A. N. : There were a few comments calling for Ty Lee to just beat up Qin (which, you know, fair) and I had a lot of fun reading these to be honest. Picturing Ty Lee resenting One Person In Specific is hilarious to me for some reason. Anyway, time to see how this whole thing is panning out !
Ty Lee is livid.
A part of her is terrified, of course – Mai and Azula at each other's throat, Mai and Azula calming down almost instantly as Qin and his rocks appear – and another part of her is so sad and betrayed that she could cry – Qin helping her come up with ideas to lighten up everyone's mood after Zuko's betrayal in Ba Sing Se, the green in Mai and Azula's auras taking over for an instant to force them into a different state of mind – but mostly she is just furious.
How dare he ? How dare he play at being friends, how dare he pretend to care !?
How dare he tell her he doesn't mean any harm when the green of his aura is all over her friends, robbing them of their very own feelings, of what makes them them – how is that not harm ?
And why – why is he here ? Ty Lee thought – she was so sure that leaving the palace would put them out of his reach, so sure that the Dai Li would stay and serve the Fire Lord now that serving Azula can bring them nothing anymore, so why –
What would he have to gain from following them ?
Ty Lee thinks about asking him directly, but quickly changes her mind. Han taught her that words sometimes hold too much power. She is not letting Qin use whatever abilities he has to sway her.
Leave, she says, putting all the authority she can into the words. She isn't used to acting like a real Lee, but she's seen Mom and Auntie Mei Lin do it enough times that she can do a decent impression.
It's like playing at being Azula, in a way. Head high and back straight and the posture of an eagle-snake about to strike. Fists at the ready, eyes never leaving Qin. Voice coming from the stomach, powered with the sea of chi and a stable breath.
Leave, she orders Qin, in the same way Azula would if she was still herself – if the Fire Lord's decree hadn't broken her, if she hadn't been forcefully overtaken by green – consequences left implied, yet just as real as a spider-tiger hiding in wait of a prey.
Qin looks at her, his arms still raised in the pretence of surrender. Looks at Mai and Azula, still oddly calm – and it makes Ty Lee want to scream – through their confusion – Mai's confusion, really, as Azula seems to have gone back to hiding into herself, just like before her outburst.
He closes his eyes, finally, lowers his head. Apologizes for upsetting Ty Lee – and does he not realize that the issue never was about her own feelings, but his actions – before repeating that he only wishes to help – I came to the Fire Nation to serve Princess Azula, and that remains my only goal –
Ty Lee takes a step forward. Qin sighs.
As you wish, he says. Ty Lee expects another betrayal here, expects him to take advantage of a fake surrender to strike her, to get rid of the only obstacle standing between him and whatever his objective is – and wouldn't she like to see him try. Instead, he bows, and takes his leave, like a dismissed servant.
Ty Lee watches him walk up the path to the Caldera, relieved, and yet…
Why did he give up so easily ? Is it a trick ? But his aura only dulled a little in disappointment or maybe sadness when he left, without any indication of treachery. Then – was he – honest ? But no, his actions, his manipulation of Mai and Azula, those are still so, so wrong.
It feels a little like the rope under Ty Lee's feet just disappeared, leaving her to try and find her balance mid-air.
She turns to Mai. Opens her mouth to offer some sort of explanation – huh, wait, if Qin can manipulate her somehow, why did he not make her take his side ? Or maybe he needs rocks, or time to do that, and Ty Lee threat prevented him from –
What escapes her lips instead is a scream.
Azula !
Azula collapses like the Walls of Ba Sing Se did, sudden and unstoppable, and Ty Lee only barely manages to slip an arm under Azula before her skull hits the ground – and then almost immediately takes it back, only barely managing to stay in place. Azula is burning.
Qin's appearance distracted her, but Ty Lee had noticed odd fluctuations in Azula's aura when they passed the Mouth of the Dragon, the sickly purple now oscillating wildly between red and blue in a way Ty Lee can't make sense of.
If – if she could maybe understand – if she could grab Auntie Mei Lin's scrolls from her bag – and what was she thinking, putting them at the bottom in the hopes of keeping Mai and especially Azula from seeing them –
She's breathing weird – Mai's voice is grounding, but her words only serve to make Ty Lee run a hand through her short – short ! – hair in near panic.
They need a healer. They need a healer, meaning they need a village, but Azula isn't in a state where she can walk, and if they have to carry her on top of the bags, Ty Lee doesn't know if they can –
If they can make it before –
And maybe there's no real risk, but Ty Lee doesn't know, not for sure, and Azula collapsed and –
Mai's hand on her shoulder nearly makes her jump. She uses her chin to point to Ty Lee's left, up on the path, a few meters from where they are –
Qin is back. Arms raised, hands in evidence, looking as non-threatening as he possibly can, and Ty Lee knows, she knows what he's about to say and she has to bite the inside of her lip to avoid screaming.
He can carry Azula – if you'll allow me, he adds like Ty Lee has a choice.
She nods, teeth firmly lodged into her lip when all she wants is to bare them threateningly.
As Qin passes Azula's arms around his shoulders though, she adds, voice trembling from either fury or fear or maybe both –
If she sees him do anything suspect, she will kill him.
The words taste like blood, somehow.
Or maybe she just bit too hard.