remember when it rained, tag: -insert c.j.'s character here-

[Mai]

Try to forget you but without you I feel nothing

Ugh. The single syllable of disgust crossed Mai’s lips as she did her best to brush off her sleeves. No one had suspected rain earlier today. The skies had been an annoyingly bright blue, the birds had been chirping a repetitive tune loud enough to make her want to slam her head into the nearest wall, and if she had to hear about wearing bright spring colors one more time she was going to drive a knife into the chamber maid’s chest. Quite clearly, the future fire lady was not a happy camper. It was wise spread fact that when Mai was in a sour mood it was best to steer clear. That fact made it quite easy to slip away from their procession. She hated traveling like that. Of course she loved bossing around servants, but that at her leisure. When they stood around annoyingly, not letting her do as she pleased it became a problem. Though she had to admit that her sour mood wasn’t directly related to the servants.

Not that it mattered, she’d take her sour mood out on anyone she pleased. But just from glancing at Mai one wouldn’t be able to guess just what she was feeling. That carefully guarded mask was in place, her emotions a blank state to the world. It was getting more often that she reverted to this coolness again. After the war, the time she spent with the Avatar, and his gang, had warmed her up a bit. After all, how could one not crack a smile while around them and staying next to the guy she had loved all her life. Another scoff passed her lips at the thought of him. Oh yes, a lot of her sour mood could be directed at the little jerk. It was just a little spat they had had earlier that day on the normal subject of course. She needed to act the part if she wanted to land the role. But she didn’t want the role; all she wanted was to have someone to love her, for once. That seemed near impossible.

the icing on the cake was today’s storm. It wasn’t one of those that built up with the giant trickle of water until it grew into a downpour. This was just the opposite, like someone had dumped a bucket over the side of a cloud. And of course it had waited for just the moment that she gave her servants and their covered cart the slip. Fate had it out for her today. Her hair was sleek, pressed flat to her from the water. What was worse was the road they traveled on was entirely dirt, and so the moment water touched it, the surface was completely covered in mud. With everything the same dull brown color, it was hard to see just what was a puddle and what was the ground. One wrong step had caused a splash of the disgusting stuff all over the front of her.

Trees were just visible through the haze of rain. She was sure that they offered some shelter she could seek until the storm subsided. A particularly loud bolt of lightning crossed the sky, and for a moment Mai held her breath. It was hard not to be reminded of Azula when a streak bolted down on the earth. She was safely hidden away, at least that was what Zuko was sure of, but Mai was not so convinced. The girl might have gone crazy, but she was still sharper than most. She doubted that she would keep locked away for long. With a sigh, Mai let the thoughts go. That would be the last thing she needed to day, but with the way fate was treating her at the moment, such a thing might be right on the menu.

The trees seemed to grow closer and closer with every step, and Mai couldn’t wait to have their shelter. She might not be a fire bender, but she was still from the Fire Nation, and didn’t do too well while wet. Though she did admit she could tolerate the rain much better than her boyfriend, who practically seemed to steam every time it fell on him. At times rain was nice. She liked to sit and watch it, but being stuck in the cursed stuff was a different story altogether.

OOC: Sorry about the shortness and the lameness. It gets better!

I ♥ MATTI AT ATF

[Sokka]

