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| Azula Quest Repositorium; In which is gathered the HISTORY OF THE WORLD, or just the relevant posts. | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Feb 8 2013, 11:32 PM (4,476 Views) | |
| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 8 2013, 11:32 PM Post #1 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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Azula. 15 years old. Fourth month, fourteenth day, of year 100 ASC Master Firebender [23/6] -"Butterfly Wings" Fire-flight [3/???] -"Rocket Boost" Advanced flame propulsion [1/???] -"Dragon's Breath" burning exhalation [3/???] -"Advanced Fire Stream" focused fire spout [2/???] --"Hunting Dragon" Flame Spout Seeking Missile [1/???] -"Flame Wall" basically that. [1/???] -"Pinwheel Shot" distance projectile [1/???] -"Butterfly Swarm" razor-fire butterflies [1/???] -"Lava Bending" Fortress Killer [1/X] -"Inner Fire Reinforcement" Self-buff [2/???] -"Edge Enhance" Sword-buff Flames [1/???] -"Voice of Command?" ...not what it says on the tin? [1/1?] Air Bender [4/?] -"Cold Sky Fire" Lighting manipulation(bending?). [4/???] --"???" Force Lightning Taser? [1/???] --"???" Electro-Net. [1/???] Advanced Etiquette [2/2?] Spiritualism [3/3?] Leadership [6/???] Politics [6/???] "Agressive Self Defense" [3/???] -Unpleasant Surprises [2/?] Strategy [4/???] Logistics [2/???] Second Child Arts [1/???] Somewhat Cultured [4/???] Basic Trading Knowledge [2/???] Creepy child. Praise the Sun. Fire Good. ... Jealous. So jealous. Once burned, twice....? Tea-sipper. Ruby Butterfly. Divine Right of Kings? Cap'n Jin. Toph Customer, or some other pun. Old Man of the Mountain: Not Your Buddy. Lotus Initiate. Raijin Approves. Fuujin... not so much. Edited by Chibi-Reaper, Feb 15 2013, 09:22 AM.
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:21 AM Post #51 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] Shocking conclusion. You are still angry. With father for provoking this, with yourself for not stopping it fast enough, with this stupid nomad brat for throwing a tantrum over things settled in the dust for a hundred years. But making sure that an angry Avatar, not even Aang at the moment but a raging spirit, doesn't level the Agni-damned palace is first on your list of priorites, and the butterfly is screaming to stop him stop him now, before he kills everyone. You call the lightning. Only it's not a bolt. Nor is it a crackling arc or loop to twist around someone like a rope. It's a full on net, and you swing it through the light, catching a flat-footed avatar staring at you like you're something he's never seen before as you bind him and drag him to the floor. For once, the fairy is cackling at your use of the cold fires, seeming to take some sort of twisted delight in their being turned upon an Airbender. Even if he's not the one in control, just now. And then the screaming and thrashing starts, as the net crackles. It only takes a moment before he drops out of this state, still thrashing. "Are you quite finished with your temper tantrum, Avatar Aang, or do you want to try killing us all over things that happened decades before we were even born?" You snap, pressing your heel down into the singed and wheezing airbender's back. "You are a guest in my father's palace, and you will control yourself, no matter what belated bad news you recieve." "... Yep." The tribal boy mutters, just loudly enough to be heard. "I think I peed 'em a little. Hoo boy." "All of you." Ozai interrupts, barely not snarling. "Out of my throne room. Iroh, do as you please. If the Avatar proves to be a nuisance, then next time I will order his assassination instead. Now get out." ... "... Well, I suppose that could have gone better." Iroh mumbles to himself in the hallway. "Probably better to give Ozai a little time to cool down." "Hey." the tribal boy says again. "Uh... huge, huge favor here. Does anyone have a spare pair of pants?" --- [ ] ??? |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:22 AM Post #52 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] Repantsening and other matters. Sokka is taken off by one of the maids for newer legwear. You have a quiet word with Rin about the matter, with Iroh's backing. Thick stone walls, comfortable beds, fine food and almost ignorable how the door lock is on the outside and the windows are all too small to get through. It will serve for the tribals. The Avatar... you'd better keep him close to hand. Maybe get ahold of Ty Lee, though talking her out of the circus might be tricky. You can't really pull any of the other chi-blockers you know of away from their current duties, though. For now, you order him into the care of the physicians, to see to what electric burns might be left. There shouldn't be any huge issues. In the meanwhile, tea. ... You should probably say it. "Th... an. Tha. Nh. Kuh. Thank. You." You manage, after some unpleasant effort to force the word. "For your confidence in me, if not your sense of timing or wisdom, zuzu." "... I guess it didn't work out as well as I had hoped." He grunts. "Prince Zuko, Ozai is... much like yourself." Iroh says. "Once set to his ways, he is very difficult to make turn. He must be gently coaxed, if he may be turned at all. Butting heads directly is-" "I get it. I screwed up, again." He snarls. He looks like he has a headache. "Well, my brother certainly did not agree, but the issue of succession has been left in... an uncertain, grey area." Iroh sighs. "I do wish you had consulted with me before attempting... this startling venture." Zuko's mood is clearly only growing blacker by the second. "Perhaps it would be better to... step away from the problem for a moment." You suggest. "You mentioned a trip you had planned?" "Hm, yes... that might be wise." Iroh agrees. "A quiet boating tour might be just what we need to give Ozai the time to cool his head. We can set off.... Hrm, tomorrow, perhaps. Today has been rather stressful." He considers, then smiles. "In the meantime, I suggest that little matters be dealt with. Perhaps you and Zuko can become re-acquainted. I think... yes. I believe I may begin drafting a polite invitation for chief Hakoda to come and enjoy a pleasant dinner here, with his children." The tribal boy, now in red pants, looks a little green at Iroh's considering voice. "Though, perhaps you would like to be the one to take control of the dinner progression." He muses. "No matter, in any case. For the moment, however... I believe I shall enjoy a hot bath. I think I can recall the way to the palace hot springs." .... He just walks off. So, now what. --- [ ] ??? |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:22 AM Post #53 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] re-aquaintance. Zuko doesn't seem to really have a fine appreciation for tea. Even though, he settles down a little over the cups. ... Judging by the waterbender's death glare, you think that maybe you'll leave the gag in, for now. "You know, I believe I ran into your father once, while I was on campaign." You note. You take a long sip of tea. "Though... putting it like that might invite misunderstandings. It was more that he ran into me. My ship, rather, with a captured Fire Nation fighter vessel primed to explode. Over five hundred of my men died in that one trick, you know? Tell me, what do you think of that?" "Well, uh, I mean, I'm going to have to let Katara speak first on this one. Katara?" The tribal boy says, desperately passing the buck. "Mrph nrpghl mrh hnglsh rfflef." "... Well, I mean, I might not put it that strongly..." "The two of you would make quite the pair of clowns." You note. "You would hardly have to learn the part at all." Zuko snorts at this, a little. "...And I see that you've done well for yourself, Zuko." You say, before hesitating. "Was that... before. You were... bending with your sword?" You venture. "Yeah. I started after what you mentioned. Focusing on the things I was good at." He grunts. "It... it helped a lot." He pauses, then sets his cup down. "Would... I mean. Would you like to see?" he asks, tentatively. "I have some things I want to do later, but right now..." --- [ ] ??? |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:23 AM Post #54 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] Showing off. "Toph? If you could keep an eye on the prisoners..." You ask. "That'd be kinda hard, princess." "The maids will assist you. Borrow theirs, perhaps." you suggest, dryly. The demonstration rapidly turns into a sparring match in one of the courtyards. The best kind of demonstration. Zuko draws his blades. Breathes. Then moves. Fire flickers around the edges of his swords, as they pass within hairs of your skin. There's already some element of 'cutting' to the flames, when used right. When combined in such a way with a blade... Well, as the ornamental rustproof and weatherproof metal statuary, which will now have to be replaced you suppose, can attest... the combination of the two ends with a result well beyond the sum of their parts. And then the flames on the edges extend, doubling and tripling the length of his swords for just a moment as they pass, and the arcs of flame begin launching from his slashes at an actually passable level of skill. Zuzu is a slow learner, it seems. But changing his bending style in a way to accommodate the field that he has talent in, swordplay, is... .... it's interesting. It doesn't stop you from putting him on the ground when you decide you've seen enough. He coughs, as he flounders to his feet. "... Didn't even make you break out anything special." he grumbles, seeming a little unhappy about that. "Oh, don't worry about that, zuzu. I was actually fairly impressed." You admit. "Your bending, itself, isn't up to par. But that combination was... interesting." He chuckles, a bit wryly. It's the truth, though. Why, if he had the power to back up an interesting trick or two like that... "Wait, you're an earth bender?" The tribal boy's voice sounds, interrupting your train of thought. --- [ ] ??? |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:23 AM Post #55 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] idle chatter. "Heh. Not just an. I'm the best earthbender." Toph declares, smugly. "... Sure you are." the tribal boy replies. There's a crunching noise of floor reaching up to gently hold him in preparation for the slightest twitch of effort it would take to mash him into paste. You seat yourself calmly and have another cup of tea. "I, uh, mean, yes obviously you are!" he says, rapidly changing his tune. "... You going to put this back down?" "Maybe in a bit." she says, smugly. "Nn hr wrng whh fhrnsh?" Katara growls through the gag. "... What she said? I mean, yeah, why are you working with-" "That's none of your business, pants man." Toph states cooly. Zuko dusts himself off, looking mildly annoyed at most. Now that you think about it, he wasn't really fighting like his heart was in it the whole time. Seemed like he pretty much expected to lose. You guess that was a reasonable expectation. "... I have business in the Dragonbone Catacombs." he says, stretching his arms and putting his swords back in place. --- [ ] ??? |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:24 AM Post #56 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] Further. "You know, it takes some talent to invent new bending tricks. You should keep that in mind. Even so I think I'd like to hear about your search for the Avatar. Iroh was... light, on the details." You muse aloud. Zuko rubs the back of his neck. "It wasn't really much more than whatever Uncle said." He mutters, seeming almost embarassed. "Well, I'm sure we'll have time to discuss it. Servants, see our... guests to their quarters. You'll have to let the boy go, Toph." "Maaan. If I have to, I guess. I was thinking of just plating over him with a marble replica, though. Like one of those creepy serpent spirits that turn you to rock when you look them in the eye." She chuckles. She still lets him go, though. "Creepy girl." He grumbles. "Well then." You decide. "Let's be off. Unless you must be alone for this?" "... I had sort of planned on sneaking in, and a bunch of people..." Zuko says, slowly. "I'm good at sneaking." Toph gloats. "When you go right through the right walls, it's notta problem." "... yeah, definitely going to have to rethink how to do things, if you come along." he mumbles. "What? No, I'm serious. Earthbender. I can just open them up, and close them again from the other side." "Do you really think they would turn you aside, if you came alone?" You muse. "I... don't know? Technically, only the Fire Lord is supposed to go down there, but Uncle knew about..." he mumbles. Well, there's no reason not to try. You just stroll right up to and through the doors of the Capital Temple. "... We're here to visit the Dragonbone Catacombs. Where we can pay our respects to fallen lords of Fire." Zuko says, respectfully. "She cannot be allowed entry." the Sage on duty says, waving a hand in your direction. "... Problem? You think I might see something I'm not supposed to?" Toph smirks. "Yes." The sage says, then pauses. "Metaphorically. It doesn't matter. The princess cannot be allowed into the Catacombs." ... what kind of ridiculous nonsense is- "I give you my word. Azula will not leave my side." Zuko interjects. "She won't be going anywhere I will not be." "... I suppose you leave me no choice, with that. Very well. Even so, the earthbender-" "Is traditionally and legally an extension of myself, with that necklace." "-must not bend within the catacombs." the sage finishes, reprovingly. "There are numerous relics of ancient times past, and damage to even the rooms themselves would be a terrible turn of events. It will be considered, princess, as though you had taken out the bones of your ancestors and shattered them to dust yourself." "No moving rocks around, geeze, got it." Toph grumbles. ... You consider mentioning Rin as you walk the dark halls of the catacombs, decorated with the skulls of dragons and men alike, given his mention of sneaking in here... somehow. But you bite your tongue, and hard. This is still the worst possible time. Give it a few... weeks minimum, maybe months, possibly years. Father is upset about clear lines of succession becoming fuzzy. ".... Here it is." Zuko says, lifting a scrap of paper from a secure alcove. "... It's just as he said." "Something interesting?" You wonder aloud. Zuko snorts. "Look at it for yourself. See if anything jumps out at you." he says, waving the scrap in your face. Posted Image "... Sounds like a piece of paper to me. Could be wrong." Toph notes. "I wasn't aware that seducing the spouses of your defeated enemies was still one of those in vogue traditions." You note, speculatively. "What? No, that's not important." Zuko insists. "Through mother, we're descended from the former Avatar, Roku.' ".... Yeeeeeeeessss....?" You say, slowly. "I mean... Uncle mentioned it, and it seemed really important." He says, awkwardly. "It's been sticking in my mind for some reason, anyway." Was that it? There's absolutely nothing else noteworthy about the scrap of family tree, you guess. But he's getting stuck on dead great-grandfathers? --- [ ] ??? Edited by Chibi-Reaper, Feb 9 2013, 01:43 AM.
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:25 AM Post #57 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] Visiting Tombs. "... I don't envy the Avatar." You say, after a moment of glum silence, as Zuko tries to work out why this apparently important thing feels like it's falling so flat. "There's a great deal of power to be had, with all bending at your fingertips. Even so. He is a reincarnate bridge to the spirits. Clamoring at him to keep things as they are, and as they are familiar with. A thousand lifetimes... of cranky old men, who can cry out in his head at any time to insist that these newfangled fripperies are just so darn un-tooting, and why can't things just stay like they were in the good old days, when they were out and kicking." Toph grunts, seeming to have more than a fair few memories of such old men to call upon. You pat Zuko on the shoulder. "The ways of spirits are subtle. But if they're drawing your attention to something, to focus you on it, you can be fairly sure that they're doing it for their own purposes. And not always for your own good. You can ask Iroh about that." Zuko sighs, and places the fragment of family tree back into its resting place. "If you're done?" You ask. "... Yeah. You're ready to leave?" he asks. You pause. "... No. There's... I'd like to visit a tomb." Zuko sighs, slowly. But he knows the way through the catacombs better than you. There are a few interesting things in some of the alcoves you pass, including mummified and dead animals, fragments of egg shell from something really big, in one case, a treasure chest bound in place with metal bands and chains, with what looks like uncomfortably rusty blood red caked around the opening and hinges, and having dripped from the strange lock. You don't see anything that it might be worth the time or effort to try to pocket and slip out, though. Probably a good thing, when it comes down to it. You're led right to a tomb, with Fire Lord Azulon standing imposingly in place, even reduced to ceremonial robes and fragile bones, flesh and organs stripped and burned to ash, in the urn at his feet. There's some tradition about leaving the bones of the Fire Lord intact, in case there is some plight of the nation so deep that they feel they must return from the realm of spirits to aid it, and need a ready housing. You don't believe there are any confirmed cases of such a thing happening. "... Grandfather." You say, weakly, old memories rising up, pulling at scars you'd thought long healed. Zuko puts a hand on your shoulder. The glare you send his way in turn is full of pained anger, and spite, and venom, and kill him kill him kill him- You breathe, and turn away. And while Zuko flinches, his hand doesn't move. "One should not linger over-long in the realms of the departed." the fairy whispers. "Ever are there those who are fascinated by mortal death, who walk in such places." .... And you think that's all the cue you need, to gather yourself and depart. The now pair of Sages give you stern looks, upstairs, and there seems to be a quick glance over to see if you're carrying anything more than you came in with. You get the feeling they'd be patting you down and turning your pockets out, if they felt like they could get away with it. Even so, you are quickly escorted from the premises at an almost, but not quite, rude level of haste. --- [ ] ??? |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:25 AM Post #58 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] Monk. Zuko hesitates for a few moments, but you go your separate ways once loose of the temple. Rin is watchfully waiting, as a polite servant. One of the lesser maids is hauling away something suspiciously large, in a sack, and you hear the sounds of mopping down the hall. The physicians allow you entry. The Avatar is nattering on about nothing at all, and the physician tending to him looks like he's developing a powerful headache. "Oh. It's you." He says, when you catch his eye, frowning. "You know, that really hurt-" "Your temper tantrum left me little choice." You interrupt. "Tantrum?" he huffs. "I just found out that-" "The Air Temples had been empty of life for a hundred years while you slept, yes, I'm sure the guilt of not being there in their time of need must simply overwhelm you." You say, dryly, as his face reddens with anger. "But you gave me little choice. On one end, I kill you outright. On the other, I stand aside and do nothing, as you smash the palace apart and kill my father, myself, my uncle, Zuko, and your tribal friends, over words." All the anger winks out. "I wouldn't!" he insists, seeming shocked at the very idea. "All life is sacred, we are all brothers and sisters under the same sky. To take the life of another..." "He may not. It would." "Avatar Aang." You say, solemnly. "While your ways may staunchly oppose bloodshed, you must consider this. You are a container and the newest vessel of the Avatar Spirit. But the Avatar Spirit, while it takes some direction from your emotional state, is not you. Lose yourself to it in anger, and it will kill what has distressed you, without thought or care." "That can't be right-" "Yes, this is true." Iroh says, stepping into the room and still smelling of steam and floral shampoo for his hair and beard. "I have studied deeply into the matter. Until the Avatar is fully trained in all the elements, and can control the Avatar state, in times of need it will instead control him. And while there are many past lives to draw wisdom from, far from all of them were airbenders, and far from all of those were peaceful monks. It may have been unpleasant to endure, Aang, but if you consider this then you will find that my niece's actions have spared you from returning to yourself, to find that your body had done something you might not easily be able to forgive yourself for." "... Oh." The avatar says, softly. ... he seems geared, somehow, to more easily accept things said by bearded old men, you think. Where he was up in arms over you saying it, he accepts Iroh's words without thinking twice. "... I guess... Thank you, then?" He tries, uncertainly. --- [ ] ??? |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:26 AM Post #59 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] Things and bedtime. There's a long moment before you snort. "If you want to thank me, don't do it again." You grumble. "It would be a shame if I had to really hurt you, next time. Aang laughs weakly. Like he's not sure, but hopes, that you were joking. "... Still, though. I don't understand what could have happened-" "To begin, Avatar Aang, you must understand that this all happened one hundred years ago, decades before I was even born." Iroh begins, voice drawing attention from the boy. "And it was Sozin's way, as it is with many of the royal family, to keep things very close to the chest. I do respect his desire for privacy, on some level. Physician, if you have completed your work...?" "... Keep applying the cream twice a day, when you rise and lie down to sleep." the doctor mumbles, as he rises and makes his way out, taking his colleagues with him. "The burns are comparatively much more minor than they could be. You should be perfectly healed in a week... if that long." The door swings shut, and Aang's expectant eyes turn to Iroh. "Sozin was known to be a great patriot of the Fire Nation and our ways. A progressive Fire Lord, and leader of men, in many ways. He was also, from his youth, a great friend of Roku. The Avatar of the time." Uncle begins, weaving a tale with words. "But one thing that Roku was not, was progressive. He contemplated the world, with peasants in the Earth Kingdom that spend all of their days stooped over to tend to rice paddies, then return to their huts of sticks, while earthbenders tend to the will of princes in fine palaces and even the most minor of words could provide roofs that do not leak to all in their dominion. He considered the world, with the water tribes who live their stark lives with no luxury, not for lack of desire for comfort, but from an insular tradition to shun outsiders that have not been fortunate enough to be accepted by the tribes as almost one of their own, through great deeds or great need, or his simple good fortune, in all but the most desperate cases refusing to trade with any outside of the tribes, a tradition equally harmful to themselves as the decision of the northern pole tribes to deny the bending arts that heal to men, and the bending arts which harm to their women. He looked upon the world, where the Fire Nation grew prosperous, and rich, and more advanced than ever before under Roku's rule, and he thought of the Air Nomads, who did not leave their temples but to beg alms and food of the world below, as they taught themselves to subsist on less and less until the day might come when they no longer needed to leave the temples and flew where the winds blew them, entirely devoid of any outside influences save their own will." Iroh stops, and holds out his hands. "Roku contemplated all of this, and saw Sozin's actions, the actions of a man who truly believed that it was his duty, as one who prospered, to aid those less prosperous than himself. And he struck out with violence, ordering Sozin to stop. That there was no need for the world to change, from that which it had been for centuries before, and that Sozin was a fool for making the attempt. It was only the friendship of their youth that prevented Roku from ending Sozin's life in the battle that erupted, instead shaming and humiliating him deeply, for all the world to see." "That... it can't be right. The Avatar is-" "An element of the balance of the world. But it is up to each Avatar to choose how to represent, or defend, or shift that balance. And as I have said before, Roku was a man deeply rooted in his ways. He was not comfortable with the thought of change. Even the advancements of the Fire Nation alone... disturbed him, deeply. It is in his own writings, which I have spent a great deal of effort and favors owed to uncover. He abhorred, in a small way, the strange devices and soulless contraptions of metal which the Fire Nation was producing, was bettering every member of the nation down to the poorest peasant with. He forbade the presence of machinery on his own island, you know? But in any case... the advancement of the Fire Nation, his own people, was itself barely tolerable to him. Extending the use of these technological marvels to other peoples? When he already considered them a plague, a disease, upon his own, ignoring that the lives of all in the nation had never been better? That, he opposed with every fiber of his being." Uncle waves a hand, as the story continues to unfold. "But back to where I left off... the shame, and Roku's own constant presence on his island, blocking the Fire Nation from the rest of the world, did prevent Sozin from making further attempts, as they aged. And then the day came when the volcano of Roku's island erupted. The people were evacuated in short order, of course, sent off in little wooden rafts out to sea, where steam ships picked them up and provided warm food and dry cabins, where the cold spray of the sea would not soak their clothes in the night and make them ill as they watched to see whose homes would be destroyed by the eruption, and whose would be spared. But Roku set himself to display his might, and stop the volcano entirely from erupting, on his own. Sozin remembered his friendship, and though that had turned to bitter enmity over the decades, he flew upon his dragon to Roku's island, in the hopes of saving his life." Iroh pauses here. "Have you ever seen the eruption of a volcano, Aang?" he asks. "Not simply becoming violent, and perhaps spewing a few burning rocks into the air, and letting loose a dribble of magma from its peak, but a true eruption. It is a mighty spectacle to be watched. From a respectable distance. Sozin and Roku worked together, trying and failing to tame the volcano's full fury, and in the end... Roku stumbled to his knees. But not from exhaustion. No, Aang, the danger of a volcano is not merely limited to its burning and molten stone. There are also foul and noxious vapors unleashed from the depths, the very bowels of the earth, invisible to the eye but, at the merest sniff, deadly. Roku had mis-stepped, and walked into a cloud of the vapors, and before realizing his danger... breathed. It was then, as Roku fell, and reached out for his oldest friend, from the depths of a cloud of vapor whose dimensions could not be guaged with the naked eye... Sozin gave in to his fear, and fled. He would later claim that this was a tactical decision. That he withheld his full effort from taming the volcano, waiting, and that once the Avatar was exhausted from the efforts he abandoned him to the fires deliberately, so that nothing more would impede the advance of progress and enlightenment through all the world. I believe he convinced even himself of this, given time. But the scraps of writings from immediately after this event held the truth." "... This is a sad story." Aang says. "Brace yourself, Avatar. For things only grow worse from here. Sozin was ever a man driven by his emotion. Joy at the prospering of his people, benevolence and the desire to aid all... but also wrath, when offended, and sorrow in mourning. All consumed him, utterly, to the seeming exclusion of all else at times. But from here on... the emotion which ruled Sozin was fear. For he knew some of what it meant to be the avatar, though far from all, and he knew... the Avatar Spirit would reincarnate, upon the death of the previous avatar. And as he understood it, this meant Roku's reincarnation. Roku, whose last memories would be of stretching his hand out desperately to Sozin, and then being abandoned to first the poison, and then the crawling tide of molten stone. By the standards of our nation... even an act made in fear, in the understanding that from the second that Roku breathed the wrong air, there was nothing that Sozin could possibly do... an act worthy of turning every resource available to vengeance. As the fear consumed him over the years, certainty ever growing that Roku would come for him, Sozin acted in haste. And for Sozin's actions, your people suffered, as he acted as he would against an offended noble of our nation, who sought vengeance with all their might, and turned to crush the threat with all of his. He could not locate the Avatar. So he was forced to presume that the Avatar could be in any of the temples. And so, he chose to be certain, and struck out at all of the temples, with his most powerful and most loyal leading devoted soldiers to attack a people who had long ago left war behind them. And he never found the avatar. Traps were laid, for those who escaped, and the Avatar was never found." "... So it's my fault. If I had stayed, and given myself up, back then-" "No." Iroh interrupts. "I am explaining the reasons, as I have determined them, that this came to pass. But it was not your fault, that you survived, while Sozin was consumed with a madness born of terror. Neither was it his fault that he had left his reason behind him, on the matter of the Avatar. As fire, our passions drive us, displayed by Roku and Sozin themselves. Sozin's zest for the future, matched against Roku's deep love of the past. It was many years, after the temples fell, before he began to regain his reason and realize what he had done, and grieve for his own foolishness. But had you been there, whether to fight or to surrender, an untrained avatar could not have won, and it would not have stopped there. Sozin's madness would have turned him next to the water tribes, until the Avatar was found once more. From there he would turn his fear against the Earth Kingdoms, razing them to the ground province by province until the Avatar could be located and once more slain. And then, then he would have turned fearful eyes upon the infants of his own people, the people he loved, and acted once more upon his fears. No matter how events had unfolded, there would have been great bloodshed. The madness of Kings demands nothing less. By the time his sanity returned to him, all the world would be ruined in his wake." "But the Fire Nation did, is making war. It has been for a hundred years!" Aang argues. "This is true. Because Roku was not a lone mind. There are many, who see the world changing, and choose instead to stand and fight to keep things as they were." Iroh says, solemnly. "But a war to conquer and enlighten, and a war to crush and destroy everything in your way.... you will find, Aang, that they are very different things. Even so... you will find that everyone, on every side of the war, our own and the Earth Kingdoms, and the Water Tribes, and every rebellious faction and secret group and movement... Few men do things, believing that they are evil. Men, Aang, act secure in the knowledge that they are doing the right thing. That they, doing the right thing, are good. And that as such, those who oppose them, doing the wrong thing, are evil. It is a matter of perspective and points of view. I ask that you keep this in mind." Iroh rises from his seat. "But for now, it grows late, and we must rest. There is a full day, tomorrow, after all. I plan to stop, along the voyage, at Ember Island. I believe you will enjoy it, Aang." "Can Sokka and Katara come?" He asks, not seeming to grasp the political complexities of the situation. ".... we'll see." Iroh says, simply and without commitment. "For now, I apologize, but we do not have any suitable guest quarters prepared for you at the moment. You will have to remain in the infirmary beds for the moment. Though, I believe you would not wish to press your burns without need, just now." ... The door swings closed behind you, and you can see Rin coming down the hallway with a tray of food and drinks. "... I am considering an airship tour." You say after a moment. "Yes, I have heard that your assistant, Captain Jin, has been placed in command of one of the smaller prototype air-ships." He says. "I believe it will still be several weeks before she is flight-worthy, however. For the moment, we will have to resort to a cruise." ... You guess he has a point. He pats you on the back before turning his own way, seeing you off. You visit the springs yourself before going to bed. There is a private bathroom, of course, fed hot and cold water through a series of intricate pumps and small boilers, but the hot springs are just more relaxing, somehow. Though, of course, you run the risk of others joining in to share the water. Zuko is a little surprised to see you, and more awkward about it than the situation dictates. But there's little else you have to say to him just at the moment. Instead, you simply enjoy the warm water, making no more than the most idle of conversation. And then you sleep, ignoring the nearby noises of Toph doing something involving the crunches of stone in her quarters. You rise with the dawn. --- [ ] ??? |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:26 AM Post #60 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] Doing stuff. You summon breakfast and wash your face before anything else. Then you stop by Toph's room. She's ignored the beds in favor of a big pile of the dirt that she's hauled in from the gardens, you see, sprawled over it fully clothed. You're pretty sure that the maids in charge of laundering hate her, a little. There's a number of scattered rocks, as well. "... You know, if you're going to keep me up late at night, you could at least let me know what fascinated you so greatly in