Notes: AU modern era. No bending, but in the avatar world.
01. Drifting
She focused on the score as usual, following the lead of the pianist without doubt. After all her partner never committed a mistake. Or almost never, so she didn't.
The sharp sound of the keys being hit with force, stopped her.
"You sound so plain! You bore me!" Her partner complained.
She slowly blinked. She sounded the same as the other fifty times they have played the piece.
"That's not true." The girl with fluorescent pink nails piped out. "Well, a bit depressing but it's Mai." Her friend offered a soft smile from behind her partner.
Mai rolled her eyes, as usual Ty Lee could never disagree with Azula.
"I'm not going to play some dreadful or mournful song to go with her mood." Azula stated, turning to Ty Lee with anger. The music sheets feel from the music desk. "It's supposed to be a happy song, Mai! I even chose one that it's supposed to be a favourite of the violinists."
Yes, Azula chose La Campanella of Franz Liszt to display her abilities as pianist, not hers as violinist. And Mai's just accompanied Azula, not the other way around.
"I didn't do a mistake." She replied. And indeed she didn't, she performed the piece with perfection and didn't dare to make the violin the protagonist.
"Oh, please!" Azula got up "Are you expecting our rivals to make a mistake in the Concours?" She fumed hitting the keys one more time. No it's The frigging Concours were the best musicians from all the Nations showed. So obviously, she didn't expect them to make stupid mistakes.
She denied with her head.
"You heard Li and Lo, we must play beyond perfection." Azula always played beyond perfection, it's in her blood. Her father was a renowned pianist, her mother a renowned oboist, her grandfather a renowned compositor, blah, blah, blah. "You sound like a machine, put some happiness, like me." She wanted to snort. "I imagine those losers staying in the backside of their poor countries, dying of hungry and trying to show deaf people twinkle, twinkle little star."
That sounded like paradise for Azula.
Azula stretched and took sit.
"Let's do it again." She ordered. Ty Lee arranged the music sheets, to start from the beginning "And no mistakes, Mai."
She sighed. She didn't have anything more to do anyway. Even if she went home, her mother was going to make her practice until she collapsed. She waited for Azula to start and followed her as usual.
It had been this way since she remembered. The three had gone to the Private National Academy for Girls. Azula had talked to her because she had been the only person in the music workshop who had known the difference between a clarinet and an oboe. Or Maybe Azula recognised her, after all Mai's father had been the Curator of the National Fire Heritage Museum, the most important museum of the Fire Nation and Ozai, had liked to play in the small auditorium the Museum has. Nevertheless both didn't talk with the other girls, who played with dolls, watched TV and ate junk food. Azula's toys had been music instruments and Mai's ballet shoes. Ty Lee had tagged alone on the way, fascinated by Azula ability when playing instruments in the classroom.
Azula stroke the piano once more.
"You made a mistake!" She shouted.
"No, I..." She had been playing according to the score.
Azula threw the music sheets. "You fucking did!" She's used to her displays, very similar to her brother "You heard it too?" she turned around to Ty Lee.
"Actually, you did" she answered with sincerity. Well maybe Mai did a mistake.
"I'll start again" she focused in the sheet and started playing, one more time.
"You bore me!" Azula grumbled again. Mai rolled her eyes. "Oh, stop, stop!"
She was bored of practicing anyway. Maybe she could take a break or something.
"Ty Lee, you practice." Azula ordered. Ty Lee started to play the violin almost at the same time than Mai, she did it for fun and was not interested in making a career or winning a damn Concours. She was not bad, but lazy.
Ty Lee apologized with her eyes. She couldn't care less. Playing with Azula was like this, you do all the mistakes and you have to practice with her until you do same as hers; beyond perfect.
She put her violin in the case. Ty Lee took her place, while Azula arranged the music sheets. She was going to take sit when Azula spoke again.
"You go and fuck my failure of a brother or Ruon-Jian or someone else" Mai turned around and stared at Azula. Even Ty Lee gaped at her. "I don't want to hear your dreadful playing again."
She took her case and got out the room. She heard Ty Lee reprehending Azula in the background.
"What? She likes to..." was the last thing she heard before the door to the practice room in Azula's house closed.
The servant looked at her with surprise. The whole staff should know that Azula was practicing for the Concours, and she had given the same instructions as usual. Bottles of water every two or three hours, light food for meals. Everything should be left in a serving tray. No interruption or they were going to be fired.
Her cabifyre was in time when she got out from the front door. It's almost eight, the traffic in the city was at its peak, probably was going to take her almost an hour to go to aunt Mura's department.
She watched the city from the window. Republic City had never been of her liking, too much noise, too many people, too bright. However it's the seat of the International Young Virtuous Concours, the most important Concours any aspiring musician should participate. The winner would have the financial support to study in one of the bests Universities of the Four Nations or the Republic. And once finished a position in one of the five most important Orchestras. Even if you didn't win the Concours, the Universities chose between the best participants to give some scholarships or at least select them without having to apply.
Mai knew she wouldn't win the Concours, her role was to support Azula but she wanted a scholarship to study outside the Fire Nation and far away from her parents. Ba Sing Se or Northen Water Tribe sounded far enough. She got outside the taxi when she arrived at the white building her aunt was borrowing her mother and her until the Concours was held.
