(no subject)

[always_lies]

Characters: Azula, open
Setting: 1-11
Format: Prose action whatever
Summary: An angry fire princess is never a good thing to cross
Warnings: Possible fire-related destruction




1-11

Azula woke up with a start, and she would have rolled off the bed and into a bending stance except that she couldn't move. No, she's heard of this before. It's some sort of paralysis. "The most important thing to do is not panic." Ha! Her, panic? She was Azula. She was above such things. Closing her eyes, she breathed slowly until it passed, and she twitched a finger to test it.

Good.

Slowly, she sat up, looking around at her new surroundings. What- what is this she's wearing?! It was most definitely not what she remembered wearing last, but... giving herself another glance, she shrugged. Well, it did show off some of her nicer features. She felt no need to go naked just yet.

Well, now that was over, time to figure out what happened. The last thing she remembered was getting prepared for the Day of Black Sun. She was quite sure it hadn't passed yet, so she was assuming someone, somehow, managed to sneak into the Fire Nation Palace and kidnap her.

Rather good job of it, too, she had to admit. It wasn't easy getting the drop on her- no, she'd say it was impossible.

That was when she saw a letter sitting on the end table next to the bed she woke up on.

"WHAT?!"

A blast of blue flame disintegrated the paper in her hand.


===


Hallways and Staircases

The princess was on a war path. She was determined to find whoever was responsible for this and invite them to a flame powered barbeque. Of course, she was keeping her eye out for an exit, but this place... was rather strange. The Fire Nation prided itself on being the most technologically advanced society, but Azula didn't recognize even the method of lighting this ridiculous place. Today wasn't a good day to cross paths with her, that was for certain.

"You there!" She pointed at a clear collared worker, who then stopped and waited patiently. "Where am I? Who's responsible for this place?! Answer me!"

The drone just stared at her, then turned around and walked off. Azula balled up her fists and frowned, tempted to teach this idiot a lesson, but it soon passed. This was an unknown situation, and prematurely starting a fight may have a negative consequence that she wasn't prepared for. And she hated not being prepared for anything.

Still frowning, she relaxed and started brushing the jumpsuit off a bit, like it wasn't that important.

And that would be about when she noticed she was collared, too.


===

Cafeteria

After too long in a search, Azula finally made her way down to what seemed like the bottom floor in this Tower. It appeared to be a... mess hall? As if she would be caught dead eating at a mess hall.

Still, she walked by the food counter, looking at what it had to offer.

Pumpkin pie? Pumpkin soda? Those were things she wasn't quite familiar with. Were they some sort of Earth Kingdom cuisine?

She didn't have much of a chance to wonder, as one of the cafeteria workers shoved what looked to be a bowl of porridge into her hands.

Azula, Princess of the Fire Nation, did not eat porridge. Disgusted, she set it back down and took instead a piece of pie.


About twenty minutes later, she found herself in the most undignified position over a trash can.

That pie... that was the worst experience with food she had ever been through! "That chef needs to be fired!" She muttered through clenched teeth, gripping the sides of the trash can tightly. "No, flayed and quartered and hung up for everyone to see. Subjecting people to that..." The heaves seemed to stop, so she stood up and ran a hand through her hair, calming down.

...maybe she will have that porridge after all.

Comments

Cafeteria

[tohko_amano]

Tohko, who was wandering around, gathering candy-and had finally finished up todays quota, thank god-wandered into the cafeteria to see if there were any extra pieces. Instead of candy, she found a girl with long brown hair puking her guts out while muttering insults.

"Are you alright? Need any help?!" Tohko asked. "If you ate something other than the oatmeal, this is what happens. It sucks, but that's how it is. Want some water or something?"

[ooc: Tohko is wearing this embarrasing costume .]

[always_lies]

Azula looked over at the girl speaking to her, an unpleasant expression still on her face, which changed to surprise when she saw the costume the girl was wearing.

This had to be the most bizarre situation Azula ever found herself in. For once she found herself somewhat speechless.

"You mean everything but the 'oatmeal' is poisoned?"

