Chapter Text
Mai often wonders where she would have been and what would have happened to her, had she not intervened on Zuko's behalf on the night of his would-be Agni Kai with the Fire Lord. Uncle had come home that weekend, so when Azula offered her and Ty Lee an escort back to Fire Island for the Solstice holidays, Mai jumped at the chance, when she would have normally not done so because of her insufferable mother.
But that was a long time ago, when she was still considered as a good noble girl that studied at the Academy, when she didn't roam the seas waiting for the impossible to happen. When silence and boredom were her only companions and the silence wasn't driven away by a seasoned veteran prince, General Iroh. The boredom remained, however, no matter how many games of Pai Sho Iroh challenged or cups of tea he brewed, and Mai's instilled behavior was still oppressive enough where she never felt compelled to actively find some means of entertainment.
But then she decides that the price for her intervention was worth it, so Mai does not often dwell on her melancholy. She scours the world for the Avatar in Zuko's stead, albeit in half-hearted attempts. Some believe that Commander Zhao puts more effort in doing so than she does. Mai knows it to be true. She finds the sea oddly comforting with its vastness and depth-lessness, and it gives her a sense of meaningful relief she has never felt on land. She is in no hurry to be home.
Her crew sees this and despise Mai for it. They all have families, she thinks, who they miss after a two years' absence. So, it is usually her first lieutenant Jee who gives command of her ship while Mai sits back idly, inactive. It was by his orders that they were in the South Pole at the appearance of the energy beam, and it was his frustration Mai promptly ignored when she ordered them not to attack the poverty-stricken village. Iroh who was beside her at the time merely stifled a small smile as Jee stormed off.
She learns later that Jee has disobeyed her orders and has dispatched his own band of soldiers to confront the Water Tribe village. It is mutiny, a crime punishable only by death, but Mai merely takes his salary to pay for the damages the Avatar inflicted on her ship. Jee is furious with her, of course, but they both know he has no right to be.
"It has been a while since General Iroh has done executions," she says in her monotone of a voice. "But I'm sure the practice still comes easy to him."
Jee had no words for that and he avoids her for a few days. He stills gives orders, simply because she refuses to do so, and they track the Avatar to Kyoshi Island, to an earthbender war camp, and then after Mai rescues Iroh from some earthbenders, to a small village just before the Winter Solstice. Jee follows him, almost to the Fire Nation.
"He's headed toward the Fire Sage temple!" Jee announces from his position at the spyglass. Mai glumly glances out at the horizon from her perch and sees Commander Zhao's blockade.
"Then we will not follow him," she says simply. Everyone but Iroh turns to stare at her in astonishment.
"And why not?" Jee almost thunders, but he keeps his temper in check, knowing that she is the one with power here.
"Because, lieutenant, if you do not remember, I am in exile. I cannot return to the Fire Nation unless I have the Avatar in custody."
"We can take a small boat. You can remain anchored here." Mai shakes her head.
"That will not do. The boats are still under my jurisdiction. If Zhao sees it, he will think that it is me. I cannot afford any risks to my name. We wait for the Avatar to return from the Fire Nation." Jee did nothing to conceal his rage.
"He may not return from the Fire Nation."
"Well he obviously doesn't plan to stay there."
"That's not what I meant—" Mai was getting irritated with his bickering. She stands up and crosses the deck to approach him.
"Lieutenant, you will refer to me as 'Captain' or 'ma'am,'" she says softly, emotionlessly. "And it is I who is in charge of this ship, not you. Understood?" Jee takes a moment to reply through his gritted teeth.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good." She turns to the rest of the crew members. "You will continue chasing him once he leaves the Fire Nation, but we will not cross the border waters. Anyone thinking of doing so will face charges of mutiny. Now, General Iroh will preside over the deck, and I'm going to retire to my cabin."
"Retired General," Iroh stipulates with a small bow. Mai throws him a smile before leaving to take her daily nap.
