Exchange--Prelude to Sokkla-ness
"I know where she is." After two hours of silence, she had spoken. Immediately a swirl of red robes was before her, long fingers wrapped around the bars of her cell, and she could see the pale skin stretched over the knuckles.
"Azula, tell me." His voice cracked. Still too emotional. Azula chided him in her mind. Instead, she remained silent, and forced a content smile on her grimy face.
"Knowledge is power, Zuzu."
"Azula, tell me!" He's losing his temper awfully fast nowadays. Azula thought, storing that piece of knowledge carefully in her mind. "Tell me where mother is!"
"Knowledge is power, and you are weak." Azula smiled, much wider, revealing her teeth.
"You little,--"
"Zuko. Don't." Both siblings turned to face the newcomer. It was the water tribe boy. The one who cried for his little Kyoshi Warrior. I hope she's dead. Azula thought with bitter resentment.
"She knows, Sokka." Zuko wrung his hands. "She knows! I have to get to mother now or--" Idiot, he shouldn't discuss things in front of the enemy. Weak.
Apparently, the water tribe boy thought so too, and shook his head. "Not in front of her." Zuko nodded and he walked past the water tribe boy without another word to her. Azula smirked.
"Do you really know where Princess Ursa is, Princess Azula?" Azula eyed the boy. She had thought he had left with her brother.
"Perhaps. Possibly. I don't really care." Azula answered breezily.
"You honestly don't care if your mother is alive or not?" He seemed surprised. I suppose Zuzu didn't really talk to his friends about our relationship, huh, mother?
"I hate her." He left after that.
---
Zuko was back again, and again, she pushed his buttons so much, so well, so skillfully that he had to leave after the first ten minutes. During that time, Sokka was sent in to talk to her. She hadn't expected her brother to do that, and voiced her opinion.
"Is it so hard to believe that I came to visit you?" Sokka grinned.
Azula waved an arm around to bring his attentions to their surroundings. "Welcome to my palace, peasant." She remarked dryly. She expected him to be angry with the derogatory term, he laughed instead.
"Well, here," He tossed her an apple, which she caught deftly. "I looked over the crap menu they served to prisons a few days ago. Not appetizing at all." He waited, as if expecting a 'thank you' from her, and once he realized he wasn't going to receive one, he continued, "Well, I'll see you whenever, I guess. Zuko's going to drop by in a few hours."
Azula munched pensively on her apple as she watched Sokka disappear down the hallway. The idea of not seeing him was irritating her for some reason.
-----
Just like what Sokka said, Zuko did come by later. "I have a proposition for you, Azula." Zuko began, seemingly composed. But Azula knew better. He was just so easy to read. "You tell me where mother is, and Aang won't take your bending away."
"I won't stand to be threatened." Azula smirked as she idly traced patterns on the floor. "I might conveniently forget where daddy placed mother." Azula felt a surge of triumph rush through her as she felt the temperature spike up around them, an indication of Zuko's rising temper.
"Azula--"
"But I have a proposition for you, Zuzu." Azula walked to the front of her cell and reached out to grab him, pulling him roughly against the bars. "You let me out--"
"Absolutely not."
"--and give me Sokka."
"He's not mine to give."
"He's in the Fire Nation. He's yours." Azula said easily, brushing some imaginary dust from her brother's shoulder. "Besides, don't you want to know where dear mummy is, Zuzu?" His face crumpled, he turned, and left without a backward's glance.
----
As expected, in a few days, her cell was opened and she was led to the Fire Lord's War Room with several guards.
Sokka, his sister, the earthbender, Uncle, and the Avatar were all seated around a table, with Zuko at the head. "You have a deal."