Chapter 256: The Palace Treatment
"You know... I am glad you annoyed both me and Rena just long enough to get me here," Sokka lets out an annoyed huff and stares at Nik pointedly, "How do I look?"
"Why don't I send you back to Rena? You can ask for her opinion," Nik smirks.
"Well," drawling animatedly, Sokka pulls one of the flowers from the vase and bites its stem to hold the length of the orange flower, "I'm gonna ask that tonight." He waggles his brows, showing how a night's sleep can do wonders for one's mind.
Not that yesterday's events aren't weighing on his mind but much like Zuko, the Chieftain is a born warrior. It would take a lot more to break him and even then, Sokka is the kind of guy who takes in things on a more positive note.
"So," letting his eyes wander around the pristine room, he questions, "You guys think Ty Lee's Sisters kept something?" As he says so, he plops down on the bed in the center of the room with thin red curtains around it. The bed itself is very comfortable and the silk sheets make sure that the silky red and black on his body don't get wrinkled. Keeping up with the fashion, Sokka's wolf tail is fashioned into a topknot but instead of wearing a band with a flame motif, he wears a distinct maroon hairband without any other decoration.
"It would be weird if they didn't," Zuko comments as he looks into the mirror and straightens his sleeves. He wore something more formal... well, he struggled to wear it, really. They did deny the maids from helping them and didn't mind sharing the room since the wardrobe set for Zuko, in a word, is expansive.
Combing his short hair back, Zuko sighs but still vainly admires himself in clothes that he never thought he'd wear... and he admits. He looks good. He is in similar attire. Red robes, yellow cloth belt, black trousers, and black vest. But unlike Sokka, Zuko's red robes are adorned with golden linings which prompt him to speak, "I feel a little weird to only wear something this... decorative."
"Nah, you're the prince, remember? For... well, a short time till Nik boots our asses. Might as well enjoy the feeling," Sokka chuckles and stretches into the bed, "And speaking of booting things... Nik, let's just take away a few of these beds. They are too good."
"If Ozai lived here," Nik pushes away Zuko to hog the mirror as the latter rolls his eyes and squirms his way to share the mirror altogether, "I would have liberated the entire palace from his hands... But I can't do that to Iroh. It will reflect poorly on his judgment once we're gone. So, we'll find his stash of the best tea he hides around here and take that. You know, something he will remember us by."
This earns him Zuko's and Sokka's chuckles while Nik mocked a pose of curling bicep as his group of muscles strains against the fabric.
Larger than both Zuko and Sokka, he needed to ask for a larger set of clothes. Not the maids minded running along to get him something suitable. So, out of all the glaringly lavish outfits, Nik found something simpler. As Sokka said, only Zuko needs to pretty himself up as a prince. They are fine and dandy being the side piece.
Still... maybe it's the palace or the mirror but even Nik cannot help but feel a little vain. He looks good. Unlike Zuko, his hair isn't swept back and styled naturally. In fact, ever since his evolution, his hair hadn't grown all that much despite only a few days of passage. His darker skin tone is closer to Sokka than the fair-skinned Zuko so his violet irides stand out quite a lot and he, too, is garbed in a silk red robe equipped with a black vest.
"So... are we really drinking in the middle of their performance?" Zuko questions.
"Hey, no drinks, no me!" Sokka confirms. That is the one thing that attracted him the most at this moment.
"That's fine by me," Zuko steps away from the mirror and tosses Nik a knowing glance, "But I always imagined being 'nice' is your first move usually."
"Hey," Turning back to look at them, Nik defends his non-existent honor, "Don't go out making me look like some form of a scum."
Then exhaling a sigh, Nik adds, "As for not being nice... it's not like I don't want to but I just realized something simple yesterday. Maybe I'm being a little too 'hard' on the fact of who should I tell I am leaving or not. After all, when the time comes, I'd inform Ty Lee whether things go 'my' way or not..."