the morning." You suggest, dryly. "Urgh... damn sun." Toph growls. "This is no kind of an hour for sane people t'be up." "The peasants in the earth kingdoms would have been up for some time already, tending to their menial labors." You point out. "Merchant family." She counters, and then corrects herself with "Rich merchant family." "Princess of the Fire Nation." you say in response, countering her counter. "In any case?" "... working on stuff. It's damn hard to keep a solid connection to the earth when you aren't... y'know, connected to it. Completely. Urgh, think I'm gonna call for some of that thick black tea." "Coffee." You are reliably informed that it comes from soaking ground beans of some nature, instead of dried and shredded leaves. "I'm sure the maids can supply you." She's still in her foul, early morning surliness, so you withdraw and go to inspect the tribal hostages. The boy... Sokka, if you aren't misremembering the name dropped... is still sleeping heavily and doesn't so much as twitch at your presence in his room. You aren't even trying to disguise it. Though you might have more trouble doing so if you were. In any case, it's probably a good thing that Rin herself is prowling the halls, in this wing. When you enter the other room, you're greeted with a splash of water coming directly for your face. You boil it into vapor without thinking, and only note afterward by the cup in the girl's hand that it was probably harmless. Doesn't matter either way. "When Aang sees through your trickery and deceit, he's going to level this castle of lies." she hisses, softly. "I can already see that you are the pleasant and affable one of the siblings. Katara, was it? A pleasure." You say, in deliberately calm response. "Don't talk to me like we're friends. I don't know what your plan is, but I can promise you this... it won't work. It will fail." "Charming. If there's anything you need in particular, I suggest you ask the maids. Within reason, they should be able to make arrangements." "I'd like a knife. To cut your throat." You lose your temper, and draw your sword, slamming it down onto the table and sliding it across in the same motion, as the girl yelps and scoots away from it. More bark than bite. But you aren't done, yet. "Try then!" You invite her, lifting your chin and drawing a thumbnail contemptuously across your throat as the fairy chuckles. "Take up the sword. One clean sweep, just above shoulder height. Then charge through the door, through the hallways. You remember them all, right? Out of the caldera and down the slopes to the sea, where you can swim with the elephant eels all the way out of the fire kingdom, and find a boat to steal, and sail your way all the way back to the south pole, where you can regale your tribe with the tales of your failure, and how you lost the Avatar." She picks up the sword, obviously not used to the weight of any kind of weapon, wrists trembling as the tip of the sword wobbles in the air. "Sounds easy, right? You've got the sword. Nothing can go wrong. Nothing at all." You urge her on. "Just a little blood on your hands, a cut, and then run. Do it. Just one little decapitation. Do it!" You snarl. She draws the sword back, yelping. And then you step forward, pushing her off balance and to the ground, as you deftly remove the blade from her hands. "... You see? I'm a Master firebender. You don't have any kind of training at all. Whether you have a knife or not, it doesn't matter a bit. I'll have the maids send one along, with my compliments, if you insist. But you won't escape. Even if you get past me, the halls are never totally empty, at any hour of the day. You wouldn't even be able to make it out of the palace, much less out of the Caldera, before you were seen and the guards were on your tail. Attempting to flee is the height of foolishness. Be patient, and enjoy your accomodations. I can assure you, they are far from our worst." "... crazy. You're all insane." she says, softly. "I'm told it runs in the family." you snort. "Like I said, though. Talk to the maids, if you need food, or want something in particular. Good morning to you." ... Your temper has evened out a little by the time you're a ways down the hall. You go and have a look at the furry lummox that got carted in next. "Genuine sky bison." the animal handler croons, as the animal itself rumbles in deep annoyance with the situation, shaking its leg, chained to a thick and heavy pillar. "Can you imagine the rarity? One of a kind, perhaps? Oh yes, I've been taking excellent care of him-" "You can't chain Appa up!" The Avatar is insisting. "Putting him in a cage on the way here was bad enough. Let him go-" "Calm, Aang. I am well aware that he is your partner. I am sure that master Ippo handles him with the greatest of care. Though, yes, perhaps the chain is a bit much. Master Ippo, the key, if you would." "B-but... it could just leave, then." The handler insists, desperately. "Can you imagine, this unique specimen just flying off, why, I haven't even started properly taming it yet-" "Appa can't be tamed! Sky Bison are free like the wind, and they make their own choices about who they bond with, and what to do!" the young monk insists, looking like he's desperately fighting off another tantrum. "Master Ippo." You interrupt, making your presence known. "I really do think it would be for the best if you were to unlock the bison's bindings. If you would be so kind?" Caught between not one, but two of the royal family, the handler relents and produces a large brass key, which he undoes the locks with, and then watches mournfully as the beast stretches and lumbers ponderously out to go relax in the sun. Aang cheerfully follows him out, his former annoyance seeming forgotten. "... Before it slips my mind. If you would be willing to part with the details of your plan for the tribals?" You ask, quietly. "After due consideration, I think that it might actually be wise to bring at least one of them along, provided some care is taken." Iroh says, after a moment of consideration. "Firstly, there is no way for Hakoda to know, yet, that they have been taken at all. He only rarely stops back at the southern encampments to make sure everything is running smoothly, and then only for a day or so before setting off once more. Even if he learns that they are missing, there is only conjecture, and no proof, that they are in our hands... though I suspect with the lack of sightings elsewhere, he will suspect that anyway. Either way, whether he learns or not, his war party numbers what has been approximated as less than thirty men. Even if they were to somehow sneak into the Fire Nation, that size of a force cannot be spread too far. If one is left here, and one comes with us, then he can at most target one of the children for retrieval. I have a great and wary respect for chief Hakoda's cunning. I would be surprised to learn he had infiltrated all the way to the capital... but not greatly. Even so, he can only attempt the rescue of one of his children at a time, and when an attempt is made, he cannot prevent the captors of the other child from being alerted." He pauses, to make sure that you're following. "Bringing them both along, of course would have slightly greater risk on our parts, both from the captives themselves and from Hakoda, should he learn of the situation. But at the same time, it would still be less likely for him to locate us on a mobile boat than to determine the location of prisoners held in a single and immobile location." He shrugs. "In honesty, I have not yet decided. There are positives and negatives to all the courses of action. Perhaps you could offer a suggestion, from a differing point of view?" "I'll have to think about it for a moment. And more towards the future?" "In the future? Ideally, Hakoda will come peacefully and discuss terms, and he will leave with an agreement to cease all hostilities against our nation. And one of his children. We will, of course, be keeping the other as insurance, that he keeps to his word. They will naturally be treated well. I understand you are rather familiar with the concept of hostages." ... You are, at that. "It is similar to one of their own traditions, where a brave warrior slips into the camp of a different tribe and kidnaps someone dear to their chief, to force a surrender. So it should not be too unfamiliar to them, though the practice has largely fallen out of use with the centralization of tribes, and they will probably have something to say about our failure to return both of his children. But yes. Ideally, less than a year after that, we will have set up a trading post near the southern pole, and the simmering hatred for our nation will begin to fade. It is a pity that father never found the time to make the arrangements to put that plan into action, before the warriors sailed out." he sighs. ... you guess he must have had better things to do. --- [ ] ??? |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:27 AM Post #61 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] you like a gamble now and again. You drum your fingers along your arm. "They are both friends with the Avatar." You point out. "... If Hakoda learns of that, then he might think that we would not follow through on threats, for risk of offending him." Iroh sighs, slowly. "Indeed. It would be a shame, if he forces our hand in such a way. There would certainly be some loss of respect from the boy, considering he is a peaceful monk. One can only hope that chieftain Hakoda is not foolish enough to believe that will stop the Fire Nation from carrying out its threats." He says, somberly. "We have acted for a hundred years under the assumption that the Avatar existed still, somewhere, and was our bitter enemy. It would not be too difficult to return to that assumption. Even so, I believe Aang can be made to understand that if Hakoda chooses to break the terms of any agreements made, we will have no choice but to follow through on the penalties agreed upon. He may find it difficult to forgive us, of course, even with understanding. I would not begrudge him that." ... Of course. Hakoda would be a fool, to consider the possibility that the people, in his eyes, the monsters that he hates, might fail to follow through on a course of action that would pain him, simply because it might upset someone, no matter how powerful. In any case.... "Bring them both, I think." You decide. "I don't believe that he could make it into the capital itself... but even so, it might be worthwile to take the risk in order to display to the Avatar... our good intentions." "Perhaps so." Iroh agrees. "Though we won't be able to bind them, securely. Even so, with enough guards, the risk of a single warrior with no weapons, and one untrained bender, can be minimized." ... So it seems. Katara is still ready to spit nails at the sight of you, of course. And the Sokka boy... worries you a little, somehow, with his sleepy-eyed appraisal of everything around him. This will be a fun vacation trip. ... You arrive at Ember Island just in time for the play, after a slow cruise and a few unpleasant days on the open sea, with the tribal girl's hissing serpent venom on one side and Toph's grumbling about there not being enough honest dirt on Zuko's ship from the other. They're running a showing of The Sport of Lords, these days. You watch the political intrigue and strategical trickery unfold on the stage with pleased interest. "... eurgh." the tribals sound in tandem at a passionate scene, where the actors come together and kiss. You shush the children and continue watching, only idly noting that Toph seems fairly discomfited herself. It's several hours before the first act, of twenty three, comes to a close and the theater begins shutting down, in preparation for the crew to come through and make ready the next act, for tomorrow. "That was horrible. You're horrible." Katara hisses, outside. .... You don't get it. "The story was bad enough. Do you all just kill each other for fun? But the romance, it was..." "Yeah, gotta back Katara on this one. In a distant, respectful, and firmly platonic manner." Sokka follows up. .... You still don't get it. "What?" You ask. "Granted, it was sort of soppy, but I've read far worse in trashy novels." Toph coughs to the side. "They were clearly cast as half-siblings." Katara bites off. .... You still don't get it. "What's the problem?" Aang interrupts. "I mean, the elders teach that we are all brothers and sisters under the same-" "Ahem. No, actually." Iroh interjects. "I have made some study of the culture of your temples, and in fact they kept very strict track of matters despite their spring-welcoming rituals. No, this is more of a cultural matter, coming from flaws with certain practices that there is no record of the Fire Nation having ever suffered. The worst we have to worry about is the traditional caution regarding risks of laying an egg." "You kidding? You're not kidding." Toph says, flatly. The tribals are just sitting there, jaws gaping. "As such, with none of the risks involved for other peoples, taboos which have developed for them.. have not, for us, and it can be somewhat startling to discover that they exist at all. Though, of course, it is not a common thing." "Feebleminded, deformed, outright crazy, riddled with strange disease, you get none of that. Just maybe an egg? Yeesh." "Well, of course, if a dragon is born then it is hardly recorded on the family tree, given that most likely it will only be interested in finding a comfortable cavern with good hunting, and perhaps something shiny to stare at in the evenings." Iroh continues. "So there is really no way to go back and confirm or deny it either way. Perhaps a family keeps eggshells, but those shells could have come from any dragon hatching." "You're lying." Katara says, flatly. "He's not, lady. I'd know." Toph grumbles. "You're lying and covering for his crazy stories, then." Katara continues. "Hey, you wanna maybe say that to my face, you-" Wait. Wait, you think you get it. They're shocked over that? ... You actually don't get it at all, still. Well, it's not like it matters, though. You have three strict categories for people to be considered for marriage, when you get around to thinking about that. You're in no hurry. Correct gender to result in children, around your age, and a powerful firebender. Zuzu fails hard on the third, removing him from consideration entirely, foreign qualms aside. ... The tribals continue to cringe every time the show displays its romance sub-plot. By day seven, and act the same, it's gotten more than a bit grating. And you can swear that the Sokka boy is carefully probing how far he can go, considering plans to pull something. The simple, straight-forward and honest venom you get from the Katara girl is almost refreshing in contrast, though she seems to have started balking at direct threats to you. Aang doesn't seem happy with how unhappy she is, either. You think it might be worth it to simply move on to whatever Uncle has planned next, despite that it will almost certainly involve more unpleasantness at sea. Zuko seems more relaxed through the psuedo-vacation, if nobody else. --- [ ] ??? |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:27 AM Post #62 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] The play must go on. You send a few letters in the night. To Mai and Ty Lee, letting them know you are on a vacation of sorts, currently, and they are invited, if they can meet you on Ember Island before the end of the Sport of Lords showings. You send another one to Jin, making inquiries about his airship. .... The Sokka boy is almost fun to play with, with his rampant but restrained paranoia. Just a few dropped words here and there, and he's suddenly checking his sheets for scorpion vipers. But for actually preventing him from pulling anything funny, rather than just clowning around.... Yes, you think you can leave that in Zuko's hands. He seems to be capable enough at it, though leaving out more direct methods of keeping them in line binds his hands the way he cannot bind theirs. It's more fun to be the calm and rational adult in the face of the waterbender's bile, and watch her almost froth at the mouth, hands twitching and spasming like there is nothing she would love more than to wrap them around your very throat. It gives you... a little bit of a pleasant quiver, deep inside, to see the rage in her eyes. It takes three days before you get a response from Jin. Things are proceeding ahead of schedule, the Royal Butterfly(who named that airship...?) should be ready for a maiden flight in only a couple weeks. Though, he warns, he'll be keeping it over the sea for the most part, in case of unexpected crashes that would be worse inland. You respond with pleasure, but note that you won't be needing his services immediately. Ty Lee's response comes a day after that. She's on her way, though she might take a little while depending on the tides. A week at most. You think you can hold the trip back for that long, and respond so. Mai's letter is less enthusiastic. She has pre-arranged plans with her boyfriend, it seems(When did that happen? she never mentioned, in any of her letters, it must be recent...), so while she would enjoy tagging along, she has other obligations, and sends her apologies. Next time, though, if you give enough advance warning. .... it wasn't exactly an order to come to your side, but even so, you could argue that she's pressing the boundaries of loyalty to the royal family. That's not what... friends... do, though. Even if you're realizing you hate not being in total control of the situation. No matter, she can enjoy her new companion. Her foot note passes along her mother's horror that her father has become addicted to the southern coast Earthen Spice blend of tea, much to your amusement. ... Ty Lee arrives a week later, right on schedule. The circus had been in a port town, it seems. She notes that your aura 'has never been burnier', whatever that translates to. She doesn't... exactly hit it off with Toph. There's some clashing involved. A little bit of jealousy, though she's hardly a replacement or anything. Bending and Chi Blocking are mutually exclusive, after all, Toph couldn't replace Ty Lee if she tried. Still, personality conflicts. The light and bubbly nature of Ty Lee seems to... grate against Toph. Like a cheese shredder. She makes easy acquaintance with Aang, though. And despite that, when she finds out who, or rather, what he is, she quietly comes to you of her own volition to find out if there's some sign that needs to be worked out, for when she should drop him. You like that about Ty Lee. She could be Aang's dear and precious friend, sharing tiny moments and heart to hearts, and still put him on the ground when your order comes. You believe it's something in the training of chi-blockers. But it's good to see that, for her at least, you are still one of, if not the most important person in the world. Gratifying. By the time the twenty third act comes to a close, you feel reinvigorated, and Zuko has managed to shut down all of the Sokka boy's little attempts at anything. It's turning into something approaching a game between them, you think. Though a very serious one, with potentially drastic consequences. Possibly the best kind of game. In any case, you've picked up a few ideas from the play itself. Putting just a little polish on your own mind and techniques. Whoever wrote it knew a little bit of their source material, though there's some very obvious and blatant gaffes as well. It's time to set out to sea once more. .... Just one day out, and the close quarters and tribals are already giving you a headache. --- [ ] ??? |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:28 AM Post #63 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] Saaailing, sail-ing You already sent for more information about the boyfriend thing Mai has acquired. So you're good on that front. Your temper strains a little at one of the waterbender's little biting words, and you smirk. "Your venom is refreshing, from a tribesman." You say sardonically. "With a tongue like that, you might make an all right firebender. Third rate, I'd say~" Her face goes cold and still, much like her voice. "... I will crush everything you have ever loved." she says, simply. "Ooh, you're doing well. At this rate, you might even make it up to second rate~" You continue. The way her knuckles go pale from her clenched fist is almost delicious. You go ahead and flap out a little ways from the ship though, even as the tribals watch in silence, and Aang stares in a mingled sort of awe and... irritation? Toph is waiting when you get back, on a crude stone seat, floating on a small cloud of dust, but not off the deck. "You were flying. You were both..." Aang trails off. "... But you aren't airbenders. That's not right-" "Roku would happily agree." Iroh interrupts, settling the Avatar down. "But as has been said before... it has been one hundred years. Much has changed." "I think I'm getting the hang of it." Toph grumbles as the seat clunks down onto the deck. "Still... need some kinda solid footing below, it's more of a balancing act, still. Over good earth, great. Over the deck... could be better. Over water is still gonna be a flat no-go. No solid footing at all, just going to cut right off." "... I don't have to like that things have changed." Aang says, softly. "I would not presume to say that you must." Iroh answers. ... you're more relaxed. But the Avatar is stiffened up now, and a little surly. He spends most of his time with that buffalo of his. Fair trade, you suppose. Though he's shut you out, for now. You guess you can only wait, there. It's not like his temper is as great as the royal families, though it holds risks of its own. ... You're still bored, though, with nothing but endless ocean. So you arrange for some pai sho matches. The games last late into the night, as you pass by Boiling Rock, just at the edge of visible distance. Sokka and Ty Lee are still going strong when you rise in the morning. ".... What's the score?" You have to ask. "Technically? Tied. .... technically." She says, blinking very slowly at you. You consider this, and watch the board for a few minutes. "... You haven't finished one game yet?" You question, dubiously. "Sh's gehhn tir'd." Sokka insists. "Gohn slpppp..." "I'm perfectly wide awake! Green elm advancing... 'k." "That's the rock tile." You point out. "It... is. Huuuh." She says, yawning just a little. .... You guess you'll leave them to finishing their game. Or one of them will lose their consciousness soon. One or the other. Uncle frowns and waves you forward along the deck. "We are being hailed." he says, pointing out a small, lone fighter pulling toward you. "All the signals are correct, and I recognize the captain of the vessel, but even so... something in my gut is nagging at me, over this. Please, keep your eyes open." He asks, before waving you back off. .... You don't see the danger, but if Uncle has a bad feeling... You keep on your guard as they come close. But not too close[/i] which strikes warning bells of your own. "... Why do you not come closer?" Iroh calls. "If you have business, then let it be face to face, and not shouting across the ocean." "Forgive me, Dragon of the West. But my business is not so polite. I have orders. There are those who see the confusion of the lines of succession, and see opportunity presented." the captain of the vessel shouts back in return. "Speak clearly, woman." Iroh calls. "I am afraid that there is about to be... a tragic boating accident." she responds. "Farewell, Dragon of the West." The ship swings around and, you didn't see, how did you not see before, the angle displays a trebuchet already loaded and aimed, launching a massive block of burning coal. "You are more correct than you know." Iroh calls back in one last, sorrowful word. Then he catches it. Burning coal, enough to crash through the thin metal of the decks and hull of Zuko's tiny ship, setting it sinking even as everything flammable near its course is set alight, and he catches it, groaning with both hands. He snorts out a little flame, and the burning of the coal intensifies, crackling up to the point where it seems as a burning meteor. The captain of the other vessel is screaming, now, orders to the engine, to put everything to full, to get out of range... And Iroh throws it. It leaves him gasping for breath, and you think his knees are trembling, but he is already recovering from the horrific effort, you would have been crushed like an insect, and the coal shot travels back in a graceful arc. There are screams, as it breaks through the hull and into the fuel room near the engines, setting everything alight at once. "Stay the course, captain Jee." Iroh calls, even as you start to hear explosions sounding in the other ship. --- [ ] ??? |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:28 AM Post #64 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] More aftermaths. "... Wow." You say dully, before shaking it off. "Uncle. If you love me, then warn me if I should stir your wrath, so I have time to hide." He chuckles, lightly. "It is a special trick-" he begins, only to be interrupted. ".... How can you laugh about that?" Aang says, from nearby. "So many people just... you aren't even going to try to help them-" "Perhaps we should pick up survivors, at that." You muse. "And question them to determine who ordered this folly." "Too late for that." Uncle says aloud, stroking his beard. "I imagine this patch of ocean was chosen deliberately. At this time of year... yes, leaping pirahna eels will be migrating after their prey. At this height from the water, we are perfectly safe, but anyone clinging to floating detritus will quickly get their attention. Also, Azula, I would advise you fly a little higher than before, if you must." ... You'll definitely keep that in mind. "In any case, I have already determined who ordered this." He continues. "There is only one possibility. Lady Xin. Of many nobles, her family is more closely related to the throne, and she stands to gain much from rash actions. More importantly, she is barely thirty, young, for a lord of the land, and foolish. Enough to threaten the family of the deceased captain, who dwell within her domain, the only thing which could press the captain to betray the nation and fire upon us." .... That's actually very impressive. "That's not important, people are dead-" Aang insists. "On the contrary. It is very important. If you do not know, after all, who's doorstep to bring trouble back to, then it will only continue to find its way to your own." Iroh says, somewhat philosophically. "I will be making arrangements to have Lady Xin quietly executed, in accordance with our traditions." "No you won't. Stop killing people-" "Aang." Iroh interrupts, sharply. "If I do not do this, then she will see that her own assassins have failed, and she will send more. She must, having committed herself to this course. Her predecessor was equally stubborn. If I do not prevent her from making such orders, then she will send more people to kill my nephew, and my niece. There were likely far less than a hundred men on that ship. But I value their lives as higher than even ten thousand lives of those who would mean them harm. And if Lady Xin is not killed, then she will do everything within her power to test that." "All life is sacred." Aang stubbornly settles, refusing to budge. "A fine philosophy." Iroh agrees. "When you have no intent to bring harm to any others, and they have no ill will towards you in turn. But consider this. What would you have had me do? Tell me, Avatar Aang." "... You could have thrown the coal into the ocean." Aang argues. "Indeed, I could have." Iroh agrees. "And then, when the second shot came, I might still have the strength in me to catch it and cast it aside as well. Perhaps even the third. But the strength of fire is not in its endurance, and my own power is not limitless. By the fourth, my strength would have certainly run out, and then it would have struck home, and they would be the ones to sail away as we died." "You could dive off the side and swim. There's no way they could hit you with the catapult then!" Aang continues, irrationally. Iroh gives him the long, slow stare of a disappointed teacher. "Did you not listen, when I spoke of the pirahna eels?" He asks. "Or were you too distraught from the loss of life to hear? Regardless, swimming in these waters, at this time of year, is not an option." "Then just fly away! She can." He continues, waving an arm at you. "... Indeed. My niece is remarkable, in certain ways. I myself have not fully taken to that technique, so easily as she has. But Aang... I would like you to consider, and count the number of people aboard this ship. In addition to the crew, the number is over fifty. If I may ask, how many people can you carry on Appa? How many can you carry alone? How would you choose, from fifty desperate faces, who it would be who flew away with you, and who would be left behind to die?" Aang finally falters a little at this. "It was not easy. There was a time when I was pleasantly acquainted with that captain. But to save the lives of my family, and those onboard my nephew's ship... yes. I struck out, knowing that I would be killing every person on their ship, otherwise exemplar soldiers of our navies, save this one act of treason. And from the eyes of a monk, perhaps this would be considered an attachment to great to the mortal world to be healthy, when I could have instead peacefully accepted that it was my time to walk forever into the realms of the spirits. But while I have done what I can through my life, to gather some wisdom... I am no monk. And even a monk, when driven, may decide that there is some life which is more sacred than others." ".... You're lying." Aang says, focusing on the last bit. "The bones which even now linger in the air temples can attest: I am not." Iroh affirms. "They are of air nomad and fire nation alike. Unless you believe that the soldiers of the fire nation, once finished with their grisly orders, turned their swords upon each other out of shame, leaving the last to starve in the wake of a massacre? I can tell you, the lingering scars of the battlefield do not imply that this is the case." "... I don't think I still like you very much." Aang decides, frowning at Iroh. "Because I do not always tell you what it is you want to hear?" Iroh asks. "The truth is a strange thing. Sometimes it is pleasant. Others sad. Others still, painful. But even if all you take from this conversation is that sometimes, even those you find pleasant and affable at first may later take actions you find personally abhorrent, then your time with me will have served you very well indeed. Trust, Avatar Aang, is a beautiful and dangerous thing, which when given too freely will inevitably be turned against you." "... You can't really believe that. If there was no trust in the world, then it would break." "True, yes. But I once trusted too easily, in visions of the spirits that promised to deliver much, and in the end only took, and lost the life of my own son in their wake." Iroh says, somberly. "I am now older, and give my trust less readily, lest trust misplaced once more cost me my family." "All men are-" "No." Iroh interrupts. "In a perfect world, the united world that all the fire nation yearns for, all humans could be as peaceful as family, when all the world is united and there is no need for one people to inflame another to bitter words, spiteful deeds, and open war." Iroh spreads his hands, unapologetically. "But we have strayed far from the topic. I will send orders that will have Lady Xin killed. If you do not like this, then by all means. Act as you feel is right. Prevent me from sending those orders. You are the avatar. This, surely, is within your power. Then, when the next assassins are sent, you may rest secure in the knowledge that in saving one life, the blood of many others is now on your hands." "... There has to be some other way. Can't you talk to this woman?" "I could, perhaps. We would discuss the matter late into the night, as she denied all knowledge of the captain's actions, having ensured that there was no confirmable link between herself and this assassination attempt. And then, after I had left, she would send orders that another attempt was to be made, and nothing will have changed. Perhaps, if there was something she cared about very dearly, that could be stolen and threatened in turn to force her to cease her actions. But then it must be watched very closely, for if it were stolen back, nothing stops her from resuming them, and if destroyed, she might be provoked to redouble them in her fury. It is a risky gamble, for when simpler options are not entirely feasible, or for when you can afford to take that risk." "... That's what you're going to do with Sokka and Katara." Aang seems to realize all at once. "You're going to force him to do something because you have them, and... that's horrible, you can't do that to people-" "Almost right." You reply. "In one military action, chieftain Hakoda killed over five hundred of the soldiers serving beneath me. This is the sort of thing which he does with unpleasant regularity." You smile. "We would very much like it if he would stop doing that, and go home. Is that such a terrible thing?" ... Aang doesn't seem able to find an answer, right away. In the end, he shakes his head and retreats, to once more sullenly slump against the buffalo. .... Asking him little details about why flying upset him is probably not wise at this point. Instead, you go over and carry Ty Lee to her bed, and spend a while talking with Toph. Several more days pass, as the Avatar displays his displeasure, but manages to miss Uncle sending off a hawk with a scroll, before you pull down to a coastline. Right next to steep mountains. "... There are many fascinating secrets to the ruins inside this ring of mountains." He says. "I believe you may benefit from seeing them. Both of you, Zuko, Azula. I was myself greatly interested them in my youth. Though, admittedly, in my youth I was forced to scale the mountains by hand. I believe that you might more easily pass them by." Yes, you think so. Carrying Zuko might be a little problematic, but you could fly, or have Toph build you a tunnel through... "No. I apologize, but I feel that this... is something the two of you must do on your own. Something resembling a spiritual journey, though somewhat lesser in scope. The rest of us will be waiting here, for your return." .... Is there some reason he wants you alone, with Zuko? ... Trying to set you up? Admittedly, he couldn't come out and suggest that sort of thing to you directly, but that would solve the problems caused by Zuzu's bullheadedness, even if you simply declared intent to wed in the future. He has to have thought of it. It would not matter, then, which of you were technically the heir, and which would wear the crown. Fire Lord and Lady alike, with if not equal political power, so close as to make no difference. A sound political move, quieting restless elements of the court so that nobody else gets ideas like Lady Xin. And it isn't as though the both of you could not take lovers, as the decades passed, even if there was no interest between you. Either way, the blood of the royal family continues on through you, and you can simply declare one or two of the spawn as legitimate, and nobody will say otherwise. The butterfly tentatively approves of this course of action. ...You don't think you could stomach being even engaged to a weak bender, though, even in jest and presenting a facade. It's possible theres something else to this that you aren't seeing, of course, but you aren't sure you can think of what it is. Maybe there's even just some interesting mural or carving or another that could inspire a firebending technique or two. You can't rule that out. You might just be considering it too deeply. --- [ ] ??? |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:29 AM Post #65 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] Flight and onward. You pick Zuko up from behind, and even as his face reddens from quiet shame, you flap into the air. He's pretty heavy. But well within your limits. "... I need to learn how to do this myself." He grumbles. You can't help but laugh at that, though not unkindly. You think. Probably. It still takes a while before you pass over the mountains, and drift down to the ancient pyramid and slowly crumbling city below. "... Any ideas Uncle left you with?" You ask, when you settle down on the ground. "No. He never spoke of... any of this." Zuko says, turning his head left, then right, as he takes in the ruins. "... We aren't alone." He says. ... you don't detect anyone. But then, you risk nothing by assuming, at least this once, Zuko knows what he is talking about. There's no question about what to do, then. "Come out and face us directly!" you call out into the ruins, boldly. There is a moment of silence. Then, figures seem to melt out of the stone and greenery for how quietly and suddenly they appear, clad in feathers and leather, making little displays of firebending as they take places, surrounding you. Circles. That's... interesting. It would take a lot of precise effort to hold the flame in an exact geometric shape like that, rather than a flickering abstraction. You don't really see the purpose. "Who are you. And why do you venture here, in the grounds of an ancient people now dwindled?" the apparent leader calls out. "I am Azula." you call back. "... I am Zuko." he adds, less forwardly, counting numbers and not seeming to like what he sees. "Iroh sent us here. I don't know why." "Iroh...." the man says, slowly. "He risks much. His faith in you both must be strong. Come. We will dine, as you watch the dance of the dragon, and we will discuss what you are here to do." ..... 