Well, this certainly went way off the makeshift outline I had. Whoops, have a lot more plot than I originally thought there would be.

Thanks for all the comments last chapter, guys! As I mentioned, I wrote it while very sleep-deprived and thought it would turn out to be flat-out awful. I'm very pleasantly surprised at the reception it received. So, hugs, y'all.

Sometimes, Mai wonders if it's all just a game to Azula. This doesn't mean that Azula takes things lightly; in fact, the opposite is true. Games have victors, and one thing has always been very clear: Azula will always win. Whether it's acquiring top marks in class or conquering Ba Sing Se, loss is simply never an option. Azula is the queen, and everyone else arranges themselves around her.

At the very least, she's certainly won this round, although you wouldn't be able to tell from the look on her face. As Zu—Lee kneels before them with a tray of tea in his hands, Azula is nothing less than charming. "Come now," she says, and her voice is sweet enough to trap a spider-fly. "Have a cup with us, Lee. This is as much a celebration for you as it is for us."

He looks up. He doesn't even have the shelter of his hair to hide behind, Mai thinks with just a touch of bitterness. Instead, the vulnerability on his face is clear for all to see, and he's even stupid enough to show hope. "Your—uh, your majesty? Majesty—" he begins, the words stumbling and hesitant. "I'm honored that you chose me, I really am, but—"

"But nothing," Azula says, effortlessly wresting the reins of the conversation from him. "You know, when my friend here told me about your tea-making abilities, I didn't believe her. But she insisted that you were the best tea-maker in the city, and I trust her implicitly." Azula smiles and lays a hand on Lee's. "And now that I see you, I know the rumors must be true. You must return with us to the Fire Nation. Everyone will love you!"

It doesn't even make sense—who judges tea-making abilities based on appearance? But Azula's a powerfully charismatic force when she wishes to be, and Lee doesn't even have the benefit of Zuko's experience to draw upon. Zuko's always been a poor player in the game, to be sure, but at least he had half a chance. As for Lee? Well, it's a bit pitiful to watch, really, as the plea that Lee was surely about to make goes unvoiced, replaced by confused happiness. Yes, you are the best tea-maker in the city, is it you? Is it you? Good boy, here's a treat!

She's sat through worse, but only just barely. Mai focuses on the steady pattern of her breathing, keeping a placid mask over her feelings. She's aware of Ty Lee shifting uncomfortably in the corner of her eye—Ty Lee has always been far more emotional, and Mai's not surprised in the least that Azula managed to extract the story from her. She doesn't blame her, she really doesn't.

What's done is done. Now, she has to deal with the consequences.

Before her, Azula is methodically dissecting Lee with clever compliments and sly questions. Where did he come from? Did he arrive with any family, or is he all alone, the poor dear? Yes, it must have been so difficult, if only you could have saved your uncle from the robbers with earthbending…oh, you can't bend? At all? Well, that's no problem at all, my very best friends can't bend either. We have so much in common, you and I…

Mai works with cynicism and knives; Ty Lee works with optimism and innocence. Azula is some strange combination of the two—she's beautiful and charming, able to apply any mask almost flawlessly and to strip it off just as easily. Her interrogation is quite fascinating to watch, or it would be if Mai wasn't biting the inside of her cheek hard enough to draw blood.

"Well, I know you must be exhausted," Azula concludes at length, giving Lee a beautific smile. "Why don't you show him to his new quarters, Ty Lee? I'm sure you two have much to catch up on."

As she leaves, Ty Lee gives Mai an apologetic sidelong glance that Azula surely catches. It's nice, if a bit careless. Azula takes a long, leisurely moment to drain her cup before she turns to Mai. "So," she says. "You haven't touched your tea."

Mai looks down at the teacup held in her hands. Her palms are cupped loosely around it, no sign of tension at all. Good. "I've had the tea before. He's a lousy brewer; it's awful."

Azula laughs. "Yes, it's not really that good, is it? But I won't break his heart by telling him so." She looks at Mai, and Mai returns the gaze steadily. There are few areas in which Mai can win against Azula, but a staring contest is one of them. Mai's prepared for…well, she's not quite sure what exactly, perhaps more of that barbed cleverness that Azula is so fond of.

Azula's next words disarm her entirely: "Mai, I hate seeing him like this."

…what?

Against her will, Mai finds her breath hitching just the tiniest bit. She recovers quickly, but perhaps not quickly enough. "You do?"

