QIUFEN

The girl had been awfully quiet in the days following Liqiu. When she'd woken up, she'd stayed, helped clean up the spare bedroom, made the family of nine a very scrumptious breakfast complete with some of the best tea Ty Lee had in a long time, and then took her leave, returning to Mai's. Ty Lee's parents had asked several times if she'd be coming back (you try cooking for nine - it was chaos). Unfortunately, she never did come back, and it was a rare occurrence Ty Lee saw her after that. Mai seemed intent to keep her consistently busy, and Toph never slipped out of it like she used to, content to remain busy. At least, with her hands busy, maybe her mind wouldn't wander back off to Liqiu.

Zuko had been utterly depressed ever since. Azula had, on many occasions, expressed dislike of the situation, insisting Ty Lee find Toph and make her apologize, but, that wasn't possible. If Toph went back into his presence again and Mai found out, they'd never see her again. And Ty Lee didn't want to take that chance. No, she liked her friend nearby, thank you. But it didn't help, seeing it for herself. All the passion and feeling had drained out of his Firebending, and his flames were weaker than usual.

Some more time moping, and he might lose the ability to Firebend at all, a fact Azula was rather displeased with.

But, there was nothing for it. Toph wasn't going to defy Mai again, even though she'd have loved to, even if only out of disinterest in having to adjust to yet another new owner, and Ty Lee wouldn't push it. "And around, and under, and... ta da," Ty Lee murmured, wrapping a corn-husk around itself.

"You're awfully cheerful," Toph commented, wrapping together her own corn-husk dollies. They were for Qiufen, as they were often given to one's lover, sort of as a symbol of your future children, or the children you have already. Couples with children that were of marrying age would wrap one of the dolls' arm to the other's, inscribe their childrens' name on one and burn them together, in hopes of them being married by next Qiufen.

The extras were given to the less fortunate children, and sent to orphanages, as toys and little else.

"Well," Ty Lee started, "better to be awfully cheerful than getting arrested for assault?"

Toph arched an eyebrow. "It's not that important."

"Except it is. You know, he hasn't been the same since Liqiu. Azula tells me all the fire in him seems to have died."

"Over a girl?" Toph shook her head. "Kind of silly if you ask me."

"Not over a girl," Ty Lee corrected. "Over you. There is a very important distinction between you and just a girl."

"If you're trying to talk me into going, you can forget it."

"Maybe you'd get shipped back to the Earth Kingdom."

"Actually," Toph mused, "Mai would probably ship me to the North Pole."

"That's harsh." She wouldn't be able to see up there, of course.

"A bit. Not like I care anymore. Maybe the North Pole would be less stressful than the Fire Nation. And I wouldn't have to listen to Mai go on and on about Prince Zuko this and Prince Zuko that and firmly hold the fuck you behind my teeth."

The other girl sighed, gray eyes narrowing in sadness. "I'm sorry it turned out this way."

Toph shrugged. "I knew it would. I dove into it anyway."

"You shouldn't be punished by circumstance for falling in lo-"

"I don't," Toph interrupted, "love him. I don't. Who am I to love him anyway? No one."

"Toph -"

"Shh. I don't want to talk about this anymore."

They both fell silent, working on their dolls. But all the excitement of Qiufen had been burned away, to leave only a sadness. This would be the worst festival yet.


They didn't say anything else for the rest of their time. Mai didn't like them talking anymore, naturally, because Ty Lee was supportive of Toph's romantic interest in Zuko, so Toph had a limited amount of time she could be around Ty Lee unchaperoned. It was pretty ridiculous, really, but, Ty Lee wasn't going to argue about it, merely out of disinterest in making the entire thing worse.

If she had to deal with a sort of curfew, well, fine.

It was with a basket of corn-husk dolls in hand that she trudged wearily back home, her mind trying to think up ways of making this better. Mai wouldn't sell the girl back to herself, nor to anyone else. If Ty Lee tried buying her from them, Mai would make up something her parents would believe so they wouldn't sell. Ty Lee didn't even know how much her price was.

This festival really was shaping up to be the worst. It didn't help that, when she thought to tell her about it, Azula ranted and raved about 'how could she be so stupid, you can't get better than the future Fire Lord,' and, out of disinterest in making this worse, Ty Lee just shrugged and said, 'I don't know Azula.'