'discussing' mostly boils down to 'watch the dance, carefully' through most of the meal. Some sort of rainforest beast, charred simply with the most basic of spices, over an open flame. It is nevertheless appetizing, somehow. ... the dance is actually a thinly disguised firebending form. You see... "... You have eaten. Now, I set you your task, and your warning, as Iroh once heard long ago. Fire is life, and warmth in the night, and cooked food, and a sign to ward away wild beasts, not merely destruction and death. Throughout time itself, and for all peoples, fire has been one of the closest and dearest friends of man. Understand this, before you begin." He breathes in through a pipe, then out, slowly exhaling smoke. "You will take a portion of the eternal flame, and hold it, as you climb to stand before the ancient ones. They may not be pleased to see you. But take the flame. Feed it too little, and it will go out. Let it swell up to greatly, and it will turn and consume you. Be mindful of the flame. And when you stand before Ran and Shaw, they will pass their judgement upon you." He smiles. "If they are pleased, they will bestow a great honor upon you, which you now seek. If they dislike you... then instead they will turn and devour you where you stand. This is the risk you take." What is this.... some kind of spirit contract, like with the old Saber-Yeti spirit? It sounds close. The butterfly doesn't seem able to say, either way. Doesn't seem like she's familiar with anything local, here. Nonetheless, two of the warriors step forward, each holding a small fragment of flame between cupped hands and pass them to you. With no further words, the chief shows you the way. .... Well. Iroh did send you hear for a reason, you guess. You begin walking. You walk for quite some time, until your feet begin to ache just a little, and you're beginning to wonder what the point to this is. Then you reach the summit of the trail, and a platform. As the flames in your hands wink... no. Are snuffed out, two great heads slide out of nearby caverns. Ran and Shaw are not spirits. Though some would consider them close. They are dragons. You find yourself almost a little disappointed when they do not speak, but instead coil through the air and around you, and the platform. What next... ah. "Zuko. I know what they want next." you say, falling into a calm stance. "... Yeah. I guess that makes sense." He agrees. You breathe in, and out, together. Then you move, in tandem. Not to a fight or a sparring match, but slowly. Gracefully. A demonstration, not to each other, but to the dragons. Zuko fumbles here and there. It's a shame. But that's all right. You guess, even if the dragons deem him unworthy, you can get him out of this. It's not like he's of any use to you dead. Slowly, and with a timed disgorging of flame from the dragons, the ceremony comes to a conclusion. Something has changed. You can feel it. Next to you. Zuko's face is a mask of stunned wonder, as he looks at his hands. He... he burns. Not like a sun, not nearly, but... "It's like a tiny sun, inside of me..." He whispers, slowly. No, that can't be right, why him, why is he starting to burn like a distant star, when- You don't feel. Any different. Not at all. You turn again, dumbstruck, and see a pair of open mouths, side by side in perfect unison, and incoming quickly. Eyes locked on you, and you... Your body won't. Move. Move! "Azula!" Zuko howls, but it's too late, too late, you can't move, why can't you move as all the world seems to be crushing down upon you before the hungry eyes of predators. And then he's there. You manage a shuddering gasp, tearing your way out of whatever witchery the dragons laid upon you, and you can breathe again as steel rings against teeth, and Zuko's dao glitter with fire as they manage, just barely, just by the narrowest margin, to deflect and turn aside the dragons, forcing them to move away from you as they coil back outwards and back. He's protecting you. You needed Zuko to protect you. What kind of miserable and wretched beasts- "Stay behind me, Azula." He whispers. "I think... they don't want to hurt me. But I'm not sure how far that will stretch. .... we should run, though." --- [ ] ??? |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:30 AM Post #66 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] Sound and Fury You can't take it. You can't stand it. Zuko, defending you. Zuko, standing between you and threat, like he has the power to defend you from anything you can't fight off yourself. Zuko, with his inner fires burning brighter than ever before, the shining light of a distant star in the night sky. Zuko. Zuko. Zuko zuko zuko zuko zuko zuko-! "Why!?" You howl, your frustration and insulted fury driving your inner fires every higher. The beasts land heavily on the platform. Then, in unison, they roar. Sounds and shapes and memories like moving paintings assault you, as you delight in the scent produced by the burning of animals, not for food or for defense, but just to see how it smelled, as you have to be restrained from venting your fury and anguish on Zuko, for daring to exist and fall within your field of vision, when someone so much more important has fallen, as you breathe deep of the smell of the charred flesh of the battlefield and smile, as you feel your heart warm with pointless and thoughtless cruel words, inciting the tribal girl to rage, as you stand before the dragons full of arrogance and pride and a certainty of personal superiority- As you stand upon a wooden platform, shaking and rattling in the winds over a deep and powerfully burning chasm of crawling and hungry, angry flame, suspended by too few fraying ropes. 'UNWORTHY.' The word echoes through your mind, ringing like an enormous gong and almost driving you to your knees. Zuko flinches. That... Yes. You like violence. You enjoy the smell of victory. You'll kill, not just as a predator to eat or defend itself personally, and you would feel nothing about it. And taunting the tribal girl into fury does warm your heart. But that's not fair. You don't kill indiscriminately. Not without a purpose. You control yourself. You do things because they are smart, and not just to sate your craving for burning things! You can't help liking what you like, when the only thing you could possibly do is lie about it and try to convince yourself that you really don't. What does it matter that you don't care when someone unimportant to you dies? And you're sane, damn it. You're functional. You're stable. You don't, don't gibber at plush toys, or bark orders at walls and things only you can see, damn them, you aren't crazy. You aren't in danger of going mad! How dare they make you question that! "You can't judge me on what I am, the way I was born, instead of what I have done!" You snarl, fury building. There are answering snorts of flame. Clearly, they already have, and their judgement will not be swayed. Massive eyes focus downward. On Zuko. ".... I won't stand aside." He says, maybe in response to something you cannot hear. "No matter what. Azula, go!" ... Damn it. He still. He thinks. You'll just quietly sit and let him defend you? You grab him from behind. "Don't you dare think. I'm letting you play hero for me." You snarl, angry with all the world right now, and refusing to let this stand. There is nothing you would like better than to try to kill the stupid, overgrown lizards in front of you. .... But you would die. You would certainly die. Nobody would hunt dragons without decades of experience and power backing them, and usually ballistae and other unfair advantages such as small armies at their back. Slaying a dragon alone was a sign of impressive might, and that was simply with dragons comparable in mass to the avatar's bison. These monstrous juggernauts.... You just don't have enough fire or lightning in you to make any kind of appreciable difference, when they crush you like a bug. Not yet. Someday, your glare threatens, as you lift off and flee, not bothering to land in the ruins below but heading directly across the valley as the sun starts to set, making straight for the ship. They just sit there and watch as you fly away. Not chasing you. Not even considering you the sort of threat that they should hunt down and crush before it grows serious. The indignity burns. And your arms ache, when you finally set down on the deck, and put Zuko down. "Ah. That was faster than I thought. How did it go?" Iroh asks, pleasantly, having waited to see if you would return today. You stalk past him to your cabin, wordlessly. You do not want to talk about it. And, breathing deeply in the empty room, you finally release your tightly gripped fury and frustration. ... It's hardly an hour later that a soft knock comes at your locked door. "Azula?" Iroh's voice calls, from the other side. --- [ ] ??? |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:30 AM Post #67 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] Spilling everything. Everything. He can't come in on his own. You locked the door. You rise, slowly, to open the latch. Then you slump back inside and drop into a pile of ash, as Iroh looks around. The frame of the bed was metal, heavily warped. The walls, roof, floor, all metal. Everything inside, aside from yourself, has been shattered or burned, with your sword dropped carelessly a little away and the pot of salt smashed apart against the wall. He seems startled, but not too much, by the thoroughness of the destruction. "... I am sorry." he says, simply. "I had believed both you and Zuko would easily gain the approval of Ran and Shaw. But, in the end, I have only now realized that I do not truly know what basis they have for determining these things, only that I found approval, long ago. This was my error, and for it I risked your lives." You can't respond. Not immediately. It takes you a minute to lift your head. "... Uncle." You say, softly. "Is there something wrong with me?" "... Azula, why would you even ask something like-" Something cracks, and you wave your hand sharply. Then you start talking. Slowly and softly at first, but ramping up in pitch and feverish intensity and volume until you are ranting. Everything. All of it. From the very beginning. You remember everything, almost from when you were born. Too smart. Ursa turning you away, when Father was cold, when grandfather burned like the sun in the sky. The sickened, pale face on your instructor, when he explained how you had to build yourself up into a fury in order to burn living things or you couldn't stomach it, but how you put that to the test later, and discovered that not only did you have no trouble like he claimed, but that you enjoyed it. How your first kill of a living human was within a week of your first day of school, and how you didn't think anything of it, would happily have killed anyone who tried the same, would have invited the risk for more opportunity, but that you valued the time put into your studies more and instead acted to minimize the risk. Collecting people, not because you had any urge to make friends, but because they were useful and convenient. How later you didn't understand how they didn't enjoy the hunting, and the perfume of victory wafting over the sea, but swallowed your confusion and said the words anyway, though they felt hollow. How you don't understand people, easily. How Azulon's rage rose like a furious eruption from the depths of the earth before Ozai, and he left with his orders, but later how Ursa came. How you hated her, when you woke and discovered that Azulon, the best person, the only important person in the world was gone and she was to blame. How you hated Zuko, not for anything he had done, but simply for daring to continue to draw breath, for being chosen over the Sun, how Ty Lee and Mai had had to block your chi and physically drag you away before you killed him where he stood, how Mai had invited you to kill her for the insubordination after and how you wanted how you wanted so desperately to do it, even understanding that it was folly and that she had saved you from greater folly still, you wanted and turned that desperate need to kill someone aside. How you would have hated Ozai, if you could ever decide whether or not he was implicit in Azulon's death, and for failing to follow Azulon's last command, as some deep part of you even now faintly whispers that he should have, and how you hated Zuko again, a little, and Ozai alike, for failure and that mockery of an Agni Kai. How your path through the southern coasts of the earth kingdoms wasn't entirely trod because that was how you wanted to go about it, how you wanted to carve a path of bloodshed and death across the land so deeply that it would scar the very earth itself for generations to come, how you wanted to revel in the battles until the smell of it could be felt as a sweet perfume as far north as Ba Sing Se, and south to the pole itself, but how you did not act on this urge because you did not come to kill you came to rule, and even if you might find satisfaction in the spilled blood and the scent of burning flesh, you could not rule if all the people of the coast were dead, and so you held yourself in check against every impulse that was screaming at you that these people were not yours yet, you could kill as many as you wanted and nobody would care. And you did not. And you've held yourself in check, in restraint, for your whole life, and it's not enough, those stupid, wretched, flying lizards don't think it's enough and chose Zuko only to discard you, and you won't be discarded, you won't be ignored, you won't just be thrown aside because you aren't wanted, because someone else looks at you with judging eyes and decides that there's something wrong but they forgive you for how you were born and you hate her, you hate her, you hate her, you hate her SO MUCH- By the time you come to the end, throat rasping and raw from venting everything you've kept bottled up for so long, Iroh is seated on the floor. Dumbfounded, and slack jawed. His mouth opens. Then it closes. Then it opens and closes again. Like he's looking, he's trying, but he can't find the words. Dragon of the West, incredible speechmaker and storyteller, and he can't find the words to just come out and say that it's all right, it's okay, there isn't anything wrong with you. There isn't anything wrong with you. There is nothing wrong with you. "... There is nothing wrong with you, Azula." Iroh manages, after several long moments. His words are ringing hollow, and empty. There is nothing wrong with you! ... He rallies, and regains a little of his composure. "No matter what." He says. "You are my niece. And you have done everything in your power... I just. I need to breathe. This is very much... I will speak with you tomorrow. I must be alone, for..." He trails off. Then he just stands up and leaves, without an excuse. Retreating. Running away like a coward! ..... .... no. ....... Don't leave. Please. You can't even bring yourself to get up and lock the door again. There's nothing stopping Zuko from entering, when he comes. ".... What do you want." You croak, barely able to even muster the strength to add venom to your words. "... I saw, when the dragons showed you." He says, simply. "Why. I saw everything. And more. I didn't... understand it all." "... so what. Have you come to pretend there's nothing wrong, too, and then run away?" You bite of, nothing left in you to snarl. .... He seats himself by you. "... I never saw much of you, growing up." He begins. "I didn't... understand you, I guess. I still don't understand you. I'm not sure I can. There's just so much, that I don't. But I still admired you, and envied you. I didn't see you often, but when I did, you were always incredible. Even though it seemed like you were showing off, I could only just stand and watch, as you shot beyond me so quickly, and left me so far behind, and it felt like there was nothing in the world that I could do. ... I resented you. And at first, I resented your advice, and your gifts. I thought you were just mocking me. And you might have been, I don't know. ... But when I followed your advice, it worked. I had always been second rate, the inferior one, but this was still enough for me to face off against a fully trained master airbender, the Avatar himself, and win. I owe that to you. No matter what spirit it was meant in, I owe a lot to you." He's reaching out, and limp and exhausted as you are, you can't fend him off. His arms are around you. Why? Your skin is... it's not crawling. It's trembling. It's.... .... warm. "I don't understand you." he re-affirms, quietly. "I don't need to. Azula... it doesn't matter what you are. Or why you do things. Only what you do. .... I'll never turn you aside. I promise." You. Aren't crying. Tears are weakness, and shame. You aren't crying. .... that idiot, Zuko. Coming into your room with a soaked shirt. You don't know when you fell asleep. Only that neither of you have moved from the pile of ashes when you wake up, and that he's still got his arm around you, even as he's sleeping himself. --- [ ] ??? |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:31 AM Post #68 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] Morning on the open ocean. .... You don't want to get up. You don't want to move, just yet. You're very good at doing things you might not really want to do. You have a lot of practice. But... this time, you think. For now. You set your head back down, and close your eyes. .... Can't last forever, though, and you still haven't locked that Agni-damned door back up yet. Toph strolls in without the slightest bit of hesitation or respect for privacy, metal cup in hand and full of steaming blackness. "... This is new. Normally it's you bugging me at some horrible hour of the morning. Tables've turned, huh?" she says, as Zuko groans. "Come on, princess, rise'n shine. I can tell you aren't asleep, your heartbeat's different. Slop hall's doing breakfast, you miss it, tough shit." ... She just strolls off, casual as she came. Maybe... a little more curtly than usual? You don't... it's hard to tell. You have things to handle here, anyway. "... Sorry." you rasp, throat raw enough that the normal difficulty of forcing the word past your pride doesn't come into play. "I meant. Spite. I couldn't help it-" "It's fine." he groans, sitting up, covered with ash. "... I need to change." ..... you do, too. You don't have any clothes that you brought along, that aren't ash now, besides this, though. .... Ty lee doesn't mind lending out a spare suit, as you stretch your aching back. Bits of ash on a hard metal floor do not a comfortable resting place make. You need some Agni-damned tea. .... Iroh isn't present at breakfast. You make inquiries, though somehow, you can't quite move yourself to go looking for him. "... You don't wish to speak to the General right now." captain Jee responds, not quite looking you in the eye. "He has... not been drinking tea, last night." That's... Kind of suspicious. None of the crew is quite looking directly at you. The Avatar, the tribals, nothing seems to have changed, and Ty Lee and Toph... they seem, you think, normal, but... You think back to the previous night, and you slowly feel something in your chest lower itself to the vicinity of your belly. You got... loud. And the metal walls of a ship are made as thin as possible, to reduce weight. There is... little, in the way of privacy, particularly in tight quarters like this. "Y-you heard... all of you-" Jee holds up a hand, stopping you. "... The General selected the crew of the Phoenix Flower very carefully." He says, soberly. "Orphans, people who have been disowned, bastard children that were never and would never be recognized. All people who have no real attachments to anyone who is not also serving on this ship, and who know full well the value of keeping their tongues restrained, if anything should be mentioned that they should not know. I can assure you. If anything of last night spreads beyond this ship, it will not be from the actions of the crew." That's... it's almost reassuring. It would help more if it weren't for the fact that you barely know this man. You return to your food, though it seems somehow unappetizing. You swallow a cup of tea. ... it tastes, right now, like hot leaf juice. Your hands aren't trembling. Not for long, or after a deep breath. "What is our course?" You ask, instead of anything else. And then you realize, no, you shouldn't be asking, if Iroh and Zuko haven't made that decision, you should either be making it yourself or ordering him to tell you. You're falling apart. Get it together. ... he doesn't seem to notice, thankfully. "For the moment, we're on the course back to the capital. Until otherwise ordered, it seemed like the wisest course." --- [ ] ??? |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:32 AM Post #69 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] Changing course. ... No. No, you can't go back to the capital just yet. Maybe there's enough time on the trip for everyone to get everything back in order. Maybe not. ... Can't go to the colonies, either. Those are still attached to the Earth Kingdoms, and give the tribals too much opportunity to run. Even unfocused and scattered as you are right now, you can't justify that kind of stupid risk. No.... ... Where did Mai say she was, right now? She can't come on the vacation, but you'll bring the vacation to her. "Change course." You instruct. "Fire Fountain city." ... It's far from the most pleasant place for a dating tour, but she mentioned something about the local fair and having a portrait of herself done in front of the Fire Fountain, on her family's request. Given the travel time, you should be right in time to meet her. You think. Even if you don't, the fair makes it a reasonable port stop. .... Zuko invites you to a sparring match later in the day, after confiscating a purloined spoon from the Sokka boy. It's... It clears your head, to be sure. You regain some of the focus you've misplaced. Even so. It seems wrong, somehow. That suddenly, when you were the clear and obvious victor every time before, and rightly so, in the wake of Ran and Shaw, Zuko is... Pushing you. No. That's not quite right. He's matching you, almost blow for blow, and you are straining, stretching, clawing for what every previous sparring match tells you should be an easy victory. Not any more. Probably never again. It's changed, and you feel a little lost in the wake of that change. You never thought that he might reach a respectable level. Much less catch up. There's a little voice inside you, screaming, that insists you have to kill him. Kill him before he becomes a threat to you. Kill him before he gets too close. Ignore that this is just a sparring match, he's too strong to be allowed, you have to call the lightning and stop his heart. The butterfly has nothing to say, one way or another. Withdrawn deep, all the words she has to offer muted and distant for now, focused on deep inner thoughts of its own. That voice is all yourself. ... But no. You won't. You can't. If he dies, now, then you... You're both lightly singed, and bleeding, and breathing heavily when it comes to its end. Zuko's dao are set with a point against your heart and an edge against your belly, waiting for just a little more motion to spill your guts or pierce your chest. A flickering blade of blue fire is set against Zuko's own throat, much the same. Draw. You did not win. But you didn't lose. You don't think you could bear it, yet, even with how things have changed, if you lost to Zuko. ... It isn't his fault, that he was chosen. You think... finally, you can let that go. You open your hand, and the blade disperses into nothing, as you both step away from each other. "... That was something." Zuko says, seeming to be stunned and mildly disbelieving over how the match ended. .... yes. Yes it was. There's a lot that you have to think about. But. There's no rush. You let your heartbeat settle, as you go aside and have a cup of tea. Some of the subtle flavor has returned. That's good. You're waylaid by Toph later in the day, dragging you into a room with Ty Lee. You... You guess you have some explaining to do. "No. Save it." Toph says, holding up a hand. "There's only one question I want to ask. Am I just a political.... no. That's not the right question." She shakes her head, and starts again. "Do you want to be friends. Honestly. That's the question, yes or no." She says, arms crossed. That... You are given pause. You can't help but stop, and put your feelings in order. She's your hostage. She is, by default, a political tool against her parents. You would have loved to kill her, when you first met. She is crass and blunt and usually dirty and gives the maids fits because they can't always keep track of her, and all of the work they have to put in to keep her clothes something resembling clean. And she is yours. There is only one right answer. It's just hard to spit out. "Yes." you say, voice stiff, the word feeling dragged out of you as if by hooks. There's a short moment, then Toph relaxes. Just a hair. "That's all I wanted to know." .... You guess that you should say something more. "It must have been... a surprise?" You say, keeping things as vague as you can in case someone is listening, precaution that you wish you had been in any state to take last night. "... Huh?" Ty Lee says brightly. "What are you talking about?" ... could she possibly not have heard anything of-? But no. She reaches in and brazenly puts a finger on your chin, nudging it up. "What you are? It's been written all across your aura since forever. Right back to the very first time we met." She says, simply. "You're Fire. You're beautiful.... and you are deadly. Like the suzuran flowers." She smiles as she comes away. "You would do everything you could to keep from hurting people that didn't need to be hurt." She explains. "But what you are... that's never been a question. Not to me, anyway." ... Right from the beginning? You're a little stunned, as she does that arm thing, then comes back away. ... You excuse yourself, politely, and make your way to your quarters. It's getting late in the evening, after all. When you reach them, you have to stop, and stare. You feel like you're less than half your age, and a fool, as you knock on his door instead, and it creaks slowly open as he looks out. "... The Phoenix Flower. It... there aren't any more spare cots." You explain yourself, feeling like the biggest idiot in the world. He sighs a little bit, and opens the door all the way. "Don't hog my sheets." Zuko grumbles, as he lets you in. .... Iroh is sober by the next morning, and he stops you both to call you for a lesson. You, in particular, he has something to say to. It takes him a minute to speak, though. ".... No man can help the circumstances of their birth." He says, finally. "There is no fault in being what you are. And you have done everything within your power, to recognize and restrain your tendencies. If you had not spoken out, I would never have recognized it myself. There is no fault in that." ... He couldn't say this before? When you needed the reassurance... "As for the rest. We can discuss that in another time. For now. Let us go through some of the more common advanced techniques of firebending." He says, changing the subject adroitly. The next few days are... intense, as you sail across the seas. Iroh is clearly putting his focus into training you both, rather than think too deeply right now on anything else. You cannot say that you or Zuko do not benefit from this, though. Advanced flame propulsion... you can see great utility in this, combined with your wings. Zuko reminds you that he still intends to learn how to use those. You... are no longer so certain he couldn't. Fire streams. Less intense and powerful than Iroh's breath but, at least for now, still more easily sustainable than the breath, as you can continue to breathe, in and out, and continue to feed the stream without interruption. The loss in power is unfortunate, but training will increase that, and you imagine that the technique has individual utility of its own. A somewhat longer range, to be sure. Raising an outright wall of flames, a drastic advancement on the basic fire shield. Massively more draining, to be sure. But less subject to the sort of precision you have to put into a fire shield to be sure you're knocking aside everything coming your way, and once it gets larger, you can move around behind it and use it as mobile and deployable burning cover. The trick to launching flame projectiles at a longer range than normal firebending would allow. There's a little bit of individual variation here, Zuko's own result in orbs of flame, launched like bullets, while your own result in spinning and razor sharp discs... And the trick he showed off himself, one he learned directly from Azulon, to both of his sons, a trick of the royal family and Imperial Firebender bodyguards alone, and which is not easily found in other firebending Masters. Bodily reinforcement, through the inner fires, stretching through and tempering every limb. Just normally bending already does this to a degree, making you stronger, faster. But this is beyond that. ... well, once you've put some significant effort into training it up, at least. For now, you would guess that its use only gives you enough of a boost to consider yourself increased by perhaps ten percent, though there is no real way to so easily put it into numbers. Yes. Your bending will thank you for this stretch of days on the sea. Your body does not. Every day ends with the two of you barely able to see straight, dumping a bucket of cold ocean water over your heads as you do what you can to scrub down, then collapsing until morning comes once again, early, far to early to be real and re-affirming the spirits' lingering and massive hatred for all life. By the time you reach Fire Fountain City, you both sort of want to die, and greatly welcome the respite. Toph and Ty Lee have been entertaining and keeping an eye on the guests, you think, though you have been in no state to confirm this. You might have to thank them for the effort. You've definitely not been able to do it yourself, with Uncle displaying exactly how harsh of a taskmaster he can be. You pull quietly into port, as the great statue of Ozai spits fire up into the air far off before you. --- [ ] ??? |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:33 AM Post #70 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] Friendship is shopping expeditions? Questioning directed to the fairy only receive a grumbling response of Fire not doing well over such vast expanses of open and deep blue water. Fire Fountain City, the eternal fair off the outskirts of town aside, is an industrial town. Mostly factories. This doesn't mean that there aren't markets and shops, though many are run down and a little seedy. But they all primarily stock imported things, except for those few who sell things similar to the war materials that are shipped out weekly. And that adds to the price tag. Iroh mentions that he would like to speak to you and Zuko later, but turns you loose. ... You give a small urchin girl a description of Mai, her name, and a message that you've stopped by, if she's in town, along with a coin. She darts away to do her work, gap-toothed smile pleased. This gives you time to gather your wits and let Toph and Ty Lee know... that you are going shopping, to replace your things. The Sokka boy actually looks vaguely interested, from among his 'polite escort'. Zuko makes himself suddenly very scarce, mumbling something about a new whetstone, and then almost instantly disappearing into the crowds. .... Well, that hardly matters, right? The bed is easily enough replaced. Metal frames are