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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?

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"Because there's something wrong with me." Hissed Azula in frustration. "Because I can't NOT think about it. It's illogical, it's foolish, but it's part of what I have to deal with now." And having to explain it was making suicide seem like a more tempting option all the time.

Oh, if she could only have had a nice talking session with Azula's psychologist. If anything, this was certainly a reason she was furious with the council's decision to let her loose so quickly.

"Fine, I get it. But you should know by now that I'm not going to give up on you. You might hate me, but I don't hate you. At this point, we're the only ones left from our world. What good would come out of fighting?"

"We wouldn't be causing each other nearly as much stress." She shot back unable to even begin to think about a world where this water tribe peasant didn't hate her as much as she should.

"I'm plenty stressed without having to worry about the Fire Nation," Kaya said. "I'm hoping to prepare for the day when they try to attack us directly. I want to make sure they realize we have some strong fighters of our own."

"Then why willingly indulge in even more stress by interacting with me?" She accused as if Kaya was doing something stupid. Because really, she was.

"Because I don't believe you are a lost cause," Kaya said simply. "And though I would have never told the other guys, I never thought so to begin with. Of course, if you're willing to give in to your worst qualities, you can obviously prove me wrong."

Azula gave her a very dry look. "Then don't encourage me to be manipulative and scheming." Because she was always going to be that way. She'd just have to focus her efforts better. "And find some way to be less...you." because Kaya did so many things that annoyed her. "Maybe get a hair cut so you look less like Katara."

"Maybe those were just the wrong words to use?" Kaya said, shrugging. "I mean, I guess I could have said we need your fire bending skills, but from what I heard you were always pretty smart when it came to actual tactician plans. But if that'll have you backslide, I guess it can't be helped."

Wait, what now? "Less me? What exactly is wrong with me? And if you hate me anyway, why care that I look like Katara?"

That actually made her smirk. "Because I may hate you, but I loath her." Oh yes. If given the option the things she would do to Katara would be horrible and painful.

"At least you're not half as preachy."

At least this wasn't the first time that Kaya found out she was hated: she had, after all, had her worse blow up with Asuka that one day. She may have be gone now, buts he remembered all too well how she used to make her feel.

"I don't think, with everything that happens on the ship, I have time to be preachy," Kaya said. "Besides, she and I are pretty different now, even if she trained me. I've had quite a few other teachers on the ship. For some reason, I think my first one would have liked you."

"Oh did she have a fondness for pain and suffering?" because clearly that was what she was most capable with.

"No, but she accepted that pain and suffering were a part of life. A lot of what she taught me was actually the opposite of things I'd learned in my nation: sacrificing others for the sake of many, the use of lethal force, using your body and wiles as a tool to defeat your enemy. That was not the bulk of what she taught me, but those were things I had to struggle with. Despite that though, she cared, and I learned a lot from her."

Azula actually listened to that and appeared thoughtful. "Good, perhaps when you return home you'll be able to pass on such common knowledge to your people. Or else The Avatar's girl is likely to make them too soft."

"I plan on it," Kaya said, "and teach them a few of the other things I know. One day, wherever she is, I know Katara will pass on her waterbending knowledge. If I didn't try and teach other girls the things I learned, I;d be doing a disservice to all of the teachers I ever had."

Granted, she doubted she could really do something like that in the Northern Water Tribe anymore. They wouldn't allow it, and she understood why.

"I'm sure you'll enjoy that." Azula muttered her eyes glazing over as she thought about what was waiting for her back home. "I doubt I'll hear about it." She didn't get much contact in her cell. No one that she wanted to see anyway.

"No one said you would always be in a cell," Kaya said, looking down a moment. "At least, I hope not anyway. Everyone deserves to be free eventually, when you're not hunting people down and killing them, after all."

"Clearly you need to come tell that to my guards and doctors. Besides even if I weren't...as I am, to set me free would be to offer an alternative to Zuko's rule. And he can't risk that. He barely holds the title to begin with."

"That you know of now," Kaya said, "and keep in mind you're from an earlier period than I am to begin with. You have no idea what could have happened, or what will happen if we get our world back. But you have to be willing to want to change, and so does he. Right now, he's going through a lot anyway."

Azula scoffed. "I can change all I want, but until I line up and act like the "good" little sister Zuzu never had, and accept his rule? I'll rot in that cell till they finally force their "teatments" On me." The very thought sent a shudder through her.

"Look, at this point I don't think Zuko expects you to be good anytime soon," Kaya said dryly. "But he does hope you can be manageable enough where he doesn't have to worry about you attacking him behind his back, or you trying to start riots. When have you ever made him think that you weren't ever going to betray him?"

"Given the opportunity I can't say I wouldn't." Which seemed reasonable to her. "Willingly or in a moment of weakness."

"Then it hardly makes sense to complain about anyone not seeing your progress when you freely admit you would undo it all for some petty revenge," Kaya said. "Would you want to trust and believe in someone like that?"

"Who said I was ever asking for his or your trust or belief?" She tilted her head curiously. Had she really come off like that? It had been unintentional surely. She couldn't have meant for that. She wouldn't...would she?

"Then don't complain about people not giving you a chance," Kaya said. "When it comes down to it, you make attempts, but in the end its not that you can't change, but that you don't want to. I can already tell you're still scared of water too. So nothing changes, and nothing will change until you do something about it. But I never thought I'd see the day Azula became just another person on this ship."

Azula actually growled at that and gripped the machine tightly as if to hold herself back from doing something they'd both regret. "Stop it. Every time I start to relax you do that! Your little comments, acting like you know better! Like you know me! It's just making it harder!" Her voice shaking with anxiety and anger.