The search for something to solve the heir issue the next day, Mai meandered up and down the aisles of the library on her day off. It was quiet and peaceful save for a few scholars working in the corner, whispering in annoyed voices. She ignored them in favor of her favorite spot in a corner of the library where there were scrolls about different blades and their uses. She used to read a similar pile of scrolls when she went to the Royal Academy for girls, and even though she had exhausted the topic ten times over, she still liked to get ideas from the ways the blades were manufactured and crafted for certain uses. Blades were thankfully not boring to her, but they were of little use now that the war was over.
While reading, some of the conversation between the scholars drifted over to her. She caught some words and phrases like "secret," "come at night," and "quick and easy," and she discarded that information quickly, not really caring. However, she heard one man whisper in a lower voice: "it's the only way the phoenix can fly. It will be like what they did to bring back Firelord Itoku's uncle; it's the only way."
Mai glanced up and narrowed her eyes at the group of scholars. Firelord Itoku had a short reign, more than 10 Avatars eras ago, and had been killed by his uncle over a stupid respute over new land. The scholars might specialize in that era, but what made Mai nervous was the use of the word "phoenix". There was only one person in recent history who used phoenix as a pseudonym.
Mai got up suddenly and marched to the front desk in the library and cleared her voice. From the corner of her eye, she saw the scholars look up at her, their faces unreadable. The librarian at the desk looked at her with bored eyes. "Yes, Councilwoman Mai," the librarian asked tiredly.
"Where can I find scrolls about Avatar Asa? I have been meaning to learn more about her," she said nonchalantly, knowing full well how closely the group of men were listening.
"We don't have them here," the librarian sighed, sounding more bored and irritated than anything.
"Where can I find them, then?"
"You can't," the librarian replied, his eyes already returning to his book. "You don't have clearance."
Mai's eyebrow twitched. "I should have access to them, I'm a member of the council; I should have access to all previous records of the-"
"Well you don't, so can you leave me alone?" the librarian snarked back. "Go talk to them if you want information, I just work here; I'm not the manager." The librarian gestured to the group of men in the corner, and Mai suppressed a groan. Of course those men were the main scholars of the Royal Palace.
Mai put on a polite smile and turned on her heel and glided over to the group of men. She pressed her lips together as she bowed politely to them. "Hello, gentlemen, I was wondering if you could help me find scrolls about Avatar Asa?"
"What makes you think you have the right to see them?" One of them sneered.
"You don't have clearance," another said.
"Don't come to us; ask your boyfriend," another muttered.
Mai could feel the outline of one of shirukin's in the pocket of her robe. It would feel so satisfying to just sink the blade into one of the men's robes, pinning him to the chair. Instead she settled with sinking the blade into the wood of the table. "You want to repeat that?" Mai said with an innocent smile. That got their attention. All of the men sat up straight in shock, the whites of their eyes showing.
One grimaced at her and sighed as if he was finally admitting to getting his hand stuck in the cookie jar, as if he hadn't gotten caught selling the oven to make the cookies. "We just don't have the time to fetch something so useless for you, sorry."
Mai glared at the group of them for several minutes before stepping back and bowing. "I will keep that in mind; thank you," she said in a sickly, sweet voice. "I'll just get it myself," she grumbled to herself as she left the library.
She grumbled all the way to the lower levels of the palace and past a sleepy guard into the vault of old scrolls. Mai wasn't bothered as she found the scrolls she wanted and a few more, but her mouth was still twisted in a knot. It was just like when she was helping Azula; no one took her seriously and she ended up having to do everything on her own. She didn't really mind because she got what she needed anyway, but it was frustrating how practically no one saw her as more than a throw away side character. She wanted clearance, Agni-dammit; it shouldn't be that hard.
With information in hand, Mai marched out of the palace to find somewhere where she could enjoy her afternoon without people annoying her. She marched right past her home and on to the shops and restaurants of downtown Caldera. Stopping at a food vendor, Mai paid for a small snack of seaweed rolled rice cakes spiced with a delicious, greasy sauce before she settled down in the city park where children and families were playing and enjoying the day. The park was a small one, but it was one the town clearly had enjoyed and cherished for years, even during the war. Mai found it peaceful and settling, and the fresh air wasn't bad either.