actually cheaper than fine woodwork here, considering that trees on this island are sparse, few and far between. The simple part done, you enter a stunning and mildly confusing maze of fashion, debating sheets and colors and cloth, and moving on to clothing and cuts and weave and fabrics, and... you never needed to know any of this, there was always a servant to delegate the task of purchasing new and fashionable clothes and things to. Toph assures you brightly with every new outfit, that you 'look great'. The girl is blind. She's going to run that joke not just into the ground, but into the steaming and molten depths of the earth's bowels, you think. .... you pick up a new pot of salt, boiled out of seawater. And a couple of postcards, prominently featuring the grand statue of Ozai. Your father will get a kick out of it, you're sure. ".... Hello, ladies." a casual voice sounds, as a beefy young man leans against a wall nearby, interrupting your shopping excursion. "Hiya~" Ty Lee responds brightly, prompting a wide grin from the young man. "This city's no place for three lovely ladies to wander around alone, yanno?" He says, stretching a little, to display his toned arm muscles. "You should all take a stroll with me. There's a nice bar nearby. We can... enjoy a few fruit cockails, yeah?" "... Agni Kai." You declare, dryly. "... Wait, what?" he says, dumbly. "I feel insulted." You respond, explaining to him slowly, like you would to any other dumb beast, as Ty Lee sighs a little mournfully and Toph snorts. "Therefore I, princess of the Fire Nation, Azula, hereby challenge you to Agni Kai. Simple, really." "... Wait, Azul-... aw shit." He groans, then yelps as a delicate strand of blue flame singes his ear. "H-hey, wait now, there's no need to be so hasty-" "Azula." A familiar, and familiarly bored, voice calls. You turn your eyes to see Mai, and a fair bit of blood drains slowly from the boy's face. "I received your message. Though, again, on short notice. If you could please not maim my boyfriend?" Oh, so this is that fellow. She can do far better, as he sighs in relief. ... she smiles slightly. "That's my job." She states, making him incredibly uncomfortable once again. "You know, I never did get your boyfriend's name, did I?" You muse around. "It's Lee. Don't bother remembering it. There are a million Lees, and this one doesn't look like he's going to work out." She says, flatly. "I'm going to have to get rid of him. Very soon." "..... When you say, 'get rid of', you do just mean dump, right?" the Lee boy says, looking very worried. "I mean, only, I've heard the stories about your family, and-" He shuts up. Very fast, in the wake of Mai's cold smile. "If you've heard all of these terrible things, Lee, then I can only wonder why you insist on trying to find out the painful truth for yourself?" She says, sharply. "Doesn't matter. I see you're shopping. Lee. Packages." The boy groans pitifully. But Mai is suddenly delicately scraping an invisible fleck of dirt from beneath her fingernail, with a very sharp knife. You missed Mai. "I think I like her." Toph decides, arms crossed. --- [ ] ??? |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:34 AM Post #71 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] Meeting once more. You... you should do the arm thing. Friends do that, right...? ... No, you can't. Not just yet. "Ty Lee." You say instead. "Demonstrate affection for me." "'kk~" She chirps, lunging forward. Mai already has knives out, and in hand, as she steps back. But it's too late. Her proficiency is in a greater range, and Ty Lee is a blur inside of her guard. You watch, calmly, for a few moments. "That should be enough." You decide. After a moment's reflection, you continue. "Perhaps less affection than that, next time it's called for." Ty Lee giggles as she moves away, sinuously wriggling just out of the way of barrages of blades. You don't think you've ever seen Mai red-faced and flustered like this. Completely put off balance, and just reacting instead of acting on a prepared plan. ... You think you like it. Well, in any case, you can think of a few other little things to pick up. Ornaments, reading material. Small things. Adding up to heavy loads. Well, the young master forearms is here for a reason. You introduce Toph along the way, and while the two of them don't exactly hit it off to become fast friends or anything, they're both accepting of the other's presence. Not like the raised voices and little sly sideways remarks and jabs from when she was introduced to Ty Lee. .... One of the shopkeepers beckons you aside, a few moments after entry, and places a small ivory pin on the counter, carved into the shape of the mythical dragon slumbering beneath waves, the Leviathan, Tiamat. "My lady, Princess Azula." He says. "Please accept this token of my fealty." .... this is already going worrisome political places. Even so, there is nothing to do but graciously accept. "There are those, even in our city, who feel that your brother's craven attempts to abdictate the throne show the humility desirable for a Fire Lord, a mark of good character." He says, drawing smoke from a pipe. "But still, many can see it for the cowardice and rejection of responsibility which it truly is. No such man can ever become a true Fire Lord. When the time comes, my lady, you will find supporters ready and willing to give their lives to aid you in taking the throne." "It will not come to that." You say, sharply. A civil war brewing. This is the last thing the Nation needs. Damn it, zuzu.... ".... Perhaps not. Perhaps Ozai will show wisdom yet, and confirm you as the heir." he says, agreeably enough. "But if he should continue to push forward his craven son... supporters, you will have. The war cannot focus on lands outside of the Fire Nation when our own private affairs are out of order." .... There is nothing you can say that will not either deeply offend the man offering his loyalties to you, or spur him into taking unwise action against Zuko's own supporters. Instead, you just hum noncommittally, take the pin, and bow as you leave. ....Agni burn it all to cinders. "I think i've had enough shopping." You say, leaving the place behind. "Is there anything you can recommend, around here?" "We should deliver your things, first. But the fair is always an option for... amusement. I am reliably informed." Mai says, not seeming to really care one way or another. --- [ ] ??? |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:34 AM Post #72 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] Amusement Fair. You aren't sure what to think, or to do, about the pin now burning hotly in your pocket. So you put it aside. For now. And drop off your things. The Lee boy looks mildly thrilled about going to the fair, or more to the point, being seen going to the fair in the company of four lovely young women. ... but Mai informs him in no uncertain terms that he is no longer required. He looks at first like he might protest, but is easily dissuaded. The Fair is a massive assortment of tents and stalls selling toys and trinkets and exciting and dubious foods. "Eat that string candy. And then eat that salt chew. And then that sugared pastry." the fairy urges, attention absorbed by all the fascinating and mingling scents. ... Mai excels at the dartboard and knife throwing and ring toss games, even though they're rigged. Of course they're rigged. That's how fairs work, they may let you play games, but they never promise that they'll be fair. The odds are stacked against the player in every subtle way they can manage. Ty Lee makes the man running the pet-fish net game cry, as she smoothly and precisely slides one after another out of the tank and into little bowls of water. She gives them back with a giggle after. Well, it's not like she has a tank for all those fish anyway. .... You find the avatar at the bell striker game, straining with the hammer. You politely take it from him... It's heavy. After fanning your inner flames, and feeling your muscles start to burn, it... is still heavy. But not as much. You swing it up, then bring it crashing down. The bell dings, above. You let him know, after that, that it would probably be wisest to return to the ship before dark. Even the locals don't really walk around, after the sun has set. And that's getting close. "... The Avatar, huh?" Mai says, seeming mildly surprised but not terribly. "I guess I was meant to guess at that on my own." ... No, actually. You'd have mentioned the Avatar, if you were making it an order to come and assist you. "I see..." Still. You think you've had enough fun, for the moment. There is a private booth at a local tea house that Uncle wanted you to meet him at. You'll head that way, for now. .... When you arrive, Zuko is already there with Iroh, heavy look on his face. In his hand, he's toying with a fine steel dagger. Its handle is stylized, into the shape of the great dragon Shen Lung, flying up to approach the sun. --- [ ] ??? |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:35 AM Post #73 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] Tense discussion. You seat yourself quietly, order a white cherry blossom tea from the waitress. And then, after a long moment, you remove the pin from your pocket, to set it carefully on the table. "I'll assume that the person who gave you that, had much the same to say as the man who gave me this?" You say, waving at the Tiamat pin. "... I don't think that the man who gave you that would have offered advice on what you should use it for." He says, sourly. "There is an uncomfortable situation arising." Iroh says somberly, sipping at his own tea. Discussion goes silent as the waitress delivers your cup, then resumes after she has left. "The Nation cannot afford a civil war right now." You say, right off. "We should eliminate the ring-leaders of this nonsense and eliminate them." "Agni, no. We must not, by any means." Iroh says. "Especially if there were specific leaders. There are those who are more or less outspoken on the matter, but... in any case, creating martyrs for the cause is the last thing we need." He shakes his head. Then with a moment of somberness, he places a single Pai Sho tile on the table. The White Lotus. "I have a number of contacts, which I remain in touch with." he says. "Throughout the Fire Nation... and well beyond. I worried of this from the moment that prince Zuko spoke out before Ozai, and have sent for quiet updates on the situation as it progresses. What I have heard, collecting information through the day is... not so good." "I charged ahead without thinking. Spoke out of turn. And screwed everything up again, only on a far more massive scale." Zuko groans. "I never learn... I'm such an idiot." "I do wish you had brought your thoughts before me." Iroh sighs. "Even so. There is no changing the past. We must deal with the world as it is." He puts the tile away again, before speaking. "This is the situation as it stands. The lines of succession have never been so uncertain that a situation like this could arise, not for well over a thousand years. There are, thankfully, still those who hold that the Fire Lord is the one who should ultimately decide this, as ever before, and they will abide by whatever decision Ozai makes, either way. And there are, unfortunately, those who will see the opportunity inherent in this and play one side of our own people against another. They are few in number, however, even combined. The hearts of fire are not often patient, and are swift to make decisions, and to choose sides. In total... there is some uncertainty of the exact amount. But only a little less than half of the nation will support Zuko, in one degree or another. And a little under half of the nation, much the same, will swear their fealty to the future rule of Fire Lord Azula." It's infuriating. That's probably the worst information you could have heard. "Father will live for... probably a hundred more years." Zuko grumbles. "Even so. Putting the succession in question is a sign of weakness and uncertainty. And the whole nation trembles before it." Iroh says. "Fortunately, while the nation has been swift to choose their sides, they are now a pair of torches held above a vat of oil. Waiting, and dangerous, but not yet the full conflagration that they have the potential to become. ... That much, at least, is in our favor. They wait for a sign, the right time to act on the beliefs they have taken to heart, to ensure that the person they feel to be right inherits the throne. But not yet. Though rumor flies faster than the swiftest messenger hawk, and word has already begun to spread out of the colonies and into the Earth Kingdoms, and to the Water Tribes from there. .... If a full internal war should arise, massive numbers of troops will have to be withdrawn, both from the front lines and the colonies, even though the colonies themselves will not be left untouched by the division. It will be an unprecedented moment of weakness for the Nation. It is far from impossible that the Earth Kingdoms will choose this time to strike in a massive offensive movement, sweeping across all of the colonies and putting our settlements to the torch, letting the ashes blow away on the wind, ending countless lives, and turning all the efforts of the war over the past hundred years to nothing in an instant." Your stomach twists at the thought. No matter what, that must not be allowed to happen. "... But, fortunately, matters are not yet moving that swiftly. As long as nothing sparks a movement into full fury, it will sit. Ozai's declaration, confirmation, of his heir in the wake of this... that would be such a spark. It seems he knows this well enough himself, though, as he has not made any decision of that nature. Outside actions, if they are planned and executed perfectly, may be the driving force needed. Our enemies would be most pleased to throw us into such chaos. But, so long as it is not sparked into flame, the matter might yet sit for even several more years. Perhaps, if we are very fortunate, for long enough that all the Earth Kingdoms will be pacified under our grip." He frowns. "In any case. The Comet is predicted to arrive, in less than a year. Less than a day, twelve hours, of massively amplifying the power of every Firebender on the face of the world. No matter what, it must not be allowed to erupt into actual violence between the divided factions before then, or the power of the comet, instead of being used to further the war, will be twisted as the nation turns upon itself." It cannot be allowed. You just have to think of some way to fix it. "Assassinations are out." You say, making sure of this. "Even if there were one centralized leader on either side.... this isn't a small rebellious faction, we are speaking of." Iroh agrees. "Even one execution could be the spark needed, to inflame passions and send things into a fury. If it were a group of a hundred, perhaps so many as a thousand, that would be reasonable enough... but we speak of the entire nation, or nearly so, taking one side or the other." You think, rapidly. "Declarations of support were what started all of this in the first place." you begin. "So that might not work... but perhaps if one of our deaths were announced?" "No." Iroh says, again. "In either case, it is once more the spark needed for dry, oil-soaked tinder. One side or the other... if you declare support for Zuko, your supporters will feel that you were pressured and coerced into it, whether that is the case or not. The same, in turn, for Zuko. If one of you were to die at this point, under any conditions whatsoever, even if it were faked... it would be taken as an assassination, removing competition from the picture, and those who would have supported you will rise up not to put you on the throne, but to seek vengeance, and fight all the more bitterly for it." Your teeth grind, but that... it makes sense. Too much sense. Argh... "I don't know what to do about this." Zuko groans. "A division of labor, perhaps." You put forward, consideringly. "Let there be two duties... that of the Fire Lord, for internal matters of our nation, and.... and the Grand Dragon, or the Imperial Phoenix, or something, focusing attention on the matters of the war and colonies." Iroh is shaking his head. "That won't do. The people will not stand for it." He says, sadly. "Even if it might patch things together with strands of broken hair for a little time, it will act as a driving force, encouraging the division of the people. No longer will they be throwing their alleigances behind Azula, and behind Zuko, on who would be heir to the Fire Lord, but behind the Fire Lord, and the other. It would divide the Fire Nation more thoroughly into twain... and one day, no matter how near or far, the war will end, unless you would make actions deliberately to extend it." ... No. You can't do that. That would be counter to everything. "And when the war does end... there will be two Fire Nations, and the people of both will demand that one come forward as dominant over the other. It may, perhaps, delay the inevitable, if it works.... but only at the cost of making the war, when it comes, that much more bitter, and stretching the extent of the battle that much further." ... He's right. Damn it. That's not going to work either. "... In perfect honesty, I am stymied." Iroh admits, wearily. "There is nothing I can suggest. It is..." He sighs, deeply. ".... Why not take the throne yourself?" You suggest. "Agni Kai against Ozai, claim the throne, and make him your heir when you die-" "That might solve this problem, for now, if fate were kind. But I cannot." He says, somberly. "No matter the risk, Ozai will not be able to bring himself to give up the throne. It will certainly be made a battle to the death, where he would fight to kill for the insult of trying to force him off the throne. Even if I win, Ozai will force me to kill him to do so. And I am not certain that I could win, in a battle to the death. Either way, it changes nothing, only that I am the one sitting upon the throne.... and must, again, select one of you as my own heir... and at this point, even if I were the Fire Lord, it would be no different from Ozai making such a statement. Civil war, once again." You frown, once more seeing that happening all to easily. Solving nothing, only killing either Ozai or Iroh. "... And in any case, I no longer have any interest in the throne. My own failures make me unsuited. It is my folly... when things go wrong, vastly astray from what I had planned, I lose myself. I flee. And the Fire Nation is not well served by a Fire Lord that will, in face of something unexpected, turn to flee into a bottle." He says, grimly. "And for Ozai, and what you have related.... I cannot bring myself to blame my brother, for anything he may or may not have done. Had Azulon put such an order before me, while Lu Ten yet lived... I, myself, would have done everything within my power to end my father's life, no matter what it would have cost me. I cannot blame Ozai for an action that I myself agree I would have taken." .... Something in your image of Iroh cracks, just a bit, at his words. But no. No. You already decided that Zuko wasn't at fault over all of that, you have no intention of thinking even more deeply about it. It's not important, not now, when your nation stands upon the edge of a knife blade over a roaring pit of armadillo lions. "... an Agni Kai." You try again. "Not between you and Ozai, but between Zuko and I. A true battle. Let Agni himself decide the matter." "... You once told me, Azula, of how my brother intended to use an Agni Kai as no more than a simple show and a tool." Iroh says, slowly. "At this time, I was shocked. I had always held a deep respect and wariness for the spirits and spiritual traditions, and I found it difficult to believe that someone would attempt to do something like what you had described. I have been troubled to discover, however, over the course of later years, that many of our nation feel more about the matter as Ozai does, than as I would." He frowns. "As a simple show to build respect... that would be one matter." He admits. "There would still be those who doubted... but they would not speak out against it, even considering it as a simple show and tool. Simply remain silent, feeling jaded about the world, and privately knowing, whether the fight was staged or not, that it had been thrown. It is a regrettable state, in some ways, that our nation has fallen to. The Fire Sages would agree. Even some portion of the masses would be swayed. But not all." .... You're a little shocked to hear this, yourself. "There will, following the Agni Kai, be a small number of those who would feel that, once more, the loser had been pressured or coerced into giving up the battle. That the whole thing was staged, as a grand theatrical production, to put the rumbling masses back into quescience. And they will likely be incensed by this blatant, in their eyes at least, fraud." He muses to himself for a moment. ".... I would estimate that a minimum of between five and ten percent of our nation, either way, will still remain unconvinced." he says. "That is at the very minimum. Whether that number can easily convince more of their side of the division to agree to their arguments... that cannot be so easily guessed at. Perhaps none. Perhaps all. We could only wait to see." "Then we execute that five percent as traitors." You say, anger flaring. "... Azula, this is still an incredible number of our own people we are discussing. Five percent seems like such a small number. Not anything like the many tens of thousands that it truly represents." Iroh says, reprovingly. "... Even if it were less, once more, executing them makes martyrs of them. Leaving even those who were not convinced now considering their words, and wondering at how quick we are to stamp out the lives of our own people over the matter." The discussion comes to a halt once more as the waitress passes by again, filling your tea cups anew. ... Damn it. You can't think of anything that would work, or wouldn't have massive effects on the nation as whole. Zuko couldn't have just kept his mouth shut, or let Iroh know what he was considering, so he could be told just how stupid he was being. He looks miserable over all this. Well good..... You take several deep, long breaths, leashing down your temper at the whole idiotic situation once more. "... The best thing I have thought of to do, is to do nothing." Iroh admits, not seeming pleased with the suggestion himself. "And simply wait for the inevitable eruption, and pray that it does not occur until after the comet passes, and that it will be quick enough, and at an unexpected enough time, that our losses in its wake are not too great." ... You can't think of anything else. ... No, you can think of something else. And Zuko now fits your requirements. "What about a marriage?" You suggest. ... Iroh looks like he is at least a little surprised by your words. And then thoughtful. "I could not have suggested such a route." He admits, thinking. "... But yes. That could well work. Spiritual disbelief is one thing. A fight may be thrown once, and people might question it. But none in our nation are forced to wed against their will. They would far sooner believe that an Agni Kai had been arranged beforehand. And such a commitment, to the very death..." He hums to himself, sipping the tea. "It would be a better result, than an Agni Kai which might declare one side favorable in agni's eyes, but leave the possibility open that a dastardly person could attempt to re-arrange the succession lines. Certainly, there would still be those rabble rousers displeased at how things have gone, upset that matters were handled peacefully and without bloodshed, who would not want a palatable comprimise, pushing for one of you to become superior over the other than to sit at the same throne and wear the same crowns... But it is a more than reasonable option. I cannot advise you upon it one way or the other, however." "... I would gladly marry Azula." Zuko says, then hastily continues "For the sake of the nation. Fixing my mistake." "Do not be too hasty." Iroh says. "It is a commitment that cannot be denied, once made. There is nothing preventing this, and there is nothing preventing dalliance outside of marriage, so long as there is agreement. And it is true that this would be a powerful political move. But it might not yet be needed, it is still possible that some other solution may present itself. And the situation has not yet begun to grow truly desperate." "And what happens if we just let it bubble up beneath us like a boiling pot, waiting for the last possible moment?" Zuko barks. "What then, uncle?" "...... admittedly." Iroh says, slowly. "If the two of you choose to take this course, then the sooner even a simple declaration of intent is made, publically, the more easily things will go." He shakes his head. "But as I have said before. I cannot advise you on this. It has been so as even entire dynasties rose and fell: the only ones to have say in whether a marriage will occur are those who will, or will not, be wed." "I am prepared." Zuko says. "You have always been headstrong." Iroh sighs. "I would advise you not to make rash actions, simply because you feel it is your obligation to do so. Is that the case?" "..." Zuko does not say, still remaining unflinching. "... I have said my piece." Iroh says. Silence falls once more, as the waitress fills your cups again. --- [ ] ??? |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:35 AM Post #74 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] Decision? "I would not have suggested the plan if I was opposed to it." You point out. "... However, you do have a point. It was rushing straight into a plan of action which caused this to begin with, we can delay anything for at least a few more days." You frown, as Zuko flinches. "I would still prefer just finding ringleaders and executing them." You point out. "There are no ring leaders, as far as I have been able to determine, in any sense of the word." Iroh says, frustration clear on his face. "I know people who have inserted themselves on both sides of thing. It is astonishing... I could not have started such a thing, fanned to a burning flame so rapidly. The entire nation..." "Do you believe it is the work of the spirits?" You ask, gaze sharpening as you begin to locate exactly what the danger could be... "... I do not know." He admits. "It is more than possible that their work is at hand. Their ways are subtle. This subtle, and yet at such speed? ... If that is so, then this is something that has been on its way for far longer than simply a couple of months." He frowns deeply, considering this. "... If so, then yes, it would have to have been the lingering work of spirits over decades or more. And it is in that case not anyones fault, as it would simply have been waiting for any reason to divide the populace against one another in a fashion such as this." He frowns deeper still. "If so... then the matter has become more dangerous, for spirits are subtle, but they are also deliberate in their vengeance. An opportunity such as this at this time... yes. Would have been an incredible boon, as well as a cue to put everything into action. If it is the spirits work, then doing nothing is no longer an option, because it can be certain that even without the deliberate actions of men, matters will come to a boil at the worst possible moment. Do nothing, and we have until the comet arrives, at very most." Your eyes narrow, a target for your anger acquired. "But with this current matter defused, it will take them decades more to build up another such subtle machination." You state aloud. "Giving us time to fix the problem." One way or another, you'll find a way to fix it. Oh yes, you will fix this problem until it screams for mercy, stupid spirits. "... Even so. We still must not be too hasty. We will delay any announcements, at the very least, until we have spoken to Ozai. Perhaps he will have devised an elegant solution to this problem in the meantime." The look in Iroh's eyes suggests that he somehow very much doubts that will be the case, but he holds his peace. "If not... then we can make the announcement any time after that. Schedule the wedding for... Anywhere between ten and twenty years from now, we need time to focus on the war, after all." You decide. "Is that acceptable, Zuko?" You ask, politely. He has as much of a say in this as you do, after all. He looks like he wants to speak right away. But the warnings of haste are still in his mind, clearly, as he closes his mouth for several long moments. Then he nods. "That will be fine. I have no objections." he agrees. Iroh sighs. "I would have wanted, and I believe Ozai as well, that the two of you find something more than political convenience in your marriages. No matter who you wed. I think, were there a spirit before me now, I would have no hesitation in bringing trouble to it." "Not coming out." the butterfly says, petulantly. There's a moment of silence before the waitress passes by again. "Would any of you care for a slice of pie?" she asks. "Cheap, delicious, and we have one that has just come fresh out of the oven." --- [ ] ??? |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:36 AM Post #75 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] PIE. Oh, and I guess, some other things. "Yes, we'll take it." You agree, before either of the others can say anything. "Very good. Will that be one slice, or...?" "Did I stutter?" You ask. "We'll take it. Bring it out. ... In a small box, if you would, we have to be going soon." "I... I see." The waitres says, stumbling verbally for a moment before nodding. "Very well. Please take care on your way. The streets of this city aren't entirely safe, after the sun has set." Yes, seedy city, untrustworthy hoodlums in all the alleys, it won't be a concern. You let Iroh carry the box, on the way back to the ship. The tides should still be okay for another few hours, if you remember right, you can get an early start if the crew is willing to lose a little sleep to get the ship moving and on course before they start taking shifts. "... I'll have to teach you about wings on the way back." You note aloud. "And... uncle, there was something I wanted to ask, about...." "You learned it from Azulon, correct?" he says. "Yes. I noticed. Traditionally... it is taught only to the heir, by the sitting fire lord personally. That he taught it to the second child of his own second child.... I cannot be sure, really, what was going through his mind when he made that decision. But then, Azulon never really cared anything for tradition, especially if it seemed like it was going to get in his way." ... something in your chest warms, a little, at the thought that Grandfather liked you enough to pass along something he should only have taught to Iroh. Mai is waiting at the ship. .... Why? Shouldn't she have headed back to her inn by now? "I have a messenger hawk to send to Ozai." Iroh says, brushing past. "To make sure he is aware we are returning, with matters to be discussed. It should head off anything he might decide to attempt, to mend matters on his own. Please board quickly." ".... Princess Azula." Mai says, bowing slightly in place. "I would like to volunteer myself, to serve as blade in your defense and silent dart in the night." .... This is. Sudden. And significantly more formal than even Mai usually gets. --- [ ] ??? |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:36 AM Post #76 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] The Whys. You want, very much to just accept without hesitation, cementing her loyalty, making it so she cannot re-think things. You're very good at not doing what you want. "... This is sudden. May I ask why?" You say, after you've managed to get your voice under control. "There's lots of reasons. I do have options. But you're the best one. If you turn me down, I can always work my way down the list." Mai says, pragmatically. That... sounds honest. But also misleading. "That's all? You are aware. There is little that I could not ask of you, that you would not be compelled by honor to accept." You ask, frowning just a little. Mai doesn't squirm easily. But she does turn her gaze aside a little. "... The entire nation has suddenly gone insane." She says, bluntly. "Half of them want to charge to the capital and somehow force Ozai to select you as heir, with no plan or real chance of success. The other half want you dead. My own mother sent me a message the other day, that I should use my acquaintance to you to get close, and assure Zuko's succession." Her voice is flat. But still, somehow, angry. "... I see." "I don't think you do, really. My father is still addicted to that tea. He thinks you're the best thing. I've heard from the servants, they're getting into screaming matches over it, and he threatened to strike her." She explains, further. "He doesn't get angry. Not like that, not about anything, especially not over something that would not change anything for him no matter which way things turned out." ... Ah. "... We have already prepared a course of action to defuse this current tension." you say. "After that, we should have time to deal with the underlying reasons behind this... travesty." You nod and, painfully, deliberately step onto the gangplank. Then stop. "I would... prefer, either way. To keep you, as... a friend." you manage, after a few long moments. "If you are unsure, then nothing more will be said. But if you are certain, then board. And I will hear your oath once more." You stalk, carefully and deliberately, up and to your quarters. Mai does not keep you waiting long, and through the background noise of the engines being started, the firebenders of the ship heating up the water to steam until the burning coal can pick up the slack and cover for their weariness, she speaks the words again. This time, you accept, speaking the traditional words of your own in counterpoint to hers. Only then do you sleep. In the morning, Uncle calls you all out to the deck. Even the tribals, along with the avatar. You keep a watchful eye on them, in your peripheral vision, but aside from looking displeased they don't seem ready to try anything. "We are still a couple days out from the capital, and I must occupy my time somehow." He says, wryly. "And it will not be long, yet, before some of our paths turn away from one another. So. A question. Consider it philosophical, a thought exercise, if you will." He clears his throat. "... What is the difference." He says, slowly. "Between a bender, and a man who crafts boots for a living?" --- [ ] ??? |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:37 AM Post #77 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] The answer? Everyone is quiet. For a long few moments, nobody speaks yet. The Avatar, of course, is the first to break the silence. "There is no difference." He says, confidently. "The Gurus teach that all men are as one." "A fair answer." Iroh rumbles. "At the very least, it is your correct answer." ".... Bending is something you're really glad to have, when you need it." The Sokka boy says. "But a good pair of boots, you're happy to have all the time." ... You can't help but smile slightly at the look on the waterbender girl's face. She seems deeply insulted by her brother's opinion~ "Bending is a sacred gift of the spirits." She retorts sharply. "Only those who are greatly favored show signs that they can be trained in those arts. Anyone can pick up a sealskin and needle, and make boots." "Good boots?" The Sokka boy counters. She sniffs. Someone has a high opinion of themselves...