(Untitled)

[sobooored]

Who: Dangerous Ladies; Mai sobooored and Azula sofaultless, (open to Ty Lee! )
What: Mai being honest with Azula about a few things BD;
When: Tonight
Where: Outside of the Castle
Rating: ??? :D

Comments

[sofaultless]

Mai had been, ah, difficult.

So perhaps the weeks leading up to their departure for Paradisa had been tense, just the slightest bit. After weeks of tramping around the Earth kingdom, chasing the Avatar, mugging warriors and toppling kingdoms, going back to the mundane of court life had been somewhat of a drag. Zuko was back. Mai had a house to herself. Zuko was desperate for attention and Mai was willing to give it, when Dad was too busy for it.

Azula didn't feel the slightest bit threatened (and why would she be?) but she knew where that tension had been rising from. Azula knew Zuko wasn't completely sold on the idea of being Fire Lord someday. She would have been a fool to never consider the possibility of Mai's wavering loyalty. After all, she'd disobeyed before, hadn't she

[sobooored]

"Azula." Mai nodded, her stance stiffening and posture straightening just slightly. She didn't even bother to attempt and read what Azula was thinking, for she knew she'd either over simplify it or miss the mark entirely. She was aware their last conversation hadn't been entirely pleasant, and a part of her wished that this one didn't have to be the same in content. Being dishonest with Azula was deadly, but making her believe you're useful was costly to the Princess' precious time. Mai was aware that she could be investing it in other ways instead of relying on someone who had lost their talent.

"Nice night, huh." Her voice was clear through the quiet and warm night.

[sofaultless]

"It's Paradisa," she said, "every night is."

Not hot enough for Azula's liking, but warm. Comfortably so, weather where one could wear just about anything. Pity Azula didn't like benign environments.

She watched the way Mai shifted, in tune with her friend's subtle body language. There wasn't much to go on, in it, but there were always the classic reasons. Nervousness hidden by apathy. Fear hidden by apathy. Self-doubt hidden by apathy. Azula needed Mai like that, not clinging to Zuko's arm. But hadn't it been just a few days ago that she had added Mai to her mental list? Hadn't she been tempted to burn it into the wall over her bed, along with all the other names, in case she started to rethink it?

"Fitting, for what should be a nice little conversation," she said.

[sobooored]

"Yeah, about that." She stared at her shuriken for awhile, the cold metal much more inviting and less sharp than Azula's gaze. She let out a heavy sigh, brushing a few locks of her long hair over her shoulder, before slipping the weapon quickly into her sleeve.

Her arms were now crossed, and she stared at Azula, a bit uncertain at how to word this. She wasn't going to sell Ty Lee out, that had been decided, and if Azula found out through this she'd definitely make sure the Princess knew keeping it from her had been her idea.

She wished there was a length in which lightning could not reach her. She did not want to underestimate Azula's rationale, though, and left room for the possibility that she'd take it well.

Yeah right.

"You never asked what I lost."

[sofaultless]

Azula was surprised, briefly, but she covered it up well, keeping her face hardened. She couldn't recall asking -- she hadn't really considered it a huge issue, as most people tended to lose something mundane. A memory, a skill. Azula had been so focused on her own loss that she hadn't stopped to consider what her friends had gone without. She didn't want to draw attention to her own by asking others. That was an exchange of information that could cripple her. Her loss could be abused, just like she could abuse others'.

It was a priority, suddenly, that she know. Her mind raced -- was it Mai's memories of her? Was that why she was being so frustratingly scarce? Was it her memories of the Fire Nation? Zhao sure seemed to be stupid and distant about it. Azula began to question everything Mai had done since coming here.

Azula looked at Mai with narrowed eyes.

"What did it take?" she said, suspiciously.