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Since Azula had hooked Zhan into the Royal Palace, things had gotten a bit busier. Mostly, underground though, up top in the Palace things went on as usual: politics, meetings, and training, down below a facility was busy, unknown to everyone but a few people: she included.
Since Zhan had started to work, the Fire Nation military had gotten a few upgrades: the mass-production of his metal-claws was the first. Each glove would be needed to be made by hand accuracy he had, managed to downgrade them for production. They were replicas just weaker than what Azula or Zhan had in their arsenal.
Yet these new close-combat weapons were a great addition to the army: firebenders weren't so vulnerable close-range and the regular foot-soldiers could fight-on if they lost their weaponry. With the added attachment mechanism, it was also hard to steal one, being that only a Fire Nation soldier knew how to but or remove one. 'A concealed weapon, and one that was difficult to steal...a win-win in Azula's book.'
'He had also started to improve some of the armoring of the army, either can be solved by the discovery of cheaper or more efficient minerals. Gaining the same result with the regular iron used nowadays, in metal-working, it wasn't much, but the cost of financing the army has considerably lessened. According to some subtle hints she got from Zhan, had already experimented with new metal as well one that is lighter and stronger than what they're currently using now.'
'And also he was still working on the original flying construct that got him here [The Fiery Chicken] Azula had gotten the idea, one day while chatting and it stuck to it like glue. The [Fiery Chicken] was still a metal-frame, but it was gaining meat on its bones. The various other tinkers and engineers, he had with him were a blessing. He had more time to focus on other stuff: inventing new war-machines and improving others. But it gave Zhan the time to spend with her.'
Changes had happened in the Palace as well, the most enormous one being the Avatar's return. Most, if not all, had thought he died a hundred years ago. But it seemed he lived, with Zuzu having a head-start, on chasing him..." maybe even catch him...hardly." Azula murmur.
'Another change that happens been of age gaining the opportunity to take part in the day-to-day activity in the Palace, she had welcomed this with open arms yet soon she figured out why people didn't like politics too stressful. What she had hoped for, a chance to plan battles, not day-to-day complaining from the nobles or other general problems.'
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"Another day another damned noble complaint coupled with a long training regime," Azula was, pretty much, stressed out right now, 'luckily she had someone who could ease her.'
She arrived at the underground facility opening the metal door with a fire-move. "Zhan?" she asked, opening the door.
Azula could see the engineer behind his desk, sleeping.
"What the?!" she asked. Checking on, Zhan was sound asleep. "Great!"
'Underneath his arms, were various schematics for the Tundra Tank, and a few drawn blueprints. It'd seem Zhan was trying to upgrade it.'
"Hmmm," she muttered, taking one blueprint, examining it.
'He has high-lighted various parts and drawn weird other parts onto it.'
Largely high-lighted and written under was something more: "Weak - infantry. Siege? Improve!"
'What are you planning?' asked Azula herself, putting the blueprints and picking up something else. Some weird weapon, something Mai would have: around metal-piece, the three curve-blades attached.
"Weird," she said. Zhan had a lot of smaller-scale versions of the stuff he was trying to improve. Finding a small-scale working trebuchet wasn't a problem.
"Wonder if this would work?" she asked, putting the small tri-weapon on the catapult, pulling it back.
"Azula?" asked Zhan in a dozing voice, startling her, causing her to release the trebuchet.
"WOAH!" Zhan yelled out, the flying tri-blade missing his hand by inches. Azula didn't expect the thing to fly, let alone that fast.
"Sorry," she said, putting the model back.
"Again, with the touching?" he asked, smiling at her, arms folded.
"Yeah...I got bored. And you were sleeping," she replied. "What's that anyway?"
"This?" he asked, pulling the tri-bladed weapon out of his desk. "Is a glaive. Unique design. I'm trying to find a way to make it fly. A new projectile weapon."
"Interesting, I didn't expect that thing to fly so fast," she said.
"Fly?" he asked, surprised.
"Yeah, I took that and put it on your make-shift catapult," she replied.
"Catapult?...AZULA!" he yelled out, spinning her around by her waist. "YOU'RE A GENIUS!"
"Woah! Yeah, I know," she replied, getting twirled in the air. "Put me down now?"
"Alright," he said, putting her down, then went over to his desk, starting to scribble something down.
Azula, seeing that Zhan wasn't going to pull his head out of the blueprints, decided to take her to leave.
"Azula?" he said suddenly, grabbing her by her arm. "I know you didn't just come here to watch me work. What's wrong?"
She sighed, at his request, why could he read her so well?
"I...I'm stressed out...all these damn nobles...whining like turtle-ducks...it's embarrassing and annoying me!" she said, starting to explain. "Couple that with my training...oh...it...it...it's hard."
