Girly Pai Sho

It was a cold day and I really hate Katara.

We're playing Pay Sho. That's how bad things were turning. Here we are sitting at a Pai Sho table in the Western Air Temple playing a game while we should be planning our next attack on my fa—the Fire Lord. Sometimes I find myself thinking that, just as Uncle said, destiny can do some weird shit once in a while. Yeah, I know, that were not Uncle's exact words. A little twist once in a while never hurt anyone.

My tiles are crap the way they're placed.

I play a Rose tile with a sickening feeling I was being trapped but placed it down anyway. I watch Katara's smug expression with dread as she looks through her tiles. Clack, clack. Clack, clack. I hate her.

If she hadn't been around, I could start planning on some strategy with Sokka or train Aang in firebending. But nooo! I just had to get myself into this mess because I'm just that, a hell of a big magnet for trouble. I ended up getting blackmailed by her, simply because I had accidentally—yes really—spilled my food on her clothes last night. Now I had to play this stupid game to make up for it.

Damn, I shouldn't let my mind drift away like that. Not while I'm getting my ass handed over by a girl at Pai Sho.

She plays a Jasmin tile to disharmony my streak of Rose tiles. She's beating me already! Maybe I should kill her while I still can.

If I just had left those tiles open I could've scored big and get a few of her tiles in the sack in the progress. That would be a sign. She would see just who the better player is when I'm done with her.

I start chewing on my White Dragon tile. It's a bad habit, I know. Almost all of my tiles are frayed by now. I play down a Lilly tile simply so that I can keep chewing my White Dragon tile.

While I watch her more closely, I find myself thinking as I plan my next move – the tiles would tell me what to do, if I get a full Dragon harmony I could roast her like a real dragon. I would do it right away. I'll finish her off.

The lines I made are nothing but useless now. I bite down harder on my White Dragon tile. Damn.

The little heat of the sun beat down on my back through the line of ruined statues. I can hear buzzing of insects near me. I hope they're not rat-bees. My cousin Akzura swallowed one when he was ten, his throat swelled up and he died. Now I find myself hoping if they're indeed rat-bees, they fly into Katara's throat.

She plays by moving her Chrysanthemum tile so she blocks off one of my Rose tiles, again. If it wasn't too cold to move from my comfy place I would stand up and strangle her right now.

The weather should really warm up some more, make the air dryer. As soon as the thought crossed my mind, I find a good strategy. The tile which I was still chewing would make a great harmony combo. The White Dragon tile makes a little splash of salvia when I put it down, another 6 points. I hope she's getting bored.

She tells me she's getting bored with the game. For some reason, I hate her even more.

She plays down a Rock tile next to my Dragon harmony, cutting off any means of movement with those tiles, and stands up to get to check on the sea prunes she was making. It was one of the coldest days in the Fire Nation and she makes a dish of sea prunes. This is why I hate Katara. So naive and ignorant it almost makes me want to pull out my own hair in frustration.

I play one of own Rock tiles and she trips over a small rock on her way back. I find this remarkable satisfying.

She sits down with a heavy sigh and start looking through her tiles again. Clack, clack. Clack, clack. I feel a terrible rage build up inside me. Why. Could. She. Not. Speed. UP!

Some inner poison slowly spreads through my limbs, and when it's going to my finger tips the urge to strangle her gets harder to control. The rage gets to my fingertips and passes. My heart is beating loudly. I'm sweating. I think my face is actually twitching, even my scar. Then I sigh, deeply, calming my nerves. It was just a game, nothing to get all excited about.

Somehow, this only angers me more.

I huff a lock of hair out of my right eye as she plays down a White Lotus tile. Somehow, I could only end up thinking about Uncle. I start biting down on a Rose tile to get my thoughts straight. The tile tastes bitter, which, ironically, gets along with this situation just fine.

She stands up to get some tea. No, I do not want one.

I switch my White Jade tile with her Rhododendron tile so I even the score a little bit. She gives me a suspicious look as she returns with her steaming cup of tea. She sits down and looks me straight in the eye, unnerving me to no end. Somehow she has sensed my irritation because she starts to sip very loudly at her cup. Agni, I'm begging you to smite me here and now!

I move my second White Dragon tile to take the White Lotus tile from her off the board. She asks me if I cheated.

I really, really hate her.

She moves her Lilly tile towards my White Dragon tile, breaking her harmony and losing 3 points. The score is now 46 for her and 49 for me, which means I'm beating her.

---

It's been quite some time since we started this game. The rays of sunlight that had warmed my back were long gone. So far I'm winning; only one more White Lotus tile placed in the middle and it would be all over.

Gleefully, I set the last pile down to set my victory into motion. Our eyes lock for the first time in hours and I watch in horror as she smirks back at me. She smashes down her Knotweed tile next to my White Lotus tile, killing it with 9 other pieces in the progress.

Shit, I lost.

…Somehow, I just know Uncle is laughing at me somewhere out there.