#the plot- presumably following their adjusting to life in the capital

[kariachi]

A quick original piece inspired by a dream I had last night.

~~

The capital was even more annoying than they had expected. Oh they had known about the differences in fashion, the lack of green space, the different food, they had even been warned and prepared for the rampant dueling. Yet somehow, the people managed to be obnoxious enough to make up for it.

“Is this a trend,” he asked as he dodged a blow. “Are we expected to duel people for no actual reason? Should we be making shit up ourselves?” His current was the second duel in his family since he and his elder brother had been sent to the Capital. Just a week or so prior his brother been challenged by another young man who’d claimed he’d been spying on him, with no evidence nor warning. The other man had never given his true motive, but the consensus seemed to be that it was tied to his courting a young lady his brother had made friends with. Without his having made any declaration to court himself, he couldn’t duel him over her directly, but apparently found him enough of a threat to try to send a message anyway.

Joke on him, he’d been squarely beaten and if anything the whole drama had only brought the pair closer together.

“You’re courting my sister,” came the answer like it was obvious. It was very much not.

“First off-” Another dodge. This guy had learned from the other one and kept moving out of distance between each attempt, lest he pull the same ‘wait and strike’ maneuver as his brother. Which had been his plan, so good on him. “-I’m not courting anybody. Secondly, she isn’t my type. Thirdly, I thought you were supposed to duel over women you were courting, not any woman you know.”

“A young lady’s first suitor duels a male relative, to ensure his heart’s in it.” Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, he dove in for an attack that was deftly parried.

“Of fucking course.” Thank the gods he had no sisters, this whole mess was already aggravating enough. “Again, not courting anybody.”

“That’s not what she says.”

“Then she can eat it for all I care, I’m not interested!” Breathing heavily, the older man stood down, eyeing him for any sign of trick. He stared him down, sheathing his sword like a challenge.

“What,” the man said, “the fuck am I dueling you for then?” Like he was supposed to know. Really- ‘Go to the Capital, make connections, get married.’ Fuck his mother and fuck the bloodline, he wanted to go home.

“Ask your fucking sister.”

[razieltwelve]

Meeting Miss Sato (AtLA x LoK)

This is set in the same AU as Royalty and the Avatar.

X    X     X

“Good evening, Miss Sato.”

Asami yawned, sat up, and then realised that someone was standing next to her bed. She did the first thing that came to mind: she threw her pillow at their face and tried to kick them in the stomach. What was her security doing? It should be impossible for someone to get all the way to her bedroom without her being notified.

Her opponent ducked under the pillow and twisted away from her kick. Asami rolled out of bed and sprang forward. It was difficult to make out her opponent’s features in the gloom, but she could always knock them unconscious now and ask questions later. Her first punch was parried, and her followup kick hit nothing but air. Whoever they were, they were damn fast, and they knew what they were doing. She upped her speed, feinting high and then driving one fist toward her enemy’s solar plexus followed by a kick aimed at their legs. Her fist was batted aside, and although her kick connected, her opponent barely seemed to notice the blow.

She was about to launch another attack when the shadowy figure gestured. The room was suddenly bathed in blue light as azure flames lit up the scented candles beside her bed. Asami stopped midway through her attack. She might still have been shaking off some of her sleepiness, but she wasn’t stupid. There was only one person in the world with blue fire.

“Your Highness.” Asami stepped back and inclined her head. “I...”

“There is no need for you to apologise.” Princess Azula smiled. “Indeed, I’m pleased you showed such initiative when startled. Had I been any ordinary opponent, you would likely have knocked me unconscious within moments.”

“I... see.” Asami finally had the time to take a better look at her surroundings as her eyes adjusted to the light and her adrenaline faded. Presumably, the princess wasn’t here to assassinate her. Setting aside how unlikely it was that the royal would handle such issue herself, she would surely have used her fire by now if she was serious about killing her. Asami was good - she’d trained hard for years to ensure that - but she had no illusions as to how she would fare against the princess in combat. There was a reason soldiers from the Earth Kingdom often surrender the moment the princess took the field.

Belatedly, she realised that the princess wasn’t alone. There was a smiling girl dressed in pink standing by the door while... wait... Asami blinked owlishly... was that the Avatar next to the window? Yes. It had to be. She’d seen the Avatar once, years ago, during a trip with her father before everything had gone wrong. She had an excellent memory, and she rarely forgot a face. There was no mistaking it. The Avatar was standing right there... and she was covering her face with her hands and looking absolutely mortified.