~ "How about the two of you?" Iroh asks. "Zuko, Azula?" ".... A bootmaker will never find fame or glory. But he doesn't risk dying in battle, either." Zuko decides, after a moment. "The difference is what their job is, how they are trained, and how well they are paid." You say, shortly, balling everything crossing your mind into one general sentence. "All good answers." Iroh says. "Though this is one of those questions where it would be very hard indeed to find an answer which was incorrect." He breathes, slowly. "In the Fire Nation, at the very least, though few are aware of it...the difference between a bender, and a non-bender is, primarily... talent. Benders are those who take easily to the art. Non-benders... Have the capability. All the Fire Nation does, I believe, and have not been proven wrong. The talent, however, is simply so very minimal, that a man who instead makes boots... well. Fire is a difficult element to call up and control. My niece is something of a prodigy, to achieve full mastery in only six years. Even ten years is usually considered very impressive speed, and more normally, an averagely talented firebender might take closer to twenty years of thorough and intense training before they can be called a Master. Whereas, the bootmaker? Perhaps, after a decade or more of focused effort, he might light a candle flame. It is not a matter of incapability, truly. Simply lack of talent, and the consideration that the sort of effort which must be put in, at some point, is no longer worth the reward gained from it." The waterbender looks incensed to some degree by this affirmation. You yourself... you hadn't considered that before. You'd always assumed that everyone who could bend fire, did, and guaged strength and weakness of bending by that. Considering the possibility that all the nation are benders, and many are simply abysmally untalented... "But it is the spirits' decision, as to who is talented, and who isn't." the Katara girl pointedly interrupts. "Perhaps." Iroh says. "It is possible. If that is the case, their criteria for selection is unknown to me. I know of deeply spiritual men who have mastered no more than the barest of basics. And of course, there are very powerful firebenders who no longer believe in the existence of spirits at all." This alarms both of the tribals. "That's nuts." The Sokka boy says. "I mean, everyone knows that there are places in the tundra that you don't go, because the spirits who live there might not let you leave. And in the winter, when everything sleeps and hunting isn't so much skill as dumb luck, there's always the constant whispers of things you don't talk about, echoing with empty stomachs." "Yes. There are many things which cannot be explained with the removal of spirits, no matter how mightily science tries. Places where people simply disappear forever, the actions of spirits in the mortal realm when insulted, why one does not sail west of the Fire Nation, nor east of the Earth Kingdoms, nor north or south of what we call their respective poles, though they are not quite. We can predict the stars' movements in the sky, we can sail the seas with compass to point north, we can contemplate the curvature of the ground, and make measurements, and estimate the size and circumference of the world. But science cannot explain why everything goes awry when you sail into the mists, as invisible things laugh softly and the sky is obscured as your compass spins in an endless and erratic motion, never stopping on any one direction. And so they ignore it, and call it an anomaly that will be explained later, because it is not important now." "... we have stories about that." The sokka boy says, as the katara girl grits her teeth and kicks his ankle. "They say that, very long ago, the first southern water tribesmen set off from the north over an insult they couldn't bear, to find a new home. They set off to the north of the ice, and off the edges of the maps. The stories don't say anything about what went on in there, only that they deeply regretted it, but couldn't find their way back. So eventually, they came back out... at the south pole. Exausted and hungry, and even with their bending not working any more, as though the moon and ocean had turned away and covered their eyes from them, until the hunters came back with meat for the fire, and we set up our camps, and sang and howled and danced until they would look at us again, and the bending returned. And the story says that they went, much later, back up to the north pole, by the long route, and found everything... different, very much, from what they remembered it to be. Though they don't give any details there, either." "Fascinating." Uncle muses. "There are records of people sometimes coming from the west, as well, though they are mostly so old and unimportant that they have been left to fall apart from age. I am reminded, though, of a report of an earth kingdom junk sailing in with a lone remaining sailor, half starved and nearly dead from thirst, and driven quite mad. He spoke of the Earth Kingdoms as though he honestly believed they were taking over the world through force of gold and trade, and stated his surprise that fire benders still existed after they started a conflict and were decimated, and other ridiculous things. The nation's military, navy in particular, had already been superior to all other people's for hundreds of years. The spirits had very much scrambled the man's memories. It is far from impossible that the same thing happened in the case of your tribes." ... It sounds plausible enough, you guess. In any case, Iroh rises slowly and goes for tea, humming to himself from the conversation, and the tribals are carefully led away, a few guards taking care that neither comes to the foolish idea of leaping over the side and trying to swim away, or similar nonsense. ... You explain the basic precepts of wings to Zuko, as the next few days pass. It's only simple pragmatism. If there are madmen in the nation, as it is now, who wish to kill you, then there are certainly those who feel the same about him, and the ability to fly, at need, has saved your own life on multiple occasions, now. He's no good to you dead, after all. ... Though, you don't need to help him too much. You've explained the basics. Now, like Iroh, he can work the rest out on his own. You certainly aren't going to teach him any of your other interesting tricks. You might not want him dead but stronger than you...? You'll have to do everything you can to prevent that. Not... sabotaging his own training, or anything. That wouldn't be proper at all, particularly if an engagement announcement is going to go out soon. ... In his turn, he mentions the trick to his own technique, before hurrying off. It actually clicks everything together in a way that would have taken you months to hammer out on your own. You probably wouldn't have bothered. It's not like you're a dedicated swordsman. Even so, that's... something, you guess. It isn't much longer after that that the ship comes to a stop, in the docks of the Capital itself. --- [ ] ??? |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:37 AM Post #78 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] In accordance with the pre-arranged plan or something. It's something of a little procession, and you can see the looks in the eyes of some of the onlookers even here in the capital, waiting, just watching. For a reason. You hurry forward, leaving the crew behind to guard and transport the tribals, more important things in mind. Like not giving them a reason. None at all. You don't stop until the three of you, Iroh, Zuko, and yourself, alone enter the court of the fire lord. "... It is past time you returned." Ozai says, face in shadows as the ceremonial fires burn low, very low today. Low and cold. "The nation is at the brink of disaster." "So I have discovered. And cut short the planned route, to return to the capital as swiftly as I might." Iroh answers, calmly denying fault. A dangerous move, you might consider that. Ozai's scowl suggests he agrees. "Have you considered a plan, to deal with the situation?" Iroh asks, tactfully putting the Fire Lord's potential decisions first. "... I have considered, yes." "... Ah. And how many heads will roll, should this plan be enacted, if I may ask?" Iroh asks, lightly. Ozai is silent for a long moment, considering. "... A few thousand." he finally says. "To begin with, and as an example to all the rest. Hopefully, that will be enough. If not, then the culling can continue until it is sufficient." "Were it so simple, that I thought such a course feasible, I would be the..." Iroh pauses, here, and frowns. "... second. To agree. Your daughter, I believe, would be first. But that you have not acted, that shows that you know as well as I, that bloodshed will not fix this problem." "Then advise me, damn you!" Ozai snarls. "You know as well as I do, bloodshed is all I know. Father saw to that." "... I know. But I have no solution ready for you." Iroh says, sadly. The fires flare, but dim down as Iroh raises his hand. "Zuko, and Azula, however... have suggested a course of action which I am forced to agree is workable." he says. Ozai's eyes turn to you. And you speak. ... He seems stricken, somehow, when you finish. But he turns that aside. "... You have both agreed upon this?" He says, slowly. "Then... it changes nothing, but you have my blessing to act as you see fit." You bow. "Azula. Zuko." Ozai calls, before you have quite left the room. There is a grimace on his face. ".... It was my hope that you both would find love, before you chose marriages. ... I am sorry." .... You don't see anything to forgive. There is the sound of the fires of the courtroom blazing up to a suffocating intensity behind you, as the door closes. Still. Even so. There are things that must be done. You need the attention of a Fire Sage. There are far, far simpler and more convenient ways to go about this. But this is a grand show, and a statement. You need to go with the most obscenely theatric options available. Crowds have gathered before the raised dais, as scented oils are drizzled over and around your necks. Ozai is not among them. Iroh is, as are the tribals, and a curiously watching Avatar, none seeming to realize exactly what is going on just yet. The Sage is grim, seeming to disapprove not of the ceremony, but of the fact that you are involved. The Sages disapprove of anything involving you, you believe. But he knows his duty, and speaks the words. You can't quite focus on them, through the whispering hum of crowds. A Sun Stone, one of the rarest of the treasures of the temples, is brought forward and set upon a dais. More words are spoken, and the dawning looks of disquieted and massive unease at the proceeding rituals suggest that they're figuring out exactly what's going on. The girl starts to yell something. Stone masks prevent them from speaking out of turn, though. Thank you, Toph. It would have changed nothing, but it might have given you a small headache. There is a ritual exchange of gifts, here. Mildly valuable items. Fortunately, you both have something suitable at hand. You are glad to get rid of the pin. The dagger suits you better by far. A few more words are spoken, and the sage nods. Without further prompting, the both of you hold up your hands, flatly against one another's palms. One at a time, every finger is slowly tied together with red threads. Once finished, a stone bowl is brought forward, and with a sweeping gesture of his arms, it fills with fire. Neither of you hesitate, though it takes some combined effort to step over to the side, on one side and another of the basin. The Fire Sage claps his hands together, once. You both immediately plunge your arms down, up past the elbow into the sacred flames. It burns, agonizingly painful as any other fire. You endure, with grit teeth. You must. The ritual is not yet done. The Fire Sage's droning voice seems to echo on, forever, like it will never come to an end. Then finally, finally, he nods. You raise your arms, along with Zuko, fingers clasped deliberately together, a mark of the ceremony. Ash crumbles off of your arms like snow, from what is left of your sleeves, and the threads are long consumed, but the skin and flesh beneath is utterly unmarred, not even slightly singed from the burning. You don't even understand where you would begin to create fires that burned the flesh but did not consume it, you can imagine any number of practical uses in the dungeons, but this is a secret known only to the sages themselves and only used in the greatest and most sacred of rituals. The Sage's words come to a close. He turns, and walks slowly to where a massive gong is being wheeled out. He raises the striker, and there is a thunderous, booming crash. It is done. The wedding will not be held until fifteen years from now, today. But you are now officially engaged. No turning back from this, now. The crowd disperses, as does all of the gathered tension, like a barrel of blasting jelly with a sparking and angry fuse, deftly plucked out of place. Good. Very good. .... You're tired. And you have to change clothes before anything else, these robes are fairly well ruined. You don't really want to just go to sleep, though. You'd meant to spend time with people, before seeing how the state of the capital had degraded. --- [ ] ??? |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:38 AM Post #79 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] Socializationing. Well, there won't be any questions about you leaving before everyone else has wandered off. Assumptions, certainly, but not really any questions. ".... Thank you." You say, tersely. "There weren't any other options." Zuko replies in kind. Then he shakes his head. "I mean... it's not like this is a hardship, either." True enough. You're a catch for anyone, as the number of marriage proposals that people kept hinting at indicated. You speak a word of gratitude in Toph's direction, mumble something about meeting with Mai and Ty Lee later to relax. "You all really are crazy." the waterbender girl says, when the stone holding her jaw shut is released. "Don't say that, Katara." The avatar.... the only way to put it, really... whines. "I don't really understand it myself. But marriage is supposed to be this great thing. I saw a betrothal ceremony with Kuzon, once, though... it wasn't as flashy as this one." "Royalty." You say, simply. "We do everything... are expected to do everything... to its greatest extreme." "You've twisted a sacred rite, is what you've done. He is your-" "Our customs are not your own." Iroh interrupts. "We have discussed this, have we not?" "Your customs are crazy." Katara spits. "To many of the fire nation, going alone into a trackless and seemingly endless expanse of snow, to hunt down a white polar bear with no more than a pointed stick and some ropes, to drag it back before your wise women still alive... would be considered as a fool taking leave of his senses and choosing to end his own life in a particularly gruesome manner." "What? That isn't crazy, that's a-" "It is one of your customs, and brings great honor to a successful hunter." Iroh says. "Or an early and permanent trip to the spirit world, in the wake of his messy dismemberment and devouring." You've heard enough. You don't really feel like hearing about all the details of the wintry barbarian's mating rituals or whatever Uncle is going to compare things to next. You excuse yourself. ... You want to talk with Ozai. You... can't just charge into the court of the Fire Lord unannounced, though, not without valid reason behind it, that, it's just not done. You can't do it. You pause outside the door, putting your thoughts in order. There's doubtless several things you could bring up. --- [ ] ??? |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:38 AM Post #80 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] Audience ... Okay. You think you have it. You know that he isn't seeing anyone just at the moment. And so you announce your presence and stride boldly in, not faltering even as his gaze focuses on you. There are several matters you wish to discuss. Beginning with the air force that is being assembled. You plan, of course, to operate from the.... Royal Butterfly, when you go back out to war. Whenever it is ready. "The fleet's production and testing is proceeding vastly ahead of schedule." Ozai notes. "Your own flagship did not crash on its first flight. It did, however, face what have been described to me as several technical difficulties, and the landing it made was less than perfect. I believe it is being modeled as a test ship at the moment, and once all the flaws are accounted for and repaired, the design will be scaled up and altered to produce much larger models. Of course, this will not begin until your flagship has been deemed fully tested and acceptable. I have not made inquiries about when that might be." All over his face, the statements he isn't speaking are written. 'You could just as easily have asked any of the generals about this, gotten more information, and they would have passed your intent to me just the same.' ... you swallow down the realization that you can't really think of anything more to say about airships, that can be decided before they are properly in the air in any case, and change the subject. You ask about war plans, instead. "Within a year, Sozin's Comet will arrive." Ozai says, simply. "He used it, once, in a coordinated assault to purge all four Air Temples of life at once. We, also, will use it well. I have not yet decided how. Perhaps to burn out the remaining opposition in the Earth Kingdoms. Perhaps to catch the placid and fully defensive Northern Water Tribesemen off guard, and crush through their defenses before they can properly respond. Airships would assist either way, should they be completed by that time, but they will not be a required part of the plan." ... Yes, you could easily have guessed at a plan like this. Very direct. Very much your Father. And yet, given that it doesn't seem either Earth or Water study the movement of celestial bodies particularly deeply at all, and so could not predict, on their own, the time of either eclipse or comet, something that couldn't be expected. "If losses of life on the other side are estimated to be within acceptable limits, then it is possible that both targets could be taken on the same day. Bringing the war to a close with one swift assault." Ozai muses. "Yes. If I may ask, what plans have been made for after our inevitable victory, whenever that may be?" You ask. "It would be somewhat presumptious, even with the outcome certain, to plan too far ahead. Even so. The military will have to be stationed throughout the captured territories, and slowly reduced in size as opposition to us dwindles. More rapidly, if less of the captured territories remain..." Ozai says, slowly. Hm. Well, you aren't the Fire Lord yet. Or a general for that matter. Aside from inquiring, you'll leave that as said. You nod. "The state of the nation must have placed a heavy weight upon your shoulders." You say. "Have you considered resting, and placing what requires your direct attention aside for a short time?" "..." Ozai snorts. "You and Rin both. The Fire Lord has no time to rest." "You are the fire lord. If you make the time to rest, there will be no one who will argue. And if a matter is truly urgent, then messengers can find you as easily in a private sauna, as at the throne." You point out. Then you smile, and proffer one of the post-cards you acquired before. "I might be able to advise stops, on a relaxation tour of your nation." He snorts. "... And not one of my spies thought to bring me word of that, any time through its planning and construction?" He muses aloud. He waves a hand, not committing to anything. "I will consider it." he says. Not making a promise, but not outright denying it either. You guess that's the best you can hope for. You can see some of the marks of stress, though. He was never trained for this job, you recall, and had to learn as rapidly as he could while actually acting as Fire Lord... You're mildly surprised he didn't crack in any noticeable way, or make any large blunders, actually. Not that you've heard about, anyway. ... There was one more thing. The Dragons are sticking in your mind. Supposedly, Iroh slew the last. But you've already seen the truth of that. And if there are one, or in that case, two... then there is always the possibility for more. There's also..... That barely needs to be mentioned, though. Father won't be well pleased with your arguments, if you use old midwives' tales as a basis for them. "... I would like to propose dismissal of the law which places a bounty upon the heads of dragons." You say, aloud. ".... Why?" Ozai asks, mildly interested. "The dragons are extinct. There is no reason to dismiss a law pertaining to them, when it will never come up." "Airbenders were considered extinct, not long ago." You point out in turn. "But either way. If they are extinct, then removing the law frees up a sum of gold held in trust for hunters, there is no need to dream up new noble titles, and thrillseekers that have convinced themselves that there could have been a dragon missed will have no choice but to use their time more productively than chasing the dream of an easy life of riches. If they are not, then all of the points for if they are extinct still apply, but in addition, a number of uses that a dragon might be put to arise." "Uses?" Ozai asks, quirking an eyebrow. "If they could be bred for cavalry, then consider the possibility of airships transporting a large number of troops to the desired location, then disgorging a number of faster and more mobile dragon-riders, fresh and rested from not having to travel the whole way on dragon back. It is the unfortunate truth that not every soldier by far would be talented enough to learn my means of flight, even were I to teach it widely." "If they are not extinct, then, Azula, consider the fact that should everything go according to plan, the war will be either won, or much closer to it, within a year." Ozai points out in turn. "And I believe that raising and training dragons, given what stories tell of them imply the beasts to be remarkably picky and finicky, will take significantly longer than that." You... ... he might have you, on that point. He raises a hand before you can speak and continue to argue your case, though. "You wish to ride a dragon." He states, simply. "... I cannot honestly say I would turn down the opportunity, if it arose." You admit. "Even with my own means of unaided flight." "Fine, then. All it required to be put in place was a signature, a stamp is all that will be needed to revoke it." He says. "Though, on finding one of the beasts, if they are not extinct, and bringing it to heel enough to accept you as its master, this I cannot aid you much in. One can only hope you will not be disappointed, if that opportunity never comes." He waves his hand again. "Was that all you wished to speak of, Azula?" he asks, politely. --- [ ] ??? |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:39 AM Post #81 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] They call this a slumber party or something. There's several things you could bring up. A proposal to allow the earth-benders on prison barges to volunteer for service in infrastructure creation and maintenance, under heavy guard until they are considered trustworthy. You do not doubt that many of the desperate captives will agree, if only to feel solid earth beneath them again after years of its absence, with miles of water beneath them and the muddy bottoms of the sea. A similar proposal for the use of waterbenders. You don't know where they are kept, only the Fire Lord is privy to that information, and obviously their jailers as well. Though that is also classified, you deeply suspect that this is where many of the nation's few chi-blockers are assigned... for the most part, their duties are classified as well, and known only to the Fire Lord. But you have glanced through the records. You have captured a number of waterbenders through the war. And while there was one noted, and quickly hushed, escape somehow, there were never any ordered public executions, and those would have been notable enough propoganda that you would have found them. Though admittedly, this is a more dangerous consideration. All medicines, if misused, are toxic. It would be far more touch and go than simply having earthbenders widen and stabilize dirt paths between towns, or build bridges or houses. That aside, even the single recorded escape would be well over eighty by now, not near death, for a bender, but of advanced age. Probably with more of the marks of its passing, from time in captivity. It's not out of the question that they've all simply died in prison, which wouldn't have been noteworthy at all. Either way, you might have the authority to go ahead and run with such plans on your own, as long as they go well, and simply inform him after the fact. An upswing and reinforcement of spiritualism, giving the Sages more leeway than they currently have. Maybe putting Iroh in charge of 'spiritual affairs', while Ozai deals with what he would consider more important, worldly matters. But that will have to be approached very carefully. Delicately. Ozai might be willing to play to the populace's superstitions, or allow foibles of old men, in his eyes, but allowing the Sages more power than their currently minimized state would... you would need time, to craft a compelling and powerful argument, in favor of it. One that he would accept. You don't think you can manage that just now. So it seems that you're finished, here. "There is nothing which requires your immediate attention." You say, bowing. ... Before you go, though. ".... If you cannot justify taking the time to relax simply for the sake of relaxation, then perhaps taking a day or two to oversee the training of both Zuko and myself would be more... palatable, perhaps?" You suggest. "I have already said, I will consider it." Ozai replies, mood clearly beginning to sour slightly. You bow again. But once more, you pause by the door. "... And thank you. For your blessing." You say, before stepping out. Rin is waiting patiently on the other side, with a tray of foods and a steaming drink. She nods calmly at you. ... She seems different, subtly. Not much. But... put on a little bit of weight, perhaps? You will be tactful, and not mention it. Though you will have to remember, at some point, to inform him of Mai's oath. It is not long before you are relaxing in a private chamber, sharing tea and sweets with Toph, Ty Lee, and Mai, making quiet small-talk as you lounge on cushions. "Now, don't tell anyone." Toph says, as though confiding a great secret. "But I'm really shallow about people I'm interested in. I'm just obsessed with appearances." Ty Lee snickers softly. --- [ ] ??? |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:39 AM Post #82 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] Girl's night. "Yes, I'm sure you place a great deal of importance on how pleasing to the eyes people are." You say, dryly. "You know it~" she says, smirking. "...Ah. And thank you, again, for keeping those two... contained." You continue. "Hey. It's... well, not like I'm totally behind you and sparky-swords shacking up, princess." She admits, rubbing the back of her neck. "But you just don't interrupt big ceremonies like that. Isn't done. And, I mean, most outright weddings have less drama involved in things than whatever that was. Could tell from their heartbeats going nuts they were about to try something." "Indeed. Well, they say that beauty is only skin deep. Few would try to look beneath." Toph shrugs. "You're a bit hard to get a read on, compared to the people I grew up with." She admits. "Not usually a big difference, but Fire Nation... your hearts just beat slower. Just a little difference in rythm. Boss people like you in particular, princess. But those two? No problem." "You are becoming more precise at noticing such differences." You note. "Along with other stuff, yeah. You guys have great skeletons." She says, smirking. Then she stops, to frown. "... Interesting patterns of where the bones broke, or cracked, and healed back up. Lots of them." "The training in our nation is thorough." Mai answers, lazily. "One learns quickly, not to fail." ... Toph frowns a little more deeply, on that note. You believe a change of subject might be in order. "In fact, you aren't the only one who sees the world in a slightly different manner. Ty Lee, tell Toph about auras~" "Seriously? Nobody ever wants to hear about it when I start talking." She chirps. "... But anyway, since I ran off and left my six big sisters behind, my aura has never been pinker~ I don't think I'll be going back. Whether I decide to get another circus job or not." "Huh..." Toph says, slowly. "Tell me, how are the rest of us looking?" You ask. Ty Lee hums. "... Mai's aura is sort of... grey." She decides. "Thank you." Mai grunts, shoulders stiffening just a touch. "No, no, it's not a bad grey, it's... hm. It's like... steel." Ty Lee decides. "In the moonlight, through thin clouds, with just a few hints of a little bit of red... It's pretty. In a stark and stoic sense of beauty." Mai grunts thoughtfully. But her shoulders relax. "Toph is... black. Not quite the black of an empty room. No, it's not even black. Deep, dark, almost... but brown. Rich loam, like the best sort of farmland, but with a few deeper streaks of... something. Not sure." "Well, you know how to flatter a girl, anyway." Toph says, leaning back. There's silence, until you break it. "And myself?" You ask politely, with a slight smile. "Still a field full of butterflies?" Ty Lee falters, here. But then rallies, even though she hesitates a little more before speaking. "... No. It's not just a field." She says, quietly. "It's... forests, and plains, and beaches and villages and cities and palaces from the highest mountain and down into the deepest ravine. All alight. It's like... it's all the world, burning with a fire that won't stop, but doesn't consume its fuel or leave ash in its wake, as little golden butterflies drift on the hot breezes, dropping sparkling coals with every flap of their wings. It's... it's incredible. Beautiful. More than I've ever seen, and it's.... enthralling. I... I can't look at it directly. Please, don't make me look at it directly. I'll lose myself, and won't be able to come away again..." "That sounds like some kind of a confession to me~" Toph teases, at first. But this is both strange, and serious. Toph can tell, after a moment, as can the rest of you, as Ty Lee's body starts to tremble, sweat beading on her forehead... "Look away." You say. This is not a request. "Look away from it, Ty Lee. Breathe." She turns her head sharply aside, screwing her eyes shut tight, and breathes again. A deep, shuddering gasp. ".... hehe... s-sorry." she says, when the trembling stops. "I looked too close." ".... Huh. That's something, all right." Toph says, quietly. "... hey, let's change the topic." Ty Lee says, quickly. "You guys should try these great little drinks I found out about, while I was at the circus. They're fruity, and really good. Hey, someone call a maid or something, I'll tell the recipe. I think I can remember it." ... the sun dips past the horizon, and the night progresses, growing steadily more fuzzy and distorted, as you try more and more interesting drinks, and casual arguments progress in favor of one or the other. You wake in the morning with a pounding headache, your shirt soaked with Toph drool, and Ty Lee sprawled over the both of you from the side, doing one of those arm things. Mai is casually trimming her fingernails with a short knife. "... What. ... Is going." You begin, but can't quite force more words out through a cracked and dry throat. "Hangover." Mai explains. Then deciding this is not quite enough, she continues with "You have one." .... You got drunk, of all things? "Yes. You're surprisingly... friendly, under the influence." Mai notes. "Kept insisting that we had to know that we were your 'best'st freeeens 'nalll worl', and that you had to keep doing 'the arm thing'." Oh Agni. Oh, merciful Agni. "... Why, you aren't-" You croak. "Alcohol is just one more poison." Mai remarks, dryly. "Mother wasn't satisfied until the tolerances I could develop were more or less as high as they could be." ... ugh. Guh. You wince as you slowly rise from the floor, prying your way free of deceptively strong grips. "There's water and food here. You should have time to get yourself into something resembling order, before you step out." Mai says, waving towards a covered tray. ... good. That's okay, then. ... You think you'll just leave those two sleeping. But as for you, as the pounding slips down to an uncomfortable and only mildly painful pressure, and your nausea subsides, you think you'll be sticking to tea from now on. Not one drop of hateful, vile, fruit flavored, sweet and delicious liquor for you, not ever. Iroh meets you after you're mostly in order, outside in the hallway, on your way back to your room for a warm bath and a change of clothes. "If you have the time, Azula... I would like to discuss with you, the finalization of the current situation regarding Hakoda and our guests." He says, politely not commenting on the slight disarray of your hair and subtle red-ness of your eyes. --- [ ] ??? |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:40 AM Post #83 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] Planning. "... Half an hour." You croak. "I need to... wash my face. Other things." "Of course. I will have a pot of tea prepared." he agrees. .... you can't help, as you rinse your hair, looking inward for hangover tips. "You should have ignored the water and food." the fairy complains. "It was delicious, and now it's all muted..." That seems entirely counter to making the headache stop. You guess you