Despite the fact that the war had been over for two years now, Sokka still felt very strange walking around in the Fire Nation - especially in the Fire Nation capital. He felt like he had to be on high-alert, like he was being watched at all times and that he stuck out like a sore thumb. Which was kind of true, considering that he was sporting his blue Water Tribe outfit. Sokka's skepticism for the Fire Nation clearly ran deep into his roots; even though he knew the Fire Lord, personally, he couldn't help but still sometimes get chills about the Fire Nation. It did make sense, though, why it was so hard for him to let go of those bad feelings. The Fire Nation had taken his mother away from him, had ripped his father away from him for years. They had caused a lot of pain and turmoil for his village - stripping them of all their benders and defense - as well as causing suffering for the rest of the world. They were dark times that would live with Sokka forever. However, even though he still harbored these ugly feelings inside himself, Sokka did begin to feel himself open up and begin the healing process. He was no longer so afraid and skeptical of fire - now it was his friend. He was also no longer so hateful towards the royals of the Fire Nation. Particularly the Fire Lord. Over the years, Zuko had gone from being the freak with a ponytail (not a warriors wolf tail, like Sokka. Just a regular, boring old ponytail) who chased Team Avatar all over the world, to a close and trusted friend. Hell, some of their friends even joked about a bromance that had formed between the two males. Of course they were far too manly for such things. Way too manly... and strong... The Fire Nation Capital did have a lot of nice things to offer - one of them that Sokka enjoyed the most was the complimentary breakfast. They had your normal breakfast choices, all served with a plethora of different flavours of teas, but the one thing that Sokka enjoyed most... was the meat. The Fire Nation truly knew how to appreciate meat and prepare it tastefully, just to perfection, served with all of the trimmings. Sokka had stuffed himself until he simply couldn't any more at breakfast time, eating way more than his stomach could handle. He was Sokka, though - he'd digest and be back in an hour to keep on eating. He had a strong stomach. He grew up eating Sea Prunes, after all (He also enjoyed them, in a strange, gross kind of way). After his filling meal, Sokka was unsure about what he would do to pass the time. He was really only supposed to be staying here overnight so that his ship could undergo some quick repairs. He was, after all, on his way to Ember Island to meet up with the rest of Team Avatar. It had been a while since they had all gotten together, so Sokka was rather excited about that (Not to mention that Ember Island had those amazing beaches, and of course Suki... Sokka missed her a lot). Before he would be able to get to Ember Island, though, Sokka did have to respond to the needs of his ship. Along the way they had been (Not so fortunately, mind you) attacked by a large sea serpant (Thank you, Universe) which had beaten their ship with it's long tail, leaving them a large hole in the hull. It was a good thing that they had a few waterbenders on board to keep the ship from taking in too much water, but they were just a temporary fix. There were no boat benders. Sokka swore that the damned creature was laughing as it swam away. That fateful incident left the boat needing repairs, so Sokka was docked for a few days while everything was fixed. He would be out of here soon, hopefully. Surely, there had to be something he could do to spend the time while he was here. The food was certainly a good start. It definitely wasn't a bad thing, being a close and personal friend of the Fire Lord. Stepping outside, the skies were clear. It seemed to be a perfect chance for Sokka to explore the Capital City - one didn't get the chance to wander around aimlessly far too much. Sokka wanted to take that chance while he still had it. So he headed out, listening to the birds chirping, gazing at the bright blue sky, letting his mind completely slip away. He was in his own little world, walking along. He didn't even see the storm coming. How he missed that, one would never be able to guess. But he was Sokka, and he was stuck in his own little world, which happened a little too often for him. Nevertheless, he was caught outside, in a rainstorm, without even a little umbrella to help him. It was really coming down - unless he wanted to get soaked, he had to find some shelter. Seeing as this was his last pair of clean clothes for the moment (Katara was boycotting doing his laundry, for one of her feminine girly reasons) he wanted to postpone laundry for as long as possible. So, finding a hiding place it was. He spotted some trees, which seemed to be shaped in the perfect cover for Sokka from the storm. Now he only had to get there without getting too wet. Naturally, he came up with a plan. Temporarily, while he was thinking, he was crouching under a picnic table... which wasn't the most comfortable. He knew that he had to make a mad dash for the trees if he wanted to have any hope of making it there without soaking himself through. The universe had proved him wrong once already, when he thought that it was a nice, clear day. It wouldn't do so again for him thinking he could get there easily, would it? Okay... one, two, three! Sokka lifted his body up, making a dash for the trees. Unfortunately, his head smacked against the picnic table when he stood up, and he tumbled out of his little hiding spot instead of exiting it gracefully like he had envisioned. He slid across the grass, approaching a hill as he picked up speed thanks to the wet grass. He skidded down a small hill, smacking his face against a shrew of flowers and brush as he slid, until he finally came to a slow halt due to lack of velocity. This was his chance. He scrambled around until he managed to stand up (which was no easy feat, considering that he was soaking wet and had nothing to grip on to stnad) and began to run for the trees. He didn't trip again - no, he just stepped in a huge puddle and splashed himself. He was quite the genius. At least he made it to the trees, and took a seat under one, breathing heavily. "Thank you, Universe. You just love proving me wrong, don't you?!" Sokka grumbled, brushing off the dirt from his clothes and rubbing his head. He mumbled to himself some completely incoherent words, mostly just about how upset he was that he got dirt on his new, clean pants. Now he was going to have to give a hand at his own laundry... ew. Sokka turned and saw a woman dressed in royal Fire Nation clothes. Wait a minute, it was Mai! Since Sokka wasn't expecting to see anyone (and she looked like she was in a very sour mood, which usually meant one should run for the hills) Sokka let out a small, surprised squeal. It was very manly, though. "Oh, um, Mai! Hi. What are you doing out here?" He voice squeaked as he spoke, and he struggled to contain it and bring it down to it's normal register. Sokka wasn't all that great when caught by surprise, but he recovered fast.