When she was younger, all she wanted to do was run around outside or visit the palace, doing this or that. Half of her childhood was spent inside learning the proper forms of a lady, while the other half was spent being trained to be a sharpened weapon with Azula and Ty Lee. There was hardly any time to sit and watch the days pass in happiness. Instead the days had passed in boredom, an ache in her bones telling her something was coming.
Mai had been raised to wait for things to happen to her. Like most children of war times, there is always the feeling that something is coming; something you can never prepare for so you prepare for everything. Mai, and those around her, had been so wrapped up in surviving that living was a foreign concept. Last summer spent out traveling the world in a chase after the Avatar and Zuko had been the danger Mai had been preparing for her entire life, but Mai couldn't help but wish for the days she spent taking care of Ursa and Ikem's small family farm. It was a simple life where something bigger was always on the horizon, but for a moment everything felt frozen in time and all she had to worry about was taking care of the animals, plants, and children. Being in the park reminded Mai of that week where everything stood still.
Stretched out on the ground, Mai perused through the scrolls she had "taken," trying to figure out what those men in the library had been talking about. Avatar Asa was a female Fire Nation Avatar more than 1,000 years ago, and she was known for keeping peace amongst rising tensions in the four nations. She had married Fire Lord Itoku after mastering all four elements. However, she had a tragic end when Itoku's older Uncle led a siege and killed off both her and her husband before Asa could master the Avatar state. The only connection Mai could find was how Avatar Asa and Firelord Itoku had taken the throne after a fierce Agni Kai where Itoku had killed his father. The throne was supposed to go to his uncle, but Itoku stole the throne because of his prowess in firebending that had killed his father. It was reminiscent of how Zuko took the throne, but Mai still couldn't understand why the scholars this morning had so blatantly whispered their plans about the "phoenix" rising and taking over like Itoku's uncle. Everyone and their brother knew that Ozai had given himself the name of the phoenix. Did they really think they could use that as a code name?
Mai sighed and looked out in thought, her gaze resting on a family, but her mind was elsewhere. Ozai supporters had made it clear that they would stop at nothing to do away with Zuko and return Ozai or Azula to the throne. No one had gotten close to assassinating Zuko yet, given that he was surrounded by skilled guards at all times, and was a skilled firebender in his own right, but there had been some close calls. One had snuck upon Zuko during the night with a knife right before the sun had risen. Zuko had already been awake and had easily disarmed the assassin. A few others had tried to creep up on him during the day, but with the amount of meetings he attended throughout the day had made it nearly impossible. If they had a plan, it clearly wasn't working.
Itoku and Avatar Asa had one child, but their son was only three years old when they died. Itoku's uncle, his name scratched out on the document, had gotten rid of the child quickly, instating his own adopted son as his heir. There was not much written about the adopted son in the document given that the child had not lived past the age of fifteen. Itoku's uncle did not live much longer, but he lived long enough to bring 'greatness' to the Fire Nation by instating ridiculous laws. All of which were reversed at his death. All that fuss for a revolution for nothing. The throne ended up in the hands of an estranged brother and his husband. The brother declared his husband as his heir, reinstating the peace Avatar Asa had wished for many years before.
Sooo, no help in figuring out Zuko's heir problem. Mai curled the scroll back up and sighed. If only she had access to more of the documents. It would be easy to just sneak in at night to get what she wanted, but it was exhausting. It would be so much easier if she just had clearance.
Mai packed up, her mood sour. The walk home helped a little, the sun starting its decent into the horizon making it a little cooler. However, what met Mai at home was not what she was expecting. Furniture was strewn everywhere, chairs upturned outside and dressers opened and thrown across their small yard in front of the ancestorial home. Gripping her bag tightly, Mai rushed into the house to find the inside just as messy. There were older men walking through the rooms with bags of her family's stuff in their arms.
"What are you doing with our stuff," she demanded, blocking the way to the front door, glaring at them.
The men sighed tiredly. "Mistress Michi directed us to take the stuff to leave, Miss."
"Mai stop being dramatic," her mother called from the top of the stairs. She had Tom-Tom on her waist and she sidled down the stairs looking much older than she looked that very morning. "Let the men through."