“Azula,” Avatar Korra said. “Why do you have to make everything weird? We could have sent her a note or something. Instead, we snuck into her bedroom, and then you got into a fight with her. What if she’d punched you in the face?”

“Then I would have congratulated her for her skills,” the princess replied. “And she fought quite ably. Had I spent less effort conditioning my legs, that leg kick would likely have hobbled me.”

“Wait... shouldn’t you two be trying to kill each other?” Asami asked. “Because unless I’m mistaken, the Fire Nation and the Avatar are the enemies, right?” She felt a headache coming on. “What’s going on?”

The princess pulled a chair over to sit on and gestured for Asami to sit on the edge of her bed. The blue candle flames flared briefly and then began to burn white. Asami’s eyes widened. She hadn’t known the princess could do that. “The enmity between the Fire Nation and the Avatar is largely a product of the present management of the Fire Nation. If things go the way I want, there will soon be new management. Me.”

Asami stared. “You’re talking about overthrowing your father. That’s treason.”

“Treason? That’s interesting coming from a woman whose father was involved in a plot to wipe out all benders.”

Asami flinched. Her father’s decision to throw his lot in with the Equalists had very nearly cost them everything. Only the reliance the Fire Nation had on their company had convinced the Fire Lord to spare her, but he’d still made an example of her father. She shivered. There were still nights when she heard him screaming. He’d burned, but he hadn’t burned quickly.

“Don’t talk about my father,” Asami growled.

Azule met her gaze evenly, and a small smile crossed her lips. “And that is one of the reasons I decided to seek you out, Miss Sato. You’re not a coward. You are also your father’s daughter, every bit the genius he was, but a great deal more sensible when it comes to politics.”

“I don’t have a problem with benders in general,” Asami replied. “Only those who abuse their power over others.”

“As well you should. What my father did to yours was monstrous. Treason against the crown is punishable by death, but publicly burning someone to death as slowly as possible is mere savagery. If you’re going to execute someone, just kill them and be done with it.”

“Azula,” Korra said with a long suffering sigh. “I know you’re at least partially psychotic, but could you at least pretend to act sympathetic? We want her to help us.”

“I think Azula is charming,” the woman in pink said.

“Thank you, Ty Lee.” Azula raised one eyebrow at the Avatar. “It’s nice to know that someone appreciates me for something other than mind-blowing sex.”

Asami’s jaw dropped as the Avatar blushed so hard it looked like she might pass out. 

“Can you not do that now?” Korra hissed.

“Wait... what?” Asami was beginning to wonder if she was in the middle of a cactus juice inspired hallucination. “Can someone please explain what’s going on?”

“In simple terms,” Azula began. “The Avatar and I have come to an understanding. That understanding just so happens to involve fantastic sex in addition to a plan to save the world. We want you to get involved.”

“Do you mean with saving the world or with the sex?” Ty Lee asked. “Because we’ll need to get a bigger bed if it’s the latter.”

Azula gave Asami a frankly admiring look, and Asami belatedly realised that she was still in her nightgown. “We’ll have to see, but right now we’re here about the saving the world part.”

“...” Asami got up, pulled on a robe, and then sat back down on the edge of her bed. “Explain.”

“My father is a fool. Sozin’s comet is coming, and he plans to burn the entire Earth Kingdom to the ground.”

“That is -”

“The most monumentally stupid thing you’ve ever heard? Yes, it is. There simply aren't enough fire benders or enough time to get anywhere close. Still, his plan is simply a symptom of the disease. My father has lost all sense of perspective. The longer this war drags on, the more ruinous it will be when the Fire Nation eventually loses it. And we will lose it. We can’t fight the entire world and win, no matter what my father and his cronies think. I intend to seize control, so I can bring an end to the conflict - an end that will allow us to keep as many of our gains as possible while negotiating from a position of strength.”

“Do you plan to challenge your father to Agni Kai?”

“Of course. I’d hardly win any support by murdering him in a back alley. I need people to see that I am the better leader. My father has spent much of his life hatching mad schemes from the capital. He is powerful, yes, but his bending has not been honed in the crucible of war like mine has. I have no doubt the battle will require considerable effort on my part, but I will defeat him. The hard part will come after. A Fire Lord cannot rule alone. They need the support of the nobles, the merchants, and many others besides.”