But she did know.

The one good thing out of it all was, Zuko's terrible mood from it did make Azula force Mai to keep her distance. So, while Toph hadn't made much in the way of progress, neither did Mai.

It wasn't terribly surprising when she rounded the corner, her family's estate in view, to find Azula leaning against the door frame. She grumbled and cursed in her head, but, trudged onward anyway.

"Azula," she greeted, when she got close enough. "Didn't know you had it in you to wait around outside." Sort of a teasing tone.

"Well, I can handle it when there's something important I want to talk about. ... and your sisters were annoying me."

A slight amused cough. "I'm sorry about that Azula. If it makes you feel better, they annoy me sometimes too." Well, sometimes. But, that was what siblings were for. She'd just gotten the lucky end of the stick and gotten stuck with six of them.

"I suppose. Speaking of siblings."

"Is this about Zuko again?" A head shake, and she opened the door, before Azula could answer. "Never mind. We'll get some tea and hide in the back yard." She could usually escape her siblings' attentions by staying in the back yard somewhere. Many of them were a bit pampered-princess-like and hated bugs and such things.

So the two found one of the servants, asking them to bring some jasmine tea, Azula's favorite as it was her mother's favorite, to the back yard. Then they wandered out together, finding a seat at one of the sitting areas outside. At least it was a nice day, for all that it was fall, and the strangling heat was beginning to leave the Fire Nation.

"Not," Azula began, "about Zuko, but rather about the girl."

Oh, this again. Every time she asked, Ty Lee had to resist the urge to blurt out 'It's all Mai's fault!' Even if it was, ratting a friend out wasn't very nice. "What about her?"

"I know you know something you're not telling me, Ty Lee." Azula's voice was low, almost dangerous. "And I will find out what it is, one way or another. We've been friends since childhood, I can't honestly believe you're keeping secrets."

"It's for the best, Azula, it really is." Pointing fingers, Ty Lee firmly believed, never really solved anything.

"You like your secrets," Azula stated. "I get it. But you're not the one that has to deal with Zuzu on a regular basis. It's kind of sad watching him stay in bed until near noon. Mom has to go in and practically drag him out of bed."

"I'm sorry Azula, I really am but this can't end well! It's just... maybe it's just... better this way...?"

"You don't sound like you believe that." Flat.

"I don't," Ty Lee whined. "And I'd really love to see them happy together but like I said, there are things going on here that you don't know about and it's better if you just didn't."

"Ty..." There was a warning in the tone.

"Nope," Ty Lee shook her head. "Nope nope nope, I'm not telling you, and you're not going to intimidate me into telling you anyway. No."

Azula sighed, shaking her head. The servant came over with their tea, and both turned their attention to that.

"I will figure out what you're hiding. You may as well out with it."

"Azula. Please don't put me in that position. I don't want to be that person."

"Alright," Azula sighed. "But if this is really important, I will seriously be mad at you." There was a pause. "... is she coming?"

"No."

"Great." Her tone suggested no, that really wasn't great at all.


"I don't know, Uncle," Zuko exasperatedly sighed, pacing about the tea shop's upper floors. He'd come a short while ago, after the Fire Lady expressed upset at the sudden utter destruction of his ability to be in a good mood, and suggested a quiet retreat. So, he decided to come visit his uncle's tea shop in the more commercial districts of the Fire Nation capital. The Jasmine Dragon seemed to be doing just fine as it was, and even the Fire Lord meandered by on occasion to visit his elder brother.

"Well, start at the beginning," Iroh prompted. Zuko stopped in his tracks, staring blankly at the retired General.

"I don't know when it started," he lamely murmured. "She caught my attention at complete random. If I hadn't been so bored I wouldn't even looked her direction at all. Pure coincidence."

"Or perhaps fate," Iroh rumbled.

"Fate? Bah! I have enough trouble without fate being a pain too."

"We all have fate being a pain. And we don't always understand what ours is until it's far too late to stop it."

"I should decide my own destiny, uncle. Anyone should."

Iroh sighed. "My nephew, there are things that will change you, irrevocably. There are other things that won't change you at all. Your life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away. What drew you to her?"

