Katara and Zuko walked down to the beach seeing the girls again as ty Lee had her arms around Azula and Mai watched them annoyed or bored, or both. She held a bottle in her hand and took a drink of it to keep her buzz going.

Zuko walked past Mai as she watched him but he didn't bother sending a glance.

"Hey," Mai said softly.

Zuko pursed his lips and said nothing, he didn't stop. A spark in his chest as he could feel her eyes on him, her glare. Faking a 'kind' voice to talk to him.

He followed Katara instead as she sighed softly sitting on a flat rock and Azula got ty Lee to sit on the broken tree on the ground, Mai sat across from them on her own rock. Zuko hesitated but Katara scooted and patted next to her for him.

"Are You cold?" Zuko looked at Mai seeing she was pulling her shawl over her bare arms more. She glared at him and returned the ignoring.

"I'm freezing!" Ty Lee gasped as she was sobering up still.

"I'll make a fire," he offered and all the girls agreed.

"There's plenty of stuff to burn in there," he motioned to the house he was at. Katara was surprised a little but no one stopped him.

—

The fire crackled as Zuko threw some broken furniture in the small pit and set it on fire with his bending. He grabbed an old family portrait and tossed it in, watching the flames eat at it with each family member on it disappearing.

"What are you doing?" Ty Lee asked confused.

"Making a fire?" Zuko crossed his arms.

"But it's a painting of your family..." she said softly, he dropped another portrait in of Ozai and his mother.

"It's worthless," he shrugged a little. "I don't care, it doesn't matter anyways,"

"I think you do," she pursed her lips. Katara glanced at Azula knowing it was her family too, she watched calmly looking like it didn't matter to her either... it was odd seeing how broken the family was, her and Zuko seemed like strangers half the time but were raised together. Like the word family didn't mean much by other than related by blood, nothing more nothing less.

"It doesn't matter anyways, just because we had a few drinks doesn't mean we know each other," Zuko narrowed his eyes at her.

"Hey, knock that off," Katara sat up straighter seeing he was getting annoyed.

"Why? Cause I'm the first boy that's not going to suck up to her to get in her pants? My bad," he scoffed a little and ty Lee looked at him shocked.

"That's not- I don't.. it's not like that! I'm not asking boys to come to me! I'd be perfectly fine without them," ty Lee snapped back.

"Yea sure, just because your pretty and can walk on your hands you think your unique?" Zuko spat back.

"Circus freak," he glared.

Azula snorted and giggled next to her as Katara frowned at how fast his temper went up, she's always known he had a fiery temper so it wasn't surprised when he'd snap, but he was just fine until he and Mai were together at the fire again. She looked over concerned seeing how frustrated and hurt ty Lee looked.

"Ty-" "yes. I'm a circus freak, go ahead and laugh," ty Lee glared at them all with tears in her eyes. "You wanna know why I joined the circus?"

"Here we go," Mai rolled her eyes.

"Ty lee your still drunk, take it easy," Katara said softly but the other girl didn't listen.

"Do you have any idea what my home life was like? Growing up with six sister who look exactly like me? It's like I didn't even have my own name! I joined the circus because I was scared of spending the rest of my life as part of a matching set, at least I'm different now!" Ty Lee told them with a few tears escaping in her frustration as she knelt in the sand.

"Circus freak is a compliment!" She spat looking at Zuko angrily. He sat in the sand looking at her with no emotions in his eyes.

"Guess that explains the ten boyfriends," Mai sighed.

"I'm sorry what?" Ty Lee huffed.

"Attention issues? You couldn't get enough attention as a kid so your making up for it
now," Mai elaborated with a sharp look.

"Well what's your excuse Mai? You still get fussy because your ex boyfriend was forced into an engagement yet you blame him and border line abused him physically and mentally," ty Lee smiled with cruelty behind the sweet tone. Everyone tensed at the one word that was thrown around.

"Because for 15 years You got whatever you wanted as an only child but suddenly is told no to something you can't have, but you can have anything you want but your aura is dingy, pasty, grey-" "I don't believe in that shit," Mai cut her off not phased by her words. Or at least didn't show it.

"You don't believe in anything," Zuko sighed falling back in the sand with his hands behind his head.

"Oh sorry, I'm not as high strung and crazy as the rest of you," Mai glared at him.

"Probably because you have no purpose," Katara accidentally said outloud. Everyone turned to her. The water benders face immediately got red.

