Mai's footsteps had a clear direction. She recalled her mother's words and realized an issue once again. This morning, Michi also blamed Ukano for not even coming to their room anymore.
'If it wasn't... Mayor Ukano, then who was it?' Mai refused to call the man her father after realizing the gravity of his actions. She may be indifferent to the struggles of, as she puts it, peasants, but controlling children... maids, too, for his sick needs gave Mai a bad taste.
'And then there is the fact that Mom said she wants to pack some stuff... but why? We aren't due to leave until a few days later...'
Mai reached the room she had quickly escaped from last night. The reparation of the palace had not changed the layout drastically and the side where the room was located wasn't completely destroyed so Michi could still stay in her room. The moment Mai raised her knuckle to knock on the door, she heard soft sobs breaking out that caused her actions to falter and made her strain her ears to catch anything noteworthy.
With a thought, Mai unscrupulously entered the empty guest room next to it. The layout of this room was a bit less luxurious but Mai had no mind to compare rooms. She walked over to the window and gazed at the earthen ledged outside the room.
*Shnnk*
From under her left sleeve slipped out a small, untapered blade that Ma handled expertly and stuck it into the corner of the window before prying out the metal hinges. Silently placing down the glass, Mai carefully climbed out of the window and the wind from the altitude hit her face. Still, keeping her back to the wall and undaunted by the height of a mere floor, something that she could easily jump down from, Mai soon edged towards her mother's bedroom and the sobbing sound became clearer.
Fearing the worst, Mai gritted her teeth and peeked into the window only to quickly pull back with her expression now frozen in shock.
---
Nik silently stroked Michi's back as she was already a sobbing mess by the time he had arrived. He sat on the edge of the mattress while Michi was 'on' him. Somehow managing to lay and sit on him at the same time while her body seemed to be wanting to drill into Nik as her shoulders shrunk in and her hands were held together. Her face buried into Nik's chest and all he could do to comfort the woman at the time was to hold her tightly, letting her nuzzle up to him and pat her back and head comfortingly.
A few minutes passed for the 'two' spectators until Michi seemed to have vent out all her frustrations without the need for words.
*Sniff*
Sniveling, Michi pulled herself back slightly, revealing her tear-stricken face to Nik with her expression still sad, "Nik... thank you..."
Nik blinked. Thanking him? Why?
The confusion didn't stem from his self-pity, now that he realized that he needed to move on. Instead, the confusion originated from a moral point of view. He had taken another's man wife, effectively destroying a family, not to mention the fact that he assisted Aang in wresting control away from Ukano. Of course, Ukano had a major hand in destroying his own marriage but still... he had some inches of effort in the result, too.
"Here, let me clean this," Nik forced a smile as his chest was hurting enough to not delay things anymore. Using his sleeves, Nik hurriedly cleaned Michi's face as her expression turned better.
"I..." Michi didn't know what to say at this moment after her initial gratitude.
"I didn't mean to lie at all," Nik spoke up instead, "But we... Sokka more than anybody wanted to help the children. And I'm sorry that it cost you your life as the—"
"I've lived long enough to know that it's not important," Michi hurriedly interrupted, "Tom-Tom's education is important. Mai's future is important... but an empty title stemming from a marriage so disastrous, and rooms so empty that they are not worth living in are... not important. That is why... thank you.
If it hadn't been for that night, I would have never realized how low my marriage had fallen into."
She smiled slightly, her hands, much to Nik's internal relief, moved from his chest and cupped his chin, "As I said to the young Avatar... I am not angry. I'm saddened by the turn of events..." her hands slid down his cheeks before Michi pulled herself away. Sitting next to Nik, Michi remained silent until a few seconds as she soon shook her head with a smile.
"So... you aren't married."
"No..."
"I am a little angry by that lie. Do you know how long it kept making me feel guilty? I couldn't look Katara in the eyes at all."
"To be honest, if I was still married to Katara, it wouldn't have changed anything," Nik smiled. Just a few days in this environment had already influenced him greatly. Michi, in particular, allowed Nik to finally get more passionate in actively pursuing his interests by a number of means possible that do not keep him awake at night.
"If you keep on lying—"
"I am not lying," Nik shook his head, "Sure, I understand that having you and even more is a... fantasy... but I'm not lying. I would have still come here that night. I would have still pushed you against that table—"
"Alright, alright!" Michi blushed but her expression turned sour, "You want.., more?"
"As long as I'm being honest," Nik turned to look at her with a cheerful smirk, "Yes. But not only that... it's hard, actually. And I'm just beginning to dream big so do excuse my lack of being articulate enough. And..." Nik grunted, standing up purposely with the support on the bed while rubbing his chest with an uncomfortable expression, causing Michi to hurriedly pull him back, "You're hurt... just rest here..."
She whispered as her hand rubbed his arm with the obvious glint in her eyes.
"You and your friends helped the city... and myself. I think you deserve a reward... but you're too hurt."
Michi stated innocently as she helped Nik lie down only for Nik to catch Michi's wrist with a serious expression, "You must use the best salve for healing then."
---
Mai left in a hurry. Her mother's sobs she could bear but not the particular sight of her revealing an eager, and how she always emphasized, unladylike, expression. Then again, Mai would argue that this is the first time she had seen her mother act like a woman if not a lady.
