Written for ningicoco, for atla_ladyfest 2009
Smellerbee ran a hand through her growing shaggy hair and polished the blade of her knife. Even with the war over, it didn't hurt to keep one's skills intact, so every day she would practice on makeshift dummies thrown together from cloth, straw and twigs.
"Maybe just a few more rounds." She assumed a fighting stance, lunged for the dummy, and-
"That's no way to use a knife."
Smellerbee whirled around, losing her defensive stance when she saw it was only Mai and Suki; she'd been to the Jasmine Dragon a few times since its re-opening, definitely enough to recognize their faces and remember their names. Mai pulled a blade from her sleeve and shook her head.
"Your stance is too wide, your movement is too rough," she continued. "You're leaving yourself vulnerable."
Smellerbee frowned.
"I've been using knives since I was a little kid, I think I know what works and what doesn't by now," she said. Mai rolled her eyes.
"Your way works if you're trying to cut through a forest or give someone a bunch of scars," she said. "But there's no percision. Knives are more than just tools or deadly weapons...they should be an extension of your body, almost."
"What about when the enemy's two seconds away from ripping your face off? You've gotta act fast, there's no time for any fancy percison stuff!" Smellerbee argued. Suki rubbed the back of her head.
"Well, there is something to be said for stealth and always being prepared," she said. "Mai, why don't you give her a demonstration?"
"Gladly." Mai assumed her usual stance. "Come at me," she instructed the younger girl. Smellerbee nodded.
"Rawr! I'm gonna get you!" she roared in her best imitation of a bandit as she lunged at Mai. Before she could even get close enough to hit, though, Mai had stepped to the side and was behind her, then before Smellerbee could blink she was several feet away, knife poised to throw. "Hey!"
"And that's how it's done." Mai smirked. "Now you try it!"
"All right, all right."
Mai ran at her, and Smellerbee charged forward, knife clutched in her palm as she prepared to strike...only to be grabbed by both arms, causing her to drop the weapon. Suki tried not to giggle.
"Aah! Hey, that's no fair, you cheated!" she cried. "And besides, that never happens to me anyway, I'm too small and quick!"
"There's always a first time." Mai shrugged. "Right, Suki?"
"Definitely! Though to be fair, stealth and planning don't always work either," she said, remembering Sokka's first triumph against her during their training, and then with bitterness her loss to Azula that time in the forest. "Sometimes you do have to just...go for it, hit them as soon as you get an opening."
Mai shrugged.
"I guess, but you shouldn't make a habit of it," she said. "Now let's try again, Smellerbee, and this time I want you to give me all you've got."
Half an hour later, they'd gotten nowhere. Smellerbee tried to do just what Mai told her, but her old instincts would creep up and she'd end up doing what she always did. Suki simply watched them, seeming to mentally take notes on each one's methods every time.
"It's no use!" she said. "Look, your way just takes too much planning ahead. I've never had that luxury...besides, what if the enemy is too smart to trick? Then you've gotta get 'em before they get you."
"Very true," Suki said."
"You shouldn't let yourself get into that kind of situation in the first place," Mai said. "Look, I know your life's been different from mine and you've had it rough. But that's all over now. You have time to learn new things in case you do get into that kind of situation again."
"Also true!" Suki said.
"I know that, but once you get used to doing something a certain way it's hard to change."
"But it can be done," Mai argued. "Suki, what do you think? You've watched us the whole time and you seem to agree with us both, but..."
"Which one of us really knows her stuff the most?" Smellerbee finished for her.
Suki thought long and hard for a moment, then smiled.
"I think both your styles have merit, as long as they get the job done," she said.
Mai and Smellerbee shrugged.
"Maybe we should agree to disagree, then," Mai said.
"Exactly!" Suki laughed. "Besides," she added teasingly, "knives are nothing compared to the ways of the Kyoshi Warriors." Mai and Smellerbee glared at her, and she laughed. "Oh, come on, I'm allowed!"
"Right." Mai smirked. "Maybe next time we should have an all-out brawl and see who's really the best of the non-Benders."
"And we'll get the Benders to referee!" Suki added, and they all had a good laugh at that.
"You know," Smellerbee said at length, "my one regret was that I didn't get to know Toph and Katara back in Ba Sing Se while we were looking for their bison. I mean, yeah, we had more important things to think about, but still...I like getting to spend more time with girls."
"The only girl I was ever that close to growing up was Ty Lee," Mai said, then reluctantly added, "well, her and Azula...but I don't like to remember Azula very much," she said. "So being a part of Aang's group makes me feel...well, not bored and isolated like I always did back home."
"How could you be bored? Aren't you a Governer's daughter?" Smellerbee asked.
"Trust me, there's very little to envy about that," Mai groaned. "It's boring, you always have to keep still and be quiet so your father looks good. Sure, they spoiled me rotten, but even that got boring after a while."
Smellerbee nodded.
"I guess the grass isn't always greener on the other side after all," she said. "After the Freedom Fighters broke up and Jet died, Longshot and I just...traveled. We never stayed in the same place very long, and when I overheard people talk about how they wished they could see the world, I thought they were nuts! I mean, they had homes and the luxury of being bored and stable all the time!"
Mai snickered.
"Definitely not greener on the other side!" They both laughed at that, and Suki rolled her eyes.
"I think compared to your childhoods, mine was the boring one. I grew up in a nice home with loving parents until I left to train as a Kyoshi warrior!" she said. "And even then they still wrote me letters and came to visit...of course, they went into hiding when the war started getting really bad."
"Maybe you should find them and let them know you're okay," Mai suggested. "It's never too late."
"You know, I think I will," Suki said.
"Is it just me, or did this turn into a whose childhood was the most boring and least enviable contest?" Smellerbee snickered; this time it sent all three of them into laughter.
"Speaking of contests," Suki said when she calmed down, "I promised Katara a game of Pai Sho!"
"See you later," Mai said. Smellerbee waved after Suki as she walked away, then sighed.
"You know...it's been nice," she said, leaning back against the tree.
"Nice?" Mai blinked.
"Getting to hang out with other girls. Don't get me wrong, the Freedom Fighters were great and Longshot's still the best friend I could ever have. But I always missed having another girl around to talk about...girl stuff."
"Girl stuff?" Mai asked. "All we did was throw knives and argue about said throwing of knives."
Smellerbee blushed.
"Guess I was getting ahead of myself?" She smiled. "But I would like to be able to talk to you guys more often...all of you, not just you and Suki. But especially you, since...well, we've got something in common, right?"
Mai smiled.
"Yeah. I'd like that," she said. "And by the way..." She paused, biting a fingernail. "I'm sorry I got so hung up on your lack of refinement. Your style is crude, but you're pretty good with that knife. And I guess if it's worked for you for so long maybe there's something to it!"
Smellerbee grinned.
"So you think maybe you'd want to try it my way sometime?" she asked.
"Let's not go that far," Mai snorted. "So...maybe we could practice together some more, as long as we're here?"
"Sounds great!"
They practiced long into the evening, and if each girl picked up a few cues from the other she didn't let it be known. From then on, Smellerbee's style became slightly more precise and Mai's became slightly more aggressive; if anyone noticed these changes they didn't comment.