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Who| Azula and anyone else who wants to join her
What| Murderworld and mommy issues - a match made in hell
Where| Temperant Zone
When| Day 2
Warnings/Notes| This zone includes a muttation based on Azula's mother, Ursa. It looks like a Greek Sphinx, with Ursa's face. It is not sentient enough to hold a conversation but does speak in Ursa's voice, saying "I love you, Azula" on repeat.

Also, Azula's powers have been nerfed, much to her annoyance.

When Azula woke up, she was somewhere new. It was a large forest, bigger than any she'd even seen before. And, thankfully, absolutely no sand. It seemed as though things were finally looking up. Unfortunately, appearances were the most deceptive thing here.

She got up and began to walk. A few minutes into her travels, a metal container fell down in front of her. She opened it up and found ... a firestarter kit.

"Is this some kind of joke?" she exclaimed. Just to be sure, she tried firebending, just wanting to make a small flame. Still nothing.

She bet those people watching were enjoying this and she hated them for it. One day, she vowed to make them realize they'd messed with the wrong person. Then they would rue the day they learned her name.

As she kept walking, she thought she heard something in the distance. Something, or someone, familiar. She did her best to ignore it, not sure if it was really real or not. She hated that this place was making her doubt her own senses again. But she was not going to break - she wouldn't give them the pleasure.

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A second metal canister suspended by a tiny parachute drifted lazily a few feet above Azula's head, weaving its way past obstacles and somehow keeping itself afloat without any aid. It looked altogether too heavy to be kept aloft by any sort of light passing breeze, but things in Murderworld tended to hold to their own rules moreso than the rules of physics.

Not more than a second after the canister floated past, a short, half-crazed looking young woman with skin that looked like metal (and, in fact, was metal), burst out from the underbrush right into Azula's path.

Videl gave a cry of surprise, stumbling a few steps back. "You're not--" she started, then halted herself, looking around hurriedly. Quickly, she spotted her quarry, still floating along its way without a care to the predator trying anxiously to capture it. "Crap, it's getting away!"

Azula reached for her knives when the woman appeared, but it looked like she was probably another Legionnaire. Still, she took on of the knives out, the weight in her palm helping her feel prepared.

When she looked over at the second canister, her first instance was to just shoot out of the sky. Unfortunately, her first instinct still thought she could conjure up the flames to do that. She might be able to hit it with a knife but instead she decided to just watch and see if the woman could get it on her own.

Videl's eyes snapped from the knife, to Azula, then back to the canister, a half-dozen thoughts and questions conflicting in her mind all at that same moment. First, this woman had a knife and didn't look scared when Videl stumbled upon her; either she was unusually confident for Harrubian detainee, or she was a fellow Legionnaire. Second, and perhaps more importantly, the mysterious canister was getting away and Videl was not about to let that happen.

Ignoring Azula for now, Videl scooped up a fist sized rock from the ground and lobbed it at the canister. A convenient breath of wind pushed the canister out of the way just in time to avoid the rock.

With a curse, Videl grabbed another rock, this time taking pains to keep a proper pitcher's stance before flinging her rock. This time, it connected, tangling up the parachute and bringing the offending canister to the ground. "Finally!" she cheered, rushing over to it. "I've been chasing this stupid thing for like half an hour," she shouted back at Azula as she popped the canister open. Inside, Videl found a prize worth her fight; a roll of soft, snow white cloth.

Toilet paper.

She was able to get a better look at the newcomer now and noticed that woman's skin appeared to be metal. She also had decent aim with a rock. Azula walked over to her, thinking that this might be a good ally to have in the middle of nowhere.

"And was it worth it?" Azula asked, eyeing the paper skeptically. It certainly wouldn't have been her first choice, not that anyone had asked her opinion.

Videl straightened up, toilet paper in one hand and canister in the other. "Absolutely," she answered with a nod, sliding the toilet paper back into the canister and sealing it. "I know they say you can just use leaves, but that is the worst feeling ever. I would've chased this thing for another mile or two if I had to."

She turned back to Azula, taking a moment to get a good look at her. "You're not Harrubian, are you?"

Some people had odd priorities. Of course, Azula wasn't exactly pleased at what she had been given. A firestarter kit for a firebender whose powers had been stolen. It was an insult.

"No, I'm from the Legion."

Clearly, Azula does not appreciate toilet paper nearly enough. That is a crying shame.

