Cricket Leigh: Mai

The Beach

Mai

Ty Lee: Calm down, you guys. This much negative energy is bad for your skin. You'll totally break out.
Prince Zuko: Bad skin? Normal teenagers worry about bad skin. I don't have that luxury. My father decided to teach me a permanent lesson on my face.
Ty Lee: Sorry, Zuko. I...
Prince Zuko: For so long I thought that if my Dad accepted me, I'd be happy. I'm back home now. My Dad talks to me. Ha! He even thinks I'm a hero. Everything should be perfect, right? I should be happy now, but I'm not! I'm angrier than ever and I don't know why!
Azula: There's a simple question you need to answer then. Who are you angry at?
Prince Zuko: No one. I'm just angry.
Mai: Yeah, who are you angry at, Zuko?
Prince Zuko: Everyone. I don't know.
Azula: Is it Dad?
Prince Zuko: No, no.
Ty Lee: Your uncle?
Azula: Me?
Prince Zuko: No, no, no, no!
Mai: Then who? Who are you angry at?
Azula: Answer the question, Zuko.
Ty Lee: Talk to us.
Mai: Come on. Answer the question.
Azula: Come on, answer it.
Prince Zuko: I'm angry at myself!
Azula: Why?
Prince Zuko: Because I'm confused. Because I'm not sure I know the difference between right and wrong anymore.

Prince Zuko: [Finds a seashell on the beach] Here...
[tries to give shell to Mai]
Prince Zuko: This is for you.
Mai: Why would I want that?
Prince Zuko: I saw it, and I thought it was pretty. Don't girls like stuff like this?
Mai: Maybe stupid girls.
Prince Zuko: [Angrily throws the shell away] Forget it!
Ty Lee: [the shell is picked up by a teen boy who gives it to Ty Lee. She happily accepts it] Wow! Thanks. This is so pretty.

[Zuko throws a family painting into the fire]
Ty Lee: What are you doing?
Prince Zuko: What does it look like I'm doing?
Ty Lee: But it's a painting of your family.
Prince Zuko: You think I care?
Ty Lee: I think you do.
Prince Zuko: You don't know me! So why don't you just mind your own business?
Ty Lee: I know you.
Prince Zuko: No, you don't. You're stuck in your little Ty Lee world where everything's great all the time.
Mai: Zuko, leave her alone
Prince Zuko: 'I'm so pretty. Look at me. I can walk on my hands. Whoo!' Circus freak.

Ty Lee: Yes, I'm a circus freak. Go ahead and laugh all you want. You want to know why I joined the circus?
Azula: Here we go.
Ty Lee: Do you have any idea what my home life was like? Growing up with six sisters who looked *exactly* like me? It was 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 matched set. At least I'm different now. Circus freak is a compliment!
Mai: I guess that explains why you need ten boyfriends, too.
Ty Lee: I'm sorry, what?
Mai: Attention issues. You couldn't get enough attention when you were a kid, so you're trying to make up for it now.

Mai: What do you want from me? You want a teary confession about how hard my childhood was? Well, it wasn't. I was a rich, only child who got anything I wanted... as long as I behaved... and sat still... and didn't speak unless spoken to. My mother said I had to keep out of trouble. We had my dad's political career to think about.
Azula: Well, that's it then. You had a controlling mother who had certain expectations, and if you strayed from them, you were shut down. That's why you're afraid to care about anything, and why you can't express yourself.
Mai: You want me to express myself? Leave me alone!

Ty Lee: Well, what's *your* excuse, Mai? You were an only child for 15 years, but even with *all* that attention, your aura is this dingy, pasty, gray...
Mai: [Interrupting] I don't believe in auras.
Prince Zuko: Yeah, you don't believe in anything.
Mai: Oh, well, I'm sorry I can't be as high-strung and crazy as the rest of you.