AU: What if both Jet and Zuko were taken away at the end of City of Walls and Secrets? This is primarily a character study of Mai.

I wrote the original version while extremely sleep-deprived, and while I have edited it rather extensively, I do hope that it makes sense.

Victory, as always, is thoroughly boring.

So they've conquered Ba Sing Se, defeated the Dai Li, and from Azula's account, maybe even possibly killed the Avatar. All that's very well and good, but Mai's never quite been one for gloating in victory and rolling around in the subjugation of the conquered. No, that's Azula's job, and she's doing a splendid job of it. She'll be a fine queen someday, Mai thinks.

Perhaps there's just the faintest edge of irony to that.

At any rate, while Azula crushes Ba Sing Se under her dainty heel, Mai goes wandering. Omashu was dull even on the best of days, but Ba Sing Se's big enough that she can gain at least a modicum of entertainment by wandering its streets. The Upper Ring is essentially the Earth Kingdom version of what she's been drowning in her whole life—scraping nobles, false flattery, the dance of politics that Azula loves but only serves to bore Mai out of her mind. The Middle Ring is Ty Lee's favorite, of course, and Mai suffers through a week of being dragged through various shops and restaurants. The shopkeepers don't dare to charge them, but there's only so much of a new wardrobe that Mai can acquire before it all starts to look the same.

That leaves the Lower Ring. It's a dirty, cutthroat place, and that suits Mai just fine. Someone tries to mug her, more fool him, and the rush of adrenaline she gets after teaching him a lesson is one of the most exciting thing that's happened to her since the fight in the Earth Kingdom Palace. The people here are a refreshing contrast to the mincing daintiness of the Upper Ring, and while the food is terrible, well, that's a relatively small price to pay.

She's not expecting anything when she heads into just another teashop for lunch. It's small and rather grubby-looking, and the menu, if you can call it that, is rather pitiful. She stares critically at the inked characters on the board and decides on green tea and a bowl of noodles. You can never go wrong with those.

"Can I take your order?"

She doesn't look up from the board. "Yes," she says, and her mouth is already rattling off the order before her brain catches up to the sound of that voice. She frowns and finally looks up, directing her gaze towards her server. Her heart skips a beat, and she has to fight to keep her breath from hitching as well. He's familiar. Very familiar. His hair is longer and he's dressed in Earth green, but she would recognize him anywhere even without the scar.

"Zuko?" she says softly.

He looks at her. She looks back, her pulse humming in her ears. There's not the slightest hint of recognition in his face, not even a twitch as she calls him by name. "Sorry?" he says, his smile bland and polite. "I'm afraid I didn't catch that."

Zuko is a horrendous liar. She knows this like she knows the weight of knives in her hand; she knows this like she knows Azula's terrible cleverness. When they were young, every emotion showed on his face, and she always knew what he was feeling simply by the dance of fire around them. Azula had taken full advantage of that, of course, but Mai remembers feeling only a strange sort of envy and longing.

No. Zuko's bad at lying, and never in a thousand years would he be able to stand there with that pleasant, docile smile on his face while looking at her like she's a stranger.

"Um," he says. The voice is familiar, the tone is not. "Are you all right?"

She swallows hard and shoves away the sentimentality. "Green tea," she says, and her voice is flat even to her own ears.

"Very good, miss," he says, and she hates the servility in his tone. "Anything else?"

"What's your name?" she asks.

He blinks. "Lee."

Lee? Why Lee? What is going on? "Go get the tea," she orders curtly.

She watches him carefully for a reaction. Zuko would never stand for that, but this person, his strange doppelganger—he nods and gives a little half bow, and that's it. He walks away, still smiling that stupid smile, and Mai feels a slow shiver work its way up her spine. She's not given to dramatics in the least, but she knows when something is very, very wrong.

She stays outwardly calm as he brings her tea over. Again, there's not a single flicker of recognition in his face as he sets it in front of her and walks away. She watches him leave, the thoughts swirling inside of her head. Zuko hiding in the Earth Kingdom is one thing. Zuko hiding in the Earth Kingdom and not knowing his own identity…that's another thing entirely. And where is General Iroh?

The mysteries never end, it seems. She fully intends to solve them.

