Back to town

Aang, Sokka, Katara, June, Ty Lee and Mai stood over the paralyzed Azula's body. June's shirshu nuzzled Azula's face for a moment before turning away. Azula made an incoherent, angry noise.

"So. What do we do with her now?" Aang said.

Ty Lee and Mai had already begun to move away. They stopped only to listen in, apparently interested in knowing the fate and whereabouts of their newly minted nemesis.

""Don't ask me," June said. "I just get paid to find people."

She tugged on her shirshu's reins, and started riding off, leaving the rest of them where they were. Azula strained, but couldn't shake off the paralytic effects of the venom.

"Anyone?" Aang said.

Mai cleared her throat.

"Er. I'm not sure we want to take advice from the knife-throwing lady," Katara said.

"Not that," Mai groaned.

"Yeah! She'd be even more pissed if we killed her!" Ty Lee piped up.

"There's a Fire Nation embassy in the town," Mai said. "Abandoned at the moment, but it has cells that can withstand a firebender's heat. She won't be any trouble in there."

Azula yelled again. Katara looked down, annoyed, and lay her hand over Azula's mouth to shut the princess up. Azula gave a muffled yell, unable even to squirm.

"I like the sound of that," Aang said. "We leave her in there, she won't be coming after us for ages. And if we tell Bumi, or the Earth King, or any of the Earth Kingdom military, they can make sure she doesn't escape."

"Okay," Katara said.

She paused, then looked down at the naked Azula and sighed.

"So who's volunteering to carry her?" Katara said.

Azula tried to scream again, despite her inability to form any actual words. She was going to be the next Fire Lord! She was not going to be carried, stark naked, and tossed in some dingy cell. She did that to other people.

Though, even with her fervent wishes, nothing could stop Sokka from crouching and picking her up, the physically strongest of the group lifting the incapacitated psychopath in his arms. She so very much wished she could start firebending again.

Mai and Ty Lee quickly made their excuses to leave. The avatar's group mused on that for a moment, but were in no position to give chase, instead starting the journey back to the town. Azula focused as best she could, desperately awaiting the tell-tale tingling in her extremities to show the venom was wearing off.

Instead, she felt a squeeze. A high-pitched, barely-articulated squeal escaped her lips. Katara and Aang looked back, the nude Azula still carried like a baby in Sokka's arms, one arm under her thighs, one under her lower back, face-up and bared, and a wandering hand on her underside.

"Sokka!" Katara said, scolding him. "Gross. She's evil."

"What can I say?" Sokka said shamelessly. "Evil has a great butt."

Azula protested again. The avatar simply rolled his eyes, turning forwards again, leading the way back to the town. A few moments later and the princess felt another squeeze. When she complained, she went ignored.