should have expected as much. The tea is a jasmine lotus blend. Rare, expensive, and subtle in a delicious mingling of flavors. You drain the first cup in one long, wasteful draw. The second, you sip more slowly. "... Shouldn't Zuko be here?" You wonder aloud. "Zuko and I discussed this last night. You were... indisposed, when we passed by." Iroh states, delicately. "Upon consideration, we have agreed that it is... perhaps not best that someone who made rather blatant threats toward the southern village be directly involved in the negotiation process. We are all better served with him at a slightly greater distance, keeping an eye upon our guests to ensure that nothing... untoward, is attempted." He sips at his tea. "In truth, either I, or yourself and your associates, could serve equally well as either extra insurance for our guests, or in direct negotiations. Sufficient threat, either way, to prevent Hakoda from dealing less than forthrightly and honestly there, as well." Iroh waves a hand. "I will leave the decision to you, but if you choose to negotiate, we must discuss, and decide, at length what are and are not acceptable terms." he says. "And, of course, confer with Ozai briefly afterward, so that he can render his judgement there as well. As Fire Lord, he naturally has the final say, and it would be... imprudent, to make an offer which he would not later find reasonable. In any case, I expect Hakoda to arrive in no more than two to three weeks. The letter has already been sent." "... You know where he is camping?" You press. "Ozai asked much the same. Unfortunately, no. However, I know people who are in infrequent contact with people who would know this information." He says, dryly. "Though, even for a jolly lover of tea, and even if certain interests are shared, there are certain things which will not be passed on, when one knows it will at the end of its journey arrive in the hands of a patriot of the Fire Nation. I can be assured that the message will reach its destination, but not where that destination is." .... You see. You think. --- [ ] ??? |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:40 AM Post #84 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] Possibilities. ... you're leaning towards letting uncle handle the talking, though there are disadvantages and advantages to both sides of things. Obviously, Iroh is the dragon of the west, a title which carries a great deal of both fame and infamy. On the other hand, you're probably less than half, possibly less than a third, of Hakoda's age. You haven't gotten a clear estimate of that, only that he's old enough to have sired both of your guests. But you don't decide just yet. Instead, you focus on terms. "... clearly, a cessation of hostilities is not negotiable." You begin. "Of course. That much goes without saying." Iroh agrees. "Ideally, a full surrender to the authority of the Fire Nation, as... the southern Water provinces or something." You continue. "This will no doubt be a hard sell, however. More practically, a cease fire and truce for a minimum of ten years." "I believe that may be difficult, but yes, a simpler matter than outright surrender and annexation." Iroh muses. "Probably more easily swallowed if we begin with annexation, and then relax our terms to the truce." "Beyond the peace treaty... a trading post. And potentially a release of some prisoners back into the tribe's custody." "The second... may be difficult." Iroh warns. "I am aware of some of the locations where captive prisoners are held. But not all, and even the heir is not privy to the locations of captive waterbenders. Nor their conditions. And Azula... people are not always treated well, in prisons. Particularly if they are not expected to be released. If caught, an honorable warden will see to the punishment of jailers who torment their captives without reason... such things are not always caught, and not all wardens are beacons of honor. And even if so, damage inflicted cannot be undone. Even if Ozai agrees, which I do not believe is a certain outcome, it may be wiser to leave the matter of captives unspoken, until and unless their condition can be ascertained, and we can be assured that their release does not flare up further resentment against the Fire Nation, possibly enough for any agreements to be discarded." ... It only takes a moment to consider all of the things you might like to do to an enemy captive, who nobody expects to see alive again, to realize that Iroh has a very good point. "... shelving that possibility for now, then, possibly for negotiations further in the future, once we have a cease-fire arrangement." You agree. "On the other matter?' "It is reasonable, of course, and even preferable. Though details must be considered. The exact goods to be traded, for example, and the level of security. Too few guards leaves us foolishly vulnerable, too many implies that we do not feel our trading parties as trustworthy." Iroh mumbles. "..." you smile, before you actually say anything. "As far as trade goes, let us get the answers straight from the komodo rhino's mouth, as it were." You pull aside a servant and send her with orders to locate Toph, and escort both her and the tribal boy here. The teapot is emptied, refilled, and partially emptied again before they arrive. Toph looks disgruntled and bleary. Sokka looks suspicious. "... Let us talk. Calmly, and rationally. On what your tribe needs, Sokka or the Southern Water tribe." You say, waving a hand to invite him to be seated. "Tea?" "Think I'll pass right now." he says in response. "What makes you think we need anything? We have all the snow and ice you can build anything with, plentiful enough hunting and fishing to make it through the winter months. What more do you think we need than that?" .... not lying. Not outright. But you are fairly confident that he's being misleading anyway. Think... snowy tundra conditions, nearly all their structures from snow and ice, all their tools crafted from bones of the animals they hunt... ah. "Wood." You say, calmly. He twitches in his seat. "Who says we need wood? We don't need wood." He says, quickly. "Don't think you need me to tell you he's lying, princess." Toph drawls, slumped back in her own seat. "It's true. You build with snow and ice, for the most part, and you rarely use metal weapons, traded for from Earth traders. More typically, you will use long bone spears, tipped with a tooth or sharp rock, tied into place with sinew." You state, succinctly. "But you still need to cook your food. You still need to somehow heat snow and ice to water that isn't thick with ocean salt, so that you can drink and... occasionally... even bathe. You still need to keep warm in the winter nights, when bringing everyone together in one great sweaty pile inside your frozen houses, as cold winds howl outside in the dark, might not quite be enough. For that, you need fire. And for that... you need wood. And wood is not a substance in ready supply at the snow-covered continent of the south pole, is it? All the wood you gather is from distant groupings of trees far from your camps, and you cannot gather too much, because you must also hunt and gather things that you can eat, but more importantly, because wood is slow to grow in your conditions. So it has to be carefully rationed, and apportioned to the right time, or you risk over-harvesting your trees, and running out of the fires that keep you alive." "... Well. You just seem to have all the answers, don't you?" Sokka says, frowning. "Wouldn't think you need me here at all, then." "Call it... confirmation, if you wish. Though, it really is in your best interests to speak up, here." You point out. "This is, after all, your tribe... it would be a terrible shame if we missed something obvious in our considerations of things to negotiate over, and opportunities your people might dearly want were... delayed." He's squinting at you. Suspicious and wary, of course. But unlike his sister might, he is considering your words, instead of dismissing them out of hand. --- [ ] ??? |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:41 AM Post #85 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] Bluntness in its place. "... I will be uncomfortably direct, if you prefer. The options set between us are to make some manner of uneasy peace, or continue bitter and bloody war." You say, folding your hands together. "Personally? I would not mind, much, dragging this conflict out and into its final and inevitable resolution. Hakoda and his warriors have killed many loyal Fire Nation soldiers. There are those who would be... greatly pleased for simply ten minutes in a room alone with him, in chains, and with a number of fire-heated knives to hand." You frown, deeply. "I, myself, am very much one of those people. However, while it is true that he cannot retreat and hide away from retaliation forces forever, not and continue to vex us so thoroughly as he has been, continuously bleeding our forces away in the hopes of capturing one man is... wasteful. As much as burning down a forest, simply due to word that he was lurking within would be. Rest assured, we can afford that sort of wastefulness, and Hakoda has incensed more than enough people that there is some pressure to do so... but it is not in the best interests of our nation." You shrug. "And so, instead, we negotiate. And I swallow my injured pride, and pretend dearly that I do not want to have his head on a spear, and we will discuss peace between our peoples. And if we fail... our nation is not peaceful, by default. We are quick to anger. There are those who would balk at once more exterminating an entire people... but if Hakoda is captured and all his warriors executed alongside him, or he remains out as we burn the other remnant of your tribe to the ground... then the southern water tribe is hardly entirely dead, is it?" Dead enough, you can see, from the look in the boy's eyes. "... You are more than acquainted with Zuko, I believe?" you point out. "Our father, Fire Lord Ozai, is... much like him, in many respects. Only vastly more so, particularly in his approach to problems. Tell me, what was Zuko's response, when the Avatar did not immediately appear to surrender, and he began to consider that a problem?" Now Sokka flinches, just a little. "The difference between them, is that Zuko made it a threat, which he probably would not have acted on unless you gave him no other choice. It's entirely possible that Father would have bypassed that stage of things entirely, and moved directly to... problem solving." "Yeah, I get it." He says, clearly giving up. "Though one, it still really creeps me out that you two are apparently getting married or something, and two, that was maybe the most horrible way of saying 'Look, Sokka, I really do want to help' that you could have managed." "I do try." You say, dryly, as Iroh watches you both carefully, seeming to mildly disapprove of your verbal tactics, but not enough to speak out against them. "So. Items which you need. Or would merely find particularly useful." Sokka sighs. "... well, you covered wood pretty well. Wood is as expensive as your own life, at the poles." He says, slowly. ... And conveniently enough, there are large swathes of the colonies which are thickly forested. Meaning that wood can be purchased from those regions cheaply. Also.... "There is another item in that vein that you might find most interesting." You say, dryly. "Coal. Mined out from the earth, it burns both hotter and for longer than an equal quantity of wood." ".... Rock doesn't burn." He states, uncertainly. "You have never seen coal. Reasonable enough, you were hardly allowed to visit the ships engines and boiler rooms, where coal would be shoveled in to serve as fuel, as even strong firebenders cannot maintain flame indefinitely and infinitely. Nor were you particularly coherent, I believe, when a ship filled with traitors fired a load of burning coal at us. I will have a small lump procured for you as a demonstration, later. I am sure that Hakoda will be far more familiar with the substance." "... Huh." he says, slowly. "Right. Anyway, the only thing I can think of offhand would be... pipe leaves. Gran Gran has a pouch of that that she gets nasty if you even touch, and someone paddles out in a canoe to meet a trader on the water every so often to refill it for her. There's some substitutes, for use in spirit quests, or to seek guidance from the moon and ocean, or ancestors. But you can't just use those if you've had a really bad day and need to unwind, or take your mind off of what's beneath a new set of bandages. They're dangerous. And the plant just won't grow at all, in the south, no matter how much care you take." Noted. You suspect alcohol would probably also be a sound option. "Anything else? Steel fishing hooks, perhaps, or spears." "... Actually, no. There's some... well, were some old outsider spears that we had once. Good enough, but nobody liked them. It was all wrong, and made people uneasy to fish with a spear meant to kill men alone, and they didn't work as well as the lighter fishing spears anyway. Too heavy, people kept losing their grip when the fish thrashed. Then you're out on the ocean with no fish, no spear, and blood in the water drawing predators. All you can do is swear, feel like an idiot, and paddle back to camp. In the end, we just broke the heads off, threw them out, and used the shafts as extra firewood." He explains, leaning back in his chair, arms crossed. "Don't think that your people would be too thrilled that you were giving us weapons, anyway." Hm... true, that. At least Toph hasn't declared it false, anyway. --- [ ] ??? |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:41 AM Post #86 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] Further. ... the boy has capitulated. You take a deep breath and carefully lock your blood lust away once again. The people around you know what you are. That is no excuse to act like what you are, no matter how frustrating recent events have been for you. Hardly a relaxing vacation, all said. Still. It hurts nothing to smile pleasantly. "In any case, spears and knives are hardly the only uses for steel. There are far more tools than that. And steel is hardly the only thing which we have to offer. Tell, me, have you thought of anything?" He frowns, thoughtfully. "... To begin with, exotic foods and spices. There are root vegetables which keep for years, if kept cool, and dried beans and grains that only need the water boiled back into them." You start. "As well... glass. You might have little use for windows, but I am sure you are familiar with oil. You might have seen the occasional glass lantern, even though we generally prefer torches and candles. Continue re-filling the oil, and a woven or braided wick draws it up to burn." "I think I did see one of those." He muses aloud, speculatively. "Can't take it out on night time hunts, of course. The light would drive everything you want to hunt away, and get the attention of everything you don't want to run into..." "And glass is also formed into lenses. Telescopes and bifocal-scopes, to see great distances, or simply to aid those whose sight is beginning to fail them with age." You continue. "And as well as food, spices and recipe books. I cannot imagine there would be much to season a roast flank of... animal, in the south." "You might be surprised." Sokka says, but doesn't elaborate. Hm. "... And recipes are hardly the only books that can be offered. ... As well as tutors, if your tribe isn't literate. Can you read?" "I can." He says. "... There's a few old books that Gran Gran uses to teach people who want to learn that. A lot don't bother. Even if you leave the pole for some reason, most places are marked with a sign representing what they are. If you can't read the words, the picture is usually good enough. It's hard to mistake a picture of something frothing in a mug." ... that's true. Though, more common in the Earth Kingdoms. You believe they are familiar with a greater level of illiteracy in their peasantry. "You may wish to consider medicines as well. Not all nations are fortunate enough that their benders can naturally learn to heal ailments." You point out. "We find other ways, of course, but I imagine the lack of healers presses at you." "Don't get too sure of yourself, now." Sokka replies. "Even if they can't bend, our wise women are healers. There's more medicinal things than you'd think. .... Still, it would be more convenient to pick it up at a trading post than having to go out and collect snow flowers growing in the shade of a rock, and grind up bear claws, or mix up gizzard juices with whale blubber to spread on someone's chest, or feed them in a nasty soup, every time someone gets a cough or starts sneezing." My. What charming and rustic traditional practices of- no, you can't even think of it with a straight face, it's disgusting. Spread what on your chest? "If I might suggest something else, as well?" You say, pausing to deliberately sniff in his direction. "I can see that you are taking advantage of hot running water. However, I don't believe you could afford to bathe too regularly at your tribe..." "... Once a week, more or less, we boil a bunch of rags and scrub down. Try not to look too closely at anyone else when we do. Of course, sometimes hunting trips last longer than a week, or you just happen to miss that day, and you end up having to smell like blood and stuff for a few more days until the next one." he says. "People prefer you keep a little bit downwind, then." "Yes. I see." you say, trying very hard not to cringe. You aren't sure how successful you are. "But, as it happens... there are places which produce very strongly scented floral oils. Usually diluted quite a bit for perfumes, and scenting the air. ... You might find undiluted scents strong enough to overpower... others, and make such extended failures in hygeine more bearable. For everyone involved. Though, even the scent of flowers, distilled too strongly, is not particularly pleasant... but a superior option to others." "... Great. So, what would you be looking for in exchange for all this... stuff?" Sokka says, pointedly and dubiously. You open your hands. "Things which you can offer." You say, vaguely. "The hides of your kills, those you can spare. Trinkets, odds and ends. Rustic bone carvings, tribal accessories. Dyes, in point of fact, could be quite lucrative indeed. You will notice that most of our clothing is colored red, of one shade or tint or another. This is not simply due to a preference for the color, but the simple fact that the vast majority of suitable reagents to extract dye from through the Fire Nation result in red pigmentation. I find it difficult to believe, however, that all the furs you harvest are naturally colored blue." ".... There are some snow berries that grow beneath trees. Eat more than a handful of them and you'll get really sick, but they've got a lot of juice inside them, and it stains everything blue. Squeeze a small basket them out in water, you can get enough dye to stain a few dozen hides into water tribe colors." Sokka says, slowly. "The problem with collecting them is that polar wolverine-rabbits like to sleep beneath those bushes, if they have a chance. Always angry, but worst if you accidentally wake one while it's sleeping. Next thing you know, this angry mass of fur and claws is savaging your chest cavity and your throat is just gone. Good eating, though, if you can put a spear into them before they wake up." You'll have to keep that in mind. "Hm. But yes. You'll find that there will be options, for trade. Mostly, however, what we seek would be your submission. Not full domination. I hardly believe that fully Fire citizens would be able to easily handle life under the... conditions, which you endure." You say, tactfully. "But simple gestures of surrender and fealty, sooner or later. The occasional small amount of taxes. Practicing just a few of our ceremonies and rituals, alongside your own. Hardly the greatest prices you could pay, for peace." .... Sokka's brow is creased in thought. "What...." he says, slowly. ".... are 'taxes'?" ".... That is probably a conversation best saved for another time." You decide, not feeling like you should really get into that. Knowing that you'd really prefer his father dead, than at the bargaining table, you can't really see him giving information on that angle... and you've already discussed his culture through the discussion of trade, in an oblique sense. No real point to asking him his opinion of the Nation either. That's easily enough guessed at. But... "If you don't mind a more personal question. I'm curious about the... roots, as it were, of your sister's wrath." you ask, politely. "... that, huh. Your soldiers killed our mom." He says, shortly. .... That's it? Ah... no, that's right. Most people have significantly warmer relationships with their mothers, than you are familiar with. You suppose that if someone she liked died, the anger is somewhat more reasonable. "I see. Ah, Toph, if you would escort Sokka here back to his chambers?" "You're done here? Great. I can go back to sleep, then." she says, lurching to her feet. "C'mon, fancypants." ".... I'm never living that down, am I?" There is enough time for another cup of tea before you or Iroh speak. "... not quite how I would have gone about it." Iroh notes. "But the results speak well enough, and sometimes different tools are called for, to reach the desired goal. Well. We have thoroughly explored the possibilities for negotiation, it seems, and most of them will probably not be particularly difficult for Ozai to agree to. The only remaining question, then, is which of us take the table, as it were, and which see to our guests." --- [ ] You negotiate. Iroh guards. [ ] Iroh negotiates. You guard. |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:41 AM Post #87 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] time, passing. It doesn't take long to decide that Iroh should handle the negotiations. Man to man, one powerful leader of men to another. You're fairly sure the masculine tension in the room will be thick enough to choke someone. Good thing you'll be elsewhere, guarding the tribals in a different chamber from the ones they are currently resting in. Ozai, of course, places a blanket denial of any prisoner releases outside of the current guests of the palace. Not until the tribe is quieted enough that doing so isn't just giving them back weapons and a reason to use them. He does, however, grudgingly allow that he can make arrangements for the inspection of prisoners, later on. Iroh seems pleased with that. And then a couple weeks pass. Zuko finally gets the hang of wings, coming out in great feathery flames, like a bird. Uncle is reasonably impressed, and admits that he is still getting the hang of the technique himself, and working it out. You guess the secret to flight might be trickier than you realized. Aang flies with the two of you over the capital, once or twice. Though you don't ever really manage to get a firm answer on why you flying seems to upset him a little, even now. There's just some possessiveness, there. Like he feels that the skies should only belong to him. He gets very quiet, when you bring up dragons. Sulking, like a child that has had the flaw in his argument pointed out. Which is, of course, what happened. You don't think he needs to know, just yet, about the Royal Butterfly, or any of the others in planning. And then Hakoda's ships sail in, slowly, with a stern chief at the prow of the foremost. Wooden ships, you realize. Not large, though. But even so... just those boats must be incredibly precious to their tribe, considering the value of wood to them. Even so. Your time has come. You move the tribals to the prepared and windowless chamber, and stand guard outside, with Zuko inside just in case. Ty Lee is in there with him, in case the waterbender has a sudden breakthrough and needs to be shut down, you don't believe either of them are aware that chi-blocking is a thing, yet. Toph and Mai loiter around outside with you. .... there is a long stretch where nothing at all happens. "... That's not a Fire Nation heartbeat." Toph says, turning slightly and breaking the silence. What comes next is a very brief flurry of movement and intensity. A tall man in blue, with long hair, surges around the corner, flinging a pair of stone darts in the same motion. Mai knocks them out of the air with knives, one of them shatters from it. The other cracks. Both drip something onto the floor, sizzling in place. One was aimed at Toph. The other, you. Toph reaches out and twists her hand, and the floor opens up beneath the interloper. Swallowing him up to his armpits. Loops of stone curl around his arms, holding those in place as well. The whole thing is over with in at most two heartbeats. You don't even have to do anything but stare down at him with casual disdain and contempt. "... that's it? Really?" You say, dryly. "Clearly, someone has miscalculated." "I had to try." he says, grimly. "Hakoda is my dearest friend. If even the slightest possibility existed, of rescuing his children from your clutches....." He shakes his head, and stares you down. "Do it, then." he says. "I am prepared." "Are you..." you say, slowly. --- [ ] ??? |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:42 AM Post #88 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] Bargaining chips, and an interesting pair of points. "... you misunderstand. You have done our nation a great service with this... as now, we have one more token to bring to the bargaining table." You say, slyly. "Someone, let Iroh know there has been an attempt made, and we have captured the perpetrator. Alive. Toph, knock the man out." "Gently, or...?" She asks. "Use your best judgement." You decide. "Gently it is. Good night..." she says, as stone crawls up the man's suddenly struggling face, tendrils filling and plugging his mouth and nose before he can so much as scream. "Shh.... shush, shush." Toph says, as his eyes widen and roll widely, as he tries and fails to draw breath. "It's gonna be okay, big guy. Just need you to go asleep for a while." His eyes roll one final time. Then he goes limp, and after a moment, the stone withdraws from his face as he begins to breathe once more. Mai is poking at the broken darts. "I've never seen a poison quite like this before..." she says, prodding one of the darts with a knife. "Touch it not. TOUCH IT NOT." the fairy hisses in your mind. "That filth is more than you know." "Don't touch it." you advise. Mai gives you a 'Do I look that stupid to you?' frown. Very subtly different from her 'what do you think you're doing you idiot' and 'they put too much salt in my soup. I can't eat this trash as it is, where's the loaves to soak in the broth' frowns. "More important." Toph says. "Those darts are weird. It looks like there's a thin, fragile crystal barrier that would have broke when they hid something, and the stuff was inside that... yeah. Those darts definitely weren't chipped out of rock, they're too smooth and too much in one piece. That's an earthbender's work." Not a good thing. You can think of a number of earthbenders who might be vexed enough with you to help an assassination attempt in this way. And one particularly annoyed Earth Spirit. A lingering servant comes back to notify you that word has been delivered to Iroh, and discussions are progressing somewhat more intensely. --- [ ] ??? |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:43 AM Post #89 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] Decision. "... Toph, seal those away. I'll have them sealed in iron boxes and sunk into the ocean later." ".... In iron, huh." Toph says. Then she grins. "Check this out, then...." she says, pulling a small block of something out of her pocket. A block of... metal. Iron. She focuses, face twisting, and it ripples. Moving. Flowing. She's bending it. How...? Not important. The poison hisses more angrily than before as she scoope up a section of the floor it landed on with it and the darts, wrapping the iron around them into little balls, perfect orbs of black. Then she gasps, and they drop to the ground with heavy metal klunks. "... Not bad, huh." she says. "Takes a lot of work, though, and I've been more focused on the other thing I've been working on. And if the metal's too fine, doesn't work at all. It's the impurities that I can really work with. Plain ore, fine, low quality stuff like this too. Steel, though, or... like gold, platinum. That's going to be a pain in the ass to figure out, even if I can." "Tell no one that you can do this." You say, sharply. She frowns, and you continue before she can erupt. "Many earthbender prisoners are kept on the ocean, where they can't continue to disrupt the colonies or foment rebellion. On metal barges. It is safe because everyone knows metal cannot be bent. If you can... then both you, and the earthbenders held, become sudden dangers. People will be sent to kill you, before anyone else can hear about that ability, so that the prisoners don't get ideas and start trying to figure it out on their own." Her face eases a little at the warning, but remains troubled. A twitch, and there's a thin layer of flooring coating the outside of the balls as well. "That do?" She asks, and starts to reach out. Then stops, considering. Instead, she reaches down to the captive, and the stone oozes out little marble statuettes of you and Toph, mostly white, but with splotches of red stone at the necks. The meaning doesn't have to be guessed at, the implication is more than enough. "... Yeah, those were definitely meant for us, princess. I think you can guess from who." she says. "I'm not touching those, just in case. Someone else can throw the crap in the bay." ... You still don't even know what it is, but that seems safe. "Poison, wretched filth vomited up from the sludge of the world's darkest depths, tainted and twisted, attacking body and spirit alike." the fairy hisses. "There will be a reckoning, so there shall, if that old fool thinks he may act so, with impunity." You grunt. And then you return to waiting. Some hours pass before the prisoner begins to rouse himself to consciousness, and then Iroh and Hakoda, damn him, it would be so easy to just nod at Mai and have her fingers 'slip' as she's twirling that spike around out of boredom.... no. Calm. "... Bato." Hakoda says, somberly. "You old fool. I told you it could not be done." "I had to try. You would have done the same for any children of mine." "... Yes. Yes I would have." Hakoda says, with a sigh. "But now. We have reached an agreement. We... we're going home, old friend." And he just sounds so deliciously aggrieved and saddened by that. You have a question, though. "Tell me." You ask. "From where did those darts, and the little statues, come?" "... there was an old man, clad in green." Bato says, defeated. "He appeared before me, in our camp." "He did not speak." You say. "... No. No he did not." Bato says, quizzically. "How... He did not speak, but waved to catch my attention. There was a box at his feet. Then a cloud of dust arose, and he was gone, but the box was still there. I presumed him to be a sympathetic earthbender, and even without words, the meaning was clear enough." "That was no earthbender." You say, grimly. "You have been used ill by a spirit in the form of a man, putting you forward as a pawn in its own games. Vengeful wretch. It could not kill us directly, so it attempted to force men to the task... the nerve of it." Bato sucks in breath, sharply, suddenly looking very wary indeed. "Few men can do much, when trapped in the games of spirits." Iroh says, philosophically. "Ah, young Toph. Could you raise up Bato, and set him loose? I do not believe he will make further attempts. As well, it is come time to reunite family." Hakoda scowls at this, but the door opens. You step through behind him, and Iroh. "... I guess it's time to say goodbye then, Katara." Sokka says, grimly. "I'll have to stay here." Hakoda doesn't speak, turns his gaze away, even as Katara objects, sharply. "No, you don't get it. Only one of us is going back." he says. "And you're the better choice all around. I'm the chiefs son, but we don't do that heir thing that happens here. Each chief is decided upon when the last chief dies, from who's most suitable. In that sense, I'm just one more warrior. You, though... you're the last southern waterbender. If it comes down to a choice between me and you, he has to pick you. You're just too much more important-" "That may be so." Iroh interrupts. "But I would not be so cruel as to force a father to be the one to choose between his children. And I would be a foolish general, to return the more dangerous of possible hostages." Sokka goes silent, like he was caught completely off guard. "... No way." He says, softly. "Katara." Hakoda speaks, finally. "..... I am sorry." "... No, you can't do this, you can't leave me here with these-" she starts to shrill. Hakoda's hand comes down softly on her head, and she stops speaking, even as her teeth grit. "You have a strong spirit, Katara. Your will is unshakeable. And you are blessed by the moon and ocean." He says, stoically. "If I had a choice... if I really believed I could take you both, and fight my way past not merely the Dragon of the West, but all the capital, thousands of soldiers and hundreds of firebenders... I would do so. In a heartbeat, I would take you and be gone. But no matter how much cunning I may have, what traps I can lay, what ambushes I can spring, no matter my reputation... I am only one man." Katara's knuckles are white. "You are strong. And we have sworn an agreement. You can endure, if the Fire Nation holds to their honor, and you will survive even if they do not. I believe this is so. It must be." "... I think. I hate you, a little." "Then hate me!" he agrees. "I will not ask you to forgive me. But live on, Katara, for my sake." She drops down into a seat, and looks away. "... I don't hate you." Sokka says, eyes focused on Iroh. "I know, that if it had been your choice... you would have made the right one." The procession out of the capital, leaving Katara locked away and far behind, still under watchful guard until the Water Tribe is long gone, is as somber as a funeral. No less than a full ton of chopped and sawn apart firewood, and three crates of coal, will follow them down to the south pole. In return for this, Hakoda has signed off on an agreement. Total surrender. The Southern Water Tribe now flies the flag of the Fire Nation. The trading post will be constructed, not on the lands of the South Pole properly, but on one of the mountainous islands near the southern earth temple, within far easier rowing distance than the Southern Earth kingdoms, where they would trade sometimes before. Now fallen