A. N. : Another short one today, but I really wanted to write more of Mai and Ty Lee alone. Love them.
They've been here for some time.
Mai doesn't really mind, not much. Ty Lee's hand is warm in hers, and the lukewarm sea helps with her painful feet. She also wouldn't mind sitting, though.
She tries not to think about the pirate watching over Azula – still watching over her, even though Mai broke all the rules of hospitality, in such a way that she probably looked like the savage, and he like the civilized one – or about how she almost hurt him over something he couldn't do, couldn't help, like… Like Azula sometimes would, often over Mai's crush on Zuko.
Ty Lee used to laugh at the more harmless jokes, at the apple and the fountain, at what were mostly mean children games – before Princess Ursa disappeared, before Zuko was banished, before Ty Lee left for the circus.
When Azula was being truly cruel, though, Ty Lee didn't laugh – she'd bite her bottom lip with big, teary eyes, the way she did when the pirate begged, and Mai –
Mai doesn't want to think about that.
So instead she asks – what's the deal with Qin ? – and watches as Ty Lee's relaxed expression morphs into a frown.
She opens her mouth. Closes it. Tries again one, two times. Drags her hands across her face – she lets go of Mai's hold for that, the sudden absence of contact almost disorienting – and groans.
It would be funny if this wasn't about the man Ty Lee threatened to kill.
In the end, she asks Mai if she remembers what happened when Qin arrived after they left the Caldera. The answer is yes, of course – Azula was being awful and Mai nearly drew a blade on her, before realizing it wasn't worth it, and she was being unreasonable. Then Ty Lee noticed Qin and told him to leave.
At this though, Ty Lee shakes her head, eyes low. Weird.
It's not – she breathes – it's not that Mai suddenly just realized she needed to calm down, it's that Qin made her.
Mai blinks. This… doesn't make sense.
But then again, few things do with Ty Lee, and that hasn't stopped her from being right a lot of the time. So Mai doesn't question Ty Lee's Ty Lee-ness – yet – and instead waits for the explanation.
It better be more than just auras.
Ty Lee raises her hands, gestures as fast as she speaks, with an uncharacteristic lack of coordination – he did something, she says, with his rocks, kind of – she hits the tips of her fingers together, mimics some sort of explosion ? – making sparks, or lights, with them, and both Mai and Azula just got calm and –
She's been seeing green in their auras, too, for a while – Mai tries not to roll her eyes – the same green as Qin's, and when she tried to get info from Han she is pretty sure he tried to make her give up by doing something with the tea.
Wait, who's Han ?
Mai doesn't have the time to ask, though, because Ty Lee goes on – they can, she thinks they can, well, she's pretty sure but –
To the point, Ty Lee.
She looks at her hands. They're shaking a bit, Mai notices, and that's just another unusual thing for Ty Lee.
They can bend people's minds, she thinks. Not like Azula, but without anyone even noticing. Not like people, but like benders.
Qin did something to Mai and Azula's minds.
Ty Lee – Ty Lee is sure of it.
It's… difficult for Mai to really grasp the meaning of Ty Lee's words, honestly.
Really, none of it makes much sense. How would they – and who is even they ? Qin and this Han guy ? The whole Dai Li ? – even go about doing whatever it is Ty Lee is trying to describe ?
But Ty Lee is scared, and threatened to kill Qin over this, and no matter how much this all sounds like nonsense, Mai refuses to let her face it alone. They're a team. Even without Azula to give orders.
The sound of footsteps behind them prevents her from saying just that.
It's fine. Mai still doesn't understand, and her questions can't be answered by Ty Lee. That just means she'll have to get intel directly from the source of their troubles.
She and Ty Lee turn to face Qin in unison.