Back at the palace, Mai was heartbroken, Azula was plotting, and Ty Lee was confused.
"He broke up with me," the first girl seethed, showing more emotion than the others had thought possible. Her fingers crumpled the paper in her too-firm grip, her eyes looking unusually moist. Her pale gray aura had shifted to a bluer, stormier tone. "He broke up with me through a letter."
"It... says he's sorry," Ty Lee said uncertainly, trying to console her friend as well as herself. Zuko had been like an older brother to her – she had believed he was a good person (well, her definition of good), but dumping someone through a letter seemed to contradict that. Her aura (which actually was pink) had darkened until it was a gloomy, purple-ish shade.
"Don't be a fool, Ty Lee," Azula said, a smirk at her lips despite what should've been a solemn occasion. Her aura was a dark, blood-red (at one point in her life it had been similar to Katara's usual shade). "We all know what this means."
"... We do?"
"Yes. My brother is a traitor, and it's up to us to track him down and ensure he gets the punishment he deserves."
The group was silent. Yue, watching the scene from her place in the sky, felt a frown take shape on her ghostly features.
Turning to her friend with mock sympathy, Azula said, "Mai, I realize this must be hard on you, and it's perfectly understandable if you don't-"
"I'm coming," she cut in, emotionless mask allowing a look of determination to slip through. Some of the gray had lifted. "I want answers."
Author's Notes: I'm both pleased and nervous about this chapter. Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai are the three characters I find the most difficult to write, since I worry about making them seem too flat or too OOC. I'm thinking I did okay with this, though.
Disclaimer: I do not own 'Avatar' or any of its characters.