The knives hit the board with beyond terrifying speeds.
But Mai just keeps going.
Faster and faster and faster.
Until the knife finally snaps against the wooden board.
The female alpha feels satisfaction curl in her gut and she smiles.
Genuinely smiles.
And it was all thanks to Zuko and Azula.
“Mai!”
Speak of the devil, and they shall appear.
Mai turns and is attacked by two omegas.
Ty Lee practically springs on top of her and Zuko goes behind her back.
Azula enraged yelling fills the hallway.
“ZUKO! TY LEE! GET YOUR SORRY ASS OUT HERE BEFORE I DECIDE I WANT TO FRY YOU!”
“What did you two do?” Mai hisses when the blue flames erupt from somewhere in the yard.
“It was Ty Lee,” Zuko explains.
Ty Lee flushes. “How was I supposed to know Azula wanted to kill Zhao herself. I thought I could do it with Zuko and it would be fine.”
“You didn’t tell me it was Zhao!” Zuko snaps.
Mai scowls. “How could you not see, dumbass?”
“Ty Lee lured him into burning his own face!” Zuko complains. “How could I have known?”
“Ty Lee!” Mai says incredulously. “Why would you do that?”
Ty Lee looks down sadly. “I’m sorry. It wasn’t even a satisfying death since you couldn’t hear or see his pain.”
“His mouth melted together,” Zuko explains to Mai.
Mai’s lips twitch upwards in a semblance of another smile.
Zhao was the reason her parents were dead.
When she left to go free Omashu, Zhao killed her parents to assume their wealth and position.
Mai hated the man with a burning passion.
Azula finally appears in the doorway, irritation written all over her face.
Mai chuckles.
Ty Lee and Zuko would be fine, of course.
Azula loved them too much to hurt them.
But that didn’t stop Zuko and Ty Lee from looking like kicked kittens when Azula scolded them.
For the first time Mai can remember, she and Ty Lee were actually happy.