Fire Lady Mai closed the door to her bedroom, moved over to the suitcase on her bed, and opened it. With brisk efficiency, she began to unpack her belongings.

There were servants for this sort of thing. Mai knew this. She had no compunctions about allowing servants – or slaves, for that matter – to do things for her! But she was particular about her clothing. She was also especially particular about her weaponry. The servants at the Fire Nation palace knew what to touch and what not to, but these Earth Kingdom people (she turned up her nose) did not. And she, Mai, did not want dirty fingerprints on the blades of her treasured kunai knives.

She had married Prince Zuko shortly after the Battle of Sozin's Comet. A few months later, Zuko had been crowned Fire Lord, and she had knelt beside him to receive the title of Fire Lady. It had been quite the change, considering that she had spent the six months prior to the battle sitting in a Fire Nation prison cell for treason. That had not been a pleasant time in her life. But she sometimes wondered if her subsequent happiness hadn't made it all worth it. She glanced over at the second suitcase on the bed and smiled. After all, she'd gained the husband of her dreams!

She laid her clothes out in the dresser provided, and closed it. Her spare kimono robes went in the closet, hung precisely two inches apart, all facing the same way. Lastly, her spare weapons were spread out carefully amongst the clothes in her dresser, tucked away in sleeves and hemlines. She always knew exactly where they were.

"Still the same old Mai," a voice murmured from behind her. "All hidden blades and precision!" Mai spun around, two of her razor-sharp kunai in her right fist.

A young woman stood by her bed. She was dressed in Earth Kingdom clothing, with the hood of a large, dark green cloak pulled over her head and face. As Mai watched, wide-eyed, the young woman reached up and pulled the hood down around her shoulders, baring a long, pale face with gleaming golden eyes and red lips. Mai felt her own face draining of blood. "Azula!" she whispered, her lips barely able to form the word.

"Fire Lady Mai." The former princess bowed gracefully in the proper Fire Nation way, her clenched fist up against the palm of her other hand. "It's been a long time."

"What are you doing here?" Mai had finally recovered her voice. She glanced nervously at the bell that would summon the guards.

Azula saw the glance and immediately understood its meaning. She held her hands up over her head. "I'm not armed, Mai. I'm not here to hurt anyone, I promise. I'm just here to see an old friend."

Mai's elegant, dark brows drew together in a frown, and her silver eyes began to flash with lightning. The hand holding her weapons twitched. "Azula, you were banished from the Fire Nation for war crimes and high treason. Suddenly you appear without warning in the bedroom of the Fire Lady. Now, I know you. Just why in the hell would I believe what you just said to me?"

The former princess looked sober. She didn't move her hands. "I can't bend, Mai, and I'm unarmed. Are you really going to murder me while I'm helpless?"

"I've known you long enough to know that you don't need blades or fire to be dangerous, Azula." Mai's voice was low.

"Fair enough." Azula sighed and looked away. "I guess this was a mistake."

"Excuse me?"

"Coming to see you, I mean." Mai stared at her in growing disbelief. There were tones in the young woman's voice and looks on her face that she had never, ever seen in Azula before. Azula sighed again. "Well, I had to try. Go ahead and call your guards, Mai. I'll go quietly."

Mai didn't move. Neither did Azula. There was silence for a while. "What are you doing here?" Mai asked again, her grip on her throwing knives loosening a fraction.

"I told you. I wanted to see you." The former princess looked at her. "I've been exiled for nearly seven years, Mai. I…well, I miss home. I miss people." She paused. "Can I put my arms down, or would you rather search me for weapons?"

"Put them down." The Fire Lady's eyes were narrow. Azula slowly lowered her hands to her sides. "Azula, you've never cared about home or people in all your life."

"No." The young woman shook her head, looking down. "I never did, did I, Mai?" She managed a wan smile, holding out her arms. "And now look at me!" Mai didn't smile. Azula sighed, dropping her hands again. "Listen," she said softly, "things have…well, they've changed. I admit, I spent the first year of my exile marching around and trying to drum up an army and things, but…" She stopped at the expression on Mai's face. "You know what? Never mind. Just have them take me away. I'm wasting your time."

