Kay so Mai/Azula fic passed the interest check on tumblr lol. So four long fics! But if four ends up being too much, this one will probably be put on hold until the others are finished.

"I've lied about a lot of things, but not about this."

"That's the thing about lying a lot. Even the truth becomes a lie…"

She swallows. She thinks that it was over before it started even if she didn't know. Even if neither of them did. But this wasn't a lie and the bits that were sure felt like the truth.

.oOo.

The capital is quite lively today, Mai supposes that it makes sense enough considering that it is the fire lord's birthday. She can't say that she has any such mirth for herself. This isn't especially unusual, people are generally hard pressed to find something that does spark her amusement even faintly. All of this festivity, however, leaves her feeling more bleak than usual.

"Hippo-ox tail skewer?" A vendor offers.

She shakes her head and pushes her way through the crowd. The delighted shrieks of children are grating on her ears. She grits her teeth, what she would give to be at home again. Even endeavor of selling nauseatingly bright flowers would beat wandering around The Capital, being bombarded by constant reminders of the man she'd let go of. He isn't so great. She reminds herself. And his family certainly isn't one that she'd like to marry into. Decidedly she is doing herself a service by staying as far away from Zuko as she can. She casts a glance over her shoulder to where the palace looms both mockingly and majestically. Clearly she isn't making good on keeping that distance. But it can't exactly be helped, not when Aunt Mura is in desperate need of sales.

She sighs and replaces the 'at lunch' sign with an 'open' sign. For what it's worth, the festival is doing wonders for Mura's shop. She supposes that a few days of taxing hustle and bustle will be worth it in the long run, especially if it means that she will have more time to relax when all is said and done.

She lazily plucks a single flower and twirls in between her fingers. Honestly, what a drag. At least back in her home village, Mura or Tom-Tom would keep her company while she waited for a customer to approach.

She drums her fingers on the wood as she inhales fragrant gardenia and lily of the valley. The wind blows a helping of petals towards the ground, she will let the flowers be their own sales pitch. Contrary to what Mura believes, Mai is inclined to say that these flowers do sell themselves.

She sets her flower aside and looks up. There is a girl, a small thing, approaching the stall. Which is well enough but she is approaching too speedily. Actually it is more of a charge or a sprint than it is an innocent little stroll.

Mai cringes, she watches the girl leap over a cart of furs and onto a cabbage stall. The man gives a forlorn yelp, "my cabbages!" She is almost certain that she has heard that wail before. She shrugs, at least it wasn't her stall.

But the girl isn't finished she very nearly topples the flimsy stall as she bounds away, weaving in and out of the crowd. For a moment, Mai thinks that she has dodged a poisoned dart. The girl disappears into the crowd, the moment of excitement she had brought dissipates with her.

Mai shrugs again, "oh well." She rests her elbow on the counter and her cheek in her palm. How truly boring. She supposes that she was bound to have at least one slower day. It usually is slow after lunch when everyone is rushing to the more exciting festival activities…

"Hey!"

Mai jolts, knocking a flower pot from the counter. The girl catches it and puts it back in place with a grin. "Okay, so I saved your honeysuckles…"

"They're tuberoses."

The girl nods. "Okay, so I saved your tuberoses, I'm a real hero so I was hoping you can do me a favor."

Mai blinks.

"I'm gonna pretend like I care about these flowers…"

"You and me both." Mai grumbles.

"And I'm gonna pretend like I'm about to buy one."

"Or you could actually buy one."

The girl feels her pockets. "I guess I can, but only if this works."

"What works?"

"Well, I may have gotten into it with the Iwaken boys again. Except this time all four of them are here." She rubs the back of her head and flashes a lopsided grin. She is missing a tooth, the one next to her right canine.

"I take it you don't want them to knock out more of your teeth."

The girl laughs. "They aren't quite that strong. No, this happened elsehow."

"Then why don't you, I don't know, go fight them?"

The girl shrugs. "I gotta pick my battles."

Mai looks her up and down. Head to toe she is covered in cuts, scrapes, and bruises. Scuffs of dirt streak her pants and splotch her face. "New development?"

"Huh?"

"Nevermind." Mai rolls her eyes.

"Thanks!" The girl declares.

Mai quirks a brow. "For what."

"For helping." She gestures to four rather burly looking boys. "I think that they bought it. They'd never guess that I'd be looking at flowers."

Mai eyes the tuberose that the girl is brushing her fingers over. If only she'd bought it. If only anyone would just buy a flower already! "Look, kid, if you aren't going to buy anything…"

This time the girl blinks. "I'm not a child. I'm nineteen. Twenty, in a few weeks. At least that's what they told me."

Now there's a head scratcher. "Other people told you your age?"

"It's a long story." She taps her finger to the corner of her mouth. "I don't remember the whole thing though."

"Great. Well, I've got a business to run…"

"I can help!" She declares and holds up her coin pouch. "I'm running a little low."

Mai sighs. "Fine."

At least things might be less drab with this woman around.

"I'm Mai."

"That's a pretty name."

"Thank you." Mai replies. She watches the woman lean against the stall. "Well?" She asks after a while.

"Well what?"

"What is your name?"

"Oh. I don't have one of those." She flashes another smile as though she hasn't uttered the most bizarre thing that Mai has heard all week.