"No!" Ty Lee gasped.
Mai flashed her a look, keeping her face as straight as possible. Hopefully, that would shut her up.
"But, you're unmarried! You must be pulling my leg,"
"You're right," Mai had started walking towards the ball chamber. "I am."
"What?" Ty Lee ran after her, highly confused.
Opening the door, Mai looked over her shoulder to see Ty Lee right behind her, a pressing look on her face.
"Mai! Are you pregnant?" Ty Lee asked, storming into the room.
"What's this about my brother impregnating my friend?" Azula strode forward, a smirk gracing her lips. Behind her in a corner, Zuko lay sprawled on the ground, a mound of tin pots on top of him.
"Mai won't tell me whether she's pregnant or not." Ty Lee heaved, looking disgruntled.
"I should assume that it's my brother's child?" Azula asked.
"No, you shouldn't assume that it's Zuko's child- there is no child." Mai crossed her arms, feeling her stilettos push against her wrists once more. Her face turned a light shade of pink as foolishness swept through her body. Leave it to Ty Lee to blurt things out.
"Well of course there isn't a child. I doubt you and Zuko would do such a scandalous thing." Azula said off-handedly.
"Scandalous?" Mai asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You're too … conservative. The most you've done is leaving your parents to live in the palace." The princess explained.
"I left my parents when I was fifteen, in order to help you trail the Avatar and your brother and uncle." Mai replied, seething. "Besides, who are you one to talk Princess Azula?"
"Oh! Can I tell her now?" Ty Lee asked eagerly.
"I suppose, now that the topic has risen." Azula answered.
There was a loud crash interrupting the acrobat, presumably Zuko managing to rid himself of the tin pots. He, however, walked over to the three young women, his left pant leg ripped and his hair going in all different directions.
"Ah, you've just missed the torturing." Zuko said sarcastically, glaring at his sister who merely laughed at him.
"Zuko, is Mai pregnant?" Ty Lee asked abruptly.
"I should hope not!" He said, looking both highly shocked and confused. "Why do you ask, anyway?"
"Well, because Mai said-"
"You know, I'm starving." Mai announced, grabbing Zuko's arm and rushing out of the room.
She quickly walked past Ty Lee and Azula, the hem of her robe swishing in the air.
"She's been like that for the past week." Zuko sighed.
"Like what?" Ty Lee asked, cocking her head a little.
"Abrupt. And hungry. And tired, and angry, and depressed, and sick . . ." The prince droned on, but came to a halt when Ty Lee and Azula burst out in laughter. Ty Lee clasped her hands over mouth to try and stop her giggles, and ran out the door, fallowing in Mai's tracks.
"What was that?" Zuko asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Go and clean up those pots!" Azula snapped hastily, though still chuckling at the whole ordeal.
The prince stalked back over to the pile of tin pots, mumbling incoherently to himself.
"Mai!" Ty Lee called, rushing to catch up to her. The acrobat found her in the kitchen, lazily leaning against small wooden table with a half eaten apple in her hand. "Since when do you like apples?"
"What do you want?" Mai asked, taking a bite from the apple.
"Are you sick?"
"Has Zuko been telling you things?"
"Why does it matter if Zuko has told me something?"
"How come you keep answering me with another question?" Mai asked hotly, hiding the apple core in the sleeves of her robe.
"You are pregnant!" Ty Lee said.
"No, I am not." Mai replied calmly.
"Yes, you are!"
"I think I would know if I was, Ty Lee." Mai replied, looking in the other direction.
"When was the last time you had sex?" The contortionist asked, not even caring about the content of her question.
"Do you honestly think that I would answer that absurd question?"
"Well, you obviously can't be a virgin anymore- since you're living with Zuko. I just thought you would at least tell me. Your friend. The one who wouldn't mock you." Ty Lee said, emphasizing her words.
"I really do not want to continue with this conversation." Mai said curtly. "Besides, you still would mock me."
"If you won't answer that question," Ty Lee pressed on, ignoring her comment,"then when was your last menstruation?"
Mai didn't even look at her, but instead threw the core of her apple, hitting Ty Lee straight in the abdomen.
"Ow! What was that for?"
Still not moving her head, Mai swiftly pulled a stiletto out from its hold, gripping it tightly. The tip shined in the sunlight that leaked through the windows, eager to be thrown and pierce its next target.
"Fine, if you won't tell me, then I suppose I'll just have to tell your mother that you're pregnant!" Ty Lee huffed, turning on her heel and leaving.
The smirk on Mai's face left faster then her daggers ripping through the air. Regret swept through her mind- she shouldn't have said anything to Ty Lee. The prospect of her mother finding out that she was pregnant- though the acrobat didn't know for a fact- was the worst possible thing that could happen to Mai.
Fallowing in her footsteps, Mai ran after Ty Lee, hoping with all her might that she hadn't reached her parents' house yet. The contortionist, however, was merely standing by the palace gates, a grin wide on her face.
"What?" She asked, angered.
"So, any ideas for a name?"
"I am not pregnant!" Mai yelled, causing a nearby bird to fly off.
Ty Lee burst out in a fit of giggles, attempting to stifle them by covering her mouth with her hands.
"Mai,"
Mai turned her head at the call of her name, only to frown in dismay.
"Yes, mother?"
"Oh, Mai, it's so good to see you!" Her mother said, running through the palace gates to hug her daughter- pushing the guard aside in doing so. "And you too, Ty Lee!"
Ty Lee, who was still recovering from her fit of laughter only nodded her head and smiled.
"Now, what is this about you bearing a child? I assume that it's Prince Zuko's, yes?"