“And that’s where I come in?”

“Indeed, Miss Sato. Despite your father’s follies, your company is one of the most important in the Fire Nation, and you are an exceedingly wealthy woman. You would make a potent ally, and you could look forward to far better treatment under my rule. Naturally, I could arrange for my father to have an unfortunate accident after I have defeated him.”

“An accident?” Asami scoffed. “You’re willing to kill your own father to get me on your side?”

“Make no mistake, Miss Sato. I am a patriot. Everything I do is for the Fire Nation. My father is a fool who has brought us to the verge of ruin. One way or another, he is going to die. I simply cannot leave him alive to rally dissenters. I can, however, allow you to do the deed, so to speak.”

“Azula,” Korra said. “I thought we talked about this. Vengeance doesn’t solve anything.”

”Is that you or the previous Avatars talking? I seem to recalling you being quite pleased to watch General Zhao drown after he wounded your mother and almost killed your father. The wave that dragged him under wasn’t a normal one either.”

Korra’s eye twitched. “You’re insufferable. You know that, right?”

“I’m insufferable because you know I’m right.” Azula glanced at Ty Lee. “Refresh my memory, Ty Lee. How did Korra react when she drowned General Zhao?”

“She was cackling pretty loudly,” Ty Lee said. “And her Aura was a wonderful blend of pink and red. She said some pretty nasty things to him too.”

“You watched her murder General Zhao?” Asami asked.

“Part of General Zhao’s brilliant plan involved killing the spirit of the moon. I don’t think I need to explain why that would be pure lunacy - pun completely intended. If General Zhao just so happened to pay for his idiocy with his life, well, the world is a far better place for it.” Azula’s lips curled into a smile that was equal parts cruel and amused. “And he was one of my most vocal political opponents. His demise was so convenient.”

Asami rubbed her temple. “So you want me to politically support you after you overthrow and murder your father?”

“Correct.”

“And then you’ll end the war?”

“Correct.”

“And the Avatar, of all people, is helping you with this scheme?”

“Also correct.”

“And you and the Avatar are a thing?”

“Again, correct, and don’t forget Ty Lee.”

“...” Asami took a deep, deep breath. “What sort of support do you already have?”

“I have good support amongst the nobility. Many of them can see the writing  on the wall. They know we can’t keep fighting this war, and they'll be glad to have a way out of it that allows us to save face and keep some of our gains. I’ve also managed to cultivate support amongst the military. I am, of course, the Fire Nation’s foremost field commander, and I have countless victories and achievements to my name. As for the merchant class, well, I do have some support there, but that is what you can help me with.”

“Even if I support you, there’s no guarantee that others will follow.”

“Miss Sato, my father executed your father. For you to support me, you must either be insane or be privy to information that suggests my victory is a foregone conclusion and that the best course of action is to join my faction - at least, that’s how it will look to the other merchants. And if there is one thing that most merchants can be relied on to do, it is to look after themselves. I am not my father, but they don’t know that. Fear will pull them into line long enough for me to demonstrate that I am the leader they have been waiting for.”

“You’re not very modest, are you?” Asami drawled.

“No, I am not. But why should I be? I’m not a monk. I am a princess, and my pride is well founded. Merely look at what I’ve already accomplished in my life.” Azula leaned forward. “Now, we can discuss the details further, but before we do, I need to know. Are you with us?”

“And if I’m not?”

“Ty Lee here is probably the most adept chi-blocker in the world. There are ways to cause short-term memory loss. You would wake up tomorrow with a headache thinking you must have worked too late again.”

“You wouldn’t kill me?” Asami asked incredulously.

“Of course not. I abhor waste, and killing you would be such a waste. You are intelligent and driven, and you are living proof of the meritocracy that I wish to implement.”

“A meritocracy?”

“Why not? Why should someone’s birth alone determine their ability to rise in society? I have known countless nobles who have done nothing at all with their wealth and power. They survive solely due to the deeds of their ancestors. They are, in every way, the lesser children of greater sires. I have also seen incompetent nobles lead thousands of men to their deaths because they were given command due to their name instead of their competence.”

“This sounds odd coming from a princess.”