here comes the sun king. YEP, I MADE THIS TEMPLATE BECAUSE I'M COOL LIKE THAT. UM, YEAH, SOKKA IS THE BEST AND YOU KNOW IT! ;D

[Mai]

Try to forget you but without you I feel nothing

Mai gave a slight sigh, a sound that most new rather well. It was a sound of complete and utter boredom that she pulled off with almost complete grace. Her gaze flickered upwards towards the onslaught of rain that was coursing from the sky. She held herself with something of dignity as she continued for the shelter of trees,. A feat that wasn’t easy, seeing as she was soaked from head to toe and now had a nice splatter of mud across her clothes. They were no where near the best she owned, but seeing how her father liked to show off his wealth, they weren’t exactly cheep. Made from the finest fabrics, the only reason they weren’t like her grander clothes was the simple fact that they weren’t as elaborate. Mai hated dressing. If it were her choice she’d wear a sack, just as long as it meant that she could freely move. If there was one thing that she really detested doing was going to get new outfits. Unless she could amuse herself by ordering the seamstress about, there was very little joy in the activity. It usually meant standing and staring at things that had no value to her. She’d rather shop for knives. Now that was a fun activity.

Finally she neared the woods, and considered herself fairly safe for the time being. The shelter of a tree kept the rain from further hitting her, but it was really no use. Mai was already completely soaked, and really keeping shelter was going to do little to help that. A few drops fell from the thick canopy ahead, but none that she noticed. She reached up with a light hand to push her bangs aside slightly, insuring that they didn’t completely stick to her forehead. Her mother hated the way she wore her hair, perhaps that was a reason she kept it that way. As the new Fire Lady, she was going to have to grow it out, long and without bangs. It was simply how things went, but Mai was avoiding that road until she had to cross it.

Thinking herself quite alone, she moved to lean against the tree. That was until a very loud, very obnoxious noise filled the air. It sounded as if someone was sliding to their very death in the rain. Swinging around she turned just in time to see a familiar figure step into a mud puddle, splashing his entire body with the disgusting substance. She was close enough for him to see her and yet…he didn’t react. Rolling her eyes slightly, she figured that he wasn’t intelligent to notice her. His mutterings continued as he remained completely unaware of her presence standing there. Mai could have done something to alert him, but it was more amusing to observe.

It was an odd thought, but if anyone could cure her sour mood besides Zuko, it was Sokka. Sure he was a buffoon ,but something about him never ceased to amuse her. While she had been chasing the Avatar, she paid him little attention, though he was hard to miss. It seemed that there was rarely a moment when that big mouth of his wasn’t open. But there was something about his personality that was…addicting? His wise cracks more than amused her. It was safe to say there was rarely a dull moment around him and Mai hated things being dull, though they more often than not were that way. She got the feeling at times that Sokka didn’t too much like her, but it wasn’t much of a change from the way that most people viewed her.

