[Thread] By the Brook

[lady_azula]

Characters: OU!Azula, OPEN
Where: The Park, by the brook
When: After this discussion.
Summary: Azula is out to waterbend again, to put herself in a better mood.
Warnings: None yet

Comments

[ruminanthropy]

It was strange how Appa seemed to keep happening upon Azula. Whether it was fate, or just the fact that Appa liked playing by the water, he froze as he saw Azula. Waterbending.

Then he relaxed. The cuffs, they said, wouldn't allow such things as what sprung to his mind to happen, for one. The other, of course, was that Azula looked....genuinely lonely. He couldn't feel any ill coming from her. And he didn't want Zuko to be disappointed that someone didn't make Azula feel better. Even if she was the crazy lady, she was Zuko's sister, and they were really all in the same boat, weren't they?

So, draping his pelt around his shoulders (as it had gotten a bit colder lately) he walked over to the Fire Nation princess.

"Um....." he held a hand up, a little nervously. "Hi!"

[lady_azula]

Azula paused in mid-bending, and paid the price for it as water splashed into her head. She gave a small yelp and, upon seeing who it was, sighed. She flicked her hand over her head and was dry again, a method water bending she had only just learned. There really was a lot of fascinating things she could do with this sort of bending.

She looked up and saw it was, to a certain extent, the Avatar's air bison. He seemed nervous (why wouldn't he, remembering their last encounter with the Kyoshi warriors) but Azula was sure she looked nowhere near as composed as she had that day. Instead, her hair was undone from the usual top knot and flying free, and she lacked any of the usual make-up she had. If anyone had looked at her now, they might have, if only far away, mistaken her for a certain other water bender.

"Hello," Azula said briskly. "Is there something you need from me?"

[ruminanthropy]

"Sorry...." Appa fiddled with his hands nervously. He was pretty bad with introductions, what with his normal method being to lick people he liked. "Um, I didn't mean to do that....I'm, well..."

She did look really sad. Of course, then she dried her hair, and he blinked.

"I didn't know you could waterbend...."

[lady_azula]

Azula sighed. Why did everyone in this place apologize so much anyway? You would think they might understand what a sign of weakness it was. In any case, it wasn't as if that creature should expect Azula to treat him warmly anyway. She was actually very surprised he wasn't trying to attack her.

"Normally, I couldn't," Azula finally said. "But upon being in Econtra, I found myself able to live in the body of that waterbender girl you know. Since I retained my memory and her abilities, I simply had to write down what I knew, and retain that knowledge once I turned back. It may look effortless to you, but it took me weeks to learn even the simplest trick. A person doesn't learn that sort of thing overnight."

[everhungrysage]

Ilyana was wandering through the park, trying to finally find a place to practice her magic, when she caught sight of someone moving water around in the air. She walked closer and stood next to a tree, watching silently in completely fascination.

[lady_azula]

Azula backed away a little, and waved her hand over the water about to fall into the air. It instantly froze, and upon hitting the water, looking like sharp icicles now. Azula gave a little cry of "ha!" before sensing the presence of another. She turned, and saw a mild looking girl watching her.

"Did you need something?" Azula asked, not unkindly. Girls like her tended to calm her somehow. Something in their demeanor, she supposed.

[everhungrysage]

Ilyana couldn't hide the awe and amazement on her face. "That was... That was amazing! I've never seen anything like that before! How did you do that?" Ilyana was a mage after all, and she had an unquenchable curiosity for magic.

[lady_azula]

"Oh!" Azula had gotten so used to explaining her powers by now it was almost tedious, but it was just as rude not to answer a query. "It's bending, of course: the natural art of using the element around you. In this case, it helps me to reflect on the moon and its power over the tides: the ebb and flow, and the inner strength as a more reflective power rather than the power I am used to, which is a more fiery, aggressive power."

It was so STRANGE, talking like that. She sounded like a fire sage.

[becamethewind]

Haruka had gone out, planning on training in the park. Feeling the wind rush again was one of the few things that could perhaps bring her mind of Michiru, who she had been thinking about the past days. At times like these somewhere in the back of her head the soldier of wind would feel that longing faintly again. Becoming the wind.

