II
Ty Lee: Obsession
In her entire life of always looking fantastic, Ty Lee had never put more effort into an outfit. She spent forever trying to figure out how to look amazing enough to attract the attention of the one person who managed to both ignore her and make her feel special.
Ty Lee wanted Azula to fall in love with her this summer. She just wished she knew how she was supposed to make that happen.
When she finally finished selecting the proper swimsuit and lovely, just skimpy enough cover up, she walked out onto the patio. Beneath her bare feet, she stepped on the loose sand that thinly coated the stone. The sun could not be brighter; she squinted.
"Azula!" chirped Ty Lee when she heard footsteps behind her.
"Close," replied her best friend. Or second best friend. She liked Azula better than Mai but that was only because she wanted to date and probably marry Azula, so perhaps that made Mai more of a friend to her but less important. "Were you waiting for her?"
"Sort of," Ty Lee replied, her cheeks flushing hot and pink.
"You are so sad," Mai commented as she leaned over the railing. She frowned at the sky and turned around. Sighing, she explained, "I hate the sun."
"I love it." Ty Lee closed her eyes dreamily before she could stop herself.
"Again, you are so depressing. Just tell her you're interested."
"That's the worst idea anybody in history has ever had!" Ty Lee shouted and Mai almost cringed. She managed to stop herself thanks to years of practice.
"Yeah. She probably wouldn't respond well, but it would be way less painful for me if you just told her," Mai said, sighing.
"Did you know her birthday is in three days?"
"I've known her longer than you have."
Ty Lee pouted cutely. "Doesn't answer my question."
Mai sighed. "Yes, of course I know that."
"And I will give her my heart as a present." Ty Lee beamed at that happy thought.
"She will crush it in her bare hands," Mai said with another sigh.
"Maybe not," Ty Lee said, which was certainly proof of her unwavering optimism.
"Can I just say that your intention to sleep with the Fire Lord's daughter doesn't do any wonders for your dumb girl image?"
"You can just say that, but it won't change my mind about her. I want her and I love her and she will have me by the end of this trip."
"I don't care enough to try to stop you."
Ty Lee grinned at that and sat down, waiting for her love to arrive.
Azula: Jealousy
Once the teens finished readying themselves for the day and Lo and Li ushered them out of the house, they stood on the front path and contemplated where to go and what to do this morning.
"Why do I have trouble thinking about this?" snapped Zuko in response to imagined dirty looks. "Because we shouldn't be on an indulgent vacation; we should be winning a war. We are important soldiers who have a lot to prove."
"Not for these two weeks," Azula purred, and he quite visibly clenched his fists. "We are merely immoral adolescents."
"Isn't the right word amoral?" Zuko said, sounding as superior as could be.
Azula rolled her eyes at him. "Amoral is if you have no sense of right or wrong. Immoral is when you know you are truly wicked but you do nothing about it."
Zuko just grunted.
Ty Lee took her opportunity to brightly suggest, "We could go shopping at that cute little beachside market. It's so cute!"
Azula was the one to announce, "Yes. We can do that," and no one bothered to argue. Fighting with her was not worth it; even Zuko had to admit that from time to time.
They walked together, no one talking but the chattering Ty Lee, to the stretch of stone by the beach scattered with merchant carts. Azula and Ty Lee went one way while Mai and Zuko went another, and the princess toyed with the coins she had, and Ty Lee's eyes widened at every silly little item for sale. The vendors loved her but Azula always pulled Ty Lee away before she could make a foolish and impulsive purchase
"Oooo, princess, look," Ty Lee said, skittering over to a jewelry stand. The shopkeeper eagerly eyed the girls.
Azula confidently strode over and started poking at the merchandise. She set her coin purse on the table to prove she was not to be trifled with. And mostly to tease the old woman.
But, perhaps she was not only playing with people, because she had the brilliant idea to bind Ty Lee even tighter to her by buying her jewelry.
Azula held up a dyed pink piece. "Would you like this hideous seashell necklace? It would match your classless wardrobe."
Ty Lee's eyelashes fluttered as she gushed in total earnest, "Oh, Azula, you're the sweetest person in the world."
"I know it," Azula replied and she watched Ty Lee sway on her feet, her strong stance compromised by something as simple as confidence. Azula knew she had earned such conceit and so it only made sense that people would love it. "We will take this trashy necklace."
The vendor bowed her head and handed it over. Azula tossed the woman a coin and watched her scramble for it before grabbing her purse and walking off with Ty Lee.
The acrobat froze in place. "Azula, will you please help me put this on my neck? It needs two people to put on."
"Or one smart person," Azula purred, smirking at her own hilarious joke.
Despite her mockery, she did help Ty Lee, however, taking the seashell necklace from Ty Lee's hand and draping it over her chest. When Azula moved the clasp and touched it to the back of Ty Lee's neck, her knuckles brushed against Ty Lee's smooth skin and she felt a strange surge of sensation she could not explain.
Ty Lee hugged Azula and the princess hoped no one noticed her blush.