After what seemed forever, he finally turned to face her, a squeal of all things coming from his lips. Hiding her amusement, she simply crossed her arms and watched him speak. She hadn’t expected to surprsie him that much, but he rarely paid too much attention to his surroundings. Mai figured that was how he had hurt himself then, by not being aware of what was around him. He had several bruised colored by bits and pieces of grass sticking out of his hair. Though she did have the mud streak across the front in common with him (Though she didn’t consider it too much of a good thing to have something in common with someone like Sokka). Pulling a very wet handkerchief out of her sleeve she extended it to Sokka as if it might help. It was the gesture that counted, or something stupid like that, right?

Mai was often trying to be kind, a lot more than she had before. It wasn’t for her benefit, it wasn’t to gain new friends or allies. It was for Zuko. But a part of her…a very small part, was enjoying this. She ahd friends for the first time that weren’t Azula or Ty Lee. Those two had been the only ones to put up with her, though now she was minus one, seeing as she stabbed Azula in the back. Mai wouldn’t let herself grow too involved in the fact that she was on speaking terms. She still got the idea that these people didn’t like her, and put up with her for the simple reason that she was with Zuko. She didn’t exactly have the bubbly personality that Ty Lee did, which Mai believed was the reason she so easily fit in with them all. Shaking the thought from her mind she recrossed her arms and spoke to answer Sokka.

”I was bored.” A typical Mai answer. But it was the truth. Bored and restless, and tired of being in the shadows. She didn’t know what she was expecting to find out here in the rain. The most she could wish for was someone asking her a question about why she wasn’t in the castle. But a fight or something like that would have been a gift. As she let Sokka recover from his shock she settled back against a tree. ”How about you?” Her voice was the same as it had always been, slight and with the suggestion that she was bored by the mere fact that she had to even speak. But Mai most of the time didn’t mean it. It was habit for her to speak devoid of emotion. The only one who really got a rise out of her was Zuko, with everyone else it was as if she ran on auto controls.

I ♥ MATTI AT ATF

[Sokka]

After Sokka took a few seconds to regain his composure, he realized that it was Mai who he had come face to face with -- Zuko's fiancée. So she might not be the most chatty person in the world, but it was a lot better than coming face-to-face with a giant Saber-Tooth Moose-Lion. Those things might be cuddly and cute while they were small, but once their giant teeth and horns grew in they were a force to be reckoned with. Sokka cleared his throat, his face growing a tiny bit red out of embarrassment. After all... he had shrieked when he saw Mai. A high-pitched embarrassing squeak. He grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck. Whatever, what was done was done. He could tell that she was fighting back a laugh, which made him want to laugh too. It was a pretty unusual thing to see Mai laugh. It was a lot like seeing a unicorn. When Mai told him that she was bored, Sokka shook his head and laughed. "Really. You're bored?! That never happens!" He joked. It semeed that making conversation with Mai was becoming easier and easier -- it definitely helped that Sokka had become a good friend of Zuko. She wasn't just "the gloomy girl that is freakishly good with knives" anymore. Nope, now she was "Zuko's fiancée that is still pretty gloomy but smiles sometimes and occasionally laughs at Sokka's jokes. Also she's still freakshily good with knives". Sokka still wouldn't want to piss her off - and catching her in a bad mood was something he wasn't too fond of, either. Right now it looked like it could go either way -- she did have her arms crossed, so she could be upset, but then again... she always could just not enjoy the rain. Sokka wasn't too sure, but he hoped it wasn't the first option. Sokka was a little afraid of all of those knives that she carried.... they did look rather sharp.

"Well, it's a long story actually." Sokka cleared his throat and began to tell the story, from the beginning, a little quicker than he probably should have. "Well, I was in the South Pole with Katara and we were rebuilding the city, and then we got invited to Ember Island... no, wait, you know that part... umm... oh! We got attacked by a Sea Serpent in the water. It just loved playing with us. And it made this, like, huge hole in the hull of our ship. We kind of got pretty close to sinking but Katara and a few of the other waterbenders froze the hole until we got here, and now our ship is being fixed and it's going to take a little while... Then I was walking around the marketplace, and it started to rain so I took cover under the picnic bench, and then I ran over here, and then here we are now." Sokka took a few breaths, and realized that she probably didn't need to know all that information. Hell, she didn't need to know most of that information. He grinned sheepishly, brushing some of the dirt off of his shirt.

my template and my graphic, lol, i love that pic of sokka. =) i felt like i needed a change of templates, haha. sorry if it's rambly.

