Chapter 78

Jeonnan was a nice break. Just hanging out and doing a little shopping, but it was only a short break. The craftsman worked quickly and made a simple but nice saddle for Appa. Unfortunately, I had forgotten how small a sky bison saddle is. The saddle can maybe sit 8 people regularly. We had 13 people. Now Appa could totally carry us all, everyone besides me is on the light side plus no one really had any luggage. While he could carry us weight wise actually riding was cramped. Most of us sat around the side of the saddle while the rest scrunched up in the middle. We were all sitting close, but some of us were sitting closer than others. Ty Lee was all but clinging to Azula and Suki and I were also pretty close together.

Despite any discomfort, we arrived near the Ba Sing Se ferries in record time. The ferries were the easiest and most official way to enter the city. Immigrants would enter a large embassy where they would prove their Earth Kingdom citizenship. If they could, they got a ferry ticket across the bay and into the city. If they didn't have a passport they either turned around or tried to cross on foot going through a dangerous mountain path. Having a sky bison let us skip all that, but getting into Ba Sing Se was a secondary goal for right now. The Kiyoshi Warriors minus Suki wanted to stay in this area and help the refugees. Suki, Azula, Ty Lee, and I were on the lookout for Aang. Unless he decided to turn around he would be heading here. If he wasn't heading toward Ba Sing Se finding him would be difficult. A quick investigation inside the embassy leads me to believe that Aang didn't beat us here. The avatar arriving in the city would be big news and I didn't hear anything about it.

As night fell, Suki and the rest of the warriors were off spending their last night together. We hadn't decided on what we would do about finding Aang, but the rest of the warriors were going to start helping the locals tomorrow. No one knew if we would have to leave at a moment's notice, so this was Suki saying a preemptive goodbye. Ty Lee had gotten pretty close to them as well, but Suki had spent her entire life with them. Azula, Ty Lee, and I split away from them in order to give them some personal space and privacy.

As soon as we clear earshot of the others Azula comes up to me.

"Alright, have I passed whatever standard it is you've set for me inside your head. Can I have my bending back?" She asks calmly.

"Final test. What do you think?"

She lets out a deep breath keeping herself calm. "Bending affects how people think. You gave your girlfriend bending and she's been extra giddy ever since Jeonnan. Ty Lee has been especially aggressive since she gained fire bending and I have been comparatively peaceful since I lost my bending. I am an objectively powerful bender. I don't know if bending talent relates to how much bending effects your thoughts, but without my bending, I've had a clearer mind. Without the pride, aggression, and drive I could really look at myself. When I think about how I've acted I can realize what you were concerned about. My parents were both terrible and I was following in their footsteps. Zuko is doing the same thing and Uncle has overcorrected. I know what I have work toward now. I've always been working toward a mystical perfect version of myself. I realize that version of me doesn't exist and even if it did it wouldn't be my goal. I want to better than that. I want to keep pushing myself to always be better, anything less than that is settling." Bending affecting the mind makes sense. It probably explains the almost immediate change in personality. Hopefully, she's sincere and not just a super talented liar, because I kind of like this Azula. I'm not the only one either because when she finished Ty Lee glomped onto her with a tight hug.

"Wow, excellent reflection. I was kind of asking rhetorically. You could have just said yes."

"Maybe you should do some reflections yourself. I mean really you decided to kidnap three girls and then cause a civil war" she snapped back.

"It's worked so far hasn't it?" I say smugly.

"Just give me my bending back."

I step toward her and extended my hand to her forehead. I wanted to challenge myself a little by only using one hand, but almost as soon as I start her fire reignites burning hotter than ever. Returning a person's bending seems to be much easier than either taking it away or giving it to a non-bender.

As her bending returns, Ty Lee and I step back giving her space. After such a major change of heart, I was half expecting her to produce no flames, but as she moves through her katas I can feel the flames she producing. I hear Ty Lee gasp next to me.

"What's wrong?" I ask Ty Lee

"Her flames aren't blue."

"So they're back to regular color?"

"No. They're purple now"

Azula quickly finishes her set as not to draw attention, but I can feel she's ecstatic.

The next morning we got lucky. Just hours after the Kiyoshi Warriors left I hear a familiar voice call out.

"Over here!" Toph yells just as she rushes into the clearing. Aang, Sokka, and Katara running just behind her. As they make it to the clearing Aang is the second to recognize what he's seeing.

"Appa!" Aang happily yells as he charges forward toward his lost friend.

"Silva?" "Suki?" Katara and Sokka ask.

"Toph, Aang, Katara, Sokka" I happily greet.

"Ty Lee!" She cheerfully announces herself in order to continue the pattern of everyone announcing a name.

To which Azula responds by slapping the back of her head.