ATLA: Azlua

Ambassador Part One

Ty Lee took a deep breath, the warmth leaving her body as her breath turned to mist in the cold air. A wide smile stretched from ear to ear as she leaned over the airship railing, admiring the beautiful yet desolate landscape of ice and ocean. Jagged ice formations adorned with blankets of snow contrasted with the deep blue ocean crashing against each other. She closed her eyes momentarily, trying to soak in the scenery, but her peace was interrupted by the grinding and groaning of the airship as it battled against the cold.

"I've always wanted to come here, to travel...maybe one day I can. What do you think? Do you think Azula would come along?" Ty Lee's expression turned bitter, already knowing the answer.

"I think that is quite the fantasy. But she's the Fire Lord. She can do whatever she wants," a feminine voice responded.

Ty Lee blinked in surprise before turning to one of her guards, an imperial guard with standard armor but with gold engravings carved across her gauntlets, which caught Ty Lee's attention.

"Oh! One of you actually talked. Here I thought I would be talking to the air as usual. Well, step forward, let's talk," Ty Lee said excitedly.

The guard stepped forward with discipline, her practiced gait evident in each step.

"So, what's your name, soldier? Also, take off the helm; it's distracting," Ty Lee requested.

The guard shifted uneasily. "Apologies, my lady, but doing so would not be appropriate. Our orders were–" Ty Lee cut her off. "Your orders were to follow me and obey. So here's your order: take off your helmet," Ty Lee said slowly with a mischievous smile.

The guard relented and removed her helm. Ty Lee's eyes sparkled to life. "You're so pretty! See, I knew the helmet was in the way," Ty Lee said, nodding in approval at the guard's tanned skin and short hair, which only came down to her jawline, accentuating a scar that stretched across her face, making her appear older than she probably was.

"You're quite kind, my lady, to say so," the guard said, shifting uncomfortably.

"Trust me, scars are all the rage these days," Ty Lee laughed, touching her own scar across her eye while sticking out her tongue playfully. "Well, what's your name? Or is that too much as well?"

"It's Zira, my lady," the guard replied, the tension in her shoulders relaxing with Ty Lee's attempt to cut the tension between them.

"Judging by your engravings, you're a master firebender? Impressive. So tell me, what do you think? How would you fare against Azula?" Ty Lee inquired.

Zira immediately tensed, and even the other guard nearby tightened his grip on his spear.

"The Fire Lord is a genius, that–" Zira started, but Ty Lee interrupted her with laughter.

"I'm sorry, that was mean, wasn't it? Of course, you'd say that. I guess it's hard to have a candid conversation about Azula with anyone that's not Mai, huh? Let's change the topic. Do you think the Avatar will actually talk to us, or will he just destroy the ship?" Ty Lee asked, playing with the snow she gathered from the railing.

Zira made an uneasy expression, trying to gather her thoughts from the whip lash of this conversation.

"I don't believe so, my lady," Zira finally responded.

Ty Lee grinned. "Why is that? He killed Ozai, why wouldn't he kill us?"

At the mere mention of his name, Zira and the other guard instinctively looked around for prying ears.

"No need to be so tense. He's nothing but a disgraced Fire Lord who bit off more than he could chew," Ty Lee said venomously, catching Zira off guard. Zira took a small breath before asking, "Did you perhaps not like the former Fire Lord?"