Videl nodded in response, her suspicious confirmed. "Same here. I'm Videl." Videl held out a hand to Azula. "Don't mind the metal skin. The jerks here took away the watch with my inhibitor, so I can't turn it off right now."

Toilet paper just wasn't very high on Azula's list of priorities.

She stared at Videl's hand for a moment, before taking it hesistantly. Her skin really was metal. "What does your inhibit-" Azula's question came to an abrupt halt when she heard the sound of something large in the forest nearby and spun to face that direction.

"If it's a joke, it's a terrible one."

Not that Vance was expecting anything different from Arcade. The Avengers had a lot of files on the villain. Though, in this case, he thought they might have to blame an uptick in teen dystopian fiction.

It would just be easier to take if it weren't for the headache that had a pinched expression on his face as he came out of hiding. He'd already overextended his powers and he probably wasn't going to get enough of a chance to rest to sort it out. "Legion, right?"

Azula had to agree with that assessment. Everything from the minute she'd first arrived in this arena had been one bad joke after another.

She eyed the new arrival carefully. She hadn't seen him before but if he was in one piece here, he must know what he was doing. "Yes," she replied. "I'm Azula. Usually I'm a firebender but apparently not while I'm in here."

He nodded, then paused as the movement set off the pain in his head again. He reached up, pinching the bridge of his nose for a moment. "I'm Vance," he said, raising his other hand. "Telekinetic. Still am, but I've gotten dialed down a hell of a lot here."

At least she wasn't alone in having her abilities tampered with. "Did you at least get anything useful? I have knives, which is at least something." She was very thankful that she'd had Mai teach her. These days, it was the only thing concerning Mai that Azula was thankful for.

Not alone, no. Anybody who could fly with their powers had definitely been tampered with, he knew that.

He shrugged, looking into is pack. "Other than what was in the packs? I got some hydration gel yesterday, along with a rope hammock and a gag gun. Today was a rain poncho. Basically, about half useless."

"Lovely."

Azula took a moment to look around them. The area seemed safe enough for the moment but she didn't intend on staying there. She turned back to Vance when in the distance, she heard the sound again.

Azula ...

She spun around towards the noise but she couldn't see anything.

Yeah, that looked like it could be trouble. Or sounded like it, at least. Vance immediately went on guard as well, moving behind and a bit to the side of Azula. So that neither of them was blocking the other. "I'm assuming you heard that, then." Given that it was her name that was being said.

Damn it. Azula had actually been hoping she'd just imagined the sound. The voice.

"We should get moving," she said, before turning and walking in the opposite direction. She almost considered running, if she could keep away from whatever was out there.

Vance glanced toward where Azula had looked before turning to follow her. "Probably not a bad idea. Standing still too long just seems like a terrible idea here."

Azula kept walking, assuming he would follow. Or not. As long as she got away from whatever was saying her name, it didn't matter. As she walked, she kept looking back. She couldn't see anything but she had a tingling feeling on the back of her neck. She was sure it was getting closer.

She wasn't the only one getting that tingly feeling, but for Vance, it was peripheral. Or just the fact that they were being watched by the locals of whatever the nearest planet was. He wasn't certain which and he wasn't going to speculate too much on it. "Kinda wish this place came with some sort of instruction manual. I like to know what to expect when I walk into a place."

"Sounds good, as long as it included how to get out of here."

There was a rustling in the bushes to her left, definitely caused by something large. Azula spun around, trying to firebend out of instinct. Still nothing, not even a spark.

She did not like this. She did not like this at all.

"Even a map would be a help at this point."

Vance paused when Azula spun, turning the same direction that she had. He brought his hand up, though he didn't bring up his powers yet. It was causing far too many problems at the moment.

"Somehow, I don't expect them to provide one."

The rustle came again and then another. A large form appeared in front of her. Its paws were like a lion turtle's, though much smaller. But she did not have time to think about that, because as it emerged from the shadows she found herself looking into her mother's eyes.

"I love you, Azula," it said.

She stood there, staring at the creature, and she could feel her body begin to shake.

Vance stepped forward, wanting to be ready in case the creature made a leap for them. He didn't recognize the face on it, but given the reactions of his companion, he was relatively certain that she did. "Take it that's meant to look like someone you know?"

Azula heard Vance's words but it took a moment to register what he said. "It's my mother," she said finally. "Or it's meant to be." Her mother was gone, just left in the middle of the night. Not that Azula cared. How could she?

"I love you, Azula," it said again.

"Shut up," Azula said back, pulling out her knives. She wasn't going to listen to any more of her mother's lies.

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