He's a serving boy in a teashop. He lives alone in a dirty little apartment. He's a refugee who came here to Ba Sing Se like so many others. Mai figures these facts out well enough by herself, but she doesn't want to risk attracting attention by asking too deeply. Her skill set is better suited towards the shadows, whether it be fighting or hiding, and people—well, people are irritating at best. No, for this, she needs someone charismatic to ask the questions, someone charming and playful enough to deflect attention.

Fortunately for her, her best friend happens to fit this criteria exactly.

"Wait, Zuko's here?" Ty Lee whispers in disbelief when Mai confides in her. "Really?"

"Really," Mai confirms. "He's been hiding in the Lower Ring for weeks at least, but I don't know how long exactly. And Ty Lee—he doesn't know who he is."

Ty Lee frowns. "What do you mean? Like, he doesn't remember you?"

"He doesn't remember himself," Mai says flatly. "He thinks his name is Lee and that he was born to serve tea. I've tried to get him into a conversation, but he just stands there like a platypus-monkey and asks me if I want buns with my tea."

Ty Lee giggles, but she sobers quickly when Mai glares at her. "Oh. You're being serious." She ponders for a moment. "We should tell Azula."

"No," Mai says. The word comes out far quicker and sharper than she expected, surprising even herself. Ty Lee gives her an inquisitive glance, and Mai looks away, working her jaw. "I don't want to bring an incomplete rumor to her," she says after a moment. It's not the real reason, but she can't quite put her finger on what the real reason is.

She's infinitely grateful that her friend doesn't pry further. "Okay then," Ty Lee says. "So. What do you need from me?"

"I need you to ask questions," Mai says. "You're better at the whole…" she waves a hand vaguely, "…people thing than I am. I want to find out how long he's been here, and if he came with anyone. I can't do it myself; people will wonder why."

"But I can?" Ty Lee says with a wry smile.

Mai shrugs. "Ask the proprietor about his life. Act like you're interested in him. You can pull it off, but people will never believe me if I say that." Even if it's true.

She ruthlessly shoves that thought down.

Ty Lee's not smiling anymore. Her large eyes are serious and contemplative, and Mai meets her gaze squarely. Mai doesn't believe in any deity or aura or whatever nonsense that people spew out these days, but she does believe in her friend. Ty Lee's expression holds an understanding that doesn't need to be spoken out loud, and Mai takes comfort from that.

"Okay," Ty Lee says. She shakes herself all over, and Mai takes a step back as Ty Lee does a quick backflip, landing neatly on her feet. As she straightens up, she gives Mai a wide, flirtatious smile. "So," she says, and Mai notes how her voice goes higher, more girlish. "Sir, do you know anything about that boy over there? I'd like to talk to him, but he seems really shy, and I'm…" she trails off, her hand moving up as if to cover a blush. There's no blush, but Ty Lee's convincing enough that Mai can almost see it.

"Perfect," Mai says. She keeps her voice level. "They'll believe you in no time."

Ty Lee's smile changes into something more genuine, almost sad. Wordlessly, she reaches out in a silent gesture. Mai doesn't question or complain as she reaches out and accepts the hug.

She sits with a cup of lukewarm tea in her hands, listening as Ty Lee teases out information: first from the proprietor, who utterly falls for the act, and then from a stumbling Zuko. Lee? Whoever he is. She focuses on the still liquid in the cup as Ty Lee giggles in the background, managing to wrangle an invitation to a date from Zuko. He sounds lost and confused as he accepts, and Mai's not sure how to feel about that, or if she should be feeling anything at all.

Focus on the mystery, she reminds herself starkly. Understand why he's here. You can work out the rest later.

With a last, flirtatious laugh, Ty Lee exits the teashop. Mai lifts her head up from the cup and watches as Zuko stands there with the tray in hand, staring out after her like he can't quite believe what just happened. The look on his face is familiar, even if the rest of him isn't.

It's nostalgic, almost.

She looks back down at her teacup, swirling idly at the liquid. She waits a couple minutes, long enough so it doesn't seem odd, before she stands up and walks out of the teashop. Ty Lee's nowhere to be seen, but Mai continues walking, trusting that Ty Lee will find her. Sure enough, it's not long before Ty Lee sidles casually up to her, looking like the picture of winsome innocence. As they duck into an alley, the cheer melts off of Ty Lee's face.

