My further journey reminded me more of a vacation, or even a fairy tale, rather than a difficult undertaking. Day-to-day life on the ship became much more colorful and pleasant with Ty Lee's arrival. This wasn't just due to the excellent semblance of sex we engaged in every night in secret. It was also because of the presence of a wonderful conversationalist, with whom I could brighten my days and relax my mind through simple games and basic conversation.
Ty Lee was very curious, often questioning me about literally everything, especially regarding spirits and the spirit world. Her inquisitiveness knew no bounds, sometimes giving me a headache. Though it seemed impossible, she went and did the impossible. The situation would have been truly sad if there weren't other girls on the ship who talked with my dear lover. As it is, I occasionally get so tired of talking to her that I resort to a rather unmanly act—fleeing for a foolish reason.
By the way, on the very first night I spent with Lee, we had an interesting conversation about relationships, in which we maturely laid out all the key points. This happened at night, immediately after each of us had received our share of pleasure.
— Who am I to you?—Lee spoke, recovering after our intimate moments. She was now lying on her bed, the blanket kicked down to her feet. I stood nearby, enjoying the beauty of her naked body. Despite not finding any consequences of possession, I was wary of staying inside the girl for too long.
— Interesting, why the question. However, you've been thinking a lot about us and finally decided to bring up the topic of our relationship—I found the answer for myself. But I didn't know what to answer the girl, so I acted quite poorly: — And who am I to you?
— It's rude to answer a question with a question!—but despite the girl's indignation, I continued to wait for an answer. I didn't have to wait long.
— A man I spend time with? A lover, I suppose?—the girl suggested hesitantly, sexily pressing her finger to her lips. And after our "communication," she had become much more self-assured, no longer shy unnecessarily.
— And that's what you are to me, something like a lover.
— That's all?—the girl was disappointed, and I immediately felt like a jerk. Oh, these feminine tricks.
— I know you would like more. And I agree that you deserve much more. But we will only bring up this topic when I get a living body and become human again. I doubt people will accept our relationship, let alone your family—I explained my sad position to the girl. Although, if I think about it, there are upsides. It's difficult to force me into marriage.
— Yeah…—my companion drew out thoughtfully, agreeing with my opinion. — You know. You're so confident. I really like that, shall we repeat it?
— Why not?—and after that, we, you could say, made love again…
We talked a lot more after the lovemaking session. That night, we finally understood who we were to each other at the moment, resolving all questions and organizing everything. The goal was for each party to be satisfied. Of course, Lee wanted more, but alas, I physically couldn't give more. So, we had to make do with less. Incidentally, it was thanks to the acrobat that I noticed a small progression with my materialization in the world; specifically, my materialized body was no longer cold as ice.
Perhaps this was somehow connected to Ty Lee's perfectly high-quality energy, which I was drawing sustenance from. Or maybe it was due to something else. Unfortunately, I couldn't know for sure whether this was the case or not. Without my newfound lover, I wouldn't have even noticed this. The girl simply joked one time that she was getting hot, like a firebender, if she had stopped feeling cold from me. After that, I thought to check on other people myself and confirmed this fact.
Of course, my nightly excursions remained a secret, but not from everyone. Azula easily guessed everything by connecting several factors, the key one being my happy demeanor. The princess was almost completely calm about it, and after all, we weren't bothering anyone, were we? Quietly and peacefully going about our business. However, in fits of jealousy, Zula began to spend more time training her body and bending than her mind. The training in explosion bending and fire healing continued to brighten the princess's daily life. I even suggested the princess start training with her friends instead of her maids, but she refused. And soon, what I had long suspected happened.
— Hee-hee-hee… mistress, I can't take it anymore! Mercy! Mercy!—the maid writhed beneath the princess, laughing hysterically and twitching.
— Endure it, I need a little more—Azula was adamant; her training was more important than some maid's well-being.
— What are you doing here?—a familiar voice, full of surprise, reached us.
— Ty Lee?—Azula recognized her friend by her voice as well, instantly turning to face her. Caught in such a suspicious activity, the princess was flustered, while I was simply amused by the whole situation.
I found the flustered princess's attempts to explain to Lee what she was doing particularly funny. It was not torture or sadism at all; she was simply training on her maids, who were all silently watching the unfolding scene. In Azula's defense, once she composed herself, explaining what was happening to her friend became much easier. However, that didn't stop me from teasing the girl for a very long time. Zula, as always, is very sensitive about her mistakes.
The princess didn't even chase her friend away, because the jealousy accumulated in the princess's heart demanded an outlet. Azula overflowed with schadenfreude; I could literally feel an ominous plan hatching in the girl's mind, and I even became fearful for my lover. She ordered Ty Lee to take the maid's place, after which the torture by tickling began! The acrobat was much more fearless in the face of such abuse. As I noticed, Lee was even starting to enjoy it. I could breathe a sigh of relief. My attempts to change Azula's character for the better had not been in vain; before, she would have punished for lesser offenses and much more cruelly.
