Katara has never said much to Mai.

They don't exactly have anything in common. Mai is this sullen girl who drifted around the Fire Nation Royal Palace. Katara is a passionate, quite successful entrepreneur. Mai is a fan of hunting small animals. Katara is a waterbender who doesn't mind a competition but couldn't hurt a spider-fly.

Mai is an important political figure. Katara is a dealer of political secrets she learns from her craft. People pay nearly as much for information as they do for sex with nigh perfect women.

She has never said much to Mai until today. Katara is in the palace courtyard having a rather private conversation with one of the Fire Lord's advisors that most consists of flirting her way into a much higher price than most people would negotiate.

It is two weeks before the royal wedding of Mai and Prince Ozai and Katara is preparing for the influx of all the most interesting people the world has to offer. And probably being paid quite handsomely to be someone's date, which is usually pretty fun, she has to admit.

Katara grew up on a block of ice with her brother. The city she lived in couldn't pass much for a city. The North Pole's traditions were deplorably sexist, so Katara never paid them any mind as an option. She said I want to change the world and everyone in her tribe told her she couldn't do it.

So she followed Sokka on his journey to the nearby Fire Nation port and went from there to up at the very top of society. Although. . . she would not quite call it polite society.

She rises and winds up having her arm seized by her friend from the Earth Kingdom, an older woman.

The minute Katara opens her mouth to greet her, she is interrupted by someone she is not allowed to ignore.

"I need to talk to you." Mai glances blankly at the two women trying to speak to her. Katara does not quite think that Mai was listening to them. "Privately."

Katara obliges.

They linger under an ugly tree.

Katara has stopped trying to make awkward small talk, because this girl does not respond so favorably. Then again, Mai does not seem to enjoy much.

"You're smart," Mai says, and it does not sound much like a compliment. "Meet me in my room tonight after sunset. The guards will let you in."

There is not much in her comment for Katara to go on. The lack of emotion and lack of details just prompt Katara to cock an eyebrow and then shrug. She is not denying this girl. She could want a few things that Katara doesn't care to guess about. The courtesan simply decides it is worth doing.

"Okay," Katara says. It's not her most articulate, but this is a strange situation.

That night, Katara does make it past the guards without a word. There are too many of them to protect one person who's yet to be a princess, but Katara does not have the desire to argue with the Fire Lord or his son – at least not to their faces.

Katara, as usual, is dressed in blue among a sea of red. She is adept at the Fire Nation now, from their language to their mannerisms, but she refuses to forget her homeland and her love for the Water Tribe. Katara did want to leave her home, but she never wants to abandon it. Her clothes tend to draw a certain level attention, but the hallways are empty and shadowy.

They seem like living quarters meant for more than one person, but Katara has had a long day and two cups of tea that mak her slightly jittery.

When she pushes open Mai's door, she walks in on the future royal halfway through untying her hair. Katara briefly wonders if she is supposed to see this, but she decides that she does not care.

"You asked for me to meet you," Katara says while shutting the door behind her.

"I know that I did," Mai says dryly. Katara manages to not show her confusion on her face. "I want to ask you for something, because you seem to be the best at it."

Katara does not think that Mai is talking about waterbending.

"You're marrying Fire Lord Azulon's son, I'm not—"

"That's exactly the point," she says, cutting Katara off with utter disregard for manners.

Mai really is pale in this light, Katara notes.

"I don't get the point," Katara says bluntly. She didn't take Mai for the type to be cryptic. Maybe smile-free but not cryptic.

"I don't want to have to explain this. I literally don't think there are words for it," Mai says.

Katara bites her lip, because she actually doesn't know. Then it occurs to her, then she thinks that this might be a lot more work than she signed up for.

Those pretty noble girls all do want the same thing.

Mai just seemed. . . not very much like others in her status and position.

More like she might be more experienced than she was pretending to be.

Then again, she doesn't have the most attractive personality, even with good looks.

"Oh. Well, this should be interesting." Katara thinks she is talking more to herself than Mai.

Katara finds herself wondering what Mai might know, what she might be hiding behind those unreadable amber eyes.

It's habit; she can't help it.

Mai hasn't left the embroidered red silk robe on her. She's obviously uncomfortable, which makes this more delicate of a situation. Yet, Katara has to admit she's a bit of an expert in making people better at having sex with those they're cheating on.

Most all of them could use all the help they can get.

"Do you want me to get undressed?" Katara asks and Mai just stares at her.

The silence is broken after an excruciating period of time.

"Yes. Obviously," Mai says and Katara bites her tongue.

She has some very honest things she would like to say to this girl, but she does have to reign herself in when she is stranded in the middle of the royal palace.