Zuko fumbled for a moment. "I... well she... she talked to me, like I'm a person."

"No Prince Zuko or Lord Zuko?"

"No, none of that. ... I think, even if I asked her to, she's too... too proud a woman to defer to anyone that way. Completely lacking in manners, not the nobility type at all." A wistful little smile crossed his face. Iroh noticed, and smiled heartily.

"And you fell for her for it."

A very slight coloration of his cheeks rose. "Maybe."

"You did," Iroh insisted. "Very adorable. I fell for Lu Ten's mother that way. She, you know, was nothing like your lovely mother Ursa, no, she had no grace at all and her tongue wagged too much. Ahh... she was a right pain in the rear."

"Uncle," Zuko admonished, surprised his uncle would speak of his aunt in such a way.

"Heh, you know, women in general, Zuko, they're a complicated tapestry of simplicities."

"... a what?"

A rumbling laugh. "They require many things to be happy. But at the same time, they require very little."

"Contradictions, sounds like."

"In a way." A grunt. "Ah, food, cleanliness, shelter, attention, affection -"

"Affection and attention are the same thing, aren't they?"

"No," Iroh shook his head. "You, for instance, are giving me your attention yes? But there is no affection in this particular interaction. A woman is very fragile, this is why they used to be considered the weaker gender. She is a flower, whom needs a specific environment to bloom beautifully, and is easily hurt by thoughtless words and careless mistakes. She needs to feel wanted, cared for, appreciated, needed, valued. But never make the mistake of underestimating her. She may be easily hurt, but her wrath is no trifle."

"I don't even know if I'll ever see her again."

"If you love this woman, nephew, and it seems that you do, you'll find her again."

"How?"

"Stop trying. Or try harder. Women, too, are easily scared when you move too fast. Also easily angered if you move too slow."

"How do you even know which is which?"

"You don't," Iroh replied, a bit wistful. "You just pick a pace and respond to her. She'll tell you, in her way." There was a pause.

"She... she said the choice wasn't hers to make." At that, Iroh blinked in apparent confusion. "I know. She doesn't seem like the type that'd let anyone make her decisions for her."

"Hmm, you did say she is Earth Kingdom?"

"Yes?" What did that have -

"Perhaps her parents do not like it," Iroh suggested. "Even this long after your father ended the war, things are still a bit strenuous at times. I wouldn't be surprised if the Earth Kingdom's people were still wary of the Fire Nation's."

"Then it's hopeless," Zuko despaired.

"Oh, dear nephew," Iroh tutted. "She will not be so young forever." Despite his sour mood, Zuko felt his heart sputter and speed up.


This was depressing. For once, Azula wasn't out there, enjoying the festival. Instead, she was over to the side a bit, her stance, arms crossed and leaning against a tree, mimicking her brother's. Thus far, neither of them had found Toph. True to her word at Liqiu, it'd seem, she hadn't come this time. Usually, they'd found her by now, between the two of them.

Their father was aways a bit, hand in hand with their mother, apparently taking a walk around the festival. They both kept casting confused and concerned glances at Zuko, who hadn't even left the staircase yet. Azula wasn't surprised, but, she was beginning to think perhaps their mother was on the verge of a well-meaning, but inevitably doomed, intervention.

If Azula could just get something out of Ty Lee, maybe this wouldn't be so difficult, and terrible to watch. This, this was like watching a train wreck.

A final glance around, not that she expected to find anything, and she wandered to the bar. "Cherry cider, please." And that was when she noticed the other one, draped very haphazardly across several barstools, sparkling from the multitude of golden jewelry pieces dangling from his form. At least nine earrings. On just one ear.

It's a girl, the male thought, tilting his head at her in slight curiosity. ... hm, actually, this appeared to be the Fire Princess. ... well, naturally. Thanks universe, he thought, a bit rueful. Drop the Fire Princess on me.

A little dark in the skin tone to be completely Fire Nation, but, he was at least mostly so. Azula observed him with a guarded curiosity, before turning her attention to her drink as it was set in front of her.

"You seem a bit upset." It wasn't demanding, or questioning, just a statement; she could take the opening or leave it.

"Suppose I am," Azula answered, smooth and tactful. Ooo, he liked her already.

