Tape Recorder, Part II

[bentflame]

OOC: Because I wanted to write up a proper third-person response to the Tynapping stuff. Sorry.

Azula lay on her back on the middle of the bed, turning the tape recorder over and over in her hands. She would not listen to it again. She was being silly and childish, and she was not going to indulge that- no matter what had happened.

Death was not something that bothered Azula. It wasn't simply a matter of being desensitized by war, either- even as a child, death just hadn't affected her the way it did other people. When her cousin Lu Ten had died in battle and her Uncle Iroh had returned home distraught, her only thought had been how weak and cowardly he was being by allowing his emotions get in the way of his duty to his country. Her grandfather Azulon's death had been a good thing, even- because it had allowed her father to become Fire Lord. And when her father died, leaving the throne to her... that would be a good thing, too.
But if Ty Lee had been killed at the hands of Mai... that would have been so much different. She would have been illogical about it. She would have... lost control. She- Princess Azula, who prided herself on her consistent, effortless emotional detachment- would have been broken. Emotionlessness was something that came naturally to her- indeed, to the extent that anything else was unnatural. Still, there were times...
Things that Mai had implied ("She wears no armor. Knives cut. Do the math." ) and things that Ty Lee had said ("Yeah, and have you collect the body.") haunted her. Even though Ty Lee was safe, she couldn't get them out of her mind- because they were true. Of the (relatively few) things that Azula genuinely feared, Ty Lee leaving her was by far the most likely to come true- and for a short time, she had been utterly convinced that it had, in the form of death. Images of how Mai could have done it had come unbidden into her mind, and in droves- things that Mai might have done to get her "revenge". “Put this apple on your head, Ty Lee- I promise I won’t aim too low.”
Then, when she had seen Ty Lee not only alive, but relatively unhurt, she had thought she was going to lose her in another, very different way. They had conspired to bring her here, so that Mai could fight her- had Ty Lee wanted her to lose? How exactly had Mai convinced her? "Just do as I say, Ty Lee, and I promise I'll take care of your little problem- you'll never have to see fire again."
After it was all over, Azula had wanted to find her- to touch her, to talk to her, to make sure that she was real. She had been expecting to have to comfort a terrified, traumatized Ty Lee, seriously injured and in need of a medic, but none of that was necessary. And by the time she had picked herself up from the ground and looked around for her, she was gone.

A few days earlier, Azula had figured out how to erase the results of some of her earlier experimentation with the tape recorder- after all, it wasn't needed, and she didn't know how much it could store. For the most part, it was now completely blank, and ready to be used for whatever purpose was found for it- but there was one thing that she had saved.

Despite her resolve, Azula's finger hovered over the 'play' button momentarily... then she growled in annoyance and set the machine down firmly on the bedside table. No. She didn't need it.

Comments

[hotpinkaura.livejournal.com]

She laid her hand on Azula's briefly and then moved her hand to a spot on her leg just above the knee on Azula's side. "Here. Mai threw the knife at me, I moved."

[peoplesprincess.livejournal.com]

"Hmph." She frowned. "If that entire idiotic plot of hers was just a set-up between the two of you, why did she even need to cut you?"

[hotpinkaura.livejournal.com]

"...She said it neeeded to be realistic. And I knew if you two fought...you'd win."

[peoplesprincess.livejournal.com]

"Realistic," Azula scoffed. "Well, it certainly was realistic, wasn't it?"

[hotpinkaura.livejournal.com]

Ty Lee winced, but not from her leg. "I'm sorry, Azula. Really. I guess I was acting stupid..."

[peoplesprincess.livejournal.com]

Azula sighed. Sliding into more of a sitting position, she gently pulled Ty Lee against her, resting her chin on top of her head.

"She's going to try it again, you know. Or she claims she will, at least."

[hotpinkaura.livejournal.com]

She leaned against Azula, pressing close to the other girl.

"Oh...I hope she won't, I really do. It's just so...ugh."

[peoplesprincess.livejournal.com]

She wrapped her arms around Ty Lee, silently thinking.