"Well?" Mai says, keeping the impatience from her voice.

"He came here with an older man who the proprietor said was his uncle," Ty Lee says. "That's got to be General Iroh. Anyway, a while ago, he got into a fight with another boy, and they were both taken away by the Dai Li. His uncle disappeared the next morning. Zuko only returned a few weeks ago, and he's been working here ever since."

Mai's eyes narrow as she latches onto a particular phrase. "The Dai Li? What do you mean, taken away?"

Ty Lee lowers her voice. "Apparently they take people away a lot, and they come back…different. He didn't want to say much about it. They take away those who make trouble, and when they come back, they're…well, let's just say that they're not the same as when they left." Her mouth twists, an unusually bitter expression for Ty Lee. "As you can see from Zuko, obviously." She's quiet for a moment before she abruptly brightens up. "But the proprietor assured me that Lee was a hard worker who gave him no trouble. Perfect prospect for a young lady! And Zuko wasn't bad, he was…nice, if a bit clueless."

"Yes, a moron who can do nothing but bow and scrape sounds extremely enticing," Mai says caustically. She ignores the look that Ty Lee sends her way. "And the uncle—he hasn't been seen since?"

"No," Ty Lee says with a frown. "He was gone the morning after Zuko had been taken. The proprietor assumed that the Dai Li had come for him as well. You don't ask questions when the Dai Li come knocking, it seems."

Mai gives her a tiny, humorless smile. "I'll have to change that," she says.

"What are you planning to do?" Ty Lee asks.

Mai shifts. She can feel the weight of cold steel under her robes, and it's a comforting anchor that helps clear her mind. "I'm going to fix this," she says, feeling preternaturally calm. "And that starts with questions, and I've got so many I'd like to ask. Do you think Long Feng will be in a receptive mood?"

"Well, he probably hasn't seen daylight since we took Ba Sing Se, so…it's anybody's guess," Ty Lee says with a small frown. She looks at Mai. "What're you thinking of doing? Are you going to find him and beat the answers out of him or something?"

"If I have to," Mai says.

"It'll attract attention," Ty Lee warns. She doesn't say whose attention exactly, but they both know full well who. She places a hand on Mai's arm. "Mai," Ty Lee says softly. "What're you trying to do here? What's the endgame?"

"Must we all have monumental plans?" Mai says evasively. "I'm hardly Azula. Maybe I'm just curious."

Ty Lee doesn't say anything; her expression does it for her. Mai sighs. In an uncharasteric lapse of control, she scrubs at her face, dragging her palms across her face. As she drops her hands, she looks back up at Ty Lee. "I don't have an endgame," she says baldly. "I'm taking this one step at a time."

"You're going to have to tell Azula at some point," Ty Lee says quietly.

"I will," Mai says, feeling irritable. "Once I find out what's going on." As Ty Lee remains silent, Mai adds flatly, "She deserves to know. He's her brother."

Ty Lee continues to watch her, but Mai turns away. At length, she hears Ty Lee give out a heavy sigh. "Okay," she says. "Fair enough. So the next step is to go to talk to Long Feng, I guess?"

"Unless you know someone else who can tell us the Dai Li's dirty secrets," Mai says. She turns back to face Ty Lee. "I'll handle this."

"All right," Ty Lee says. She gives Mai a crooked smile. "I guess I'm busy, anyway. I've got a date with Zuko tomorrow, and I'd feel bad about missing it. He doesn't need more disappointment in his life, I'm sure."

Mai breathes in, keeping her expression level. "Of course not," she agrees, and she's proud of how calm she sounds.

She's never liked Long Feng, and he's enough of a slimy rat-snake that he deserves everything that he got. His prison cell is made of solid metal and for good measure, he's shackled hand and foot. He's been humbled some but not nearly enough, if the glare he's sending her way is anything to go by. Mai stares back at him. She was thoroughly unimpressed before, and now she can add deepest irritation to all this as well.

"I'm surprised you managed to keep power at all," she says disdainfully. "Look at you."

He spits at her. It falls short, just like the rest of him. "Has your princess sent you down here to gloat?"

