fic: Warrants Investigation

[c3childs]

Title: Warrants Investigation
Author: c3childs
Rating: k
Words: 500
Genre: gen
Char/Pair: Mai, Hahn
Warning: no
Summary: They said it, Azula didn’t believe it, but Mai is the one who has to make sure.

They seemed to think that they’d captured one of the Avatar’s companions, the Water Tribe boy. Princess Azula had found that unlikely but decided that it couldn’t be dismissed out of hand. So she sent Mai. If it wasn’t him, then Azula hadn't wasted her own time to see, and if it was, Mai could handle him.

The girl followed her soldier escorts down the halls of the Fire Nation outpost. They halted on either side of the door, and one helpfully slid the little window open for her.

It wasn’t quite worth an eye roll.

“Open the door.”

“But my lady, he is a dangerous –“

“I am here on behalf of Princess Azula. You don’t want me to tell her that you made this difficult.”

The one soldier unbolted several latches and pulled open the door. The boy inside tried to stand under the weight of the shackles around his wrists and legs but fell back on his butt.

“Light it up.”

Both soldiers obliged her by lighting the torches inside the cell, illuminating blue eyes in a square face. The wrong face. The prisoner was broader than the Avatar’s companion and had a head full of hair. He smirked.

“Ha! You Fire Nation cowards hide behind a woman’s skirt. Are you that afraid to face me on your own?”

Oh, he was one of those.

She could walk away, back to Azula and make her report. But that would leave her with nothing to do until the princess said jump. Or, she could try entertaining herself for a few minutes.

“Leave us,” she commanded.

The soldiers hesitated before departing, shutting the door after them.

“What’s your name?”

“I am Hahn, lieutenant of the Northern Water Tribe’s elite fo–“

“Enough. I don’t need to know your entire, pathetic military career.”

“Pathetic? I am a highly respected, renowned warrior of my tribe.”

“Uh-huh. Must be pretty stiff competition with the other twenty or so inbred warriors.”

He roared, trying to gain his feet again, and Mai arched an eyebrow, remembering the futility of his first attempt. However, he seemed to be having a little better luck this time. In fact, she was beginning to think that had been a feint. He likely wouldn’t get far with his attack, but she had no intention of being strangled with a chain, stimulating as it might have been.

Preparing to lunge, Hahn raised his arms. Mai fired several arrows from her wrist launcher, hitting between the links of his chain, pinning him to the wall. She quickly advanced, knife in hand against the side of his throat. He stared at her, wide-eyed and gaping. That was almost amusing.

“The only interesting thing about you,” she drawled, “is that you haven’t gotten yourself killed yet.”

Recovering just a little too late to save any dignity in her eyes, he glared at her.

“Who are you?”

She blinked, pressing the blade lightly into his skin, watching him squirm, and shrugged.

“I’m just Mai.”