Done for Day 6 of Tyzula Week on deviantart. Prompt was "cat and mouse."
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Ty Lee stared as Azula filed her nails into the claws she hated so much. Her eyes drifted down her arms where scratch marks peeked out from under her sleeves. She lifted her gaze; Azula observed her from the corner of her eye, a smirk twitching her lips.
"When do you think Mai will get back?" Ty Lee said, breaking the silence. She swung her legs back and forth—a nervous habit—and fiddled with the covers on the bed.
Azula shrugged. "Soon, I'm sure. The Dai Li may be stealthy, but Mai is better."
Ty Lee nodded. "Yeah." She wished Mai would walk through the door already. Being alone with Azula set her edge; she saw a gleam in Azula's eyes tonight that frightened her.
"You seem tense," Azula said, still focused on her nails. Ty Lee jumped. "Is something bothering you?"
"N-no. Nothing's wrong. I'm just…worried about Mai. She's been gone a long time. Do you think she's been caught?"
Azula inspected her nails. "You're lying." She raised her head and stared straight at Ty Lee. "And Mai is better than that. If she allows herself to get caught she deserves whatever happens next. Now…" She rose to her feet, strode across the room with confident steps and sat beside Ty Lee. "What's really on your mind?" She placed her hand on Ty Lee's knee, her nails digging ever so slightly into Ty Lee's flesh.
"I…" Ty Lee swallowed. "I…um, I mean…" Azula narrowed her eyes, nails digging further into her knee; Ty Lee knew she couldn't lie. "I just… You seem kind of…off…tonight, and I was just thinking about—about last night and… Don't you think you're sometimes…a…a little too rou—"
She heard a click and whipped her head around to face the door. Mai slipped inside, expressionless as always, and shut the door behind her. With a rush of relief, Ty Lee realized Mai now commanded Azula's undivided attention.
"What did you find?" Azula was up and on her feet before Ty Lee could even blink, thoroughly distracted from their previous conversation.
Ty Lee sighed, falling backwards onto the bed and closed her eyes, resolving never to take Mai's impeccable timing for granted again.