She walked around the park looking for a good spot to train, when she noticed someone else training there, using the water. It was not long until Haruka recognized the person doing it and stopped walking. For a little while she just stood there, watching Azula. Gracefully making the water flow, making it swirl in the air. Haruka's thoughts almost drifted back to Michiru, but didn't she come here to stop thinking about it? She shook her head, stepping forward. "Princess Azula."

[lady_azula]

Azula paused, hearing the voice. There was little doubt of who it was, of course: she had already had two instances witty Haruka, and certainly Mercury's taunting had made her think of the woman more often than usual. Mercury and Azula, after all, rarely fought about anything, but on the senshi, Mercury's views were very clear. Azula knew enough by this time to go to Haruka rather than the other way around: she liked the girl's company, and certainly appreciated the elegance of Sailor Uranus to crass immaturity of the senshi she'd met before her. She supposed that before Uranus, she couldn't imagine how those senshi even fought as a cohesive unit.

"Uranus," She said, giving the older woman a polite bow. "What brings you ought here?" She slowly brought the water down around her, and her bun became undone at this point, black hair flowing down around her.

[becamethewind]

Haruka also bowed. "I was planning on doing some training." She looked up at the sky for a moment, running her hand through her hair. "To... get my mind off things," she then added. The rushing wind, her sword in her hand, it could make her forget every worry for a few moments. Yet it could wait for a little bit more. Haruka enjoyed talking to Azula, she could always train a little bit later.

[lady_azula]

"I see," Azula said, giving the senshi a rather appraising look. That was another thing she hadn't seen any of the senshi do: actually continue to try and better their skill. Azula had a lingering respect for any warrior that made that attempt, and got stronger because of it: yet here Haruka was, at least putting forth an effort. Mercury may have hated all of them, but Azula could dredge up a little respect for that.

At least, for Haruka anyway.

"You have a lot on your mind then?" Azula asked, breathing in a little and throwing the water in the air, and freezing it slightly so the two were suddenly showered in very small crystals. "I'm all ears, Haruka."

[banishment]

Had this been a few months ago or the sister whom he'd last saw sitting in their father's throne down in that bunker on Day of Black Sun, he wouldn't have cared. In fact, he probably would have sat back and enjoyed the nice view of a possible meltdown. But, now? Things were different. She was different. And he was worried. More than he liked to admit and had only voiced to Mai and Toph, who being his girlfriend and someone he claimed as a sister, were his most trusted confidants outside of Duo and Aerith. Possibly because the former had grown up with him and loved him and his feelings for her, while not quite love yet, were indeed strong, and the latter had seen a side of himself that he wasn't proud of--that foolish prince who's goal in life was to hunt down one of her friends. It was amazing what a year's passing and a different setting could do to a person

[lady_azula]

Azula stopped. "Perhaps she should have rebraided her hair after it had come undone talking with Uranus, but it hadn't been in her way so she had left it alone. It hadn't occurred to her that people from her world might think of her as someone else: that water tribe girl. Still, she was a little surprised to see her brother, and immediately decided to act as if nothing was very wring. It was easy enough to do.

"Zuko," She said, trying to sound casual. "Do you need something?" To attempt to look more nonchalant, she evaporated the water a little, bringing a fine mist around them.

[banishment]

"I thought you were Katara," he said. It was no longer about that stupid crush he'd had on her for a while there, something he decided he'd developed due to his confusion and frustration with this place and her anger towards him being something he at least knew how to handle, something he expected. It was about the fact that he disappearance had upset some of the people he was close to and her being back, as much as he didn't want anyone in their world to return to this awful place, would have brightened some of those spirits.

Zuko shook his head. No, he didn't need anything. "I just came out her to practice, is all."

[lady_azula]

"I see," Azula said. "In that case, you really ought to be more observant Zuko. To mistake me for that waterbender is a very serious offense indeed! After all, imagine the problems that could have arisen had she stayed! I think you know what I mean when I say that."

Azula, after all, was certainly not stupid. The phrase opposites attract was not lost to her. The Waterbender, after all, was certainly not unattractive, and she had seen the awkwardness between her and her brother. While it was nothing compared to how he was with Mai, there was still a certain awkwardness with them.

"Think fast then!" Azula said, using the water to grab Zuko and throw him into the water. she hoped the irony would not be lost on him. "No Mai to land on this time!"