milliways_bar | (no subject)

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Mai was not amused. This was a general truth, really, but today it was especially true. Not that you could tell by looking at her. She was smiling, after all. Couldn't stop, in fact. Which only made her bad mood worse.

How did Ty Lee manage to do this all the time? Didn't her cheeks hurt? And did she really have these random urges to do cartwheels just because?

It... would explain a lot.

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OH GOD TY LEE WAS HERE.

Zuko has a moment of panic. Would she try and hug him and stuff? And tell himn how wonderful his sister was?

Cursing his lack of costuming and lucky's arbitrary choices, he ducks his and tries to remain inconspicuous as he packs his bags. Which would have been successful if he hadn't dropped that roll of cloth (uncle's tea shop needs drapes) from the bundle he was binding together and watched it unfurl, green and gold as it rolled...

To the girl's feet.

The spirits hate him.

She didn't try to hug him. Oh no. She was far, far too busy just staring.

A lot.

Zuko was here?

...Yes. All scar-faced and sour looking.

"What?" he say as he grabs the near completely unrolled bolt of cloth. He gets it rolling back (not thinking not to bend over infront of Ty Lee, because it's Ty Lee, who unlike Mai, has no interest and therefore, will not check out his butt). "This place grabs everybody. Even -- what are you now, anyway? That's weird get up, Ty Lee -- did you join the circus or something?"

He's so cute when he's completely dense about everything isn't he?

Mai doesn't check out Zuko's butt. Okay, maybe she does a little bit (cause, hey, it's a pretty nice butt), but she's distracted.

For a split-second she considers pretending she's Ty Lee. That would save them both an awful lot of embarrassment here. But her voice isn't the same, and it's sort of hard to mistake that.

"I'm not Ty Lee," she eventually manages.

Zuko nearly drops the bolt. It's sort of -- hard to deal with, your childhood crush in the same space as your ex-girlfriend. Even the same space/time continuum.

Milliways, he's come to realize, means as much loss at home. Just in different ways.

"Uh--"

He's not very articulate when he's nervous. He just looks at her a moment and blinks his pale gold eyes.

Give him a minute, he's still trying to find what to say.

He's not excited to see her here. Well... that's certainly not encouraging. Still, it's got to be a shock. She'll give him a minute, maybe he'll think of something to say.

"... pink isn't very you," he manages.

WELL IT'S SOMETHING. Better then 'Ayiee, ayiee!' and fleeing for the hills, right?

Better than that, yes. Still a bad choice. Mai manages to make Ty Lee's face frown, which looks... very wrong. "Does Azula know you're here?"

Which, of course, isn't a question that's going to endear her to him. But she's a bit upset that he's not happy to see her. Well, that and that he's seeing her in Ty Lee's body.

Zuko's brows furrow. "Of course she does. Does she know you're here?"

If she did-- and didn't tell him-- he's going ot belt her. Or at least, really want to.

"Of course she does." Ty Lee's face really wasn't made to frown like that. It's odd, really, but it's a lot harder to control her expressions. Less muscle memory perhaps.

Ooooh, Azula. If she weren't likely to kill Mai for trying, Mai would kill her for this.

Now she has to deal with pouty -- wlel, pouty people in general. Mai rarely does anything else, after all, and Zuko is not exactly Mr. Chipper.

He doesn't look pleased. In fact, he looks plenty irritated. Sigh.

He has no idea what to say now.

"So." Mai trails off, then tries again. "It's been a while."

...three years is a while. Five, sort of, for him. But those were like -- dream years, spent with Wells in his world. TWo awesome years where he had something like purpose.

"Yes," he says lamely. "And neither of us--"

Look like they're supposed to? Know what to say? Can ever be together? What?

"Yeah." Her voice is soft, which it hasn't been in a long time.

"You look..." Well, he knows how he looks: pretty rough.

Zuko's flinch is obvious, but his face turns hard shortly after. "I know how I look," he replies, all defensiveness and edges.

And she looks like Ty Lee.

"I know you know," she snaps back angrily.

He still looks like Zuko. She wasn't ready for this.

Neither was he, if it makes her feel better.

"I need to finish packing," he finally says, and turns to take the boltof cloth back to the table.

Of course it does. Not.

"Oh, of course." Her voice is cold, "It's been years since we saw one another, but I don't want to distract you from your important packing work."

