So a Prophet, a Prince, a seductress and a mentor walk into a restaurant...

[burnedbrighter]

Who: Azula, Diana, Aang and Zuko
What: Azula is curious about her apparently AU brother.
Where: Elemental, a charming themed restaurant in Downtown The Capitol.
When: After the arena.
Warnings: None yet but it's Azula...something's bound to come up like the mentioning of her violent and bloody past or how she maimed her sister.

It had been some time since her last visit to Elemental, but Azula was pleased to see the restaurant was thriving. The sections dedicated to various elements were full and yet the soft soothing music and gentle sounds of bubbling fountains and crackling fires muffled the chatter so that one wasn't overwhelmed by the crowd.

Azula had taken a table in the section devoted to fire and enjoyed the way her cool blue dress contrasted with the deep crimson of her cushion seat. A merry fire cast shadows along the walls  and floor while candles flickered and danced at each table.

The menu remained open in front of her but she had barely cast it a glance. Her eyes were roaming the crowd and waiting for the arrival of her guests.

It wasn't that she was unwilling to face them by herself...but as she had invited the two boys anonymously (And she had promised Diana a night out) the beautiful dark haired girl was seated next to her and Azula found the effect comforting. She was in control here. This was her meeting and if the Capitol had been hoping to upset her by bringing this reverse gender version of her sister? They would be sorely mistaken.

Azula would not be shaken, she would not be unsettled by the face she had been so startled by the first time it appeared on her screen during the arena.

"Tonight is my treat of course." she spoke to Diana off handedly if only to give herself something to do. "So indulge as much as you like."

It was a forgone conclusion in her head that Diana would probably say something to embarrass or fluster her during this meeting but she hoped that if she was generous with food as usual then Diana would remain on her side instead of turning this into a game for her own amusement.

 

Comments

[failbender]

An anonymous invite from some stranger on a completely alien world apparently filled to the brim with sick, sick people? You could bet your life that Zuko was on guard. He didn't like that he and Aang had caught someone's attention, especially with Aang trying to blow up the arena and Zuko successfully breaking into somewhere important in the Capitol and getting away with it.

They couldn't trust anyone from this place. Only their fellow captives could maybe be trusted and only once they got to know them better.

Upon walking inside the restaurant, which was actually not bad given it was themed like home, Zuko looked around cautiously and saw that -

Oh no.

He immediately dropped into a fighting stance.

"Azula. I should have known that they'd bring you here."

The arenas were geared to favor manipulation and murder, after all.

[actually112]

Aang didn't like this any more than Zuko did. He was hoping to make a new friend, but he had a feeling that that wasn't going to happen tonight, considering how sketchy an anonymous invite was.

The moment he saw Azula, his stomach dropped.

"Oh, come on!" He was immediately in a fighting stance right next to Zuko, instinctively protecting his friend's mostly blind side. It was weird that Azula had invited them to a restaurant to fight, but she had seemed unstable last time they fought and maybe she wanted to use the civilians against them. "I thought the fighting was supposed to stop in the arena!" The world was unfair.

[keep_surviving]

Diana's too busy working over the menu to pay attention to Azula until the other woman speaks. "Well, it's good to know you support what I was going to do anyway." She smirks playfully at Azula from over the top of the calligraphic booklet.

There's no hiding her bemused amusement at Zuko and Aang's reaction upon seeing Azula. She arches an eyebrow and turns to her mentor. "Wow, Zula. That's gotta be a new record for how long it takes before someone wants to fight you." She shakes her head, as if disappointed. "Why can't you be nicer?"

Tossing her long dark hair, she turns her pretty face back to the newcomers and grins, then wiggles her fingers at Aang in greeting. "Hey again, short stuff. Good job causing such a fuss on your first arena."

[burnedbrighter]

Azula wishes she could say it surprised her they were so immediately hostile...but she knew what she was like so who could honestly be taken aback by this reaction?