"Azula gloats on her own just fine. This is purely personal," Mai says. She leans against the wall, noting how his eyes track her every moment. "The Dai Li were more than happy to turn on you. I was surprised, actually, at how fast they turned."

Long Feng sneers at her. "Their decision has brought this city to ruin."

Mai raps on the metal of the cage pointedly. "The city's fine. You, on the other hand, are trapped in a metal box, so all in all I'd say that the Dai Li got the better end of the deal. They must've hated you all along. What did you do, kill their firstborn children?"

"I did what I had to do," Long Feng snarls. So low and yet still so proud. Well, Azula will fix that, and if she doesn't, Mai will be more than happy to finish the job. "I am in charge of protecting this city, and that's what I did. I kept war from coming into our walls, and it was safe until you and your ashmaker princess came in and destroyed peace."

"When we stole Ba Sing Se from out under your very nose, you mean," Mai says, and it's not hard to let the contempt in her voice show. "Azula was absolutely right when she said that you weren't a player. She knows people, and she knows how to use them. What were your methods, mmm? Strutting about the city, relying on your secret police like a fool. There's only so far that ruse can go."

"You stupid little girl!" Long Feng hisses, and oh, isn't that clever of him to pull out the insults. "I kept order in this city for years. I kept them safe from the war. Haven't you heard the saying? There is no war in Ba Sing Se."

"Like that's something to be proud of," Mai says with a roll of her eyes. "Everyone in the Earth Kingdom is a stinking sheep-pig who thinks the same way. Oink, oink. It's child play to keep control, but you still lost to us. Some master you are."

She can hear the chains clink as he draws himself up. "Of course there were dissidents," he says haughtily. "And we kept them down. You ashmakers think it's all about brute force, but here, we changed minds. You could never do that."

Mai gives him a thoroughly unimpressed look. "Oooh, you changed minds. How terrifying."

He narrows his eyes. "Wait and see," he says through gritted teeth. "One day, when I regain power, I'll come find you. I'll take you to Laogai and I'll wipe you clean, you and your bitch princess. You'll both grovel at my feet, and you'll never know anything different."

She doesn't say anything, letting the expression of disdain on her face say it all. It seems to enrage him more than words could have ever achieved, which suits her just fine. He snarls at her, actually snarls, and there aren't enough words to express just how unmoved she is. "I'll chain you down myself and break your mind," he says, every word no doubt dripping vengeance. "When I'm done, you'll be begging to obey me. No one has ever broken free of Ba Sing Se's control."

"Really," Mai drawls. "I'm sensing a little defensive posturing there."

"No one," Long Feng insists. "And certainly not you, you pathetic piece of ashy filth."

She ignores the insult effortlessly, focusing on his firm assertion. If it's true that no one's ever broken free, that would be deeply unfortunate. She suspects that he has more than enough reason to lie about the truth, though, so perhaps there's still hope. At any rate, she's not going to get much here other than his pointless posturing.

Well, that's about enough of that.

"I'm positively terrified," she says tonelessly. "I await the day when you have any sort of power again." She gives Long Feng a small, cold smile, showing teeth.

Predictably, he curses at her. "I've wasted enough of my time," she announces, and then she leaves the room.

So, the Dai Li evidently have some tricks up their sleeve that she's never heard of. When Ty Lee sets out on her "date" with Zuko—no, Lee, she must remember that there's a difference—Mai busies herself trawling through the palace libraries in search of some secret Dai Li information. It's pretty much what she expected it to be: dull and dusty, mostly bound scrolls of how to earthbend and mindnumbingly boring Earth Kingdom history. After an hour or so, she sighs and dusts off her hands, wrinkling her nose as she drops the latest crinkled yellow scroll onto the table. It's probably a priceless relic of some sort. Too bad.

"Mai?"

That would be Azula. Mai turns to see her lounging against the doorway with one hand on her hip, casually at home in the grandest of palaces the Earth Kingdom has to offer. She's dressed in Fire Nation red in the middle of a sea of green, and Mai wonders for a moment if that's supposed to be a statement of some sort. It probably is, but she wearies of picking apart hidden meanings. "Azula," she says in greeting.

"What're you doing in here?" Azula says, sounding curious. Her hands trail over the loosely rolled scrolls, teasing idly at the paper. "I never figured you to have a resounding interest in Earth Kingdom literature."