Azula leans back against the table, looking pensive. "The Dai Li did something to him, didn't they?" she says softly. "I've heard rumors about their mind control schemes. It certainly makes sense as to how they're able to keep such a large city as Ba Sing Se under control."

Mai watches her warily. "There's no way to break it,"she says after a moment. "That day we looked for the library—I found some scrolls. There's nothing in there about breaking free."

"Why ask scrolls when we can ask the Dai Li in person?" Azula says. The words could be mocking; the tone is not. "They are our allies, after all. We do have their former captain imprisoned below in case he knows something that they don't, plus I'm sure there are a few others who will be willing to divulge information."

Oh. Right. "That makes sense," Mai says cautiously, trying to feel out the new territory. Of all of Azula's possible reactions, cooperation was never one that Mai had anticipated, much less prepared for.

"Of course it does," Azula says, just a hint of impatience entering her tone. She sits down next to Mai. A long silence ticks by, and then finally, Azula sighs. Mai looks at her, and she's startled to find that Azula looks…vulnerable, almost. "I understand why you wanted to keep it from me," Azula says quietly, earnestly. "And I don't blame you. But in this, Mai, I promise you—I am on your side."

Mai meets her eyes steadily. "Why?" she asks, forcing the question out into the open. It's bold of her to ask this, she knows, but no one can deny that it's a fair question. Mai has known Azula since they were children, and family affection is…unusual, to say the least.

Azula's smile is sad, almost wistful. Mai wants to distrust it so much, but…they grew up together; she knows the masks that Azula puts on. This mask, if it is one, is certainly new. "I missed him too, you know," Azula says softly. "And while Father was within his rights to banish him, three years seems a bit too long for me."

"I thought you were happy to see him gone," Mai says guardedly.

"I never wanted him gone forever," Azula says. "And no Earth Kingdom scum gets to lay their hands on my brother and play with his mind like it's some kind of toy." Her gaze turns distant for a moment. "He's mine, Mai. And no one gets to hurt me and mine."

Mai looks sidelong at Azula, feeling as if the world is spinning on its axis. "I just thought," she says slowly, and then stops. "Well, when we were young…"

"I know, I know," Azula says with a little sigh. "We certainly had our share of fun at his expense as children, didn't we." She rises to her feet in a lithe, graceful movement. "But that was between us as a family. No one else gets to do that." She opens her palm to reveal fire dancing in it. "And they certainly don't get to take a member of the Fire Nation royal family and leash him like a dog to their will. Disgraced or not, he's still my brother."

Mai blinks. "Oh," she says. And that's all she can say, really. This is unusual, to say the least. "I," she begins. "I didn't think that…"

"Mai," Azula sighs. "Do you have so little faith in me? Even if I didn't have any affection for Zuko at all—which I do, even if you don't seem to believe it—I don't want to hurt you." She pauses. "I know how you feel about him."

Mai feels a blush come into her cheeks, and she looks away sharply. "Not what I was going to say. And that was a very different time."

"You know, I think you'll find that the boy you loved is still there somewhere under that simpering servility," Azula says, her voice quiet. "We just have to find him."

"I don't love him," Mai says fiercely.

"Of course not," Azula says. "But I think that you could, and that Zuko could love you as well. But not Lee." She pauses. "Lee can't do anything."

It's true. A little baldly spoken, perhaps, but so very true. Mai breathes in and out deeply, trying to reorient herself. "I—I just didn't hate Zuko," she says, and it feels like she's almost trying to justify this just a little too much. "There's a difference."

"Oh, Mai," Azula says with a laugh. It's not a cruel laugh. "That's a lofty honor, I suppose. I should be so grateful if you didn't hate me as well. It would make getting Zuko back a little difficult, to be honest."

"You really want him back?" Mai says. She aims for cynicism, but to her surprise, her voice comes out small and uncertain. She clears her throat and looks away briefly before turning back. "The Fire Lord won't feel the same."

"He might not," Azula allows, "but losing Father's favor is nothing new for Zuko. At any rate, I have some ideas that might help Zuko regain his place in court. But for that I need Zuko, not—" she wrinkles her nose—"Lee the teaboy." She offers a hand to Mai, and Mai looks at it for a moment before glancing back up at Azula's face. "I consider you a close friend," Azula says quietly. "We grew up together, and we conquered a city together. I need you by my side, Mai. I need you to help me get my brother back."

