Third Floor Common Room / January 16 / Morning

[azuldragon]

Azula with her left cheek stinging woke to the cold. It was cold and dark and when she attempted to open the light fixtures no light came on. Azula went out to investigate. The outside world was blanketed in snow, she moved to the common room and found a fireplace. A surprise since there was none before. There was, Azula concluded, no use

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[glacial_witch]

Karla came in, accompanied by a small flotilla of floating globes of witchlight. "Kiss kiss!" she called, poking her head in. "Oh, it's lovely warm in here--" she started, before catching a glimpse of Azula.

Immediately, her eyes narrowed. "You," she said, pointing. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

[azuldragon]

Azula sipped her tea and raised her eyebrow, "Absolutely nothing." Her cheek throbbed slightly, "Well, almost nothing."

[glacial_witch]

"Beyond irreparable idiocy, you mean?" Karla snapped, coming further into the room. "I'm trying to decide if your issues stem from sheer incompetence, a lack of oxygen in your infancy, or pride so large it interferes with proper brain functions!"

[azuldragon]

"And so early in the morning too," Azula murmured. The ranting reminded her so much of Zuzu. It was quite nostalgic. "I'm sure you have a number of insults in your arsenal but I've no clue what you're referring to. Maybe you should elaborate and stop frothing in the mouth?"

[glacial_witch]

"Oh, I'm sorry. Do you fuck up so often that you have a hard time figuring out just what someone is likely to be pissed at you for?" Karla asked with false sweetness. "Or is Dinah just so unimportant that you've forgotten about her already?"

[azuldragon]

"Ah, Dinah." That made sense. There was a warning involved in the earlier days, was it not? "No, I don't miscalculate often. That was an error in my part."

And something to rectify. It still annoyed her that it happened and that she lost control. That used to never happen. It was an imperfection. And Azula hated imperfections. "Come to fight Dinah's battle for her?"

[glacial_witch]

"Considering she's in bed with bruised ribs and a concussion because you can't wield your magic properly, it seems only fair, does it not?"

Not that she doubted that Dinah was going to go up one side of Azula and down the other, but, dammit, Dinah was a member of her Court her friend, and no one harmed one of those without hearing from Karla.

[azuldragon]

"It isn't magic," she corrected. She wanted that distinction. Firebending wasn't magic. "And it was a training mishap. It happens, I've seen worse. I've also seen her walking unless something's happened to her the last few days I haven't seen her then that is hardly connected to what happened."

[glacial_witch]

"How the Hell did they let you train anyone?" Karla wondered aloud.

Arms folded tightly over her chest, and using the same tones she would when speaking with to an addled child, Karla said. "It's more than a training mishap. You let your stung pride get the better of you and that led to Dinah getting injured. What--she splashed you in the face? Oh no! So you had to call lightning down to show her who was in charge. Mother Night, talk about incompetence."

[azuldragon]

"How very self-righteous, I suppose you've never accidentally caused harm yourself." Azula retorted. There was a limit to how long Azula will let herself be called incompetent. Her golden eyes flashed. "Your record, would be so clean and spotty. How very nice for you." She was throwing barbs and trying to see which target would hit. There must be a reason other than concern for a friend in this furious defense. There always was another reason.

"It was a miscalculation. It happens. Under any other circumstances I can control my lightning like no one else could. And to say Dinah was merely splashing water I'd say that would be an insult to the skill she displayed during the test."

[glacial_witch]

Karla waved away Azula's assessment of Dinah's skill. Not that she doubted Azula was correct in the proficiency Dinah had displayed, but because it was irrelevant. "Of course I have," Karla said. "You know, back when I was a child and didn't know my own strength."

Now, if they had been talking about injuring others accidentally with baking...

"But unlike some, I know how to control my Craft. Especially when I'm teaching someone else. Of course, I suppose that's why I'm a good teacher. Because, no, miscalculations like that don't happen. Not when you're teaching someone. Not if you're careful. Because it's your duty to make sure they don't!"

Karla had a very good reason for being so pissy, one Azula would probably understand. An outsider had harmed someone Karla thought of as 'hers.' "There are two places temper does not belong: a Healing room and a training field. And only an idiot believes otherwise."

[azuldragon]

Azula laughed. "Yes, of course. You haven't accidentally hurt anyone else, ever. Forgive me, I was bad, I should be placed in chains."

Oh, wait, that's been done.

"Accidents like that shouldn't happen and I didn't intend it too. There'll be measures taken but I don't see why I have to elaborate with you. You will still have objections and to be quite frank, I'll only grow weary of your objections, insults and whatever else and you'll only start frothing in the mouth again losing your temper and spirits know what you might do. I might fear for my life." She sipped her tea again. "For my part, I'm done with this conversation because whatever justifications, apologies I might utter belong with Dinah and not to you."

She paused and cocked her head to the side, and she smiled as if they just finished a long polite conversation. "Tea?"

[glacial_witch]

Karla wanted to grab Azula and shake her; not because she was exasperating (which she totally was), but because she clearly didn't get it. "I don't want your apologies," she said scornfully. "I just want you to understand something very clearly."

She switched to a psychic thread. She wasn't sure if Azula normally could hear thoughts, and figured hearing Karla's voice in her head might shake up some of that blase attitude. *Should Dinah make the mistake of continuing to train with you and she gets hurt again, I won't accidentally harm you. I'll just do it. And you'll never see it coming.* Her voice was very quiet and very serious when she added aloud, "That's not a threat, it's a bona fide promise."

[azuldragon]

That did make Azula notice. The voice echoed in her head and for a second she blinked at Karla before she realized, no, this time the voice wasn't just a figment of her imagination.

It came from Karla. It shook her and startled her and. And she smiled.

"Thank you for adding your voice in my head. It's a fine collection of voices in there." Dinah mentioned something about this ability and she remembered vaguely that Karla had other powers to boot. "I'm sure to keep your 'promise' in mind."

Especially now that she's been shown such possibility.

[glacial_witch]

Karla just gave her a pleasant smile. "Please do. It's one I don't make lightly. Now, that tea you offered? I'd love some."

And would probe the Hell out of it, without a doubt.

[azuldragon]

"Oh, I believe you," she assured Karla pleasantly. She reached for the teapot and swirled it around. "It's your ability to get it done that I'm questioning. You know some people can be so squeamish."

She took another cup, the flowered one and poured her a cup. "Its good tea. One of the best produce my dear, dear uncle had harvested. Perhaps you like it sweetened?"