YEAP... I STILL DON'T OWN AVATAR THE LAST AIRBENDER. bummer :/ Good news though! I'll be coming back to the shorter chapters and filling in more info. All new chapters I post will have update news and fun tidbits. yeap. laters. Please review! pretty please?
I'm hoping this chapter flows a little better. I had a lot more time to work on this one. meep meep.
I'm not sure but i swore i heard someone outside in the hall say 'the duke'. The little voice from the hall sent me off into my thoughts. It seemed to be happening alot lately. My lack of concentration. Too much of zuko rubbed , it could just be my mind saving me from the never ending story ty lee is reiterating. Ty seems unfazed though, but its no surprise. She's never really needed help entertaining herself. In the few seconds I'm spacing out trying to figure out who's in the hall and why ty is suddenly pulling up her sleeve to show me a bruise some dirty blind girl (I'm not being sarcastic, she's really blind and dirty) left on her as a welcome... whatever thats supposed to mean... I realize this is the happiest she's been since she left for the circus. If nothing else, at least joining the avatar will free ty lee again, and possibly save me from her constant yabbering. I love her, but agni what will it take to shut her up?
then i realize i've been so lost in my thoughts that i haven't heard the last five minutes of what she's been saying. Which may or may not be bad, considering I think she mentioned the avatar welcoming our help and something about a flying boy in a wheel chair. Although, she also told me about the rest of them, and they all sound crazy. Like Azula on fire whiskey crazy. (It's a really long and somewhat disturbing story.) great. As if my daydreams don't get weird enough now i'll have to block out the feminine boy savior, the water loving critic, the blind dustball, that meat loving water tribe oaf, the flying cripple, creepy facial hair guy, strange tree boy, and... and the best part fangirl. Or the oshinama warriors i think, the one who's clothes and identity we stole. I bet they really wanna meet me now. Especially since i had to undress her. (Not pleasant.) Though ty seems to be getting along well enough, but thats because she's the social loveable one. Knowing ty she's probably become a life long friend already. Me though? I have no chance. I'm the quiet, sarcastic, emotionless, lethal one. No wonder zuko left me. dear agni! i'm spacing again! I'm worse than ty right now. Hell I'm worse than tom tom right now. The only thing missing is drool and a diaper. oh well, at least i'm not thinking about zuko. yet anyway.
I try to snap back into reality, because i'm sure she's relaying some important informatoin. If i'm going to help us or the group I need to know all I can. I just can't focus though. So much is on my mind between my pounding head, the chill in the air, and the smell of what I can only hope is just built up dust from a hundred years. While my eyes wander I notice a spider up in the corner of the ceiling and shiver. bleh, I hope I remember to clear that thing out before I sleep again. I do not want to have any kind of creature on my body. With that thought, I start to shift and squirm looking around for my clothes. Then I remember that their drying somewhere. I quickly cut ty off while she takes a breath to ask what I can put on.
"Hold on Mai i'm almost done. I haven't even told you the best news!" Ty grins and moves really close to my face, nearly touching my nose. Then whispers, "They really like my acrobatics. Aang even said I could teach him some stuff! Isn't that amazing! Oh yeah, and they said we could stay." My palm meets my forehead after her last statement.
"Ty, wouldn't you say that thats the first thing you should've mentioned? Seeing as how thats the whole reason we came?" I flick her nose and shake my head, making my head a little foggy. I could really use some of general iroh's tea about now. She just smirks and sits up proudly then flicking my nose back and saying" Yeap, But I knew you wouldn't listen till you thought I was don't telling you everything. I figured I'd tell you now though, since I have sooooo much more to tell you." *giggle*
My eyes widen and my body slumps as I realize I have to sit through more. I can't believe ty is still talking. You would think she would stop for air or something. I mean what could really be left to say thats so vital? she's been yapping so long you'd assume i'm getting a history lesson. *sigh* Nothing I say is going to stop her, so I just nod and pretend i'm listening while i lean my head on my hand and look around the room. Its kinda small, dusty (obviously) and cold. But strangely enough its peaceful to me. I kinda like it. simple and uncluttered. so unlike me. The walls are a neutral brown but from their texture they feel like freedom. Maybe it would've been nice to be an airbender. No worries, no fighting, no strict schooling, no titles, no insane royalty or politics. Just peace. *sigh* I might be sighing too much, but it hard not to feel overwhelmed by a longing for a better life.
When i turn my head from ty's still rambling figure, I see my prince standing just outside the crack in the door. He looks horrible. He has bags under his eyes, his clothes are ruffled and dirty, he's twitching a little, and it looks like he's sweating. Not just a little either. A whole lot. It might be because of that wat... er i mean katara, because katara is in the hall yelling or accusing him. Something like that I guess. In the meantime I go to the window that sits just above a crate or what I think may be tea pots. I lean on the railing and breathe in the still emptiness of the temple. I'd say its a shame their all gone but this place still seems to be teeming with life. birds singing loud tunes only they know. small little creatures burrowing and bickering with one another over food.
