17th Day, Peach Moon, Year of the Tiger
Mai

"This was a waste of time," Mai said, as she and Ty Lee stared out at the dockworkers. The pair of them were currently hiding behind a pile of empty crates, but Mai didn't think they really needed to bother. None of the people at the docks seemed to care that anyone was watching them.

"I don't know about that, Mai. It's definitely more interesting than sitting around your house," Ty Lee said. She pointed at one of the dockworkers, a burly fellow that Mai thought could probably snap both of them in half before she could so much as pull a knife. "Look at what he's got on his arm! What do you think it is?"

"Something a cat vomited up," Mai said. She was at the docks, with only Ty Lee around to hear, but she said it in an undertone all the same. It wasn't ladylike to talk about cat vomit, even if it really did look like some sailor had decided to get some permanently inked into his arm.

"I think it looks like a sunset!" Ty Lee chirped.

It did look quite a bit like a sunset, Mai decided. Or at least like one lumpy cloud turned orange by the setting sun. "I think you're–"

"Hey, that guy looks kind of like your dad." Ty Lee's voice was entirely too chipper for a pronouncement like that, and the only thing that kept Mai from growling at her to be quiet and stop interrupting was the knowledge that there was no way that the man Ty Lee had noticed was actually Mai's father.

Only, when Mai followed Ty Lee's pointer finger to where an uncomfortable-looking man was striding across the docks, it was him. "Quick, we've got to get out of here," Mai hissed as she tugged Ty Lee out of the nets and towards the street. "We'll be in so much trouble if he catches us."

"It's a little late for that." Ty Lee whirled around, but Mai turned slowly and carefully, the way a proper lady would. She knew that the motion wouldn't be enough to entirely mollify her mother, but it certainly wouldn't make things worse. "Come along, now. The docks are no place for a pair of young ladies. We'll have this discussion at home."

"Yes, mother," Mai said. She fixed her gaze on the ground in order to prevent any hint of rebelliousness that might be leaking through her face from being noticed. Clearly it wasn't too unladylike to be at the docks if Mother hadn't sent a servant to collect her wayward daughter for her. "Is Ty Lee coming home with us, or is she going back to her family?"

"Coming home with us, of course," Mother said. Mai could not decide if that was a good thing or not. Surely if this was to be the end of their friendship, Mother would have simply sent Ty Lee to her own home and then forbidden Mai from contacting her, but it was possible that she had some unpleasant punishment or lecture to deliver first. "It seems her own parents are incapable of instilling proper decorum in their daughter."

Ty Lee winced and if Mother hadn't been glaring at the both of them Mai would have done something to console the younger girl. "Of course, Mother," she said instead. "Would you please lead the way?"

Ty Lee and Mai filed soundlessly into the private sitting room– the one that Mother and Father used for family events rather than entertaining guests. It was every bit as stiff and proper as the public sitting room, but the décor was considerably less expensive. A holdover from when Mai was still little and couldn't be trusted not to break anything.

Mai perched herself perfectly on one of the cushions, her posture impeccable. Ty Lee followed suit, although what Mai could see of her from the corner of her eye suggested that Ty Lee was not sitting anything remotely like straight.

The way Mother was looking at Ty Lee would have been enough to make Mai straighten her already perfect posture even more and sit as still as a statue, but Ty Lee doesn't stop wiggling. Mai couldn't be sure, because she didn't dare turn to get a proper look, but she thought that Ty Lee wiggled even more under Mother's gaze.

"I suppose Princess Azula must have kept you around for a reason," Mother said. The way she was looking at Ty Lee made it seem as though Mother thought that Princess Azula's reason probably wasn't a very good one. It was dangerous to criticize royalty, but Azula was dead and Mother's disparagement of Ty Lee– and through her, Azula's judgment– was not explicitly stated.

That had been one of the important lessons Mother had taught Mai when she was small: never openly commit to anything if you can help it.

"Of course, Mother," Mai said, because she had no idea why Azula had become friends with Ty Lee in the first place. Ty Lee was a little bit strange, and way too happy all of the time, but there was nothing really special about her, at least nothing that Mai could see.