She hoped her mother was in a dinner or another with her boring friends.
"Why are you here?" She heard before even opening the door.
Her mother was in a golden dress, high heels and white gloves.
"You should go back to Azula." Her mother dismissed her, while trying to fix her earrings "We can't have you failing." Yes, Mai friendship with Azula was good for them. Her father had learnt to please Ozai and usually if he wanted to play in some place or another, he demanded her father to be in charge of the place as long as Ozai played there. And of course mother loved to be in all those important reunions. Most often than not, she believed her parent's wish was for Mai to becoming Azula's servant. "Did you listen to me, girl?"
Mai nodded.
"Then, what are you doing here?" Her mother angrily berated her and put the coat in a rushed manner "Go back to practice with her!"
"She has some classes at six" Mai lied, she couldn't tell her mother the truth. "And has homework."
Azula was recognised as a prodigious pianist, daughter of the Virtuoso Ozai, owner of the biggest record label, but she still was a high school student.
"Fine, go and practice alone." Her mother demanded. "I'll be late, but you better go to sleep early and star practicing at six."
She nodded. The house was going to be all for herself.
"By the way, I heard a rumour." Of course she heard it, she loved to gossip almost as she loved to spend money. "That shameful offspring of the Virtuoso." She used to call him by his name and be very proud of have him and his sister in her table, twice or thrice a week. "He make it into the competition, did he?"
She nodded. Zuko entrance in the Concours had been a difficult one. He was in the limit age, he had applied in the Earth Kingdome instead of the Fire Nation as he should have. Rumour has it, Il Divo Iroh had something to do with it.
"Why you haven't told me?" her mother narrowed her eyes.
She shrugged.
"I don't want you near him." She wondered if she would allow it, if she told Azula had ordered her to fuck him."You can't soil your reputation." Mai looked her mother handbag. It's a Burberry, a new one. "Did you heard me? "
She nodded.
Her mother followed her eyes and clutched the bag. "I'm trying to find a better sponsor for your father's project." And that somehow involved buying a freaking Burberry, how convenient for her. "Don't look at me like that, young lady." Mai didn't know why she cared, all her life her mother had over expended. "Or you will have to fend for yourself."
She blinked. The old treat. Still Mai was useful as long as she was friend with Azula, she supposed.
"If we closed this new deal. I'll buy you something nice. Manolo's shoes, a Stephane Rolland or Alexandre Vauthier's dress." She gave her the usual critical eye. Too thin, her neck too long, almost no breasts, no hips, ugly fingernails. "Something to get you a good husband. Roun-Jin is not bad, he could be a model after his career as rockstar." Yes because she was dying to be somebody wife. "It would have been easier if you stayed as a ballerina." That's an old one too. "So don't fool around that disfigured, unless you want to marry a nobody." Yes, what a shame to not appear in the social pages. "And you will not ruin us or Tom-Tom!"
How dare she ruin precious Tom-Tom's life. Too bad she wasn't the one wasting the money in high fashion brands or parties like father.
She stood in the same spot until mother had gone. She went to her room leaving the violin outside. The night was so bright, so noisy. She could hear the horn of the cars in the street. And it's barely nine p.m.
Her phone vibrated. Ty Lee sent her a photo. Azula was eating while Ty Lee was trying to study. Sorry said the text.
She got out the conversation, she was in no mood to forgave Azula. Ty Lee always did, always had an excuse for Azula's actions. Right now, she probably was thinking in the excuse she was going to give to Mai. Azula is under a lot of pressure, her father only talks about how she has to win the Concours or he'll disinherit her. Besides it'd been her dream since childhood.
She knew what was being the child of the Virtuoso Ozai. That had almost kill Zuko four years ago. His shadow still was poisoning his son. And yet despite everything, Zuko never harmed her or those around him. She couldn't say the same about himself.
She took a picture of the view from her window, where the lights of the city seemed brighter and sent it.
There's no excuse for what Azula had said. She knew Mai relationship with Zuko and yes, she had done it with him, but not like Azula insinuated. Well sometimes, but she's no whore. She has feelings for him, a lot of feelings. Ruon-Jian was someone she had to endure because Azula liked to have control over Chan's pop band. She as Azula didn't had a true relationship with him.
The reply came. A coke on a white balcony. Maybe he was at a party. Was he having fun? She sent a photo of the ceiling. The ground from above, maybe from the balcony he was. Her shoes left on the floor. His boots. Her empty bag. Some trees from above. Her mattress. His jacket. Her toes. His fingers. Her knee. His wrist.
She took her blouse out and let her hair fall over her shoulder. He sent the emoji of the skull, several actually. Her hair in the mattress. People behind a curtain. Too bad he wasn't alone. She sent several emojis of the knife. He sent an emoji of the moon and the start. She sent a photo of her hand in the mattress.
He took a lot of time to answer and when he did the photo of a smiling guy with an angry Zuko trying to take the phone was her answer. She had never talked to him, she believed he was the water tribe friend Zuko had got some months ago. She laughed.
He sent her a voice message.
"I'm sorry."
She sent him the emoji of the skull and the moon.
He answered the same.
She replayed his message until she fell asleep.
•
English is not my first language and I didn't have time to search for a betareader but I wanted to participate in the Fire Nation Royal Family Week. Feel free to advice if you find mistakes.