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The morning sun was rising, a new day dawning for the Fire Nation, and the rest of the world. The warmth embrace stirring many firebenders alike. 'Azula herself felt her inner fire light up, with the rising sun, a precise wake-up every morning.'
'However, this forenoon was a bit different, she felt the warmness of the sun...' 'Yet feeling something warm, that she snuggled up-close. Opening her eyes in, which she regretted, a pair of gray eyes greeting her.
"Morning," said Zhan, having one arm on her waist, herself crawled into a fetal position close to him.
"Oh no!" she said, blushing red, disentangling herself from the awkward position. "What in Agni happened?!"
"Nothing. Except that you should lay off on drinks that contain any alcohol for now," Zhan said.
"Ohhh...please tell me I didn't do anything embarrassing yesterday?" she asked, hiding her shame in her hands.
"Not much: you sang the National Anthem, the Anthem - Azula version, training, your plans as Fire Lord, some weird dances and some gibberish about being prettier than a girl named Ty Lee," he said, counting up Azula' misfortunes.
"Oh, infinitely ruined," she said, hiding her head between her knees.
"Cheer up. You and I were to only ones here, nobody visited, and I locked the door," he said, picking her by her waist closer to him.
"And...the bedding?" she asked.
"Yeah...that's the problem of having a tipsy Princess slash firebender. Once she, gets attached it's impossible to get rid of her," he replied, chuckling.
"Uhmm...sorry about that," she replied, a bit red.
"I didn't mind, although the falling asleep in my lap was a bit uncomfortable, you were difficult to move to the bed," he said, to which Azula went crimson.
"Care to join, me for a walk, after breakfast?" asked Zhan.
"Why not?" replied Azula dryly.
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After breakfast, 'to which her father was surprised how did Zhan, get past the guards and why did he hear strange noises from Azula's room. Luckily for her, Ozai didn't bonder on the subject much, since he was going to be in a meeting with the war-minister he was fine with her walk, although warned to keep herself observant for any dangers.'
Their walk turned out to be different from their earlier ones, instead of visiting the city, he had opted to show her his home instead.
After taking an ostrich-horse carriage outside, the city into the outskirts, they arrived at a remote, yet large estate.
"Here we are: Home Sweet Home," said Zhan, opening the carriage door, and showing his home.
"It's kinda small," replied Azula. 'The estate was larger than the average citizen's home but was smaller than the noble houses she had seen.'
"It is...but it has a history been in our generation for ages," he said, leading her inside
Once inside Zhan, immediately got pulled into a death-hug by a middle-aged woman with long black hair and sparkly blue eyes.
"Sweety, your home!" said the woman, obviously her mother, Asiza.
"Mom, ease up on the killing, will ya," he said jokingly, trying to get out of her mom's grip.
"We've got royalty here."
Asiza let go of Zhan as soon as she saw the Crown Princess in her estate.
"Princess Azula. An honor to meet see you here," said Asiza, kneeling before her.
"Mom skip with formalities, we've got a guest here," he said. "Some, refreshments maybe?"
"Of course," she replied, summoning some servants to bring refreshments for the three.
"Why don't you two startups? I wanna check something first," he said, leaving the two females in the room.
The two women had taken seats at the dining room, drinking some tea, while Zhan was off.
"So Princ-"
"You may call me Azula," she added.
"Azula, if you don't mind me asking. How is Zhan? I hope he isn't a burden or trouble?" asked Asiza.
"Well, he is. Not in a bad way, of course. He is a goofy-ball and a dummy, but he's a fresh addition to the Palace. It can get a bit heavy there," she said. "And he's very proficient, I might say."
"I guess so. My son has always been the tinkering kind: always thinking, planning, testing theories. We had to give him one-third of the estate because his workshop got so big," replied Asiza.
"I'd say his physical skills aren't so far off as well," added Azula.
"Speaking of which." she was quickly interrupted as Zhan had returned seemingly cheery as always, taking a seat near Azula.
"What did you ladies say about me?" he asked, eyeing her and his mother.
"Nothing," she said, hiding her smirk in her cup.
"Really?" he asked.
"Well...uhm..dear I gotta run to the market," said the mother, rising from her seat. "You'll be alright?"
"Yes, yes. Go, mom," he replied, waving his hand.
"She did that on purpose," said Zhan, after her mother had left the house, along with a few servants.
"Oh? You think so?" replied Azula teasingly.
"Oh, fine," he finished. "Come on now. I wanna show you something."
"Your workshop that takes up, half the house?" she asked.
"Typical mom blabbers out everything," he replied in a mock sigh.
He had let Azula to the other side of the house, to which he lead her to a large room. 'It was bigger than her Chambers and more spacious too, and darker.'
"I can't see a thing," she said, lighting a small flame in her hand.
