Ty Lee crouched on a rooftop, her eyes fixed on the street below. She'd spent an hour and a half racing through the city, alternating between the alleys and the rooftops above, crossing and recrossing her path until she had finally thrown off her relentless Dai Li pursuers. Then she had made straight for a certain tavern – the destination that had made all the subterfuge necessary. A little flirting with the bartender had gotten her the information she needed, and she had retreated back to the streets to watch for her quarry. It had been past midnight when the object of Ty Lee's self-imposed mission had finally emerged from the pub. Now, the little acrobat was following the unsteady progress of her prey, springing silently from building to building in relentless pursuit.
The figure below stumbled. Ty Lee's lips tightened a touch; her quarry was obviously a bit inebriated. She crouched a bit lower, then made a graceful leap onto the next roof. Soundlessly, she crept over it to a spot where she could easily watch her target. Soon I'll find out if she lied to me, Ty Lee thought grimly. Once I know that, I guess I'll figure everything else out. Then her attention was arrested – her prey had just begun climbing a small flight of steps that led up the side of a building. The little acrobat glanced around quickly for any prying eyes. Then she sprang from her spot on the roof into the alley below. With swift, silent steps, Ty Lee darted across the street and made her way up the stairs behind her target.
The gymnast paused at the door. She crouched down to take her bearings and plan what she was about to do. It'll have to be quick and quiet, she told herself, her large gray eyes scanning her surroundings. I haven't seen any Dai Li guys for a while, but they're probably around. Have to be careful. Ty Lee took a deep breath. Then, quickly, she slipped through the door.
There was a split second's pause once she was inside. Then she sprang! She caught a glimpse of a dark face and wide green eyes. There was a thump, a much-muffled cry – and then silence. The flickering light of a freshly-lit lantern soon revealed Ty Lee crouching over the prostrate form of a young woman. She had the girl's arms pinned at her sides, and her hand was clapped firmly over her mouth.
Ty Lee was smiling now, her eyes gleaming with the joy of the chase. "Hi," she said cheerfully. "You must be Tami." The girl was struggling frantically, still trying to scream. Ty Lee sighed and dealt the squirming body a precise blow midway down the spine. Some of the struggling ceased, but the muted cries redoubled. "Quiet!" Ty Lee ordered severely. "You'll be able to move your legs again in an hour, all right? Just shut up a minute." Tami's muffled screams faded into terrified whimpers. "That's better. Now, I'm gonna let you go and take my hand off your mouth so we can talk. Stay quiet. Got it?" The Earth Kingdom girl nodded. "Good. Maybe we'll get along." Ty Lee released her grip carefully.
The moment she was free, Tami squirmed over onto her back. Now that they were face-to-face, Ty Lee examined her rival's features. Tami had almond-shaped eyes, a finely-shaped nose and a sharp little chin. Cute, the little acrobat mused. I can see why Azula might have been tempted. She's not prettier than me, though. She smiled down at her - the smile wasn't entirely friendly. "Who...who are you? What do you want?" the olive-skinned girl gasped out. "I haven't got any money."
"Darn. That would have made this more interesting, too." Ty Lee sat back on her heels and grinned at the half-paralyzed girl. "My name's Ty Lee. I decided to come over 'cause I have a few questions for you, Tami."
"Ty Lee?" Tami's face paled visibly. She was trembling now. "You're...you're Aza's girl." The little acrobat nodded calmly. She saw Tami's throat move as she swallowed. "L-look, I...I don't know what she told you, but...I didn't mean to..."
The gymnast laid two fingers on Tami's lips, silencing her. She was still smiling, but it was a dangerous smile. "Never mind all the begging and stuff, all right? It's kind of a waste of time." She took a look at Tami's aura. It was fluctuating wildly, which was to be expected, given how frightened she seemed to be. Her aura's an open book. Good. That'll make this much easier. Ty Lee pulled her hand back again. "I've got some questions for you, like I said. I'll ask, you answer, and we'll get this over with nice and quick. First – you slept with my Aza, right?" Quaking, Tami slowly nodded. "That was the easy one. Next question. She was completely drunk when you did that, wasn't she?"
The Earth Kingdom girl flinched. "Yeah. I...I guess. She'd had a lot..."
"Uh huh. So she told me that she doesn't even remember most of what happened. She must've been pretty much out of it. Right?" Ty Lee cocked her head. "She wasn't just drunk, was she, Tami? I bet you had to just about carry her to your place, didn't you?"
"Kind of." Tami whimpered as Ty Lee's smile grew more menacing. "Look, I...I had too much, too, okay? I didn't mean to -"
"Didn't mean to what? Get my girlfriend drunk and rape her?" The little acrobat's tone was bright. "Tell me more about that, Tami. I'm sort of curious. How do you accidentally rape someone?"
"No! I...I didn't force her. I didn't!" The dark-skinned girl was obviously beginning to panic. Tears welled up in her green eyes. "I told her I was sorry. I'd never have hurt her on purpose. I didn't mean to do anything like that." The tears spilled down her cheeks as Ty Lee's smile abruptly faded. "Please don't hurt me." The acrobat glanced at the girl's aura. She judged the girl was telling the truth, but it didn't make her any less angry.
With pitiless force, Ty Lee caught the whimpering girl by the front of her shirt and slammed her down against the floor! Tami gave a little squeal of terror, and Ty Lee clapped her hand over the girl's mouth again. The Earth Kingdom girl tried to fight her off, striking at her with her fists. Ty Lee easily deflected the blows. Catching one of Tami's wrists, she deftly flipped her victim over and twisted her arm up behind her back. Tami gave a muffled cry of pain. "Be quiet," Ty Lee ordered, pressing her hand harder over the girl's mouth. Tami yelled again, and Ty Lee gave the twisted arm a merciless tweak. "Quiet!" The olive-skinned girl stopped struggling, and sobbed. "I really should snap your neck for what you did, you know." Ty Lee's tone was cheerful again. "I won't this time. But if you ever so much as touch Aza again, I'm going to break every bone in your body. Got it?" The weeping young woman nodded. "Good girl." Ty Lee patted her. "I'll leave you with a little something to remember me by, 'kay? Don't worry – it'll wear off in a couple hours." She gave the side of Tami's neck a sharp pinch; the girl's body went limp. Ty Lee giggled. "I'll let myself out. Good night, Tami. We'll have to do this again sometime."
The acrobat left her paralyzed victim lying on the floor. She slipped from the small apartment, made the rooftop with a couple of graceful leaps, and began to speed through the city, bounding effortlessly from building to building. Once she judged she was far enough from Tami's place, Ty Lee jumped down to the street and doubled back toward the house where she was staying. It wasn't long before she caught sight of movement out of the corner of her eye. She smiled ruefully – the Dai Li had found her again. But they could follow her all they wanted to now. Ty Lee pictured Tami's terrified face, and smiled.
All in all, it had been a very satisfying night's work.