Guileless
by SMYGO4EVA
Mai tried not to be happy, but she had learned to make peace with it. She had learned a few things over the years: to use her words to cut deep into anyone she didn't have interest in, to care for her moon-dark hair, and to carry the beauty of wealth as a part of her. She knew that underneath remained bitterness; she was to do as she was told, and so she did.
So when Ty Lee came along, her bright smile a break of the gloom Mai had put herself in, flower crowns on her head, and called her 'friend,' and 'pals,' she knew that there was hope for her, yet there was still too much in the world that could break Ty Lee's sunny disposition.
"You're my friend, Mai," Ty Lee said, kissing her cheek, "no matter what happens, I'll be by your side."
Mai had smiled at the time, but she knew to keep her guard. She fought to keep it even when things started to grow more confusing, even as she grew from a little girl into a young woman.
Ty Lee appeared to be all sunshine and happiness, but Mai had an inkling that she had to look on the bright side of things, because of she didn't, the world would have destroyed her by now. As hard as she tried, she would never be able to wash the red from Azula's soul. Mai thought that Ty Lee's compassion, in spite of all that she'd gone through, made her the sort of woman that most can only dream of being. So, Mai stood by Ty Lee, even if it meant being taken into custody.
Mai knew that she and Ty Lee had opened themselves up to each other, in the hope that they could defy again, in both guileless actions and in careful deliberation.