Her steps led her through the basement but instead of the training room, she stepped down the metal prison that once held the earthbenders and now was being restructured into a reform facility. Bumi had captured the operator of the hypnosis and now planned to use him to revert the process no matter how long it takes. Of course, Sokka, the children, and Michi had the priority for this since the operator revealed that aside from the memories of being mentally suggested, nothing was changed about the other prisoners.
And Bumi himself was simply too whacky to have been hypnotized.
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Mai felt the aggravated stares of the soldiers that once served her family from behind the tiny slits of the metal door. A few called out in anger but Mai paid them no heed and walked towards an open cell block. She had made a special request for this particular prisoner and it was nice to see it being completed.
Standing in front of metal bars, Mai came to see Kai. He wasn't the destination she had in mind but it was simple to cheer her up after she realized that her mother was getting some 'peasant shtick.'
He was haggard. Many things had changed too quickly. From the future mayor to a prisoner. From silk robes to... well, a dirtied, torn, and tarnished silk robe.
Hearing the footsteps close in front of his cell, Kai looked up with a glare, "You're all making a big mistake—"
"That's what I said to Ukano and... mother once they set my engagement with you but I accepted it within a few hours. You will get there," Mai stated impassively but her eyes relished seeing the man in this state. It wasn't because of any moral standard but purely personal reasons instead.
"Mai!" Kai gasped with an expectant expression passing through his eyes, "Help me! I beg you. Your father had me ensnared in that trick, too!"
"From Dear Father-in-law to 'my' Father?" Mai cracked a rare smile, "Then I suppose he was also the one who made you sleep with all the maids that you hired? And it also would have been Ukano who sent Katara to your bath to give you horrible burns."
Mai didn't want to admit it but Katara managed to impress her.
'If I had married him... would I, too...' Mai gazed at Kai as he hurried to press against the bars, "You think I wanted to do that? What about you?" Kai pushed his face against the gaps of the bar, "I tried understanding you! I tried to find common interests but all you do is be a block of ice! I wanted to learn more about you and asked your permission to watch your training but then what?
Nothing!" Kai growled, "Don't act so high and mighty just because you're born with a silver spoon pushed up your indifferent little arse!"
He panted in anger as Mai looked at Kai with a cold expression, "You forced yourself on Tom-Tom's maid the third day you arrived here. I... never minded your birth. I said I did but I did not mean it.
Good luck. Hope your reformation is as nauseous as the girls felt when you forced yourself on them."
She stepped away and no longer responded to the howls of the man she was supposed to get married to.
With that, she came to the spot where she wished a closure of her own and saw a familiar figure standing in front of one of the closed-door cells.
Suki looked sideways but seeing it was Mai, she turned her attention back to the furious gaze behind the slit of the meal wall unable to do anything.
"Is that Admiral Zhao?"
Mai finally inquired as she stood next to Suki.
"Yes... King Bumi's words were— that he could produce fire from his mouth so he had his mouth sealed shut... as he did to his mother last night."
Mai frowned a little while Zhao's gaze turned more furious.
"What are you doing here?" Seeing that she had no shared interest with Mai, Suki kept concise and inquired.
"I'm here to meet Ukano."
"He's a few doors ahead." Suki indirectly hinted for Mai to leave and she did just that. Mai had wanted to say something... though she didn't know what. But seeing Suki relishing her opponents in a worse situation and goading them, something Mai wanted to do herself, the woman left Suki alone.
Soon, Mai stood in front of a specific door with the name of her father written on top of it as she knocked on it politely, as taught.
However, there was no reply.
"Are you there?" Mai inquired and finally got a weak response, "Mai... you shouldn't be here... as the Mayor's daughter, you need to keep up an image of dignity. Go back to Kai..."
The voice mumbled more instead of speaking clearly and Mai pursed her lips, "Why did you do that to... Mom?"
"Michi found something undesirable. As the title of mayor bestowed onto me by the phoenix king, I couldn't have her stand in the king's divine right to rule. Personal sacrifice must be made for responsibility...
Personal sacrifice must be made for responsibility... I'm the mayor... I had to do that..."
Mai was a little shaken at the moment and she quickly brought in a few guards to have them open the door. They were suspicious but seeing that Mai and her family were welcomed guests, the leader of the patrol opened the door to Ukano's cell and found him lying sideways on the ground with a dazed expression with one side of his face was half-submerged in the pool of his saliva.
"Mai?" Ukano uttered, "You shouldn't be with other men... go back to your room... go back... marry Kai... stop your knife training..." He began mumbling again as Mai's lips parted in sheer surprise.
"Fine," Mai replied softly. She had a clear purpose for coming here. To let Ukano know how she felt the shivers by thinking he could have done the same to any of them including Tom-Tom. To tell him how he had been cheated on and how he deserved it while keeping it in mind that her mother could do someone much classier... and less rugged... and...
But all of these vindictive thoughts disappeared as she turned away, giving her father one last moment of peace since he truly was in shambles at this point, to the point that Mai felt no pleasure or displeasure. No anger or happiness seeing him as such.
'Can't let Tom-Tom see him, however...'
Her eyes widened as she suddenly realized that she had left her mischievous brother and a mischievous Avatar alone... while her mom had specifically asked not to.
Mai's body blurred past Suki as the Kyoshi Warrior didn't regard the rushing woman and instead glanced at Zhao. She wasn't in the mind of letting things go easily, "So... does your mother sleep with every ruler or King Bumi has his way with words and caskets?"