(no subject)

[burnedbrighter]

Of all the inane and stupid items to come across in her wanderings...

It stood about chest high on her with little grips on either side and buttons at it's base with familiar faces on it. Tentatively she pushed one of the buttons and sure enough a little doll popped out with her face.

It was far more beautiful a face then she remembered, but then again the game had been designed by people who were loyal to the Fire Nation. And there was no greater hero to the Fire Nation then their princess...except of course the Fire Lord.

Another button press brought her a doll of her brother and she placed them in the pegs on top of the small tower. Their feet clicked into place perfectly. It was like not a day had passed.

With a sullen and half hearted smile she tapped the button once, twice, three times watching the little doll punch her brother in the face. It was oddly soothing.

But how to get it back to the air temple from the city?

Comments

[first_in_time]

Having little to do and mind full of things to think about, Barbara Wright was taking a walk when she spied the young woman with the...object. She had turned a corner nearby the spot and was so obviously there that the idea of turning away seemed somewhat silly. At least, not before some kind of acknowledgement of greeting.

"Hello," she smiled kindly at the woman she'd never met before, "what's that you've got there?"

[burnedbrighter]

Azula turned sharply to see the speaker and her eyes narrowed assessing the stranger. Upon initial scan she didn't appear to be much of a threat, but the paranoid princess wouldn't let her guard down completely.

"It's a game. A rather amusing toy I wanted to bring back to my...home. But I could only drag it out of the building." She gestured at the ruined arcade she had found this childish treasure.

[first_in_time]

Like many people around this place, the woman seemed a little hostile but Barbara pushed through. She now simply wanted to prove that she had no ill intent or malice toward the girl.

"Together we might be able to get it back to your home," she took a step closer and looked over it, smiling at the handsome dolls and the pretty faces. "Many hands do make light work after all."

[burnedbrighter]

She had a point, though it loathed Azula to think about how these days she had to lower herself to manual labor. The voices were warning her about the pleasant helpful woman. Wasn't that how they always came off? Pleasant and helpful and then the minute your back was turned they could slip a knife between your ribs.

"I can't pay you." She opened with, after all that's what normal people wanted when offering to help. But she had a suspicion if this woman was like so many others on this insipid ship, she knew what the response would be.

[first_in_time]

"I don't expect to be paid," Barbara looked pleasantly up at the woman despite receiving a few signals that she wasn't happy about the situation, "and it's not like I have any place to be so I might as well be a little useful."

She straightened from her inspecting of the device and extended a hand in proper greeting. "I'm Barbara, by the way."

[burnedbrighter]

Hesitant, she extended her own hand which was warmer then normal for humans as she introduced herself with a hint of cynical pride. "I am Princess Azula of the Fire Nation."

Hopefully her reputation for being unstable hadn't spread too far...but then again she knew she wasn't exactly hiding it well.

[first_in_time]

Barbara had met a wide array of people on board Stacey, but she had never expected to meet royalty!

"Princess," she tried not to gasp in surprise and attempted some kind of curtsey while holding the strangely warm hand. It was almost right for a Britain. She wished she'd known before, she might not have been so casual.

"Do you still want me to help you lift this?" Barbara indicated the toy once she'd straightened, "I'm afraid I can't lift it on my own and I'm not sure who's available to help." Because manners dictated that princesses shouldn't lift heavy things.

[burnedbrighter]

Azula brought her left eyebrow into an arch. She smirked amused and savoring the first bit of respect her title had gotten her in the longest time.

"Yes I do. Even I must resort to manual labor occasionally in this miserable place." Even the voices in her head were calmed a little by Barbara's respectful manners. This could be something worthwhile.

[first_in_time]

"This ship isn't that bad," although it probably was.

"Here, why don't we take a side each?" Barbara suggested gently and inspected the side she was facing for any kind of hand-hold which wouldn't result in a breakage. "Where would you like it, again, Your Majesty?"

'Your Majesty'. Should she be calling the woman that? Or did it only apply to the Kings and Queens of Earth?

[morganknight]

While she was pondering that, a sleek black convertible roared up not far away, drawing neatly to a halt nearby with the engine purring. Over the door, a curious Akashic leaned out to look curiously at the contraption she had.

"What have you got there?"

[burnedbrighter]

The vehicle nearly made her jump out of her skin. A ball of orange flame charred the ground in front of it before she saw who was responsible.

Her foul mood darkened and she did her best and failed to hide that she was annoyed be being caught off guard. "A game. I've decided it would be good for...my therapy." she hated that word. There was nothing therapeutic about her healing process but it was the most gentle way she could think to explain it.