Coldly, Mai took two steps and stood under the bell, Her silver eyes never left her uninvited guest. "So you just came to chat and have a cup of tea."

Azula smiled nervously. Mai had never seen her nervous a day in her life. "Well…actually, yes." She looked down at her hands, twisting them together. "I just wanted to talk to someone I knew, Mai. It's been a long time."

"What makes you think I want to?" the Fire Lady snapped.

There was more of Azula in the smile the former princess wore then, a certain knowingness. "Because I knew you well," she said simply. "You might have betrayed me and chosen my brother over me – and rightfully so! – but you didn't do it because of patriotism or because you hated me. You told me yourself that you did it because you loved Zuko more than you feared me." She paused. "Admit it, Mai. You've missed me."

Now that sounded more like the old Azula. Oddly enough, it made Mai feel a little better. She'd begun to wonder if this wasn't some sick joke by the spirit world, dropping some perfectly sane and sweet doppelganger of the Fire Princess into her room, just to watch Mai twist in the wind. "Azula, I'm not going to sit here and drink tea with a dangerous enemy of the state."

Exasperated, she threw up her hands. "Okay, look. If you don't want to talk to me, fine. Tell me to get out, and I'll leave. Or call your guards and have me locked up." Mai said nothing. "Then can we talk?"

"Talk away." Mai's lips were tight.

The former princess sighed. "I've been…living on farms, the past few years. I find I'm not recognized as quickly in the country. I earn my keep that way." She held out her palms in Mai's direction. The Fire Lady could see the calluses across her fingertips and the heels of her hands. "I've also been talking to people – people I never would have talked to, would never even have met if I'd stayed in the Fire Nation. They've taught me a lot, Mai." She smiled hopelessly. "I just want to talk to you. Will you come and see me somewhere?"

Mai hesitated. She couldn't help but think that this wasn't a good idea, but Azula did seem different. She chewed her lip. While Azula was undeniably dangerous, she was also undeniably fascinating. She could feel the young woman's charisma even now. If she isn't different, it would be best to find out what she's up to, anyway. She breathed deeply. "All right. When and where?"

"Tonight. I'll be in a restaurant called The Dancing Bear in the outer ring of Ba Sing Sei after sundown." Azula shot her a pleading look. You'll come?"

"I'll come," Mai said, settling the matter in her mind. "But don't let yourself be spotted, Azula. They know who you are in Ba Sing Sei."

The young woman smiled and shrugged. "I've gotten used to hiding by now, Mai. Give me some credit!" She glanced at the window. "Are you going to let me go, then? Because I really should slip out before anyone decides to come and see what's taking you so long with the unpacking, Fire Lady."

The hooded silver eyes of the Fire Lady flicked to the window, then back to Azula's golden ones. "Go," she said, her voice deadly calm. "But don't expect me to protect you if you're caught, Azula."

Azula smiled – nearly laughed. "You won't have to concern yourself about that, Fire Lady Mai." She bowed again. "May you live long and burn brightly." In another moment, she was out the window. Mai moved quickly to it, but there was no sign of the former princess when she looked out. Azula was gone.

With a deep sigh, Mai closed the window, latched it, and moved back to the bed. Her hands were steady as she closed the suitcase and put it away. I have just agreed to meet with the most dangerous enemy the Fire Nation has. She thought back to the days when she and her friend Ty Lee had served Princess Azula. The princess had always been the same – ruthless, cruel, sadistic and calculating. Was it even possible that a few years of farming could even make a dent in the young woman?

There was a knock at the door, and a servant poked his head in. "Fire Lady Mai, you've been up here a long while. Is there anything we can help you with?"

Mai looked back at the unassuming window. Her eyes were grave. "No," she said. "I'm fine."