“Perhaps it does. It is true that the title of Fire Lord passes through my family, yet I believe it should only go to the worthiest members of my family, the ones who have proven they have the ability to rule well. I have that ability, and when the day finally comes when I must hand over the title to a successor, I will ensure that whoever I give it to is worthy of it.” Azula smiled. “The Fire Nation is the greatest country in the world. I believe that with every fibre of my being. Yet to reach even greater heights, we must be willing to adapt and change. It will take time to implement the reforms I want, but I dream of a Fire Nation where the nobility must earn their privileges and where those of sufficient ability and talent might rise to become nobles themselves.”

“An interesting dream,” Asami murmured. She weighed her options. The princess would never have approached her if she wasn’t already confident of her chances. And if the princess did succeed, it would be far better to be on her side than against her. “Very well. I’ll join you.”

The princess extended one hand. “You won’t regret this, Miss Sato.”

“I should hope not, Your Highness,” Asami replied as they shook hands.

Ty Lee smiled at Korra. “See? I told you they’d get along.”

Korra sighed. “I still think we could have handled this without sneaking into her bedroom.” She paused. “And now we’re going to have to sneak out as well, right?”

“Naturally.” Azula stood. “Miss Sato. We will contact you when I am ready to make my move. Be ready. And do get better security. Your current bunch are awful.”

“I just wish Mai could be here,” Ty Lee said. “She loves sneaking around.”

“I would like to have Mai here as well, Ty Lee, but someone has to keep my brother from getting himself killed. I’ve already sent her a message telling her to meet us in the capital in a week. That should give her enough time to convince Zuzu not to do anything foolish.” Azula nodded at Asami and walked toward the window. “Until we meet again.”

X    X     X

Author's Notes

Azula’s scheming continues. As you can see, the timeline here is a mishmash of The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra. We’re getting closer to the pointy end now too. It won’t be long before Azula is ready to make her move. Will her schemes go as smoothly as she hopes, or will she find herself fighting a far bloodier battle than she’d like. Oh well, if she has to step over a few corpses to claim the throne, she’ll do that.

If you’re interested in my thoughts on writing and other topics, you can find those here.

I also write original fiction, which you can find on Amazon here. I’ve recently released two stories, Attempted Adventuring and Surviving Quarantine, as well as two audiobooks, Two Necromancers, a Bureaucrat, and an Army of Golems and Two Necromancers, a Dragon, and a Vampire. If you like humour, action, and adventure, be sure to check them out.

[companaich]

RP Wishlist!

I’ve got a plot or idea I’ve been wanting to use for each character on this gd blog under the cut, take a look and lemme know if you’re interested in any! I tried to keep it mostly ship agnostic, but, you know.

Sometimes it be like that

Catria -- Heroes. Feeling undeserving of the attention she receives from some of the other pegasus knights that grew up on stories of her and her sisters, Catria tries to escape for a quiet moment alone. Unfortunately, she gets cornered and starts venting about what she’s heard of her reputation.

Clair -- Canon. Finally coming to terms with her crush on Alm being one-sided, Clair sank to the level of the ‘commoners’ and joined in the soldiers drinking one night to try and deal with her emotions. She wakes up with a blinding headache and a sinking feeling that something had gone horribly wrong. At least she still has all her clothes.

Erinys -- Heroes. Erinys finds out about her untimely death, and isn’t able to come to terms with it - or the fact that she’s already starting to feel some of the symptoms that would lead to it. (TW: Cancer mentions)

Aida -- Canon. While leading Sigurd and his army back to Barhara and into an ambush, Aida reluctantly finds herself drawn into conversation with some of the members of the army when hey mention their children.

Ced -- Canon. After barely managing to defeat Ishtar during the events of Chapter 8, Ced starts throwing himself into his training even more than before as his inadequacy complex starts to play up.

Ishtar -- Survives/Seliph AU, Heroes. Ishtar is left in Askr trying to come to terms with the fact that she committed suicide by army in most other timelines, and wonders if she’s a bad person for choosing to live. 

Nanna -- Canon/Heroes. Nanna’s confidence is slowly returning to her following the events of Thracia 776, and shades of her mother are starting to shine through again. People who used to know Lachesis start commenting on that.

