honey [azula]

the blue spirit

.·:*¨ ¨*:·.

you could come with me

❉ ╤╤╤╤ ✿ ╤╤╤╤ ❉

AFTER the storm, Airi slept like a badger-mole. When she went out on the deck after she had woken up, she was significantly less upset at Zuko for getting them into the storm in the first place, and more proud that he had decided to lead the ship to safety rather than further endanger the crew by going after Aang. 

Her good mood turned sour almost instantly. The sight of a much larger fire nation vessel pulling up beside their ship made her frown as she approached Iroh, who was sitting at the pai sho table challenging some crewmembers to a game, and Zuko. 

"What do they want?" Zuko asked, voicing Airi's own curiosity.

"Perhaps a sporting game of Pai Sho," Iroh replied, ever the optimist. Airi smiled slightly. 

"I hope that's it," she sighed, eyeing the two men who were boarding their ship. 

One of the two men stared Zuko down for a moment before he spoke. "The hunt for the Avatar has been given prime importance. All information regarding the Avatar must be reported directly to Admiral Zhao."

Airi had to fight back an eye roll. Not only was Zhao getting on her nerves an inordinate amount every time he was brought up, but she could almost hear exactly what Zuko was going to say before he said it. 

"Zhao has been promoted? Well, good for him!" Iroh said cheerfully, making a move in the game. His opponent sank his head into his hands in defeat. 

"I've got nothing to report to Admiral Zhao. Now get off my ship and let us pass," Zuko growled, not looking the man in the eye. Airi eyed the interaction carefully, making sure neither of the men would end up as a pile of ash if the conversation kept going. 

"Admiral Zhao is not allowing ships in or out of this area," the soldier retorted. Airi sighed, waiting for the outburst that she knew would follow. 

"Off my ship!" Zuko demanded. Airi pursed her lips.

"Excellent! I win the pot," Iroh said, cutting through the tension easily as he won his game of Pai Sho. "But you're all improving! I'm certain you will win if we play again." Airi chuckled under her breath at that- the only person who had beaten Iroh at Pai Sho was Airi, and it was a complete stroke of luck. 

Apparently, that was too much, and Zuko stormed off. Airi sighed as she watched him go. She felt immensely for him and the circumstances of his anger, even though it irritated her to the point of wanting to send his face straight into the deck. She turned to Iroh.

"What do you think he will do?" she asked, at the very least curious to know what Iroh would think, even if he didn't know.

"What he must," Iroh said simply, starting the next game of Pai Sho. 

Airi sighed, knowing that she shouldn't have expected anything else. She offered Iroh a smile as her mind was already following her feet and wandering away. She found herself training before long, practicing with her knives rather than her firebending again. 

It had taken her almost three years to realize it, but she hated her firebending because it was a reminder of all in her life that she had lost. Before she had joined Zuko, the only time she had really used her firebending was with Azula. It was a reminder of what had been taken away from her. It was a reminder of her father, a since-retired soldier in the Fire Nation Army. To him, fire had always been a weapon, and he often didn't discriminate against who he used it on. Airi never told anyone, but she still had the scars.