99 lives

[burnedbrighter]

Who: Azula and open to all
What: Azula has finally kicked her sickness and is back in business
Where: D5 suite, Training room, Video arcade, shopping.
When: After the crowning
Warnings: It's Azula...just assume we're gonna talk about violence and the games.

With the sickness behind her and another arena come and gone Azula has kept quiet for the last few weeks. She of course maintains her daily training sessions but her presence at parties has been more subtle and sometimes missed entirely.

And curiously enough she's been disappearing for hours at a time, not answering her communicator or telling anyone where to find her.

However if someone were to try following her perhaps they'd find out.

Comments

[hit_girl_mindy]

"On current events. We lost a few people while you were out, oh, and we had some lessons to be taught. You know about the District purging bullshit, but then they punished some mentors recently, even killed one. Close to destroyed that escort too, Effie. I guess even mentor's aren't exempt from the Capitol's gaze."

Not that Mindy ever thought that untrue to begin with. "They're keeping a closer eye on us now."

[burnedbrighter]

Azula's Aim stayed true with this next knife throw but it sunk in deeper. Only a trained eye could detect the way her jaw was set more firmly and her muscles tensed.

"Well I suppose those of us who would be under suspicion for being traitors might be inclined to watch what they say." She was of course alluding the Enjolras with maybe just a bit of Mindy mixed in for good measure.

After all despite all she'd been through Azula had never spoken out against the Capitol save for saying she thought they'd gone too far with the purge.

"I am up to date on those things though." She added answering the original question ans another knife found it's mark.

[hit_girl_mindy]

It got to her. Mindy wasn't as good as she was for a small thing: learning how to read people's expressions and what they did was what kept her alive. Azula wasn't just back ready to sing the praises of the Capitol. They were getting to her, much like they were getting to all of them, like how they got to Stephen. They were going too far for even the best bullshitters to forgive.

"Or even casually lambaste the system even," she said. "Not that its what they're looking for. Then again, who really knows what they're looking for."

She paused. "Ok. I'm going to do something that I'm not known for doing, and if my dad saw me, it would probably put him in a coma. You and me, we have a hatchet to bury."

[burnedbrighter]

That was enough to catch Azula's curiosity. She lowered her knives and turned to face Mindy with a look of skeptical speculation.

"Go on then." She didn't sound ready to buy the premise but she was willing to consent to Mindy's pitch.

[hit_girl_mindy]

"Look, we've been sort of at each other, and a few months ago? That was OK. I could care about, you know, me thinking you were a brainless, cruel follower, you could be annoyed at my brutish antagonizing. But lately? It's just fucking pointless. We're not really anything but pawns in a game anyway. It's stupid."

[burnedbrighter]

"Well we can both agree on that it is stupid and pointless." Azula condemned turning back to the targets and throwing another knife landing it in the middle.

"But we've no incentive to be anything more then tolerant of each other either so I'm not sure what you're hoping for."

[hit_girl_mindy]

"Oh, I still want to get even with you for the ass kicking," Mindy said matter of factly. "I mean, if it were you, you'd want that too. But its to test skill again. I have expectations for myself, and if I can't beat someone who beat me, then I have a lot more training to do."

Simple as that.

"But after that, we can ignore each other all you want."

[burnedbrighter]

It really was too much. She shook her head in disbelief smirking.

"So you're setting aside your pride to ask for me to give you another match...because your pride won't allow you to continue on without challenging me again to test your skill."

[hit_girl_mindy]

"I'm asking for the match, yeah," she said, "but that's not why I'm asking for an end to our tiff. I just don't see it mattering that much now. There's too many more things to think about."

Finally an in game excuse to use this icon

[burnedbrighter]

"Well you're right about that at least. There's always been more important things going on then the petty squabbling of a tribute who simply couldn't accept her defeat."

Because she wouldn't be Azula if she didn't throw that dig in.

"That's where it all started after all. In the arena and your guard being down enough for my trap. It seems so long ago now really."

Not really. This was a lie but Azula's face wouldn't betray her right now. The fact was she remembered so much of that awful experience. Having to go through a second arena while detoxing from medication and alcohol was by far one of the worst experiences of her life.

"In fact there were so many other more important things going on after that arena as I recall I had perfectly civil conversations with you and even offered you advice which I believe you blew off out of spite." She reminded Mindy.

"But it's nice that it took all of this for you to finally let go of your vendetta and come seeking some kind of closure for your damaged pride as a warrior."

Yep, grinding that heel in because she can.

Re: Finally an in game excuse to use this icon

[hit_girl_mindy]

"You know, I was beginning to forget why I couldn't stand talking to you," Mindy said, rolling her eyes, "and then you reminded me. I don't know how many times I've had to tell you that me disliking you had nothing to do with the fucking trap. It didn't help, because who the fuck likes getting killed by somebody you have to see, but you're so arrogant and above everyone, you pretty much made it easy."

See? Like now. Mindy wanted to actually be the bigger person, and then Azula brought her right back to asking herself WHY.

"Anyway, whenever you're done with all of that, maybe we can actually have a decent conversation."

[burnedbrighter]

Azula wagged a finger at her before resuming her knife throwing.

"If you really wanted the match you'd continue with your humility. I see no reason to grant you any favors when you speak to me so crass and rude."

Really, she'd been a mentor for months. She could at least pretend to have a bit of sophistication.

"Now if you have a decent subject to discuss perhaps we can attempt the conversation but as it stands all we have at the moment is shared space."

