The Unrivalled Expert in Human Nature

Chapter 6

103 AG

Azula blinked as her eyes adjusted to the light in the room. She'd just woken up and since the first thing she could make out was a person's arm, she jerked away instinctively.

"Hey... It's OK. It's just me." Wen said calmly, "Bad dreams?"

"No, I'm just not used to waking up next to someone." she rubbed her eyes, "Were you ever going to wake me?"

She was slowly realizing she fell asleep while waiting for them to make port. There was no way she could keep him and his crew apart now. If he was right, and they were indeed waiting for him, she'll just have to say goodbye to him. Possibly forever...

"We definitely have another hour. I thought you could use it after two days of not sleeping." he was sitting on the bed half-dressed, fixing small braids in his hair that got disheveled last night. It was quite a captivating sight.

"You're doing that wrong." Azula smiled and moved to straddle him, so she could do it instead of him.

"Didn't you have servants to do your hair?" Wen asked.

"I did, but in the last year I've expanded my expertise. I am now very self-sufficient... Hold still." she finished and lowered herself back onto his lap, so they were face to face, "All done. What are you grinning about?"

"Just how lucky I am I decided to board your ship." he leaned forward and kissed her.

In the light of day, it somehow felt even more right...

"I don't usually say this to women straddling me," he started, "But can you put some clothes on? So we can leave..."

"Well, I remember you saying we have an hour," she cupped his face with both hands, "And there are a lot of activities we could engage in to fill the time..."

Seeing her suggestion was met with a warm welcome, she started kissing him. Just as he was slowly making his way down her neck, they heard a knock.

"Who in the world is it?!" she yelled all the way from the bed, not even trying to mask her voice anymore.

"Ma'am, you were supposed to vacate the room half an hour ago." a voice was heard from the other side of the door.

"Sorry, beautiful... We have to move." Wen whispered and stood up from the bed to look for his shirt and water pouch.

"I'll be right out!" Azula yelled at the man outside and stood up to put something over her undergarments.

"I'll get out through the window, so you can walk out peacefully." Wen opened the window to assess the fall into the water.

"Not a chance. I'm not dressing up again. We go together."

Wen nodded and they both jumped into the shallows from the window. It was a bit early in the morning to be wet, but it was the fastest way out.

After Wen dried them both, he dragged Azula to a remote part of the port where his rendezvous point was.

"Here, right around the corner..." he pointed and made the turn only to stop and stand there motionlessly. Azula followed him and quickly realized what made him freeze like that. There was no ship there. She stood right next to Wen so she could study his face as he realized his friends weren't there waiting for him.

This was it. This was what Azula wanted. This was the best possible outcome for her, yet somehow, she felt truly terrible seeing the look of betrayal on Wen's face. A look she knew all too well. This felt so profoundly awful, even she couldn't find the words, so she reached out and took his hand into hers slowly.