"But?" Sokka sits up and rolls his eyes, "Go on, get out with it. We also have to visit the library, right? You'll store all the sweet information on what tinkers the Fire Nation and their industrial lifestyle so I can learn from your 'mental' library later."
"But," Nik hesitates and rubs the back of his head, "It's feeling more of a chore with Ty Lee. I'm not going to force her and she keeps on coming on with half-baked measures in the most ridiculous moments. It was never that hard with the rest."
"The rest?" Zuko narrows his eyes and this time Nik rolls his', "Yes, Prince. It's never that hard. We either did it or we didn't."
"Now that you have gotten it out... let's visit the library!" Sokka climbs out of the bed.
"What? No advice? Nothing as simple and profound as 'Stab and Run?'" Nik blinks in surprise.
"Yeah, stop sticking it into anything that moves," Sokka grins.
"So, your sister is 'Anything that moves'?" Nik shoots back.
"Hey, low blow!" Sokka growls with a snort, "And you'd think that would annoy me but you're wrong. Our culture has had harems before. We're the most 'passionate' out of the four communities, after all."
"Whatever," Nik scoffs, too, "Let's get to the library and that hidden room."
"Hidden room?" Sokka and Zuko perk up.
"Oh, yeah, I sensed a hidden room in the palace close to the records room. I think it has some private records. Archives maybe. It's dusty so after we're done, I'll sandbend the dust away."
Zuko and Sokka glance at each other. Their curiosity is piqued now.
---
Unlike the guys, not all women shared their rooms. Knowingly, Ursa and Kya leave one room filled with maids to the girls and choose to settle down in another room for themselves. Offering to help Kya with the wardrobe since Ursa is intimately aware of many outfits in the palace, they both find no need for maids to help them.
"Would it be fine to leave Michi and Poppy?" Kya questions and glances at Ursa who is bent forward in front of her to tie the golden belt around her waist with simple but quick and experienced movements.
Smiling somewhat mischievously, a trait Ursa did not mind revealing in front of someone around her age, she chimes, "Of course! Those two can get really unhinged and the thought of them egging seven identical sisters with obvious issues is..."
"Annoying?" Kya completes the sentence for Ursa who nods in exasperation, "You weren't there when we visited Lake Laogai but... they really are dangerous and too fond of Nik."
"And that's a bad thing?" Kya queries with a smile, "I do remember someone being equally fond of him this morning."
With a dusting of red visible on her fair cheeks, Ursa smirks again and then huffs audibly, "Well, my fondness is like... I'll do anything for him to make him feel comfortable." With a more than sour look, she adds, "Their fondness is like— They'll push anyone to his side the moment he shows interest in them... That's how those two terrible minxes got me muddled with Nik!"
Adopting a moderate accusatory tone, Ursa ties the final knot and looks up with upturned eyes, "I will have you know that I'm not like them... So, if you feel uncomfortable by their antics, or as I would call them subtle manipulations, don't feel harshly for them. And, you can always talk with me."
"I see," Looking thoughtful as if she might really take the chance to ask her about something as she sits and let Ursa get behind her to brush her hair, which is simply too comfortable... Kya hesitates and questions.
"How are you and your children getting along?"
The question stumps Ursa for a moment. Recalling Zuko's rather visible nonchalance, Ursa reveals a relaxed and relieved smile, "Just fine. Things are always rough with Azula but that's because she likes to argue for the sake of it. Not when it comes to doing her chores. That way she is very responsible," droning about their children's plus point at any other mother would, Ursa fails to notice the amused look in Kya's gaze.
"Meanwhile Zuko is very responsible and I am glad the recent events did not affect him too much. Something I have to thank Nik for, too. Not only that, he told me last night that he wants to restart farming and build a life in Nik's personal space and not want to just rely on him entirely for everything. I cannot ask for anything more. Nik is already shouldering the lot of us... for a 'good' reason, I'd say. But he is also the one who wanted this so this morning..." With a faint blush and finally letting go of the breath she's been holding the entire time, Ursa reveals.