[hit_girl_mindy]

"If you're going to be a pain in the neck like you normally are whenever we talk, it pretty much kills my incentive. I don't like getting my ass handed to me, and I like even less someone trying to act like I owe them something when I'm actually trying to give them something that takes effort."

And with someone like Azula and someone like Mindy, there was bound to be forced effort against their personalities.

"Right, sure." She was quiet a moment. "How are things in your district? Moving around, helping old and new tributes much?"

[burnedbrighter]

"Say what you will, but if you're going to be humble in your approach but aggressive and proud in your follow through you're never going to get what you want."

After all what incentive did Azula have to play her game?

"Of course, now that I'm free of that plague I am continuing my efforts to ensure we are the most prepared when the arena comes."

What she wasn't going to say is how utterly, pathetically peaceful her most recent tributes were. Especially Shaggy. Because after all even if he was a coward and weakling he somehow survived to the last few weeks.

[hit_girl_mindy]

Mindy opened her mouth, then closed it. Right. This was actually one of those times where the girl had her. She'd been the one approaching her, and while every swear word she could think of was called for, she actually had a point.

After all, she had been the one who stayed patient and NOT killed anyone for months since the games, even though there were several Capitol people making the list. She was the one who hadn't reacted with venom once Guy was pounced upon.

"Right, of course. Hey, wait a minute, didn't you get that Shaggy guy?"

Oh, that "Shaggy guy." Bullshit. She knew who the hell Shaggy was, it didn't matter how young you were, somehow you'd see a few episodes of Scooby Doo.

[burnedbrighter]

There was the most subtle of tension in Azula's wrist as she threw the next knife stabbing into the handle of the last one and splitting it.

"Yes. He is a work in progress, but I am pleased with his survival skills despite his lack of courage. Even a coward has potential in the arena no matter how I feel personally about it."

Out of knives to practice with she breezed past Mindy to collect a bottle of water from one of the Avox.

[hit_girl_mindy]

"A work in progress is such a nice turn of phrase," Mindy chuckled. "Believe it or not, he's known in my world, mostly as a guy who runs around a lot and eats food with a talking dog."

Knives. She had a few of her own, actually. She started on a fresh dummy of course, glad to see that her speed had gotten much, MUCH faster.

[burnedbrighter]

Ah, Azula had heard of this sort of thing before and as she sipped her water she considered her options.

"His appetite is impressive." She noted "And he's spoken of the dog. I'm afraid he will find little comfort in food per arena but I do my best to take care of my tributes of course."

There was opportunity here, but did she need to take it? It wasn't wise to leap at the first chance to gain something. She wouldn't want to spend her credit with Mindy too early.

[hit_girl_mindy]

Half the time, talking with Azula was almost like a game. She could figure that she wanted to know something, and them she'd pepper it with an insult. It must be what it felt like to be at a politician function.

"An appetite like that is going to be a problem in a game with little food," she said. "He can run, sure, but when you have a stomach full of food, you have calories to burn."

Luck favored the hippie, but for how long?

[burnedbrighter]

"He'll learn sooner or later." She remarked casually sipping her water again and examining her manicure. "Or he'll die horrible death after horrible death. I can hardly be blamed if he refuses to take my advice."

Watching Mindy, judging her reaction. The difference between the two of them...one of many at least, was that Mindy was trained to protect people as well as murder them. Azula was only trained to protect herself. That may have changed over the last year but her heart did not bleed as much for her new tributes if they refused to listen to her.

[hit_girl_mindy]

Mindy objected to this sort of thing, but for fucks sake, it was Shaggy. He would run enough when things were coming after him. She did want to protect her tributes, but in the end it always came down to how much they cared about living.

"Pretty cold," she said. "But then, I imagine you already have a precedent set up, with you already having a win under your belt. Hans was pretty impressive."

[burnedbrighter]

There was a nice feeling, Mindy stroking her ego. It was to be treasured.

"It's not so much out of coldness or cruelty that I act in this way. It's because the harder I push to change the tributes the harder they push back. It has to happen more organically." This was another lesson she'd had to learn in the last year. Thanks Shepard.

"As for Hans, he came to me with the skills, I just sharpened them to a fine point and gave him the information he needed to come out on top."

[hit_girl_mindy]

Oh ew. It was good Mindy did not know that. She was just commenting, mentor to mentor.

"In my world, knowing that about who you train is a given: they don't have the experience or the instinct. I have to sharpen their other abilities. Eventually, if they die enough, they'll understand that sometimes defending yourself means killing a motherfucker. I can show them how to do that then."

Not that she wouldn't force it when she had to.

"I have a feeling that Hans had always known what he wanted, he was just waiting. His brother seemed to give that impression og him too."

[burnedbrighter]

"Yes, he did seem to impress that." Azula hadn't been terribly impressed by Han's brother but perhaps at the time she had other things on her mind.

"He had focus, and a proper amount of respect for those who had something to teach him. And most importantly he was charming."

That had gone a long way with the fans. The same fans who voted him in for the special challenge that eventually led to him winning and becoming a mentor.

[hit_girl_mindy]

"It was good advice, but I could see Hans was one of those charmer types. Back home, we deal with people like that all the time. Usually its religion or panhandling they're trying to get from you though. Hans is old school."

Which, if you knew how to use it, you could work with. That didn't mean she was sold on his shit.

"You get the right mentor, you go far." Or your mentor could piss you off, and you won just to spite her anyway.