shatterverse | (no subject)

Entry tags:

iroh fray,
mai

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Mai is down to four knives now. If she were fully armed she would simply turn and kill the things chasing her, but there are three of them, and the on that she took down before she started running was way too tough.

And she was pretty sure that if just one of the things got close enough to her she'd be dead.

But they were much better built for the lightly wooded terrain she was crashing through, and they were gaining. There weren't a lot of options open, and she didn't like any of them.

The eerie howling sounds were getting closer. Time to make a decision.

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Oh shit.

Iroh freezes, hoping confusion would mask fear.

"How do you mean?"

"Who. Are. You." she repeats, each word over-enunciated. Her tone is dangerous, and not one she uses often.

It's the one that only comes out when she's actually scared.

"My name is Zheng."

That's a lie, but it's an easy one to tell, and he's not telling her his real one.

"But," she almost hesitates, "Who are you?" She recovers her composure, "Surely more than a name."

"I could give you my life history," he offers.

"When you were last in the Fire Nation, what year was it? Had the comet arrived yet?"

Mai frowns and starts to object, but then she considers the question. It's actually a good one.

"No. It was due to arrive in a week or two when I found myself here." It was a nice change from prison, really.

Thinking quickly, Iroh comes up with an excuse;

"That was five years ago for me, and is why you're asking the wrong questions. You should be asking who you are, Lady Mai."

Mai stiffens again.

"What are you saying?" Because she does not like the sound of that.

"If you were wondering how I knew you."

Jesu, Brain, do NOT mess this up

"You're friends with the Fire Lord."

Other than the way her eyes flicker, Mai doesn't move. She's processing through all of the implications of his words.

Friends. Not Azula, not Ozai. The Avatar won.

Friends. Not something more. That's more complicated.

If it isn't Azula or Ozai that really only leaves Zuko. Which means she's even more of an idiot than she thought. She winces at the thought.

Or it's not Zuko, which meant a change in dynasty. Civil war. Even worse. She winces again.

She looks up, "Was the transfer of power ugly?"

If he sees the winces (he does), Iroh - Zheng - says nothing.

"It was war." So of course it was ugly. But - his tone is calculated to suggest it could have been worse.

"Ozai died a prisoner earlier this year."

"And--" she starts to ask about the others: Azula, Ty Lee, Zuko, but she stops herself.

She's pretty sure she doesn't want to know right now.

He wouldn't recommend it, anyway.

He nods once, hoping that's enough to prove she can trust him.

"Are you hungry? I could talk to our 'hosts'."

Her leg and trying to figure out the implications of what she's learned have made her numb, so she just shrugs.

Sure. Food's fine.

Zheng nods again, and quietly gets up, in order to rattle on the door handle, just to make a noise.

Eventually someone bangs on the door and the older man says, "What?"

"Food?" Zheng suggests.

"We haven't got..."

There's a long, whispered argument.

"Wait there!"

"We should not stay here too long," Mai points out. "I would be surprised if they avoid trying something for more than a day or two."

"You'll need at least that," Iroh says, crossing to the window. "I'm hoping to bargain some more protection for their trust. You think they know who to prepare meat from those wolves?"

"They are still alive," Mai says slowly. "The figured out how to do that at some point." There aren't exactly any major food sources in the area, after all.

She shakes her head, "I doubt that you can make them trust you. You are a 'freak' after all."

It's then he realises he doesn't have all the information he needs in this world.

"How long has it been?"

Mai's shoulders twitch in an almost invisible shrug. "It has been almost a year since I arrived, at least as far as I can tell. So at least that long."

It also probably helps explain why she looks so much more worn down than she should have at her age.

He glances back at her, horrified.

And ready to apologise for leaving her that long, but realises on time she'd never understand. Hell, he doesn't even know if she believes this loyal soldier charade.

"They must have run out of bullets recently, then. They'll probably find use for a firebender and a knife expert.

"Then we should go."

He thinks he saw a car outside. If only he knew how to drive.

She doesn't notice the horrified look, which is probably a good thing, since she would probably ask why he has it.

"That is probably a good idea," she agrees sarcastically.

He frowns in that kind of hurt way she'll eventually learn to know means he's upset that someone's insulted by him.

"I was agreeing with you."

For now she simply rolls her eyes at his pained expression. "Yes. Now if only you had agreed with me when I said we shouldn't come here."

As if she had been coherent enough with all the pain to make any sort of convincing argument.

"How far do you think you'd have made on that leg?"

His knowing smirk? Is because she's talking about 'we'.