"A moment. Let me get the door open, now where was that lever again?" Zhan inquired, searching in the darkroom. "Found it!"
'Azula could hear some cranking, humps, gears, and chains moving. Soon a large, metal door started to open, letting in sweet sunlight, bathing the room.'
"The best part," said Zhan, finishing on the lever. "Is the view."
As she walked outside, 'she could see a gorgeous garden outside, with a breath-taking view of the sea.'
"Living in a house, on a cliff, near the sea has its benefits. Like having a good jump into the water," he said, pulling Azula near to the edge, showing a clear dive, straight into the water below, and a carved footpath down below to a sandy beach.
"Personal beach, estate, and view. I'm a bit jealous," said Azula, admiring the location.
"Well, you could visit," he replied.
"Don't tempt me," she replied, a mischievous smile on her face.
"Maybe, I will," he replied, chuckling. "But now...my crowning glory."
He gestured back to his workshop, to which Azula could see it looked more like a warships machine room than a nobles workshop.
"Guess your mother was right. You are a tinkering one," she said.
"Yeah...I get that a lot," he replied, scratching behind his head.
"Well, you have a lot of stuff here," she said, eyeing the various inventions: some were for regular life, others she saw could be dangerous weapons, and a few were just plain weird. But the massive metal construct in the back caught her eye.
"What's that?" asked Azula it had 'a cylindrical shape a glass panel on top two wheels under it and two metal plates on either side to he, it was almost molded in a bird... a Very, weird bird.'
"This," he said, rubbing his hand over the metal frame. "Is my masterpiece, shining glory, renewer...and retirement project."
"What is it supposed to be or to?" she asked.
"Well... When this machine finished, it can fly fast as a bird made of metal, and will run on firebending," he said proudly.
"I..I...mpo..ssible," stuttered out Azula, not beliving a thing like this could fly. "Metal doesn't fly."
"Azula, nothing in life is impossible only by limiting yourself would it be impossible. Some things are just less likely than others and the way I design it. It will," he replied.
'Why does he always have to sound like uncle Iroh,' "how?!" she asked, still a non-believer.
"When in my younger years, my father had brought me an old exotic Airbender glider, cause my loved all exotic and contraption back then. It was a mess, a complete failure this didn't stop me, by fixing it and later doing another test it ended in poor results, okay it was a total disaster leading me to fly as much as a turtle-crab. Yet on one day when I, wanted to go down to the beach, I slipped and fell, but instead of falling to my death, the glider helps me fly not as much fly more like glided into the sea. After that, I realized if a none-Airbender and non-bender could fly. Then anything could be possible. I started to replicate the incident. Starting small with leaves, moving to wood, then metal. Then they got bigger and bigger."
"Until you got that," finished Zhan, with his story.
"W..ow," replied Azula. "But how do you make it fly with firebending?"
"Simple, firebending propels it further," he said. "Airbenders bend the air, so in theory, they bend the air around their gliders to make them fly. I've heard you can propel yourself further with firebending. So why can't you do it with that?"
"Does it work?" she asked.
"I haven't tested it, only theory... And it says, maybe in ten years it'll fly."
"But how should it work in theory?" asked Azula.
"Here, let me show you," said Zhan, directing Azula near the metal contraption name; [Fiery Chicken]. Behind the glass panel was an opening they could crawl into, inside were two metal seats, they could sit on.
"Feels weird," she said. "Tight also."
"It's a squeeze, but the seats are good," he said, inclining onto the metal backside.
"Yeah, cold metal is always good," she replied sarcastically, trying to sit on the cold seat.
"Oh yeah, sorry, suppose that's one problem I got to fix," he said.
"How does it work?" she asked, looking over his shoulder.
"Two levers control the wings, just like on a glider," he said proudly.
"And that?" she asked, pointing at a hole behind them, large on the inside but got smaller as it exited the construct.
"That's the engine you bend-fire through it theoretically your fire becomes more powerful you need to go from hard, to medium and soft, concentrating, this all in theory," he said.
'Azula couldn't help but marvel at the piece of engineering, and maybe, someday fly in one. The engine caught her attention concentrating fire more powerful.'
'She conjured, some blue fire sending it through the turbine, she got no reaction.'
Trying again, with more fire, she sees her flame proceed from being more extensive to meager, feeling its strength as strong as her extensive fire, going through the turbine.
Unfortunately, neither of the felt the plane move.
"It does concentrate my fire, stronger," said Azula.
"Well, it...AZULA STOP!" Zhan screamed out.
"Wha-AAAH," screamed out Azula as well, as they suddenly started to fall.
"NO TIME!" he yelled out. "Azula! Start bending!"
She followed his order, firebending through the engine.
