— Yes, we were looking at what… what do you call it? — Azula continued to speak in her manner, but then Lee turned around to put the bouquet on the table, and I was right behind her.
— Oh, who are you? — we met gazes. — Is he your new acquaintance? — Lee turned her head, looking for answers from her friends…
Mai looked at the spot where I was, not understanding, searching with her eyes for the unknown person Ty Lee was talking about. Azula was very surprised, as was I. This had never happened before. I was completely unprepared for such a turn of events. Of course, if you recall some canon, there were people who could see spirits. But how did Lee learn this? Maybe she meant someone else? Not me? And why am I thinking about such stupid things right now? I should stop staring at the girl like a mute fish.
— And why is he transparent? And flying? Is this some kind of bending or… — the girl froze at her own guess, taking a step back, — is that a spirit?
— Ahem…—the princess didn't know what to say, her gaze shifting from me to Ty Lee. Actually, the dressing room had something like a Mexican standoff, only instead of pistols there were glances that darted from person to person. Everyone looked at each other, not understanding what was happening.
— You see him?—Azula, having somehow overcome her surprise, spoke at the same time as me.
— You see me? — I pointed to myself, slowly floating around Lee. She continued to look at me, turning her head after me.
— Yes, I see you perfectly. Mister, would you please stop looking at me with such a strange look?—the girl became embarrassed, looking away. — And mister, you still haven't answered, are you a spirit?
— Ahem, well, yes, and ordinary people cannot see spirits—finally overcoming my surprise, I answered the overly optimistic and at the same time slightly scared gymnast.
— Wow, I've never seen spirits before! I have so many questions for you!—Ty Lee continued to speak joyfully, once again knocking me off my feet with her carefree nature, where had her fear gone? — What's it like to be a spirit? And is the spirit world beautiful? What does it look like? And where is it?
— Ha. Ha—Mai laughed falsely, attracting everyone's attention. To emphasize how "funny" it was to her, she even clapped her hands slowly, demonstrating her sarcasm. — That's very funny. You almost fooled me. But no. You can stop this farce; I'm no longer a child to believe in such nonsense.
— Mai, don't you see him? He's standing right here, right in front of you! — Lee said in surprise, pointing her finger at me.
— No need to continue, Lee. I appreciate your joke, but let's not ruin the moment of our meeting with silly pranks. And if you want to know, I'm offended that you met earlier without me to come up with such a stupid prank—the girl continued to show her skepticism, but despite the calm tone, her voice held hurt.
I remember, I remember, in childhood Azula once played a cruel prank on her friend. In that story, there were also "spirits." Of course, there were no spirits themselves, the children just scared their friend one night, having previously told her several scary stories. In any case, now is not the time to remember this.
— Looks like you'll have to explain a lot to your friends—I looked at Azula, not knowing what else to say here. This was not at all how I had imagined this meeting. Not at all.
— That's the truth! There's a fourth person here. He's a spirit; his name is Yoaru. We've known each other for several months now—Azula began to explain, tilting her head and wrapping a lock of her hair around her finger. The girl had not fully coped with her emotions and was now experiencing very strange feelings.
— Maybe that's enough? I get the point of the joke; it's not funny—having regained her composure, Mai frowned at her friends, crossing her arms over her chest in displeasure.
— It's really, really true, we didn't agree to prank you—the gymnast quickly turned to me. — So, your name is Yoaru? I'm Ty Lee, it's nice to meet you—Lee introduced herself in a friendly way, but didn't come closer. Despite her positivity and friendliness, she was still cautious.
— Yoaru, show yourself to them—the princess ordered in an authoritative voice.
— I don't like your tone, I'm not your servant—I stated to her gloomily.
— And how am I supposed to do that? Even being material, I'm still invisible… oh, that's what you meant—as soon as I said this, the princess rolled her eyes and gave me her special look. I remember it, the look she gives idiots. I hadn't seen it in a long time.
— Oh, now something must happen for me to start believing you—Mai continued to speak with a slight hint of irritation, while I was thinking about how best to show myself and prove my existence. Sooner or later it would have happened anyway, and there was no turning back.
— Mai, he's coming closer to you. He's very close now. He's reaching for your butt, oh what a shameless pervert—the circus performer covered her eyes with her hands, guessing what would happen next. But I saw her peeking through the gap.
— Lee, with those persuasion skills you should be an actress, not an acrobat! — the girl jumped up sharply, turned around, and on reflexes alone performed a couple of close-combat moves with a cold weapon.
I somehow didn't even notice when the knives appeared in her hands. In any case, all the girl's attacks passed through me, and now she was looking at the emptiness in front of her with a frown, confused, not seeing anyone in front of her. Heh, for these emotions, it was worth pinching her; neither Azula nor I had ever seen her so emotional in our lives. Mai was much prettier with emotions.