Mai shrugs. "I got bored," she says, which is true if not exactly the truth. "Although I have to say that I haven't found anything interesting."

"Of course you haven't," Azula says with a smile. It's not cruel; in fact, it's almost nice. "This is the public library, or at least as public a library as you can get for the palace here. They've neutered this place long ago." She looks at Mai slyly. "You should have known. Remember the hidden shelves back home?"

The memory is enough to bring a small smile to Mai's face. Of course she remembers. The "unexpurgated" scrolls, hidden behind a metallic statue that would only open to a firebender's touch. That had been a very worthy discovery, and she remembers how all three them, her and Azula and Ty Lee, had taken turns reading bits of the saucier stories out loud. And then they'd told Zuko about it, and it had been positively adorable, the way he blushed…

Her smile fades, but she thinks that she recovers quickly enough that Azula doesn't notice. "Well," she says, "evidently having fun is forbidden across cultures."

Azula laughs, high and clear. It's a familiar sound that harks back to their shared childhood. "Shall we go see what the Dai Li read for pleasure in their spare time, then?" she says, linking her arm companionably in Mai's. "I'm sure there must be a treasure trove or two around here somewhere. Too bad Ty Lee isn't here. Do you know where she is, by the way? I feel like we must be doing her a disservice by not including her."

Mai shrugs, affectedly casual. "Probably with some boy. You know how she is."

"Ah," Azula says. She sounds idly disinterested, and Mai hopes that's the truth. "Well, I hope she doesn't get too attached to any of these rockheads. I don't know how much longer we'll be staying in Ba Sing Se."

"Oh, yes?" Mai murmurs. "Has your father sent us orders yet?"

"No, but he'll probably need me back at the palace soon," Azula says. She sounds casually haughty, which is a tonal feat that Mai silently admires. "Not that I haven't been having fun sharpening my teeth on Ba Sing Se, but the sooner I can leave the dust behind, the better." She lights a fire in her other hand as they venture deeper into the library, lighting the lanterns with flicks of her hand as they walk by. "You excited to go back?"

Excited isn't quite the word she'd use, and there are multiple reasons for that. "It'll be dull," she says instead. "I've only just gotten out of the Fire Nation palace."

"My poor Mai. Very well, I will delay as long as I can for your sake," Azula says. "I'll tell Father that the nobles here are being presumptuous or something, which is very true." She squeezes Mai's hand briefly, and it feels rather sisterly. "But I do wonder…if you're trawling for Earth Kingdom texts, how entertained can you be here?"

Her voice is sweet, but there's a thinly veiled trap in there. Mai spares a fleeting thought to wonder if it was intentional or just a question. It's hard to tell sometimes with Azula. "More entertained than back home," Mai says. "At least it's something new. Although it's true that the novelty is rapidly wearing off."

"I see," Azula says. "Well, let's entertain you, shall we? It's been far too long since we've spent time together; I've simply been so busy." She smiles at Mai, and it's bright enough that Mai can't help but give her a smile in return.

"So," Azula continues. "If I were going to hide secret texts in an Earth Kingdom palace, where would I be?" She unlinks her arm from Mai's and spreads her hands to point at either wall. "I could simply ask one of the Dai Li, I suppose, but that would be far too easy. Let's think like them." She begins to pace, one hand trailing lightly on the stone, and Mai follows in her wake. "If I wanted to hide secret books, I'd hide it somewhere that's impossible to reach if you're not an earthbender. Underground's an option, but there's not enough space between the lower floor and this one to conceal a shelf, and it's far too conspicuous to have a hole in the ground, anyway. So it'd be a wall where it's easy to enter and exit without being seen, and you must always account for human error—people are simply too lazy to put things back properly." She places one palm flat on the stone. "Let's see…"

Oh, yes, Azula's clever. And when she's not being cruel, she's quite companionable.

They spend an entertaining afternoon tracing the halls of the Earth Kingdom palace, tossing theories back and forth as to the location of a secret library. When they find the secret library—and with Azula, it's always a when, not an if—Azula blasts open the rock with a powerful explosion that leaves Mai deeply impressed. It leaves a sizable gap in the wall, but that seems like a small price to pay, all told. Some of the outermost scrolls are charred by the blast, but they still seem legible when Mai unfolds them.