[tohko_amano]

"No. If you're a newcomer to the cafeteria and you've never eaten anything before, you have to eat the oatmeal before you eat anything else. It's a silly rule, but it's heavily enforced, as you've just seen." Tohko quickly put a bowl of oatmeal and a cup of water on the table.

"There you go. I know it looks gross, but after you eat that, you can eat whatever you want." Not that she knew whether that oatmeal was actually tasty. However, Tohko could pretty much guess by looking at it that the oatmeal probably didn't taste good to normal humans.

Tohko looked at the girl again, and noticed that the girl was giving her an odd look. It was probably the stupid costume. "Erm..I didn't put this costume on by choice, if that's what's bothering you! It's part of a Halloween event the head honcho's cooked up!" After all, if Tohko had to pick a costume, she wouldn't have picked something as revealing as this.

[always_lies]

Well, okay. She would try this. Anything to prevent a repeat of that.

Sitting down, she raised an eyebrow at all of the unfamiliar terms. "Well, that's nice, but I have no idea what this 'Halloween' event is. But I would be very interested in learning about this 'head honcho.'"

[tohko_amano]

"Ah, right. Sorry. The Halloween event is where you're put into a costume and have to gather a set amount of candy each day. However, if you don't, you die."

Tohko paused in thought for a moment. She herself didn't know much about the people that ran the tower, so it was hard to try and explain them. However, she tried her best.

"Erm..the people that run the tower are, if I've heard correctly, pretty cruel. They like doing experiments on us and putting us in odd situations. Exhibit A is standing right before you." Tohko said, pointing at her costume. "I'm sad to say that's all I know about them. I've never met them in person. After all, I just came to this tower myself. By the way, what's your name, if you don't mind my asking?"

[always_lies]

Cruel hmm? Well, Azula would have to see about that. At least she could forgive the odd costumes.

"I am..." She hesitated briefly, then added, "Azula." There was no need to tip her hand. Revealing her position could be a mistake just yet.

"What sort of experiments are you talking about?"

HALLWAYS

[imperialsun]

What was it with him and his tenancy to be around fire-users. First Ayase, then Chidori and now this girl. Not that Naoya knew she was a fire user, of course. It was just her general attitude that made him sigh inwardly.

Well she does have nice legs... ...Dammit Lucifer, stop that.

Regardless, the red-eyed, black haired gentleman gives her a neutral smile.

"Do you need help?"

[always_lies]

"Yes," Azula wrapped an arm around her waist and shifted her weight on one foot. "But perhaps help is a little bit of a strong word. What is this place and why have I been brought here? Most importantly, how. It isn't easy kidnapping someone right out of a heavily fortified Fire Nation stronghold."

[imperialsun]

"Fire Nation," he repeated. That sounded more like the stage of a video game than anything else.

"We've all been brought here from different worlds," he explained, his voice perfectly calm. "Against our will, although they claimed to have saved us from our worlds being destroyed." He shifted his hands into his pockets as he always did.

[always_lies]

"Yes. The Fire Nation." Azula frowned just slightly. Placing ones hands in their pockets were a sign of disrespect, but she bore with it in favor of getting more answers. She really hated resorting to torture, it was so messy.

"Different worlds? As in places like the Spirit World?" She knew that such places existed, though to actually talk with someone outside of her own was something she usually thought spiritual leaders and gurus had part in. Not her.

"I am willing to accept that possibility, but as for actually destroying my world, that's simply not."

[imperialsun]

"No, different worlds entirely." If Naoya saw her frowning, he chose to ignore it. "Planets. Universes, even." He had no idea if she understood that concept, but explaining would come only if she asked.

"It's hard to believe, I know. Personally I don't think they are telling us the truth completely."

Cafeteria

[bow_of_the_galadhrim]

When the prince entered the cafeteria in search of candy, he was 'treated' to the sight of a young woman being ill. Immediately, his concern for finding candy (or else) was washed away for concern over her well being. Quickly, Legolas leaned beside her and lay a hand lightly on her back.