Having found an outlet for her jealousy and anger, the girl seemed to calm down. She began spending less time on her training and a little more with her friends. And joint training with Ty Lee played a significant role in this; it's simply impossible to stay mad at a girl like her for long. Her positivity is too infectious. The girls spent time together during meals and in the evenings, talking and playing some games, some of which the princess learned from me. Sometimes I was present at their gatherings, but it was much more interesting when I was absent. Spending time with the girls was, of course, very pleasant and fun, but eavesdropping on their conversations turned out to be an equally interesting pastime. This is how I learned that in my absence, Azula talks about guys with the girls.
And they don't just talk; they discuss what they like most about the opposite gender. What kind of personalities they would like to see next to them in the future, and what they envision for their future lives.
Eavesdropping on private conversations, I learned that Mai likes **open** guys who are not afraid of their emotions and are ready to admit their feelings and weaknesses. Ty Lee herself didn't really know what she liked, but the main trait she saw in a future partner was the fact that she had to be **special** to her guy. The one who always stands out from the crowd. As for Azula… things were as complicated as ever. The girl couldn't quite articulate what she wanted. Strong, but at the same time weak, smart, but not too much smarter than her. In short, Azula herself couldn't understand what she wanted, and I shouldn't even try to delve into it.
One thing I understood for sure: all these conversations were aimed at helping the princess figure out her feelings for me. It wasn't immediately, but I guessed her plan, which was covered by highly effective deception, while her best friends had no clue about the princess's true intentions.
Day-to-day life on the ship began to fly by much faster and more colorfully. My training and study of my new state, Azula's training in healing, fire, lightning, and explosion bending, conversations with the princess and Ty Lee, as well as eavesdropping on the girls' conversations. Various games we all played together, and much more. Small things, but still better than proud solitude. All this helped to brighten the boring routine.
Thanks to the same sweet Ty Lee, I was even able to figure out the work and principles of **chakra opening**. It was both easier and more complicated than I initially thought. Not much is needed to open them: a certain character, a well-developed body, some knowledge of yoga and meditation, a strong psyche and a certain wisdom, as well as a special herbal decoction, the name of which Lee forgot. But, as the acrobat assured me, it could be done without it. However, even without the herbs, Azula was missing a few things. She had never faced hardships; everything came easily to her, and the only area where the princess showed firmness was in her decisions. But for opening chakras, other qualities were needed. And I wasn't sure if the princess could overcome these weaknesses. But there was another candidate for my experiments…
— Lee, why are you so insistent? We've had enough time to discuss a lot of things, but only now you're pushing me about opening my chakras. I don't exactly want to gain the ability to see beings that can peek at me whenever they want—Mai replied restrainedly with some suspicion to her friend, who had just finished passionately campaigning for her to train in chakra opening. Hmm, she is still resentful about that incident. She holds a grudge, though.
Ty Lee herself wanted her friends to open their chakras and improve their auras. This would only benefit me, and it would benefit everyone. So what if the method hasn't been tested? It's completely safe, I'm sure of it. Therefore, the acrobat readily agreed to help me persuade Mai to join this venture.
— Mai, you don't understand how much opening my chakras changed me! My Aura turned pink, I became…—but Lee wasn't allowed to give her speech about the benefits of opening chakras a second time.
— No. I understood all that; there's no need to repeat it a second time. I asked, why now?—the girl frowned, suspecting something was wrong. Oh, that female intuition.
— Well, we both have time now, and this idea just came to me recently. And I thought, why not?
— Well, let's say I agree. There really isn't anything else to do, except suffer from boredom. What do I need to do?—after a brief deliberation, the girl gave her consent. There really wasn't much for her to do on the ship; only training and sitting with her friends brightened her leisure time.
— I knew you'd agree! As for opening your chakras, first Yoaru will enter you…
— What?—the girl was taken aback by her friend's words. Right. I should have prepared a speech with Lee instead of trusting her words that she knew Mai and could persuade her friend.
— Yoaru will enter you, what's not clear about that? Don't worry, it won't hurt at all, you won't even feel anything, he will…—but Mai herself interrupted the further persuasion.
— I changed my mind. Forget it. I'm not doing that—the girl said definitively.
— But, Mai…
— No, I'm not going to let any Yoaru into me, whatever you mean by that…
Alas, further attempts to persuade the girl proved useless. Mai simply sent us and our proposals and prospects packing. My presence inside the girl was a mandatory factor; without it, the process of opening the chakras would be prolonged, and I wouldn't understand what was necessary for their opening. Unfortunately, Mai was categorically against possession. All I could do was postpone my experiments and attend to other matters.
With my own affairs, I didn't pay much attention to where the vessel was stopping. Meanwhile, the princess's ship had already visited a couple of villages that were quite close to Yu Dao, by local standards. We stopped at the Pohai fortress, where the famous Yuan archers were formed. There, the princess gave the local colonel a proper earful, trampling on his pride in the process, while I was idle, exploring the fortress walls. I learned about this from the girls' conversations. The vessel also docked in a small town to replenish supplies. I didn't find anything interesting or worthy of my attention—just the simple routine of a simple spirit on Princess Azula's simple ship.