"Let's see if this thing works," he said, pulling on both the levers. The metal construct bucked, sending Azula into the back, but stopped falling.
"Ouch!" she said, rubbing her head, then looked outside.
The view was even more beautiful: the sea rapidly passing by them, the clear sky, passing by a pair of swallow-geese, the feeling of freedom, it was overwhelming to her, only to be interrupted as they started to fall.
"Azula! Fire!" said Zhan to her.
"Right!" replied Azula, sending fire through...until the entire thing collapsed off, maybe she had overdone it. "Zhan! I think we lost something!"
"What?!" he said, looking behind him, and seeing the missing part. "OH DAMN!"
"What now?!" she asked, scared for the first time in her life.
"We're going down!" he said, trying to fly the thing, but he knew it was pointless. "HOLD ON!"
"TO WHAT?!" she asked back.
"Eachother!" he screamed, turning around and grabbing ahold of Azula, which she did as well.
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In the Royal Palace Grounds, Firelord Ozai was discussing important information, with war-minister Qin, with two dozen Imperial Firebenders circling them.
"How long will it take for the development of a new weapon for the army?" asked the Firelord.
"A couple of months, Your Highness," replied the war-minister.
"See to it th...-WHAT?" asked the Firelord, spotting something in the sky, like a bird...only made of metal...and heading for them.
"GET DOWN!" yelled one of the Imperial Firebenders, pulling Ozai, out of harm's way.
' A loud wreck as metal could be heard screeching could be detected as it fell into the Palace a few feet from their position the Imperials Firebenders incircle the site of the crash.'
A few banging sounds could be heard, from inside the construct, against the glass. 'A blue fire blast soon smashed the glass open...blue?!'
"Stand down!" said Ozai, knowing who was in that thing.
"Oh, Agni...I think I'm going to be sick," said Azula, poking her head out, which was a mess, and she felt sick to her stomach.
"Never! touch, something that isn't, tested Azula," replied Zhan pulling his head out as well, "and...we landed in the worst possible place in the world."
"What?" she asked, then saw her father, "oh...hello father."
'Ozai didn't know if he should be, furious or curious his daughter has done such a thing: destroyed half of the Royal Garden. On the other, hand he had seen that thing in the air...and how could that be possible?'
"Di..did that just fly?" asked war-minister Qin, breaking the silence.
"Indeed it did," replied Azula, seeing a great opportunity in this. "Father, this construct before you flew... BY FIREBENDING! It flew in, the air itself faster than a bird plus there's the genius behind it."
She had pointed to Zhan, who was busy checking out the damage.
"Young man?" asked the war-minister approaching. "Did you make this?"
"Yes, I did or did," he replied sadly. "Now it's wreckage."
"Could this build again?" asked Ozai.
"I'm not sure, I built this for six years, alone," he replied.
"What if you had more helpers and funding, resources?" asked Azula.
"Well...in that case...maybe in a year or so," he replied.
"Father! You need to support this! An opportunity that we cant disregard. No other nation in the world has! Imagine dozens of these attacking Ba Sing Se!" said Azula, more excited than ever.
She could see both her father' and the war-ministers face lit up in astonishment, surprise, and pride.
"Of course not! War-minister orders some engineers to take this contraption away someplace safe and you," he said, addressing Zhan and Azula.
"Now the both of you will follow me, I got a few questions you must answer," said the Firelord in a monotone voice."
"What did you do?" whispered Zhan.
"Saved our reputation, got a new war-machine," she replied, then pulled him closer. "And making sure you'd never leave me again."
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{Omake: The Beginning of a Creamy Addiction}
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"So what are you doing now" ask Azula
"Experimenting" as he was mixing, ingredients then he quickly started to shake them.
"Mind explaining why you are doing all of this?" Azula said, placing her hand on her hips.
"Something sweet and cold," he said with a smug grin.
She decided to sit beside him as she observes him.
He stops shaking the container, using a small spoon he looks at Azula, "will you like to try some?" She was, curious and at the same, time worry.
"Come on Azula let met feed you, p-r-i-n-c-e-s!"
"You know I can feed myself," not like she denies the action one bit, she gladly accepted to be fed while trying to hide her blush.
Azula, felt the cold creamy and sweet texture as it melts in her mouth there was a taste of vanilla, it all felt fresh. "Azula, you are getting cream all over your face," he swoops in and licks close to her lips. "There we go all clean." Her eyes, open wide she was more scarlet then her robe, "Azula, you should continue and eat the ice-cream to cool off," he stated with a small smile.
"Whose fault is supposed to be!?"
The entire time, Zhan continue to feed Azula while on the other hand, Azula was going in a rapid change of emotion anyone who had seen this would have thought they would be dreaming.
Overall, Azula was having a good time a mix of spice and sweet, plus an addiction now the question is to what?
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