trans_9 | Bendytimed to during the two souls one body event

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Bendytimed to during the two souls one body event

Anyone who happened into a particular area of Hydroponics would be treated to a most peculiar site.

Well, not peculiar to most people, but anyone who knew Azula would know that tending to a heard of glowsloths would be one of the LAST things she'd do willingly. Animals were for serving, eating, and working. She had never even taken care of her own pets...unless you counted Ty Lee.

But with an utterly serene smile on her face tending to the brightly colored pack, brushing at their fur, feeding and watering them, treating them with all the kindness and tenderness that she wouldn't even show another human being.

And that was of coarse, because Azula wasn't the one doing it. While she sulked quietly in the back of her head she allowed Nima to tend to her creatures if only to keep her from nagging Azula all day long.

After discovering Aang was no where to be found, and that they weren't the only two with this sort of problem there wasn't much else to do. Azula's normal day of wandering aimlessly and fighting off the voices in her head was not as appealing as letting Nima go about her business.

One less voice to ignore.

But even Azula was reaching her limit of tolerance for kindness to such dumb creatures. She was forced to endure not only the actions, but feeling Nima's feelings for the glowsloths.

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To add insult to . . . more insult, while Nima was engaged in brushing one of the males, one of the smaller females had started grooming Azula's hair.

"What a nice girl you are," Nima crooned in Azula's voice. "Who's my sweet girl? Taking care of Sister's hair - sorry, Princess Azula's hair like a good glowsloth. Soooo nice."

The glowsloths had been nervous about this strange-smelling human at first. Not because Nima hadn't socialized them enough, because she knew darn well she had.

They were adjusting to Azula's presence, though, the more Nima acted like herself through it. They were just about calm enough for her to do some animal maintenance more complicated than feeding and grooming.

"Now let's see if any of you are going into heat yet."

Hey, Azula. Get ready to look at some animal junk.

Azula had been pouting in the back of her own mind allowing this to continue, but that was the last straw. No! and then more assertively she forced herself back into control of her body and pulled away from the creatures. "Do that on your own time."

The glowsloths scattered at the sudden movement, the smaller female going so far as to cling to the edge of the rocky outcrop that served as the glowsloths' habitat, peeping over the edge to watch Azula warily.

This is important, Nima said, trying to keep her patience in check. They're going into heat any day now and if I don't separate them, the females' first eggs will be fertilized and we'll have to wait through another gestation period to have milk and eggs.

It was just a part of the care and breeding of animals. Gosh. Didn't princesses know that?

Besides, I want to introduce the concept of motherhood to them slowly. One of them needs to have the first young so I can be sure they all learn how to take care of their own before I breed more than one at once.

"What I fail to see is how any of this is my problem." Azula countered turning her back on the creatures and making her way to the edge of the area. "I have been more then reasonably allowing you as much as I have in my body."

Now the voices were starting up again, softly but a constant hum of chatter in the backround.

I plan on giving you the milk and eggs as compensation for the generous use of your body.

Real food. Reeeal fooood.

"I'd rather starve then debase myself with such a disgusting task." And to argue her point against her her stomach growled. In the confusion of the day they hadn't yet eaten.

If I put my inspection off until tomorrow, and give you half the first production when the animals DO start laying, do you think you could permit me to do my usual inspections tomorrow? Provided we're still sharing a body.

Ordering the princess around could only end badly, but Nima at least knew how to barter. She was trying not to impose on Azula, but frankly, sharing the firebender's unsettling mind was an imposition on her, even without the difficulty it added to her daily chores.

And she didn't even want to touch on the idea of her physical meditations while sharing this girl's body. With the number of men she was going to have to avoid thinking about, it was better, much better, to keep them both busy.

It was tempting, sorely tempting...though her stomach churned at the thought of checking those filthy creatures undersides.

"Fine, but you will ensure no one sees us do it, and you will never. Tell. Anyone." She hissed shuddering as if forcing herself to be reasonable was physically trying on her.

That you made a concession, or that you had to look at an animal's genitals?