Soon, I began to suspect that my routine days were about to change into something more interesting. It all started quite ordinarily. The vessel stopped for the imperial personage to visit another village. It was large for a village, but not large enough to be considered a full-fledged town. I was doing exactly the same thing I did in other cases. Namely, helping Azula in her business, fulfilling my part of the deal, so to speak. It wasn't difficult for me. I flew over the wooden buildings, watching people work. Men labored in the fields, women looked after the livestock, some fished, and some washed clothes. They all had one thing in common: **hard physical labor**.
Observing the laundry process by the river, I involuntarily recalled how hard life was for low-class people in this wild era. And there is still winter, which makes the peasants' lives even more severe. This is incomparable to the life of city dwellers. The difference in living standards is even more pronounced when comparing the conquered lands, colonies, and islands of the Fire Nation. Simply put: the longer the lands have been part of the Fire Nation, the higher the standard of living for the people. And now we were traveling through not-so-recently conquered territories. But this was not the only problem of the local population; I only learned the main problem in the evening.
In any case, I found nothing interesting here, except that the village buildings were interesting to look at. Even the pillar with the carved faces of spirits, which the locals worshiped, was just an ordinary piece of wood. Finishing my part of the reconnaissance, I returned to the ship to attend to my own business.
In the evening, after I told Azula that I hadn't found anything, I noticed that something was wrong. The girl didn't relax or go to bed; on the contrary, she continued to frown, sitting tensely and pondering something.
— What's wrong? Is something wrong with this village?—I asked her, quickly realizing what the problem was.
— Yes. I learned from the local elder that the people are paying much more tribute than they should, and the locals are regularly robbed by pirates, who feed off their harvest. Scouts sent to interview the locals confirmed this—the princess replied dryly, experiencing not the most pleasant emotions from this.
— Ah-ha… someone is abusing their duties—I drawled, enjoying my correctness in a very old argument, catching the girl's frown in the process. — Overall, I suspected that the most interesting things happen in the colonies. And we're not even that close to the border! Less than a week's travel by sea from Yu Dao. I wonder what's going on in the border towns?
— You can laugh at your victory. You were right, I admit it. Are you happy now?—Azula said with a great deal of sarcasm, feeling vulnerable, or even defeated.
— I'm not so petty as to gloat in this situation. I see you need to talk, and I'm ready to listen carefully…
Afterward, we discussed the situation. It turned out that the village had been suffering similar attacks for several years. Their tribute was raised three years ago, and about two years ago, pirates began to actively bother them. They had visited before, but now they had become much more frequent guests. The locals even suspected that they weren't pirates at all, but disguised spies or even Earth Kingdom soldiers. Azula was far from naive, and even farther from being a foolish person. She perfectly understood that similar and much worse things could be happening in her future lands and among her future people. After all, Azula saw no one but herself as the next Fire Lord.
Corruption, intrigues, betrayals—all this was familiar to the girl who grew up in the palace and witnessed her father's rise as Fire Lord. The locals' situation only slightly shook her worldview, although I expected a much greater reaction, but the main blow was dealt by something else. The princess herself figured out everything else. The possible betrayal of the local governor, who had been in his position for many years and was ruining people's lives, tarnishing the reputation of officials, stealing from the imperial family and the people, and possibly even taking bribes from the Earth Kingdom, while perhaps dragging out the war on the nearest front and sending vital information to the enemy. As a result, the army, specifically the ordinary soldiers, paid with their lives, not even guessing that their superiors were sending them to certain death for a purse of gold coins. Azula figured this out by recalling the capital's military councils and the problems on the nearest front.
And all this has been happening for quite some time, with no one doing anything about it for several years. The irreparable damage that one corrupt governor inflicted on the entire Fire Nation was anyone's guess. However, judging by the girl's tone, I understood that I would soon find out. These were just guesses that the girl shared with me, but the local peasants had already written complaints and sent people to the authorities. This ended badly; in some cases, no one returned, and in others, people returned without a tongue and with a whipped back. And as I have said more than once: the girl is far from a foolish person, and for me, everything was too obvious. Figuring out what was what was no problem for either of us. And the fact that the sabotage of her father's rule and orders has been happening for years drives the usually reserved princess to anger.
— Yes, the governor responsible for this village is clearly in for a bad time when we get to the truth—I noted with a smile, seeing the bloodlust raging in the girl.
— I haven't decided what I'll do with him yet—Azula replied maliciously, angrily pacing back and forth in her room like a caged predator.
— A simple tribunal doesn't suit you? I can suggest several types of particularly colorful executions—I offered with a smile, recalling the relatively soft laws of this world and the scarce moments of cruelty.
— Advise me, I want to hear something useful before bed…