"What's going on?" Mai stomped over to her mother.
"We are moving."
Mai blinked. "What?"
Michi rearranged Tom-Tom. Mai's little brother gargled and smiled innocently at Mai. "You're father has run, and I am making the best of the situation."
"By selling all of our stuff?" Mai cast her arm around the room. "This is our home! It's been in our family for generations."
"We are going to go live with my sister for the time being."
"Why can't we stay here? I don't understand."
Michi rolled her eyes. "Use your brain, Mai. We do not have the wealth to stay here nor the social standing to be welcome anymore."
Mai's brain felt foggy as she tried to comprehend what her mother was saying. "What about Zu-"
"Your relation with the Firelord cannot save us right now. You would have to be married, to which you're not," her mother interrupted. "Go upstairs and pack up your room. We will leave as soon as you are packed."
Mai's face froze into stone, her eyes boring into her mothers, challenging her. "No."
Michi stepped around Mai with a dainty sigh. "I don't have time for your obstinance. Let's go."
"I said no," Mai repeated, refusing to turn towards her mother. Her fist curled around her messenger bag in fury. "I'm not going with you."
Her mother raised an eyebrow. Mai couldn't see it, but she knew it was there. "Oh, then what are you going to do?"
"I'm staying," Mai stated resolutely.
Michi laughed. "Here? Alone, don't be ridiculous."
"Not here, you can sell this house for all I care." Mai waved her hand carelessly. "I have a job now, I can't just leave it. I can find a place of my own."
Mai's mother temper was growing shorter now, Mai could tell by the shortness of her breath. Michi dug her fingernails into Mai's wrist, leveling Mai with a withering look. "There is no hope for us here."
"There is for me," Mai replied shortly, pulling her grip easily from her mothers, the fingernails grazing the soft side of her wrist. "Just not for you. Leave without me. I don't care." Before her mother could reply, Mai walked away, refusing to turn around. She slammed the door to her room closed, sinking back against it for a moment. Her hands shook, but she ignored it.
Her room had already been gone through, some of her favorite items already pillaged. She focused on what she could grab, throwing clothes, scrolls, her knives, bedding, and the only portraits of Zuko and her family she had. She was tempted to leave the one of her family behind, but knew she would want to at least want a picture of Tom-Tom. With her items packed, she left, disregarding her mother's seething look. She didn't know where she was going to go, but she didn't care. She was too angry to think properly, she just wanted to get out of there before she ripped her mother's head off…metaphorically.
It was getting late, and Mai remembered she had agreed to have dinner with Zuko that night. She groaned into the humid air, her shoulders slumping. She would not ask Zuko for help, she was too proud. Nothing was wrong, she was just without a place to sleep for the night. She could deal with that.
"Young Mai, I did not expect to find you out here. Aren't you usually home by this hour?"
Mai turned and greeted Councilwoman Sheiyi, her close friend within Zuko's council, bowing down respectfully. "Good evening Councilwoman Sheiyi; I could ask the same of you," she said with a mask of perfection on her face. She could play the part. She was fine; there was nothing wrong.
The old woman looked at her with a knowing look, eyeing the spilling bag of stuff on her shoulder. "Come, follow me. I believe I should be able to help you."
"Oh I'm fine, ma'am, I'm just on my way to dinner with Firelord Zuko."
The old woman let out a laugh. "I'm glad you are, but I don't think you want to go with that bag of yours, you're going to start leaving things behind on the road if you're not careful. I have an empty room at home that you can set things down in for the night before heading on your way."
"How do you do that," Mai wondered aloud, her mask falling.
Sheiyi tapped the side of her nose. "I'm not known for a nosy Nancy for nothing," she said with a sly grin, but Mai knew she had nothing to worry about. Sheiyi was a member of the White Lotus and was the one who had practically inducted her accidentally (or purposefully, Mai still didn't really know if she was technically a member at this point).
"Stay as long as you need," she said, offering her empty room to Mai. "I really don't mind."
Mai clasped her hands in front of her and bowed her head. "Thank you."
"No need to bow to me. Hurry up and get to your dinner," Sheiyi said with a laugh.