[Mai]

Try to forget you but without you I feel nothing

Mai felt the ghost of a smile tugging on her lips as he made a slight attempt at a joke. She hated that. Besides Zuko, this guy, and his strange mannerisms, was about the only person that ever made her feel like cracking a smile. That being said it wasn’t the same way that Zuko made her smile. Sokka was just…strange. Perhaps it was the fact that he was so bad that he became amusing? Or maybe his brightness was hard not to feed of of. It wasn’t like Ty Lee, who Mai cared about at the best of times, but most of the time she couldn’t wait to shut her in a soundproof room and leave her there. Her mouth fixed itself in a firm line, and she made sure that it would stay that way.. If Zuko were here he would have noticed she was forcing herself to stay reserved and chided her on it later. But he wasn’t here and so she was going to act as she saw fit. Mai couldn’t help but realize how they spoke now. At one point in time, Sokka wouldn’t have even felt comfortable making a slight joke around her. In fact it wasn’t too long ago that she was fighting against him. Enemies wouldn’t be the right word to describe her feelings towards him at the time. Mai really didn’t consider anyone important enough to list as an enemies. After all, hate was just as much of a strong emotion as love was. To draw a line between the two was nearly impossible. Either way you were wasting a breath thinking about the other.

She had no real idea of how Sokka thought about her now, but he wasn’t the hardest person to read. In fact she thought him quite transparent. There was never a moment where she got the feeling he was trying to keep his opinions from her, and if he did ever try one would only have to cast a glance in his direction to know what he was thinking about. In any case he spoke to her now, though she had the rising suspicion that he didn’t really like her. Over the years he had become a good friend of Zuko’s, as ironic as the idea was. Snubbing a friend’s girlfriend, or fiancé, was not a smart move in any sense. Not to mention, getting on Mai’s bad side wasn’t much wiser. Sokka was smarter than he put on, and surely wise enough to know how to act in that sense. It all came down to the fact that Mai wasn’t sure if he was a friend, or not. Beyond it all, she couldn’t help but smile at times around him, even laugh a few times. Sokka should consider himself lucky. Not even that brat Tom-Tom had seen her crack a smile.

”If I wasn’t bored before, that story made me so.” She said, her voice low, almost muttered. Mai had the incredible capability of speaking as if even the act of breathing seemed uninteresting to her, that she’d rather do without it. It was a habit that carried on in her tone even when she was upset, or angry about something. A slight huskiness at times, She doubted that those who knew her even realized that infliction in her tone. Others who didn’t know Mai would think that she thought so little of them that she couldn’t waste her time. It had taken her a moment to even realize that Sokka was talking in response to what she siad. He just went on and on, causing Mai to almost raise a brow at him. She hadn’t asked for a life’s story. But in all seriousness, she should have known better.

”Well it’s a lovely time to be in the Fire Nation.” She commented sarcastically with her eyes slightly lifted with the sky that had been assaulting them with the constant presence of rain. As if to emphasized her statement, a streak of lightning flashed across the sky, with it bringing a snap of thunder. Such a sound always reminded her of Azula, a constant presence in her mind. While she didn’t think twice of betraying her to save Zuko, something always nagged at her when it came ot the subject. Perhaps she felt sympathy? No, Mai was sure that such an emotion didn’t exist within her. The higher the person the longer the fall, and she supposed that was all that could be said about the girl. All the same, Azula had been the only friend she had for a long time, alongside Ty Lee. Mai knew Azula was locked away, but she didn’t trust the girl to stay there for long. She might be crazy, but there was still intelligence in that mind. The cold could be accounted for the shiver that ran down her spine, but Mai knew it was because she knew what lay ahead of her if she were truly free again.

I ♥ MATTI AT ATF

[Sokka]

rain, if the rain comes

they run and hide their heads. they might have as well be dead. if the rain comes When the sun shines, they slip into the shade And sip their lemonade; When the sun shines. Rain, I don't mind.

