Whoever this guy who was following them was, Mai could tell he was a professional. He had nearly disappeared into the crowd multiple times, and Mai was struggling to keep track of him, while simultaneously guiding her friends to safety.

The thing that really stood out to Mai, was there was something familiar about the way this man moved. His movements were distinct, and Mai could have sworn she'd seen them before...though she couldn't quite place where. If only she could remember, it might give the group a clue as to what this guy wanted.

Luckily, the knife-wielding girl had a plan on how to shake him. She quickly led Ty Lee and Aang through the little marketplace, pushing them through the crowd. She could hear Aang and Ty Lee mutter things like "excuse us!" and "sorry!", but Mai didn't let it slow them down.

She wasn't trying to disappear in the crowd - no, that was the worst thing she could do right now. This guy, whoever he was, was keeping track of their movements with ease. Chances are, trying to blend in with the crowd would only have the opposite effect - Mai would lose sight of him, and he'd be able to keep tracking them like it was nothing.

No, she had a better idea. It's like she always said: the best way to keep track of a stalker was to not let him out of sight.

...Well, maybe she didn't always say that, but hey, she could start.

Mai led the group to a small hole-in-the-wall noodle shop that was almost more seedy than the bar had been. Mai had been inside once before - after a night of what could only be described as heroic drinking. Admittedly, she didn't remember too many details about the shop...it was dingy, and barely any work had been doing to the interior. However, she remembered the food being to-die-for. Also, any time she passed the place while running an errand, there appeared to be almost nobody inside.

Mai almost wondered if the little restaurant was actually a front of some kind...however, the food was incredible, so she didn't really care.

Just as she predicted, the noodle shop was dead. In fact, when Mai, Ty Lee, and Aang entered the store, nobody but the staff was inside. They seemed surprised to have customers, and Mai couldn't ignore the genuine fear in the staff's eyes as they looked over at Aang, saw his tattoo, and figured out who he was.

Yeah, it was definitely a front for something. But long as they didn't commit a crime in front of Aang, the young Avatar wouldn't figure that out, and they had nothing to fear.

The group was seated, and they took their order. Mai kept an eye on the door. Surely by now, he would have figured out that the group had started to catch onto him...but he couldn't enter the place without absolutely giving himself away. If he was dumb, he'd come in, and the trio could use it as an opportunity to apprehend and question him. If he was smart, he'd give up the pursuit...for now, at least.

Menus were placed in front of the group, and Ty Lee and Aang eagerly picked them up. Mai cracked a smile and felt her stomach growl. She realized she should think about eating as well.

"That was a really good catch, Mai," Aang said, quietly. Now that the young Avatar was aware of their current situation, he seemed a lot more cautious. He poked his head towards the doorway, and now that she noticed, that was where Ty Lee's attention was too.

"If we're all keeping guard, we'll only look suspicious," Mai instructed, "I'll keep watch. You two act normal."

The two nodded...similar anxious expressions furrowing their faces. It was funny, looking at the two of them together. Oddly enough, they were similar in appearance. They had a similar facial structure...and more than that, they had the same expressive, stormy-gray eyes. Mai couldn't think of anyone else who had eyes like that.

Oddly enough, she'd once read in an old book that airbenders were known for their signature dark grey eyes. Perhaps the acrobat had some air nomad in her, somewhere deep in her lineage.

The two were similar in their personality too...carefree, compassionate to a fault...Mai had a feeling Ty Lee would have fit right in with the Air Nomads.

Well, maybe not right now. There was an unnatural stiffness about Ty Lee...it'd been there ever since Azula had re-appeared in their lives. Her carefree spirit was not chained to reality by worry and fear.

And Mai didn't blame her a bit.

"If we're being followed...we probably shouldn't talk about what we were doing, huh?" she asked. Mai nodded.

There could be any number of reasons someone might be following them. Mai was the on-and-off-again (currently on) girlfriend of the Fire Lord, so she was a valuable target to anyone who might want to gain leverage over Zuko. Ty Lee was a Kyoshi Warrior, one of Zuko's most elite guards. Anyone who had that information may see value in seeing where she goes...what secrets she may lead to. Aang was the Avatar...so that one was obvious. And of course, there was the possibility that this had something to due with Azula.

Even though she had no proof, Mai suspected that was the case. Call it a gut feeling.

Aang let out a heavy sigh, as he set down the menu

"Well...if that's the case, there has been something I've been meaning to ask," Mai glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, the best she could do to not turn away from her makeshift post. She saw Ty Lee turn her head to him, "How did you two become friends with Azula in the first place."

A small surprised squeak came from Ty Lee...and Mai had to admit, that wasn't the question she'd been expecting. She tensed.

"Why do you care?" she snapped, more defensive then she'd meant to.

"You don't have to answer, I'm just curious," Aang replied, sensing the edge to her tone. Mai sighed. It was an innocent enough question, after all.

"In the world of Fire Nation nobility, marriages are usually arranged. It's just another way to climb the social ladder." Mai explained, "This may surprise you, but Zuko was the second most sought-after bachelor in the Fire Nation by the time he was a two."

"Ew! That's so creepy!" Aang exclaimed, his face scrunched in disgust. It was always amusing to see the horrified reactions of their non-fire nation friends, as they learned all the ridiculous traditions she'd grown up with. To them, it was a nightmare. To her, and Zuko, and Ty Lee, and even Azula, it was all they'd ever known for the longest of times. Mai laughed and nodded.

"Right? But since I was the same age as Zuko, and my dad only cared about climbing the social ladder, he'd drag me to the palace constantly. They're some of my earliest memories."

"I had no idea…" Aang said. Mai couldn't help but laugh at how sad he sounded.