— Okay, what was that? Some kind of bending?—my victim began to look around in disbelief, still not believing that there was a ghost in the room.
— Yoaru is a spirit. People don't usually see him—Azula repeated, massaging her temples. This whole situation destroyed our prepared plan at its root.
I had to move objects in the room, make some things "fly," but Mai continued to doubt. In the end, the princess came up with the idea for her friend to touch me to finally be convinced of the ghost's existence. I had to strain myself to become fully material. Ty Lee led her friend to me, placing her hands in mine. For some reason, these actions were similar to a wedding ritual. My mind still thought about some stupid things, refusing to understand reality.
— Yes, I feel something, cold, are these hands?—Mai said with a hint of thoughtfulness, feeling my limbs.
— Yes. You are touching his hands; he is standing right in front of you—after the acrobat's words, the girl's palm hit my face; overcoming the obstacle, it passed through me, leaving behind only a slight prick of pain.
— Oh—Lee squeaked, covering her mouth with her hands.
— You've got some character. I think we'll be friends—I said, smirking, right to her face.
— It's like I hit water—Mai shook her hand; the slap caused her more pain than it did me. — Did he feel anything?—the girl asked, turning to her friends.
— Um…—Lee hesitated, — it seems he liked you.
At her friend's words, Mai snorted, turning away from me demonstratively and crossing her arms over her chest.
— This is not how I imagined our reunion—Zula said thoughtfully.
— Not everything and not always goes according to plan, or rather, nothing ever does. In any case, it's nice to meet you, Lee, Mai. You can call me Yoaru; as you understand, I'm a spirit, or a ghost. Anyway, Lee, do you have any guesses as to why you can see me and other people can't? — I introduced myself, after which I asked a question, the answer to which was interesting to all of us.
— Um… I don't know. I've never seen spirits before—the girl said in confusion, looking for support from her friends. Did I say something wrong? Maybe I look scary? Or is it because of the situation itself that she feels out of place. However, there's nothing to think about here; everyone in the room felt similar feelings.
— Did he say something?—Mai immediately understood.
— Yes, he's asking why she sees him while others don't—Azula explained to her friend.
— You see him too.
— That's…—the princess hesitated—a long story.
— Your chakras are open, and your aura is very bright—while the girls were talking to each other, I continued to talk to Ty Lee.
— You can see auras too? That's so cool! Hmm…—placing her finger on her lips, Lee feigned active thinking. — I remember! All my chakras are open! Maybe open chakras are somehow connected to the fact that I can see you?
— Maybe. How did you manage to open them? Did someone teach you? As far as I know, it's very difficult to open all the chakras—talking to the girl was becoming more and more interesting.
— Yes, one funny old man, a master of yoga and various meditations. He introduced himself as Guru Pathik, and he's almost one hundred and fifty years old. I met him when I was already traveling with the circus, in one of the cities where we held performances. He said that I was talented and offered to teach me some types of meditation. While our circus was near the city, I learned from him every day how to open my chakras. He also talked a lot about all sorts of things: the world, spirits, Chi, cosmic energy and…—it seemed that the girl was going to tell me everything in detail, but I had already caught the gist, and no matter how interested her friends were to listen, I decided to interrupt her. Now was not the time or place for such conversations. And my curiosity could be held back.
— That's enough. I understand you—the old man's name meant nothing to me.
In this world, there is bending, Chi, giant animals that logically should not exist but do, and history also knows many, truly long-living people whose age exceeded one hundred years or more. The old man's age is not so great if you remember Avatar Kyoshi, who died at the age of two hundred and thirty. Even if Azula and Mai didn't believe in the super old man, I didn't deny the possibility of a person living so long. After all, Kyoshi herself found a way to stay young for her age and died far from a natural death.
Because of the interruption of her story, Lee was a little upset. I probably should have been softer with such a vulnerable girl. But I think it's time to return to what the girls were originally gathered here for.
— I would like to hear this story in all the details, but now is not the time or place. Ahem, Azula. Can I have a word with you?
— Huh?
— What?
While the princess's friends were impressed by my behavior, I took the girl by the elbow and led her out of Ty Lee's dressing room tent. All this happened under the very surprised gazes of those present…
— Yoaru—the princess said in surprise when I let go of her hand, as soon as we were a few meters away from the dressing room. People were walking all over the street and doing something, but we didn't pay attention to them, and they didn't notice us.
— I'm sorry for the rudeness, but with all this, we forgot about the main thing. In short, my presence here is superfluous. Stick to the plan. Ty Lee is very good-natured; explain the situation to her, tell her you need her, and she will help. We already discussed this earlier; I'll find something to do so as not to get in the way. What to say about me is up to you; you can make things up or keep them secret. I, of course, don't care, but lies between friends will not lead to anything good—I stated to the princess, looking at the stars in the night sky. The performance began in the evening and ended after sunset. It was already quite late at night.