Nima considered herself a patient woman, but feeling Azula's gorge rise at a routine breeding chore that Nima had been doing since she was a child just struck her in her frustration as utterly silly.

Of course, not everyone had been raised in the care and feeding of animals, as she had. She kept reminding herself of this, but the thought of what could go wrong if she didn't have time to properly care for all of her animals was . . . frustrating.

This experience was certainly putting her training as a woman of patience, forgiveness, and understanding to the test.

Meanwhile, Azula did not appreciate what she took as mocking and she created an imperfect orange ball of flame in her palm.

"Do not test me airbender. My patience is worn ragged already and you know well enough I wouldn't shed a tear for any of these creatures." She glared in their direction already wondering how their fur would react to flames. Some fur exploded, some just burned, it depended on what creature it was usually.

No.

Nima didn't try to wrestle control away from Azula - yet - but her thoughts were as forceful as she could make them.

Princess, I apologize for my tone, but I am being very generous and I will keep being generous. If you try to hurt my animals, I will fight you for control, and neither of us want to deal with that.

Azula continued to simmer and held the flame firmly in her palm letting it's heat pulse against her skin.

"Then don't turn this into a battle of will that you will lose." the firebender growled dangerously.

Nima kept her thoughts very carefully blank, her response carefully slow.

I will do whatever I can to protect my animals, Princess, including accept your terms.

Challenging the princess' will was something Nima wanted to, but couldn't let herself, give thought.

Now that my chores here are done for the day, would you like to go eat? I would be grateful if we did.

Until her thoughts were her own again, she couldn't afford even to think them.

Keeping them both busy would keep them both calm.

"Very well." She continued her path through Hydroponics and away from Nima's precious beasts. She couldn't deny her own hunger and wouldn't waste her energy being stubborn simply for the sake of being stubborn.

Not yet anyway.

As they stalked through the lush area Azula felt her skin prickle with paranoia again and she moved slower, scanning the area. Every shadow, every tree or rock could hide a potential threat to her life. Her muscles tightened prepared for a fight.

Who are you worried will attack you?

Nima ran through the various people she knew they both knew. Aang was an airbender and his pacifist roots wouldn't let him start a fight. Kaya didn't seem like one to launch an attack without warning. Sokka was attractive, and that was about all she knew of him. And there was Mai -

Anyone. There are plenty of people with reasons to want me dead, and there are plenty more who would do it without reason. The all seeing eyes of Stacy are untrustworthy. The crew are eating themselves alive, dieing a little each day as we become passive and careless. But never me. Her babbling was encouraged by some voices in her head muttering distinct threats, insults, cruel heartless things about the princess.

It was your unfortunate luck to be trapped in this form with me. I wonder if I die will you as well?

Maybe I would.

The thought bothered her. She considered it for a while, and decided it was because if she died, she might not be reborn as an air nomad - unless in her absence, other sisters awoke and took on the task of repopulating the race in time for her to be reborn as an airbender again.

If only she could begin that work on this ship. That she hadn't already given birth in her time since awaking bothered her. Who knew how many of the Air Nomads, besides her and Aang, had been saved? Perhaps it was all of them, but if not, she had a spiritual responsibility as a sister on the path of non-celibacy to create opportunities for her spiritual brothers and sisters to be reborn.

I don't believe anyone will kill you, though. And I don't believe we will be living like this forever. I'm curious, though - what is the crew doing that is so passive and careless?

Azula was about to answer her with another dellusional rant when she tripped over a root and came stumbling in an ungraceful heap through bush to land on all fours in some mud.

For a moment the voices in her head fell absolutely silent, before bursting with laughter.

Her muscles tensed, coiling and tightening, the fire in her blazing just begging to be set free to consume all the oh so flammable plant life in the area.

Why are you so afraid to be laughed at?

Laughter was a basis of air nomad philosophy. Monks and nuns often laughed at each other, and laughed at themselves, when reminded not to take themselves too seriously.