An hour later, after the shopping trip ended, Azula sat on the beach and glowered at the boys fawning over Ty Lee. She fantasized about killing every last one of them. Mai lay at her side, Zuko off getting her ice cream.
"She is so trashy," Azula said. "Look at her consorting with all those boys as if she has no shame. How pathetic and sad."
Mai decided to speak up and say, "If I may speak freely, princess, if you love her but won't claim her, you have to respect her enough to share her."
Azula scoffed and rolled her eyes at Mai's stupidity. She explained prettily, "Love does not share itself. Love is suspicious, love is controlling, love is fearful, love is greedy. There is no great love without great jealousy."
Mai began to ask, "Will you act on i—"
"TY LEE!" Azula screamed, capturing the attention of the cute girl. "Come paint my nails!" She turned to Mai. "Yes. I will act on it because I am a woman of action and confidence."
Mai waited for Azula to look away before she rolled her eyes and gagged.
Ty Lee ran over and picked up the nail polish from her bag. She took Azula's hand in hers and got right to work, smiling the whole time and trying desperately to catch the princess's attention. She wished she could succeed but Azula was intentionally ignoring her.
Mai watched in disgust, but showed no emotion on her face.
Azula smirked while Ty Lee vied desperately for her attention even more pathetically than the boys vied for hers.
Zuko: Greediness
That night, they went to the boardwalk to see the brilliant burning lights and the rigged games. Street performers played beautiful music that somehow was in sync, as if they had one mind and one set of talented fingers.
Zuko hated all of it. His girlfriend agreed.
"Look, darts," said Mai, pointing at one of the stands. "Let's go make the person running the booth cry. That might make this trip slightly less terrible."
Zuko nodded and wrapped his arm around her waist. She sighed, but let him do it.
"I'm going to go first, okay?" Zuko eagerly said, rushing towards the stand.
Mai said dryly but with a small hint of enthusiasm, "We hustle them. Not a bad idea."
Zuko did not quite get that statement, and he said assuredly, "If I don't win you one of these stuffed animals I promise to burn them all so no one else can have any either."
"Not what I meant, but go for it." Mai sat down on the counter of the booth while Zuko purchased a set of three darts.
Zuko got to work.
It was quickly apparent that he would probably have to burn down the stall to potentially make Mai happy, but she stepped in front of him and demanded three darts. Despite the rigged game, she landed all of them on the bullseyes and the man running the game scowled as he gave her a stuffed tiger-monkey. Mai handed it to Zuko.
"For you," she said and he glared at the moon. It seemed to entertain Mai which only made him angrier.
Azula and Ty Lee showed up, Ty Lee holding two stuffed animals and Azula looking as smug as she usually did.
"Oh, did your girlfriend get you a gift?" Azula asked, smirking at him. "How sweet of her."
"Why do we have to be near each other?" Zuko demanded, forcing the stuffed tiger-monkey into Mai's arms. She dropped it into the ocean. Good riddance.
"Because you're my brother and I love you."
"Oh, please. You'd rather have that guy inhaling cotton candy for a brother."
Azula shook her head. Ty Lee smiled, and Zuko wondered how she could be foolish enough to get her hopes up.
"I'm glad you're my brother," purred Azula, and Zuko rolled his eyes, waiting for the punchline.
"No, you're not," he huffily said when she was silent, clearly awaiting an answer.
"Yes, I am," Azula insisted, patting his arm. He shoved her away. She briefly lost her footing but regained it again because of course.
Zuko rolled his eyes. "Why?"
Azula said smoothly, "Because some younger siblings feel trapped in the shadow of their elder sibling, or as if they must live up to impossibly high standards. Or standards at all."
Zuko's nostrils flared. "Shut up," he said as Mai and Ty Lee laughed.
"Come on, Ty Lee. I have more things to win for you," Azula said, shooting another glance at Zuko, as if highlighting an imagined inadequacy.
They walked off again.
Zuko turned and shot Mai and accusatory glance. "Why do you laugh when she says awful things?"
Mai shrugged and explained flatly, "Because she's funny when she's cruel."
"I can be funny when I'm cruel," Zuko whined, clenching his fists and glowering.
Mai shook her head, unafraid. "I've seen you be funny, I've seen you be cruel, I've never seen you be funny and cruel at the same time."
Zuko huffed and went to get fire gummies.
Mai followed him, but he still was angry.
Mai: Apathy
"I hate vacations," Zuko growled as Mai walked into the bedroom.
He was playing with her knives, but she did not mind. Even if she was hard to please, she loved her boyfriend, and she only loved about five things tops.
"Me too," said Mai, closing the door and starting to undress. Zuko was so focused on the darts that he did not even sneak a glance. That game obvious set off about ten complexes of his. "What are you doing?"
Zuko grumbled, still not looking up from his work, "Practicing."
Mai sighed and sat down beside him, half-undressed, still unnoticed because her boyfriend was insane, angry and considered himself inadequate because he had a terrible abusive childhood. "Isn't it about time you gave up all hope of improving yourself? I have and it's a really satisfying life choice."
"Maybe." Zuko set down the darts and kicked one of them.
Mai kissed him and they fell back on the bed.