She is right, of course, and Zhao only manages to chase the Avatar out of the Fire Nation, giving her ship a head start on the temperamental commander. Soon enough, they stop at a seedy merchant port because Iroh has lost one of his precious Pai Sho tiles. Mai doesn't mind the detour, but Jee gives them grief over the lost time.
While they're there, Iroh manages to go on a shopping spree and stops by a pirate ship to discover that the Avatar and his friends have given the pirates some trouble. Mai gets an idea to hire the pirates, and goes back to the ship to tell Jee, who isn't particularly happy about working with the brutish and dishonest merchants.
They leave and Mai decides to the track the Avatar and his friends herself through the forest. Iroh offers to help, but she tells him to go with the pirates; she would be better at this alone. She sticks mainly to the coastline and around midnight, chances upon the female of the Avatar's group, a waterbender who is practicing her abilities with the scroll stolen from the pirates. But Mai isn't the only one that finds her, because the girl becomes ambushed by the pirates. She narrowly escapes them, falling into the nearby hedge where Mai is hiding.
The girl's eyes widen, then narrow at the sight of Mai, not knowing if she could trust her. Mai yanks the girl onto her feet and darts from the clearing, towing her along.
"This way." May realizes with some satisfaction that the girl does not recognize her, an advantage for staying out of Jee's escapades. They don't run into any more pirates and Mai stops them so they can catch their breath.
"Who are you?" the girl asks, bewildered and slightly breathless.
"My name's Mai. Yours?"
"Katara."
"Where are your friends at? They'll come for them next." Katara points in the opposite direction.
"They're sleeping in the other clearing. We need to go back." Katara turns to leave, and as she does so, something falls from her sleeve.
"Hey, you dropped—"
But Katara is already gone.
Mai looks at the fallen item and sees that it is the scroll, the one stolen from the pirates. She bends down to pick it up and sticks it in her own robes without a second glance. Waterbending forms mean nothing to her. She deliberates on what to do next, knowing that she would not be able to fight off a waterbender, Avatar, and a non-bending warrior, like herself. Maybe one of them alone, but not all three.
She runs after Katara, deciding to keep with the ruse that she is helping them. They reach the Avatar's campsite in time to fend off some more pirates, and although Mai is itching for some combat, she does not want to waste her shurikens on these thugs when they are much better spent on Jee.
"Stand down!" she commands the pirates.
They give her an edgy look that tells her they are not wanting to obey. So, she pulls out their scroll and holds it up to knife-point.
"I said, stand down," she says rather calmly. They lower their weapons and Mai mutters to Katara to wake up her companions so they can leave the clearing. Katara is uneasy that Mai has the scroll but does as she says, not knowing that Mai has her own ambush in the form of Iroh and her crew waiting nearby. When they are gone, Mai winks at the pirates and tosses their scroll back to them. They grin widely and leave the forest peacefully for their own ship.
Mai walks after the Avatar and his friends to see that Jee has successfully captured them. Mai only responds to his stuttered word of thanks with a blank stare.
"Try not to lose them," is all she says. She walks with Iroh back to their ship at the merchant dock. They do not even reach the halfway point when a footmen rushes toward them to inform Mai that the Avatar and his friends have escaped. Mai rolls her eyes and waves the man away.
"I believe there is a saying, General Iroh," she says, "About if you want something done, you have to do it yourself." Iroh nods and shrugs.
"The Avatar and his friends— they do not know it was you that betrayed them, they never saw you enter the clearing and speak to Jee."
"So that is one advantage we still have." Iroh grunts in affirmation, placing his hands in his sleeves. After a moment, he starts chuckling to himself.
"Lady Mai, you'll never believe it."
Mai arches an eyebrow at him.
"The lotus tile was in my sleeve the whole time!" He pulls out the evidence with a huge grin. Mai shakes her head in amusement, hiding her smile as she continues walking.
"At least this trip was not completely wasted."