[RL with Azula- and perhaps Akako/Ty lee too]

[clockmaster]

[In the cell]

It had been 4 days, 17 hours, 37 minutes and 23 seconds since he had been invited to the Fire Nation. The distance between walls were less than 5.5 meters, and there were 157 bricks on the wall, 12 of them broken. Saguru Hakuba counted them. Not just because he was really bored, but because he liked to count things to keep his mind busy.

He had tried to practice some fencing too, it was not the same without a real opponent, or a real sword- but he could practice the steps, and it kept him from freezing.

They called that cells Coolers. It was an adequate name.

The coldness of the cell permeated the blond to the bone, while he wait, listening, hoping against hope that Akako wasn't going to try anything drastic. Hakuba knew that to survive, he had to adapt- to keep cool, learn to give and take pain as it comes. Sometimes he got scared, too. In fact, he was scared often, more for the other than himself, but he couldn''t show it - in a place like this, if you admit weakness, you're a dead man. It's as simple as that, as sure as a wounded fish is a meal for hungry sharks. Mercy doesn't exist. Second chances are about as rare.

So, here, in the coldness dark, he waited.

[On the palace]

Akako was not a happy witch. Between having her boyfriend kidnapped (no matter how many times the princess insisted it was an arrest, she'd never believe her) and being bested by the mousy girl (it had taken all night to heal the bruises!) she was in a horrid mood. All she wanted to do was rescue Hakuba, take him home with her, and go to sleep... preferably with him lying next to her, but eh. Minor details!

Akako approached the prison again, a bit more weary this time, and kept her eyes open for Ty Lee. She wouldn't be taken off guard and beaten up like that again.

The bruises really did hurt.

Comments

[clockmaster.livejournal.com]

"And you're not exactly succesful at finding him,princess." Hakuba raised an eyebrow and smiled. "What a shame, what you father will think of you?"

[peoplesprincess.livejournal.com]

"Oh, Dad thinks quite highly of me, actually," she said flippantly.

[clockmaster.livejournal.com]

"I wonder why.." Hakuba rolled his eyes sarcastically. "What about you dear mom?"

[peoplesprincess.livejournal.com]

Azula's face remained unconcerned. "She was banished. Her opinion means nothing to me."

[clockmaster.livejournal.com]

Vanished, Hakuba thought, nice way to put it. He already knew about it, but it was more distracting to ask the princess.

"My mother wasn't the maternal type, she loves me and all, but even if she wanted kids she didn't know how to deal with them." He watched her patiently, a smirk still tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"She couldn't understand me as a Kid, I don't think she can understand me now either. I wasn't good at making friends, the other kids weren't interesting, I got bored of them so easily they didn't matter a thing for me." Hakuba made a short pause. "I didn't even care about not having friends. That's why she thought that I was..strange,maybe some kind of...monster."

[peoplesprincess.livejournal.com]

The only change in Azula's expression was a delicately-raised eyebrow. "Are you under the impression that telling me your life story will get you out of her any sooner?"

OOC: XD Sounds like Hakuba did some research- or was the monster thing just a coincidence?

[clockmaster.livejournal.com]

"Are your really that much scared about being a failure?" Was the short response, Hakuba knew that the princess was trying to avoid the subject and he was not interested in that now.

research >:3, And damn I wrote 'Vanished' and not 'Banished' I'm stupid XD *fails*

[peoplesprincess.livejournal.com]

"I'm not scared of being a failure. It simply won't happen, that's all."

OOC: Haha, no problem. ;)

[clockmaster.livejournal.com]

"I think that it already happened." Hakuba shrugged. "But you can keep lying to yourself until you or your girlfriend pay the price for your foolishness."

thanks, but still...ugh -_-'

[peoplesprincess.livejournal.com]

Azula rolled her eyes again, more irritatedly this time. "I haven't failed- and Ty Lee and I aren't going to 'pay the price' for anything."

[clockmaster.livejournal.com]

"Let's recapitulate..." Hakuba looked innocently and thoughtful. "You are trying to defeat the Avatar but you didn't do it yet, you're only friend -and girlfriends- froze your legs once, and the only reason she don't leave you now it's because she's scared of you, you let her get changed into a puppy and you really didn't do anything to help her...and don't make me start with your brother."

occ: if Azula feel like hurt him, go ahead, I don't mind. X3

[peoplesprincess.livejournal.com]

Azula's face twitched. "She isn't afraid of me. And I stayed outside of your girlfriend's stupid house for a day and a half, attempting to find a way in."

OOC: She wants to, but thinks that if she does it now he'll be less likely to give in. She'll probably order torturetiems later or something (of course, he'll be out by then, but...).

[clockmaster.livejournal.com]

"Oh, a day and a half outside, how useful." Hakuba mocked her. As used as he was to notice the small changes on Kid's expressions when they interacted, Hakuba noticed the twitch.

"How do you know? if Ty lee is afraid of you she will not tell you, and there's no way you might know if she's sincere...unless someone capable to notice that things ask her."


occ: aww how nice from her, torturetiems!8D

[peoplesprincess.livejournal.com]

"As if your witch is doing any better." She refused to allow his words to get it her. It was a bit harder when the subject matter was Ty Lee (how pathetic; how weak- it shouldn't make a difference), but still manageable.

I am quite capable of telling when people are lying," Azula snapped. That was true, for the most part- but she hadn't anticipated Mai's betrayal, had she? And she certainly hadn't anticipated her return.

[clockmaster.livejournal.com]

"oh, but we are not talking about my witch now, right?" Hakuba grinned. That knowing smile again.

"I ask you again, how do you know for sure that she's not afraid? You can't be sure. You can not tell when I'm lying to you, after all."

[peoplesprincess.livejournal.com]

"Actually, we are. You're the only one with a witch, after all."

It was true, she couldn't tell when he was lying. He was a good liar; possibly as good as her. That was... unsettling.

"Of course I'm sure. She isn't afraid; not even in the slightest."

[clockmaster.livejournal.com]

"I don't have a witch, unlike someone, I don't force people to be with me. She's not my possession." The detective responded, his warm breath coming out in white small clouds into cold air.

"You can be sure of that unless you ask her and she gave you a sincere response. Something hardly impossible when it comes to you. You're not even sincere with yourself, why should Ty Lee be sincere with you?"

[peoplesprincess.livejournal.com]

The corner of her mouth twitched again. "I'm not forcing her. She started it."

[clockmaster.livejournal.com]

Hakuba's eyebrows raised. Now, now, that was fun.

[peoplesprincess.livejournal.com]

The twitch turned into a smirk. "Something wrong?"

[clockmaster.livejournal.com]

"It's hard to believe that she did that...without coercion."

[peoplesprincess.livejournal.com]

"But she did."

[clockmaster.livejournal.com]

Hakuba snorted.

"Please."

[peoplesprincess.livejournal.com]

"I didn't coerce her into-" Azula fought a scowl. "That would have been pathetic."

[clockmaster.livejournal.com]

"Right, and she just fell into your arms and kissed you deeply." Hakuba forced himself not to laugh, that will destroy the nonchalant effect.