The rain brought out a lot of memories for Sokka. It reminded him of a lot of different things; some not so pleasant. It reminded him of his time in the North Pole, the immense amount of water, and the hardships that came with that. No matter how much time had passed, thinking about Yue still stung. It always would. It didn't hurt as badly as before - his friends and Suki had helped a lot with that. He rarely even thought about that anymore, only when he saw the full moon every now and then. It also reminded him of some good things. The rain always made him think of home, of his father, and of his family. Sokka might have been a little cheesy, but he honestly didn't care. He loved his family and would do anything for them. The rain made Sokka think of a lot of things that he attributed with "home" - sea prunes, animal fur, the cold, throwing snowballs, making forts out of the snow. He loved being home, but the one thing that home didn't have was his friends that he'd made in his travels. The Gaang wasn't there - Aang, Zuko, Toph, and Suki. Katara was there, but she was always busy in the North Pole doing something or other that she didn't really have the time to entertain Sokka. It was nice that at least Mai made an effort to speak with Sokka.

Sokka watched Mai carefully, as if he was trying to gauge her reaction to his little "story". Not that it would be hard; knowing Gloomy Girl, she was most likely to sigh and tell Sokka just how much he was boring her. She most definitely did not disappoint. Sokka let out a small laugh at her reaction, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. It felt... somewhat awkward, being thrown into this situation with Mai. Sokka did not handle awkward well. Typically, his voice squeaked, he stuttered and never knew how to finish his sentences. He was never good in awkward situations. Everyone around him had experienced it; his bad humour got even worse when he was at a loss for words. "Oh, uh, sorry about that. Ummm... well. Anything interesting going on here in the Fire Nation? Anything that'll un-bore you?" Sokka chuckled lightly to himself - that itself would be a very difficult feat. Mai always seemed to be bored, even when she was fighting... Sokka knew that from when they had fought each other back in the Earth Kingdom, so long ago. It was a distant memory now. Back then, Mai was just the Gloomy Girl with a lot of knives that was friends with Azula... so basically, it was a hate by association. Or at least, very, very strong dislike. That felt like a lifetime ago... things were so different now. That was proved solely by the fact that Mai and Sokka were standing together, making friendly (ish, it was still somewhat awkward) conversation.

Sokka laughed at her joke; she was sure right. It would just be Sokka's luck, that when he wound up in the Fire Nation, it was raining. He got enough water back home -- his entire home sat on blocks of frozen water, so that in itself spoke volumes. He loved it, but it was nice to see some land for once; and buildings that weren't made of ice. However he was used to the rain, so it didn't really bother him all that much. It reminded him of home, which was nice whenever he felt a little homesick.. Which was something that he would never admit. Of course not. Manly men don't get homesick! That was foolish to think of... Very foolish. "I just seem to get all of the luck whenever I come here," Sokka smiled. So, talking to Mai wasn't all that bad. She was actually somewhat... good company. Something that Sokka never would have imagined when she was throwing knives at him and the rest of Team Avatar. Those knives were pretty sharp. Sokka had definitely warmed up to Mai, and she seemed to be doing the same with him - at least that, or she was playing nice for Zuko. Sokka didn't really mind either way, considering that she was still nice to him. "So how is everybody doing here in the Fire Nation? It's been so long since I've been here... Haven't seen Zuko in so long. Or anyone, really... How's Ty Lee?" Sure, Sokka had picked up subtle hints of Ty Lee having a crush on him, but he never really thought much of it... After all, he was with Suki. Ty Lee had to know that.... Well, if she did, she still liked to make Sokka blush and get really squeaky whenever she saw him; which wasn't really that often, but she was bound to be in Ember Islands. Sokka didn't really give it much thought, though. He was loyal as a dog to Suki.

this was created by carleigh of atf, sds and believe it!

