The Pirate Empress

15.5

"Ooh," Azula said.

"Anyways, sit in my lap," I told her. As she climbed in, I lifted my arms up, and lowered them so my arms were around her and her sister was in front of her. "Now," I said. "You have to rest her head in the crook of your elbow like this, see?"

"Sokka, pay attention," Zari said gently. "Part of the good thing about being second is you get to see how things are done first."

"Okay."

"I'm putting her head in my elbow like a pillow," 'Zula informed him.

Sokka nodded.

"You use your forearm to hold her side, and your other arm to hold her back," I said. "Make sure to balance her little bottom, press her to your chest if you have to."

Azula focused on holding the child with such intensity that I thought her eyes may have burned a hole in the fabric of her blanket, and held her perfectly. Or, as perfectly as a two-year-old could. I smiled with pride and leaned down to kiss the top of her head.

"Hi. I'm your big sissy Azula but you call me Zula and you're gonna love me."

Zula smiled at Izumi for a minute, then said, "She's heavy. Can Sokka hold her now?"

"Sure," Zari said, and I looked over to see the eager four-year-old in his lap. I carefully placed his youngest sister into his arms, and his nose wrinkled.

"She's all squishy and pink."

"That's how all kids are," Zari explained.

"But I'm not pink! Or smooshed!"

"Not anymore. Zula was, too, but now look at both of you! Not squishy or pink," I laughed.

"I get pink when I play outside too much," Azula questioned.

"Because of the sun," Zari replied.

"Oh. Is she gonna stay pink?" Sokka asked.

"No, she'll turn a different color like you two did."

"We're different colors," 'Zula said. "I'm like hot cocoa and milk and he's like ... milk."

"No fair, she gets chocolate."

"Both of your skin is beautiful," I said. "Not that it matters. Skin and gender and who you like doesn't matter at all. What matters is your spirit."

"Hey, did you hear that?" Sokka said to his new sister. "Mommy and Daddy say weird stuff like that all the time. But it makes sense later."

"Why isn't she talking back?"

"She doesn't know how," Zari told Azula.

"How can you not know?"

"You didn't know, and Sokka didn't know, and Mommy and Daddy and everyone else didn't know. You don't know anything until someone teaches you," I told her.

"Is she asleep?" Sokka questioned, scrunching his nose like he always did when he was examining something.

"Yes," Zari said.

"Can we wake her up?" 'Zula asked.

"Trust me, she's gonna be up later," I said. "At three AM."

"And three-thirty," Zari said.

"And four."

Sokka's eyes grew wide. "But we can't stay up past bedtime! That's against the rules, 'Zumi!"

"'Zumi has no idea what rules are," I said.

"Besides," Zari added, "All babies stay up past bedtime. They're kinda high-maintenance."