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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 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.

"Make up your mind!" Azula dismissed without even looking at Kaya "Either you want to help me and will tolerate me, or you hate me and want nothing to do with me. This constant back and forth will be the death of us... not that that's a bad thing."

"I can't figure out why you put up with it. You're like some lovesick puppy following me around only to run away."

"Maybe I'm still waiting for you to act like a real person!" Kaya snapped. "You never make it easy to want to be your friend, even though you know you need help! You keep saying I'm going to hurt you, or threaten to hurt me or hide behind insults and talk like you're still a princess! Well in case you haven't noticed, this is a new life we have to live, like it or not!"

Love sick puppy?! "And maybe it never occurred to you, but I want to help you, seriously! But you can't let me without insulting me, or finding something to hide behind! Never does it occur to you we might not be all that different!"

"Of course we're different. We're from completely different worlds!" She declared with a sigh as if Kaya was the most tiresome visitor to her madness.

"I just can't figure it out. You complain so loud about all the horrible things I do but you keep trying and keep saying you want to help and be my friend. Do you just really need to feel better about yourself by helping me? Or is this some kind of conquest for you?"

"From different worlds that shared the same sky, and once a long time ago, it wasn't about who was better or worse in position, it was just bending and non bending living together. "

That was what she thought anyway.

"Look, I don't expect you to understand. To you I'm sure its all about what you lost and what things were. To me, I've had no choice but to look at how things ARE, every single day, and what they could be if I worked to make things happen. To people in my world, who suffered because of the things your military and you did, I should just leave you to be crazy, and laugh at your misfortune, even hurt you for good measure. But I believe, with everything in me, that change happens when you work for it, and understanding can be achieved when you look at everything. So maybe that's why I don't want to just write you off as dangerous, or fallen, or broken."

As far as philosphy went, in the Fire Nation anyway it was a pretty weak belief. But part of it rung in Azula's ears. Why was she so obsessed with the past? It had made her who she was yes but...was there really a future for her after all of that?

It seemed impossible. Crazy. But then again wasn't she?

"You're lucky I allow you to keep trying. If you really believe in me so much you'll be absolutely destroyed if you fail in your quest." A pause as she seemed to consider if she wouldn't mind seeing Kaya utterly broken emotionally. She didn't say anything though.

"I admit it wouldn't be something I'd want to deal with. I don't know if you've noticed, but the people from our world came and went pretty quickly, like the ship was still deciding if they were what was needed. But you and me and Nima and Zuko are still here, so I guess we still have parts to play."

Granted, there was still some stuff involved there about souls, but she knew precious little about that, or cared. It just sounded like craziness.

"How fortunate for me, that you allow me to dare to care for you." Really, was she serious with this still?

"Useless insane creature that thinks she can play god. The ship is more unstable then I am." Azula dismissed any thought that there was a real plan behind it.

"I'm glad you understand." And she reached out to stroke Kaya's cheek "Maybe someday you'll finally understand why my title is important too. But I won't hold my breath."

"You're wrong. She's not trying to play god: she's trying to be everyone's mother, and that's worse. A god doesn't have to care about what other people think and does whatever it wants. If she thought like, we would all be in a much worse place."

The stroke was a surprise, though. She almost flinched, then realized it was Azula, that she wouldn't harm her unless she felt no choice but to, and knew she wouldn't get in trouble.

"Somehow I doubt that," she said, but she didn't completely with that either. Azula's title likely WAS important: it was all she had to remember of her world.

"Mothers are overrated." Auzla growled Kaya having inadvertently stumbled onto one of her triggers. She resumed leaning almost possessively on the tower that she had procured.

"Not always," Kaya said quietly, thinking of all the ship mothers she'd had or had been. "Sometimes they turn out being exactly what you need at the time."

"Such a charmed existence you lead." Azula deadpanned not wanting to waste their time with that particular argument. Neither of them would budge on that subject she could already tell.

"Really? They're gone now, so...its not as charmed as one might think. Sometimes I get scared I'll forget their names one day, and all they meant. The ship can mess with memories, after all."

"It will either destroy you inside or harden you." Azula dismissed and then added, "And yes, I'm well aware "Katara."

Kaya winced. Of course Azula was likely to get a kick out of that which was painful to her, but that was nothing new, was it?

"I've been harden much more than I expected, in all the time being here."

"But not hard enough if I can still make you wince with just a word." She pointed out. "Someone will use that to destroy your heart. Break your spirit. Then you're no good to any of us." Nice to see she had such faith inn Kaya's strength.

"I'm allowed to feel something about all that," Kaya said. "At the very least, it makes me remember I can rise above it. No one, and I mean no one, can break my spirit. Not after everything I've been through."

Still hurt sometimes though.

"Never say never. I would have said the same thing a few months before..." And they both saw how that turned out.