"So the Princess needs a good cooldown?" he asked, grinning at her.
"Don't! Even think of dropping me in a fountain! Or I might singe that pretty face of yours," she replied.
He looks, at her surprised, "wouldn't dream of it," he said a little disappointed. "I do have something else in mind."
Azula felt his disappointment and decided to ignore it.
Azula got herself pulled to the Testing Grounds, more like dragged. 'She wasn't in the mood for one Zhan's crazy inventions.'
The former bunker/cavern was now full of different metallic contraptions and devices. The [Fiery Chicken] construct, a railroad track around the cave, a half-taken apart Tundra tank, a warship engine, an armor stand, and the Firebird's engine Zhan was preparing every little thing.
"Come on," he said, leading Azula. "Remember this?"
"Hardly possible to forget such memory," she said in a snappy tone. The [Fiery Chicken] turbine was re: built now it looks, different.
"Try it out," he said.
"I don't want something up blown up...again," she replied. The last time she tried, it collapsed and flew out into the ocean.
"I have upgraded it and...," he said, coming closer to her ear. "And I wanna know if it can handle anything."
"Oh...fine," she replied, shuddering a bit.
Azula got into a stance like before, then poured fire through it, 'the feeling just like I remember, rich and powerful.'
"Okay, stop," he said, which she did. "You're trying to control everything. Once you let it flow, it isn't wise to control it. It's too powerful."
"I can handle it," she replied sternly.
"I know you can," he replied, wrapping his arms around her waist. "In this case, it isn't necessary."
"Let me help you," said Zhan, wrapping his arms around hers, intertwining their fingers, pressing his chest against her back. "Breath in my rhythm."
"O...alright," replied Azula, her face red. Breathing in rhythm was hard, with him this close.
"Relax..." he said, slowing his breathing, which she tried to follow.
"Breath..." he added, raising their hands.
"Release..." he finished, letting her form a fire in her hands, she dared not look, it was awkward, challenging and...emotional.
"Azula...open your eyes," he said calmly, keeping her breathing in his rhythm.
She took a small peak, then shot her eyes open, speechless. 'In her hands wasn't blue fire...it was a white fire.'
"Im..m..o..ss..ible," she said. [White Fire.] It couldn't be, it was supposed to be unbendable no firebender has been able to create white fire. Only the dragons could do that.
"It isn't," he said, moving their hands around it. It moved, it grew and it. "It's your fire."
Azula couldn't help but admire the white flame: it was powerful, beautiful, deadly, unique.
He finally brought their intertwined hands together, snuffing out the fire, a final confirmation that it was their creation.
"Feeling better?" he asked, holding her by her waist, behind her.
"Much," she replied, kissing him.
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Omake: The rules of a wish?
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Zhan open his eyes and could only see in his surrounding was darkness, he crosses his arms, 'where am I?'
Completely out of nowhere, a bright light appears in front out of me, "Welcome lost soul to the river of reincarnation."
"Wait, I am dead?! how did this happen?
"Why care not to like you can go back or do anything about it." he would roll his eyes if he had one.
"Hey, this is vital information is not like one can have infinite life."
The glowing orb ignores him, "anyway since you are here and you can return, to your world this means, you will go to a new one." it continues to float around Zhan.
"Wait was my death was a mistake?"
"No"
"Did a truck run me over?"
"No"
"Why do you ask this?"
"I hate those tropes," Zhan said with a straight face.
"...."
Both of them stood silent for a brief moment, "Let's get this over with since you are going to get reincarnated you will get some wishes."
"Oh, great wishes," he said sarcastically.
"Now tell me, what do you want?"
"How many wishes I get?
"Well, was it 5 or 3 wishes? Zhan had a look of disbelief."
"Can you tell me what do people mostly wish for in these situations." the flying orb stop floating around.
"Well, people mostly as for legendary items, abilities, skill, and a system. There many other things most of the time they ask for in the end is about power."
"What is this thing call a system?" Zhan places a hand on his chin, taking a thinking pose. "Well is this thing that gives you missions, item, powers and so much more some are sentient others in other cases there are, not.
"Doesn't that make the whole other wishes, voided?"
"..."
Then does say subject use a wish, if they want to remember his past-life or is it a free pass? Another problem lest saying the ask for power if this power is paramount, how can they survive if their body is not prepared to handle?"
"..."
"Another thing that bothers me you send people to other worlds how does that make sense like is good they reincarnate the problem comes when they have powers that brake the whole balance of this world." Zhan crosses his legs.
"..."
"It seems like you people have not thought this reincarnation thing through."
Both parties remain silent in this dark-void one of them was thinking in overdrive while the other looked off sympathy.
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