"What dirty secrets do we have here, then?" Azula says with a broad smile, and suddenly, Mai's on high alert again. In a blink of the eye, the game has turned from something friendly to something very dangerous. It's not her secrets this room contains, but it could very well lead to Zuko. And she can't quite voice why, but she knows that Azula cannot find out.

Mai thumbs through the scrolls, her eyes rapidly skimming the markers. They're ordered by the number of brush strokes in the topic, and they seem fairly harmless for a secret library. The Rings of Ba Sing Se. Manuscripts of Avatar Kyoshi. Procedures and Customs. Lake Laogai…

Hmm.

She turns away from that section, instead sliding out one of Kyoshi's scrolls. It's written on something heavier than the usual paper, and if she were inclined to romanticism, she would say that the history seems to pour out of its very presence. "Look, Kyoshi," she says, injecting as much boredom into her tone as possible. "What a cultural relic."

As she'd hoped, Azula comes over to her side. She carelessly unravells it, letting the end of it fall onto the floor. "Ugh," they say almost at the same time as a strange smell rises up from it, no doubt the history protesting at such treatment. Azula waves a delicate hand in front of her nose. "Well, I suppose the Fire Sages will be happy to swoon over these, at least," she says as she rolls it back shut. "I'll have these carted back with our ship, I suppose."

"You're bringing these back?" Mai says, intrigued despite herself.

Azula gives her a razor-thin smile. "I try to understand the customs of the people I subjugate," she says angelically, and Mai gives a tiny snort at the statement. "It's not like the Earth Kingdom needs these, at any rate. Taking them is just good politics."

"Politics," Mai says, and the disgust there, at least, is completely true. Azula laughs, an unrestrained, free sound, and pats her on the shoulder. Bits of dust come off Mai's robe, and she gives an inward sigh. No doubt her hair is equally messy. "Ugh."

"Yes, you are a mess," Azula says. "As am I." There's a good measure of dust on her as well, and she looks as if as if she's just noticing it. "Well," she says, suddenly brisk. "I'll leave you to it. You can develop your inner passion for Earth Kingdom literature in peace while I clean this filth off. Do let me know if anything interesting comes up."

"Of course," Mai says with a bow. She holds back her tiny sigh of relief until Azula's well out of earshot, and she waits even longer before heading over the marker labeled Lake Laogai and pulling out the first scroll. It's dry reading, as expected, but she's on the right track now. She can feel it.

(It's only until much, much later that it occurs to her that that might have been too easy.)

Ty Lee returns later that evening, her eyes bright and her cheeks flushed. Mai resists the urge to interrogate her immediately, waiting until after dinner when they have some measure of privacy before cornering her. "Well?"

To her considerable credit, Ty Lee doesn't draw out the suspense. "He thinks he was born in one of the colonies," she says in a whisper. "He claims he's not a bender, and his greatest ambition is becoming the manager of the teashop after the proprietor dies."

Mai stares at her. "Really?"

"Yeah," Ty Lee says with a nod. "It's a little weird. Well, a lot weird." She shrugs. "But it was fun."

Mai takes a breath. Two. "Fun," she repeats. Ty Lee looks at her steadily, and Mai breathes out through her nose, feeling uncharitable and duly abashed. "Sorry," she mutters.

"He's not Zuko," Ty Lee says softly. "He's Lee. He doesn't know who he is. The Dai Li did something to him, you know that."

"I do know that," Mai echoes, as much for her confirmation as Ty Lee's.

Ty Lee pats her on the arm. Mercifully, she doesn't pursue the topic further. "So," she says instead. "What about you? Did you find anything?"

"Yes," Mai says. "Found out a lot, actually." And it's true: the innocently named Lake Laogai had turned up a treasure trove of information, filled with detail about everything except the essential point—how to undo it. For that particular topic, there are only sketchy clues, vague references to "the resistance of the subject" and "the subject's innate stubbornness". She relays this to Ty Lee, who listens solemnly with wide eyes. "So I don't know if there's a hidden hidden library," Mai says tiredly. "Or if it's just really as strong as Long Feng likes to claim." She smirks humorlessly. "At least if we're relying on stubbornness alone, Zuko will prevail for sure. He never gave up, and I'm certain that he won't now."

