golden flower

one
(i got a keepsake and a kiss)

To say that Mai was running out of patience wasn't entirely true - that implied that she had any patience to run out of. No, the truth was, Mai was currently running her fingers over several knives, hidden in her sleeves, and contemplating just which obnoxious peasant would get the first stiletto, and where exactly she wanted to place it.

She liked the thought of the kneecap. Painful, bloody, and so satisfying.

Pity that this was a peacekeeping mission.

She and Ty Lee had joined up only a few months after Sozin's comet - both finding that the lives they had chosen for themselves lacked something in practice (Zuko had proved himself to be a really, magnificently, obscenely bad boyfriend, and Ty Lee got bored with Kyoshi Island's conformity) - and had spent the next two years wandering the Earth Kingdom, Water Tribes, and occasionally Fire Nation, stamping out idiots trying to rebel and bounty hunting when money proved tight. It had worked out fabulously, and Mai was even happy most of the time, but then that waterbender and the Kyoshi warrior and her boyfriend (or was it husband? Mai hadn't bothered to find out) had run into them and roped the two of them into helping out with their jobs.

It was heart-warming, really, to help the world, but Mai would much rather be bounty hunting. It was more fun, more interesting, and, best of all, she could do whatever the hell she wanted. Instead, she was stuck wearing her old Fire-Nation-Court mask, playing at the very same politics she had left behind two years ago.

"But that's only going to hurt you later," the waterbender was saying fervently, eyes wide. Her brother rolled his eyes and glanced at Suki, who looked about as bored as Mai felt. Only Ty Lee was as avidly interested in helping talk these people out of rebellion as Katara was.

"She's right, you know," she implored, leaning forward. "The Avatar won't like you starting up a war."

"The Avatar's a child," the crotchety old man huffed. "What's the worst he can do?"

"Boil your flesh off your bones," Mai offered dully. Katara shot her a glare, which she ignored. This was not in her job description, and she was doing this out of the kindness of her - okay, fine, Ty Lee's - heart. The annoying waterbender should be more appreciative of her help.

At least Sokka seemed to find it amusing, snickering under his breath and earning himself a glare from his sister. "Ignore them," she said. "They're just sourpusses. But, seriously, there's far more to be gained from peace."

"I am not making peace with those - " here he broke off in such stringent cursing that Katara recoiled " - who killed my daughter! Stop standing there like you ain't never seen war!" He continued to rile himself up into a fit of anger, and Mai finally had enough. A series of knives flew from her hand, pinning him to the tree about four paces behind him, and Mai stalked up to him sharply.

"Believe me," she hissed coldly, "you are not the only person who has suffered because of this war. But standing around and stomping your feet like a child without a toy isn't going to make anything better or save anyone else's daughters from being murdered by idiots like you who want revenge. If you have any concept of what's good for you and what remains of your family, you'll step down. Now."

The man, eyes wide, nodded.

"Repeat to me what you're going to do when I release you," she continued in her darkest voice. "I," she started, and waited for him to repeat her, "will disband my rebellion... and maintain the peace... in this town." Satisfied, she wrenched her knives out of the tree. "Or else," she added softly, "you'll find that I'm not nearly so merciful as the Avatar and his companions. Understand?"

He scowled darkly and shuffled away with his followers in tow, muttering as he went. Mai sighed; he wasn't going to do as she asked. She contemplated how long it would take for someone in the vicinity to put out a bounty on his head, and how much she might make cashing it in. Maybe enough to buy that pair of sai she had been admiring the other day.

"Wow, Mai," Katara said uncertainly. "That was... Well, it was."

Ty Lee shrugged, "At least it's done now. I'm starving. Let's get dinner."

Dinner was a strained affair. Ty Lee chattered amicably with a very unhappy-looking Suki while Katara kept shooting Mai angry looks and Sokka inhaled everything that was placed in front of him. Mai, meanwhile, ate serenely and without so much as a single comment. Besides, it wasn't often that she got to eat at such a nice restaurant anymore, but with the Fire Lord picking up the bill (since he was the one who had sent the crew on this mission), they could all afford to splurge.

She was determined to savor every single bite, partly because it was costing Zuko money, partly because it would annoy Katara, and also because she absolutely adored sukiyaki. It was something of a rarity now, however, since it was a somewhat obscure Fire Nation dish and they were currently in the Earth Kingdom, but Ty Lee had somehow found a restaurant that served Fire Nation cuisine. Even Mai had to admit that the girl had her uses.

"So, what are you eating?" Sokka asked, slurping his udon in a way that made her cringe.

"Sukiyaki," she replied shortly, and primly raised a mushroom to her mouth. Sokka looked intrigued.

"Can I try some?"

"No."

His face fell. "Aww, why not?"

"Because I said so," she replied, feeling like she was dealing with Tom-Tom again. Unfortunately, Ty Lee chose that moment to realize that Suki had no interest in her conversation, and cut into Mai's.

"Mai's got a thing for sukiyaki," she said impishly, grinning, and snatched a piece of tofu out of the bowl before Mai could stop her, dropping it onto Sokka's plate. "She pines for it. You should see her. Anyway, I don't know how she eats that stuff, but," she shrugged, and left it at that. Sokka picked up the tofu and inspected it curiously while Mai tried to glare a hole through Ty Lee's face - that went unnoticed because Ty Lee was far too used to Mai's death glares.

