The tea gathering wasn't exactly conducted in the warmest of atmospheres either. Heh. I'd be willing to bet that, while sipping our fragrant brew, both of us were quietly considering how some unfortunate "accident" might befall the man sitting across from us. The only thing preventing either of us from acting was the realization that removing such a prominent figure from the board without consequences of our own was simply impossible.
Although…
I could try tracking down those pirates and learn exactly what had happened.
Then again, if Zhao really was involved, they were probably feeding the fish by now. If I were in his position, I certainly wouldn't leave witnesses alive after something so compromising—least of all the people who carried it out.
But even if they were somehow still alive and I found them, then what?
The word of some filthy pirate against that of a fleet admiral? The future "Conqueror of the North," assuming the current campaign succeeded, and one of the Fire Lord's favorites?
That wasn't even funny. I'd only end up making a fool of myself.
Provoke him into attacking an agent of oversight—that is, me—and then legally slit his throat? Zhao had been climbing over corpses long before I'd entered the game. He was far more experienced at it than I was, and even if I waited for him to strike first, there was no guarantee I'd survive the attempt. Fell on his sword forty-two times. Tragic, really. The North is terribly slippery this time of year.
So if I was going to strike, it would have to be first and it would have to be decisive.
Still, it wouldn't hurt to keep an eye out for some serious misconduct on the admiral's part—something that would justify putting him down on the spot. You never knew. I might get lucky.
The other options weren't suitable. To challenge someone to an Agni Kai, you needed a substantial reason, and so far he hadn't given me one. I could do it without cause, of course, but earning the Fire Lord's displeasure was the last thing I needed right now.
Yeah...
If someone had told me three years ago that I'd be sitting here, calmly sipping tea while working out ways to kill the man across from me as he calmly sipped tea in return, I'd have laughed in their face. Especially if the reasons amounted to little more than a certain personal dislike and the simple fact that I had no need for another rival competing for proximity to the throne.
Even so, despite the tension in the room, Iroh's influence as a peacemaker ultimately did its job, and we were able to move on to discussing the operational plan. More specifically, the arrangement whereby I would accompany the admiral with a small retinue while my ships screened the main fleet and provided additional fire support, but took no part in the landing itself.
The funny thing was that Zhao and I reached an agreement on those last two points with remarkable ease. He was pleased that nobody would be getting underfoot or stealing a share of the glory, while I benefited in two ways. First, my people would not be exposed to unnecessary risks. Second, I would retain an operational reserve in case of any unpleasant surprises.
Like a rampaging Avatar.
While he was busy tearing Zhao's fleet apart, the rearguard would at least have a chance to withdraw to a safer distance. Though hopefully it wouldn't come to that.
From canon, I remembered that this entire mess had ultimately begun because of the admiral and a certain white spirit fish, and I had plans of my own regarding that fish.
Aaaand...
I'd be able to kill Zhao almost officially.
Or perhaps I shouldn't wait that long and ought to play it safe instead?
But the plans for the fish…
Hm. Definitely something worth thinking about.
The fleet remained in Yu Dao for another two days, and on the third day, just before departure, I learned that Toph's and my plan (or rather, the solution I had proposed and the girl had enthusiastically endorsed) had been successfully carried out.
Once the initial commotion had died down, young Miss Beifong vanished from the house her father had rented, disappearing into parts unknown and leaving every nanny, chaperone, and attendant assigned to watch her completely baffled. After all, the tension in the harbor caused by the sheer number of sailors had begun to ease over those two days, while Toph's own frustration—having spent forty-eight hours under a regime where they practically wouldn't let her wipe her own arse—had increased dramaticalllllly.
As a result, poor Lao, having once again lost track of his daughter, came running to me for help in finding her. Naturally, I assigned all of the Kyoshi Warriors who had remained behind in the colony to assist him. No point in letting the girls get bored.
According to the calculations Toph and I had made, a week or two of active entertainment in the style of Catch the Genius Earthbender in a City Made of Stone ought to be enough for one side to become thoroughly exhausted and for the other to finally realize that their daughter was a person whose opinions had to be taken into account rather than a fragile porcelain doll.
The month-long separation had already helped, of course. So had the stories about how she'd confidently sent an enemy caravel to the bottom of the sea. But we needed a somewhat stronger effect than that.
(End of Chapter)
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