"Hnn." He fell quiet, for a bit, before suddenly sitting up in one quick motion. To his credit, he did not appear to get dizzy for his troubles. She got the distinct impression he'd done that many times before, and the motion was simply executed with a rather startling preciseness. "Whatever could upset our most lovely Fire Princess? Do indulge. I'll be sure to fry them quite thoroughly. Extra crispy."

A startled blink. "I could fry them myself."

"Of course. When one does favors for another, oft it's for little other reason besides the want to."

"And why would you want to?"

He tutted softly under his breath. "Pretty girls should not frown."

Azula was quite certainly staring. How... bold a statement. "You don't strike me as a man that wants to die."

The other chuckled in amusement. "Actually, were you to strike at me, I think that'd be a most thrilling adventure, and I shall, should I ever push my lady to do so, enjoy it thoroughly."

... yes. Azula was most definitely staring. And yet somehow his frankness was rather charming. His fiercely burning golden gaze never left her own, meeting it levelly, with no fear at all. No, he didn't fear her, there was no fear in that gaze. Something... else... ... curiosity? Yet, strangely, she got a very distinct impression of a predator. She was not the intended prey, no, but he was still clearly a predator. Interesting...

"I'm certain you know my name," she began, her curiosity carefully withheld from her tone, "but I don't know yours."

"Suyis," he replied. "Might know me better as Fei Xing."

A blink. Him? This was him? ... well, no wonder she got the impression of his being a predator. "My father had quite ready praises for you," she noted.

"Hnn. He did not have to say anything. I'm not entirely certain completely lacking of a self-preservation instinct is particularly worthy of the Fire Lord's praise."

Azula snorted. "Well, he believes you've saved his hide a few times."

"If I did, I assure you milady, it was completely accidental," he answered, his tone deepening. And then when he spoke again, it was light-hearted again. "Well, what idiot left such a beautiful lady by herself?"

"I didn't come with -"

"Ah, probably your brother. Hnn." A slight smile, though, on his face, it looked more like a smirk. He was unnerving and thrilling at the same time... "He does seem a bit... out of sorts, if I may." The man flicked his gaze toward where Zuko was, presently attempting, it'd seem, to shake Mai off him without being downright rude.

"He is," Azula sighed. "S'just... this girl I guess."

"Ha. A girl. I should have guessed as much. Not a very intelligent example of a woman if she could turn him away." He was charming, in his way, kind of cute. ... probably straight, however. That was okay.

"From my understanding," Azula started, "she had no choice in the matter."

Mm. "Slave?"

"They're servants."

"No, Princess, you should face the facts. Slavery still exists, and your very respectable father has done nothing about it."

Azula frowned. "Well, maybe."

"Sounds it."

"Zuzu doesn't think she's a servant."

"Slave," Suyis corrected. "And who else in the Fire Nation would possibly have so few rights that one could decide who they date so easily."

"The girl's parents?"

"How old is she?"

"I don't know. She looked at least fifteen."

"Then not her parents. If she's old enough to shoot an elk, she's old enough to make her own choices."

"Very... overprotective parents?" Azula offered.

Suyis snorted. "So what you're saying is, your wonderful brother fell for this girl and doesn't know a thing about her?"

"He knows her name."

"... yeah, doesn't know anything about her. He'll get over it. Initial attraction is blinding, but it's not binding."

Azula frowned. "You sound like a cynic that's never fallen in love."

"Ah, but I have. Yet, I sit here, enchanted by your mannerisms and adorable personality, but, at the end of the day I'm not asking you to marry me. If I intended to someday do that, I'd have to get to know you."

"So why don't you?"

Suyis smirked. "I believe, dear Princess, that's exactly what I'm doing." His gaze flicked back to where Zuko had been. He'd gone, and left behind a very upset lady. "What's her deal?" He asked, nodding toward her.

Azula turned, and snorted. "She's had a crush on Zuzu since we were children. Since then, she's been rather relentlessly pursuing him."

"And he's not returning her affections?"

"No," Azula shook her head. "Well, to put it bluntly, the girl's rather dull." There was a pause, and Azula's gaze narrowed. "... and according to our other friend, easily made jealous."