"Yeah, it sucked. But that's where I met Azula…" she paused, as she felt a weird warmth at the memory. She hadn't felt warmth like that for Azula in...a while, "We both thought the whole thing was so stupid….so we'd run off and beat up Zuko together."

Even from the corner of her eye, she could see Aang's shocked expression. She allowed herself to look fully at it...his jaw was agape, and his eyes wide. Excellent.

"You asked for the story about how Azula and I became friends...what did you expect."

"I guess that's fair," was Aang's meek reply.

She heard a soft chuckle from Ty Lee, "I met Azula on the first day of the academy. I think I was five, maybe?"

Mai glanced at Ty Lee, and the acrobat seemed to relax, just a little bit. Mai wondered if she was happy to live in the memory.

"When my sisters found out that Azula was a princess, they spent all day trying to get in with her...and she told them all to jump off a bridge and die, or something like that," Ty Lee smirked, "They decided to get back at her, so they spent the rest of the day making the biggest wad-of gum they could. Then, at the end of the day, one of them stuck it in her hair...perfectly in her top-knot."

"Her top-knot, huh?" Aang seemed stunned. As the Avatar, Aang understood the cultural significance that came with hair style, and how it physically represented one's honor. He understood how devastating an act it was, "What...did she do to them?" He had chosen his words carefully.

Ty Lee only shrugged, "Nothing, we were five. But my sisters said I was the one who did it, and since no-one could tell us apart, everyone believed it was me."

"That's terrible!" Aang exclaimed. Ty Lee smiled at him.

"I got dragged out of class into the head-mistresses office. They told me I had to apologize to her, before facing my punishment," she gingerly brushed a lose hair behind her ear, "But when I came into the room, Azula took one look at me, and told everyone that I wasn't the one to do it. It was the first time anyone had ever been able to tell me apart from my sisters."

Ty Lee radiated warmth at the memory, and Mai couldn't help but sigh.

She couldn't help but wonder if Aang's question about their friendship was his way of trying to decode the enigma that was Azula. Throughout the past few days, Mai had heard more than one member of his group wonder out loud why Azula had gone to Ty Lee for help, of all people.

But Mai didn't have to answer that question, it really wasn't that complicated.

She remembered the day that Azula was talking about. She remembered going to the palace that day, and seeing the princess's raven hair had been cropped just past her ears. She remembered how horse Azula's voice had been that day, probably from crying, and seeing tear-stains mark her cheeks. It was one of the few times she'd seen Ozai look at Azula with disdain. She vaguely remembered him saying something about what a disgrace it was, to let that happen to her top-knot. To let that happen to her honor.

That day, they'd gone to the princess's room. Mai had asked her if anything good had happened that day.

"Well," Azula had said, "I met this cool girl at school. She did fifteen cartwheels in a row at lunch. It was awesome."

Azula always had a deep admiration for Ty Lee, ever since the day they'd met - and vice versa. The honest truth of the matter was, they loved each other.

It was why Mai had been so shocked that day back at Boiling Rock, when Ty Lee turned on the princess to defend her. She didn't think Ty Lee was capable of turning her back on Azula, much less attacking her.

But still, while she was surprised to learn that Azula had come to Ty Lee for help, she wasn't shocked.

Azula still loved Ty Lee...even if she didn't know it. She clenched her fists and stole a glance at her friend. Her cheeks were infused in a quiet pink...and it was clear Ty Lee still loved Azula as well.

Mai sighed. She had a sinking feeling this whole situation was only going to end in tears. That Azula was only going to break Ty Lee's heart, again.

She saw something in the corner of her eye. She'd gotten too involved in the conversation...she wasn't watching the door well enough.

She turned, just in time to barely see the back of their stalker's cloak, as he made his retreat.

He was gone, by the time Mai turned around. She only caught the tail end of his emerald cloak flapping behind him, as he disappearing all to quickly into the shadows. But still...there was something about the way he moved.

"Oh no," she said, as she felt the blood drain from her face. Ty Lee and Aang turned to look at her. The worry in Ty Lee's eyes was palpable, and she placed a hand on Mai's shoulder.

"What is it?" she asked.

If Mai was correct in her guess, then their situation just got a whole lot more complicated.

"The guy who was following us…" she paused, almost as if speaking it out loud would bring it into existence. She swallowed, "...I think he's Dai Li."

The group had caught on to him...and he had to admit, he was impressed. The raven-headed girl was smart...he wasn't used to being figured out by one of his marks. She'd led their group into a small restaurant with no customers, no doubt as a way to dare him to make a move.
There was no use pursuing this chase anymore - clearly, she'd had some training on what to do in situations like this...which made sense, considering she was one of the three girls who'd infiltrated Ba Sing Se, and brought the great city to its knees.

He admired her, truly. He knew when he was beaten.

No matter. It was as his boss would say, when one door closes, find another way in.

Luckily, he had just the idea. It might make his mission messier than it needed to be...but he had an idea on how to find the missing Fire Nation Princess.

He found himself back at the bar, in the alley. The cobblestone and surrounding bricks were scorched an ashen black. He smiled. That must have been one hell of a fire.

He walked in, carefully looking at his surroundings. He needed something very particular to work...but if there had been a serious scuffle…

He paused. On the alley's brick wall, he saw a bit of crimson poking its way from under the black. Was it….

He went to get a closer look, and to his delight, found that the crimson mark was dried blood. He was smiling so large, it almost hurt. With a subtle movement of his hands, he bent the brick from out of the wall, and grabbed it from the air.

Game. Set. Match.

There was no escaping him now.

A/N:

Things are building up...
I had a lot of fun, writing a chapter from mostly Mai's perspective. She's the best, and I love getting to explore her character.
Also, hey friends, I hope everyone is doing alright! Once again, thank you for all the kind words and love on this story, it really means a lot!
Have a great rest of your week!