into your hands. There will be earthbenders sent from Yu Dao with the shipment, to prepare a flat shelf above the highest tide lines, for construction, and proper docking ports and paths. Iroh takes those stone balls, hiding iron and poison within, and throws them out into the sea himself, and they splash like catapult shot, far away. He seems to have noticed that they were a little heavier than they should have been. But he says nothing. The Avatar has been flying overhead for some time, with his bison. It's some time after the ships have left that he finally comes down. "... I have to go." He says, apologetically. "Air has to flow where it pleases, blowing with the winds. I can stay somewhere for a while, but even the Guru's wouldn't have tried to make me stay in the temples all of the time, forever. I need to leave." ... Of course, he can't. That's just a ridiculous request. "Of course. Be well in your travels." Uncle says, echoing your... what. "As long as you choose not to be an enemy of our Nation, you will be welcome to return." Iroh continues, bowing. "Where will you go?" ".... The southern air temple, first. I... I need to see it for myself." He says. "I don't know after that. Thank you." He says, bison lifting off, and... away. Gone before you can even put your thoughts in order. "... Uncle, what are you thinking?" You hiss. "It is the truth. They were known as the Air Nomads for a reason, even their eldest could never hold down roots indefinitely." Iroh says, philosophically. "Have you contemplated the taming of a hawk, Azula? You cannot hold its leads forever. It is when you let them go, and it returns to your glove of its own accord, that the hawk is tamed, and yours." "That's all well and good, Uncle, but you know what you have done? You've released the Avatar. There will be repurcussions to this... what if he turns against us? You are the one who gave him the chance. Father could declare you a traitor over that, have you executed-" "Ah, perhaps, perhaps, yes." Iroh muses. "But leave me to be the one to concern myself with the risks I take, if you would." "... There will be responses to the presence of the Avatar in the world again." you warn. "Even if he doesn't side against us, if he's not siding for us, then he'll be a rallying point of determination for the rest of the world..." "Perhaps. We shall see." Iroh muses. .... You don't have to wait too long before you are proven right. Just from existing, Aang has prompted an upswing in rebellious movements, and those who had otherwise leashed their discontent are beginning to unleashe it. The year has barely ended, and started anew, before you recieve a particular report. General Fong has assaulted the western side of Gao Ling in greater force than ever before, and managed to take footholds in the very city before being repulsed. Someone had drugged the garrison's water tanks, removing a number of soldiers from the conflict by dint of illness and paralyzation before the attack. There is some circumstantial evidence implicating Poppy and Lao Bei Fong in that act. They cannot be questioned, on account of being dead. If they were somehow conspiring with Fong, either his soldiers didn't get the memo, he decided their use had run out, or there was a terrible mistake made, as they were killed alongside the 'guards' you set upon them, in the street. Toph's still infant brother survives them. Pin Bei Fong, in the current care of a servant who's name isn't included in the report. Damn it, what do you do about this? There's no proof, but even the suspicion of something like this should demand that you act upon Toph's position as a hostage, even with them... no, especially with them dead, and unable to be interrogated for the truth of the matter. But damn it, you don't want to. You breathe deeply and set it aside, along with some other reports you've gotten ahold of. Village requesting aid, people disappearing with every full moon, spirits believed to be the cause. Not impossible, but if so, it would have to be a very canny and wily spirit, to both take people and leave no trace of itself behind for the Sages who have passed through to track and force it into compliance and seal it away with. The people hope that perhaps you and Zuko might do better. The Northern Water Tribe is stirring up like a hornets nest, as are the Earth Kingdoms, in the wake of the Southern Water Tribe's surrender, and the Avatar's return, never mind that Aang isn't even doing anything yet, that you can tell. All he's done was something that sent a pillar of white into the night sky, and then reports have come of him clearing the bones out of the temple, those of Air to be scattered along the mountains, and those of fire burned. There's a slip of paper that Mai located in ashes of a fire, not quite fully burned. It looks like it was originally a letter, though you can't determine the contents, of course. The signature, though..... Ursa. Rin has suggested that Father will be able to take a short break of a few days, and train you and Zuko, some time in the near future, if your schedules can coincide. She's definitely looking rounder in the belly. Reports from the front suggest that they will reach the city of Omashu soon, and even the mad king Bumi, mighty earthbender that he might be, is just one man. Even so, there could still be some glory to be found, either defeating him in battle or by negotiating his surrender, no matter which way the wind blows. You have been slacking on your own personal training. There's so many things whirling through your head that you could try, but never seems to be the time. There's just so much to be done. Decided on. More responsibility now that you're the official, or rather, an official heir. Everyone wants a piece of you. Everyone wants a moment, just a moment of your time, please listen. You can only imagine what the marriage proposals would be like at this point, if you weren't already firmly engaged to Zuko. Breathe. Just one thing at a time. Even you cannot take on all the world at once. You just have to pick one thing, out of all the matters at hand, and do that first. The rest will keep. Or not, and if underlings manage to handle them without your direction, then all is well and good. There should, for example, be nobody who knows of the Bei Fong's possible complicity in treason. So that probably won't get shoved in your face by anyone. Not unless you are very unfortunate. You don't think you can count on Uncle's help, either. Even though he's displeased with releasing the Avatar into the world, Ozai seems to be occupying Iroh's every waking minute, these days. Argh... On the plus side, though. At the very least. You've heard word that the Royal Butterfly is finally fully flight-worthy. That's something. --- Choose one/add applicable write-in/select companions. Some people must be involved in some things, somehow. [ ] Deal with the Bei Fong situation.... somehow. (write-in? Obviously must involve Toph.) [ ] Go and look into these disappearances. Acts of spirits like that cannot be tolerated. (Must bring Zuko.) [ ] Visit the Avatar. He hasn't been reported to leave the southern air temple for long, only to go out and gather food or graze Appa. [ ] Look into this Ursa thing.... somehow. (write-in?) [ ] Arrange schedules to train with Ozai. (Zuko, Ozai, Rin required) [ ] Get involved in the Omashu push somehow. [ ] Do some sort of personal training. You've been slacking. What will you do if you start to gain weight? (Train what, with who, if anyone?) [ ] You know? Maybe someone else has a better idea of things to do. [Write In Action] |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:43 AM Post #90 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] Division of labor. "... Let me preface our conversation with this." You begin. "I do not want you dead, Toph." "..... Yeah. That's a great way for a talk to start. What the hell's going on?" Toph asks brusquely. You pause for a moment, rustling papers, before you continue. "It is my regret to inform you that your parents have fallen in General Fong's recent offensive into Gao Ling." You say. She goes very still. "They are survived by your younger brother, Pin Bei Fong, currently in the care of a loyal servant of your family." Toph doesn't answer for a long moment. "... Okay. That's bad." She says, eventually. "What does that have to do with... oh. Shit." "There is some circumstantial evidence that suggests they may have been involved in sabotaging our defense forces." you continue, calmly. "I have another matter to turn my attention to at the moment, the regular and serial disappearances of our people from a certain village. But I hold you both in my trust. In my stead, you will go to Gao Ling, where you will find evidence that proves the Bei Fongs were set up as bait in a plot to deprive me of the assistance of a powerful earthbender... and a close friend." "You know they hated your rule, though. It could be they really-" Toph begins, dourly. You sweep your hand to the side. "... Please do not force me to repeat myself on this. You will find proof that the Bei Fongs were framed." "I understand." Mai says, simply. You know that she does. ".... oh." Toph says, softly. "Uh. Thanks?" "Don't mention it. ... Really, don't. The matter may well have to be classified." You grumble. "You'll be heading out on the same ship as myself, Zuko, and Ty Lee, though we will be making a stop along the way to disembark." "... Great." Toph says. She pauses at the door. "... hey. There's other merchant families that... well, this would be a big opportunity, and the only thing really standing in the way, now I don't technically count, is Pin, and whoever's raising and training him. You... mind if I get them a little out of arms reach? I mean, I don't think anyone's stupid enough to try anything, but just to be on the safe side." "Do as you please." You allow, turning your attention back to the papers. Spirit attacks. Seems simple on the surface. Though, evading the Sages sent there... and still manifesting directly enough to actually take people? Something doesn't quite fit, there. Powerful and wily to be sure, if it is a spirit. Very much so. You'll have to be sure your canister of salt is full, before you go. .... If it's not a spirit, though. Well, you'll keep your eye out. A few days pass, as you travel and then disembark, and Ty Lee waves wildly as the ship goes, taking Toph and Mai with it, en route to Gao Ling. A few more pass, as you make inquiries, and discuss the matter from the village's only inn of any significance. The old woman keeping it is of course more than pleased to offer you room and board for as long as you require it. There are, of course, the commonalities. Always, they are taken on the night of the full moon. Usually from near the forest outside the village, and usually from people with reason to risk being outside after dark. It suggests that whatever it is, it comes from the direction of the forest, and probably retreats there again. But there are cases where someone disappeared from the clear opposite side of the village, or from in their very home. ... it's fairly frustrating. You've been on the look-out for the sort of behavior that might hide a serial murderer, but you haven't found anything. Everyone seems to be honestly scared, and innocent. You've begun to wonder if it might just be a spirit. Even so, you detect nothing from that quarter, and neither does the Butterfly. You can't hunt it down, you can't summon it forth and demand it show itself, nothing works. The only thing left seems to be to face it on its own terms. You faced the Saber yeti. This... very dangerous, to be sure. But you've done something like it before. The moon rises over the trees as you move along the edges of the forest. Full, and ominous. You and Zuko are taking different routes, with Ty Lee a ways back in the village itself, watching for fires, set off either to fight, or to signal between you. Nothing. Damn it, nothing at all, spirit or man, you expected it to show up by now so you could fight it. It's taunting you, by not coming. You meet Zuko, midway along the paths you've set out. he looks equally frustrated. "... Either it's slipped past us somehow, or it's not going to bother." He grumbles. "Either way, if it's that good or just scared off, there's not really anything left to do here. Let's finish up the patrol and get back to Hama's, see if anyone's gone missing in the morning." You come to a full, perfectly still stop. "Hama?" You say, slowly. "Yeah. The old woman running the inn? You never got her name?" It... didn't seem important, you suppose, at the time. And now you are cursing yourself for a fool. Of all the captive waterbenders, there is only one who has escaped the prisons. She is still unaccounted for. She's old. And her name. "... Wait. We aren't alone." Zuko says, turning and reaching towards his swords. Turning towards the village. Her name is Hama. You've already started moving, to throw a pinwheel where he's looking without explanation, because fighting a Waterbender at night, on the full moon, damn it, that's so obvious in retrospect, it's when a waterbender's power is at their highest, and when a firebenders' is supposed to be at their lowest. Your arm comes to a full stop, mid-motion. As do Zuko's, swords half-drawn. The old innkeeper, the escaped waterbender, Hama, walks slowly into your field of vision. Both hands held out in front of her, fingers splayed and crooked, as though she were pulling the strings of... Of puppets. What is going on, why can't you move, why does it hurt so much along.... Waterbender. Blood. Not water, but if Toph can bend the impurities to manipulate metal, and you can bend your Inner Fires, then.... She's holding you in place, by bending the water in your very blood. What the hell do you do now....? Signal. Somehow, you have to make a signal. One hand for Zuko, one hand for you. Her limit is manipulating two people at once. Agni, you hope that her limit is manipulating two people at once. "I thought I might find your friend, first, but I'm afraid to say that I could not actually find her, no matter where I looked. Where did you hide her, I wonder? And there is only so much of the night of the full moon to work with... no matter. She can be left for another time. The royal heirs to the throne, however... that, I cannot resist. Yeeesss, you will feel the pain of unjust imprisonment, returned to you one hundred fold." She hisses, softly. --- [ ] ??? |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:44 AM Post #91 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] Breath of the Dragon. She's just a little too far. Just a step, or so, out of range. ... maybe if you... You breathe in, slowly. Deeply. And then out in flame, with your mouth narrowed and circular, rather than wide. You can feel burning inside your cheeks, this is not, quite, how the technique is meant to be used, but it narrows the focus of the fire a little. Makes it somewhat longer. You can endure a blister or two inside your mouth, for that, right now. The old woman's eyes widen, and her hand jerks, and your head jerks in response.... Yes. Straight up, as an instinctive redirection of the flame, away from anything it could hurt. That she doesn't want hurt. Yet. You hold the fire for a moment, Signal, Ty Lee, a signal, be watching for it, I need you right now... It cuts off, all too soon, as something squeezes at your throat. You can already feel bruises rising. Then released, and you can breathe again, raggedly. "You will be trouble, I see." Hama says, dourly. "Perhaps I should simply save myself the trouble, cut your pretty throat, and sink the body deep beneath the waves." "Touch her... and I will kill you." Zuko promises, snarling softly. "Wretched little perversions." She snarls in turn. "You are mistaken if you believe that anything you have to say still matters." Great. You managed to make the signal. Now, you just have to stay alive long enough.... Damn it. No. Your body is turning on its own. Towards the forest. Every movement is pain... --- [ ] ??? |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:44 AM Post #92 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] Stalling for time. "So." You say, sharply. "You are the infamous Hama. I was a fool not to get your name. And, perhaps, you are a fool for giving your real one." "You know of me?" the waterbender snaps in turn. "I know enough. Of all the captured waterbenders, the only one to escape our keeping. So this is how. I see now. Somewhat ingenious." "Flattery will avail you nothing." "It's a shame really. Here I was, not so long ago, even contemplating the slow release of our prisoners, back into the Water Tribe's custody..." Your body stops, and spins around, and it's agony, but you can still smile through it. Got her. Now just need to keep her like this. Long enough for Ty Lee to catch up. A few minutes, at most. Just a few minutes, of keeping her irrationally angry, but without making her mad enough to simply kill you and have done. Yes. That won't be a problem, surely. ".... Your lies will avail you no more than pointless flattery, brat." she spits. "Lie?" you say, slyly. "What reason do I have to lie? Really, why should I bother... when the truth is going to be so much more painful for you." The old woman's eyes narrow. "Speak." She demands, impatiently. "Hm... well, you should have heard, by now. The Southern Water Tribe has surrendered to our glorious nation." You preen a little, trying to keep your grips on as much control of the situation as you can. "The more fool they. After so much bloodshed and toil to fend you off, this... the chieftain is a fool." "Perhaps. But he is a fool who dearly wanted his children back. And we can work with that." "So? You returned a squalling brat or two. This means nothing." "Does it not? As I said... they surrendered." You say. You smile, widely. "Yes. We captured waterbenders. We had little option, in war. Would you have preferred we simply kill you all and leave your blood on the snow?" "I would have preferred you driven off or dead." "Oh, I don't doubt. We were, after all, at war." You smile again. "Were. It was only reasonable, then, to remove the most dangerous elements from play. By one means or another. We chose to be kind, and simply imprison you." "Kind?" Hama snarls. "Like a rat in a trap, held in a cage with no escape. Far from the ocean's waters, with hardly the slightest glimpse of the moon between the clouds. With every day that passed, I could feel the hot, burning gazes of those filthy and unwashed soldiers, and it made my skin crawl, held only in check by the orders of the warden keeping me in chains. You call this kindness?" "I call it mercy, even." You say, coyly. "When the other option is your simple execution. True, you were not free. You could not leave your prison. You would not be allowed to bend, certainly. But it is hardly as though you were treated particularly poorly. You were given food, were you not, and a place to sleep. You were not beaten or violated in any way, as you say yourself, though you must have been quite the stunning woman in your youth, to so catch the eyes of your captors... Yes, when we might have simply cut off your hands, or slit your throat, and leave you to die rather than hold you, and see to your basic needs, and keep you alive... yes, I do call that kindness, in fact. And you would throw that back in our faces?" "You had no right-" "Perhaps. And perhaps not. But in the end, it came down to two options. Imprisonment or death. And though you were a prisoner.... it is hardly as though you or your kinsmen were criminals, simply for being on the losing side." When you grin this time, it's showing teeth. "In my opinion... there is no real harm in releasing those who have performed no crime, when no reason remains to keep them" You drawl. "So yes. I did contemplate many such plans. And had you harmed none, and simply fled, I would have been the first to say 'well done' and speed you on your way to the water tribe. You were not a criminal. Were not." You let the smile fade away. ".... That isn't the case any more, though, is it." You say, slowly. "No. You killed many guards as you fled, not even stopping to free your other kinsmen from their own bonds. Did you? And when you fled, it was not to your home. No, you settled down here. Where you would have targets... victims... in easy reach. You have been preying on not even soldiers, but simple civilians who were in no way even involved in the war... ah, but I forget. Your tribe has no real concept of a 'civilian', do you. There are those who can fight, and those who cannot, and it would perplex you to consider that one who could, might choose not to. But it matters nothing, how your ways work at the poles. You are here. And I do not doubt you have spilled much innocent blood." "Your kind cannot claim innocence. None of your foul nation can." "And so you will prey on old men and young newlyweds and toddling children alike, but never once a simple soldier?" You question. "One who might actually, at some point in their lives, have come anywhere near your wintry homeland, and thus possibly be vaguely deserving of your wrath?" Damn it, it's been minutes, you can't.... there. Just the slightest flash of pink, approaching rapidly. Just have to make sure she doesn't turn around, don't look to see that Zuko has noticed something as well, keep her attention focused on you. "It astonishes me." you say, grimly. "That you have actually convinced yourself you are in the right, here. Foul and monstrous old hag that you have become." She snarls with wordless rage, and you flare all of your fire, fighting her control and spreading wings and reinforcing your body, and still when you try, and begin to succeed, to move... the screams rip out, as your blood remains exactly where she is holding it. And then you can feel, in your chest. Cold. So very cold. "Let your fires now warm your frozen heart, miserable and wretched child, as you die like the filth you-" Hama has no time to say anything further, as Ty Lee hits the horrible old woman with what seems to be all the force of a speeding train. And you drop like a puppet with your strings cut. No. Your heart. The witch literally froze your heart? Heat. You need. Fire. You breathe, choking out the dragons flame, thawing the muscle. But it doesn't beat. Your heart doesn't beat, even as you breathe, and the edges of your visions are going. No. Beat. Stupid muscle. Beat. Just one more muscle. If you can reinforce the others, with your Inner Fire. You can reinforce this. You move the fires. Make it beat! With a shudder, the motion of your heart resumes, slowly. And you can focus, once again, looking up into Zuko's desperate gaze, where he's doing everything he can with field treatments to help you. "If, if she dies, if Azula dies." Ty Lee stumbles verbally, eyes wide and pupils shrunken as she shakes the ancient crone by her neck, ranting. "If she dies because of what you did, I, I, do, do you know? Do You Know, how chi-blocking works? I put a bit in, as I hit the point, but it gets swept away when the strike fades, and the body heals, but, but if it doesn't heal? Do you know, huh, what happens, what will happen, if I don't hit the point when I slide it in, but, but instead? Needles. Red hot. Glowing. Needles. Puncture, not pressure, and burning your flesh solid as the tip is broken off, and I put the chi in, to block, and... Do you know? Do you know what happens then, to you? Neither do I! It, it will be, this incredibly fun learning experience for both of us, don't you think, and that, that, is just the start of what will happen, if Azula dies-" "I'm fine." You croak, waving a hand. "Heart beating. Blood flowing. Again." Ty Lee bodily throws the old woman aside, you think you hear something crack, but can't quite bring yourself to care as she's suddenly upon you, clutching desperately and sobbing. --- [ ] ??? |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:45 AM Post #93 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] reciprocation to start It's a little difficult to think, through the lack of blood to the brain that's only now getting better, and Ty Lee's crying. You just hold her in return. "-and it's all my fault, I saw that her aura was all red, but, I din't think anythin about it because there's so many people that are red, and there was a funny smell to her aura, but I couldn't remember, and it wasn't until to late and I realized that was what the blood smelled like, and then I saw your fire and I can only run and... and then you fell down, and I could see your aura starting to flicker and, and fade, and I should have known sooner-" "Not your fault." You grumble. "I should have gotten her name. Agni damn it, but she didn't even bother to change her name, I'd have known in an instant if I'd just asked..." She sniffles, but settles down some. Calming. There's a noise from over by Zuko, where he's squatting over Hama. "You will tell me where to find them." he says, somberly. The old witch just cackles. "Foolish little boy... you'll never find them. Safely hidden away. They'll starve to death long before you find them." "Starve...." Zuko says, slowly. "... You still have people alive out there somewhere?" He was asking so there could be funeral rites. With living victims still out there.... Necessary sacrifices, maybe, a part of your mind whispers. She's southern water tribe. If people know they could learn to do that, there would be calls for all the waterbenders to die, for the truce to be canceled, for the southern tribe to be utterly wiped out and never mind that it would be genocide and going back on your cease fire, your truce, that they've surrendered and are yours now. Good of the many over the few. Just need to let a few people die, alone and scared in a hole somewhere. It would be easy. There's only four of you here, you can make it three just like that.... No. No, it's easy to think like that, but you can't let yourself think like that about your people. You have to save them. Hama has to die. After. You lurch to your feet, and stumble over to her. "Maybe you didn't hear properly." You whisper, letting that little box in your mind where you stuff away everything that you are crack open. Just a bit. "You're going to tell where they are. One way or another." Hama snorts. "What are you going to do, brat? Kill me? You'd be a fool if that wasn't already your plan." She spits. "No. You're right. One way or another, you're dead." You say, simply, letting fire gather in your hands. "The difference is only how wretched and broken you are, when the ocean welcomes you into the deep and salty depths of his caress, and you enter the spirit world forever. I have no illusions about keeping you contained, after all this, when you have already pissed on our kindness once." There is a long moment of silence. And then you smile, and lean forward, and let the old woman see just a little bit of what's in your eyes. "Zuko." You say, softly. "Go over to Ty Lee. Look away. Converse, and watch the stars. I know that neither of you two will enjoy, much, what is about to happen." "... I'm sorry." Zuko says, as he rises. And turns his gaze away. "Don't be..." You say, letting more and more of your teeth show in your leer, glistening in the fire-light. "I don't mind at all." "..... That's why." He says. But doesn't elaborate further. You contemplate the look on Hama's face, as you focus the blue fires smaller, and smaller, until there is just a candle-flame perched on your finger in the darkness, and you're moving it closer, and closer, as the pupil shrinks- "Fine, curse you. May the ocean's waves capsize your ship and drag you into the depths. I'll tell you." Hama says, cracking when the tiny fire is just a little bit away from her eye. "No. You'll show us." You correct, dragging the old woman up and to her feet. "Which way?" The cave she leads you to is some distance. Ty Lee has to re-apply the chi blockage before you arrive. But the smell of blood and death is thick from it. "In there." She says, scowling. "Thank you." You say in response, dropping her to the ground. Then you draw your sword. You aren't trained. But this isn't a fight, or a battle, or an exhibition or sparring match. This is just an execution. There are a handful of victims, inside, that are still alive inside their metal cages. Hungry, and with tormented looks in their eye, and they don't seem to recognize who you are right away, they flinch whenever anyone draws close. Searching the witch's headless corpse yields the keys. They aren't particularly healthy, but they'll make it back to town, to see a doctor. Warm food and resting somewhere safe is probably the best thing for them, right now. For the ones you couldn't save... All that's left is funeral pyres. There's far too much dead flesh inside that cave. You burn it out, thoroughly, after dragging what's still in condition for carrying out and into organized piles. She's been at this for a long time. You don't know how the reports only reached you know, she has to have been doing this since and through the time Iroh was heir. You consider the body of Hama. Water traditions dictate that their bodies return to the ocean. ... The ocean can have her head. The rest can burn. You are much more calmed, and have locked the worst of yourself back away once you're back in town. A hot bath and steaming cup of tea soothes the rest. --- [ ] ??? |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:45 AM Post #94 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] Family Bonding. The next ship passing through isn't going to arrive until tomorrow, either way. It's heading back to the capital. If you'd wanted to go elsewhere, you would be stuck waiting here a little longer. The administrator in charge of this village, a small-time nobleman by the name of Shuzinko, holds a relatively large and sumptuous buffet in honor of the problem of his village being solved. He doesn't know, or want to know, the exact details. Only that everything is settled. Well and good. You'll continue to occupy the Inn, for the night. Ty Lee doesn't want to so much as leave your side, and Agni you need to buy her an ostrich horse or something, she deserves it... but much as you regret shooing the both of them away, you can sleep alone. You need to sleep alone, right now, and make sure you're still all together and everything got put away properly, locking everything down to just quiet whispers, even as the fairy protests against sleeping in an otherwise empty bed. Another time. ... When you wake, in the middle of the night, you know that something is wrong. The door is still shut, locked. The window is still closed, latched, from the inside. Nevertheless, she is sitting there, on the side of your bed. Right there. Right there-! You are already lunging with one hand, but a thumb brushes delicately across skin, and you know that point, you've seen Ty Lee use it enough, and the fires... the fires simply do not come, as all the power goes out of your body, arm falling limp. Chi. Blocked. Chi blocker. Ursa is, how could you not know something as important as- "Hush. Hush, hush..." that woman says, softly, one hand pressing down on your mouth with deceptive gentleness and strength, as she cradles your head in her lap, bringing a finger up to her own lips in a gesture demanding silence. You struggle, eyes wild even as she lowers the hand again to stroke at your hair. "I was surprised. When I heard of you, and Zuko, after what I saw in your eyes back then." she sighs. No. No, you can't focus, your struggle redoubles, she took Grandfather but Zuko is yours now, she can't have him back- "So much of Dragon in you, Azula. And Azulon was the light of your world. I feared... not what you were, but what you would become. And served you ill through it, allowing the servants to take my place, where I should have been your first and foremost protector until you had learned to defend yourself. But... you cannot help how you were born. I forgave you then, I forgive you for it still." No, how dare, you have nothing to be forgiven for, get her fingers out of your hair... "I thought of taking Zuko when I left. But it could not be done. Not my husband's heir. ... I could have taken you away. But the thought never crossed my mind. Perhaps I have been a poor mother, not to be here when you need. There are things which you should have learned from me, and not from a scarred she-dog of a soldier on campaign. Discussions that I should have held, rather than leaving in Ozai's hands...." The soft whispers are melodic, hypnotic, and why is she so strong, you can't call fires, you cannot break free. "... I am still afraid of what you could become." She admits. "But, just for a little while. Just for now. I will be a mother, and offer sage words of advice for a daughter, when the time comes for them to be remembered." She smiles, softly. "Let me tell you what I would do, when I was of a mind to make your father's toes curl..." she begins. Oh Agni. Merciful Agni. Please, please let this be some twisted nightmare. So you can simply wake up. No such luck, or it isn't so simple, and the next hour passes in abject humiliation and vague horror as Ursa speaks, vaguely impish note in her voice. Then she pats your forehead. Whispers for you to sleep, and does... something, you aren't sure what, but the world is fogging back to the blackness of slumber. You wake up in the morning with your sheets soaked through with cold sweat, and your limbs aching as though you had run across a hundred battlefields without stopping. Just a dream...? A nightmare. Yes. There is no way you could have been interrupted in your sleep, no possibility that she could have slipped into your room, unseen, un-noticed by anyone... You desperately put the whole matter out of your mind, and focus instead on bathing and getting yourself in order for the trip back, focusing on anything but toes curling... Agni, you hate that woman so much, even if she was a figment of tormented dreams. About a week passes, as you first head back to the capital, then move to the cliffs south-east, overlooking the ocean. Ozai seems much less harried than when you last noted him, and Rin is constantly at hand. He begins, for the first few days, with lightning generation. Zuko has no practice in calling the cold fires, and needs to be brought up to speed, but in simply calling them... though you have invented some interesting tricks with the lightning, he is not far behind you simply on the speed of calling it forth to strike. He seems to get it a lot easier than you did, long ago. That burns at you, just a little, until it's explained that learning it at all is far harder, the younger you are. Children's chi is very seldom settled and peaceful enough to work with the cold fires, particularly those of your Nation. It's fine. Ozai works with you both, not on any tricks or special nets or sustained voltage like you have toyed with, but with more simple matters. The only part of the technique that matters much, to him... simple speed of drawing the bolt out, and then accuracy of where it goes. Repetition. Exhausting repetition, over and over, blasting sea pigeons out of the sky. You've reduced the time it takes to call the lightning forth by half before he deems the progress 'acceptable enough', and moves on to fire. You gratefully accept sweet fruit nectars from Rin, in between the instruction and barked orders. "You have both learned the pressurized fire stream, I trust?" he says. "An advanced technique, derived from the basic fire stream. What I am going to instruct you in now is a further advancement of that skill, derived from it. Watch closely. And remember to dodge." You barely have time to consider this before he's called forth the fire into streams, still too far away to possibly hit either of you with them... But then he throws them at you. You both leap aside, but the flickering stream of fire turns in the air, following you as you evade it with everything in you, curving and twisting through the space between you... You end up back to back with Zuko and, upon a wordless agreement, the both of you raise fire walls, and move. There's a small explosion at the meeting point. Father is clapping. "Good enough." He says. High praise, from Ozai. "Though you could have done better. This is known by several names. Flame Missile. Serpent's bite. Hunting Dragon. It doesn't matter, and only depends upon your level of theatricism and if you feel like, or can afford to consider, shaping the fires into the form of a writhing animal upon releasing them. Listen well. And then you will practice, and learn." You do. It's tiring, over the next several days, as Ozai does not seem to explain things so well as Iroh, and so instead relies upon tireless practice and repetition alone to teach his lessons, but you have it by the end. Pleased enough by the progress, Ozai declares the training break as complete, and you return to the capital. There's a fresh message waiting, from Mai. It reads, tersely, 'Situation handled. Toph, brother, servant, in tow. Saboteur and accomplice located, eliminated. Bei Fong names cleared, interred with honor as respectable citizens unto death. Injury recovering. Await further instruction.' --- [ ] ??? |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:46 AM Post #95 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] Things. You quickly pen out another note, and send it off with the hawk, demanding further information and their return. You'd assumed they would have to plant information clearing the Bei Fong name, not that they would actually find... and Mai has been injured in your service. You need to know how greatly. The returning message comes two days later. 