That same evening.
"So what in the name of the dark spirits was that?" I greeted Suki, who had finally recovered enough to face the world again. "Father, I can almost understand. He barely knows me. But you?"
"We... just..." the culprit behind this entire disaster muttered, avoiding my eyes.
"You just what? Not only did you open the letter despite explicit instructions not to, you also worked yourselves into a full-blown panic. Over absolutely nothing, I might add. You got drunk, practically held a funeral, scared half the servants out of their wits, and I won't be remotely surprised if it turns out tomorrow that half the island already knows about my tragic demise. For all I know, some overzealous soul has already informed the Fire Lord of the heartbreaking news.
"And how exactly am I supposed to explain this to him?! 'My apologies, Lord Ozai! There seems to have been a misunderstanding. I stepped out to go fishing, my subordinates found my will, got drunk, and jumped to the wrong conclusions.' Is that what I'm supposed to tell him?
"And by the way, how would you suggest I do it? By letter? Or during a personal audience? So I can fully appreciate the entire spectrum of emotions crossing his face while I explain this nonsense?"
"B-but..." Ju tried to interject.
"Yes, nonsense!" I snapped, not bothering to hide the sarcasm in my voice. "Because what else could it possibly be? First, these same people sail across two-thirds of the Earth Kingdom's waters from end to end, cutting down hardened pirates, rogue benders, and every other variety of scum by the dozen before sending them to the bottom of the sea. Then those very same people conduct a thorough cleanup of mainland garrisons, hunt down terrorist gangs that local authorities have failed to deal with for years, and gather a mountain of strategically important intelligence on the actual state of affairs at the front.
"Then they travel all the way to the ends of the world and drag back a genius engineer from the middle of nowhere—a man whose value to the nation exceeds that of a life-sized statue of himself cast entirely in gold."
I spread my hands.
"So tell me, after all that, how is anyone who knows the facts supposed to react to a story about these same people coming here and turning the place into a circus of panic and hysteria? Personally, if someone told me a story like that, I'd send them off to be treated for delirium tremens. And that would be the charitable response."
I fell silent, letting my gaze travel across the girls' faces.
The girls, meanwhile, shifted uncomfortably, avoided eye contact, and generally looked as though they had no idea where to put themselves. The cherry on top was their thoroughly battered condition, courtesy of a truly vicious hangover.
"Chan... we're sorry..." Suki looked away again. "We let you down... It won't happen again..." The others immediately nodded in agreement.
What I didn't like was the tone of her voice.
I didn't know what kind of cockroaches had managed to take up residence in her head over the course of that week, but I wasn't expecting anything good from that particular infestation.
"Ah… Look, I understand that you... that all of you were worried. But anything can happen. That's no reason to give up and drink yourselves senseless. In the end, I'm not the meaning of your lives. You have families, friends, your home island, and yourselves, for Spirits' sake!"
I shook my head.
"And what if this had happened during a military campaign? Just imagine that I really had gotten unlucky, and you reacted exactly the same way. Then the enemy shows up. Sneaks in and catches you completely helpless, barely able to move. Do you think watching that from the afterlife would've made me feel any better?"
A few sniffles could already be heard.
"Hnnn..."
"Hey! Hey! No crying!" I snapped, genuinely alarmed. "Don't you dare!"
The sniffles only intensified.
"Atten-tion!"
The commander's bark had the desired effect. The women straightened up instinctively, backs snapping rigid as ramrods.
"There. That's better!" I nodded approvingly. "Honestly, what were you thinking? As if I needed you lot trying to hit me where it hurts too!"
An awkward silence settled over the room.
"B-but, Commander..." Ju began, sniffling as she tried to object.
"No 'buts'!" I interrupted, raising my voice slightly again. "And another thing..." This was a subject I really hadn't wanted to touch, but it needed to be addressed. "About all the nonsense my father told you..."
The sniffles stopped instantly. Every Kyoshi Warrior in the room became all ears.
"Forget all that rubbish about concubines and 'not taking you with me.' I didn't just leave you behind! I had an entire crew back on shore, including a dozen firebenders, and they didn't know a thing either. That doesn't mean I don't consider them warriors, does it?"
"But the will..." Suki spoke up timidly. "You didn't leave them anything."
"No, I didn't." I nodded. "First, because they already have their own salaries and bonuses. And second, they're active-duty soldiers of the Fire Nation. If I die, they don't lose their careers or positions. You're different."
Several girls visibly flinched.
"Not because you're women," I continued before anyone could interrupt, "but because you're technically mercenaries. The one paying you isn't the Fire Nation. It's your employer—a certain Fire Herald with whom you're all quite familiar."
The reaction was mixed. Some faces brightened noticeably, while others seemed to wilt even further. Suki, in particular, turned pale from whatever thoughts were racing through her mind. I liked this situation less and less. I'd already laid out all my main arguments, yet the results were minimal at best. Spirits above, what was a man supposed to do against female logic?
(End of Chapter)
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