trans_9 | (no subject)

Entry tags:

(no subject)

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?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Oh right, the whole we should have killed you thing, I forgot," Kaya said, rolling her eyes right back. She was very VERY tempted to tell Azula exactly what else Mai had done before being put back into the pods, but something like that would have sent her emotions in a tailspin.

"He's still family, no matter what you say. You must feel something besides hate for him."

"You could at least PRETEND to have some respect for how much of a threat I am." Azula grumbled feeling a fresh wave of disrespect come crashing over her from the eye roll.

"I feel pity for him." She answered blandly, "He was never meant for the pressures of leadership. Ad he'll never be able to forgive himself for his mistakes. He may claim to be free of his need for validation but he lies."

Of course she would be upset by Kaya's eyeroll and not realize she had done the very thing a moment ago.

"The whole reason we're having this conversation is because you are a threat," Kaya said, shaking her head, "and you did that the moment you attacked Mia and Zuko on the ship. We didn't get to dictate the terms of what happened to you, YOU did. The ship council didn't ask what we thought about anything because they assumed we would be biased. So look at where we are now."

She shrugged. "He'll be taking on a new set of problems when he goes back home, if it happens. How couldn't he? The nations are free, they HATE anything having to do with the Fire nation and there's going to be a lot of internal struggles within his own nation. not ruling over people with an iron fist always takes getting used to."

"Then stop acting like it's foolish to say that my death is the wrong answer. It would have saved you all alot of pain." She shot back. Even having a civil conversation wasn't enough to stop that concept in her mind.

"You forget how many of our people hate him and loved me and my father. Calling them "struggles" is being generous. He'll be lucky to avoid revolt. Especially when the people see he's just a tool of the Avatar."

"The one you cause pain to are the people who actually want to help you. Yes, Mai thought the easiest way to handle this was to kill you. Do you really want that to be the case? Let's face it Azula: half of this is your own contempt at yourself for failing anyway. You don't HAVE to want revenge, but you do it anyway. It's not a way to live, trust me."

Not that she thought she could change the firebender's mind anyway. "He'll have to deal with that, yes, but he'll be doing that on his own. It's unfair to think he'll just be a tool of the Avatar. He's capable of his own thoughts."

Azula didn't seem impressed, but at least she was keeping her temper in check "And just how often have you felt the urge for revenge peasant? More importantly, how often have you gotten it?"

At Kaya's defense of her brother "But the people don't see that. They see a shamed boy who betrayed his family and his Nation."

"You mean besides when someone calls me peasant?" Kaya said icily. "I've had my moments. Believe me, the only reason you even get a lecture from me is because I've been here long enough to know pain and hate and anger and conquer those emotions. It's never easy."

She looked deep in thought. "Some might. But I think most of your nation is waiting, waiting to see if Zuko will show them something they've missed for a long time."

"It can be easy with the right inspiration." And oh did Azula have PLENTY of that.

Her voice was very stiff and cold when she finally answered. "And just what would that be?" Her answer could be the final word in this time of peace they were sharing.

"Trust me, I'm aware," Kaya said. "Just because I'm composed and not trying to kill everything I see doesn't mean I don't have moments of wanting revenge. I just have to restrain myself."

She stretched. "Cooperation. Faith that peace with all the nations will restore balance to it, and once that happens, that all nations will flourish on their own and learn about it. Once upon a time, that was how things were, and Zuko has faith it could be like that again. None of this peasant stuff, or Fire Nation superiority or class divisions like in Ba Sing Se."

It was a good answer, though not one that satisfied Azula. "Our people were in favor of the war. In favor of our way of life. They will not take so kindly to having to give up the superiority they held, the comfort they've enjoyed. You're asking those with the most power to willingly weaken themselves to those who we see as unworthy. Do you think they'd so easily give up power they felt that we as a nation have earned?"

"When you say 'your people' you're talking about ALL of the Fire Nation, or just the nobles and the military? In my time, there are many people in the firer nation who have little to no idea what the fire nation actually does to other nations. If you haven't had to think about them, that might be an issue you and your father's version of the fire nation. Those people would be interested in listening to Zuko, and the Avatar."

"It was all!" Azula snapped offended that Kaya would think she was blind to what her own people thought and felt. "They may claim they didn't know but they lie. It is no secret."

As it was Kaya DID know better: when she trained with Katara, she had told her stories of some of the people in the Fire Nation who had usually just gone along with their superiors because they had no choice. Zuko stories had collaborated with this, but talking to Azula about it was just asking for her to have another psychotic episode.

"I'll take your word for it," Kaya said, understanding this conversation was likely to go nowhere. "I take it you;re done talking with me now?"

Edited 2012-03-26 23:21 (UTC)

"If you're so eager to leave you can just say so. I'd rather figure out a way to get this back to the temple anyway." She muttered feeling as if she'd been unrightfuly attacked. After all hadn't Kaya come to her?

"I figured you didn't want me around," Kaya replied. "Everytime we do meet, all it seems to do is put you in a bad mood. The only time I saw you happy when I was around was when Zhin died. It sort puts a damper on our relationship, don't you think?"

"Well who's fault is that?" Azula counted lightly, "After all it seems like you've gone out of your way to make me angry every time we meet. Doing your very best to make me understand you don't fear me, respect me, or even consider me a worthwhile threat."

"Yours as much as it is mine," Kaya answered back, looking irritated. "Anytime I talk to you its insults, threats or belittling! Why would I respect anyone who goes out of their way to make me feel like I'm supposed to be inferior to them? I mean, every time we talk you call me peasant! I'm supposed to respect you why?!"

"Because you are! That's how the world is supposed to work!" She growled, "Some people are born better then others. Some people fight and claw and work all their lives for every scrap of power and respect they get! And when they don't get what they deserve they have every right to be testy!"

"Yes, and some people work JUST as hard, only privileged people don't get to really see that, do they?" Kaya fired back. "Do you think being a waterbending master just happens, or that I learn to work in coordination with my body and mind is just something I wake up with? It's not! I've been at it every single day! So when someone continues calling them a peasant, THEY have every right to make them feel just as small!"

But Azula was unimpressed. "There's more to what I've done then learning to fight." Even if those skills had gotten weak after her break.

"And it's not you that has made me feel small. You don't deserve that credit. All you've done every time we meet is cause me pain."

"And there's a lot more to learn from the supposed 'peasants' too, if you bothered to look," Kaya said indignantly. "And this is exactly why our conversations end how they do. You don't care about understanding me, you just want the last word. It's either an insult, passive aggressive attacks on yourself, or a threat. How are you even surprised this happens over and over?"

"Because I thought you were getting more empathetic and starting to understand. I'm disappoint I won't lie." She leaned into her toy like she was exhausted.

"I save my empathy for people who aren't grinning over the death of my friend," she said bluntly. "Or did you think I didn't see that?"

Azula rolled her eyes "Listen to yourself. Every time you bring that up I sound more and more wicked. Next time you'll be saying I laughed when your stupid pet died a heroes death for your pathetic life."

"If the shoe fits," Kaya said icily. "Oh, and thanks for calling my life pathetic, it really endears me to your twisted plight, seriously.