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But dealing around Zhan, she had learned to have rational reasoning, as well as an emotional reason to things now. As he had said: 'You can be a ruthless commander, but keep an eye on your troops.' The invasion required about one-third of the entire, Fire Navy and from there, only less than half made it back. Those numbers could hinder the Fire Nation a lot, and that only added fuel to her anger of them both.
Azula could imagine herself now, hooked with someone, whom she would later fall in love with if someone ever told her something like this she would have electrocuted them on the spot. Years ago, she could've considered roasting him on the scene. Now she couldn't stop thinking about him. He knew her, she couldn't deceive him, but he didn't care what she did, just supported her.
"Oh...I need to sleep more," she said, breaking her meditation, in her private quarters on the ship.
'How can he affect me, like this?' she thought, leaning back in her cross-legged, sitting position. A slight lump in her pocket caught her attention. 'What?'
She reached into her pocket, pulling out a wrapped-up note, and what appeared to be a small cylindrical tube.
Reading the note, she could see it was in Zhan's handwriting: 'Incase your feeling disturbed. Trying my luck in poetry.'
'Oh great!' she thought opening, the tube and starting to read it.
May your fire be blue,
your aim be pure and true,
that your mind be clear as water,
and your enemies coward in fear,
may your heart,
stay true to your goals.
"Oh...you goof-ball," she laughed, Zhan could read her like a book.
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In an unknown location, in the Earth Kingdom, at the Fire Colonies, the same goof-ball was busy examining and checking the huge-machinery of the War-Minister: a giant Drill.
"After this is all finished, the Fire Nation will finally be able to conquer Ba Sing Se," spoke the War-Minister.
"It will not work," said Zhan, walking past him.
"I find your lack of faith...problematic," replied War-Minister Qin.
"It isn't lack of anything the machinery you're undertaking is quite costly and huge," he said.
"I understand you were appointed to oversee this project?" asked Qin.
"Yes, I was, and I speak as I see it. Too costly, easily spotted, large - problematic may arise in the terrain. It's just too simplistic," Zhan finish summing up the queries.
"The Firelord has authorized this project, but your problems are off no concern to me. The price is worth it, let them see their defeat in the distance, and no terrain can stop this engineering marvel," said Qin. "Sometimes...the best solutions are the simplest ones."
"If that occurred, we would be remaining in a cave," he replied. "I give up. Do what you think is best War-Minister Qin, I have given you my opinion."
"And your opinion is...noted," replied Qin, as the boy left.
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'What a bunch of idiots!' thought Zhan, as he entered his room, inside e try to calm himself. 'In his opinion, the Drill was a bad idea from day one - too big, too expensive, too many chances for something to go wrong.' "What do I care?"
He resigned himself to his project the FieryChicken, or more like the blueprints only. 'Out of all, the things the War-Minister could think of he had to take up this.' As much as Zhan, admired the tenacity of the Fire Nation, he understood from personal experience one should not charge headfirst into any conflict. 'Guess some people had to learn out the hard way he just hoped it wouldn't be too costly to the Nation or the people.'
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He had wondered if she had managed to complete her assignment or was Azula still chasing them. Either he just wanted some information, if anything.
"Lord Zhan?" asked a voice from behind the metal-door.
'Speaking of the wolves,' he thought. Rising from his desk, and going to open the door. "Yes?"
"I have a message from you. With a Royal Seal on it," said a middle-aged man, having a pack of scrolls on his side.
'Azula,' he realized, seeing the emblem of the Crown Princess. "Of course, thank you."
He returned to his desk, wrapping and putting away the blueprints before reading Azula's note. He had only managed to read half of it before he started to chuckle.
"Told you," he said, reading the entire note. 'Azula had underestimated his brother and Iroh...figures. Zhan wasn't much on rumors he knows, to never underestimate your adversary, no matter how feeble they look.' "Oh...Azula."
"Whatever," he shook his head and pocketed the note, 'hopefully, Azula had found, his little note.' 'He was also hoping he wouldn't end up with a slap again since he didn't know if Azula was into poetry.'
Yet this turn of events caused him to check-up on his other project. Near his door lay the chest he was familiar with and an armor stand nearby. Going over to the chest, to be met with an armored, Zhan was pleased with the results of new design, new metals, new pros, and new cons. He didn't expect to wear it, but he might need to...sometime soon.
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Omake: Azula the birds and the bees or first play by play.
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Azula was sore, not because of training, and not because of a workout session. No, there was something she's wanted for a long time, have a little (training) session with her now new boyfriend, Zhan. He was still passed out asleep in his studio, and as much as she would have loved to surprise him with her presence. She decided otherwise and do something else and decided to take a walk in the forest.
She arrives at the Somerset forest, a very private forest she enjoys, these liberties there was a small gazebo and cabin hybrid. Her lush ebony-locks her clothes were wrinkled and messy, there was a smug smile on her face when she spots her brother, drinking from his secret stash or was it, uncle Iroh?
"It's not what it... Oh, it's you." Zuko sighed a sigh of relief when he realized that it wasn't Mai or Iroh that walked in on him, but his sister. "Why'd you look like you just took the walk of shame?" He asked as he put his secret stash away under the roots of the tree theirs was a secret hatch.
"Oh, little Zuko. I am so glad you're here." Azula said as she hugged her brother and pushed him onto the garden, with her sitting on the edge of it. "I have so much that I need to get off my chest."
"Who are you, and what have you done with Azula?" Zuko asked, utterly frightened with this new nice sister of his.
"I am the same sweet sister you have always looked up to little brother," Azula claimed as she fell backward, trapping his legs between the pallet and her body. "I did it," Was all she needed to say for Zuko to understand.
"You did it? Wait…You and Zhan did it!?"
"Yesss."
"Okay…"
"I need to tell someone about it, and I am so glad you are here alone with me." Azula lengthened as she rolled over on her belly with Zuko legs still trapped beneath her body. "Would you care to listen to a little play by play?"
Zuko's expression, you could only describe as horrified at the very thought of his sister having sex with one of his best friends and having those types of images, "Please don't."
"It all started when I pushed him onto the bed and grabbed his-"
"STOP!"
"Then he used his fingers to-"
"Please… I am seriously about to die right now…Not even joking."
"He even managed to make me squ-"
"Okay, I'm done now." Zuko quickly stood up and tried to jump out of the open window, only to be caught by Azula and be held within her fist. His head looked up and into her red eyes, and a sweatdrop could-be viewed as it drops off Zuko's.
He squealed and flailed around wildly as he tried to free himself that was the torture of listening to his sister give him a play by play of something siblings should never talk about with each other. It was just a rule that he thought Azula knew.
He wasn't able to get away.
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