A little light seemed to go off in his eyes. "Well," Suyis started, standing. He moved with far too much grace for a man of his size. "Sounds like somebody has the full of it. Maybe you should go talk to her."

"I did, she didn't tell me much of anything."

"Then try again, milady," Suyis replied, leaning around her to take that glass of fire whiskey in such a way as to be tantalizingly close to her, before he slipped around her and through the crowd. "Good luck," he called.

Yeah, she'd probably need it.


Perhaps Fei Xing was right. Maybe she just needed to try this one again. That in mind, Azula had finished the last of her cherry cider (and she was not watching his ass as he wandered away from her, either) before shuffling off to look for Ty Lee. Fortunately, it didn't take long before Azula found her, off to the side, seemingly rather upset.

Hm. Azula strode over to her. "Ty Lee," she started, "we need to talk."

"Not now," Ty Lee whined. "There's nothing to tell!"

"The fact you felt the need to tell me that informs me otherwise. Now, what is going on? Tell me the whole of it, not just the pieces you feel like."

"I can't, Azula," she whimpered. "If I do you'll be so pissed!"

"I already am pissed," Azula corrected. "I don't like to meddle -"

Ty Lee gave her a look.

"... much," she added, "but what choice do I have? What am I supposed to do about my brother, who mopes all day and would probably die in his bed if mother didn't drag him out of it?"

"I don't know, Azula. Look, I told you everything I could. Please don't stick me in the middle of this!"

One elegant eyebrow curved upward. "This does have something to do with Mai, doesn't it." It wasn't a question. No, there was no question involved. "What'd she do?"

"Nothing!" Ty squeaked.

"Don't lie to me, Ty Lee, what'd she do?"

There was a moment of silence. And all at once it came rushing out. "OKAY, I suck at lying anyway I hate lying there's no honor in lies, Toph's parents died after the war and her step-father sold her into slavery and she's been bouncing around ever since then and Mai's parents bought her and then things happened and Mai's forbade her from coming back to festivals ever again please don't be mad at me but I didn't want to have to choose between my friends!" Breathe... air was good.

Azula blinked. "... so, Zuko's mystery girl is Mai's...?"

"Slave, yeah."

"And... Mai is the reason she can't come back...?"

"Right." After a heartbeat, Ty Lee added, "But she's technically nobility in the Earth Kingdom, she is! I know, Zuko falling for a slave, that's not..." She trailed off.

"Hm." Azula tilted her head. "Seems the Shooting Star was right."

"What?"

"Nothing." Slavery, it really did exist. That was just... maybe she'd bring it up to her father. There were laws concerning that, if she remembered right. Mai might well be violating one of those by having a slave. "So what do we do?"

"What do you mean?"

"Is it just, Mai can't see her? We can keep her busy."

"Azula," Ty pleaded, "if we make Toph come anyway, Mai has the power to ship her to the North Pole. North. Pole."

Hm. "I'm sure if she did, Zuko would probably go right up there and find her."

"... with a ferocity and fleet that makes it look like he's going to start another war."

An amused snort. "Probably not. But the idea of father having to talk the Northern Water Tribe back down from a lovesick puppy is amusing." Indeed.

Ty Lee sighed. "Maybe we just shouldn't interfere. Nothing good can come of this."

For a moment, the Princess was silent. And then she shook her head. "Maybe, we can do this without Mai ever finding out."

"... someday, Azula, I'm sure you're going to get me killed." Hm, it pained the Princess to admit it, but, probably, yes.


And unfortunately, as Zuko was gone, that inevitably left helping dad douse the Sacred Flame. That was kind of suck. Azula wanted to spend some more time considering all angles of the timultuous battlefield upon which Ty Lee and herself found themselves flung. Love, after all, was oft described as a battlefield indeed. Such allusions were not too far off from the truth.

So, maybe it wasn't surprising when, once she'd gotten up there, the Fire Lord gave her a look that screamed 'what the hell?' And she sighed, waved a bit, a non-verbal 'we'll talk later,' as he'd been expecting Zuko, not her. But the lovesick puppy was too busy pouting. Or whatever it was rejected Firebenders did. She didn't know because she'd never been in his position before.