Tired of feeling like my body is on display, I grab the pile of clothes at the bed and dress while ty lee continues to chat and play with what I think is a piece of string. Since my clothes are drying somewhere apparently, i have what i think may be a set of zuko's clothes. I try to hide my elation at getting to have his clothes on. they smell just like him And besides the few singed parts their pretty comfy. I'm guessing by the smirk on ty's face that she insisted zuko lend me a pair. Sneaky little wiggle worm. I owe her something pretty and pink. A glimpse of white in the corner of my eye directs me back to the window. That weird lemur-bat swoops into the window and screeches at me from the window sill. At first I think its going to bite me but then it just flies over to my shoulder and perches there for a minute. He seems to examine me for a while, then licks my face then runs to snatch the spider from the ceiling. I don't know what to think of the others here yet, but i think i like this thing. Maybe I'll try to get one of my own so I'll never have to get bitten up again.
"Heya momo! aren't you just the most fuzzy cute rabbit-bird in the whole world!" ty lee said pulling the poor creature into an embrace. momo clearly terrified, jumps down my shirt. earning a loud and very girly squeak out of me, and sending ty into a fit of giggles. I give her the most terrifying glare I can to show my extreme displeasure at being turned into a living lemur hut.
"With a roll of my eyes I pry momo off my body and inform her, "I'm pretty sure he's a lemur-bad ty, And isn't that the same voice you used to use when praising azula?" Momo's hair seems to stand on end at the sound of her name. He jumps to ty's shoulder and bats at her braid, and 'brummmb"'ling to himself.
Ty just shrugs her shoulders and says with the most serious tone i've ever heard out of her, "Well you have to talk to all animals that way." We both smirk and I imagine azula dressed as a preforming monkey spewing fire for entertainment. That one i'm gonna have to save for a rainy day to tell someone. I really need to write down these crazy idea's I have.
My tunic is disheveled and hanging partly off my body when zuko barges through the door yelling and looking like he ran a marathon, "Mai! I heard you yell, What's wro...aaaahh! sorry I didn't know you, I didn't, I mean I wasn't looking... well maybe a little, I didn't mean to, it was an accide..."
We interupt before he keeps going or see's more of me than he should, "ZUKO GET OUT!" Me and ty yell as we throw our shoes and momo flies over and suctions to his face.
"Mmummu ofph getf offph" he mummbled as he finally got momo off his face after running into the door. Momo flew back to the safety of ty's shoulder, while zuko cursed and staggered a little out the door again. "sorry" He mumbled from behind the door. I hear him slide down the wall and thunk when he hits the ground. Satisfied that no one else plans to burst in I turn away from her as I fix my tunic and bindings.
As I start tying my belt, ty lee shakes my shoulder, and whispers in my ear, "You know, He's been waiting outside since he heard you were here two days ago. He sleeps and eats outside the door. he's such a cutie. I think he really loves you mai." I blush at her coment and pat momo on the head attempting to regain composure from my embarrassment at both zuko seeing an eye-full, and the mention of zuko and love in the same sentence. I'm hating this mushy side of me. It's really starting to creep me out.
"Tell you what mai, Me an momo will go wander some more, you stay here and talk to him. I know he hurt you, but try to understand. He's just trying to do what's right. So he made a mistake, big deal, you have too. We all make them. Theirs not exactly a book about how to grow up mai." You'd be surprised how insightful ty can be. She and iroh could probably make even ozai calm and understanding... well I might be getting ahead of myself. They'd make a good advising team though.
I want to tell her that he should know everything. How, he really hurt me when he left. He always asked that I be honest and tell him everything, but then he did the exact opposite. He had all those years with his uncle, and yet he didn't seem to retain any of the information he gave him. How he really needs to work on his handwriting. I don't want her thinking that we're just going to hug and kiss and pretend nothing happened. I feel he should know exactly how stupid he was... well, still kind of is.
"Ty, Listen... Just because we're here to help, doesn't mean that we... " I start trying to explain that its not that easy to just forgive and forget. That i'm still holding a bit of a grudge. That giving in to what I really want is not easy for me yet, Not even with zuko. Before I can even open my mouth though, the slumped shoulders of my best friend are enough to make me give in to her suggestion. "*sigh* Ok. I'll try, ty. But only because you asked me." I try to sound bored, but wind up sounding like a child who's just been told they can't go out to play.
"Oh thank you mai! good luck. *wink* I know you'll feel differently once you talk to him." ty said hugging me tight and bouncing out the door.
katara is busy threatening zuko in the hall now. Warning him not to enter until I tell him to, and that if we're up to something she'll whip us off the cliff-side...Nice girl. so I have time to try to look somewhat presentable. Before she barges in and threatens me a little more for good measure. Or before he does again over something stupid, Like to save me from the dust bunny in the corner. After I settle down and sit on the crate by the window, I start to wish ty hadn't left with my only new friend here. I didn't realize how nervous I would be. I feel like throwing up. Not just because I feel terrible, and must look awful, and the only person i've ever loved was about to come see me alone when i'm in a weak and vulnerable state. But because I have no idea what to say, or if he's even going to be happy to see me.
I can tell from his appearance and the way he keeps mumbling to himself outside that I'm not alone in the awkward feeling. So what do you get when you mix a socially awkward prince with a temper, and a cold emotionally unstable sarcastic noble girl with her own anger issues? Can't be too bad right? I mean we were doing pretty well back in the capital right. well besides that time at the beach... and the palace... oh and that party... And that other time at the... hmmm, this is gonna be disaster.
"umm... Zuko?" I barely whispered, but somehow he heard me. Not even a second later he's in the doorway, hands fidgeting between stuffed in his pockets, running through his hair, or clasped behind his back. Well, here it goes...