Return of the Blue Spirit Chapter 2
Mai started to doze off when she heard an obnoxious alarm go off while the cell doors were opened simultaneously. Ty Lee never left the blade master's side for a moment while they walked toward the mess hall where their first meal would be served (that is if you could call it a meal). Mai watched her flexible friend closely as they ate (or rather tried their best to keep down the slop they were handed) and it seemed that much of Ty Lee's lost light was returned to her eyes. Mai did not believe in auras but she could tell the countenance of a person through their eyes. The mess hall was surprisingly quiet except for a group of girls around their same age were eyeing them and speaking in scheming whispers. 'So we are going to have problems on our first day? Maybe this place won't be as dull as I expected.'
After breakfast they were told to go into the courtyard, and this courtyard was nothing compared to the Boiling Rock… it was small and covered in mold only being watched by a handful of guards on top of the fence. Later Ty Lee noticed that they may have been over staffed because the fence that surrounded the prison had jagged spikes coming off it much like if it were covered by a giant rusty thorn bush. There was no way even someone as flexible as herself could last five minutes on that wall. Mai and Ty Lee found an empty bench on the other side of the courtyard where everyone else seemed to be gathering. "Mai, do you think Azula will change her mind and let us go?" Mai knew the answer and she knew that Ty Lee knew the answer but Ty Lee was not looking for the truth right now, she was looking for hope… even if that hope was an obvious lie, "Yes Ty Lee, I think…" but the knife thrower was cut off by the approach of eight girls around the same age as their own with the look of murder on their faces. Mai nudged her thoughtful friend and motioned to the oncoming strangers, Ty Lee looked up with a confident smirk knowing that she and Mai could handle any threat.
"Do you remember us?" asked the tallest girl who seemed to be the leader, though she did not seem comfortable in the position. "No, should we?" Mai asked, she wanted to be more threatening and give them an insult or two but decided that there would most likely be enough trouble without her contributing to it. "Well Kyoshi Warriors take the time to remember the faces of those that fell at our hands" said another girl in their pack. 'Kyoshi Warriors… I know that sounds familiar' Ty Lee thought as she wracked her brain to try to remember who these seeming clone like girls were. "Then it would be very easy to remember all of your fallen foes because you have none, three against nine and we still won." Mai had a face of satisfaction as she saw the second warrior have to be held back by her peers. "I REMEMBER YOU!! You were the ones we beat and then we took your uniforms so we could infiltrate Ba Sing Se and conquered it for the Fire Nation!" It seemed that Ty Lee was too proud of herself for remembering the identities of these girls to notice the words coming out of her own mouth. Mai let a long drawn out sigh and addressed their seemingly part-time leader, "So what do you want with us, revenge? I would have you know that it was because of us that your leader escaped the Boiling Rock." Mai felt no connection to the girl named Suki, but she hoped that her escape would get these fan girls
out of her hair for a while. "Suki is free, how?" asked another warrior. 'Oh please don't make me tell that boring story… it is just a waste of…' but Mai's mental complaint was cut short by Ty Lee who seemed to be very happy to tell all the tiniest details of their betrayal. It seemed that the warrior clones were very interested, and their previous encounter involving the sky bison was considered a thing of the past.
They had spent just a little over a week in that prison and Ty Lee and the Kyoshi Warriors were seeming to become best friends. Though now she was kept up all night by the acrobat's ramblings Mai was just glad to have Ty Lee back, because two depressed friends was pushing the limit. After their last meal of the day all the prisoners were ushered back into their cells; but on the way back into hers, Mai caught a glimpse of a shadow around the high rocks that towered over the prison walls. Ty Lee looked back at her slender friend and gave her a questioning look. "It's nothing Ty Lee, I thought I saw something." Mai took another long look outside the window before the bulky guard pushed her to move along. "Mai, your aura has been getting darker over the past few days, is something wrong?" Mai looked at her concerned friend and said with a confident voice, "First of all, there is no such thing as auras. And if my aura is looking bleak then it could have something to do with lack of sleep!" Ty Lee gasped at her friend, "Oh Mai, why aren't you sleeping well!? Are you sick?" Mai rolled her eyes as they went into their separate cells for the night, and without hesitation a whisper could be heard from the wall, "Mai, you did not answer my question, are you sick?"
There was Mai, now he knew where their cells were. Only a few rays of light were left of the day while a creature silently stalked the outside of the prison walls. The main gates closed as the gong sounded; in 24 hours the Blue Spirit would rise again to lay waste to that miserable prison. The only thing to do now was wait and watch.