"Well then," I said, glancing at the unconscious bodies around me, "now let's play a little tying-up game."
Fortunately, the girls had brought everything they needed with them. A quick search showed that each warrior carried a small pouch stocked not only with a bit of food, but also with various lengths of rope (seriously, why so much?), sturdy cloth sacks, and other gear clearly meant for capturing and restraining a target. Honestly, they might as well have brought nets along too—fans of shibari, apparently…
Ahem. Getting off track.
Right—hands behind the back, loop over the neck, the end of the rope in my hand. Half an hour later, I had an impressive "harness" of ten tied-up girls on a leash. I'd prudently confiscated their weapons and packed them into a separate sack, which I slung over my shoulder.
Alright. Time to wake the "sleeping beauties" and begin the first stage of "imparting wisdom." Though… what could I really expect from these girls? Better to go straight for the village elder's brain. If this was his idea—he'd need to understand exactly what kind of precedent he'd set. If it's just the girls acting on their own initiative… hm. Not ideal, but it still opens up a number of interesting possibilities.
Right then—out comes the flask, and let's start waking up this "battle harem." Though, no—not a harem yet. But, as they say, a Freudian slip.
"Rise and shine, beauties, rise and shine," I said, splashing water over the dozing forms from my flask.
The girls began to stir, slowly coming to, though I checked any excessive movement with a sharp tug on the ropes—quite literally.
"Now that you're awake, care to explain what the hell possessed you to attack a man minding his own business?!"
"You're not minding your own business—you're a Fire Nation spy!" one of the girls shot back. She was fairly pretty, about seventeen, though her makeup had smudged, and her face was twisted with anger.
"Alright…" I rubbed the bridge of my nose. "Let's start with the basics. Even if I were that supposed 'spy'...so what?"
"What do you mean, 'so what'?" she frowned.
"Well, first of all, I have a hard time imagining what there is to spy on here—an island far from the main theater of war, with a population of a couple thousand at most. What do you have here—a secret Earth Kingdom naval base? I thought this was neutral territory?"
"You could have been studying our martial arts!" she snapped, indignant.
"Ahem… what's your name, girl?"
"I'm not a girl—I'm a Kyoshi Warrior!" she snapped, then hesitated before answering anyway. "And my name is Suki."
Oh, perfect. Straight to my main target!
"Have you ever killed anyone, warrior?" Judging by the way her face went a shade paler, the answer was no.
"Listen, Suki," I added, easing my tone a fraction—I was pushing too hard. "I took down your entire squad alone, without killing anyone, without even using a weapon—while you attacked from behind and in a group. And I did it in under two minutes. Do you really think I'm interested in your 'martial arts'?"
"Th-then why are you here?" Oh, she's flustered—even through the smeared makeup, it's obvious.
"Actually? I just wanted to get some rest, give my crew a break, and replenish our water and provisions from your island."
"You were going to rob our village?!" So much righteous indignation.
"Spirits… why would I do that?!"
"B-because… you're a Fire Nation soldier!" she said, as if that explained everything.
"So?" I shrugged—the ultimate argument, stripping your opponent of all footing.
"Well… you're a Fire Nation soldier…"
The rest of the captives nodded in unison, and I began to suspect one of two things: either they were all complete idiots—which was entirely possible—or they'd been fed some very warped information.
"So what? If I'm a Fire Nation warrior, does that automatically make me some bloodthirsty, unhinged pyromaniac—drinking the blood of infants and snacking on the thighs of virgins?"
Another round of synchronized nodding—and at the word "virgins," the whole lot of them actually started blushing.
"…You're kidding me, right?"
More nods.
I just dropped onto the nearest rock, suddenly wishing I smoked… or at least had something stronger to take a swig of.
Unbelievable.
"Huh…"
I drew my dagger and walked over to the captive. Suki looked at me with a strange mix of determination, anger, and something almost childlike—hurt, maybe.
"What an… interesting opinion you have," I said, raising the blade.
She squeezed her eyes shut—and I cut the ropes binding her wrists.
"Interesting," I repeated. "Who's been filling your heads with this nonsense?"
"Uh…?" She cracked one eye open, while her companions collectively gasped.
"A soldier doesn't harm a child… well, except maybe a spanking for bad behavior," I smirked. "Sorry, but I'm not untying the rest of you just yet. Who knows what you might get into your heads, and I don't feel like calming you all down again. Pretty girls are meant to be taken on dates—not beaten up…"
Ahem. I might've just shattered their worldview. Completely.
"I'm not a child!" Suki snapped.
"Oh? So you're a girl I can ask out on a date, then?"
"Uh—"
"What?"
"Is he serious?" one of the others whispered.
Yeah. Definitely shattered.
"I am a Kyoshi Warrior," Suki replied automatically.
"Right, and I'm a Fire Nation spy—we've already established that. But seriously—where did you pick up all this nonsense about my people?"
(End of Chapter)
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