Fight Like A Girl

Ty Lee tried not to let her disappointment show, of course the guards would’ve taken her knives. Unlike herself, Mai actually used weapons. They would figure it out, they always did. “It’s okay, Mai, at least they kept us together. We’ll find a way. And in the meantime, we have each other to help keep a concept of time.” She was pretty sure leaving them together was another ploy, but for now, she had to give into it and be glad that she wasn’t alone. Ty Lee stood up and glanced out the window in their tiny cell, the bars kept any prisoners from getting ideas about breaking out, not to mention there’d be no where to go. She had no intention of getting out, she did however, plan to make sure that neither her or Mai’s spirit broke. “We’ll hang it from the bar. I was hoping for something a little less visible but it’ll be okay.” She hung it from the window and pulled it to the side and counted how long it took for it to stop swinging. Thanks to the weight of the beads, it took a few minutes and Ty Lee smiled. “It takes roughly four minutes. So, if time starts to feel weird, we know that we can swing that and know that about four minutes has passed.” She heard Mai and shook her head, she wasn’t letting her go down into the dark part of her mind. “Mai, I knew what I was doing the moment I stopped Azula too, and I would do it again. I’ve got you and you’ve got me. We can get through this.”

Ty Lee glanced at the window and shook her head, “I don’t think that‘s a good idea. If they were to move our cell or cover the window we would be left without anything. We need something completely independent, something they wouldn‘t think twice of if they saw in here, or easily hidden.“ She was still trying to think of what they could use. Ty Lee patted down her pockets, wrists, and ankles, looking for anything. “We don’t need to tell time, just know that we can see or feel the passage of time. They’re trying to make us feel delusional, like time doesn’t exist. We have to make sure we keep feeling time pass.“ Ty Lee used to hear her dad talk and laugh about how prisoners that had been there for only a few days would say it had been weeks, or ones that had been there for years would think only one or two years had passed. She couldn’t fall victim to her own father’s tricks. “We mark the underside of the bed or part of the wall hidden by the beds for the days,” she pulled her hair out of it’s bun and smiled lightly at the weighted beads, “Is there a way we can pin this to the wall? If we know how long it swings side to side for we might have a semi easy way to know how time is passing.” She wouldn’t give in to her torment.

Ty Lee knew that she would be forever grateful for Mai, she was keeping her balanced through this difficult time. Honestly, they were lucky to not have been separated. Somehow, she wondered if it was intentional or if it was an oversight. Maybe they were hoping they’d eventually kill each other being in such close quarters. It wouldn’t though. They were solid. “And I’ll be right here with you,” she muttered back. Ty Lee knew Mai would’ve been alright without her, but she would do anything to help her. She glanced at the tiny covered flap, the only window in their cell. “We need to find a way to tell time that isn’t based on the guards,” she said quietly, “They’re not going to give us meals at regular intervals. My dad helped the Fire Lord with our nation’s mental torture techniques to break down prisoners. Time disorientation is one of the first levels.”

Ty Lee couldn’t help but almost restlessly glance around their small imprisonment. She tried to force herself to calm down, she needed to conserve her energy, had to make sure she wouldn’t go stir crazy. If only for Mai’s sake. Ty Lee didn’t want to disturb her melancholic friend. Just knowing that she couldn’t leave, follow her usual nomadic lifestyle felt suffocating. No Ty Lee, it’s okay, she thought to herself. A feeling of a hand in her own pulled her from her brain’s jail cell. She glanced at Mai’s hand in hers before giving it a gentle squeeze. Ty Lee knew she wasn’t a fan of physical touch, but Mai was doing it anyway. “Thank you,” she said quietly. The feeling was grounding and helped her keep her thoughts in check. For the moment at least, the anxiety had calmed from roiling sea to gentle laps on the shore. 

Ty Lee sat there, stretching out her muscles and trying her best to not think about how long they would be in the small room. They were traitors to the Fire Nation, and once more, she had attacked the princess. She would absolutely do it again, however, this did leave her in a predicament. She was used to constantly moving, her parents had sent her to finishing school, the circus constantly moved around the Fire Nation, performing shows all over. She had even left the Fire Nation when Azula came for them. Ty Lee hadn’t stayed in one place for more than a month since school.

She glanced around the room, forcing air in and out of her lungs. “I don’t know, but I think it will be most important for us to find multiple means of entertainment.”

               OPTIONS GIVEN were more for the sake of adding to what had already been suggested, but korra had hoped that staying in would be picked over everything. - going out all the time was tiring, and though it called for a good night’s sleep after all of it, the effort put into even leaving for something like a date could be irritating. ‘ we can stay right here. watch the stars for a bit. ’now she was rubbing the others’ back, almost swaying in place as if music had begun to play and she was preparing to dance. ‘ and then when we’re feeling tired of it, we can go inside. ’  

Asami laughed softly as Korra started almost swaying in place, like there was music playing only she could hear. Asami pressed closer to her, wrapping her arms around Korra’s neck and pressing closer to her. Or trying to, at least. “That honestly sounds perfect. I think a lot of people are too focused on doing things with the people they love, that they forget just being with the person they love is more than enough.”