[Mai]

Try to forget you but without you I feel nothing

Awkward situations never had much effect on Mai. Well, of course she knew when the air was thick with uneasiness as two people did their best to pretend that something wasn’t in the room. But pretending in such a mannerism was well, boring, for lack of another word. It was a waste of time. One could spend their time sputtering, shifting their weight to either foot, or digging their toe in the dirt...or they could just admit that the situation was awkward and get over it. It might be that Mai didn’t allow herself to feel anything, even if it was as simple as being awkward for a moment. Her eyes traced over Sokka as he did everything that she just thought about. If the situation was so awkward why did he go through such pains to keep it going? It was easy enough for him to just walk away. He must know that she wouldn’t take too much offense. After all he still viewed at her as that gloomy girl who was dating Zuko. She was used to that assumption by now. No matter if he happened to be a little nicer to the others, she knew that his opinions of her were most likely the same as when they had been bitter enemies.

But, instead of walking away he continued, even at pains, to try and speak with her. Mai crossed her arms, taking a moment before she actually responded. What was he thinking in asking her a question like that. Things were never interesting in the Fire Nation. That was simply a fact of life. Even during the war things had been just as dull as ever until her family moved to Ba Sing Se. Then it got even worse, if that was possible. Her shoulders moved up in a carless motion - a shrug. ”If there was anything going here, I wouldn’t know. My days are spent with the exciting training of ‘How to be a proper Lady.” That was all Mai really had the chance to do. How to walk, how to smile and nod, how to wave, how to speak when spoken to. All these things that she had been brainwashed to do all her life and here she was being shoved all the information again. She had thought for the briefest of times that Zuko would have done something to say that she could be...useful. But she never asked him, never complained too much about it all around him. Fixing the world was a huge task, and he didn’t need the weight of a needy woman on top of it all. So she bowed her head as she had done all her life and did as told. It wasn’t so bad when she got to see him, but he tended to be the only outside contact that she would have for lengths of time. As bad as it was to admit, it was refreshing to see Sokka, despite all the awkward atmosphere. Not that she’d ever admit such a thing...

It was rare that Mai made anyone laugh, or even smile for that matter. She raised a brow slightly seeing such a reaction from him. It wasn’t that Sokka had a particularly good sense of humor...It was cheesy at best. But still for him to worry about what she said and not be concerned with the idea that they were enemies was nice. She looked down for a moment, schooling any emotion that might have shown about that idea. The motion was brief, perhaps brief enough that Sokka wouldn’t even catch it. She doubted that he would, from what she had learned about him, he wasn’t the most observant of people. Rain was a bad sign in the Fire Nation. After all, the nation’s main source of power was the single element of Fire. That, in some sense, could make it the weakness. With the presence of rain it’s entire army was proven useless. It might have been from that idea that the nation developed the superstition against rain. Mai wasn’t a bender, so she never quite fell the same about the weather, but it did have a darkening sense on things. She wasn’t overly optimistic, but even a calm situation could seem bleaker with the presence of rain. They were taught from a young age that rain was an omen of bad things to come, and with the way life was going, Mai couldn’t help but pause to think what might happen next...

Her gaze moved back to him as he spoke of everyone. A scoff passed her lips, a most undignified noise. ”I haven’t seen anyone....Ty Lee’s off in the Earth Kingdom most days.” She said simply enough. Though she hated to admit it, she missed her pink, bubbly friend. Just a little. Not enough to do anything about it, but the girl was busy doing something strange and pink like she was sure. MAi felt a slight envy about that, after all she was free to run off and do anything she wanted. Mai herself was tied here in the Capital City of Boring. Though it struck her slightly odd that Sokka brought the girl up. Ty Lee never bothered to hide her feelings about the guy, though Mai seriously thought her messed up for it. From what Mai knew, however, sokka was in a happy relationship with Suki. She’d only met the girl briefly, but she had proved a formidable woman, and in Mai’s opinion at the time way too good for Sokka. But the two made sense, in an odd sort of way. She didn’t miss that Sokka had brought up Zuko though, and at the mention of the name a sigh fell from her lips. ”Zuko’s playing Fire Lord right now, so I don’t get to see much of him. ” Mai’s tone spoke in a way that said she didn’t want to dwell on that idea.

I ♥ MATTI AT ATF