Mai holds that in her mind, weighing it against the vulnerability in Azula's voice just moments earlier. What's the angle? How does Azula benefit? Can she believe Azula? Can they help Zuko? How does Azula really feel? And last but not least—does it matter?

Mai takes a breath. Then, Azula's hand. "I should have come to you sooner," Mai says, bowing her head in acknowledgment. "I'm sorry."

Azula smiles. "I understand why you didn't," she says. "But I forgive you. The past is past; let's not hold it over each other."

They sit in silence for a moment. Mai turns Azula's hand palm upwards, tracing the lines there. Her own hands are rough with calluses, but Azula's are strangely soft for someone who holds fire in them on a regular basis. They're narrower, too, with finely manicured nails that are longer than Mai's—no one in their right mind who fights with steel lets their nails get out of control. Firebenders don't need to worry about that at all…

"Right," Mai says at length. "What now."

Azula clears her throat. "Well," she says. "Now that we've finally straightened things out, let's go find the Dai Li. Wasting time serves no one—well, Lee might, but he's just awful at it. I mean, he may work in a teashop, but he still has a lot to learn about brewing tea." She gives Mai a mischievous sidelong glance. "That tea really was awful, wasn't it?"

A laugh escapes Mai before she can help herself, and Azula laughs as well. The two of them together, sharing this moment—it feels nice. It's like those childhood days back in the Fire Nation palace all over again, really.

Well, that was certainly unexpected.

The rooms set aside for Zu—Lee—aren't big, but they're in the guest quarters instead of the servant quarters, which is mildly surprising. She can see Lee's silhouette through the paper frames of the door. He's just…sitting there.

She takes a breath and knocks. She can see him leap up almost immediately, and almost immediately after sliding the door open, he leans down into one of the most ridiculous-looking bows she's ever seen. "Lady—your Highness—er—" he says.

"Mai," she says. "Just Mai."

He looks so supremely uncomfortable. Mai ignores the flicker of pity and steps into the room. It's nicely furnished but nothing special compared to the Fire Nation palace. At the same time, it's probably more lavish than anything that Lee the tea boy has ever seen in his entire life. She turns around, and his head is bowed as he shuffles awkwardly from foot to foot. And suddenly, stupidly, Mai is at a loss for words. How does she handle this doppelganger of Zuko; how does she confront his weak shadow?

The silence ticks by. Finally, Mai clears her throat. "You'll like the Fire Nation," she says. "It's nice. The palace courtyard has a beautiful pond in it. You—you can feed the turtleducks. If you want."

If she's hoping for something, she's sorely disappointed. "Yes, Lady Mai," he says.

"Just Mai," she says sharply, and she can see the flinch run through his entire body. Mai's mouth twists, and she looks away. "Fine. You can call me Lady Mai."

"Yes, Lady Mai," he says.

She's never wanted to be Ty Lee so badly in her life. Zuko, her Zuko—she knows his stubbornness, his willpower that defined him so strongly. This Lee can barely stand up to a breeze before falling over, and she can't do Ty Lee's sweetness or Azula's charm. "Did Ty Lee show you around the palace?" she tries, and she wants to bite back the words as soon as they're out of her mouth.

"Yes, Lady Mai."

She could get better conversation out of a pillar at this rate. "It must have been a big change for you," she says in a final attempt. "Have you made any friends in Ba Sing Se?"

At this, he does raise his head. Golden eyes meet hers, so familiar yet empty of that essential spark that Zuko had. "I've been very busy working," he says slowly. "But Master Weishan has been very kind to me."

"Well, he gave you a job. I guess that's nothing to be sneezed at," Mai says, feeling mildly encouraged. "The princess has ordered you not to leave the palace, but if you write a note or something, I can get it to him."

Lee nods. "That would be good." He looks down. "Master Weishan helped me out when I had nowhere else to go. I'll be sad to leave him, but it's for the better, of course," he says, and the end bit is tacked on just a little too hastily to be completely genuine. He straightens. "It was meant to be. There is an order to all things here in Ba Sing Se."

She's heard him say that one before, and it's eerie how the inflection is almost exactly identical. "Right," she says. "Of course. The sacred order. Master Weishan must have been aware of it, but he took you in anyway. That's unusual, isn't it? Not many people would take in someone who's been questioned by the Dai Li."

