On the Road Again

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- Azula, what is this? - As soon as the two girls passed another post with silent guards from the imperial motorcade, they immediately resumed their conversation.

- 'A surprise,' the princess once again replies to her best friend as she climbs the narrow staircase.

- 'You've never done surprises for me before. Well..." Tai Li replies thoughtfully, putting a finger to her lips and walking up the stairs a little behind Azula, "unless you count that surprise the other night. Remember? The moon was so beautiful then, and the wind was so cold, and you were so hot...

- Shut up," the girls went up the stairs, met another guard, turned right and walked down the corridors to the next staircase, "We've already talked about this. What happened then and what happened between us is best kept secret from everyone. I might have a problem if there are unpleasant rumours among the soldiers, and afterwards among the Fire Nation, that tarnish my reputation. As for the surprise, you'll know when we get there.

- I'm curious... - Tai Li said in a pitiful voice, but there was no answer. The girls passed by another duo of guards, having risen to another floor, they continued walking along the long and winding corridors of the pagoda. Only when they had travelled far enough away so that they could not be heard by the ears of others did the circus girl speak again: - Is it edible?

- No.

- Is it something to wear as jewellery? Could it be clothing?

Sighing heavily, Azula replied, -No.

"I let her do too much, but on the other hand I want to keep pampering my Li," the princess reflected, noticing that since they had become lovers, Tai Li felt much freer and more confident when they were alone together. And it would have been worth to besiege the circus girl, but she was well aware of the moments when she could be a lover and when their relationship should look only as a friendly one. Such a secretive state of their relationship completely satisfied Azula. That was why the princess often pampered her girlfriend, allowing her to behave as Tai Li wanted. She herself was pleased by the frequent sight of her lover's sincere smile.

- Is it something you can drink and relax while feeling your mind stupefied? - The soft voice of the pretty acrobat pulls me out of my own thoughts.

- What?" Azula mumbled in surprise, stopping in the middle of the corridor and meeting her gaze, "Tai Li, I don't like where you're going with this. I haven't forgotten how inappropriately you consumed alcohol and I'm still not happy about that fact," Azula spoke in a quiet tone, sieging her mistress.

- I'm sorry, I just thought that now, on your ship, we'd be safe and we could relax a little, alone, so to speak. You've never had alcohol, have you? We could have a few drinks together," the acrobat replied in an apologetically shy voice, tentatively tugging at her long braid.

- Hm? - Azula looked at the girl's shy figure with pleasure, taking time to look at her mistress's confused face and her hesitant gaze, "A drink together? Sounds like fun. I'll think about your proposal, - the princess playfully stretches out, playing with her eyes, but returning her cold look, she continues walking down the corridor, - and now stop guessing, we're almost there.

- Good," a smile immediately blossomed on Tai Li's face and she followed the princess gracefully performing acrobatic somersaults.

The girls went up a couple more floors, straight to Azula's private quarters, which was almost on the top floor of the pagoda of the princess' frigate. Along the way they continued to talk about neutral topics, weather, time, food, and other such things. Until they reached the very last door of the corridor, beyond which was only the princess' bedroom.

- Your quarters? I should have known. What's in there?

- You'll see. He's here, behind the door. Try to keep quiet, my staff of servants' quarters are next door.

- Ooh. How intriguing," Tai Li said, looking at her mistress with anticipation.

The girls looked at each other, Azula taking hold of the doorknob. Pulling on it. The massive metal door began to slowly ajar without making a sound. The princess entered first. Tai Li followed right behind her, immediately starting to inspect the already familiar, exquisite and rich interior of her mistress's imperial chambers. The acrobat's gaze instantly travelled over the cupboard, the table, the carpet and quickly stopped on the ghost hovering in the room.

- Yoar!... - A stranger's hand immediately covered the circus girl's mouth, preventing her from shouting the name of her friend, who was hovering thoughtfully over the other's bed.