"This morning I was really... happy that Nik gave his all to make me get onboard. I know it was selfish of me to put some distance between us but I was also a little afraid. Now I'm not... not after this morning and especially Zuko's approval."
It's clear to Kya that in Ursa's heart, Zuko, and Azula holds a higher place than Nik and it should be like that. No mother should ever discount their children's emotions...
Getting to the point after letting Ursa gush whatever she's been holding back, Kya watches Ursa through the mirror flinch when she asks, "I know this is quite personal and I have had this chat with Michi and Poppy out of interest but... what I meant was how are you and Azula doing? Given that..."
While Kya does not finish her sentence, Ursa lowers her head slightly and doesn't meet Kya's gaze.
"Well..." Blushing, Ursa gulps, "I don't know what to say... it just happens around Nik. No, to be exact, Nik simply doesn't let it get too weird..."
Looking up and seeing Kya tossing her chin back to throw her a look, Ursa flushes a bit more and mutters, "I mean, it's not like we have a taste for sharing him. But whenever we might... we simply don't get the chance to focus on how it would look to others. Nik makes sure that we're... fully satisfied..."
Kya nods and Ursa tosses a question back, "Why are you asking about it?"
With a remarkable calm developed over years of living in a space with no emotion, Kya claims softly, "You know why. But like you, I prioritize Sokka and Katara. I just wanted to make sure that it doesn't feel wrong and from what I've heard again... it doesn't."
Chewing her lip in thought, Ursa offers softly, "I can't imagine what you've gone through despite enduring the same thing only for a few hours but... if you're honest with your children, I'm sure you can figure something out even if not with Nik."
Smirking and showing a similar mischievousness that Ursa graced her with, Kya questions, "Is that how you started? By talking?"
"Hey, now!" Ursa huffs and get to combing Kya's hair again, "And here I was offering a truce to stand against Michi and Poppy! You're equally a bitch."
Had Azula been here, her jaws would hang wide open observing Ursa's current, teen-like demeanor.
And Katara's expression won't be any different if she heard Kya speak—
"Oh, if I am like the two of them, maybe I will try to win his favor by handing him seven identical siblings on a silver platter. I've heard from good sources this dawn that he is having problems with Ty Lee."
Ursa scoffs and then shakes her head with a wry smirk, "Who am I kidding? Anyway... if things don't work out well with your children, Michi, Poppy, and I will surely single out a good man for you... I guess?"
"You have my gratitude for that," Kya smiles, too, "Now let me return the favor. My hair looks beautiful but I am sure you will look equally stellar in the way we used to comb our hair in my village."
Not the least bit repulsed by the idea, Ursa smiles widely, "Then I shall be in your care."
---
"Hey, Lee..." Ty Lin knocks on the door and enters Ty Lee's room to find her idly staring at herself in the mirror. Unlike the lavish decorations of the palace, their mansion does fall short but it is rustic and tasteful nonetheless.
"Oh, hey," Ty Lee looks at her eldest without needing any confirmation. Unlike others, the Ty sisters have always been able to differentiate from each other.
Chewing her bottom lip, Ty Lin hesitates but does not falter. A determined glint perks in her onyx-brown eyes and she invites, "We want you to perform with us. All seven of us."
This takes Ty Lee by surprise and she questions, "Perform? Meaning..."
"Acrobatic routines, stunts, and a lot more," Ty Lin nods and doesn't shy away from this topic, "Please. We want you to be with us. Together... again."
Adopting a blank stare, Ty Lee grits her jaws. Sensing her youngest's aura darken considerably, Ty Lin prepares herself for a verbal lashing but then... Ty Lee relaxes.
"I'm sorry for running away..." She whispers, "And not even saying a proper goodbye."
Before Ty Lin can say anything, Ty Woo bursts into the room, "Nah, bitch, you're fine! We weren't the best sisters either!"
This makes Ty Lee's shoulders slump and she is brutally honest, "That's true... you weren't..."
Lowering her head in shame, Ty Lin doesn't know what to say but Ty Woo does!
Ty Woo always has something to say!