Swanhild -- Heroes. Swanhild’s recklessness leads her to sustaining a grave injury in battle. She goes to thank the hero that saved her in that fight, as well as apologize for the endless screaming her mother had subjected them to when she found out what had happened.

Igrene -- Heroes/FE7. Caught off guard by meeting the people her father had only mentioned to her in stories, Igrene is unable to resist comparing them to the children she’d meet later on.

Fiora -- Canon. Fiora is trying to write home to the families of her fallen subordinates, but isn’t sure what to say. She ends up speaking to her current comrades to try and figure out how to approach such a delicate topic.

Selena Fluorspar -- Canon, pre-game. As one of the four generals of Grado, Selena accompanies Prince Lyon on one of his diplomatic visits to meet with the Twins. While there, she speaks with another member of the Knights of Renais, and compares her own country’s struggles to their idyllic nature. 

Tana -- Canon/Ephraim Ship. With her wedding to Ephraim on the horizon, Tana vanishes abruptly for a few days, to be found helping hands-on with the reconstruction work on the border. In a fit of tears she talks about how she feels weak and insignificant compared to what everyone else has done, and tries to voice her distaste for the end result of the war.

Mia -- Heroes. Confronted with people on her level or even above it, Mia temporarily questions if the sword is even worth pursuing anymore. She immediately shakes this off and drags the first person she sees into training with her, whether they use a blade or not be damned.

Sanaki -- Canon, RD. Having just unveiled her gambit to the Senate and started the process of shutting down their influence, Sanaki is found burnt out and exhausted in the camp, muttering about how much she still has left to do. Having somehow given Sigrun and Tanith the slip, it’s a rare moment of her being in public, unescorted, and with her shields down.

Tanith -- Sephiran/Tanith ship, POR. Tanith’s secret relationship with the Prime Minister stops being so secret when he gets General Zelgius to deliver her a love letter along with the reinforcements. And several dozen roses. And a song that she just barely stops him from performing. Caught off guard and embarrassed, Tanith tries to mumble her way through an excuse about it to the first person who questions her on it.

Mist -- Heroes. Mist is fed up with being designated as just a healer, and heads to the training grounds with sword in hand to prove that she really is her brother’s sister.

Titania -- Canon, between games. Titania takes a personal week off from the mercenaries and heads to the capital, meeting old friends on her way there. She catches up on what’s been happening in their lives, before sourly letting her dissatisfaction with the current state of the world known.

Annath -- Heroes. With her father not present and her mother apparently only having a wedding dress on her person, Annath has a hard time taking Askr seriously. Trying to explain who she is to the other heroes from Tellius becomes particularly embarrassing for her

Cynthia, Morgan & Haley -- Post-FE13. With Robin still missing and presumed dead, Cynthia tries to pick up the ruins of her personal life and move forwards. She ropes some of her friends and their family in to help her and her daughters collect and sort Robin’s personal effects, aiming to move out of Ylisstol now that “Mini Cynthia” has been born.

Tiki -- Heroes. Tiki tries not to seem too embarrassed by the antics that her younger self gets up to around people she’s grown to call her friends. She isn’t overly successful. 

Tharja -- Canon. Embittered by the reaction she receives as a Plegian living in Ylisstol, Tharja has to be talked down from enacting bitter, if somewhat tame, hex-based vengeance upon the stuffy Ylissean court.

Chrom!Severa -- Fates/Heroes. For someone as proud of her heritage as Severa is, keeping her mouth shut about her exalt blood proves a difficult task. A slip of her sharp tongue proves too complex to pull back, and she’s forced to explain herself.

Edelgard -- Black Eagles, Part One. Edelgard believes that the person who overheard her nightmares this time was simply her teacher again, and moves to open the doors to her room to continue their discussion. Finding one of her classmates was listening proves harder to explain.

Marianne -- Black Eagles or Golden Deer, Part Two (Post Paralogue). With her newfound confidence in her identity, Marianne returns to the chapel to pray for the first time in a while. Unfortunately, her newfound confidence isn’t quite enough to seal away all her self-doubt, but she at least feels open enough now to speak with it to her former classmates.

Ladislava -- Black Eagles, Post-Game. Surviving her near-death with a shattered back, Ladislava is forced out of military service due to injuries too severe for even magic to heal. She tries to adjust to normal noble life, but a meeting with former members of the Strike Force shows how poorly she’s managing to accomplish that goal.