War of Change | Book 3

16: Romance or Tragedy

Azula rolled her eyes. "You'll love it. Get washed up first though, you smell."

"Am I not allowed to sweat after a workout now, too?" Kida yelled over her shoulder as she followed the servants from the training yard. Azula's laughter trailed after, and Kida rolled her eyes.

After a quick, extremely monitored bath, Kida was dressed back into her casual robes and sent to see Azula's surprise. It was waiting for her in one of the sitting rooms.

Much to her astonishment, the minute she walked in, she was free of guards, probably because her 'surprise' could defend herself easily without help.

It didn't take long for Kida to realize she did not, in fact, like her surprise. What did Azula expect for her and her ex's ex to be best friends?

The two girls were silent as they stared at each other. Kida had forgotten how to even move. She wasn't sure what to say or do in a situation like this. Quite honestly, since the moment she learned about Mai, she had been betting on never having the chance to meet her.

Kida had never been the jealous type. She couldn't be with Bane, although maybe that was a clue that her feelings weren't as strong as she thought they were. She never bothered getting upset about girls flirting with him – she was more upset when her father chose Bane to do stuff instead of her. Being jealous of girls seemed like a waste of energy when there were plenty of other things to be upset about. However, seeing Mai set off a new kind of flame in her chest that she'd never felt before.

Mai was the first to move, slinking off the chair she had been sitting on. Even this simple action seemed to be laced with elegance as her body moved smoothly and the cloth of her robes fell delicately back into place. "You're Kida," she stated in her low, silky voice.

"I prefer Aoshi here," she corrected.

Mai nodded. "Azula told me about that. Aoshi, the Fire Lord's ward, it must be an honor."

Kida – or rather Aoshi – snorted, looking away. She searched for anything else to look at other than Mai's perfect porcelain face. The best she could find was the tassels of a pillow on the sofa she stood beside. She fussed with material as she muttered, "It feels more like chains to me."

"As long as you're the Fire Lord's ward, though, you can't be with Zuko, can you?"

Aoshi's head snapped up. "Why would I want to be?"

She scoffed. "You can't actually be mad at him still for what happened in Ba Sing Se," she urged. The Fire Nation noble fell silent as she studied the waterbender's features. There was pain there, but anger still bubbled and dominated her expression.

Her narrow eyes eventually widened as Mai processed the hardness on Aoshi's face. "Even after everything that's happened? After he's gone to join the Avatar?" Her voice got lower and more venomous as her judgments festered. "After you've made the deal you've made? You're a hypocrite if you do!"