"And it may be years before you see me again," Zuko points out. "Or you might help my sister take my future away from me along with the Avatar."

Et tu, Brutus?

"Is that why you're acting like this?" her voice drops a few degrees. It only seemed cold before.

"I'm not acting like anything," Zuko points out. "I just have to -- go back."

Well, it could be that she picked his sister over him, but he is getting rather used to that.

"Of course you do," Ty Lee's voice doesn't sound quite right rising angrily like this.

It's not like he ever gave her a choice in the matter.

"Wait-- why are you agreeing with me?"

He's missed the sarcasm there, possibly.

"What? You want me to disagree with you? Are you looking for a fight?" She turns her head away as an expression flits across her face, "Is that all you want me for?"

Zuko bites back something mean -- something he rarely does with anyone -- and then says, "That isn't it at all."

He could follow that up with I don't want you at all, but-- honestly, he doesn't have the heart for it. Or maybe he has too much heart to say it.

"You really need to get back to yourself," he finally says. "It's hard to argue with Ty Lee."

"Then what is it?" she asks, voice suddenly devoid of emotion.

"I know," she answers. Then adds, slightly more warmly, "You should try being her sometime."

"I can stand on my hands already. And without being top heavy," Zuko says snippily.

...that was not a pointed crack about Ty Lee's generous bustline. Not at all.

No, really!

...he's not thirteen anymore, okay?!

And, what? Mai is flat-chested? Is that what Zuko's insinuating?

"Well," her voice is cold again, "Don't let me keep you from your... packing."

No, uhm. That's not what he meant! He has misstepped somewhere! He is confused as only boys who were saying 'I don't like chesty girls' can be!

"Well-- fine." He'll sulk now. That is not the desired reaction!

How did he manage to ever have a girlfriend? Accident.

"Yeah. Fine." Mai can sulk too. She's, like, princess of sulky.

She's still watching him though.

He's still looking over his shoulder.

They're not very good at this.

No. Maybe it's because it involves what many call "people skills".

She opens her mouth, maybe to say something like "it's good to see you", but then she closes it again instead and goes back to staring.

He doesn't say anything, his eyes alternating between what he's doing and her.

Man, he doesn't like her in Ty Lee's skin. But then, Ty Lee never did anything for him. ... like that, anyway.

He's eying her. That... means.... something. Right?

Like maybe he doesn't hate her. Or that maybe they could talk to one another. Or maybe that she has food on her clothes (with Ty Lee she wouldn't be surprised).

She swallows and looks away before half-mumbling, "Do you need some help?"

"...can you hold the bolts together so I can tie the strings?" he mumbles back.

There. THEY CAN BE CIVIL!

She starts to answer, but stops when she realizes that speaking is almost sure to make things worse. Instead she simply steps forward to lend a hand.

A hand is all he really needs; just to hold the bolts together while he gets the string tied around at three points. (He had one, but then when trying to tie the other two, they're just roll from that point and roll off!)

"...there," is all he says when done. There. IT's finished. ... Now what?

She had to get closer to help him, and now she's looking uncomfortably down at the bundle. Because it's easier than looking at him.

Well, he's hideous. Of course she wouldn't look at him. "That's it," he says. " I'm almost ready to go."

A beat, and he almost asks where she and Azula are on the other side, but he couldn't return the information. Not and risk everything.

"So you are." She does look up at him. He's changed. She's not sure what to think of those changes.

"Do you... need any other help?" With... anything...

He shakes his head. "Just have to wait for the rats to bring me some boxes of tea to take to uncle."

And that's it. See? They managed to be civil!

"Right," she manages.

"I don't suppose..." No. She doesn't suppose.

"Hmm?"

What aren't you supposing, Mai?

"It's nothing." Really. Nothing at all.

"If you say so," he says, and then looks away.

He kissed Steph this morning, he realizes. Kissed her and is now here feeling awkward with a girl he once--?--liked and was just with a girl he knows he did love-- but can't have.

It makes for a messy jumble of thoughts.

"Guess I'll see you on the other side of the door. Maybe."

Or maybe not. Maybe it won't ever happen.

"I--" no, she doesn't want to say "hope so". Not with how it might turn out.

"Maybe." Ty Lee never looks this sad. For that matter, neither does Mai.

Maybe.

He nods once, grabs his pack, and goes.

His heart is twice as heavy as he thought it would be.

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