- Keep your temper," Azula reminds her in a stern voice, barely managing to close the door for better soundproofing.

- I'm sorry," the circus girl admits her mistake in a quieter tone, "but it's Yoaru, he's back! He's alive! - Easily escaping from the princess's mere grasp, Tai Li runs up to his close acquaintance. - Yoaru?! - On emotion, the acrobat leaps at the ghost with her arms spread wide. The girl wished to bind him in her arms, but her actions only passed through the transparent body, falling straight onto the bed. Nevertheless, quickly assuming a sitting position, Lee continued in the same emotional voice with small tears in her eyes: "Where have you been? Are you all right? When did you come back? We were so worried! We thought you were dead. But you were here? Waiting for us? You.

- Hush... - Yoaru's ghostly hand rested confidently on Tai Li's head, beginning to soothingly stroke and ruffle her hair. The girl froze, but soon relaxed. She trusted him completely and such a gesture quickly began to calm her worried heart, as did the spirit's next words: -I'm here, alive, if you can call it that. I'm okay, I'm fine, I'm fine. About three days ago I found myself here. I decided not to look for you, but to wait at the last point of the journey, at which point you would surely appear.

- Is that so? I'm glad you're all right," the circus girl replied happily, quickly finding both inner peace and her share of happiness from simple actions or even the mere fact of Yoaru's presence.

- It seems that I was lost in my own thoughts, I forgot all about time and missed the moment you arrived," Yoaru voiced his thoughts aloud in a thoughtful voice, glancing at the princess who was watching their interaction with a jealous eye.

- It's not the first time I've noticed such a flaw in you," Azula rudely interjected, climbing onto her bed, causing Tai Li to move away from the ghost.

- It's not a big deal. Will you tell me what happened to you? I sense there's an interesting story hidden here! - The acrobat easily waved away, not taking her gentle gaze off of Yoaru.

- I remind you that Lee's prolonged stay in my quarters is not desirable. I don't want any unnecessary rumours about my unconventional orientation," Azula says, looking directly at Yoaru before shifting her gaze to her friend. - And yes, I told him about you and me," the girl finishes, looking triumphantly at her friend's reaction.

- Huh? Oh," the acrobat was embarrassed, not knowing where to put her confused look, "It's embarrassing. Azula, you can't say that so bluntly! You should have at least prepared me for this topic, I'm embarrassed!

- We don't have time for any embarrassment," Azula sternly put an end to her mistress's outrage, not wanting to waste precious time.

There was an awkward silence between the assembled personalities in the cabin. The princess didn't know what to say next or where to take the topic, she could only frown with conflicting feelings. Tai Li was embarrassed, blushing and unwilling to meet anyone's gaze. What Yoaru was pondering about, neither girl could even guess. However, that didn't stop the spirit from throwing meaningful glances at both of them.

- And-" Azula stretched out with displeasure, "Doesn't anyone have anything to say?

- Why are you looking at me? - Yoaru is surprised by the princess' glance.

- I remember you have repeatedly encouraged us to..." Azula glances at Tai Li, then quickly turns her gaze back to the spirit, "Let's just say that we've had an unconventional relationship. What man doesn't dream of multiple women? There, you've got it, you might say. I think we should discuss this first, everything else can wait.

- It's not bad very bad to have three wives, but it's very bad on the other side," Yoaru suddenly sang out, surprising the girls. - Huh. Don't mind me, it just reminded me of a song. And so we are gathered here to decide how to be and what to do next. Who has any suggestions? How are we going to live our lives? - The spirit suddenly became serious, examining each of his mistresses in turn.

- I am satisfied with everything, - the acrobat gives her voice, which attracts everyone's attention. - What? I have feelings for both Yoar and Azula, and I don't want to choose one over the other, because my choice will hurt the one I reject. Isn't leaving things as they are ideal for all of us? Azula, you have feelings for him too," the acrobat frowned, her cheeks faintly flushed, "just as he has feelings for both of us. So why change anything? Let's be friends!