Mother's searching eyes turned on Mai, and for a moment Mai thought that she would demand to know exactly what Mai knew about this whole business between Azula and Ty Lee. Then the moment passed and Mother only sighed. "Mai, you know better than to go running off without permission."

"Yes, Mother."

"The docks are dangerous. You might have been hurt."

"Yes, Mother."

"Worse, you might have been recognized. Do you know how that would look for your father? His only child caught running around the docks like a street urchin."

"Very bad, Mother."

"What would posses you to do a thing like that, Mai?"

There was no correct answer to that question, and so Mai stayed stiff and silent.

Ty Lee said, "We wanted to see if we could find someone with the same tattoo as the man who visited my neighbor's house."

If Mai had not been under the watchful eyes of her parents, she might have done something drastic, like pinch Ty Lee. Mother was no doubt appalled to know that her daughter was being so unladylike as to spy on her friend's neighbors and whatever punishment fell would be heavier for it.

"Why thank you for being so honest, Ty Lee," Mother said in a syrupy voice that made Ty Lee's nose wrinkle. "Now, Mai, it's all very well that you're starting to take interest in what happens around you, but you need to be more careful. The idea is to find out about other people's secrets without creating any scandal."

"Yes, Mother," Mai said. She glanced over at her father, looking to see how he reacted to this new development. He was, as Mother wished, too proper to show any surprise, but Mai would have expected him to look interested in what was going on. Instead he merely looked bored.

"Now, what made you think Ty Lee's neighbor's have something to hide?" Mother asked.

Mai shrugged. "Nothing really. One of their daughters goes to school and the other doesn't. That's all."

Mother smiled, only faintly but still far more broadly than Mai was used to seeing. "Well, let's see if we can't seem to drum up a little more discrete way of working out what's going on, shall we?"

Mai nodded. She had never seen either of her parents in a mood quite like this before, and she thought it wisest to agree with them about everything. Sooner or later, probably sooner rather than later knowing Mother, Mai's parents would realize that their 'investigation' was rooted in the boredom of two small girls and decide that it wasn't worth their time to continue it.

"Really?" Ty Lee blurted out with her usual excitement.

"Of course. If my daughter is going to run around the city like a hooligan in search of 'clues', then it's about time I start paying attention to her." Unusually for Mother, her tone did not suggest that this was meant as a threat. "And don't shout, Ty Lee. It's rude."

"Sorry."

"Now Ty Lee's parents are expecting her home and I'm sure you're very tired from skulking around the docks all morning, Mai, so we'll continue this conversation tomorrow." Mother's tone made it very clear that she intended to brook no argument on the matter.

The smart thing for Mai to do– the thing that her Mother wanted her to do– was to quietly excuse herself and head off to bed, but Mai knew what would happen if she did that. Tomorrow morning (assuming that Mai's parents still cared about Ty Lee's neighbors by then), Mother would sit Mai down and explain to her how this entire spying operation would be done and Ty Lee would not be involved. If Ty Lee did invite herself over at some point (the way Ty Lee frequently did) then she would be brushed aside, kept to the edge of things until it was very clear to even Ty Lee that she wasn't welcome.

"Actually, Mother," Mai said. "I'm not tired at all. You'd have to send a servant to see Ty Lee home anyway; why not send a servant to Ty Lee's parents and tell them she's staying over for dinner?" Mai couldn't imagine that Ty Lee would comport herself with the level of decorum that Mother demanded at the dinner table, but she seemed to be mostly immune to Mother's criticism. If nothing else, it would be entertaining to watch Mother's reaction to Ty Lee's table manners.

"I don't see the harm in it," Father said. Mother shot him a dirty look, the kind that usually had him immediately changing his stance, but Father only smiled in return. "Ty Lee's family is not as influential or as important as our own, but it is a noble family nevertheless– and one specially favored of the royal family. We ought to give her a chance at least."

"Very well," Mother said. She directed a scathing look at Ty Lee. "But you had better behave yourself."