Azula had only felt this nervous and completely lost a few times before: when her friends left her, when Ozai reprimanded her on the day of the comet, during her first days after her defeat, and then one last time after she pretty much lost her mind during the battle against the rebels.

Now she had a new incident to add to that list, and she was starting to regret having told Zuko she needed to talk to Mai and Ty Lee alone, despite them not even being in the room yet. Sure, if he was there with them he'd end up essentially apologizing for her and begging them to be her friends again, which would probably make the girls, especially Mai, doubt how genuine her regret was, but at least she'd have somebody there to support her. Ty Lee was nice and kind to her, but she had made it pretty clear that this did not mean everything was okay between them, and she wanted, and deserved, a proper apology just like Mai.

But the princess had a feeling that she would only be forgiven by one of them, and that was assuming she would be lucky enough to be forgiven at all.

As the guards opened the door to her brother's office, letting Mai and Ty Lee in, Azula felt a lump in her throat and her heart speeding up. She remembered how, before they even got together, Zuko told her that was how what happened to him when he asked Aang to join his group. Back then she had just assumed that this only happened to him because he had always been a very emotional, and dramatic, person, but now she understood it completely.

"Thank you two for agreeing to talk to me" Azula said once they were alone.

"Whatever, get this over with" Mai said, crossing her arms and looking like she regretted coming in the first place. Azula was suddenly very happy Zuko didn't let her do anything against Ukano. Traitor or not, he was still her father and Mai would have probably tried to murder her if she had hurt or killed him.

"We both wanted to be here" Ty Lee said, earning herself an angry glare from her friend "We all need some kind of closure"

"Right" Azula said, trying to think of how to even begin apologizing and Mai's impatient look didn't exactly help "First of all, Mai, I won't forget what you've sacrificed for our nation, and I promise no harm will come to your father"

"You really want me to believe you're never going to even feel tempted to suddenly make him disappear?"

"No. I thought about it the second he was captured, and if it had not been for Zuko I would have probably done something stupid" she answered bluntly. The whole point of this meeting was for her to be honest with them, and it would be such an obvious lie so there wasn't anything she could say that would make her former friend believe "I know that's far from what you want to hear, and I can understand if you never forgive me for wanting to hurt your family, because I'll never forgive him for wanting to hurt mine. Still, I won't do anything against him. It would just be me hurting you like I've done so many times before, and I that's not the person I want to be anymore"

If Azula's words meant anything to her, she did not let it show. Ty Lee on the hand, seemed proud.

"Well, from what I've heard it looks like you're doing a good job at that"

"Thank you. For what you just said, for helping us fight the rebels, for having convinced Suki to accept my relationship with Zuko, and for not letting me pretend you guys wronged me by not taking my side on the boiling rock. And I will always be grateful for having had the two of you as my friends for so long, especially because I know I didn't deserve it"

"At least we can agree on something" Mai scoffed, but the princess didn't let that discourage her.

"I know that this isn't enough to fix things, and that nothing will change the fact that I was manipulative, cruel, unfair, selfish, and that I crossed every line, and that I did everything wrong, and that I endangered you guys and your families. But I am sorry for the way I acted. I'll stay away if you asked me to because I know I should have been a better friend, but if you two give me a chance that's exactly what I'm going to be. It's what I want to be"

"We're not gonna be friends, Azula" Mai said right away, but for once she didn't sound angry or unemotional "Too much happened and I just wouldn't feel comfortable with that. But I do believe you. Maybe I'll regret it later, but for now I can't see you and I are having more problems."

"I understand" the princess tried to mask her disappointment, unlike the acrobat who looked absolutely devastated.

"Take care, Azula" Mai's tone was almost kind. She bowed respectfully, and opened the door, but didn't leave right away "Congratulations for your baby, by the way. I hope you and your idiot brother have the big, happy, weird family you two always wanted to have"

Azula smiled sadly and let her go. Next thing she knew she was being lovingly crushed in one of Ty Lee's comforting hugs. She hugged back just as tight.

"Give her time. She'll come around and we'll all be the best of friends again, like when we were little"

"You really think so?"

"Of course! She is still hurting, but I can see she still cares about you a lot" she assured her, gently rubbing her back "Oh, and since we're good again, can I see your wedding dress? I'm too curious to wait till the wedding day"

Azula chuckled "I missed you so much"

"I missed you too"