"So, you do know how to at least kiss a person, right?" Katara asks, because she has gotten some negative answers to that question before.

It's kind of fun to coach people; it's really all she has to do anymore now that she's so renowned and has desperate girls go on from being taught to being talented.

"Yes. Obviously."

"Who?" Katara asks, because she does like secrets.

"Ask me that when we're done."

Katara laughs at that. Mai doesn't, but it was a joke. Well, Katara does like people who don't laugh at their own jokes, which she finds most powerful people do.

"Now, I'm not getting paid for this, and I think you really could use my services."

"You usually ask for favors by insulting people?" Mai shrugs carelessly. "I kissed Prince Zuko. Twice. He wasn't bad."

"He wasn't bad at kissing?" Katara smiles faintly. "Well, I don't recommend saying that on your wedding night. You grew up in the palace?"

"Yeah. My parents ditched me. Which wasn't really a surprise, to be honest. I think that perhaps part of the reason Zuko was shipped off to the Earth Kingdom was the fact that he didn't even flinch when kissing me twice. I'd be scared of him too. That's more than enough to pay my fee."

"I didn't. . ."

"Right, because I just tell that to everyone I meet. I wasn't anticipating you to do this for free."

"That's enough," Katara says as she steps out of her discarded clothes. "What level of experience do you want to fake?"

"Is there a scale you can offer me?" Mai asks and Katara clenches her jaw.

"Well, I don't want anyone to think you're a liar, but people also don't tend to have any idea how depressing sex with a virgin is. It's really overrated, I hear."

"You hear?" Mai asks slowly, as if Katara cannot comprehend Fire Nation.

"I am a girl, if you didn't notice," Katara retorts, starting to cross her arms before she remembers that this is a job worth doing well.

"Shut up. I want good enough for someone I presume has slept with half of the Fire Nation."

"I can do that." Katara shakes her head, because this is way more entertaining than she thought it would be. "This is going to be—"

"Ugh," Mai groans. "Don't act like I've never played boyfriend and girlfriend before. I'm not that pathetic."

"Was she good at it?"

"I had to be the boyfriend."

"Ah. Explains it." Katara doesn't laugh this time despite the humor of the situation as she invites herself onto the bed. "You're pretty enough to just lie there, but I imagine that's not what you want."

Katara wonders how ridiculous Mai will sound in comparison to her past students.

It takes time to unravel Mai from her stubborn refusal to cooperate, and a disproportionate amount of sexual effort. Katara wonders if she is being mocked, but holds herself together. She thinks this girl really might have been born without the ability to express. . . anything, much less moan and feign ecstasy.

"You can fake this. It's easier to scale it back than force it out of you." Katara says, freezing and kneeling between Mai's legs. "Have you literally never been happy in your life? You don't even have to be that good. It's not like he doesn't know what he's getting into"

"I need an example. What makes you happy?" Mai asks and Katara glares at her.

"A lot of things. Like puppies and people who don't make me feel this exasperated."

"Treason is your main turn on, isn't it?"

Katara tweaks her nipple and Mai makes a small sound. So soft, so unintentional, that Katara realizes how truly difficult this will be. Her job never seemed easy, but now it looks nigh impossible.

"Give him something," Katara says in exasperation, shifting rather uncomfortably in her mock male position. "Touch him-me-whatever."

The waterbender manages not to sigh.

Mai does not know exactly what to do about that, but she runs her hand down Katara's smooth back and then towards her hand as she leans upward, takes Katara by the wrist, and sets her palm on her breast.

Unimpressive, Katara has to admit, but the most progress made today. Katara can work with that, so she feels her up. The courtesan is not awkward but the soon to be empress absolutely is. Her mother's destruction of Mai's ability to feel emotion is very evident the more Katara presses down and rubs and moves.

She intentionally is rough for a few moments here or there, against something as innocent as her waist or as sensitive as her breasts. It's a test, of sorts. Mai does manage to pass that, unsurprisingly.

Katara kisses Mai three times on the lips and suddenly feels her heart race. She drinks her in and then swallows; it is very bad to feel this good. Katara ignores it and prompts Mai to put her arms around the courtesan and dig her nails into her back.

Then, finally, Katara pretends to thrust and expected it to feel ridiculous but her body dragging against the mattress lights the fire of pleasure within her and brings the wetness of need.

Katara tenderly kisses Mai's neck then. She feels good and wishes that she did not. Mai is dangerous tonight and more dangerous tomorrow. This is suddenly not about Ozai anymore and that is bad. The glint in amber eyes and the sparkle in cobalt eyes is bad.

She kisses Mai again and Mai shivers from the tickle of it.

They are suddenly not pretending anymore.