chapter three

x

Ty Lee woke and decided how she wanted to spend her morning.

She wanted to have breakfast with Azula. It might not go well, but Ty Lee was not expecting any instant progress. Ty Lee was still scared of Azula's state of mind. She honestly hoped that Azula was just playing everyone by feigning catatonia. That would be familiar; that would be the Azula Ty Lee remembered.

Ty Lee organized it with the servants. She went into Azula's room and watched two very muscly guys move a table for them.

"I know you're not asleep. We had enough sleepovers for me to know that," Ty Lee said. "You don't have to get up with me. But I know you're awake."

Azula did turn over to face Ty Lee. She might have looked irritated, or Ty Lee could me imagining that.

Ty Lee said, "Do you remember our first and only date? You refused to admit it was a date, but it ended a lot like one. We ended up having breakfast together. I looked for the same stuff. Am I crazy to remember all of that? I remember all of that. I remember what you were wearing down to the last detail. It was right after Ba Sing Se fell, and you said you might have time for me."

Azula ignored her.

Ty Lee said, "I've been in love with you since before I can remember. You reciprocated just enough to keep me wanting you, but not enough for me to have you. That's not the crazy thing. The crazy thing is that I didn't care. I loved playing your games."

Azula did not respond.

Ty Lee said, "Do you want any of this? I can't eat if you don't. I really can't. Maybe it's just an old habit."

Azula sat up and Ty Lee felt exalted. Maybe Azula really did just need the right person.

The princess did not stand or speak. Ty Lee took a cup of tea in her shaking hands and brought it to her old flame. Azula did not take it into her own hands and Ty Lee felt awkward and uncomfortable.

Ty Lee said, "I love you."

Azula took the piping hot tea and examined it.

She poured it out onto Ty Lee's lap and walked to her window-seat, not showing a single emotion as the acrobat screamed.

x

Mai did not sleep last night. She felt overwhelmed by the situation with Ozai.

Therefore, as soon as she pulled herself together, she grabbed her book of questions and went to the prison. She sped through the weapons search and walked to his cell.

"Oh," he said. "I see you've decided to join me for breakfast."

"I'm not in the mood for a breakfast date," said Mai. "I'm in the mood to talk."

Ozai looked up at her, smirking. He had Azula's smirk and it made Mai want to throttle him and smash his head against the bars. It was so satisfied. Mai should convince Zuko to relegalize torture of prisoners.

"I'll talk if you eat," he said and she debated whether she valued pride or information more. She chose the latter and sat down across from him. Of what he offered, she chose tea and an orange she did not intend on eating.

"Let's discuss the attack on the pier," Mai stated after taking a sip and searing her tongue. She showed no pain, as usual.

"It's a shame you didn't stop it," said Ozai. He sounded smug and Mai hated it. "Why didn't you? Or did no one believe you?"

"I wanted to see if I could trust you or not. I didn't say a word about it to anyone," Mai dryly explained. He looked amused.

"You're very unaffected by letting all of those people die for your own ends," he remarked, apparently not seeing any irony in that statement. "You would have been a fantastic officer. Shame you quit the military."

"Shame you dissolved it. Now I know that your intel is at least slightly valid. It was a necessary sacrifice," Mai explained.

"I wouldn't call it necessary," remarked Ozai.

"You'd do it too," she said.

"Yes, yes I would, but that doesn't negate my point."

Mai grabbed her orange and reached around for a knife. She realized that she had to disarm earlier and opted for her nails. The ring stung beneath them, but she ignored the feeling.

"You must want something in return for whatever else you tell me," she said, cutting to the chase. She did not have the patience to deal with royalty today.

"There are a lot of things I want," said Ozai. "There are a lot of things you want. Society is built around desire."

Mai was unimpressed. "So tell me what you desire."

He laughed. "You would not be a fantastic negotiator."

"I'm getting this out of the way," she explained, locking eyes with him merely to show how unafraid she was. "You have nothing to lose and are the second most selfish person I have ever met. You'll make demands. Make them now while I still have the patience for them."

"I have two." He set down his cup. "The first is immediate. I want you to give me an answer for every answer I give you. The second is for later on. If my… cooperation leads to anything significant, I demand a prison upgrade."

Mai scoffed and leaned forward. "You're in literally the nicest one we have. Unless you'd like me to ask the Earth Kingdom. Or the North Pole. Do you like snow?"

"I want an island."

Mai did not have to think before replying, "No."

He picked back up his teacup and got that Azula-esque look in his eyes again. "Well, then I suppose your little project is finished then."

Mai rolled her eyes. "I'll agree to that if I decide the definition of significant."

"Oh, that level of significant will go right over your head," he said, speaking to her as he would to a four-year-old. "I'm planning on holding certain vital details hostage until Zuko bends to my will, which should take about five minutes."

"You almost made me laugh with that comment," Mai replied. She let the orange fall to the floor; it tasted awful. "Fine."

"Well, if you're done with breakfast, I think we're done here," he said.

Mai stood. "I'm coming back later."

"I'll be here."

Again, a true monster almost made her laugh.

x

That day, Mai had Ty Lee over for lunch. Mai had experienced midday at the palace more than once, and it was boring. She also was morbidly curious about Azula.

"How's it going?" asked Mai as Ty Lee cooked for her.

"I'm good," Ty Lee said with a killer smile. "My progress with Azula is, uh, minimal."

"Minimal. Big word for you," Mai replied, but regretted it when she saw Ty Lee's expression. That was not a good. She was not laughing, which meant Azula had somehow gotten into her head again. Mai considered tying Ty Lee up until she could talk sense into her, but she just let her best friend serve soup.

"I poured my heart out, and she poured hot tea on me." Ty Lee tried to dress it up, but failed. She just could not make it sound pretty.

"People without hearts can't do heart to hearts. Did you expect that go any differently?" Mai asked, spinning her spoon in her fingers.

"No. I just had hoped when she finally interacted with me it would be kinder than scalding me," Ty Lee said, sitting down and deeply sighing.

She looked defeated after under two days of trying to help Azula. At least it was more than Mai's ten minutes.

x

That night, Ty Lee had dinner alone.

x

That night, Mai had dinner alone.