"Keep an eye on the girl. I'm going after the Avatar," Zuko had said before leaving a growling Katara under Mai's watch. Any ally of the Avatar's was obviously a foe of theirs, but Mai just didn't understand the logic in holding this girl hostage. Katara was stubborn, maybe even more so than Zuko if such a thing were possible, no matter what he said or did she wasn't going to tell him what he wanted to hear.
"You're not going to bend your spit to free yourself, are you?" she asked dryly.
"I can't even do the water whip right, what makes you think I'm that gifted?" Katara snapped.
"Okay, sorry I asked. No need to get so touchy about it. Mai rolled her eyes, then sighed. "Look, since you're obviously not gonna give Zuko what he wants, why don't I just let you go?"
Katara raised an eyebrow at her.
"You're kidding, right? And then what, you'll deliver me to the pirates or Zuko himself? No thanks," she grumbled.
"I'm serious," Mai said. "You're not the one we're after, you have nothing to do with Zuko's redemption quest whether or not you're close to the Avatar."
"But you're Zuko's devoted little minion. Won't he get upset if you go behind his back and cut me loose?" Katara asked.
"I'm not his minion, I'm his friend. And I'm here because keeping Zuko out of trouble is a big job and his uncle needs to sleep sometime," Mai said blithely, taking out one of her blades. "Hold still," she instructed as she began to cut Katara's bonds. "And don't tell anyone I helped you, okay? Technically, we are enemies."
"Got it." The ropes fell away, and Katara made a beeline for her camp, muttering a prayer that her brother and the Avatar were still safe.
Mai re-sheathed her blade and slipped it back under her robe. Zuko probably had the Avatar within his grasp by now, so he probably wouldn't even notice the girl was gone.