Still, even though the worst hadn't happened, saying, "Okay, let's fly," was one thing; actually flying was another matter entirely. First we had to say our goodbyes to the Beifong family, naturally going over and formalizing all our agreements and mutual respect yet again. Then we had to gather the crew, who, incidentally, had also been enjoying shore leave—and I'd like to point out that we had neither phones nor pagers to summon anyone urgently, even from the next village. Then we had to load fresh provisions and water, issue instructions to the agents who would be staying behind in the city...
In short, the flight to the Earth Kingdom capital was a long one in itself, and there was a fair amount that needed to be done before we could even set out. And then there was Toph. Our earthbending training would inevitably have to be put on hold for the duration of the flight, and there were at least a couple of things worth discussing before we found ourselves aboard the airship's not-all-that-large gondola, packed with highly skilled professionals with very good hearing.
By the next morning, however, everything was ready, and our merry band of teenagers, burning with enthusiasm to get their hands around one particular bald bastard's neck and squeeze just a little harder, piled aboard...
After that came takeoff, setting the airship on course, and the gradual emergence of a new problem.
Trouble, as so often happens, came from an unexpected direction. Yet another failure in our struggle with the Avatar had temporarily drowned out every other emotion and thought, but amid the monotony of life as passengers, the initial fury of everyone eager to catch up with him and deliver righteous punishment began fading fairly quickly.
It was hard to keep yourself worked up and, with the bit between your teeth, keep grinding toward your goal with all the relentless determination of a road roller when you weren't actually going anywhere—you were just sitting around all day staring out a porthole.
The airship's crew had plenty to keep them busy, but the passengers and troops were mostly condemned to idleness. Obviously, if you really wanted to, you could always find work aboard any vessel, sea or air, but we could hardly send the Fire Nation princess to scrub the deck or "puff" fire into the burner heating the envelope, could we?
And then, as luck would have it, Zuko and Mai were busy being romantic and cooing at each other. After all, they didn't really have much else to do aboard either. Well... even setting aside the fact that they simply wanted to.
As a result... no one said anything about it openly, but somehow Azula ended up remembering that incident in my cabin... And I, while spending time in that very cabin, found myself thinking about it rather often as well... It hadn't happened that long ago, after all... Very recently, if I was being honest...
Even back in the city, it had caused a certain amount of awkwardness and a definite sense of "it's complicated"... and now, every so often, the princess and I would accidentally meet each other's eyes... We were constantly sitting together, after all—the airship only had one common room...
In short, the atmosphere was steadily becoming charged. And after a couple of days, I caught myself sneaking glances at Azula whenever she wasn't looking... while also catching the princess directing the same sort of thoughtful looks at me.
It was pointless to deny that I was attracted to the firebender. Yes, I loved Suki, and, for the most part, I was perfectly happy with our "marriage"; if it were entirely up to me, I would gladly make it official. And yet Azula was extraordinarily beautiful, and on top of that possessed a truly devilish allure—the kind where, despite fully understanding the danger, you simply couldn't rid yourself of either the fascination or the attraction that flew in the face of all reason.
What was going on in the girl's own heart, I couldn't say. It was obvious even to a turtle duck that there were far too many different "circumstances" of one sort or another surrounding the whole situation, for both of us. And in her case, there was also her peculiar upbringing, the childhood wounds tied to her mother's treatment of her, and finally, her complete and utter lack of experience in matters of the heart. But one thing was obvious: the attraction between us was mutual.
The problem was that there were simply far too many of those same circumstances for that attraction to inspire happiness rather than concern and the aforementioned awkwardness. The situation was further complicated by the fact that, for obvious reasons, Suki and I couldn't exactly slip away somewhere private to relieve the tension. The airship might not have been small, but it wasn't that large either, never mind the possibility that doing so might provoke the Fire Lord's daughter into some rash action.
So... I can't say I was particularly surprised when, on the third night, I heard familiar light footsteps behind me.
"Good evening, Your Highness." I took a sip of the tart infusion from the warmed tea bowl, feeling my heart break into a nervous gallop.
"Chan? What are you doing here?" came a surprised voice. I might even have believed she genuinely hadn't expected to find me here, if not for the fact that I came out onto the exterior deck every night.
"Admiring the stars and the Abyss beneath my feet. You know, the ocean of the sky is a lot like the sea. At night, anyway. Except the stars are a little closer."
"I see..." The girl behind me shifted uncertainly from foot to foot. "Ahem... yes... it's... hmm... beautiful out here," she finished with very little confidence.
"Yeah. Tea?"
(End of Chapter)
P@treon: /SadRaven
🥳Joining P@treon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