Child's Play ➳ Azula

ideas.

As Azula walked back to the turtle-duck pond she couldn't help but stop before she got outside. Her father was going to kill them all. Her father was going to kill her daughter. She tried doing one of the breathing exercises she had to do whenever she felt an episode coming upon her, she couldn't slip again, she wouldn't have it. She wouldn't let herself get to that point again. Once Azula calmed down to the point where she felt she could at least see her daughter, she walked outside to see Ursa and Suzume still feeding the turtle-ducks. Suzume was so easily amused, if it had not been for the fact that the child was identical to her, Azula might've thought that the nurse had given her the wrong child, which was also impossible.

Ursa turned around as she saw somebody walking towards her and gave her second-born a small smile, "How did the meeting with Zuko go?" Ursa asked, still keeping a hand on the small tot as she watched her daughter walk towards the two of them.

"It wasn't a meeting with just Zuko. Everybody I didn't want to see was there," She coldly replied, Azula knew that Suzume was in her own world and wouldn't retain any of the conversation, "Ozai has escaped from prison with treacherous plans to get rid of me and somebody else," Azula was careful with her words. If Azula even mentioned her daughter's name, then Suzume would be wondering what the two women were conversing about. Ursa's eyes went wide in fear at the news of her ex-husband escaping prison. When she saw him in prison, he said that she would beg for oblivion by the time that he was done with her. Unless he had forgotten about that and only had getting rid of her daughter and grandchild on mind, his treacherous plans would apply to getting rid of her, Noren, and Kiyi as well.

"When did he escape?" Ursa timidly asked, not sure of what to think of the situation.

"They didn't bother to tell me but I'm guessing he's been gone long enough to be planning on how to exactly get rid of me," Azula sighed as she watched the small child sat beside her mother continue to throw crumbs to the turtle-ducks, they didn't seem near as interested about the bread as they once had been.

"Suzume, why don't we go wash up and get ready for dinner later on," Ursa mentioned as she looked back to see the creatures swimming away from the small child. She lifted the child up and moved pieces of hair out of her face, Suzume flinched from Ursa's touch and that left both of the adults confused.

"Your hands are too cold, Grandmother!" Suzume cried as she held her hands out for Azula. Azula immediately grabbed her child from her mother and began to sooth the toddler who was now sucking her thumb to comfort herself as well.

Ursa remembered when she had first come back to the palace, Kiyi had been the same way, she wouldn't go near her because her hands were too cold. Now with news of Ozai escaping fresh on her mind, she was once again afraid for not only herself but for her family as well.

Azula rubbed circles on the child's back and had shushed her a few times, hoping that would work to console the child. Since Suzume was weaker than Azula had been, she cried for hours on end about the simplest of things. Azula couldn't help but let a few eye rolls slip from herself. In Azula's peripheral vision she noticed that her mother kept watching her as she held her child close to her, soothing the child until she was asleep.

"You're a good mother, Azula. I'm proud of you," Azula gave her mother a dull look.

"I'm only raising her the opposite of how I was raised. It's really not that hard," Azula snapped at her mother. Ursa sighed, she thought she was finally getting somewhere with her daughter. If Ursa would've complimented Azula before Azula found out her father was planning on killing everybody, she might've accepted the compliment. Azula was out of patience, angry, and felt one of her episodes nearing. She hadn't of had an episode for some time over a year, she had seen visions last month, but not an episode like she felt coming upon her. Tonight would not be a good night for Azula.