ext_15321 (![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png)
laurus-nobilis.livejournal.com) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fractal_mirrors2011-09-24 04:34 pm
laurus-nobilis.livejournal.com) wrote in fractal_mirrors2011-09-24 04:34 pm
Entry tags:
Always One More Chance (3/3) [Avatar: the Last Airbender; English]
Title: Always One More Chance
Rating: PG
Genre: Genfic / friendship / drama
Characters: Ty Lee, Azula, Mai, a little bit of Zuko
Pairings: Mentions of Mai/Zuko in the background.
Warnings: Parts of the story deal with Azula's (canon) breakdown.
Words: 6842
Summary: Ty Lee has changed for the better, and so have Mai and Zuko. She thinks it's only fair to give Azula the same chance.
Notes: First of all, thanks a lot to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sea_of_tethys for beta reading! :)
Written for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
femgenficathon with the prompt Her wrath makes people tremble/ Her wrath is...a devastating flood / Which no one can withstand. Enheduenna (circa 2300-2225 B.C.E.), Sumerian priestess of Inanna, first recorded author and poet in world history. The prompt inspired one scene of this, actually, and the rest sort of grew around it. It ended up so long that it didn't fit in a single entry, but that is the only reason why I had to split it. It's meant to be a one-shot.
Part 2
Ty Lee had expected this conversation to be difficult, yes. But she was prepared for that. This time, she wasn't going to give up.
The problem was, Mai didn't seem like we she was going to give up any time soon, either.
"Didn't we have this conversation already? Many times?"
"And I have better arguments each time," Ty Lee pointed out. Apparently, that wasn't convincing enough.
"I can't believe you still want to do this. After everything she did..."
"I did some pretty awful things, too," she said, staring at the floor. "And I changed."
"... that was different." Mai's voice was quiet, almost gentle. That didn't stop Ty Lee from snapping at her.
"So what? Yes, I was scared of her. Of course I was. But I still could have said no." She sighed, and let her shoulders slump, once again looking away. "Even if I was afraid to stand up to her, I could have... I don't know. Run away, or something. It's not like I didn't know Azula was ruthless. And I still helped her."
"You were never as bad as her, Ty Lee."
"And? It's not a competition."
"That's not what I mean and you know it."
"I didn't stop her when Zuko was escaping from the Boiling Rock and she tried to kill him. And everyone else in the gondola." Her voice was harsh, cold. She knew this hurt Mai just as much as it did herself – perhaps even more – but she also knew it needed to be said. "I was there and I didn't do anything."
There was a long moment of silence before her friend spoke again. She didn't even look angry. Just... sad. It wasn't exactly a subject either of them liked to remember, and it showed.
"... but you saved me, that day," said Mai at last. "You're not a bad person. Not really."
"Not now," Ty Lee said softly. "But that's just it, don't you see? Of course I had to help you. You're my best friend! You changed because you care for Zuko, and I changed because I care for you. Azula doesn't have that."
"Of course she doesn't. She's always seen people as tools. You should know that by now."
"I know," she admitted. "I've been thinking a lot about it, lately. And... I think you're right. She believes everyone does things out of interest, or out of fear. But we can change her mind."
"How?" Mai asked. "With the power of smiles and pink sparkles? The world doesn't work like that, Ty Lee."
Confident in her plan, Ty Lee didn't waste time feeling offended by her friend's doubts or sarcasm. She even managed a grin before she explained herself.
"We can show her that we have nothing to gain."
That made Mai interested, at last. She still didn't look convinced, but that made sense; she hadn't heard the rest of her reasoning yet. She didn't interrupt again, though, and waited for Ty Lee to go on.
"She already knows we aren't afraid of her. Not anymore. And now she doesn't have any of her status or power, so she has to see that we aren't trying to suck up to her. If she keeps thinking like she did until now, she won't understand why we're going. It won't make sense to her."
"That's because it doesn't make sense."
"Listen to me, Mai," she insisted. "I know it sounds silly, when I say it like that, but I think I'm onto something. We don't have a practical reason to visit her, and we aren't going because we're scared, so sooner or later she'll have to admit that the only reason to do that is because we care about her."
Mai stared at her for a few seconds, then sighed.
"When did you become so convincing?"
"So, you're coming?" Ty Lee beamed.
"Only to make you shut up."
"Of course."
* * *
Ty Lee was bouncing on the balls of her feet. It was very undignified, she knew, and it sort of ruined the mood, but she couldn't help it. It was a combination of being too excited, and nervous about the potential outcome of this reunion, both at the same time.
Mai and Azula were staring at each other, in perfect silence, both quite expressionless. They hadn't even said "hello" yet.
... it was beginning to get uncomfortable.
She almost wanted to intervene, if only to calm herself down, but she had already decided before even coming here that she would let things happen on their own. Pretty much anything she did could be interpreted in favor of one or the other, no matter what her actual intentions were. No, she'd have to wait until either of her friends took the first step. Even if both of them seemed ready to wait forever.
"Will you stop that?" Azula snapped at last. "It's really annoying. You're not a five-year-old, Ty Lee."