Unexpectedly, he smiles. It's a big smile, completely unnatural on Zuko's face, and it doesn't reach his eyes. "There's no shame in being questioned by the Dai Li," he says. "They want to keep us safe. They are the keepers of cultural order in Ba Sing Se."

"Are they," she says, but the sarcasm apparently goes straight over his head. "I'm sure they were very nice to you."

He blinks rapidly. The smile stays, although it noticeably wilts. "Of course they were." His eyes shift away from her face in an almost distracted fashion, and Mai keeps herself from leaning forward in interest. "They want nothing but the best for us."

She tries to keep her voice low and soothing, trying to scare him off. "Is that what they told you in your quarters at Lake Laogai? Was it a nice vacation?"

"Of course it was," he says, the words coming out far too fast to be anything but automatic. He looks at her, and quick as the wind, his face changes—his eyes—well, his good eye, anyway—is wide in a presumably innocent expression, although it honestly makes him look more demented than anything else. His mouth is curved into that patently fake smile once more. "They keep us safe. They are the keepers of order in Ba Sing Se."

Mai bites back her first, stinging reply—it won't do any good, and she likes to think that she isn't quite as heartless as Azula yet. "That's good to know," she says. "I'm so proud."

So maybe a little disdain slipped in there, but it's not like he'll notice.

He stands there with that silly expression frozen on his face, and Mai allows herself the luxury of a world-weary sigh. "Lee," she says.

It's almost eerie how he turns to look at her without the smile faltering one inch. "Yes, Lady Mai?" he says.

Is the boy she knew anywhere under that mask? It seems almost impossible. "Give the note to me tomorrow morning," she says abruptly, and then thinks better of it. "No, on second thought: give it to Ty Lee. I'll be busy. Good night."

He bows and probably says something polite and meaningless, but she ignores him, sweeping out of the room before he's even straightened up. She makes her way briskly down the hall, and it's only when she's turned the corner that she allows herself to lean against the wall, her heart hammering against her chest. She's going to fix this. It should be easier than ever now that she has Azula's blessing and the resources of the Dai Li. And if they don't cooperate, she's going to destroy them.

If you know someone's weaknesses, you can undo them so very easily. Mai knows how to do this physically; Ty Lee can do it to someone's energy and chi. Azula, though, Azula is in a league of her own—undoing isn't so much her forte as is utter and complete manipulation.

And frankly, Mai's never appreciated it more.

Qian isn't a high-ranking member of the Dai Li, but he's power-hungry and willing to spill their hallowed secrets in exchange for more power, or at least what he thinks is power, the fool. Mai sits impassively at Azula's right-hand side as Qian leads two women into the room. They're dressed identically right down to the vacant smiles on their faces, and it's enough to send a frisson down Mai's spine.

"Joo Dee," Qian intones to their right. "Present your respects to the Fire Lord's daughter, Princess Azula."

Mai spares just a fleeting thought to the injury that statement must cause Azula's pride before the women—the Joo Dee?—speak. "Welcome to our wonderful city, Princess Azula," they say, and if their appearances were strange, it's downright terrifying to hear their voices in perfect synchrony. "We are honored to serve you as you stay in Ba Sing Se."

"That's just creepy," Mai says, the words coming out a little bit louder than she intended. She looks at Qian. "How long have they been in Lake Laogai?"

"These?" Qian says, waving a dismissive hand. "The Joo Dee training is perhaps a couple weeks long. The women we recruit are usually very pliable and easy to control," he adds, and there's just something so rankling about that statement. The Joo Dee barely seem to even blink, and for the first time Mai can appreciate that Zuko, damaged as he is, still has slightly more personality than these automatons. "And if they show any resistance, they are programmed to respond to a phrase that we have instilled in them. Observe." He turns to the Joo Dee. "The Earth King has invited you to Ba Sing Se."

Impossibly, their smiles grow even wider, and Mai watches, startled, as their pupils dilate noticeably. "We are honored to accept his invitation," they say again. Then—nothing; they stand there, perfectly still as they await further orders.

"Fascinating," Azula breathes.

Mai looks at her sharply, but Azula's gazing raptly at the Joo Dee. "They will obey all commands in this state?" Azula continues. She hops off the throne, approaching the two women. "Any command?"

"Yes," Qian says, managing to sound insufferably smug. "The Dai Li training is impassable."

