"You don't understand the hate that I feel for him there." Who: Azula and Mai What: Azula and Mai at the hospital, with feelings. When: Wednesday Where: Hospital Rating: PG-13 Status: Complete Warning: brief mention of miscarriage
Azula was there, watching Mai sleep, conflict etched in her face. As though she hadn't slept well. As though she were worried and fitful. Her hair was out of place.
All the questions from authorities had made her a little irritable. Kitty had been in, but she'd banished her and Zuko. She had to talk to Mai alone.
The look Zuko had given her was unmistakable.
He'd had the dream too.
It was probably the most fragile Mai had ever looked in her life, all tucked into that hospital bed, with various IV's and things attached. When they'd first brought her in, she'd been too sick and too tired to care, and too relieved about being somewhere safe to raise any fuss later on.
A day later, she really wished they'd stop letting people in there to see her like this, but at the same time, part of her didn't even want to be alone. Not after they'd given her the news. They weren't sure which order of events had happened first, but either way, she'd had a miscarriage. Mai didn't even know where to begin to deal with that. She hadn't told Zuko yet.
Then there was the wierd dreams. She shifted a bit in her bed and moaned something about how much she loathed her family, before her eyes opened.
It was something that Azula was unaware of, and probably not remotely capable of handling in any way well. She took Mai's hand, and whispered, "They don't deserve you."
She was probably the last person Mai expected to see.
She absolutely was. Mai blinked her eyes a bit, confused by the face she was seeing. It wasn't Kitty or Zuko's. The hand in hers was squeezed a bit, anyway, and Mai let out a long sigh, "Last person I expected to see here..."
"It's been a long two days," Azula said quietly. Her voice was strained. She leaned forward, "Only you would get sick in the middle of an abduction."
"It was--" she bought back the words that would have admitted exactly what it was, and instead said, while glancing away from Azula, "Not my fault. There was a lot going on. I dislocated my thumb at one point, maybe the shock didn't help."
"You kept fighting," Azula said, admiringly. "Ty Lee will be happy to hear about that. She was in a..state. She's still pissed at my brother for losing you."
"Did you tell her I was okay?" Mai glanced back at her again. She didn't want Ty Lee's lack of medals to somehow be her fault. There were enough fingers being pointed at her right now as it was. One of them was her own.
"Yes. I've promised to fly you out as soon as you're well enough to. She wants to make sure you're safe in person." She eyed Mai, "And set things right."
She meant, of course, the thing about Ty Lee and her brother. Her brother who she wasn't speaking to right now.
"I don't know when I'm going to be up for that, but you should head back there without me. She needs you, Zula," Mai let out a long sigh, and shook her head, "More than I do. I'll be okay."
Azula nodded, falling silent a moment. She wasn't sure why she'd waited her. She'd seen Mai was fine. That was enough, wasn't it? No, it wasn't enough. She'd wanted to hear her voice. Wanted to know that whatever..anguished anger she'd felt when she'd thought about her was just a figment of a dream.
Getting up, she squeezed Mai's hand again, "I've found you a job." She knew Mai would be irritated at being bypassed like that, but she didn't care, "For a ...." She hesitated, but finally said the word, "Friend. The one who'd made that dress of Ty Lee's. She needs someone to help manage her. I can do some PR work, but you're much better at that, and at finances. We can help her together."
Mai let Azula's hand go so that she could shift a bit in the bed. She wanted to sit up a bit more so that she could feel like she was on more of an even level with the person she was speaking with. Azula finding her a job was a bid deal, too, and while normally she'd be angry that she hadn't been asked, at the moment she was simply relieved.
Though she did have questions, "What kind of friend? What does she do that she needs managing?"
"She designs fashion," Azula replied. She pulled out her phone to show her the picture of Ty Lee's dress. "It was a surprise, but there's one waiting for you too." She showed that dress, stretched out on Mai's bed.
The other woman stretched out her hand for Azula's phone, then gently took it, so that she could get a better view of the pictures. The dresses were gorgeous, and so very good for the people they'd been created for. Especially the one for her.
She was taken aback, that Azula would have found someone to create such a dazzling thing for her. All usual masks were off for a few seconds while she poked her finger against the screen.
"I know I got your size right. We can make adjustments after you recover." Azula folded her arms, though with her disheveled state and the fact one was in a sling, made it look more like she was hugging herself with one arm.
She snorted, suddenly candid, "I started out just trying to use her."
"It's amazing how often we admit that to eachother," Mai answered, still staring at the phone. She was still amazed by the gesture. Sometimes even Azula took her by surprise.
She handed the phone back, finally, then looked Azula over. It was easier to do now that she was more upright, "Are YOU okay?"
"No," Azula said, straight forwardly. "But I will be."
"... You sounded rattled in your voice mail," Mai'd checked her messages in between naps. There were several of them, and most of them hadn't been good.
"Just a...dream. Are you okay? Besides the obvious?" Azula already knew she was footing the bill. She also suspected it might be the last thing she'd get to charge to her father's credit card.
Mai glanced off to one side, "No, But ... I will be."
Her parents were furious with her, that much Mai was aware of. She didn't yet know she'd been cut off, but probably would around the time the hospital gave her the bill.
Azula let go of her hand, "I'll let your friend visit."
"Azula ..."
"...Mai?"
She frowned, and glanced back in Azula's direction, trying to remember what it was she'd feverishly written on a piece of paper at one point, "... If he never loved you to begin with, being perfect and obedient won't make him do it. Your father doesn't deserve you, either."
Something flared a little in Azula's eyes. She looked at Mai, hair hanging in her face. She pushed some of that hair up out of the way, "Of..Of course he loves me. I'm not Zuko."
"I think the thing you need to ask yourself is if he loves anything at all as much as he loves his power and position. I know I had to ask myself the same question," Mai's tone was gentle, despite the harshness of her words. Being stuck on that ship had given her a lot of time to think.
Azula stared at her. The words were sinking in but they weren't what she wanted to hear. Who really ever WANTED to hear words like that? Azula shook a little, "Do you want to know what my father said, when he'd found out I'd been shot?"
"If he's anything like mine, he probably asked you if you were still useful." Mai snerked.
"Azula snorted, "He said it was about time. That it would give me some back bone."
She shook her head. She jumped out of a moving airplane and a bullet was what gave her back bone?
"... Seriously?" Mai sighed, "Well I guess that's ... better than it could have gone."
"I don't know how much longer this can go on. He seems dead set on pitting Zu Zu and me against one another."
Azula came over to the bed side, and gave Mai a peck on the cheek. Then she swept out.
Before Azula could leave completely, Mai frowned, "You don't have to be against each other. It doesn't have to be like that other place."
I need you both right now. Her mouth bit back those last words before she could say them.
Azula stopped in the door way. She swallowed a lump in her throat, before replying, "You don't understand the hate that I feel for him there."
"I understand you have to love something first in order to hate it," Mai whispered.
"We're going camping. The four of us, after the Olympics," Azula said. She kept her voice even, or tried to.