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  1. Shorewall on Chapter 2 Thu 24 May 2018 08:16PM UTC

    'Certainly, it was probably better than facing Azula's wrath, especially after what Mai had done,' I'm very curious. :)

    'As much as it made Mai want to run around in circles going EEEEEEEEE, that had been the start of all the trouble.' Awww! :)

    'If only Prince Zuko would save them both, perhaps suddenly discovering whatever it was that made Azula such a better Firebender than him, and harness his power to shoot fire from his feet and fly them both to safety, sailing through the sky together with joined hands, perhaps passing over a glittering rainbow on their way to the land of fire flakes and no parents.' If only. :)

    'Zuko still wasn't saving them.

    And then a strange thought struck Mai.

    Perhaps she could save them.' I really like the awakening of trying to stand up for herself. I think everyone needs to be ready to stand up with all they've got. Let me see you grit those teeth! :D

    'Of course, Uncle hadn't intoning them at the time he'd actually said them to her. He'd growled them with no small measure of annoyance, while the pin in question was being taken away from that troublesome prisoner with one ear who had tried to attack her.' 'Uncle had given Mai the pin as a souvenir and a warning not to stay still while mean-looking people rushed at her with pieces of sharp metal in their hands.' I love this. Mai's call to adventure began that day. So cool!

    'That had been the first piece of sharp metal in Mai's secret collection, a collection was growing even faster than she was.' I like this turn of phrase. :)

    'Then she stabbed it into the tower.

    Focused.

    And hard.

    She eep'd as she did it.' At first, I thought this was implying some type of chi focusing, but it doesn't make sense that she would be consciously doing it. More like she just focused on stabbing hard. :)

    'Even falling to death could be boring, it seemed.' Hey, don't knock it. :D Although that inexorable impending fate is still so galling, so overpowering. Looking your fate in the eye while being powerless to stop it. Like slow motion in a car crash. Still, when falling, slowly is the preferred method. :D

    'Mai shut her eyes scrunched in on herself, sure that she was about to be punished for a treasonous list of crimes that included stabbing royalty with her nose, embarrassing royalty in the region of the rear end, and defacing the royal real estate with a dinner knife.' Holy crap that is funny! Stabbing royalty with her nose, embarrassing royalty in the region of the rear end... :D :D :D

    'Mai reached for that same strength she used to stab the palace, and managed to raise her hand enough to show him the stolen knife.

    His eyes went wide. "We're lucky you had that. I should probably get a knife, too. I think it's probably a good idea to always have a weapon ready. Even for Firebenders."' Shy Mai is cute, and I love Zuko's attitude. He is such a determinator. He's not the most talented or brightest, but he doesn't give up, and he's always trying to get another edge.

    'He must have magically sensed the questioning burning in her throat like a post-fire-flakes burp, because he explained, "We can see everyone coming and going from the palace, and we're safe from Azula up here. We can sit and spy on things for a while. Just the two of us."

    Mai felt herself heating up at the thought. Just her and Prince Zuko? Up on a golden roof? Watching and being unnoticed? It-

    And then the roof collapsed under their weight, dumping them into the Throne Room.' Love it. :D A little romantic denouement, interrupted by unreasonable reality. The throne room, eh? This could go badly.

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    1. Loopy on Chapter 2 Thu 24 May 2018 10:09PM UTC

      I didn't plan it when I started writing this thing at the last minute, but it kind of serves as a spiritual sequel to my "Sugar, Spice, and Every Vice" origin for the Dangerous Ladies. Mai was a complete pushover there until she finally stood up for Ty Lee, demonstrating her ability to throw things really accurately, and this story is picking up with her further developing her backbone and starting in with knives. Zuko is encouraging her in all the right ways, when his oblivious dreamboat-ness isn't inspiring her to make teapot sounds. XD Glad you're still enjoying!

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