[hotpinkaura.livejournal.com]

She leaned against Azula, letting her hold her.

[peoplesprincess.livejournal.com]

Azula sighed, letting her eyes fall shut. She dozed for a while, off and on- every so often waking just enough to lightly nuzzle Ty Lee, or to kiss her face... but never becoming quite conscious enough to realize and stop her own "silly" behavior.

When she did wake up fully, it was with a slight jerk. She hadn't really been in deep enough sleep to dream, and yet she had thought... she rested her hand on Ty Lee's head, as if to reassure herself.

"... I apologize for drifting off like that. Are you awake?"

[hotpinkaura.livejournal.com]

Ty Lee hadn't noticed Azula falling asleep. She had always been quiet but the little things she noticed.

Ty Lee had leaned back, relaxing against Azula, sighing with contentment. She had felt Azula jerk when she woke.

"Yeah, I'm still awake."

[peoplesprincess.livejournal.com]

"All right. Just wondering."

[hotpinkaura.livejournal.com]

"Okay..." She moved her head upwards, nuzzling the hand Azula had put there.

[peoplesprincess.livejournal.com]

"What sorts of things do you dream about?" Azula asked suddenly.

[hotpinkaura.livejournal.com]

"I dream of the circus."

[peoplesprincess.livejournal.com]

"Are you going back when the war is over?" She stroked Ty Lee's hair.

[hotpinkaura.livejournal.com]

"Maybe...I don't know. The universe is giving me mixed signals."

[peoplesprincess.livejournal.com]

"What else are you considering doing?"

OOC: On the show, I think she should have gone back to the circus instead of joining the Kyoshi Warriors. D:

[hotpinkaura.livejournal.com]

"I'm not sure...I dream of the circus but it's...well, not the same thing I remember. The universe could be warning me against going back."

((Well...personally, I took that as Ty's coming out. XD Because Kyoshi Island=Femmeslash Island.))

[peoplesprincess.livejournal.com]

Azula frowned slightly. "But if it's what you want to do, why does it matter what the 'universe' wants?"

OOC: XDD Oh God, I heard it referred to as Femmeslash Island somewhere before, and that's definitely been my name for it ever since. Personally I considered her Azula-worship as her coming out (as bi, though, because she totes loves the boys, too :D).

[hotpinkaura.livejournal.com]

Ty Lee bent her head and looked at Azula. "If the universe doesn't want me to go, then something bad will happen. Karma."

((I think you heard that from me, on Capslock ATLA. Well, it certainly was a semi-coming out. But that scene with the Kyoshi Warriors was so obviously a coming out scene. (I think she's bi but would prefer a relationship with a woman.)

[peoplesprincess.livejournal.com]

"Hmmm." Azula was skeptical. "And you can't do something bad back? " She didn't really believe in all of Ty Lee's mystical ideology, but doing what she wanted and forcing her will on others was what Azula knew best- so naturally, it was the first solution to Ty Lee's "problem" that came to mind

OOC: XD Probably; I hang out on Caps_ATLA a lot. (I... can actually see that. I can also semi-seriously see her dating an effeminate guy. And suddenly, Ty Lee/Zuko makes a horrifying amount of sense.) I think Ty Lee will always be in open relationships, though. Anything else she might find too stifling. D:

[hotpinkaura.livejournal.com]

"Right, basically." She shrugged.

((...Ty Lee and an effeminate guy does make sense. Hm...Zuko? I'd say Ozai is way more effeminate than him. She's very much an open relationship person, so while I don't agree with the "Azula who?" moment, the Kyoshi Warrior ending was satisfying to me. It's obvious that she's having relations with a few of them at the same time.))

[peoplesprincess.livejournal.com]

"Well, have you tried?"

OOC: ... Tyzai? OHCRAP DO NOT PUT THAT IMAGE IN MY HEAD. DDDD: And I have my theories about why she seemed to "forget" about Azula. ;)

[hotpinkaura.livejournal.com]

"Well...yeah."

((...considering the other possible Ozai ships I've seen, Tyzai is pretty tame. Oh yeah...she's rebounding. In a familal way!))