I have so much updating to do, I probably shouldn't be wasting my time writing one shots. But alas, I am …
People talked like there was no tomorrow. Screaming girls waited outside the palace and fallowed his every move like they were being paid to do so. The princess, scoffed as usual, and the contortionist gushed, as usual. She paid no attention to the gossiping people, rabid girls, or wither of her two friends. Because really, his scar had nothing to do with it.
"I heard she only likes him for his looks," She rolled her eyes.
"His scar just brings out his eyes!" She grimaced.
"It's sickening," She agreed on some terms.
"So adorable!" She shook her head.
Leaning against the wall, Mai sighed out of sheer boredom. A gust of wind blew over, sending the fallen leaves into a frenzy. She turned her head to the left, only to see that the door still hadn't opened. Mai looked up at the sky; the sun was barely peeking through the mass of clouds.
Sighing once more, she pressed her back up against the wall again, waiting impatiently. A rabbit-squirrel ran across the grounds, carrying a few small nuts in its arms. Squinting her eyes, she noticed a large caterpillar crawling up the trunk of the tree near the pond. Mai watched mindlessly as it made its way from the bottom the middle, looking confused as the branches split off from the main truck. She lost her focus, though, when she heard a clicking sound and the soft screech of a door opening.
"So, what did Azula want?" Mai asked as her friend walked out.
"Oh, you now. New mission this, track down that." Ty Lee replied, unusually calm.
"She has you completing missions for her now?" Mai asked, walking along the stone path that led around the palace.
"Mmmhmm," The contortionist nodded, walking next to her. "Is Zuko still in that meeting?"
"Yes. Apparently the Fire Lord wanted to speak with all Noblemen and Ambassadors. He's been there since dawn." Mai answered.
Ty Lee didn't say anything, but instead looked as if she were in some sort of dream-state or trance.
"Ty Lee?"
"Hm? Oh," She giggled, receiving a strange look from Mai in return.
"What?"
"I was just trying to imagine you as the Fire Lady," Ty Lee replied, a wide grin on her face.
"Oh, be quiet! We still haven't put in a date in set, not to mention Zuko's uncle is still alive." Mai said, her face beginning to flush.
"I know, but you must still enjoy the fact that those screaming girls that wait for Zuko outside of the palace gates won't ever have a chance to get him."
"That is true," Mai said thoughtfully.
"And his scar," Ty Lee said.
"What about his scar?" Mai asked, stopping in her tracks.
"Don't you just love it!"
"It's merely just a facial feature," She replied off-handedly.
"Yes, but it makes him even more," Ty Lee giggled, "handsome."
Mai rolled her eyes again and continued walking.
"Fine. But can you at least tell me what his scar feels like?" Ty Lee questioned, ignoring the awkwardness of her asking.
"No." Mai said flatly.
"You can't, or you won't?"
Mai stopped walking again and faced the contortionist. "I can't."
Ty Lee gave her a quizzical look. "What do you mean, you 'can't'?"
She turned her head back away. "I can't tell you."
"Oh, I understand." Ty Lee nodded, a sly smile gracing her lips.
"No, honestly I doubt you do," Mai said with a sigh.
"One of those private things between the two of you," Ty Lee kept going, neglecting what her friend was saying.
Mai shook her head and continued walking.
"Was I correct?"
"No, you were not."
Ty Lee frowned. "So you've never touched Zuko's scar?"
"Zuko's scar is a marred part of his face, not something to fawn over." Mai stated tonelessly.
"But surely you must have—" Ty Lee stopped walking, only to be cutoff.
"No."
The contortionist huffed and grudgingly ran after her stubborn friend.
Zuko yawned and slumped down into the bed, falling over on his back in the process.
"How was the meeting?" Mai asked, though the answer was quite obvious.
"Boring." The prince replied.
"Did you accomplish anything with all of the Noblemen and Ambassadors there?" She asked.
"Yes, I think uncle has accomplished something: serving and drinking the most tea in a meeting." Zuko said sarcastically.
"Well, I am sorry to hear that you wasted an entire day drinking tea," Mai said, sitting down on the bed next to him.
"Weren't you with Ty Lee the entire day?" He asked, now sitting up.
"Not all of it. But mind you, a few hours with Ty Lee is just as energy consuming as drinking tea with a bunch of old men."
"And she was with Azula earlier, wasn't she?"
"Yes, but why do you care?" Mai asked skeptically.
"They're planning something," Zuko replied.
"She did say Azula wants her to complete a mission of some sort." Zuko furrowed his brow at this comment. "But I wouldn't worry about it," Mai added wearily.
"I'll have to get uncle to look into this. He let Azula slip away from jail because she's family, but if she's acting on treason …" His voice drifted off, unable to complete his thoughts.
Mai closed her eyes and nodded, the realization of the time consuming her into sleep.
"Tired?"
"Very,"
Zuko stood up from the bed in order to unfold the blankets, but Mai stopped him.
"I was just wondering,"
"Yes?"
"What do you think of the screaming girls that wait by the palace gates every morning for you to wake up?" Mai question, the edge of her lips raised in a small smile.
Zuko chuckled. "They're annoying, but a good laugh every so often."
"And what about the people who talk about us?"
"You mean the gossiping wives of the Noblemen? They're even funnier than the screaming girls."
She smiled, and stood up from the bed, unfolding its blankets. The crimson silk shined under the dim candlelight, the rest of the room cast in a dark shadow.
As the prince sank down into the bed once more, Mai fallowed suit and turned to face him. He looked tired, bags under his eyes, and sighed out of exhaustion. Presumably out of habit, Zuko leaned in to kiss her, but Mai stopped him with her hand. She, instead, placed the tip of her left fingers on his scar, close to his eye.
Zuko grasped Mai's left hand in his own, smiling.
Er, yeah … Not entirely sure where the idea came from. Well, actually, if you've ever noticed that Mai has never actually touched his scar. Only kind of, sort of, in The Awakening. I would also like to say that when Ty Lee and Mai were talking, I was in a Jane Austin mood, and part of that idea came from Pride and Prejudice. Don't ask. It was a little hard to fallow, but I'm sure it was simple enough. I hope.