           YOU KNOW I’M perfectly okay with staying in, too. we don’t always have to go out somewhere. ’ not pulling back, but instead moving in such a way that would allow for the taller of the two to loom over the other, cool, ocean blue irises glistened in the light of the nearby lanterns. air temple island was always beautifully peaceful at night.  ‘ but, if you want to go somewhere, i won’t argue. ’ a curious hand was roaming, gently moving along the back of the raven-haired dame, keeping a rather slow pace and remaining within a specific area. ‘ we can always enjoy the fresh air! or go see a mover… ’

Asami looked at Korra, wondering if she was saying that to give them both more options, or because she didn’t want to go out. Either way, Asami meant what she’d said. She was flexible, and if staying in was what Korra wanted to do, well it wasn’t any skin off Asami’s back.

                    TWO WHOLE WEEKS, to be exact. ’  the tone korra took with asami was one of pure amusement. to some people two weeks wasn’t a long time, but for the avatar it felt like an eternity. their embrace didn’t wither, if anything it almost seemed tighter, more secure. - the avatar was content with this moment, and though it would probably be better for the two to go elsewhere, neither figure seemed to move. ‘ what could you possibly have for us to do today? ’

If anyone but her girlfriend had said it that way, she might have gone on the defensive and gotten irritated with them. But since it was Korra, since Asami knew her sense of humor, it truly did not bother her in the slightest. “That’s practically forever!” She said as she continued to hug Korra, never wanting to let her go. At least not until she had to. 

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: It’s complicated.

FAVORITE COLOR: Red

LIPSTICK OR CHAPSTICK: Chapsticl

LAST SONG I LISTENED TO: The Devil Went Down to Georgia

LAST MOVIE I WATCHED: Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper

TOP THREE TV SHOWS: RWBY, SPOP, ATLA

TOP THREE SHIPS: For ATLA/LOK? Maiko, Kataang, Sukka.

BOOKS I’M CURRENTLY READING: Too many to list

TAGGED BY: @kingwu

                        THE AVATAR held onto the industrialist, a smile slowly curving her lips to show her amusement. ‘ i feel like it’s been forever that we’ve gotten to see each other. ’ if she wanted to, lifting asami would be so easy, but standing out in the middle of a room with nowhere to put her back down on, didn’t make for the best outcome. ‘ i think our dinner date was the last time we actually had some true alone time together. ’

“I feel like that too.” Asami responded, smiling as Korra held her. She honestly didn’t think she’d ever get tired of feeling the warmth of her girlfriend’s strong, steady embrace around her. 

                   STRONG ARMS almost instantly jumped to wrapping around the others’ waist. the avatar grinned as her girlfriend moved in for the kiss. the height difference was comical, but that didn’t stop the two of them from enjoying each others’ affection. something about the kiss seemed different, though. it was more… steamy than usual. ‘ well… someone missed me.~ ’

She wasn’t about to deny it when Korra commented that she missed her. “I always do.” Asami said against her lips. She had missed Korra, and now that she was in her arms, she never wanted to let her go again. 

KATARA PICKS AROUND HIS MOTIVES with a verbal caliper. Comes close to letting a lopsided grin tip over. Doesn’t. Part of his charm to some. Part of the reasons to not trust him for others. Unassuming, could very well be harmless with his frame and the air he wears. Misleading demeanour, it’s enough for the untrained eye to be fooled by. He tilts his head, not really considering what to say. Considering the two here, more like. In a position of not being able to trust people. With a disposition of being more observant. Goes hand in hand, both of them.

“Nothing.” He isn’t a generous soul. If they don’t need him, he’ll get going. “Guess I’d been thinking of nipping a problem in the bud. ‘Sides, doesn’t seem like I can trust someone else here.”

“We could use all the help we can get.” Katara says simply, and Toph resists the urge to face palm. Katara’s never been shy about asking people for help if she thinks they can give it, and Toph just knows that one day it’s going to blow up in their faces and get one of them, or both of them for that matter, hurt. For as much as she gives the group she’s decided to go on this journey with grief, she has come to consider them friends. Hell, some days they’re more her family than her parents ever were.

They respect her, they know what she’s capable of, they don’t patronize her.

Is it any wonder she’ll do whatever she has to in order to keep them safe?

Ty Lee had both admired and resented the avatar’s little group. Outside of her trio with Mai and Azula, she’d never really wanted attachments, preferring the nomadic lifestyle of being able to leave if her surroundings would discolor her aura. However, she wondered what it would be like to have someone you care that much about. Glancing at Mai, she hummed quietly, maybe that’s what it was like: the urge to protect Mai from Azula and go against Azula because Mai was more important to her. “That’s interesting,” she said mostly to herself. 

She was still on the floor stretching and shrugged, “I don’t know. There’s nothing to do until the guards or Azula decides she or they want something.” It wasn’t like they could do much, and as much training as they could do, muscle and strength didn’t just appear over night. One could actually hurt themselves if they trained too much before they had built up the right amount of strength.

Mai looked back at Ty Lee. It was hard for her to know what her friend was thinking, and then the way she referred to Ty Lee in her mind gave her pause. Her friend? She’d never had real friends before. She had only gone along with Azula because they ran in the same circles (or rather their families did, for the most part at least). But Ty Lee had risked her own life and safety to save her from Azula’s wrath. And now they were both stuck in here. But she was grateful that she wasn’t alone, even though she hated that Ty Lee was stuck here with her.