Not that she wanted to. And noticing Suyis watching her was definitely helping with that. These two sentences are oozing with definite sarcasm. What? Suyis was hot, now that she'd seen him up close.

Ahem. Ozai gave her a bow, and she bowed back. A shift and both pulled the fire right out of the brazier, sending it snaking through the air above the festival attendants. It eventually curled into a dragon, appearing to roar at the sky, before disappearing. Then Ozai was beside her.

"Your brother was supposed to -"

"Yes daddy," she answered, "but as you can tell, he's not here." To emphasize her point, a hand gestured at the crowd. His gaze scanned it. Sure enough, Zuko was not there. A frown.

"Do you know where he went?"

"Yeah. Up in there somewhere," she jerked a thumb at the palace behind them.

"So early?"

"His girlfriend's not here." As if she were bored. Don't ask questions, she mentally pleaded. I'm not sure you'd take well to her lack of noble upbringing very neatly.

"I see." His tone was a bit disgruntled.

"Hm. Hey, if I wanted to court Fei Xing..."

Ozai's gaze snapped back to her, amber meeting amber. "You're joking."

"I'll... take that as a no..." A bit confused, as he'd spoken rather highly of him.

"Good. Wait no," Ozai shook his head. "I mean -"

"What's good?" Ursa asked, coming to stand beside her husband.

"Your daughter wants to court Fei Xing." ... right to the point, as always. We do love you daddy.

A sigh. "I didn't say I wanted to, I was just asking what you'd say if I did," Azula corrected.

Ursa frowned, glancing at her husband. "Isn't Fei Xing insane?"

"He is?" Azula asked.

"He is." Ozai answered. Ursa seemed amused - they were a bit alike, he and Azula.

"He is not. He's rather sweet actually."

"And very, very dangerous," Ozai pressed. "Honestly, you too? Now? At the same time? Can't you two get interested in the opposite gender at different times?"

Ursa snorted, quietly. "Honey, I don't think it works that way."

"Well it should. I can't keep up with this."

Azula just rolled her eyes and started to wander off. "Never mind, Daddy."

"Hey, wait -"

"No no," Ursa pulled her husband back. "Let her alone."

"... do you get any of this?"

"Hm." Ursa considered it for a moment. "Bits and pieces, surely."

"So about as much as I do."

She made a quiet amused sound. "About."

Ozai sighed. "... what if she was serious about Fei Xing?"

"Then, we will trust she knows what she's getting into, be there if she does not, hope for the best and prepare for the worst," Ursa answered, brushing a stray strand of dark hair from his forehead.

Ozai seemed less than pleased. "So... nothing."

"Not nothing," Ursa chided. "We wait. Neutral jing, yes?"

Ozai grumbled. "I hate jings."


"Ty Lee." The girl in question froze. Mai's voice, of course Mai would come for her, Mai always came for her. Like a nightmare that tended to repeat itself over the course of several years with a freakish level of regularity.

"Yes, Mai?" she answered, trying to sound neutral about their meeting one another.

"I've lost track of Zuko." It was blunt, as flat-toned as anything the other girl ever said. But there seemed to be a slight pleading undertone, a very slight one, barely noticeable behind the wall of indifference.

Ty Lee shrugged. "Haven't seen him either, Mai."

Mai huffed. "It's like he's just lost his will to do anything. He's been like this for weeks."

"Jee, I do wonder why that is," Ty Lee answered, the bitter note in her tone a little sharper than she'd intended.

"Don't blame this on me."

"Except, it was your fault."

"I had nothing to do -"

"You had everything to do with it Mai!" Her patience was gone. Mai stared at her for a moment, taken aback by the sudden cutting tone. "Don't you get it? You separated them! Of course he's upset!"

"He doesn't need her."

"Yeah? You're sure about that? Well why don't you ask him about it? Hey, how about asking him anything at all, because you don't seem to really give a damn what he thinks or how he feels about any of this, you just pursue him blind to the reality of this situation."

"And what reality might that be?"

"He doesn't want you. He wants her."

"He doesn't need her."

"Yeah, you said that already. And it's a weak argument, because he seems to feel different about it. The world doesn't revolve around you. Zuko isn't yours. He's his own person, Mai, and he can make his own choices."

"He won't choose her."