"Well, that's for a reason! You'll see that in today's performance! Anyway... I have a plan!"
Exhaling a groan, Ty Lin plants her foot down metaphorically, "No! No stupid plans! We just welcome her friends with THAT routine—"
"Let's wear the same clothes!" Ty Woo gushes eagerly, "Earlier, it was easy for your boyfriend to differentiate between us because we wore our signature colors! Let's shake things up and see if he's all pompous in naming us once again!"
As expected... the seven sisters share the same brain cell be it in pain, sadness, joy, or... wicked curiosity.
As their aura flare deep pink in excitement, Ty Lee forgets the earlier heavy topic and looks into the idea already, "What if... he doesn't get it right?" She questions before her eyes widen and she hisses, "He isn't my boyfriend..."
"Really? We heard he takes the prettiest bitches and their mothers," Ty Woo puffs her chest, "And we're the prettiest, of course!"
"Hey," Ty Lin blushes, "We aren't just objects for someone to take away!"
"Heh, with our bad luck in finding men who confuse between us," Ty Woo smirks sadistically, "We'll be lucky to find a man unless we get visible tattoos!"
And this makes all three of them blanch.
None of them like tattoos. Sure, on someone else it may look good but they abhorred the idea of putting their skin through such torture.
"So are we doing this?"
Other four burst in with excited giggles.
Ty Lee nods happily and clenches her fist, "If he can't get us right with the same clothes... I'll just... I'll just..."
"You what?" Ty Lat chimes, "Give him a good reason to never forget who you are?"
This makes Ty Lee deflate once again.
"Hey, why so sad? Did that bastard force you or something? He is called a plunderer, right? We'll block all his chi!" Ty Woo raises her arms.
"Well... he also calls himself the Nut Cracking Messiah..." This makes others giggle in surprise as Ty Lee grumbles, "It's just not easy with him... with Azula around him... not to mention Mai..."
"Mai?" Tai Liu smirks, "That dull, pasty aura girl? Come on, you can easily—"
"Wait until you hear everything," Ty Lee whispers with a serious expression and as the other six settle on her bed, she starts explaining quite a bit except sensitive stuff like Nik's ability to make things disappear.
---
"Woah!" In the hidden room after their brisk walk within the records room, Nik points out, "Check this out! Another secret island!"
Zuko checks the map and so does Sokka before the Chieftain looks at Nik weirdly, "Isn't this the same island where Aang is in? All that situation with stormbenders? By the way, their red tattoos look way too cool!"
"Well, Aang is there but so is information!" Nik points further on the scroll, "See? Says right here. The only island with the most precious knowledge of the sages!"
"We already have the information on tanks," Sokka scratches his chin, "Do we need this?"
"I need it. May just be useful," Nik huffs.
"Good luck. I'm not visiting another island with you. Who knows what kind of spirit decides to show their face this time," Zuko rolls his eyes.
"Hey! Iroh's old picture!" Sokka finds a rolled-up painting.
"Better yet, see, I told you it would be here. Iroh's tea leaves!" Nik cackles.
"Hmm... so this is just some imperial storage for the family alone," Zuko muses.
"Hey..." Sokka giggles, "Zuko, your great-great-great-grandma is a total babe!"
"What the hell?!" Zuko groans.
Leaning over, Nik hums, "No, no, Sokka might be onto something. And I know from experience that some women of Fire Nation like to paint their portraits nude..." He recalls Michi's passionate painting.
Sokka whistles, "Let's find it!"
"What?" Zuko barks!
"Don't worry! If they painted it, they would want others to admire it," Nik nods in a sage-like manner.
***
Alternate Title: When Side-Pieces are Just as Hot; Ursa Loved This Morning!; Kya's Muses; The Fourth Horsemen of Elemental Milf!; Ty Woo's Sinister Plan!; Ty Lee Spills the Beans; The Quest For Oldie But Baddie Nudes; Digging Through Zuko's Family!; Another Life-Changing Island Trip?
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A/N: Who should get to accompany Nik on this new life-changing trip?
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