"No I mean just because you don't show interest or passion in things you struggle to find your purpose for yourself so you don't believe in anything," she explained quickly seeing the hate in Mai.

"Yea? Because you'll have such a fulfilling life as a trophy wife from coming off of a block of ice doing nothing?" Mai hissed.

"I didn't ask to leave my home, but I do what I can to still actually help people," Katara narrowed her eyes at the pale girl. "I know i have more purpose than just some wife,"

"Good job fire lady Katara, we're so thankful for you," Mai rolled her eyes sarcastically at her.

"You probably acted just as high and mighty as you are now, just now you don't have to wear fur like savages the water tribes are," she sneered but Katara didn't budge.

"You think we're savages?" The water bender growled.

"If you weren't you wouldn't be marrying to save your poor little tribe, you were sold to the fire nation, the women from your tribes aren't more than just property, everyone knows that," Mai sighed like it was obvious as Lara's jaw dropped.

"We aren't property! Yes I had to work harder than anyone else at the tribe but I proved them wrong, I earned my respect, I'm never going to be some wife sitting on the side silently for this stupid fucking nation," Katara stood up angrily.

"I took care of everyone, my brother, my grandmother, everyone's children, the elderly, other mothers, I never got a break, dont ever treat me like I had an easy life, royalty and money meant nothing at home, we worked together to survive, the southern tribe is nothing like the northern," she snarled harshly.

"No one gives a damn about your speech of how awful your life was," Mai pushed knowing she was getting her to crack. "We don't care about your little pity party,"

"If it wasn't for Zuko, or azula, no one would even know who you are-" "that's enough you two! I can't keep listening to you both degrade the other," ty Lee stopped them.

"I don't know I thought it was fun listening," Zuko said from the ground with his eyes closed and hands behind his head.

"You don't even defend your fiancé," Azula rolled her eyes.

"If I had to defend kat every time someone tried to tell her she wasn't worth anything more than just a pretty face I would be exhausted," Zuko sighed a little annoyed.

"She can take care of herself, she's not helpless and sometimes we all just need to blow off a little steam," he told them honestly as Katara frowned at him a little, she didn't know how to take that, she thought they were at least closer to friends.

"She's not the only one that was forced to do things either of us want," Zuko shrugged a little.

"Poor you," Mai scoffed.

"For once yes, I'd like a little fucking sympathy," he glared sitting up.

"Just cause you have the major daddy issues-" "shut the fuck up mai!"

Zuko gripped his fists tightly as she stared at him coldly.

"What do you want from me?" Zuko hissed.

"I already gave you the only answers I had, Mai I was basically fucking sold to another nation too, so sorry about our relationship, and my own father would do anything to make sure I can bring more shame to myself every day, he already marked me as the damned prince that was banished I don't know what more people want from me!" He raised his voice at her as Mai glared back with no sympathy.

"So tell me Mai, what else do you want from me!?" Zuko felt his palm heating up as the fire raised in the center and Katara gasped at the heat backing away. Zuko looked up quickly and lowered the fire back down.

"Whatever," Mai rolled her eyes.

"Spirits this is pathetic, both of you in this stupid circle of yelling and no solution, it's boring at this point, it was interesting before but now it's old," Azula sighed leaning back on her arms.

"I think we all just need to cool down," Katara crossed her legs keeping her eyes down.

"Let them keep screaming," Azula smirked.

"Youre no help Azula, too perfect to get your hands dirty," Zuko shot back.

"I am," she hummed.

"I don't have sob story's, I wasn't sold or banished or replaced with a snap of my fingers," Azula sighed smugly.

"I could just complain that our mom liked Zuko more than me but I don't really care, one person that liked him more than me, everyone else adores me," she shrugged a little looking at the fire.

"My own mother thought I was a monster..." she sighed.

"She was right of course but it still hurt," Azula looked at them getting out of her head quickly.

"What lo and li said is true, the beach did help up learn about ourselves," ty Lee spoke up after a moment of silence.

"I feel all smooth and closer to all of you," she smiled gently at them.

Katara glanced at Zuko for a moment seeing the anguish in his eyes still, that he was still healing from his past... that he didn't feel smooth like ty Lee spoke up but like salt was poured back into his wounds, she felt the same from missing home. Katara forced a smile as ty Lee hugged Azula happily as Mai stayed silent.