"Then why do you feel so threatened by her?"

Mai's gaze narrowed. Normally, Ty Lee would be intimidated by it, but, at the moment, her irritation apparently overcame the fear.

"I don't." She answered, flatly. "She just annoys me."

Ty Lee snorted and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, whatever you say Mai." There was a pause. "I don't think you'll find Zuko for the rest of the night. And intruding on his privacy would piss Azula off next."

"Azula and I are friends, unlike you and me, apparently."

"Yeah? So go ask her where he is. Maybe your friend will tell you." Ty Lee turned around, leaving Mai alone. At this rate, everyone Mai called a friend, of which there were very few, will have turned their back on her. And Ty Lee wondered which one was more important to her: having no one but a miserable Zuko, or letting him be happy and keeping her friends.

Then, she thought the wondering was, inevitably, stupid. It was becoming quite clear which one she'd chosen.


Hmph. Mai wasn't sure what she was bothering for. Azula probably wouldn't tell her either. Still, her curiosity was enough to send the young woman looking for the Fire Princess. And she found her, sure enough, speaking with a darker skinned male. Judging by his eye color, at least partially Fire Nation, but he was as dark as the Water Tribe barbarians. A slight little head tilt, before sliding into the seat on the other side of Azula.

" - so you know what he did?"

"No," Azula answered, breathless and rather enchanted with the male. ... that was somewhat sickening.

"He marched right up to him, and he said, I quote, I do what I want so fuck you."

Azula giggled. "He didn't!"

"He did," the man nodded. "I hear he was transferred to a different unit a few days later. Whether he was or not, eh couldn't tell you."

"Wow. Quite a bit of a backbone on that one."

"Yeah," the man answered, his tone a bit wistful. Jeez that one sparkled, Mai noted. Covered in golden jewelry, many many rings of gold around his ears, and his neck, and his wrists... she wondered if he had golden rings around his ankles, too. She almost leaned over to look. And so many tattoos... "He got replaced with a by-the-book type. Not quite as interesting after that."

Mm." Azula stirred her glass a bit. "So, it wasn't really that bad was it?"

The man snorted. "You joking, it was horrible. When you're told, you know, we're doing this for these peoples' own good, sharing our nation's prosperity with the rest of the world... but then you see that we have to destroy them to do it, burn down whole villages, cause unspeakable amounts of gold worth of damage, kill people, imprison others... you wonder if maybe the one person you're supposed to be able to trust isn't lying to you. To lose faith in that, it's..." He shook his head. "Your father was practically a heaven-sent angel to us. Something, someone, we could finally put our faith into."

"That's kind of swe -" Mai coughed. Two sets of amber eyes fell on her. "... hello Mai."

"Hello," Mai answered.

"Should I go?" the man asked.

"Nope," Azula answered, setting her drink down and standing. "I will be right back, so don't you go shooting off anywhere."

The male snickered. "Anything milady wishes."

Azula smiled, very pleased with his statement, before taking Mai's arm and practically dragging her away from the bar. Mai let out a slight indignant noise, before deciding not to bother with it. Once they'd gotten a good distance away, Azula let her go, turning to face her. "And you wanted?"

"What's Ty Lee's deal?" Mai asked first.

"Deal?"

"Yeah, she seems pissed at me for some reason. Do you know anything about it?"

"Did she say anything?"

"No, just rambled about something stupid."

Hmm, still trying to play innocent. "And what was that something stupid?"

"She thinks I had something to do with Zuko's bad mood. I didn't say anything wrong, did I?"

"Oh no," Azula assured, one arm flopping over Mai's shoulders and tugging her into walking with her. "You didn't say anything wrong, Mai, of course not. I'm not sure, even if you did, he would have remembered it this long. His anger goes as fast as it comes. Firebender nature."

"Oh." Mai seemed a bit disappointed.

"There's this girl, see, he's very interested in this girl. For some reason, though, she didn't come to the festival this time. I wonder why that is," Azula stated, conversationally.

"You think this girl really affected him that much?"

"Oh yes," Azula replied. "Ever since she left him, he's been moping. He doesn't even Firebend properly. Mother's afraid he'll eventually lose his ability to bend at all. Very unfortunate. I guess the throne skips him."