"Hey! Leave her alone!" said Mai. "If it wasn't for her, you'd still be all on your own getting bored here."
"Well, I didn't ask you to come! Either of you! So don't expect me to be grateful because you finally remembered I exist after happily ignoring me for years."
"Is that the way you see it? Really, Azula? You are the victim here?"
"Don't fight. Please," Ty Lee almost begged, unable to stay silent any longer. "That... that really wasn't the idea."
"You should have thought of that earlier," said Azula. "This is clearly not going to work."
"... this is ridiculous," Mai sighed.
"The one thing we agree about, isn't it? Go away, Mai. Back to dear Zuzu. You shouldn't have come here in the first place."
"No," said Mai, "I meant you are being ridiculous. And I'm glad I came. It's clear that you need someone to knock some sense into you."
For the first time, Azula's expression cracked. She was furious – whether it was new, or she had just stopped hiding it, it was hard to tell.
"Is that how you talk to your princess?"
"You are not my princess. Not anymore."
Ty Lee held back a gasp. It was true, of course. It was also something she would have never dared to say. Not quite like that. But Mai had always been more direct than her. More honest.
"Then what are you doing here?" Azula shouted. "Why did you even show up here?"
"Because I'm an idiot, I guess." Mai shrugged. "And I'm not leaving. We can be just as stubborn as you, Azula. I think this pretty much proves it."
"... you two make no sense. No sense at all."
"Come on," said Ty Lee. "Please, Azula. Give us a chance. It's worked for us so far, hasn't it?"
She smiled as prettily as possible, which worked with almost everyone, truth be told. Azula just stared at her, unimpressed. Then she sighed.
"Fine," she said at last. "I'll do it. If Mai promises not to have any sudden change of heart again."
Mai tensed visibly, and for a moment Ty Lee feared that they weren't ready for this after all. But she didn't rise to the bait. She glared at Azula, hard, but her voice was a model of calmness when she replied.
"I told you already. I'm going to be very stubborn about this."
There was another meaningful silence – shorter, this time – and then Azula simply turned around and started walking towards the beach.
"I'll hold you to that," she warned them.
"Whatever," said Mai, but she started to follow.
Ty Lee grinned to herself all the way down to the shore. A few years earlier, she would have squeezed both of her friends into a single hug, whether they liked it or not. She was aware, of course, that it would be a very bad idea to do that now.
But who knew? Perhaps she might be able to do it again, sometime soon.
Rating: PG
Genre: Genfic / friendship / drama
Characters: Ty Lee, Azula, Mai, a little bit of Zuko
Pairings: Mentions of Mai/Zuko in the background.
Warnings: Parts of the story deal with Azula's (canon) breakdown.
Words: 6842
Summary: Ty Lee has changed for the better, and so have Mai and Zuko. She thinks it's only fair to give Azula the same chance.
Notes: First of all, thanks a lot to
sea_of_tethys for beta reading! :)Written for
femgenficathon with the prompt Her wrath makes people tremble/ Her wrath is...a devastating flood / Which no one can withstand. Enheduenna (circa 2300-2225 B.C.E.), Sumerian priestess of Inanna, first recorded author and poet in world history. The prompt inspired one scene of this, actually, and the rest sort of grew around it. It ended up so long that it didn't fit in a single entry, but that is the only reason why I had to split it. It's meant to be a one-shot.Part 2
Ty Lee had expected this conversation to be difficult, yes. But she was prepared for that. This time, she wasn't going to give up.
The problem was, Mai didn't seem like we she was going to give up any time soon, either.
"Didn't we have this conversation already? Many times?"
"And I have better arguments each time," Ty Lee pointed out. Apparently, that wasn't convincing enough.
"I can't believe you still want to do this. After everything she did..."
"I did some pretty awful things, too," she said, staring at the floor. "And I changed."
"... that was different." Mai's voice was quiet, almost gentle. That didn't stop Ty Lee from snapping at her.
"So what? Yes, I was scared of her. Of course I was. But I still could have said no." She sighed, and let her shoulders slump, once again looking away. "Even if I was afraid to stand up to her, I could have... I don't know. Run away, or something. It's not like I didn't know Azula was ruthless. And I still helped her."
"You were never as bad as her, Ty Lee."
"And? It's not a competition."
"That's not what I mean and you know it."
"I didn't stop her when Zuko was escaping from the Boiling Rock and she tried to kill him. And everyone else in the gondola." Her voice was harsh, cold. She knew this hurt Mai just as much as it did herself – perhaps even more – but she also knew it needed to be said. "I was there and I didn't do anything."
There was a long moment of silence before her friend spoke again. She didn't even look angry. Just... sad. It wasn't exactly a subject either of them liked to remember, and it showed.
"... but you saved me, that day," said Mai at last. "You're not a bad person. Not really."
"Not now," Ty Lee said softly. "But that's just it, don't you see? Of course I had to help you. You're my best friend! You changed because you care for Zuko, and I changed because I care for you. Azula doesn't have that."
