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

[peoplesprincess.livejournal.com]

"Hmmm." Azula shifted slightly, perching her chin on top of Ty Lee's head.

OOC: Yeah... if she came to see her right away, I think Azula would still be all, "Traitor! I hate you! GTFO!" But then conversely, if she waited and came *later*, Azula's reaction may very well be something like, "Well, it's OBVIOUS that you don't care about me because you didn't even come to see if I was okay, but that's fine, because I HATE YOU TOO SO THERE >>>>:( DDDD:". *headdesk* AZULA IS VERY GOOD AT CREATING LOSE-LOSE SITUATIONS. D: But I still think they'd eventually be fine with each other again, because Ty Lee wouldn't take Azula's... Azula-ness to heart, and wouldn't let it bother her. :) Ty Lee = <3.

[hotpinkaura.livejournal.com]

"Yeah." She stayed where she was, leaning against Azula.

[peoplesprincess.livejournal.com]

Azula sighed lightly, then pulled away. "I'm going to lie down."

[hotpinkaura.livejournal.com]

"Alright."

[peoplesprincess.livejournal.com]

Azula lay on her side, facing Ty Lee. Suddenly, she asked, "So, what color is my aura right now?"

She didn't have any particular reason for the question, really- true, she didn't believe in auras and the like, but she wasn't asking just to mock Ty Lee, either. She supposed that she was just tired, slightly bored, and looking around for a sustainable topic of conversation. Why not let Ty Lee babble on about the mysteries of the universe? She would listen.

[hotpinkaura.livejournal.com]

Ty Lee looked at her, tilting her head and laying on her side. Bright yellow, the color of a lemon. Not exactly a good color, if Ty Lee remembered correctly. Struggle to maintain control. With a hint of dark green...jealousy. "Yellow and green," she replied, carefully. The exact shades weren't that good but the general color, as every color of auras, were. Azula wouldn't know that.

[peoplesprincess.livejournal.com]

"Hmmm..." She moved closer when Ty Lee lay down. "And yours?"

[hotpinkaura.livejournal.com]

She looked down at her hands, where it would be easier to see her aura. It wasn't pink, which she wasn't surprised. Pink was a color hard to achieve and keep. Dark blue. Fear of the future. Ty Lee had to change that soon. At least it was a lighter blue than last time she checked. "Blue."

((And I'm actually doing research on aura colors for this. DX))

[peoplesprincess.livejournal.com]

"What do those colors mean?"

OOC: : XD Ahahaha sweet.

[hotpinkaura.livejournal.com]

"Yellow. Intellegence and action. Green. A comfortable color, balance. Blue. Sensitive. Loving." She said it automatically.

[peoplesprincess.livejournal.com]

"Hmmm." That didn't seem so bad.

OOC: Oh Ty Lee, you bullshitter. XD

[hotpinkaura.livejournal.com]

"Yeah."

((That's what the general meaning for those colors, though. XD The shades, however, are the important part. So technically, she's telling Azula what those colors mean but not what the exact shades are and what those mean.))

[peoplesprincess.livejournal.com]

"Ty Lee... after the war is over, and you go back to the circus- or wherever you end up going- you'll still..." Her voice trailed off.

[hotpinkaura.livejournal.com]

"Of course, Azula."

[peoplesprincess.livejournal.com]

"You didn't even know what I was going to say."

[hotpinkaura.livejournal.com]

"Oh...right. Oops."

[peoplesprincess.livejournal.com]

Azula let out a heavy sigh, but didn't elaborate.

[hotpinkaura.livejournal.com]

Ty Lee gave a sheepish grin. "Ehehe. But I'd still come back..."

[peoplesprincess.livejournal.com]

Azula blinked. "You would." It was said as a statement, but meant as more of a question.

[hotpinkaura.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, of course."

[peoplesprincess.livejournal.com]

That had been what she was going to ask. Moving closer, Azula stretched out an arm and rested it on the pillow, along the tops of their heads.

"You do realize that if Mai approaches you with another 'deal', I'm not going to... fall for it again."

[hotpinkaura.livejournal.com]

Ty Lee moved closer.

"I know...I won't let it happen again."

[peoplesprincess.livejournal.com]

Azula nodded, her hair rustling against the pillow. "She says she's going to kill you 'this time'. I can't understand how she expects me to believe her, but there you go." She paused.

"Ty Lee. I wasn't trying to act like a..."

[hotpinkaura.livejournal.com]

Ty Lee nodded with her, and reached a hand to the side Azula's face. "...I know you weren't trying to."

[peoplesprincess.livejournal.com]

She closed her eyes at the touch, starting to reach her own hand up to Ty Lee's, but then dropping it. "You still said-"