was supposed to be doing another chapter for my other fic... which then made me start on a maiko fic... but then it eventually came to this... i don't know, sometimes the ideas have a way of getting away from me...

next chapter for this may be sooner than later

When Mai first came to the palace to play with Azula, she didn't think too much about it. She was nervous at first, knowing one little mistake could cause too much suffering at the hands of her parents. They were just too excited beyond words when they received an invitation from the palace that Mai had to survive hours of lectures and dressing up before she was ushered to the doors leading her to the guards waiting outside of their house to accompany her to the palace. Her parents won't hurt her, but thinking of how much verbal torture she would have to endure if she was to act "inappropriately" in front of the royal family, she might as well just be burned by the firebenders.

The moment she entered the palace grounds, all nervousness were gone and it was replaced with excitement. Just thinking of what she had to expect, what she could do there, what she would see gave her enough excitement to fill her bored mind. Growing up, she didn't have any friends, didn't have anybody inviting her to their house to hang out. Even if she did, the ones her parents introduced her to were just boring, all caught up in their own worlds where they were the greatest people in the Fire Nation. She wondered now how they'd react that she's just minutes away from meeting one of the truly greatest person in the nation - a firebending prodigy and a princess at that.

When the princess addressed her, she felt a little ashamed. She didn't know why, but there was something in the way the princess looked at her that she felt she had no right to be in her presence. It must be the royalty thing, she thought.

"Mai! I'm so glad you could make it." Azula expressed, holding out her arms to Mai. "Come here. I have someone I would like you to meet."

Mai followed her to a room, much bigger than their own sitting room. The walls were adorned with elaborate tapestry of most exquisite art that which includes silk, gold and cotton. The room was adequeately lit with torches placed high on the walls and one wouldn't care to notice it if they didn't have the inquisitive eyes such as Mai's.

Sitting on one of the comfortable couch at the end of the room was a girl, not much older, but could've been younger than her. She was wearing pink and she thank whatever spirits for giving the girl a bright big smile on her face to help her ignore her distaste for such girly color.

"Mai, this is Ty Lee. Ty Lee, this is Mai." Azula introduced. Of course, Ty Lee, she reminded herself. Everybody knew Ty Lee in the Royal Fire Nation Academy for Girls, for she was the most popular girl there. It's no wonder Azula was her friend.

"Hello Mai!" Ty Lee grabbed Mai's hands and waved it up and down as if to expressed her glee. "I hope we'd be great friends. Azula told me you're good with knives. Aren't they dangerous?"

Mai had to supress rolling her eyes, she didn't want to upset the princess' friend. "I'm careful enough to handle them."

"Ty Lee, give Mai some space." Azula commented as she tried to pry Mai from Ty Lee's grasp. She lead the shy girl to the couch and let her sit on the side closest to her, setting Mai in between her and Ty Lee.

"So, what are you planning for us to do today, Azula?" Ty Lee asked as soon as she was seated beside Mai. She had offered Mai some tea and drank a cupful of her own while waiting for Azula's reply. "Could we watch the travelling circus this time? It's in the city and you said we can watch them last week." Ty Lee continued, seemingly pleading to the princess.

"Surely, you don't intend to bore our new friend by inviting her to a circus. Right, Mai?" Azula casually said while casting a sidelong look at Mai. Mai carefully placed the cup of tea on the table, trying to think of an answer before speaking. She looked at the once cheerful girl beside her, that had suddenly somehow reduced to a begging puppy. She doesn't understand the reason for humbling yourself for something you want but having lived the life of getting whatever she wanted in exchange of limiting her childhood freedom, she couldn't deny another person's unvoiced request.

"I heard the circus has acquired some rare animals, some were known to be very dangerous. I haven't been anywhere close to any kind of entertainment since Mother and Father only allows me to attend to official business engagements. If I may say, Princess Azula, I think a visit to a circus would be anything but boring."

"I suppose a visit to the circus couldn't be that bad." Azula stood and faced the guards stationed at the entrance of the room. "Where are my father and mother?" The guards looked at each other, clearly out of answers. "Nevermind, I'll look for them." She looked at the two girls still seated on the couch. "Wait for me."

As soon as Azula was out of the room, Ty Lee reached out to Mai's hands and held it on her own and affectionately squeezed it. "Thank you!"

Not acccustomed to such actions, Mai gave her a demure smile, comparably small to the huge smile the other is sporting. "Why are you so intent on going to the circus?"

"Oh, you haven't been to a circus before?" Ty Lee looked like a baloon that was just pricked by a needle. She obviously wasn't listening to what she said to the princess earlier. Mai couldn't help but just shrug. "The circus is such a great place, Mai. They have people who can walk on ropes, do handstands, swings from ropes while hanging on bars with their legs, jugglers, even people who can jump through hoops in mid air. They're amazing, Mai."

"If you say so."

It was not until they were at the circus later that she nearly wished she could take back what she said. The circus was full of colors, that she thought she couldn't pick which annoyed her more - the idea of being surrounded by ablinding hues or the activities around her. She was almost thankful though when she saw from the corner of her eyes, an old man practicing with his knives. Maybe it wouldn't really be as bad as it could be.