Ty Lee doesn't say anything for a moment. As the silence drags on, Mai looks at her with a frown to see a contemplative expression on her face. "What?" she asks.

"So, don't take this the wrong way," Ty Lee begins hesitantly.

"This can't end well," Mai remarks.

"Look. Just listen," Ty Lee says. Mai raises an eyebrow, but she waits for Ty Lee to continue. "So," Ty Lee says slowly, drawing out the word. "What if—what if we shouldn't try to undo it? We just let him be Lee. And he stays in Ba Sing Se and lives in his tea shop happily ever after."

Mai stares at her. "What're you talking about?"

Ty Lee shrugs, the motion uncharacteristically awkward. "I mean…he's a wanted fugitive, Mai," she says. "He couldn't kill the Avatar, which was what the Fire Lord told him to do. Azula was the one who had to do that. There's no point in him waking up, is there, really? And I mean, he's not unhappy. From talking to him today, I figure that serving tea is the greatest thing that's ever happened to him."

"He's Zuko," Mai says flatly, unable to believe her ears. "He's not meant to be a serving boy."

"Yeah, but he's not really meant to be Fire Lord either, is he?" Ty Lee says, her expression tentative. "He's banished and disgraced. There's no place for him back home."

"What're you trying to say?" Mai demands. "That I should just leave this alone? Forget he ever existed?"

Ty Lee looks away. "Well—not quite that harsh. But yes?" She gives Mai an apologetic smile, but Mai's in no mood to receive it charitably. "I mean, what's the point?"

What's the point? What does she even mean by that, what's the point? "He's a firebender and a prince," Mai snaps. "He's not some Earth Kingdom peasant. He doesn't belong here anymore than we do. He's Zuko, he's not Lee, and I can't believe that you would just leave him there—"

"Lower your voice!" Ty Lee hisses.

Mai bites her lip, feeling a flush of heat come over her. What is she doing? She's losing control, that's what, and that doesn't happen to her. She takes a deep breath, drawing on years of iron control learned from childhood. Don't get angry, Mai, it doesn't do anything for you. Keep quiet, don't draw attention, this is very important and we can't have children get in the way, now can we? Now just—sit—still—

She lets out the breath. "I'm not leaving him."

"Just consider it," Ty Lee says quietly. "Please."

"Any happiness he's feeling is the result of a lie," Mai says fiercely. "It would be cruel to make him live like that."

Ty Lee gives a tiny shrug. "I think it'd be more cruel to wake him up, if such a thing is even possible," she says. She twists her hands together. "But it's your choice, Mai."

Mai's mouth twists bitterly. "I'm going to wake him up," she says, her tone leaving no room for argument. Of course there's no argument; how could there ever be one? "I don't know how, but I'm going to do it. I'll drag him back to the Fire Nation with us if I have to."

"Azula will have to know," Ty Lee says. Her words are quiet, but they're like a splash of cold water to Mai's face. "You can't hide something like that." She pauses. "How are you going to tell her?"

Now, it's Mai's turn to look away. To that, she doesn't have a good answer.

He's the prince. He's…he's Zuko; he's vibrant and energetic and sweet and charming. How could she just leave him there to be trapped in a lie? That's no way to live one's life. He deserves to know the truth. Sure, it's not a pleasant truth, but Zuko never gives up. He'll work through it, no matter what, and he'll be all the stronger for it.

Won't he?

Or perhaps she's lying to herself, she thinks glumly. Is she doing this for him or for herself? She won't deny that she's had a crush on him; she has to admit that, at least. But is it with him, or with some archaic idea of him that might not be there anymore since his banishment? She hasn't spoken to him in years, not since his banishment. Perhaps her desire to wake him up simply some sort of pathetic wish fulfillment, and in its own way, just as cruel as any of Azula's schemes. What if he is happy? What if being a humble tea server is better than being a banished prince? What if…

She doesn't do dreams. That's far more Ty Lee's realm than hers. She deals with facts, objective reality, and then once she's assessed the situation, she throws in a healthy dose of cynicism for good measure. The world isn't a nice place, nor is it fair. What's easy isn't always right, nor is the right way always clear.

And this is the reason why she loathes philosophy.

