Maikka Fortnight is over, but my debt to corporate America (and my devotion to the now completed "Mai's Ramblings") prevented me from posting this until now. I hope everyone had fun with this event! Keep an eye on my deviant art page (loopy777 dot deviantart dot com) for a full link list of Maikka Week/Fortnight's bounty.



Maikka Week - Ever Loyal

"Mai, you're not standing in the right spot."

That.

Was.

It.

"Oh, glorious Agni in the sky above forbid I'm not in the exact right spot going into the fourth hour of this rehearsal!

The most practical members of the group, namely Haru and Teo, began backing up. That wouldn't save them from Mai's knives, but at least they wouldn't be in the way if she decided to attack someone else.

Sokka at least seemed to recognize the danger, even if he wasn't going to be smart about dealing with it. "I just want everything to be perfect." He fired up his most charming smile. "The perfect girl deserves the perfect wedding."

Mai increased the intensity of her scowl, and began stalking towards her betrothed. "I am not perfect. You are not perfect. No one here is perfect. Nothing in this dull little world is perfect. If I'm not standing in the right place, or Toph isn't standing in the right place, or Katara isn't here at all, or Aang and that stupid lemur wake up in each other's bodies, our wedding will not be any less valid, and we will not be any less married. Anything else is just..." Her energy began to drain, leaving the old quite feeling of boredom in its place. "...just a waste of time."

She was practically nose to nose with Sokka now. Nearby, Aang was looking at Momo with an odd look on his face. Katara and Toph were probably getting ready to rustle up a good tantrum of their own. At the edge of the grouping, Hakoda was observing passively.

Sokka was still. "Are you saying that marrying me is a waste of time?"

"Yes, Sokka, that's exactly what I'm saying. Providing, of course, that you weren't listening to a word I said." Mai walked away. She just picked a random direction that didn't lead into a wall or a person and didn't stop until she was alone.

Mai liked being alone.

Well, she liked being alone when she was in a mood like this. A thought made her smirk; Zuko often displayed the same behavior, back during his time as the Fire Princes Restored. It had driven her crazy, worse than Ty Lee had ever managed. Really, though, it wasn't always a bad thing. Zuko used his alone time to work himself into an even deeper depression. Mai, however, just needed to retreat sometimes. She had to put a lot of effort into acting human, mostly for Sokka's sake, and there came a point where she just couldn't keep up the screen.

Four hours of wedding rehearsals were definitely past the point of being reasonable.

What was the big deal, anyway? It was just at wedding, more trappings of a world obsessed with tiresome ritual. Would a formal marriage stop them from leaving each other if the love stopped? Would it keep them safe from danger? Would it somehow keep day to day life from becoming boring if Sokka didn't keep up his efforts?

Mai could really go for a fruit tart.

She heard Sokka come up behind her. His footsteps were near inaudible, but the formal beads he was wearing clicked together. "That was ridiculously dramatic of me, wasn't it?" she offered.

"A little, but it's been hours since lunch. I'm feeling a little off, myself."

"At least I didn't throw anything. Or shout at your sister."

"It's just as well. Katara's feet were starting to hurt, too, so she might have taken you up on an offer to fight."

Mai tried to find the idea amusing. It wasn't hard. "I don't think marrying you is a waste of time."

"I know."

"But if you make me stand there for another hour, I will stab you."

"Water Tribe ceremonies are an important part of family life."

Mai sighed. "And we all know how big I am on family. But you like it."

"Well," Sokka grinned, "I have a pretty good one. And it's only getting better."

"Okay then. Compromise. We do your ridiculous barbarian wedding ceremony, and you trust the woman who routinely pins flies to the wall with her knives from a hundred paces to stand in the right spot when the big day comes. Deal?"

"Deal."

That was it.

END