another attempt with inspiration.
— No...
The game continued. Ty Lee repeatedly said the wrong thing, pouted sweetly at her failures, and rejoiced again, returning to the game with renewed strength. The girl was quite intelligent and quick-witted; it didn't take her many attempts to guess the word. When it happened, the girl's joy knew no bounds.
— Joy!!! Ha-ha! I'm Joy! What a wonderful choice of word! — saying this, the acrobat happily jumped for joy. She enjoyed playing such games the most.
— Correct, you guessed it, — Azula replied with a smile, having gotten a lot of pleasure from the game.
Then it was Mai's turn. After a little consultation, the friends decided to give her the word "winter." The girl guessed it in seven questions, without any difficulty. This was much faster than with Ty Lee. Then it was Azula's turn. Her word was "dragon," and the chosen word caused the girl a lot of problems and difficulties. She took much longer to guess than her friends, but in the end, she managed it, albeit after about thirty attempts.
— Dragon? Interesting choice, — the girl said with a slight smirk, looking at the piece of paper taken from her forehead.
— We took a long time to choose the right word for you. I suggested "comb," but Mai insisted on "dragon," — Ty Lee replied to the Princess.
— "Comb" is too easy; the choice of "dragon" is perfect. It is related to you and at the same time difficult enough that it couldn't be guessed quickly, — Mai decided to explain her choice of word to the Princess.
— Hmm. It was fun, — Azula remarked with a smile, glancing at the window; it was dark night outside. — Let's end it here. We're leaving the city tomorrow; it's time to get ready for bed.
The girls agreed with the Princess and dispersed to their rooms. However, Azula was in no hurry to go to sleep. Instead, she decided to air out the room, opening the window and watching the stars. Considering such an interesting moment the most suitable, I revealed my presence, flying out of the wall and addressing her.
"Azula?"
— Yoaru, — she turned, looking me over, — spying on us again?
"I'd call it a little supervision," I replied with a smile, flying closer, casting a glance at the starry sky outside the window. My answer elicited a similar smirk from the girl.
— I'm glad you're here. I wanted to talk to you a little before bed, — her tone of voice seemed strange to me; Azula continued to look at me as if gathering her thoughts.
"Interesting, and what are we going to talk about?"
— I just realized something. Remember when you once asked if I perceived you as a man and a potential partner for a relationship.
"The words were slightly different, but the essence is correct. Have you finally decided on an answer? You've avoided it for a long time," I replied to the girl, recalling that many days had passed since that conversation. And our discussion was becoming increasingly interesting.
However, the Princess's next words greatly surprised me.
— It was harder than I initially thought. No, I had thought about such things before, but the candidates around me only provoked contempt. However, your mind and knowledge... — she glanced over me, as if looking for something else to praise me for, — they are worth starting a new war over. A bloody, cruel, devastating... beautiful war. You should be careful if you don't want that.
"Oh, I am caution itself," I replied with a smile; compliments from Azula were something new. And even though they were unusual and very specific, the very fact of their existence said a lot.
— Nevertheless, you are a spirit, and I am a human. We cannot be together while such a great difference exists between us. But if that little flaw disappears... — her smile widened; standing right in front of me, proudly straightening her shoulders, she continued in a self-assured tone, inexplicably creating a flame in her hands.
— Together! You and I will be the strongest pair in the whole world! We will rule people, decide the fates of millions!...
Oh-oh.
Yes, this was somewhat shocking, but considering her character, upbringing, and the fact that this is Azula, such a proposal could be interpreted as... I don't even know how.
"Ahem. That's too sudden. Is that a marriage proposal? Or are you suggesting we conquer the world and then your father's power?" I decided to clarify exactly what she was proposing to me here.
— One does not exclude the other, — Azula replied, extinguishing the flame in her hands. — And father will grow old sooner or later and step down. And since I am almost the only and the best heir, such a future is inevitable.
"Or he will be helped, as his father was. And aren't you factoring in Zuko?" I recalled the other members of her family.
— True. For Zuzu to become the heir, he would need to catch the Avatar. But even so, he won't hold power for long. I know my brother too well; he's pathetic.
Of course, he won't last. With the Princess's ambitions, he will quickly be helped to step down, straight into the Spirit World.
— A-and... I'm waiting for an answer, — the girl said demandingly, looking at me expectantly.
"Um. I don't even know what to say or how to answer. I've never been offered anything like this, especially not in this form. I'm a little flustered by all this, but I think it should be discussed in a different setting. A simple 'yes,' 'let's date,' or something similar won't suffice here. But in general, I already said you are attractive to me, smart, and overall very appealing. But a relationship... that's a long conversation, and it's late," I dodged the topic. I didn't think such a personal conversation would cause me difficulty.
— No. We'll discuss it now, — her determination was astounding, but I had facts on my side that were independent of the two of us. Facts that it was high time to state.
"Does it not bother you that we are being overheard?" I glanced towards the door, where the auras of her friends shone through the walls. It was no surprise that they were interested in our conversation. Azula hadn't contained her voice in places, so they must have heard.
— We've been exposed, run! — and with the light patter of footsteps, the girls disappeared into their bedrooms.
— Hmm! — She looked at me, I looked at her, and we just stood there. — Fine, I'm going to sleep, will you close the window?
"Of course. Good night," I said after the retreating girl.
Left alone, I again turned my attention to the starry sky outside the window. How complicated everything is with her...