Azula looks thoughtful for a moment, and Mai feels a slow trickle of uneasiness in her gut. As she watches, Azula brings her hand forward in a sudden movement. Mai feels the heat of the blue flame almost before it appears in her palm. "Joo Dee," Azula commands, beckoning the woman on the right with her other hand. "Put your hand in mine."

Without hesitation, the Joo Dee walks towards Azula, her hand outstretched. Perhaps there's just the barest flicker of reluctance, but the next thing Mai knows, Joo Dee plunges her hand straight into the flame. There's a moment of frozen silence, and then—

Blue flame is blue for a reason, and Mai watches in horror as the woman begins to scream, agony replacing the smile. The smell of burning flesh fills the air, and Joo Dee makes as if to jerk away, but—she doesn't. Her hand twitches and claws helplessly, but it stays in the fire even as her skin roasts away. Azula watches, the blue glow of the flame giving her smile an unearthly prominence as she watches Joo Dee writhe in anguish.

Mai's not sure when she made the decision to move, but the next thing she's aware of, she has Azula's arm twisted up in the air as Joo Dee falls to the ground. Snot and tears drip down her face as she continues to scream. In this position, Mai can feel the heat of the fire perilously close to her hair, and she keeps herself very still. "Azula," she breathes into Azula's ear. "That's enough."

Azula turns her head enough so that Mai can see her face and the smile, that cold smile, still on it. Mai doesn't breathe for a horrible long moment until Azula douses the flame, the absence of heat a welcome relief and almost a shock. "Of course," Azula says sweetly. "Let go of me now, Mai."

Mai loosens her fingers from around Azula's wrist and takes a step back. She might be shivering. It's hard to be sure: Joo Dee is still screaming, and the sound echoes off the walls and drills into Mai's ears. Azula turns back to the Joo Dee, both the screaming one and the other one, smile frozen in place even as undeniable terror is in her eyes. "Shut up," Azula says, her voice cutting through the ringing cries.

Joo Dee's cries break off as if snapped in half, replaced by strangled whimpers instead. Mai carefully breathes in and flinches at the smell of burned flesh. "You," Azula says, pointing to the other woman. "Take her to whatever doctors you have here. See if you can save the hand."

Moving jerkily, the Joo Dee kneels down to help her companion up. The skin has almost completely burned away from the hand, mottled red and black. The two of them make their way in almost complete silence out of the room, broken only by swallowed whimpers.

"Well," Azula says brightly. "That was a very educational exercise."

That's…one way to put it, Mai supposes. She looks down at her hands and clenches them, forcing them still. She shifts her weight from one foot to another, seeking the comforting weight of her knives. She won't be caught helpless, not like the Joo Dee.

Qian clears his throat. "It certainly has been…edifying," he says slowly. The smug expression is off his face, at least. Mai can take that as a bleak comfort.

(The air still stinks of burning flesh.)

Casual and poised, Azula sits back on the throne. "So even extreme pain cannot break the hold of Lake Laogai," she says. "Even if the women are as pliable as you claim, that's still some very impressive conditioning you have."

"Of course," Qian says. He seems to regain some of his confidence. "It's a foolproof technique that can never be broken."

Mai finds her voice. "Never?" she interjects before Azula can say anything more. "There's no such thing as never."

Qian looks at her, eyes narrowed. Mai returns his gaze flatly. "Never," he reiterates.

"Now, now," Azula says, stepping between them. "What Mai meant to say that while your process is a success, there must be some who initially resist it." She flashes Mai a bright smile before turning back to Qian. "You mentioned that the Joo Dee are pliable. Are there some who aren't?"

Qian's gaze shifts back to Azula, and Mai can see awe and terror and greed warring in his eyes. Greed wins out. "Yes, Princess," he says. "In which case, we have other methods to break down their resistance." He looks back at Mai, his eyes flashing contempt. "But we are always successful."

Mai fights down the urge to draw steel. She wants to gut him; she wants to smash something; she wants the smell of burning flesh to go away. In a heroic effort of will, she does nothing as Azula smiles up at Qian, girlish and flattering. "A demonstration would be amazing…Captain Qian," Azula says.

The man seems to swell up with pride, the terror of just moments past forgotten. "Of course," he says. "It would be my honor, Princess."

