Azula underestimated him again. Of course he heard someone slipping up behind him. He wouldn't have survived the war if he could have missed something like that. But he didn't know who it was. And there was a value to being underestimated. So he simply lifted his tea cup at the proper angle and watched, still as if waiting for it to cool enough to sip.
Not something that would generally fool anyone who knew he was a Fire Bender, but here that was very few people.
No. What he was waiting for was the person sneaking up to get close enough that... there. A reflection in the still surface of the tea. A trick he learned watching Water Benders.
But the face coming up in the reflection was not who he had expected. And at the pace she was approaching he didn't have much time to decide how to react. He did sip the tea, so that hopefully she didn't catch what he had done. But he suspected she'd at least see the pause as suspicious, even if she didn't catch on to the reason for it.
And it was possible that she wouldn't. Azula didn't tend to see strength outside of herself, and he doubted it would occour to her to think like someone from one of the other nations.
If he reacted like he knew who it was, she wouldn't underestimate him in this same way again. That smart she very much was. Really in her own ways, Azula was brilliant. But her focus was just too narrow for her own good. It always had been.
Still, if she was coming to attack, failing to act could prove fatal for one or both of them. And possibly for any bystanders. But then she'd know he'd spotted her. What he needed... Ah... That would work.
He drained his cup, holding the liquid in his mouth, in case he needed it, as he reached for something on the other side of the fire. But he over extended. Intentionally, but not obviously so, so that he hit the ground beside the fire, looking up at Azula from the ground, hands ready to push himself in whatever direction he needed to if she was there to attack.
And if she wasn't there to attack, well she'd just see a clumsy foolish old man. One who was subtly breathing through his nose, and not talking, because he had super heated tea in his mouth...
Re: We ready to get WEIRD?
Not something that would generally fool anyone who knew he was a Fire Bender, but here that was very few people.
No. What he was waiting for was the person sneaking up to get close enough that... there. A reflection in the still surface of the tea. A trick he learned watching Water Benders.
But the face coming up in the reflection was not who he had expected. And at the pace she was approaching he didn't have much time to decide how to react. He did sip the tea, so that hopefully she didn't catch what he had done. But he suspected she'd at least see the pause as suspicious, even if she didn't catch on to the reason for it.
And it was possible that she wouldn't. Azula didn't tend to see strength outside of herself, and he doubted it would occour to her to think like someone from one of the other nations.
If he reacted like he knew who it was, she wouldn't underestimate him in this same way again. That smart she very much was. Really in her own ways, Azula was brilliant. But her focus was just too narrow for her own good. It always had been.
Still, if she was coming to attack, failing to act could prove fatal for one or both of them. And possibly for any bystanders. But then she'd know he'd spotted her. What he needed... Ah... That would work.
He drained his cup, holding the liquid in his mouth, in case he needed it, as he reached for something on the other side of the fire. But he over extended. Intentionally, but not obviously so, so that he hit the ground beside the fire, looking up at Azula from the ground, hands ready to push himself in whatever direction he needed to if she was there to attack.
And if she wasn't there to attack, well she'd just see a clumsy foolish old man. One who was subtly breathing through his nose, and not talking, because he had super heated tea in his mouth...