"What exactly is this?" he muttered, and then his chopsticks cleaved the tofu in two and it fell into his udon, startling him. Mai bit back a snort of laughter.

"It's tofu, you uncultured moron," she drawled, earning a fierce glare from an increasingly pissed-off Katara. Sokka, however, didn't seem to take offense.

"Tofu? That some kind of vegetable?"

"It's soybean curd," Ty Lee replied, making a face. "I don't like it."

"That's because your taste buds are defective," Mai said, delicately snatching the tofu off of Ty Lee's own plate. Once she did, her friend started picking the rest of it out and transferring it to Mai's dish.

"Soybean curd?" Sokka repeated incredulously, poking at it. "Is that... good for you?"

"Yes," Mai answered. "It's very good for you. Eat it already, before I take it back."

Sokka picked up one of half of the tofu cube and, making a face as though it was going to blow up, ate it. He chewed thoughtfully for a long moment, his expression changing from suspicion to bemusement to disgust. "It tastes like paper," he said thickly, casting around for something to spit it into. Mai rolled her eyes.

"It does not."

"Yes it does," Ty Lee countered matter-of-factly, and handed Sokka one of her napkins. Suki snickered at the scene, and then reached over and took the other half of the tofu cube from Sokka's bowl.

"I could have told you that you wouldn't like it," she said simply, and popped it into her mouth, a smile on her face. "On Kyoshi, though," she continued after swallowing, "it's about all we had during winter, so I got used to it. When it's done right, it's not bad." She looked at Mai's dish thoughtfully. "I've had better, but it's pretty good here."

Mai shrugged, "I'll take anything I can get. I haven't had anything edible in months."

"Oh, Mai," Ty Lee sighed, "you're just picky. We had that amazing kimchi in that Omashu restaurant." Mai, however, shuddered at the memory.

"Kimchi?" Suki asked, brow furrowing. "I don't think I've heard of that."

"You don't want to," Mai said darkly, but Ty Lee brightened.

"It's really, really good - " she started, but Mai cut her off.

"It's fermented cabbage."

Sokka made a face, but Suki looked a bit interested. "It could be good, I guess," she mused, and then poked her boyfriend (or husband, but again, Mai had no idea). "Anything can be good if it's done well. You should try more things."

"Hey," he cried, "I tried the tofu, didn't I? Drunk cabbage is not my idea of good food!"

Even Mai had to laugh at that.

After dinner, a very rowdy Sokka - who hadn't realized the amount of alcohol in sake - a very amused Suki, and a bouncy Ty Lee all burst out of the restaurant, laughing and talking and singing, while Mai followed with a tiny smile and Katara followed with a scowl. Finally, the waterbender had had enough, and caught Mai's arm.

"Mai... I think we need to talk," she said, as though desperate to get this over with. Mai rolled her eyes.

"You don't like the way I deal with things and wish I would be more understanding," she predicted, crossing her arms and using her superior height to intimate the other girl. Of her current companions, Katara was by far her least favorite, and she had no intention of going out of her way to please her or make her feel welcome.

"Um, well," she started, a little uncertain, "yes. I mean... That guy... You didn't have to threaten him!"

"And you didn't have to coddle him," she countered coolly. "Your way of doing things might work when you're hanging out with the Avatar, but here's a fun fact," she said, eyes narrowing, "it's not because of your diplomatic skills. It's because you were with the Avatar. Period."

Katara looked as though she'd just been slapped, and even Mai felt a twinge of guilt. "Even without Aang around," she whispered, eyes glinting with either tears or fury, "I've been helping people. What have you done?"

Now it was Mai's turn to recoil. She was helping people now, more than she had ever been at court or with Azula - but then, those weren't exactly good comparisons. She was getting rid of bandits, putting down rebellions, and even, occasionally, helping to take care of hurt people. Granted, most of those were people that she had hurt, but it still counted.

Katara stomped off in anger, leaving Mai standing still in the crowded street, feeling lonely and left-out. It wasn't often that she dreamed of returning to the Fire Nation, but right now, she almost wished that she hadn't left.

Almost.

A/N: I've been toying with this idea for a while, but I finally sat down to write it, for the incredibly transparent purpose of Mai/Katara interaction. Also, this entire story is my love letter to Mai, and my apology on behalf of all those who have bashed her. I friggin' love Mai, no lie, I just... don't think she and Zuko would work, you know? So, here she is, running around the world and kicking epic amounts of ass. :D

Also, I haven't decided yet if this is going to be a series of interconnected one-shots or a cohesive story, although it feels like it's going to be an episodic story. I also haven't decided if Mai will be involved in a pairing or what pairing that might be if she is. There are benefits both to having her involved in a dorky romance and to having her eschew love entirely and just do her own thing. Updates will be sporadic, as Opheliac is still my first priority.

Finally, the title is a reference to Mai's name, which in Vietnamese translates to "golden flower" and also means "cupid is very uncreative with titles". Tell me what you think, or what you might like to see later! This story is pure fun, and while I'm sure - because I know myself - that it will touch on darker tones from time to time, it's mostly going to be upbeat.