- Oh, Lee..." Yoaru said admiringly, impressed by the girl's words, "you're a miracle. A real miracle, not a girl.

- Hmm... - after thinking for a while, Azula also announces her decision: - Alright, I agree. However, we'll definitely come back to this topic when you get the body.

- Of course we will. And it's not like we're getting married. If we don't like it, we can always discuss the problem, or at the very least, end the relationship," Yoaru said with a smile as he returned to his favourite task of stroking Tai Li's head.

- I'm glad we have an agreement. Azula, can Yoaru tell me what happened to him before I go to my quarters? - Getting comfortable in her lover's arms, Tai Li asks.

- Eh, okay, I think we have a little time for a little story," Azula cheekily approached the cooing couple, making it clear that she wanted that kind of attention too. - I'd like to hear some of the details myself...

Yoar was only too happy to cuddle with two of his mistresses at once.

(***)

Having finished telling Tai Li the "full" story of my misadventures, we left. Or rather, the acrobat left our company and went to her apartment. It was late, and the maids were already trying to overhear what we were talking about. Soundproofing in the room was excellent, and we spoke in a whisper, so the ears of strangers could not find out anything unnecessary. Fortunately. Because sometimes the topics we discussed were very intimate, with a little flirting, touching, and kissing. Even without a body, I felt a certain excitement watching the two beauties kissing.

Of course, the story I told was not true. I told exactly the same story I had told the princess, withholding everything that was not meant for Ari's ears. That the vixen was watching me all the time, I was pretty sure. Perhaps it was all paranoia, but in such cases it was better to be reassured rather than take unnecessary risks. The difference in my stories was only a few interesting and not very pleasant for me. Azula made me tell more about my mistakes that made me stay so long. Talking about your own fiascos is always unpleasant, but being able to learn from them and treat them with understanding is a good quality for a person. I had to temper my pride and talk about how it happened.

That same evening, we talked some more with the princess about our unusual relationship. We calmly discussed our possible future. We talked about the three of us. I tried to avoid questions like: Who do I love more? There was no right answer, and it's easy to offend someone. Azula even bluntly admitted that she felt jealousy and envy when I paid less attention to her. After assuring the princess that she would never leave my heart, I immediately began to back up my words with actions. That night we were able to discover how much we missed each other.

Once again, my mind plunged into the routine of the sea voyage.

Suddenly, I realised that I missed the endless expanse of the ocean, the salty air and the brisk wind. The ship was sailing at full speed towards the islands of the Land of Fire. I spent my free time with the girls or thinking about things. Mostly I thought about how to fulfil my part of the bargain or at least stay alive. The task was far from easy and had far reaching consequences. While the girls themselves went about their business. Each of us suddenly had quite a bit of free time on our hands. Both Azula and I were not part of the crew and did not work on the ship, unlike the soldiers and sailors, so we had too much free time. We had to make the most of it.

Training during the day and entertainment in good company from evening to night, and what happened afterwards was a separate topic. Practice in fire healing and energy magic. Azula had gotten pretty good at the former and wanted to learn the latter when I told her what I had learnt from the owl. I didn't mind, so I began to pass on some of the knowledge I had learnt from the library to her. The princess and I also worked on creating our own fire magic techniques, as well as mastering old ones. I learnt about them from Wang Shi Tong. The girls were also sparring between themselves and selected members of the team. Separate from all this was massage. Regarding the latter, Tai Li discovered Azula 'training' with the maids and wanted to get a massage too. And then Mei joined in a few days later.

In short, it was a routine that was extremely pleasant to return to, especially after the long journey through the Land of Earth. It was just like it used to be when we first started travelling, but no. Everything was much better. Well... except for my relationship with May, which wasn't really there at all. How can you have a relationship with someone who can't even see or hear you?

And so the time flew by. The change of seasons was approaching. Our next destination was a city located on the outskirts of the borders of the fire country, Hara`a.