What it did confirm however was her suspicion that there was a version of her in their universe.

With a warm and coy smile like a cat that has cornered it's next meal she gestured to the seats across from her and Diana.

"While I appreciate the offer of a good fight this is hardly the place for it. Save your energy for the training center please you're embarrassing us."

This was less of a suggestion and more of a warning as the light conversation in the restaurant had ground to a stop while the various citizens and staff watched in anxious worry and excitement. Was there about to be a fight? Some were quietly taking bets on who would win while the maitre'd had a hand on his communicator to call for peacekeepers.

[failbender]

Zuko's eyes darted around the room at the apprehensive body language of the of the other patrons, at the gazes of fear, at people that looked ready to call in some guards.

He was used to tense standoffs. He'd dealt with many during his exile and time on the run.

"She's counting on the people here possibly calling in guards if we make the first move," he muttered to Aang, quietly enough that Azula wouldn't hear. "We should either see what she has to say and be ready for her to make the first move, or just leave. Your call."

Aang was the one that had been nearly killed by her, after all, and while she likely wouldn't hesitate to kill either of them, Aang would likely be her primary target, especially since killing him here, outside the arena, might cause something terrible to happen if his spirit tried to reincarnate into a new body.

[actually112]

Aang's eyes darted from the familiar woman to Azula to Zuko to the crowd, then all the way back again, weighing the options. He took in details. He thought about the consequences of every action.

He slowly slid out of his defensive position, flashing the nervous crowd a smile and a wave. They didn't seem too reassured. "Zuko, I think your little sister got bigger than you."

She was older. Older than even Zuko. There was something up.

He wrapped an arm around Zuko's shoulder, feigning comfort while muttering softly, "Let's see what's up, but don't let her under your skin," before saying, louder and with a smile at the crowd, "Sorry, guys! Fresh out of the arena, we get jumpy. The food's great here, try the specials."

The crowd seemed to calm down, if only a little. Aang had no idea if the specials were any good, but he knew how to make people comfortable with him.

[keep_surviving]

"So, this means you've got a 'baby' brother. Cute." Diana speaks to Azula while having a sip of water.

During most of Aang and Zuko's talking Diana was entertaining herself by looking back and forth between Azula and Zuko.

"Hmmm, yeah I can see the resemblance." Then she amended her statement. "Well... Half of it anyway." Tact, thy name is Diana.

She chuckles at Aangs attempt at bringing back calm and went back to smirking at Azula from behind the menu. "And he's my age too, very cute."

[burnedbrighter]

"Perhaps a little." She remarked back to Diana as if the two of them hadn't been causing such a stir.

"The Scar is on the wrong side though. MY Zuko has it on the other half."

It's hard to speak of her older sister without disdain in her voice but she manages it for now. "Your performance in the arena was memorable to say the least. Yours especially Aang." Because why not lob some half hearted praise at a stranger while testing the waters with this version of Zuko?

[failbender]

"My scar is not on the wrong side!"

Welp, there he went ignoring Aang's advice, letting her get right under his skin.

Now that he was closer and now that Aang pointed it out, he had finally taken notice of how much older Azula looked and squinted at her as he and Aang edged carefully closer.

"Why do you look so much older? What do you mean your Zuko?"

He didn't like her complimenting Aang mostly because it just sounded weird hearing those words come out of her mouth. Who she was had him on edge but the fact she wasn't acting like herself, that something was just...off had him even more on edge.

Because it meant he had no idea what he was really looking at. Was this their Azula pulled from the future? Some otherworldly stranger somehow wearing her face?

[actually112]

It was too much to ask for Azula to not be creepy and Zuko not to get angry, wasn't it?

Yep. Too much.

Aang ducked in between Zuko and Azula, waving his hand to get Zuko's attention away from the source of his ire. "Zuko, maybe we should sit down. They're going to call Peacekeepers if they think you're going to attack her."