For all the rumors about Lake Laogai, the prison itself looks…well, it's a prison, nothing particularly special. The mindwashing chambers themselves look nondescript enough. It's a stone chair surrounded by a wheel-like contraption, and if there's relish in Qian's voice as he explains the process, that's because he's a slimy badger-toad who deserves to be eaten by a crocodile-snake. They move on to the holding cells, which are reasonably dank and unpleasant, but it's a prison, not a palace. A little dripping from the ceiling never hurt anybody. There aren't any manacles, which is unsurprising, Mai supposes, as this is a prison run by earthbenders. One would assume that there's not much need for retraints.

Qian leads them deeper into the prison, the path lit by Azula's flames. At what must be the very bottom level, he shows them what must be the pinnacle of earthbending engineering: rectangular holes in the ground, maybe six feet by three. They're not very deep, perhaps two or three feet down. Mai scuffs the side of one idly with her shoe. "What are these? For the bodies?" she drawls.

"Yes," Qian says, giving her a smile that's more a snarl. She raises an eyebrow at him. "These are the reformation cells, where recalcitrant detainees are placed. It gives them time to…reconsider their ways."

Wait. People are placed in these?

Mai looks down at them with a renewed eye. They're shaped…well, they're just big enough to hold a person. Like tombs, she realizes, tiny airless prisons for the living. Trapped underground, with no room to turn or stretch or move, hidden away where no one will ever find the bodies. She stares down into the shallow hole, her mind immediately jumping to comparing her own measurements. She'd be able to spread her arms a couple inches to either side. If she were lucky, her nose wouldn't graze the ceiling once the hole was sealed. She might have an inch of leeway around her head or feet. Less if she's wearing shoes.

"Interesting," Azula says, sounding remarkably calm over the sudden ringing in Mai's ears. "How do you get air to the detainees, though? I imagine they wouldn't last very long with that."

Qian stomps into the ground, and Mai forces herself not to flinch as rock rises to cover the top of the tomb nearly three feet thick. There are holes drilled through the rock, holes that presumably provide air. They're not very big, though, and she doesn't think for a second that they let any sort of light through. "Each cell is measured to the occupant at the time of creation," Qian says. "We don't want to kill the detainee, as that would undermine our goal of social reformation. We simply want them to…well, reconsider things."

"So what's the longest a detainee has ever been held in these rooms?" Azula asks, all polite curiosity. Mai focuses on her instead, taking strength from her calm demeanor. "Obviously these measures are only necessary for the most extreme of subjects, but between the mindwashing and…ah…these cells, I can't imagine that they would last long."

Qian bows to her. "Astute as ever, Princess," he says, and virulent hatred joins the roiling nausea lodged firmly in Mai's stomach. "I will have to check the records to be exact, but our methods are efficient. I would suppose about a month. Not including necessary re-visits, of course, for relapsing subjects."

One month. Thirty days alternating between blinding, hypnotic light and airless, cramped darkness, with no way to judge the passing of time either way. The look in Lee's eyes hadn't been innocence; it'd been terror, and for good reason. Zuko would have fought, she's sure of it, but trying to firebend in that airless tomb would just burn up the air. Maybe he'd tried to firebend his way out and found himself gasping for for every breath. Maybe he'd considered that as a more final way out, but then they bent rock over his arms, pinning him down so that even the slightest bit of movement would be completely impossible. Maybe he'd screamed until his throat was raw. No one would ever hear you, trapped in that rock.

"Is it really that effective?" Azula asks, and Mai wants to laugh at the question. Azula leans over, poking her fingers into one of the tiny airholes. Mai watches the movement of her fingers, refusing to look at the tomb as a whole.

"Very much so," Qian says. "The more coherent and strong-willed a subject is, the more easily they are able to resist the mindwashing technique. Strong attachments or convictions can also weaken the power. We give subjects the time they need to reconsider our ideas, and most of them end up accepting them."

That's a line of dictatorial propaganda if she's ever heard one.

She can see Qian look at her out of the corner of his eye, and she keeps her face perfectly still, refusing to give him a reaction. He's only one man, a stupid power-hungry jerk swayed by easy flattery and…well, unless he's not. The back of her neck prickles, her thoughts rapidly spiraling: he's an earthbender, they're not, he could leave them trapped here forever. No, he wouldn't do that, but what if…

(and what if Azula plans to leave her here as revenge, as payback, Mai was a fool to come here, she doesn't want to die trapped underground in a tiny tomb, she doesn't want to die like this)

"Well, Captain, this has been a deeply enlightening trip," Azula says, straightening up. Her true thoughts, whatever they might be, are firmly hidden behind a casual mask. "So did you mention records? I would like access to those."