She stays away from the Lower Ring for two whole days, choosing instead to wander the Middle Ring with Ty Lee. Ty Lee seems determinedly cheerful, dragging her to a whole new host of restaurants and shops, barely leaving enough room in the conversation to say Zuko's name, let alone think about him. Mai suffers through it all with dour grace, but there's only so long she can chew over the problem. Hanging in suspense does no one any favors.

It began at the teashop, and it seems only fit that it ends there. Zuko—no, Lee. He's Lee now. He greets her, and she can see that same awkward smile that she fell hard for as a child. But she's not a child anymore, and perhaps it's time to let old dreams go.

"Hello," he says. "Can I take your order?"

She looks down at the menu. Turns it over. "What do you recommend?" she says.

"Well, between you and me, the jasmine tea is really great," he says. "And the ginger-raspberry is fresh from Kolau."

She raises an eyebrow. "If you can trust the merchants."

"Of course you can," he says, sounding affronted. There are shades of the Zuko she knows, but it's completely wrong. "The merchants offer only the finest wares here in Ba Sing Se."

"Even in the Lower Ring?" she asks. "I would think that the Upper Ring takes the best first."

He frowns a little at her. "There is order to all things here in Ba Sing Se," he says sternly. "The walls keep us safe, you know."

"I'm sure they do," she says. "You're a refugee, aren't you?"

A flash of wariness crosses his face, and for a moment she has hope. She's not sure what she's hoping for, but whatever it is, it isn't real. This is confirmed as he bows his head slightly, "Yes. There are a lot of us refugees here, but Ba Sing Se protects us."

"From what?" Mai probes. "There's no war here."

"Of course there isn't. I left home because I was hungry and alone," he says with a shrug. "And now I'm not. It could be worse." The proprietor shouts, and he gives her an exaggerated wince. "Although, I have to say, getting scolded by Master Weishan isn't a good way to go out, either. Have you decided yet, miss?"

She orders the jasmine. He nods, bows, even smiles as he leaves. All is clearly right in his world.

He's so…happy. So naïve. He has a future here, even if its shining climax is merely the management of a teashop. What does he have back home? He's scarred and banished, neither of which are likely to change soon. Is the childhood nostalgia worth it?

It's her choice, Ty Lee had said, and Mai rests her fingers on her temples and closes her eyes. Is the truth worth it? What is she hoping for, should the best come true? Should she or should she not, that is the question…

"Mai!"

…or perhaps, the true question is whether she ever had a choice at all.

She turns around to see Azula is standing there, Ty Lee behind her, her eyes wide as she shakes her head slowly. "Whatever brings you down here?" Azula asks, and for a wild moment Mai tries to hope that this is just an idle whim of Azula's, that maybe she doesn't know. The proprietor rushes forward to offer a groveling welcome, but Azula waves him imperiously into silence. "Such a dingy teashop," she says loudly. "You can't possibly be coming here for the tea. I imagine pig-cow slop would serve you better."

Her eyes are fixed squarely on Mai's, and Mai meets them for a moment before bowing her head. Azula knows. Of course she knows. "No," Mai acknowledges quietly. "I'm not."

She watches from the corner of her eye as Azula moves away from her. "Ah, you must be Lee!" she says, and Mai looks up in time to see Azula grab his arm. He looks like a mouse-deer standing frozen as the eagle hawk swoops down for the kill, and Mai spares a fleeting moment to wonder how things can go so right yet so very wrong at the same time. This isn't how she wanted it to go.

"I'm calling for an immediate promotion," Azula announces, her teeth gleaming as she smiles broadly at the patrons of the teashop. Azula performs best with an audience, and here, they're only all too ready to oblige. "I've heard great things about you," she says, ostensibly to Zuko, but the words echo in the suddenly quiet shop. "You're too good for this slum you call a teashop," she tells him.

He stares at her, his eyes wide. Whether as Lee or Zuko, he's still no match for her.

Still holding Zuko with one hand, Azula turns and gestures to Mai. "Mai. My dear friend. Let's go celebrate in a better location, shall we?"

It's not a question. Mai stands up, keeping her breathing steady. Be still. Keep control. This isn't your place to protest, Mai.

"Of course," she says calmly, and she follows them out the door.