"Why do you assume EVERYTHING I do is based on ear?" She hissed deliberately wiping off the mud deliberately. She new if she set blaze to Hydroponics she'd be locked away again, and she also suspected Nima wouldn't hesitate to turn her in.

"I. Am. Not. Afraid." She snarled using her fire to dry the mud into blackened dirt.

I don't know what else to call it. You believe everyone is against you, which I believe, and that everyone is going to hurt you, which I don't. You have voices in your head that tell you nasty things. I just thought they might be things you were afraid to hear, that you were making yourself hear anyway.

Psychology. Not Nima's forte.

Who would I even turn you in to?

Azula could hardly believe such a ridiculous theory. "Do you listen to yourself when you think or is it just white noise?" her voice was dripping with disdain.

"If you can't even figure that out why would I help you?"

Am I wrong? If I am, what is the truth?

Nima began to consider in earnest who she WOULD turn Azula in to. There had been insane asylums in the Four Nations, of course, but she had never investigated any of them. Perhaps she should have, now that she thought about it - how DID a society deal with its members, when they became so antisocial that they couldn't safely be lived with? And did they do it humanely?

Maybe because I could help them help you, now that I know what goes on in your head. Don't you think you'd be better off if your own mind wasn't laughing at you?

"I don't need your help!" She barked, "And I don't need what they would call help." Fresh new nightmares flashing to the forefront of her unstable mind, images of being chained to a bed, blades carving into the flesh of her head, a needle being slid through her tear duct. potions being forced down her throat.

A mind once so sharp it could destroy men without lifting a finger, melted away to barely functional.

At least as she was now she could still make her own choices. Still take care of herself however poorly.

Nima watched the images in deep discomfort.

No, she agreed, when she had let them pass her by. If that is the help they would give you, then you don't need it.

But she needed SOME kind of help. Bare survival was a good foundation, but alone it wasn't enough.

Charizard burst from the treeline with a roar. At the speed he was going, it would be difficult to tell he was holding a rubber ball. One might even think he was attacking, rather than playing a game with the human and other Pokemon that hadn't quite caught up with him yet.

Nima's first instinct was to get airborne and out of reach.

Of course, that didn't work, but by the time she'd tried, she'd had time to observe that the animal's body language, while excited, was not aggressive.

Don't hurt it! she thought, desperately trying to prevent Azula from acting on her own instincts.

Azula had been startled by the creature, a sensation she loathed. "I don't like being surprised." She hissed before launching a burst of flame at the beast in anger. It was only then that she noticed the flame on it's tail, was it already on fire? It was a dragon but not like any dragon she had ever seen before.

Could she really take on a dragon? In her state?

She didn't really care.

The attack connected, but it wasn't very effective. Charizard's fire-resistant hide, in addition to the ridiculous amount of training he'd undergone prevented the flames from doing anything more than just getting his attention.

He descended in front of Azula, dropped the ball, brought himself up to his full height, and glared down at the girl, silently demanding an explanation.

We're lucky it hasn't attacked already. Don't look it in the eyes. That would be extremely aggressive.

Nima very much hoped that Azula would listen to her. Perhaps with enough determination, Azula could hurt the fire-resistant creature, but Nima didn't want to be a part of that, any more than she wanted it to happen at all.

Just back away slowly. You don't need to hurt it.

Shut up. Azula snapped not happy with how bossy Nima had been today (In Azula's opinion anyway)

She placed a foot on the ball and gracefully brought the ball up onto her foot balancing it carefully.

Then with a mighty kick sent it flying through the air with an amused smug smirk. Animals were stupid.

Charizard kept glaring, and then his head twitched in the direction of the treeline. Some of the team had caught up, Namely Pikachu and Oshawott, the latter a bit behind the former.

Charizard grunted in their direction, Pikachu chittered disapprovingly back, Charizard grunted some more, and Pikachu sighed, looking over towards Oshawott.

Oshawott cocked it's own head, nodded, and sprayed Azula with Water Gun.

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Bendytimed to during the two souls one body event

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