He was very on edge. He didn't like this at all. There was absolutely nothing good about this situation. But what could they do besides sit and see if they could find something out?

[keep_surviving]

As funny as this scenario is, it's also stopping Diana from ordering the long list of food she's already selected from the menu. Meaning, Diana is slowly starting to loose her interest and, subsequently her patience, as they stand there.

She gives an exaggerated sigh and rolls her eyes. "Are you two going to sit down or not?"

The teen turns her head to Azula, her full bottom lip beginning to pout out. "When can we order?" Her brow is arched with an expression that says 'fix this'.

[burnedbrighter]

Azula offered her a placating look taking her attention off the boys to comfort Diana. "I'll wave down a waiter."

Part of her wanted to admonish Diana to relax and let everyone else look over the menus, but she had brought Diana for moral support so tolerating her lack of interest in exercising her social graces was part of the deal.

Besides, apart from her obsession with food Diana had a good head on her shoulders and might have some insight that Azula can use when reflecting upon this later.

The waiter was to his credit, on the job and lingering just off to one side waiting for Aang and Zuko to sit down. Unfortunately this meant Azula couldn't see him till that had happened. As soon as it did though she would.

And so as she scanned the crowd for their waiter her eyes settled on Zuko's again. Once more she was overtaken by how strange it was to see fire in his eyes when those same eyes often looked at her with fear and pity from her sister.

"Well?"

[failbender]

Was it fire in his eyes or wanting to set her on fire with his eyes?

This felt like a trap. It felt like a trap and he wanted to grab Aang and storm out. The problem was, they wouldn't know who she really was, or what she was up to. They needed to figure out her angle and why she looked older.

That was why Zuko let out a wordless grumble and plopped into a seat, arms crossed, glaring at Azula from across the table.

[actually112]

And Aang sat right next to him, tempted to try patting his shoulder to calm him down and wary that that Zuko would take off his hand for it in the mood he was in. He kept his hands to himself and instead looked at Azula and Diana, every instinct telling him that something was up.

"So... this is a nice place, isn't it? The restaurant, I mean." The questions would come. In the meantime, maybe he could possibly break some of the tension. It was making a lot of Capitolites antsy.

[keep_surviving]

Diana casts her eyes upwards like she's praising a god. "Finally."

The moment the waiter comes over she takes him by the shirt sleeve and pulls him to her side. "Hey, cutie. You have no idea how long I've been waiting to see you~"

Before the guy has a chance to finish blushing at Diana's fluttering eyelashes she starts running a finger down the list of starters. "I'll have this. This. This. And this with all the dips. Okay?"

Nodding, the waiter makes to ask Azula's order before, with total disregard for personal space, Diana pulls him back by the gap between the buttons of his shirt. "Woah, where are you going? You haven't taken my main yet."

Flustered, the young man starts scribbling down Diana's next list. "I need this with chicken. This with beef. This with prawn. This with vegetables. And this with chicken and beef."

Upon his question if there is anything she needed, Diana ponders for a moment. "And I'll need a drink. Let's see." She flips the menu over to the back and bites her bottom lip in thought. "Hmmm."

Releasing her prisoner, Diana leans towards her mentor and repeats her technique of hooking her finger through the shirt, tugging it for attention. "Zula, do you want some wine?"

[burnedbrighter]

Azula hid her initial smirk behind her menu. She'd grown used to Diana's particular eating habits and the shocked and confused look of most wait staff when this girl who looked fit to be a super model was packing away food like she was about to go into the arena the next day.

The smirk faded and some red bloomed on her cheeks when Diana hooked onto her blouse to get her attention.

"Oh um...yes I think I will have some wine. And let's get an order of bread for the table."

Though if the boys wanted any they'd have to get to it before Diana.

Azula ordered next giving the boys a few more moments to look over the menu. It was full of spiced, zesty and flavorful foods not too far off from the sort of dinners served in the high society of the Fire Nation.

Coincidence? Perhaps.