Disgraced, Used, and Abused

Luckless

         The Princess sighs as she picks up her wine glass. She glances over her shoulder, observing the man sprawled out across the bed. He is deep in sleep, his mouth agape. She rolls her eyes in disgust, adjusting her dress as she pulls it over her shoulder. She stands up from the edge of the bed, walking over to the table where she picks up the 10 silver pieces. Casually flipping her hair, she steps out of the room and to the bathroom down the hall.
         Azula looks at herself in the mirror. Her makeup is smudged, mascara all over her cheek and lipstick down to her chin. She takes another sip of her wine, gulping the last of it down before placing it on the counter. 10 silver pieces is too little for what she had to deal with that night. But alas, there is nothing she can do. Her brother had placed a staggering bounty of 10 million gold pieces on her head. 10 million gold pieces. Pocket change for a firelord, but too Azula, it would mean everything. She would be able stop this endless cycle of sleeping with married men for a measly 10 silver, 15 if she was lucky. Just enough to pay for her rent, a piece of bread, and a few grams of Ruby Tears.
Azula didn't want to admit it, but she had become heavily addicted to the substance. Ruby tears gave her a sense of purpose, a reason to live. It made her feel happy, something she hadn't felt since her adolescence. She was hooked, that's for sure.
Azula looks at her hair. Her short,thin, and tangled hair. When she was on the run, she had to cut it off. She was afraid that her hair would've given her away. Fire Nation royalty prided themselves on their beautiful long raven locks. When she cut her hair, it felt as though part of her identity had been stripped away. She felt like she lost herself. This situation was only made worse by her excessive desire for Ruby Tears, the substance  makes her look boney and tired. She was only a shattered image of her former self.
The Princess sighs as she gets a tissue and rinses it in water. She wipes off her mascara, then her lipstick. Her lips are swollen and they sting to the touch. The man had bitten her lower lip harshly. Azula repluses at the memory, leaning against the bathroom counter. She sighs and walks out of the room.
        She looks around the man's mansion. His house lies on a hill in the upper ring of Ba Sing Se. Lucky man. She thinks. He has enough money to feed a starving nation. Azula has learned that men like that choose to spend most of their money on selfish pursuits. It takes a selfish man to succeed in a selfish world. She also learned that her father was one of these very men. He succeeded because he was narcissistic and unemotional. He thought of those around him as ponds in his game of chess. She was his knight, jumping over his other ponds to reach the end of the board. But now, what has she to show for it? An empty glass of wine, a swollen lip, and 10 silver pieces.
        She struts to the front door of the large mansion. She takes the steps down onto the streets of the upper ring. Azula breaths in the fresh air, even the air is better in the upper ring. Down in the lower ring, all a person can smell is dirt and sewage, something the Princess despises. But what choice does she have? She has nothing.
        After Zuko locked her up in the Insane Asylum, she knew she had to escape. Mother told her that she should stay put and try her best to recover, but Azula believed her father's idea was more reasonable. He told her to escape and find sanctuary in the lower ring of Ba Sing Se. She did just that. Now she works as a prostitute with the nickname Miki given to her by her mistress. Father disapproves of this idea. He tells her that she's become unsalvageable, that now she's a used up whore with no prospect. I suppose he's right.Azula thinks as she gets into a carriage. She tells the driver to take her to the lower rings. He gives her a nasty look but agrees and starts driving.
        The Princess stares out the carriage window, watching the rich men and women walk around with their fur coats and lacy dresses. She scoffs, she can't believe that someone could spend so much money on such frivolous things. Not when millions of people struggle to keep food on the table. She then wonders what she will eat. She does this often, helps her waste time. She knows that she has no money to spare on choices, but thinking of all the things she wishes she can eat helps her hungry stomach stay subsided for a little longer.