Not much...

Mai swallowed her food before speaking, ever the sophesticated lady thanks to her parents. "I was depressed for a long time," she replied. I quirked an eyebrow. "Don't be a smart ass," she chastized, apparently knowing what I was thinking. Mai not being depressed would be the shocker, not the other way around.

"I thought about you a lot...without you there, I began to...give in...to my parents, I guess you could say," she went on. "When you were around, I could laugh...I could smile. You MADE me do those things...and I adored you for it." Sighing, Mai stirred her soup. "And you were now gone." Wow...I almost felt guilty for having this programmed into her.

"My parents tried to get me in good standing with the Fire Lord's family...especially Zuko," Mai mused, her eyes taking on a far away look. "To be honest, I kind of liked him...he was...real. Like you were." "Real?" I asked, confused. She nodded. "When you're a noble, you have to keep up appearances at all times. If Azula could get away with it, she'd have been dressed in leather and carrying a whip. I could see it in her face as she punished the slackers and failures. It wasn't just about sending a message to the others...it was about enjoying herself." She took a spoonful of soup, quickly swallowing it. "...I tried to never be in the room when she was doing it. I didn't like her expression."

Shaking her head, Mai frowned. "Anyway, Zuko wasn't like that. He was honest. A bit of an honor obsession, but still honest. I think it was because of his uncle. The idea that he was the Fire Lord's brother was...interesting. ...to be honest, he annoyed the hell out of me," she said. Didn't surprise me in the slightest.

"It became increasingly clear that Azula wasn't going to do a damn thing to help me find you," Mai remarked, her lip curling slightly in disgust. "She'd make promises and never keep them. Something always came up. When she tried to kill off her own brother, that's when I couldn't take it anymore. I turned on her. Nearly got me flash fried, but Ty Lee saved me. ...I don't think you ever met Ty Lee..."

Frowning, I tapped my chin. "Did she ever visit the palace while I was serving there?" I asked, pretending I had no idea who Ty Lee was. "No, I met her later on," Mai replied. "Yeah, there's no way you'd know her. ...you wouldn't like her anyway."

Strange, she almost sounded defensive there...