— I don't need your permission, or your advice—she said with irritation, looking at me with a challenge.
— As for the first—I know. But as for the second, I doubt it—I smirked, stoically enduring her gaze.
— Since we've discussed everything, I think it's time for me to go. You try to persuade Ty Lee; I liked her. I think my days on the ship will become more interesting with her—I finished with a smile, about to fly high into the sky, but…
— Hmm!
— What is it? — I turned around, looking at Azula with a tired look.
— No, nothing.
— Really? And I think there is something—her tense posture, angry look, all indicated that she wanted to say something but couldn't find the words. Giving her some time to think, I waited for a clear answer.
— Yes, there is. The way Ty Lee talked to you. I got a little angry, watching your conversation. You found a common language very quickly.
— Are you jealous of me with your friends? That's… flattering. I think we'll need to talk about this, but not now. Go, they've been waiting for you—without waiting for a response, I flew into the sky, surprised by such a peculiar admission. The princess, seeing me off with a thoughtful look, headed back to her friends.
***
Meanwhile, another conversation was taking place between the princess's friends in Ty Lee's dressing room.
— What do you think is the connection between them?—the gymnast asked, as soon as she recovered from what she had seen.
The unknown spirit, Yoaru, had literally dragged their friend out of the room by force. The princess had never before forgiven such liberties or allowed them to anyone. Such a simple action with Azula caused a lot of surprise and even more thoughts for the girls. Who is he? How are they connected? Who are they to each other? Why are they together? Why didn't she resist? And similar questions ran through the minds of her friends.
— Definitely, yes…—Mai answered thoughtfully, giving in to her thoughts, looking at the closed door. — Hmm… no, nothing.
— What is it? Did you want to say something?—the acrobat showed her insight, moving closer to her friend.
— Nothing.
— Come on, Mai, we're friends; tell me what you were thinking.
— Okay. I think she'll tell you the story of how they met more willingly than me—she said to the acrobat, looking at the world with a cynical gaze without false hopes. She and Azula were friends, of course, but Ty Lee and the princess could be considered best friends.
— Ah…—Lee said, — I see. I wonder how long they've known each other?
— I'm wondering that too. There's some kind of connection between them, but what exactly is it?—the girl said thoughtfully. For Mai, this day had become a real day of revelations; never before in her life had she lost control of herself so often in one day.
— By the way! Did you notice their similarity? They're practically relatives! — Ty Lee remembered an interesting moment that the girl had forgotten due to a number of more interesting questions related to Yoaru.
— I, for one, didn't see him—Mai reminded her skeptically.
— Sorry, it's just that he looks a lot like her. Like Zuko, before that thing happened…—Ty Lee stopped herself, remembering an unpleasant topic. — Well, you know.
— I get it—Mai replied coolly, perfectly understanding what her friend was talking about. — Another strange thing today.
— Do you think it's a coincidence or something more?—the acrobat said to her friend with undisguised interest.
— I don't care.
— Oh, come on. I know you're interested!
— Quiet. Do you hear that?
At this moment, the friends heard some quiet sounds behind the door. Listening to them, they fell silent, quickly determining that it was the princess's footsteps. Soon the door opened, and they saw Princess Azula, no longer with Yoaru…
The friends almost immediately pounced on her with questions. However, the girl waved them off, saying that now was not the time or place for such conversations and that she had met with Ty Lee for a different reason. They were in a small dressing room, it was late, and sleeping in a circus was beneath the princess's dignity. However, for Zula, this was more of an excuse; she needed time to decide what to tell her friends and what to hide behind a veil of secrecy.
She decided to buy time by changing the subject. Azula used all her persuasion skills, convincing Ty Lee to join her personal retinue on this adventure through the Fire Nation territories. The acrobat quickly succumbed to the princess's charisma. She could always perform in a circus, but traveling with her friends and a spirit was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Such an offer would surely never be repeated in her life.
After discussing this issue, another one arose for the girls. Namely, where to spend the night, for which everyone had plans. After a short conversation, they decided to go to the city to find a suitable hotel. It wasn't very difficult to find; after only half an hour of searching, they rented a room for three.
Having settled into the room, the girls had no intention of going to bed. The two childhood friends really wanted to get answers to the questions they had accumulated. Azula had nowhere to go, and she began to answer. Of course, she decided not to tell much, but she didn't leave the girls without any answers at all. The princess briefly told them who Yoaru was and how they met, without mentioning their conflicts. The listeners only understood that the two of them pursued common goals and that their relationship was extremely complex. After the short story, the girls still did not want to sleep. The next topics of conversation concerned their shared past, as well as what had happened to whom during their separation.
Meanwhile, Yoaru, having secretly hidden under the bed, listened to every topic of the girls' conversation. Being intangible, he could freely walk through walls, ceilings, and other objects. Thanks to this ability, it was impossible to notice him unless he himself wished to be seen.