"Of course she doesn't. She's always seen people as tools. You should know that by now."
"I know," she admitted. "I've been thinking a lot about it, lately. And... I think you're right. She believes everyone does things out of interest, or out of fear. But we can change her mind."
"How?" Mai asked. "With the power of smiles and pink sparkles? The world doesn't work like that, Ty Lee."
Confident in her plan, Ty Lee didn't waste time feeling offended by her friend's doubts or sarcasm. She even managed a grin before she explained herself.
"We can show her that we have nothing to gain."
That made Mai interested, at last. She still didn't look convinced, but that made sense; she hadn't heard the rest of her reasoning yet. She didn't interrupt again, though, and waited for Ty Lee to go on.
"She already knows we aren't afraid of her. Not anymore. And now she doesn't have any of her status or power, so she has to see that we aren't trying to suck up to her. If she keeps thinking like she did until now, she won't understand why we're going. It won't make sense to her."
"That's because it doesn't make sense."
"Listen to me, Mai," she insisted. "I know it sounds silly, when I say it like that, but I think I'm onto something. We don't have a practical reason to visit her, and we aren't going because we're scared, so sooner or later she'll have to admit that the only reason to do that is because we care about her."
Mai stared at her for a few seconds, then sighed.
"When did you become so convincing?"
"So, you're coming?" Ty Lee beamed.
"Only to make you shut up."
"Of course."
Ty Lee was bouncing on the balls of her feet. It was very undignified, she knew, and it sort of ruined the mood, but she couldn't help it. It was a combination of being too excited, and nervous about the potential outcome of this reunion, both at the same time.
Mai and Azula were staring at each other, in perfect silence, both quite expressionless. They hadn't even said "hello" yet.
... it was beginning to get uncomfortable.
She almost wanted to intervene, if only to calm herself down, but she had already decided before even coming here that she would let things happen on their own. Pretty much anything she did could be interpreted in favor of one or the other, no matter what her actual intentions were. No, she'd have to wait until either of her friends took the first step. Even if both of them seemed ready to wait forever.
"Will you stop that?" Azula snapped at last. "It's really annoying. You're not a five-year-old, Ty Lee."
"Hey! Leave her alone!" said Mai. "If it wasn't for her, you'd still be all on your own getting bored here."
"Well, I didn't ask you to come! Either of you! So don't expect me to be grateful because you finally remembered I exist after happily ignoring me for years."
"Is that the way you see it? Really, Azula? You are the victim here?"
"Don't fight. Please," Ty Lee almost begged, unable to stay silent any longer. "That... that really wasn't the idea."
"You should have thought of that earlier," said Azula. "This is clearly not going to work."
"... this is ridiculous," Mai sighed.
"The one thing we agree about, isn't it? Go away, Mai. Back to dear Zuzu. You shouldn't have come here in the first place."
"No," said Mai, "I meant you are being ridiculous. And I'm glad I came. It's clear that you need someone to knock some sense into you."
For the first time, Azula's expression cracked. She was furious – whether it was new, or she had just stopped hiding it, it was hard to tell.
"Is that how you talk to your princess?"
"You are not my princess. Not anymore."
Ty Lee held back a gasp. It was true, of course. It was also something she would have never dared to say. Not quite like that. But Mai had always been more direct than her. More honest.
"Then what are you doing here?" Azula shouted. "Why did you even show up here?"
"Because I'm an idiot, I guess." Mai shrugged. "And I'm not leaving. We can be just as stubborn as you, Azula. I think this pretty much proves it."
"... you two make no sense. No sense at all."
"Come on," said Ty Lee. "Please, Azula. Give us a chance. It's worked for us so far, hasn't it?"
She smiled as prettily as possible, which worked with almost everyone, truth be told. Azula just stared at her, unimpressed. Then she sighed.
"Fine," she said at last. "I'll do it. If Mai promises not to have any sudden change of heart again."
Mai tensed visibly, and for a moment Ty Lee feared that they weren't ready for this after all. But she didn't rise to the bait. She glared at Azula, hard, but her voice was a model of calmness when she replied.
"I told you already. I'm going to be very stubborn about this."
There was another meaningful silence – shorter, this time – and then Azula simply turned around and started walking towards the beach.
"I'll hold you to that," she warned them.
"Whatever," said Mai, but she started to follow.
Ty Lee grinned to herself all the way down to the shore. A few years earlier, she would have squeezed both of her friends into a single hug, whether they liked it or not. She was aware, of course, that it would be a very bad idea to do that now.
But who knew? Perhaps she might be able to do it again, sometime soon.
no subject
I think you captured their dynamics and you make a good work showing how they could evolve. /clings ♥
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
On the downside, it's a bit thin on description. I could have done with a bit more detail in the settings and the outer events, to balance out the dialogue. That's a very minor problem, though.
A possible typo in Part 1: "It was what any good guest would do"; surely it should be "host"?
no subject
I'll keep in mind the dialogue-description balance for future stories. It's something I really need to work on. But I'm glad you enjoyed the story overall!
Oooh, good catch; I'll go fix that.