Mai and Sokka's Tall Tale

Mai and Sokka's Tall Tale

Sokka had been surprised to discover that not only did the Fire Nation understand and make use of the concept of a vacation, they had a rather long one set by ages of tradition at a rather convenient time of year. When the hottest month of the summer rolled around, the Capital City effectively shut down and all the nobles retreated to their vacation estates to make the best of the weather. Most service business throughout the Fire Nation also closed down, but of course farmers and merchants were simply left to endure.

For the more privileged, especially the personal friends of Fire Lord Zuko, that meant a hot and sweaty vacation opportunity that was simply not to be missed. Everyone was staying at the Fire Lord's private complex on Ember Island, even his little sister Azula who was recovering nicely from her brain surgery and seemed to be completely reformed except for a new tendency to giggle all the time (which everyone decided to take as a good sign since they couldn't figure out what it meant).

Many interesting things happened to the group during this vacation, if one considered romantic and general comedy to be interesting. A particular incident (of several, perhaps- it all depends on the fickle nature of whatever power arranges for these things to happen) involved Sokka of the Water Tribe and Mai of the Fire Nation.

The whole group had been playing a game that Sokka didn't entirely understand but consisted of his friend Toph getting to throw a light inflatable ball at everyone else while they ran for cover on the hot shadeless beach. There didn't seem to be much point other than that but everyone was enjoying running around and Toph was enjoying beaning her friends with all her strength and so the game continued throughout the afternoon. At several points there were brief brakes whilst the participants caught their breath, and during one of these Sokka found himself standing next Mai.

Mai had never really been friends with Sokka or any of the others (aside from Zuko, of course, who claimed to have been dating the girl for over a decade despite their young age, and Ty Lee and Azula, who claimed to have been friends with the girl for over a decade despite her lack of conversational skills) prior to their post-war get-togethers, and she had made no real attempt to connect with any one of them since then. Everyone else, in turn, was reluctant to attempt to connect with a girl who always spoke in a monotone, dressed in dark colors specifically chosen for their ability to depress people, and played with knives with a disturbingly intense passion. At this particular moment, though, Sokka suddenly found Mai to be an object of great interest.

Specifically, Sokka found Mai's color to be altogether baffling. She was wearing proper (not counting the depressing color) beachwear, but despite the considerable amount of her skin that was exposed to the sun, her pale unhealthy pigmentation was completely unaffected. She wasn't tanning at all, despite her hours in the sun, nor was she even the least bit red, like poor Toph who was going to discover later why lightly-complexioned people should cover up a bit at this time of year. In fact, despite all the running everyone had been doing, and the unrelenting heat of the sun, she wasn't perspiring, and her hair was completely unmussed. It was as though she had just stepped out of the ridiculously well-appointed house and onto the beach for the first time this instant.

And so in his surprise Sokka found himself staring in a rather intense manner at Mai. Even worse, he was staring at the the bits of her body that were currently uncovered with a degree of concentration that would have had her boyfriend Zuko exhaling fire and not just to amuse everyone like he did the previous night when they were roasting marshmallows.

Then Mai picked up on his attention.

Without otherwise moving, her eyes swung to take in her one-person audience. The act should have only taken an instant and been completely silent, but somehow it seemed to Sokka to be a slow process that hung in time long enough for fear to completely blanket his soul, accompanied by the sound of polished marble sliding easily against smoothed granite. Then she spoke, her voice even and cool, a sound that Sokka always considered an appropriate accompaniment to the sight of two slabs of ice attempting to mate and not enjoying the process at all.

"What?"

Sokka couldn't keep his own voicing from rising in fear, just a little bit. "How are you not baking in all this sun and heat? Even Katara and I are practically hard boiled by now. Hey, even Azula is breathing hard."

Mai eyes locked onto his own. She still hadn't moved. "My body can't be affected by a something as petty as a hot day. Haven't you heard the legend?"

Sokka shook his head.

Mai spoke. "I'm a direct descendant of the Spirit of Death herself. Long ago, Agni the Spirit of the Sun found his heart gripped by loneliness. He wanted love, but no other Spirit could withstand him. He had attempted to love the Spirit of the Earth, but her rock skin had turned to lava in his presence and all the plants burned, so she forced him away. He had tried to love the Spirit of the Seas, but she had boiled at his touch and life everywhere choked, so she shrank from him. He had even presented himself to the whimsical Spirit of the Air, but his shine had filtered through her and blinded all living things on the planet, so she spurned him. Agni could not bear the thought of being alone for all of time, so he stopped rising and left the world in eternal night. The Moon, who was graceful and beautiful but was already pledged to forever dance away from Agni in the sky, saw that the balance was disturbed, so she took action and went to the one spirit she knew could withstand the sun's touch. She found the Spirit of Death, and brought her to where the sun lay. Agni reached out a hand to her, and she took it, impressed by his majesty and his glow of Life, and she did not burn or dry. So cold was the touch of Death, she could even quench the fire of the Sun itself with her body. And so the Sun and Death fell in love, and knew happiness. But it could not last. Although Death herself was only slightly warmed by his scalding touch, none of the dead souls could tolerate the light when they approached Death for collection. Agni would not leave Death, so intense was his love for her, and Death could not bear to send him away. Balance was once again upset, so Death was forced to act. She took her long black hair, made of never-ending night, and cut several locks. She took these, hardened them in the freezing depths of eternity, sharpened them against the sturdiest mountains on the Earth, and used the blades to cut Agni's heart from his chest. No longer burdened by emotion, he left Death and continued his duties in the sky without fail. Death, however, was heartbroken at what had to be, and so she never took another lover, and shunned contact with all other Spirits. She settled in the Fire Nation, the mortals most devoted to her only love, living alone by day and going out at night to collect the dead souls. My family sprung from her, and we are revered as the most holy line second only to the House of the Fire Lord itself."

Sokka was dumbstruck. That was the most words he had ever heard Mai string together at one time. It probably put her over quota for the whole week. Finally, he found the strength to respond. "If Death never took another lover, how can you be descended from her?"

Mai's eyes softened as she looked at him. She moved slightly, for the first time since they spoke. "You're smarter than you look." Her mouth moved into a skewed line that might have been a smile.

Sokka found himself grinning. He believed he had just made a new friend.

Later that night, Toph was quite sunburned and cursed loudly about it, but still ate almost as many marshmallows as Sokka.

END