𝗕𝗟𝗨𝗘𝗕𝗘𝗟𝗟 𝗙𝗟𝗔𝗠𝗘𝗦. 𝗍𝗒𝗓𝗎𝗅𝖺

gymnastics routine

  zuko frowned as he watched ty lee trudge down the stairs, she looked like she had just been crying. zuko sighed and rubbed her back, hoping that it would comfort her. he had never been good at comforting.

  "what happened? why does it look like you've been crying? why did azula run off?" zuko's questions came hurling past ty lee, she stood there and blinked several times.

  "nothing bad happened... i'm fine, i hurt myself while in the earth kingdom, and it's still painful... and i don't know why she ran off." ty lee's voice cracked, she wiped another tear off her cheek and straightened up.

  "i'm going to go and calm myself down by practising my gymnastics routine. i'll be back when it's time for dinner!" ty lee said. zuko raised his eyebrow and sighed, he knew there was no point in arguing with her.

  "okay... be careful."

  "will do, zu-zu!" ty lee smiled and ran out the door, heading towards the high hills in the east.  zuko frowned, that's the exact same way that azula went. this is not going to end well.

&&&

  mai looked down thoughtfully, zuko had just told everyone about his little chat with ty lee.

  "ty lee said she was gonna practice a gymnastics routine. azula will probably show up in that lie sooner or later," zuko said with a lazy tone.

  "wait...you said that azula headed to the hills in the east?" mai asked.

  "yes. and then ty lee followed."

  "that's..."

  sokka raised his eyebrows, he didn't understand why everyone was just standing here when ty lee could have been cremated by now.

  "gymnastics routine? it'll turn into a deadly brawl!" sokka shouted, furrowing his eyebrows. suki rolled her eyes and turned to mai.

  "that's what, mai?" suki asked curiously.

  mai sighed and smiled slightly.

  "well...behind those hills in the east, there is a small city. it may be small, but its houses and shops are extravagant and majestic. it's called the eastside, the city where the sun doesn't set. when me, zuko, ty lee and azula were young, we used to come here, right?"

  "right," everyone replied.

  "every night, around midnight, azula and ty lee would sneak out of their windows and go to the crowded city. i've only been once with them, i was afraid of getting caught. we all had our separate rooms, which meant we had to find a way out of the window.

  "we had to meet up at the centre of the city. the thought of travelling to the overpopulated city alone frightened me," mai rubbed the back of her neck, "somehow, azula and ty lee never raised any suspicions. two 11-year-old girls, wandering around a town alone..."

  katara glanced out the window, it was nearly midnight and the girls haven't returned. she actually believed that ty lee would be back by dinner, she should have known ty lee was lying.

  mai smiled, she felt like this friendship fixing was running smoothly. azula and ty lee would act a lot different around each other in the morning, mai was certain about that.