'Eye saved. Scarring projected to be minimal. Healing well, fine stitches, no sign of infection. Governance proceeding as per norm, economic situations erupting into flux but dying down somewhat. Servant can handle matters as well from capital as Gao Ling. En route for return.' ... it's good to hear. No, not good, because what, she could have lost an eye? ... But better than it could be. It's four more days from then before the ship shuttling Mai, Toph, and the tagalongs pulls back into your port. There's still a bandage over one side of Mai's face. In the meantime, you've picked up more information. Omashu has fallen. The battle and siege was projected to last for over another month, but the mad king surrendered himself into Fire Nation the instant that forces began to close, to secure the safety of his city without having to fight a protracted battle. There's some level of wisdom in that, you suppose. Mai's father has been appointed Governor of Omashu, and there's some bandying about of the possibility of changing its name. There's call for a relief effort in Gaipan region. Rebel forces have stolen a shipment of blasting jelly and brought down the dam nearby the city. There isn't a full count yet, but it happened in the dead of night, while everyone was in town and mostly sleeping. Current estimations show that at least eighty percent of the citizens are dead. And the rebel forces have the gall to call you monsters... bah. Your guest, Katara, seems to have entered a mild depression. She's provided with everything she might need or want... she just can't leave. She does throw the more obvious bits of propaganda against the walls sometimes, though. The Avatar has moved. He's been sighted in two places, first at of all things an Avatar Celebration in Chin Village. Not as big of a to-do as Avatar Day, of course, since it takes a long time to build those giant effigies, but one of their regular reminders to themselves of how much they hate Kyoshi, and her reincarnations. You understand from the report that there was some structural damage left in his wake. They probably tried to boil him in oil, or cut off his hands and feet and throw him off the cliff to the leopard sharks, or something. There's a reason nobody really likes Chin Village. You think there's been another message from Ba Sing Se that they really could probably get away with seceding and not having to pay taxes any more, if they wanted. Well. After that visit to one of the unsightly blemishes of the Earth Kingdoms, it seems that he next went to Kyoshi Island. Given how recent the report is, he should still be there, you think. So many things that you could do... you just have to keep in mind the time of the eclipse, and then the comet not long after that. That's going to be the high point of this year, you think. --- Time to decide on things To Do, and people to do things with. [ ] Visit the Avatar. Kyoshi Island has been ignored for too long anyway. There can be a frank chat and discussion with the leaders of the neutral island, while you are there. [ ] You still don't know where that letter fragment came from. Someone in the palace could be in contact with Ursa... [ ] Personally inspect Omashu. [ ] Do some sort of personal training. Youve been slacking. What will you do if you start to gain weight? (Train what, with who, if anyone?) [ ] Sounds like the Gaipan situation could use some help. [ ] Katara is depressed? You can fix that.... Frothing fury is better than depression, right? [ ] You know? Maybe someone else has a better idea of things to do. [Write In Action] |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:46 AM Post #96 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] Ever forward. "What happened?" You ask, insistently, the moment you can get them alone. "... Turns out you were right." Toph says. "And for future reference... it's really hard to keep a determined Earthbender out of a city he really wants to get inside of. So y'know. Pin's fine, anyway, and I guess they didn't make tracks right away because they figured that once you heard about it, you were just going to run with assumptions or something." "It took a day to determine the presence of suspicious individuals." Mai follows up. "A little longer than that to actually locate them. Toph handled the bender easily, while I took to the rooftops with his accomplice." She frowns. "She called herself 'Joo Dee', and held a distorted smile which never left her face. Her movements were somewhat jerky and awkward, like those of a marionette doll, but it did not stop her from being swift and dangerous. I don't believe that we ever got the bender's name, he mentioned something about not minding having to take a personal hand, and that it was a shame he couldn't wipe out the entire 'collaborating family' without looking suspicious and, well..." "I'm not apologizing." Toph says, darkly. "Well. The Bei Fong mansion now has a new piece of statuary for the governor to contemplate. Though I believe he will attempt to have it moved, since it is uncomfortably detailed, and the expression is simply grotesque." "Yeah, good luck with that. Fucker's fused to a big mass of rock underground. He's going nowhere, unless they break him off." Toph grumbles. "For my part, Joo Dee took to the roofs, and proved herself reasonably proficient with throwing weaponry. Significantly more talented at getting out of the way. In the end, I caught her in mid jump, but had only two remaining knives by that time. One to pierce her heart, and one to deflect one of the blades she returned. The other, I managed to mostly dodge. On the next excursion, I will be carrying significantly greater quantities of ordinance at all times." "Let me see it." You insist. The bandages lift away to reveal an angry red line, and fine stitches holding it together. It passes directly through the tear duct of her left eye. But not the eye itself. Not quite. It stretches from the level of her eyebrows down a little past her cheek, beside her nose. "... I'm sorry." Is all you can think of to say. "Don't be. It was an acceptable cost, to end the fight." Mai muses. "I had no way of knowing, at that point, that Toph was already on her way, or that this Joo Dee was in similarly dire straits regarding weaponry as I. I saw the opportunity and took it. At most, there will be a thin line of reminder." ... You can't quite bring yourself to do the arm thing. But it's your fault. You could have sent, for example, Ty Lee with them as well.... Yes, and then you and Zuko would have been alone against Hama, with no surprises in store when she had both of you locked down. That's a certain recipe for good things. You set everything aside and instead make arrangements for travel. Mai seems fine, mostly healed, Ty Lee seems ready to go, Toph only needs a few hours to get the servant and her little brother settled. Zuko has nothing else planned, at the moment, though he frowns to learn of the nearby drowning of Gaipan. The two cities are fairly close, though. You have to check with Jin. How many days it is going to take you to get to Omashu. .... The answer is 'one'. Pushing through the air, once actually aloft, is far simpler and swifter a matter than pushing through the water, it seems. Well and good. You can load up some essential supplies in the cargo holds as well, then, and even if nobody else goes along you can send Jin off for a few hours to drop crates well in advance of any other relief efforts. ..... Hm. By everyone.... well, the girl is certainly seeming bored and depressed. It isn't as though an air ship up at the level of clouds, far from the ground, where dropping would end with a messy splat, would be any less difficult than fleeing from the palace. And the terms of the truce clearly spell out what the results of escapes, or attempts, are... well, you've made sure that she's gotten copies of those to read. Why not? One prison is good as another, and it provides you plenty of opportunity to amuse yourself. It doesn't hurt anything to ask. "How would you like..." you begin. "To go on a cruise, on my personal vessel? Hm?" She gives you a grimacing glower. "Oh, make no mistake. You are still a prisoner, after all. You'll need to be kept under watch. But there is no need to be uncivil about everything." "... What's your game. What are you trying to do?" she spits out, a little bitterly. ... Well. Directness didn't really hurt you before, you think, though an untrained waterbender is at the same time both more and less dangerous than a master earthbender. "Katara... I am trying to seduce you, of course." ... Hm. She's gone very nearly white. Given her skin tone, quite the achievement. There's a mingled mash-up of confusion, horror, and disgust. Oh dear. "Not in that sense." You correct her. "I have reason to show you the world dominated by the fire nation, and hopefully, you will come to be less resentful of our rule." "I hate you." she says, flatly. "Who do you hate? Specifically." You say, lunging on the point. "All of the Fire Nation, down to women and children and infants newly born?" "I hate you." she snarls, softly. "Specifically. And another. But you..." "Good, good~" You purr, smiling. "I won't lie. It gives me this little.... thrill, every time you make plain your hatred. Like this... tingle of sorts. I enjoy it very much." And there's the confused distress again, which is almost as good. "I'll arrange for your quarters. And a guard." You say, waving a hand. .... Father might not exactly approve of this. But you don't think he'll be too upset. Or Iroh. All you have to do is point at Toph, and at the very least pretend that that's what you're trying to replicate. Captain Jin gives you a little tour of the ship when you board, in the afternoon, after it's lifted off. There are the engines, multiple and very small in comparison to a steam ship, heating the air inside the sack above and turning the propellors. There are a couple small ballistae, mounted and bolted in place near openings in the ship portion, where archers and firebenders can attack through. The bridge, right at front. And the crew. Technically, you don't have to load much coal onto this ship. It's small enough that you can operate it with a firebender at every one of the four engines almost indefinitely. If you have the minimum crew of a dozen, of course, you'll have to keep coal going, because your people aren't machines and can't perform at every hour of the day forever. But with a full and signficantly redundant crew of over fifty, all firebenders, and taken in less than hourly shifts with plenty of time to rest, just making sure to feed their fires in enough to keep the engines going, you can fly with almost no coal at all. You don't think that will work for the models the generals are planning, of course. No matter. It's almost noon, the day after you set out, by the time you begin to slow and come down for a landing, outside of Omashu. --- [ ] ??? |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:47 AM Post #97 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] Oma and Shu. You don't think a name change is in order. It's just one more mark and imagined chain for the people to stifle under. You believe that Bumi's surrender must have caught a number of people by surprise. There's almost certain to be a few rebellious elements lingering, at the very least. You have a quiet chat with Mai before disembarking. She's at your side when you do. As is Zuko. Ty Lee and Toph are at some greater distance, keeping a close and watchful eye on Katara. Metaphorically speaking, in Toph's case. The first thing to do, of course, is to meet with the governors of the city. The others can go on a walkabout for now, and meet you soon. They can take care of themselves and keep Katara under control both. The governors are, of course, Mai's parents. "... You're injured?" is the first thing out of her father's mouth, before anything else. "Mildly." Mai agrees. Her mother tuts. She is... much like Mai. Only more so, somehow. Coldly elegant, detached, and impassive. Beautiful, like an engraved folding fan of razors. "You allowed harm to befall your face." She says. "... How unsightly. You'll hardly be able to bend foolish men to your will if you allow it to be blemished so easily. You should have found a way to take the blow somewhere more easily concealed." "Perhaps." Mai agrees, voice like a block of ice. "Your shoulder, perhaps. Or an arm." her mother continues. "Perhaps." Mai replies, flatly. "We haven't come on a completely social visit." Zuko interrupts. Good... you usually rely on Mai to make blunt interruptions, when you want to change the subject delicately. "Yes, I'm afraid we are here on official business. Your full report on the conditions of Omashu and its citizens?" "... This is far quicker than I expected." Mai's father responds. "I'm afraid I don't have all of the information compiled yet. Even so, it's a rich city. Rich enough, anyway. Large stocks of surplus food, decent markets and regular trading. Though there has been upheavals felt all across the continent from that unfortunate Bei Fong matter. Of note, in the city's structure, there is not a single wooden house. All buildings are of stone composition." "... They call Bumi Mad." you muse. "But it seems he loves his people enough to ensure they are housed well. Rare, among the kings of earth." "Quite. Hm... there is, I believe, some level of discontent with our occupation and how he is being treated in his surrender, but it has not amounted to much yet." He finishes. "With fortune, and more importantly, wise actions, it should not be. How is he being treated, incidentally?" "Well..." the man says, slowly. "... He agreed to an unconditional surrender, to avoid a fight, but he is still something of a small legend in his own right. He's in full security, held in a Steel Sarcophagus." ... it's an unpleasant contraption, designed to halt bending of any sort, at the sacrifice of the prisoner's comfort. The face is left free, and once set in place they are not let loose for anything. They are fed by a guard, and the top and bottom of the sarcophagus are made up of grates, so that water can be poured through and rinse away sweat and.... mess. Once, you could have very easily justified placing Toph in one of those. Considering that the governor before you is not a bender at all... yes, you can easily see the logic behind it. "We will see him for ourselves." You say. "... later. For now, there is another matter to discuss. Gaipan, due north of here, has been flooded. I would like to discuss... donations, to the relief of its citizens." "Of course, princess Azula. As I have said, the city holds a surplus of goods and stored food. I see no reason not to place it at your disposal." No reason not to curry favor by bowing to a reasonable demand, is what he means. Well, it'll do. "A caravan can be prepared to send goods overland immediately, and reach the remains of Gaipan in only a few days." he says. "At the rate of speed the Royal Butterfly has shown, the crew can be unloading cargo there before nightfall." Zuko interrupts tersely. "No reason to wait around. The cargo holds are already partially full. Bring up to thirty crates of supplies out to it, and the crew can load them and go. It might not last long for even a few hundred people, but they won't be starving until we can get there, and they can send back word on how much more might be needed." "... Interesting." the man says, intrigued spark in his eye. "I had not taken interest in the Airship designs and proposals before, but that is quite swift. More than war, that... could be very useful in regard to difficult trade routes." "Indeed. We do not leave our own unaided." You say in response. Then frown. "Or unavenged. I do not intend to leave those rebels wallowing in their hubris and false victory long. I would go tonight-" "Nobody is going anywhere tonight except Jin." Zuko corrects, brusquely. "Tomorrow, at the soonest. The last thing we need is to be hunting someone who could do something like that through the woods at night." ... It burns a little, inside, that he thinks he can give you orders... but they aren't orders. Not really. You could laugh in his face and go alone. It's just... very good advice, delivered without an ounce of tact. "Just so." You say, instead of objecting. "Vengeance will be had, but not under the eyes of the moon. Agni himself will look down to see it done." "I see. And you mentioned, you wanted to see the mad king?" he says, politely. "I can bring you to the prisons directly." "Not quite directly." You decide, after a moment. "There is someone I want to pick up first, along the way." "While we're at it, I don't hold much stock in mad kings." Mai says, dryly. "If I could request dismissal to handle personal matters?" Family visitation...? You didn't think she got on so well with her mother, so unless there's an unusual not-shouting match in store... no, that's right. There's still her little brother. "Granted." You allow. "Give my regards to Tom-Tom." "Of course." She says, bowing very slightly. Orders are quietly made. And then you're off, picking up Toph and the rest of the wanderers from right where you arranged to meet them, plus a few incidental purchases. And not long after that, you stand at the very gates of the Omashu prison. --- [ ] ??? |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:47 AM Post #98 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] Prison ".... Eyes open." You instruct, frowning at the solid stone construction. "Well, if you think that'll help, sure thing." Toph drawls. You can't help but sigh. "I'll wait outside." Mai's father says, grimly. "That old man... I find it difficult to deal with him for long." The grizzled earthbender has a face and a mouthful of teeth that look like he's been smashing them into rocks every day of his long life. Set on full display as he snores and drools all over the front of his box. "... Wake up. You have visitors. Bumi. Wake up." You say, temper slowly flaring as he fails to respond in any way. "... This is worse than trying to drag you out of bed in the morning, Toph." "How can you people do things like this?" Katara hisses. "Putting an old man in..." There's a yawn and sleepy smacking of lips as Bumi rouses from slumber. "When that old man is a hundred year old earthbender, options for keeping him contained without outright killing or doing significant harm to him are... limited in scope." You reply. "Though, I suppose you could consider the obvious, when water is only sluiced through on a regular schedule, to be a kind of torture." "Ah, well, you'll find that that's a sort of thing you get familiar with when you get old, missy." Bumi cackles. "When one hundred years old you are, have full colorectal integrity you will not..." "Charming." You say, flatly. "Ooh, I do miss the handlers and sponge baths, mind." Bumi continues, wistfully. "But really, this hellish contraption of yours is working wonders on the old back. Think I'll keep it. Talk to the treasurer, he'll sort out what's owed. Could do without interruptions to Bumi's Naptime, though." "King Bumi... we're not here to sell you things." "No?" He asks, quizzically. "Well, I'm definitely not pawning any of my stuff off. I like my stuff. You're not one of those door to door cults? I've said it once, I'll say it again, I don't care if the grand noodle-fiend of tentacular soba is set to rise up at the first new dawn of the coming year, I've got a grand collection of soy sauce just waiting by the barrel-" "Neither traveling salesman nor cultist. I am Azula, princess of the Fire Nation." you interrupt. "If we can dispense with the inanities? I would like to commend the wisdom of-" "Hoo. Some kind of a princess you'll make, if you want to cut right past the pleasantries and introductions of everything." Bumi says, dryly. "Play any Pai Sho, little girl?" "... Some." You say, the word feeling like it's being dragged out of you with hooks. "Got any favorite plays?" He asks. "You can tell a lot about a fellow by his opening move in the game. Myself... I favor the White Lotus gambit." He stops there, some spark in his eyes suggesting he's waiting for something. Zuko's back, next to you, straightens as he stiffens up. ".... 'There are few who yet cling to the old ways.'" He says, slowly. Reciting something. "... 'Those who do, will always find a friend.'" "The White Lotus blooms and opens wide, for those who know its secrets." Bumi says, solemnly. "... Though I don't think that either of you two kiddos are actually initiated." "Uncle didn't tell me much." Zuko admits. "Just that if we got separated somehow, and I needed help... there were certain places that he said I could go, certain things to say and do." "You're one of Iroh's... friends?" You ask, dubiously. You had presumed it was a world-wide spy ring, that he had referred to before, and now that you think upon it you never attempted to pry deeper. But a spy ring that would have a member in place that was king of this city for, records state, years before Iroh was even born.... that's either very impressive, terrifying, or suggests that it's not a spy ring at all. "Now missy, in some ways, friends is far too strong." Bumi cackles. "... Others, not strong enough by far." --- [ ] ??? |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:48 AM Post #99 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] Lotus blossoms spread across all the world. "So the reason you are vexed by cultists, then, is that you are already a member of a different cult yourself?" You drawl, happy to at least be getting back a little control of the conversation, even if it's not going in the direction you wanted. "Cult? Hardly." Bumi snorts. "A brotherhood, more closely, united by common goals and interests, since Wan Shi Tong first stole the secret of written words from the world and the first Grand Lotus journeyed into the spirit realm to steal it back. But we are hardly priests, and we do not have a focus of worship. More... scholars, loosely allied." he chuckles. "... A secret society, allied against the Fire Nation?" Katara says, actually seeming very interested, before she suddenly realizes that there are exactly two of the people in this room who are not of the Fire Nation. She scowls, seeming to be ready for someone unpleasant to happen. "Hah." Bumi chuckles. "No. We spread our roots through all nations. Well, almost. Though we have members in the north, none remain in the South Pole. But we do not bar admittance from those of Fire." "And why not?" Katara hisses, seeming provoked. "Who's fault do you think it is that nobody is left-" "Well, simply put... though there are certain powerful men among our numbers, even rising to the rank of Grand Lotus, we are not an organization that is normally concerned with the actions of men, as long as they do not counter our goals. As an organization... individually, the matter can be a whole lot different. The Grand Lotus, for example, is a man particularly active in matters of war... But our goal, as an organization, is not military. We seek the spread and dissemination of knowledge. Our enemy is Wan Shi Tong, foremost among those spirits who would steal it away and keep it hidden. There is much that was done, to force him and his stolen library even partway into the world, as it is now, and that old owl is always on a sharp lookout for something he can grab hold of as a reason to move it back to a place where stealing the knowledge that he has taken... would be greatly more dangerous than simply discovering or inventing it once more." "... You don't care that the Fire Nation isn't going to stop until they've conquered everything?" Katara snaps. "As the King of Omashu? Of course I care. This is a very important matter to me." Bumi says. "As a member of the White Lotus? ... I don't believe that Sozin was ever approached for membership. But considering his stated aims and goals... he would have fit in very well. Most likely made Grand Lotus in a year." "So you'll sit back and do nothing?" "You are forgetting yourself, I think, Katara." You say, dryly. "You might forget, but you are still very much a prisoner yourself. And matters can easily become both less lenient and comfortable for you. Even so, this topic is interesting enough. What was your purpose in bringing it up?" "Really? I wanted to see how much Iroh had told you about it. Seems like it's not much. I might have said too much already." "Hasn't been a lie I could hear, anyway." Toph rumbles, somehow. She shouldn't have the sort of chest and belly required to rumble. She's managed it anyway. "So what's this about not usually getting involved in things?" "Pah. There's always some faction or group making noise through the ranks, we should go and do this, we should step up and take care of that, we should fight the Fire Nation, we should prepare the next town on a path of war so the Fire Nation takes it more smoothly, we should go help the Avatar with whatever he's decided, we should try to enlist the Avatar, we should try to use the Avatar, we should keep a sharp look out on the Avatar, in case he starts causing trouble, the avatar is a pacifist so we should kill him and the next one will be born Water Tribe and more easily molded to fight in a war, if we can hold out long enough.... Always so many annoying proposals, everyone with their own idea of how we should mobilize and go to action somehow, and never with anything near the support it would actually take to get anything done about it. Like an annoying bunion between your toes, really, and I should know to make that comparison." Bumi cackles softly. --- [ ] ??? |
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| Chibi-Reaper | Feb 9 2013, 12:48 AM Post #100 |
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Likely to what by a wha?
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[x] moving along. Well. This is all very interesting... "I'll have to discuss this with Uncle, when we return." You say aloud. "In the meantime, there are other matters which will not wait. Gaipan needs our attention, soon. And of course, there are matters closer to home, here." You smile, and spread your hands. He's at least listening, right now, and not interrupting you. "I don't believe you're really as restrained as that box should leave you." You admit. "Keeping you imprisoned is risky. Killing you makes you a martyr for rebels to gather around. Simply letting you walk around the city as you please would be... unwise. Perhaps we can come to some better arrangement, more peaceful, and leading to smoothing things over on both sides. Less unrest from the citizens, less troops required here to keep that discontent leashed, and so on. I do not want to harm the people living in our newest province, King Bumi, even if we are forced to by rebellious actions. Ideally, you would speak out and publicly declare your allegiance to the Fire Nation." "Nope." Bumi interruptes, with a grin revealing cracked teeth and gaps between them. "My people are stubborn as the rocks they bend, when they have a mind. Won't work. Besides, I'm already getting used to the new digs. I get this nervous tic in my bladder, you see, when too many changes happen to once in me old age. Oh, and speaking of going to the facilities, it's been a long time since breakfast, missy. You might want to stand a ways back, because I can feel a little tickle somewhere that says nothing good for your sense of humor. And smell." Ty Lee, already offput by this whole scenario, makes a cringing noise of disgust. Everyone else seems a little green as well. ".... We are in the middle of a discussion. You wouldn't." You try. You are answered, not with words, but with a long and drawn out noise similar to a tsungi horn being blown inside an otherwise empty room. Slight echo, and reverberation. Your nose crinkles with intense disgust. .... Oh Agni, what are the guards feeding this- "Whoop! False alarm." Bumi cackles. "Well, mostly, anyway. You know when the warden plans to come through with a bucket again?" "I'll have him sent directly..." you manage to choke out, struggling for the door. So is pretty much everyone else. Toph doesn't even bother, simply walking over to a wall and then spinning it around, but the rest of you aren't so fortunate, and it's a struggle as everyone drops every pretense of decorum, scratching and clawing and pinching in the effort to get out of this horrible little room and to fresh air first. "... I see your conversation went about how I expected." Mai's father says, flatly. You glower at him. "... Yes, that is more or less the reaction he invokes." he says, dryly. "Well, if you find yourself with the unexplainable need to speak further with the man, it isn't as though he's going anywhere. Let's..." he sniffs, delicately. "... Yes, let's get you to the royal baths, and then see about arranging you all suitable quarters for the night." .... The thing about the palace of Omashu, as it happens, is that it doesn't seem to have very many spare guest rooms. There are a couple that Toph locates, and opens, which had been previously inaccessible save through bending, but most of the rooms so hidden are storage. Filled with the most random and seemingly useless things... It's not like you are deeply offended by the sleeping arrangements, though. Even if the bed is surprisingly small. Even Bumi, it seems, slept in the same sort of bed as everyone else. Unless he just hid everything somewhere that Toph hasn't managed to look yet, perhaps. It doesn't matter. Even if the bed is small, and Zuko's feet are cold, and these sheets were obviously meant for one person and not two.... you can't imagine that Mai and Toph, or Ty Lee and Katara, are particularly thrilled by the two beds shared between them, either. Indeed, most of you hardly look as well rested as you could be in the morning, and Katara looks simply dreadful. Zuko, however he managed it, seems to have slept like a log, and awoken with no issue whatsoever. .... You pause, and sniff a little at the tea you are offered. You think you recognize this, actually... one of the many topics that was covered while you were on campaign. You never thought you would put it to use, in full honesty. But you can see the logic in it being delivered to you, if you pause to think about it. It would be... impractacal, of course, if anything were to ensue before the marriage were finalized. Drinking it would have implications, of course, and those will no doubt be gossiped about freely, but they are hardly harmful ones. More importantly, and everything else aside, it is hot and sweet and the honey poured and stirred into it nearly masks the bitterness and provides a rich aftertaste. Not the best tea you could have, over breakfast, all said, but it would be much harder to get one of your usual blends here. This, by contrast, is far superior to the pepper dirt tea you can even now vividly recall, and that Mai's father seems to be partaking of. Jin catches your attention, a few minutes after the meal, back from his trip. He has in tow a tall boy with arrows strapped to his back and a dour look on his face, and a shorter.... you frown for a minute, considering.... girl, with prominent facial markings. You can't tell, just yet, if they're painted or tattoos. "Ah... Princess? You, and prince Zuko, at least, will want to hear what these two have to say." He says, flicking his eyes around. "Maybe in a private room, if you would prefer?" ... hm, important enough to suggest you might want to keep this information quiet, but at the same time... not so desperately in need of secrecy that he would come and just suggest there was something on board the Butterfly that you might take interest in... It definitely has something to do with the Gaipan area, of course. Well, you'll definitely hear about this, directly. The question is just about who else you want to hear. You can't forget that Katara is here as well. You don't think she would attempt anything... unwise. Even so... --- [ ] ??? |
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6:46 PM Jul 10