ATLA: Azlua

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Azula awoke to the familiar ceiling of her chamber, a sharp pain coursing through her body. She attempted to move but was met with the discomfort of needles and the realization that her entire form was tightly bandaged. Frustration, not relief at being alive or anger at her attackers, overwhelmed her.

"I lost..."

The weight of defeat hung heavily in her voice, and Azula clutched her chest, tears streaming down her face.

"How did I lose!?"

She grappled with the disbelief that her defeat hadn't come at the hands of the Avatar or master benders but rather non-benders. The very thought was an affront to her pride.

"Of course you lost. Why didn't you deploy your Dai Li or imperial firebenders?" Mai's voice cut through the room, surprising Azula.

"Silence! I am in no mood for you; leave!" Azula snapped, wiping away tears with an embarrassed flush on her ears.

Mai's mocking tone persisted as she grabbed Azula, forcing eye contact. The Fire Lord widened her eyes in shock at Mai's audacity.

"You lost. Get over it. Your pride means nothing if you die." Mai growled, resisting Azula's pushback fueled by fury.

"Be very careful, Mai!" Azula shouted, her anger erupting in a burst.

"For as long as I've known you, you've always underestimated non-benders," Mai calmly asserted, drawing her former master's blade and pointing it at Azula.

Azula halted her advance, the blade pressing against her throat. Narrowing her eyes, she conveyed the internal debate on whether to kill Mai.

"Go on," Azula said, managing to calm her temper.

"When you ordered me to face my old master, you probably assumed an easy victory. But I doubted it. Your arrogance and negligence towards non-benders made you believe that I, the most skilled non-bender you've ever met, would defeat anyone else easily. But all I saw was my death. Normally, victory would be nearly impossible. I survived because I knew him — his movements, thoughts, and even his old age was on my side. I did everything to tip the scales, blinding him, poisoning him, even resorting to a suicide attack. Yet, I still almost died. Now, here you are, underestimating your opponent again because he's a non-bender. If you don't start taking this seriously, your reign won't last long," Mai warned, her words cutting through the charged atmosphere.

Azula's chamber remained steeped in a tense silence as Mai's words lingered in the air. The Fire Lord, normally composed and unyielding, found herself grappling with the reality of her defeat. The pain in her body mirrored the sting of her wounded pride, and she knew she had to confront the consequences of underestimating her adversaries.

After a prolonged moment of contemplation, Azula rose from her bed, the bandages pulling at her as a testament to her recent defeat. She faced Mai, her eyes reflecting a mixture of defiance and a newfound willingness to acknowledge her shortcomings.

Azula took a deep breath, her piercing gaze locked onto Mai's. The room felt heavy with unspoken tension as the Fire Lord grappled with the realization that her own arrogance had led to her downfall.

"Your words have a sliver of truth, Mai," Azula admitted, her tone colder than usual, but lacking the usual venom. "I underestimated them, and it cost me. But weakness is not an option. This will not happen again."

Mai lowered the blade, her expression softening just a fraction. "Good. It's about time you acknowledged the reality beyond bending."

Azula's eyes flickered with a subtle mix of appreciation and irritation. "Don't mistake this for weakness, Mai. I will rebuild, adapt, and overcome. But I won't make the same mistake twice."