Only-Child: An Avatar TLA RP (Private with theJozza)

Ty Lee was in an odd place. It felt a special kind of odd for things to be so normal, after so much time spent as a corrupt ruler's precious pawn, traveling the world, doing awful things, and trying to bury her past with sickeningly sweet positivity. Her whole body felt like a toothache.

She sat at a lavish restaurant that she didn't deserve to dine at, in order to meet a friend she didn't deserve to still have, readying her muscles for a massive smile the second she saw her, as she relaxed herself in the cushioned booth, both sandal-covered feet on the table.

[theJozza]

The carriage rolled down the street ferrying it's one, frowning passenger. Mai had said that she was fine walking to a restaurant that was only a few blocks from the palace, but as usual her lady in waiting had insisted that as the wife of the fire lord she had to keep up appearances and remember her status. Mai had been tempted to counter that after the reign of Ozai it would be better for her to act as humble as possible, but she wasn't in the mood to get into such an argument...or any kind of argument really. Her beloved husband had departed that very morning for a diplomatic mission to the water tribe, which meant he would be gone for several weeks, maybe even a month or two. Mai sighs to herself as she thinks back to their large bedroom that she will be sleeping alone in for the foreseeable future as the carriage stops and she stands up to exit it. She understood why it was important for Zuko to undertake all these diplomatic missions, both for the sake of the fire kingdom and his own peace of mind, but that didn't make her miss him any less, especially when there were certain...urges she had wanted to discuss with him.

She walks through the doors of the restaurant, waving and mustering a smile for the patrons and workers as they bow to her. Soon enough she notices Ty Lee and makes her way towards her.

Ty Lee noticed her first, easily, considering the massive procession, and frowned a bit herself, as Mai mad her way over to the table she had picked out, one that could seat four, that she planned on having seat only two.

"Oh, hello Mai! You uh... didn't tell me you'd be bringing other friends," Ty Lee said, her words quivering more as they progressed to the end.

She suddenly felt inadequate, like she wasn't enough for the Firelady.

[theJozza]

"I'm sorry it wasn't really my idea," Mai rolls her eyes, and snaps her fingers. The attendants that followed her bow and walk over to another table. "Whenever Zuko goes out of town my handmaidens always act like they need to wait on me even more than usual. Regardless let's talk about you." Mai says, her typical frown perking up a bit. "It's been years. What have you been up to since the peace?" At this point the staff of the restaurant have begun to cluster around their table. Setting out a pot of tea and several plates of appetizers.

"Oh, y'know, I was doing stuff with the Kyoshi warriors for a little while, until I broke my arm doing something stupid," Ty Lee said, starting to ramble for a little while, spewing various anecdotes about odd jobs, traveling, and scraping by, "...and, yeah, that's what was going on until I went back, got that letter, and ended up here! I forgot to ask, actually, was there any reason why you invited me? Surely you've got better things to do than hang out with some self-imposed commoner, right?"

[theJozza]

"Um well I might have responsibilities, but I can certainly spare some time to spend with my oldest friend," Mai says, her frown returning. "And just what exactly do you mean when you say..."scraping by" can you explain that a bit more?" Mai's eyes narrow as she takes a sip of tea, but also starts looking her friend over. Ty Lee had always been thin, being an acrobat and all, but Mai had spent enough time with her to know what her regular and healthy body shape was...and it wasn't what she was looking at. Moreover, Mai had already heard about the injury from Suki the last time she and Zuko hosted the Kyoshi warriors. The problem being Suki had also mentioned that was the last time they'd heard from Ty Lee, despite their own attempts to reach out to her.

"Yeah, I did some weird stuff for money, like, uhhhh... I stayed in a guy's basement to kill some rats while he bought a new cat!" Ty Lee recalled, showing Mai the absolute state of her friend's moneymaking endeavors recently: Substitute Cat, "Nothing paid that well, but I only ate what I had to, so it was fine. I didn't really see too much either, I think the tour guide scammed me. But the trip was fun sometimes!"

[theJozza]

"Ty Lee...," Mai says, the lotus bun in her hand falling back to her plate in surprise. "You were, and as far as Suki is concerned still are, a member of the Kyoshi warriors and one of the most experienced martial artists I know. Why would you lower yourself to being some man's cat?" She leans across the table. "And are you sure you ate what you needed? Because you look awfully skinny to me. For that matter, where are you staying right now?" Mai adds the last question, because upon moving closer to Ty Lee, she realized the girl smells like someone who hasn't bathed recently.

"I... I didn't think of thaaaaaat!" Ty Lee said, starting to panic, flipping through her pockets, turning out every piece of her clothing to find any money, but all that came out were a few coins, "There's no way I can pay for a hotel in this part of town with that!.. And, why did you just smell me? That seems like something I'd do."

Ty Lee's abrupt change in mood while talking did not go unnoticed. Some things do never change.

[theJozza]

Mai smirks a bit at Ty Lee's outburst. She leans back and snaps her fingers. A moment later one of the attendants rushes over from the table where they're eating.

"Yes Milady?" She asks with a bow.

"Pusha, would you please send a message to the palace and have them prepare one of the guest rooms," Mai says, as she picks up another bun and takes a bite. "My friend here will be staying with us for a while."

"Of course Milady," Pusha bows again and quickly walks for the door, producing a sheet of paper that she scribbles on along the way.