He frowns. "They are property of the Dai Li," he says, whatever remnants of loyalty he has kicking in. "I'm afraid not, Princess."

Azula hooks her arm through his. "Let's discuss this over tea," she says. She looks around and sniffs. "This really isn't the most festive of places, is it. It smells like dead fish. Some fresh air will do us all good."

She's so very calm about it as she talks Qian into bringing them back upstairs. Mai follows them as they head upwards, every sense on high alert. Azula has hold of Qian's arm, and Mai watches the movement of his feet with one hand on her knives, tensely watching for any sign of bending. She'll cut the tendons without a second thought if he tries the slightest trick.

It seems like an eternity before they finally emerge into the open air, but even then, her sense of relief is tainted with despair. It's a very good thing that Ty Lee isn't here with them, Mai thinks. It would turn her aura the darkest, dingiest gray one can imagine, and that's not a fate she'd wish on her friend.

There are very few things that can chill Mai to the bone—Azula's cruelty earlier in the day was one of them. The tiny cells under Lake Laogai, though: those outclass it by miles.

That night, she dreams of rock and darkness, Qian's voice and Azula's laughter. She wakes up slashing at the air with a knife, and it takes her a long moment to orient herself to where she is. For a minute, she lies in bed and simply breathes, reveling in the fresh cool air and the freedom of her limbs. She's in the Earth Kingdom palace, a place that, while it certainly has lost a good deal of its charm, isn't nearly as horrifying as Lake Laogai. And she's got Lee, for what that's worth. She's got Azula on her side. Most importantly, she has more information about what she's dealing with.

All bright, positive things. Think positive. Be like Ty Lee. Right.

She makes her way to breakfast feeling sullen and disoriented, and her dark mood is only marginally lifted when Ty Lee plops down in the seat next to her. "Hey," Ty Lee says, and Mai gives her a nod. "Guess what?"

"Mm?" Mai says around a mouthful of rice. Ty Lee slaps down a poster in front of her, and Mai's eyebrows go up as she reads it. Among other phrases: The Fire Prince has returned. He will go back to the Fire Nation with honor. There's a date there as well, set a week from now.

"So?" Ty Lee says. "What did you guys do yesterday? I saw Lee yesterday and he seemed to still be Lee, so unless—"

"Wait, you saw him?" Mai says, looking up. "When?"

"In the morning," Ty Lee says with a shrug. "He asked me to take a note to his former master, which I did. And then since you guys weren't back yet, I figured that I'd have dinner with him, cheer him up a little." Mai looks away, and she hears Ty Lee sigh. "It wasn't anything special, Mai. He just needed a friend."

"I know," Mai says, and she does know, really. She sets the poster back down on the table carefully, smoothing out the parchment. "How is he?"

"Quiet. Disoriented still."

"Was he smiling a lot?" Mai murmurs. "And talking about the glory of Ba Sing Se?"

"A little in the beginning," Ty Lee says. "But then I talked at him for a while, and he asked me some stuff about the circus. It wasn't too bad. He's quiet, you know, not at all like Zuko." She taps the poster. "Speaking of Zuko. Did a miracle happen in the late hours of night?"

"Not that I know of," Mai says with a sigh. "We talked to Qian—he's one of the Dai Li. He gave us a…well, I guess Azula gave us a demonstration on how powerful the mindwashing is." She swallows. "And then we went to Lake Laogai, and there are…well. It's not pleasant."

Ty Lee listens, eyes wide. Mai keeps her voice as calm as possible as she describes Lake Laogai in detail, right down to the tiny tomb-like cells. "Wow," Ty Lee breathes as Mai winds down. "I can't even imagine what it would be like to be trapped like that."

"It would change my mind, sure enough," Mai mutters. "I'll bet you everything that Zuko was placed in those cells. He wouldn't have gone down without a fight."

"Nope, not Zuko," Ty Lee says. She's quiet for a moment. "Wait. Something that Qian said…"

"Yes?"

"They put people in those cells because they resist. And they resist because of strong beliefs or attachments."