"Come on, she's just a little pipsqueak."

"Yes, Mai. But he loves her." Or at least he thought he did, but Azula had nothing to say on that, completely separate, matter to Mai of all people.

"You don't really think that... do you...?"

Azula smiled, perhaps a little too sweetly, and leaned forward, very close to her. "Ahh, Mai... Mai Mai Mai... never talk to me again, or I will set your lying selfish ass on fire." A pleasant smile, as she backed away. "Have a nice night."


This was so stupid. Honestly, he was still so broken up about her. Hadn't Azula warned him not to end up broken up about her? ... and it wasn't surprising to note that meditating wasn't really helping matters either. His mind just kept going back to her. Everything about her, her eyes, her voice, her hair, her beautiful hands...

Ugh! A rather loud shriek of annoyance, as his fist collided with the floor. The candles in the room flared dangerously for a moment, influenced by his irriation.

He needed more explanation than just 'it's not my choice.' Why wasn't it her choice? Did her parents dislike him? No, that couldn't be right. If they didn't like him then why were they in the Fire Nation to begin with? Nothing was stopping them from going back to the Earth Kingdom if they disliked the future ruler. Ugh, his head was a mess, in more ways than the one.

He wanted answers. Real ones, thorough ones. Less vague and mysterious answers. Then, then, if they were acceptable answers, then he could let her go. Damn it all, when did Zuko get so possessive? They weren't really dating. Not really. But he... did he love her? Did he really? For a moment, his turbulent thoughts stilled, considering this. Did he love her? Was that why she was so important to him? Was that why he couldn't imagine another festival without seeing her?

His gaze fell to his hand. Silently tracing the patterns in his palm, following the lines. And he remembered the spark that had jolted through him when her hand touched his. This was ridiculous. He was being ridiculous.

But, if there was anything Zuko was, it was stubborn and relentless. Most believed that success and failure were two different things; that one's path only led to either one or the other. But those that got what they wanted knew that failure was an inevitable piece of the puzzle, an event, rather than a destination.

Maybe he did love her. Maybe he didn't. Maybe, he was just in the process of it, starting to take the first steps on the road named love. He didn't know where the end of this was. He didn't know which way it went, whether it turned this way or that, how it wound around itself and curled, like a snake coiling in the grass. But, he wanted to know. He wanted to love her, if that was how it'd be.

Sometimes it wasn't the destination. Sometimes, it was the journey to get there.

His gaze shifted, to the candle sitting on a table to his left. Focusing, he extended his Chi to it, and it flared. And just like the candle, the fire in his eyes turned from a dim smolder to a determined flame.

He would find her again. He didn't know how, he didn't even know where to begin. But he would. You don't win by not failing: you win by never giving up.


Notes: Hi Suyis. You're terribly difficult to keep away from the Azula these days... also, Zuko thinks Iroh is so confusing and then he goes and thinks like him, a bit. Awkwardbender.

UGH THIS CHAPTER BLOWS FOR TWENTY BUCKS. It is also painfully short. Glad it's over though. Never did have the will to write it.

Qiufen is the autumn equinox, known as Mabon. Occurs on September 20, 21, or 22, depending on precise solar position and all that. It is the second harvest, this being fruits and vegetable harvest instead of wheat. I think not long after this one is the Cider Fest in my town, it's very Native American in influence, and features lots of apple cider, hot and cold. Very fun. Believe we also have the Renaissance Faire out here around Mabon, too.

On the bright side, HUZZAH, AZULA HAS JOINED THE TOKO TRAIN~! My work here is done. Poor Ozai, he doesn't know what to do. Lol I feel kind of bad for him and Ursa because they're on the sidelines here, watching all this explode, and they have no idea... what they're even looking at...

Also, I seem to have garnered a little more attention with this fic and LTS than I was ever really expecting... ahahahaha. Anyway. Lots more where this came from, so for those of you that despair at the lack of Toko love on here, it is my mission in life (well, okay, one of them) to fix this.

And forgive the pacing, I can't seem to find a good median between 'they only talked for ten minutes,' 'but Cinderella and Prince Charming fell in love OVERNIGHT,' and 'it's been two months.' Yeeah... you see my predicament.