Azula's Recovery - Avatar: TLA

8.1 - Azula

A few days later, Azula found herself waiting with Suki outside in the Palace courtyard. They were going dress shopping with Katara, Toph, Sokka and Aang. They had arrived yesterday on Appa, and had taken the day to rest up before coming shopping with her and Suki today.

It had been strange seeing them again, months after she'd first arrived back at the palace. She'd hunted these people to the ends of the earth, desperately hoping to kill the Avatar...to get rid of Zuko...to please her father...to prove her mother wrong. It felt so strange thinking about it now, she felt completely ashamed of all her motivations. Kaya's really done a number on me...

Azula had been there to greet them last night, but she'd mostly just stood to the side awkwardly. The Avatar had been the first one to greet her, bowing respectfully and asking her how she was. She'd completely blanked at his words – she'd tried to kill him, and tried to rub salt in the wound. How could he find it in him to be so kind to her?

She'd eventually been able to tell him that she was fine, and he'd beamed at her, before Katara joined them. Azula had always been wary of Katara; she'd been skilled and creative in battle, and Azula knew that waterbenders tended to have an advantage over firebenders. Either way, the two girls had eyed each other off carefully, before they both bowed curtly. Katara was clearly not ready to forgive Azula for her past actions, and Azula wasn't exactly ready to make nice with the waterbender that had humiliated her after her Agni Kai.

Sokka eventually got to her too, with Toph, the earthbender. He had instantly recognised the tension between Katara and Azula, and had joked about everyone getting along. Katara had huffed indignantly and splashed water on his face, causing Azula to snort in an incredibly un-princess-like fashion.

Unfortunately, Katara had not been impressed, and she'd instantly rounded on Azula yelling, "You think this is funny? Don't you ever laugh at my brother–" She was cut off by Aang who gave her a stern look, and the two headed inside with their arms around each other.

Azula didn't even get a second to process that whole mess before Toph stood in front of her, almost as tall as Azula now, saying, "Hey there 400-foot-tall purple platypus bear with pink horns and silver wings. You forgot that I don't know what any of those colours are."

It had taken Azula a moment to remember that she'd said that to her on the day of the Black Sun, to keep them from getting to her father. Toph had only chuckled and walked off with Sokka and Suki.

"Give them a little time, they'll come around," Zuko said beside her, offering a sheepish smile.

Azula had only sighed before they too trudged back into the palace.

***

Today, Azula was still nervous, but Suki had assured her a number of times that everything would be fine. This was Azula's chance to show them how much she'd changed, how she wasn't that horrible, hurting girl that had hunted them down anymore. Yeah...no biggie.

The four of them appeared at the top of the palace stairs and laughed as they walked down to where Suki and Azula waited.

Sokka greeted Suki with a hug and a kiss, while Katara rolled her eyes and Toph scrunched up her face. The two lovebirds pulled away and they all jumped into the carriage and headed off to one of the clothing stores in the capital.

Azula sat next to the window and just watched as the streets went by, not really bothering to join in on their debate about whether meat was, as Sokka said, the only food necessary.

Despite herself, Azula was excited. She'd never really been able to go shopping, the closest she'd gotten was receiving new clothes and getting to pick what she wanted to wear. But this was different. She wasn't even sure what was in fashion these days and she didn't want to embarrass herself, or Zuko, for that matter. Mai and Ty Lee had always known about these things, if only they were here to help her now...