"So?" Mai says. She pokes at her rice and sighs. "I've no appetite for this anymore," she says, not that she'd had much of one to begin with. She pushes her bowl away.

"It'll keep," Ty Lee says, waving her hand dismissively. "Here's a thought. Maybe the solution here is to invoke some sort of emotion in Zuko, you know? Talk about the people that he used to know."

"The people he used to know include me, you, and Azula," Mai says tiredly. "Note that none of us have managed to spark a world-changing revelation thus far." She shudders, remembering the Joo Dee. "And if seeing Azula again didn't manage to do it, I don't think anything will."

"Maybe we just haven't tried hard enough," Ty Lee says. "We need to be more proactive about it, that's all."

"Yes, we could have Azula set his hair on fire again," Mai says sardonically. "Or have the Fire Lord burn the other half of his face off. That should do it."

"It doesn't have to be that extreme," Ty Lee says. "I was actually thinking about something else entirely." She pauses, her fingers fidgeting nervously with the edges of the poster. "I mean…you could…"

Mai raises an eyebrow as Ty Lee peters off into silence. "I could what?" she prompts.

"You could completely sweep him off his feet and kiss him and then his aura will turn gold with love and he'll remember everything!" Ty Lee bursts out in one long breath. Her cheeks flush pink, and Mai stares at her, her mouth slightly open. "What? It could work!"

"Ty Lee, this isn't one of your romance novels!" Mai says, feeling immensely exasperated. "Life doesn't work that way."

"You've never tried," Ty Lee points out. "How do you know? His aura brightens up whenever he sees you, you know. Some part of him recognizes you."

Mai resolutely ignores the little jolt of her heart that Ty Lee's words cause. "I don't believe in auras," she says firmly. "And if he recognizes me, it's because I'm the person who brought Azula down on his head. I'm not going to do something stupid like that for a moron who's terrified of me." She clears her throat. "I don't believe in children's tales."

"Well, technically it isn't exactly a tale for children," Ty Lee says. "The opposite, actually."

Mai rolls her eyes. "I know perfectly well that you started reading those trashy novels when we were ten."

"It's not like I was the only one. Azula keeps 'borrowing' them from me and not giving them back," Ty Lee grumbles. "Even if she won't admit it."

Mai smiles a little, but it quickly fades away. "At any rate," she says, suddenly feeling exhausted, "It doesn't matter. I'm the one who had a crush on him. He never…Zuko didn't reciprocate my feelings. I doubt he even knew."

It's more painful than she thought it would be to admit those words. Ty Lee sighs. "Then we'll just have to keep trying," she says. "Keep talking at him. Maybe the mind control will wear off."

"Maybe," Mai says dully. She reaches out and traces the characters of Zuko's name. The Fire Prince. "At least Azula's confident that we'll find a way, if she's slapped up posters all over town already."

"And in less than a week, too!" Ty Lee says, pointing at the date. "Did you know that we were going back to the Fire Nation in a week? I didn't."

"She's planning something," Mai says with absolute certainty.

"She's always planning something. That's Azula for you; she's so brilliant," Ty Lee says. And that's the thing about Ty Lee, everything sounds sincere because it is sincere. "And we'll fix this too, Mai. We'll talk to him until his ears fall off if we have to. We'll find a way."

The firm faith in Ty Lee's voice is reassuring to hear even if there's no way that her friend can guarantee them. Mai closes her eyes and sighs, drawing strength from that certainty. "Right," she says softly. "We'll fix it." Somehow, she thinks. Even if I have to rip Qian apart and bring down the whole of the Dai Li to do it.

"Mai," Ty Lee says, and Mai opens her eyes and glances at her. "Try talking to him first."

Mai blinks. "Who? Qian? I already did enough of that."

"No," Ty Lee says, rolling her eyes. "Zuko. Make him remember that he's Zuko, not Lee." She pauses. "Call me a silly romantic all you want, but…I really don't think violence isn't the answer here."

Depressingly enough, that just might be true. Mai bites back a sigh and nods grudgingly. "Fine," she mutters. "I'll talk to him."

Right. Talking to Lee the tea boy, the one-dimensional shadow that the Dai Li have warped Zuko into through torture and mindwashing, making him remember who he was by some far-flung miracle, all the while playing Azula's game and trying to forget the screams echoing off the walls…

She has the feeling that this whole endeavor is going to be a whole lot harder than just killing the Dai Li off.