[morganknight]

"Please don't burn my Infinity," he said with mild humor, even as he swung himself over the door to land lightly on his feet. Opening the door was for less-cool people!

"A game? What kind of game?" He bridged the distance between them to eye her treasure curiously.

[burnedbrighter]

She rose an eyebrow but decided it wouldn't hurt to explain. Even if she knew how childish it was. Pushing a button she produced the little doll of her once again and demonstrated how it clicked into place in the little ring at the top of the tower.

The handles were still warm from her toying with it earlier and she easily made the little Azula doll throw out a few punches. "An opponent goes there." She pointed to the clips right in front of her own doll.

[morganknight]

Morgan stared.

"Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots?"

Then a slow grin spread across his face. "That's awesome."

[burnedbrighter]

Azula looked puzzled. "These aren't robots." She argued confused by his exclamation. But at least he seemed to approve rather then taunting her for such a childish item to cling to.

[morganknight]

Heck no! Morgan was a big kid at heart whenever he could be.

"Oh, that's the name of a toy we have on Earth that's a lot like this. It doesn't use robots either, they just call them that for marketing purposes. Hee hee, this is great! And it actually has a figure of you, that's even better!"

[burnedbrighter]

"Hrm...well...yes." She was starting to understand. "I was kind of famous in my own world after all. The jewel of the Fire Nation. Boys wanted me, girls wanted to be me." Not that she spent alot of time near people like that. She was usually busy with older people in the war effort.

She put the doll back into it's place in the machine, uncomfortable by looking at it.

[kaya_waterwave]

All in all, despite good things like the wedding and her relationship with Nokosi, things had come to a relative low for Kaya. Normally, her optimism would have won over any of those negative feelings, but much had happened in only a short amount of time. She'd lost Zhin and Azula got to see it. Negi, Aang, Sokka and Mai were gone. Danny was somewhere being tortured by Braniac and she couldn't help. The Daligig were no longer trustworthy. The relative ease she'd felt on the ship was not enough to accommodate for the frustration she as feeling right now.

So to spare Nokosi her negative feelings, she was wandering the ship today, lost in thought. She barely saw Azula, but when she did, she grimaced.

What horrible thing was she doing today?

[burnedbrighter]

Apparently struggling with an awkwardly shaped modestly heavy device. It had gold flames on the sides as well as a picture of Aang and Zuko oddly enough.

Abandoning the device for a moment Azula stalked around the immediate area looking no doubt for somethign she could use to transport it, oblivious to Kaya for a moment.

[kaya_waterwave]

Kaya walked over, wondering whey she would even bother with Azula at all. The last time they met she wanted to severely punch the girl in the face, particularly when she happened to be smirking at one of the worst moments she ever had to deal with on the ship. What she wanted to do was shove the woman while she was trying to transport the...whatever it was.

"What are you even doing?"

[burnedbrighter]

Azula gave a jump and when she turned to face Kaya she looked positively terrified. She blinked once, twice and then began to relax. Apparently whatever she thought she saw was gone and Kaya wasn't as intimidating.

"Trying to transport this game back to my room at the Air temple." She explained trying to sound casual.

[kaya_waterwave]

Seriously, what the HECK was going with people that they just let Azula walk free? At the very least she should have been completely rehabilitated, but nothing close to that had happened and now Azula was able to walk around, as crazy as ever.

"A game?" Kaya scoffed. "Really, Azula? I would have thought at a time like this, you'd already be formulating plots and plans against your enemies."

[burnedbrighter]

Azula's eyes narrowed scornfully and she felt the barbs in Kaya's words as she responded cooly, "My Therapist says that plotting against MY enemies is unhealthy and counter productive."

Not that she had seen her therapist in awhile.

[kaya_waterwave]

"If that's something your therapist said, I recommend a second opinion," Kaya said bluntly. "Right now the last thing anyone needs to do is stay docile and nice. What we need is to gather together and start taking back what belongs to us. I thought you, of all people, would have been behind that."

After all, the enemy has always been fighting to kill them, right?

[burnedbrighter]

Azula's look softened and she tilted her head slightly. Turning back to the machine she ran her hand over the images of Zuko's face embossed on the side.

"I suppose you're right in a way, after all isn't that what I was always meant to be? A tool for war, my families war. It would be a waste for me to try and fix what's wrong with me now." Her voice was soft and thoughtful as she appeared to consider it.