"Mai~" an annoyingly familiar voice yelled.
I sighed and looked up. Ty Lee was running toward me in all her pink glory.
I put down the scroll I was reading. "Hello," I muttered as she sat down next to me on my bed.
She giggled. "So Zuko's not gonna be back until tomorrow, right?"
I looked at her suspiciously. "Yeah…" He'd gone to some diplomatic thing with Iroh.
"Let's give him a surprise for when he gets back."
I edged away. "What do you…"
She grinned. "I'm gonna give you a makeover."
I frown, eyes wide. "You really don't have to do that."
"Don't be silly!" she said, taking out a large bag obviously filled with makeup.
"Whenever I see someone
Less fortunate than I," she sang brightly, taking out bottles and jars.
"And let's face it, who isn't
Less fortunate than I?
My tender heart tends to start to bleed
And when someone needs a makeover
I simply have to take over
I know I know exactly what they need"
I finally realized what she was singing.
"Dear Spirits, not this song," I whispered.
"And even in your case
Though it's the toughest case I've yet to face
Don't worry, I'm determined to succeed
Follow my lead, and yes, indeed
You will be"
She finished getting everything out and dipped a brush into a jar of cherry red.
"Popular
You're gonna be popular"
I sighed and let her brush it onto my lips. There really wasn't much choice.
"I'll teach you the proper ploys
When you talk to boys"
"Little ways to flirt and flounce
Ooh!"
She put the brush back and took out another, swirling it in pale pink powder.
"I'll show you what shoes to wear
How to fix your hair
Everything that really counts to be"
She started patting it onto my cheeks.
"Popular
I know about popular
You'll hang with the right cohorts
You'll be good at sports
Know the slang you've got to know
So let's start
'Cause you've got an awfully long way to go"
I rolled my eyes. She put that one away and took out another, dusting it with orangey-red.
Orange is a terrible color, I remembered saying.
"Don't be offended by my frank analysis
Think of it as personality dialysis"
She gestured for me to close my eyes, then patted the dust onto them.
"Now that I've chosen to become a pal
A sister and advisor
There's nobody wiser
Not when it comes to
"Popular"
I re-opened my eyes. She put that one away and took out a tube of black goo. She struggled to get the brush out.
"I'll show you 'bout popular
And with an assist for me
To be who'll you'll be
Instead of dreary who you were – well, are"
She managed to get it out, gestured for me to close my eyes again, and spread it on my lashes.
"There's nothing that can stop you
From becoming populer-lar
"La la, la la
We're gonna make you popular"
I struggled to open my eyes against the black crust forming on my lashes and saw her taking out a jar of kohl.
"When I see depressing creatures
With unprepossessing features"
She gestured for me to look up and spread it under my eyes.
"I remind them on their own behalf
To think of
Celebrated heads of state or
Especially great communicators
Did they have brains or knowledge?
Don't make me laugh!"
She put that one back, took out a bottle of almost-black almost-liquid, and spread it along my hairline.
"They were popular!
Please, it's all about popular
It's not about aptitude
It's the way you're viewed
So it's very, very shrewd to be
Very, very popular like me"
"Done!" she said, putting it away. "You're gorgeous, Mai."
I rolled my eyes. "Right." I got up and started walking toward my powder room to find a mirror.
"And though you protest–" she started.
I stepped in, slamming the door shut behind me. I looked into the mirror and blinked, surprised.
I didn't looked half bad.