"My lady, those who cooked your meal need not be punished. The food is harmless." Most of the time. His voice was kind but firm enough to show that he knew what he spoke of. His costume even added to the effect his words may have.

"Come, eat the oatmeal and then you will be well again."

[always_lies]

Immediately tensing up at the feeling of his hand on her back, she looked up with surprise and something akin to annoyance, but he had manners so it quickly faded. "Isn't there anything that's more palatable than that?"

[bow_of_the_galadhrim]

"I fear not, my lady. The oatmeal is a necessary evil for all who awaken here and after, only what is available is the cafeteria can be eaten unless you would prefer hunting for your meals. However, you need only eat it once and nothing stops you from eating something else immediately after."

He gently guided her towards the nearest table and pulled a seat out for her.If she was still feeling the ill effects of eating something else, he wasn't going to insist she get the oatmeal herself and was already going to take a bowl for her and insisting on a second. He found that sharing the same meal often made it more bearable for new arrivals and he was willing to do so again.

[always_lies]

Oh. Well. Azula pushed away a faint blush that threatened to form. This was nice. And he was doing it out of his own will. Intriguing. She was entirely too used to being served by her subjects that someone who would do it out of... kindness? That must be it. Kindness too her rather by surprise.

"I've already had some of this 'oatmeal'. I didn't agree with it, so I tried something else." She made a line with her lips. "I suppose I shall have to eat all of it."

[bow_of_the_galadhrim]

He set the dish on the table for her and sat across, placing his own dish down. He considered grabbing them both a pumpkin soda but he was still loath to try anything that was made from pumpkins. It would take a lot of convincing for him to try. And he wasn't sure if her stomach could handle the drink just yet.

"Until the entire dish is eaten, you won't be able to eat anything else without being sick. I'll join you, it makes it slightly more bearable to share the, heh, pain of the oatmeal."

cafeteria

[culbutiri]

Nesir, dressed still in her costume, she thought maybe you only had to wear the white suit for the first day before they gave you something stupid to wear, watched the girl refuse the porrige and eat some pie instead.

She watched through the meal, half expecting someone to come and tell the girl off or punish her for breaking the rules.

Or where the rules just there... with no way to enforce them... Was the candy gathering the same.

When the girl left Nesir followed her from a distance, twenty minutes later she had her answer.

She knew there was nothing wrong with the pie, she had had it herself so...

"Well that do be one way of making sure we do be obedient." She walked closer to stand next to the girl.

[always_lies]

Obedient?

"And what makes you say that?" She said, cautiously, but also honestly curious what this girl meant. Getting a good look at her, she shook her head slightly. More strangely dressed people. Honestly, couldn't anyone afford any fashion sense around here?

[culbutiri]

"They did be telling you to be eating the oatmeal. You did no be doing that and you did be sick. I did be eating the oatmeal, and since then I can be eating whatever I do be wanting. I did be eating the pie and do be feeling fine."

Nesir was in a charitable mood, and this girl seemed to dim to work it out on her own.

[always_lies]

Listening to this girl was giving her a headache, so she just sighed and started eating a bit of the oatmeal. It was fairly tasteless, but she'd had worse. The problem was the texture. It was rather gummy.

[culbutiri]

Nesir just sat and watched her, interested in how this worked. "Do you be feeling better?"

Hallway

[lonemajin]

A loud snort comes from the direction of the short, bat-winged girl leaning against the wall, having just seen one of Azula's attempts at interrogating an the drone.

"Oh god, what a rube. You really think you'll get any important info from NPCs like that?"

Re: Hallway

[always_lies]

Stiffening, Azula whipped around to see who had dared address her like that.

A girl. With bat-wings. Her eyes narrowed when she took that in. Of course, she wouldn't get angry. It wasn't an infraction large enough. She just folded her arms instead, and tilted her head at Etna.

"Apparently not. These... 'drones' seem to have just about as much brains as you do."

[lonemajin]

"Oooh, snappy." She shrugged. "Well, there goes your chance for an infodump! You can go find your help elsewhere, kid."

[always_lies]

Azula didn't respond to the taunts, but folded her arms and just stared at the other girl.