[She's following him even as he moves backward, already preparing her next move- getting the advantage like this awakens the instincts, the need to drive him down until he's done, the need to win. To press the advantage until he's done.
There's a moment when the she sees how hard, how brutally, he hits the rail, how he's struggling to even find his footing, where she almost- almost- thinks she's proven her point, that perhaps she can leave him to his defeat. But-
-He's weak, struggling, barely moving on the deck of the ship, and she's going to finish it. He brought this on himself. She gathers energy and releases it... only to feel a vice grip around her fingers as Uncle steals the lightning and channels it harmlessly away. She barely has time to react before he pulls her off-balance, and then his foot connects with her midsection and sends her back into the water- -They're cutting the line, but she sees the other gondola coming. Their way out. She feels a cold satisfaction as she sarcastically bids him goodbye- he's finished, and he brought this on himself. She and Ty Lee escape to the gondola, and then it's over- but then Zuko and his allies start to move again, and she sees the impossible- Mai, betraying her- -He's sprawled in the courtyard. She's already won. All that's left now is to clean up the worthless peasant. She's making an entertaining diversion of it at least, making Azula hunt her down, but she can't possibly fail, not now, not with the power of the comet tipping the odds so heavily in her favor. He's already dying. He's finished. He brought this on himself. She's about to finish her off, inches away from victory, and then she's suddenly ensnared in a rush of ice from below, too careless, too sloppy, and she can't be beaten like this. It's not possible. It's not acceptable-
No. No, she's not done yet. She's on top again. Winning. Like she always did. Like she was always supposed to. And this time, nobody is going to save him.]
1/3
There's a moment when the she sees how hard, how brutally, he hits the rail, how he's struggling to even find his footing, where she almost- almost- thinks she's proven her point, that perhaps she can leave him to his defeat. But-
-He's weak, struggling, barely moving on the deck of the ship, and she's going to finish it. He brought this on himself. She gathers energy and releases it... only to feel a vice grip around her fingers as Uncle steals the lightning and channels it harmlessly away. She barely has time to react before he pulls her off-balance, and then his foot connects with her midsection and sends her back into the water-
-They're cutting the line, but she sees the other gondola coming. Their way out. She feels a cold satisfaction as she sarcastically bids him goodbye- he's finished, and he brought this on himself. She and Ty Lee escape to the gondola, and then it's over- but then Zuko and his allies start to move again, and she sees the impossible- Mai, betraying her-
-He's sprawled in the courtyard. She's already won. All that's left now is to clean up the worthless peasant. She's making an entertaining diversion of it at least, making Azula hunt her down, but she can't possibly fail, not now, not with the power of the comet tipping the odds so heavily in her favor. He's already dying. He's finished. He brought this on himself. She's about to finish her off, inches away from victory, and then she's suddenly ensnared in a rush of ice from below, too careless, too sloppy, and she can't be beaten like this. It's not possible. It's not acceptable-
No. No, she's not done yet. She's on top again. Winning. Like she always did. Like she was always supposed to. And this time, nobody is going to save him.]