"Oh, Chan! What a pleasant surprise!" The retired general seemed genuinely pleased to see me... or perhaps he was merely putting on a convincing show. At this point, I wasn't sure of anything anymore.
"General Iroh." I gave the tea tin a little shake. "I thought you might enjoy telling me about your adventures since we last parted over a cup of tea."
"Of course! Why are you still standing in the doorway?" he exclaimed, practically dragging me into the little stone house.
The elderly firebender immediately set about brewing the divine beverage while I took the opportunity to look around the room. Toph might have built everyone identical little houses, but the small personal touches inside could tell you a great deal about the person living there.
A couple of seashells from the coast. A handful of other little souvenirs. A pai sho board burned into the surface of one of Toph's standard-issue tables...
The next few minutes passed in blissful anticipation of the tea. At last, the water reached the proper temperature, the leaves went into the teapot, and a thoroughly contented Iroh settled down across from me with the tea set.
"Ah... this is wonderful." The old man inhaled the fragrant steam with obvious delight. "To be honest, my supply from Yu Dao had already run out. Unfortunately, you can only carry so much luggage with you."
"That's certainly true. If I didn't have a couple of extra cargo lizards—and if we still had to carry tents—I doubt I'd be offering you a cup of tea right now."
"Indeed." The general nodded. "Your companion is an extraordinarily powerful earthbender. How did you manage to persuade her to join your side?"
"We just... clicked, I suppose you could say." I shrugged. "And the fact that not everywhere portrays the Fire Nation as bloodthirsty monsters who drink babies' blood probably helped too. Just look at Yu Dao. It's a perfect example of what two cultures can achieve when they work together. I hope that, in time, the North Pole will have something similar."
"Yes." The old firebender closed his eyes for a moment. "Yu Dao truly is a remarkable city, and an exceptionally welcoming one. When we arrived with our battered squadron, they provided us with lodging and supplies in record time. They also transferred the prisoners very quickly, just as you had ordered. And how did things go for you?"
"I'm glad to hear that." I took a sip of tea, using the moment to organize my thoughts. "The capital welcomed me as a hero. They even bestowed the same title upon me, so I'm now the Dragon of the North."
"Oh? Congratulations," the Dragon of the West said with a good-natured chuckle.
"Thank you. But that wasn't all. Your brother had additional orders. He decided that Princess Azula could gain valuable experience—and see some unconventional approaches—by accompanying me. So after a brief rest, we ended up here, and we've spent the past week hunting Earth Kingdom supply caravans."
"So you're the reason the Earth Kingdom soldiers have been so jumpy lately!" the general chuckled. "You've certainly kept them on their toes. Us as well."
"What can I say?" I spread my hands. "What about you? How did you manage to track down the Avatar?"
"It wasn't difficult." Iroh waved the question away. "News of the victory over the Northern Water Tribe has already spread throughout the Earth Kingdom. Their soldiers are demoralized, and their fighting spirit is at rock bottom. So one of their generals started spreading rumors that the Avatar was with them, learning earthbending."
Now that was bad.
I distinctly remembered suggesting exactly that possibility to Azula myself, but at the time it had been little more than a convenient excuse to disguise conclusions based on my rough understanding of Aang's personality and those of his companions.
Who could've guessed I'd actually be right?
Even if I'd arrived at the conclusion through simple common sense... since when had common sense ever worked where spirits were involved?
"And just how accurate are those rumors?"
"Unfortunately, completely accurate," the general sighed. "About three weeks ago, we ran into him ourselves. It was a complete accident—none of us expected to encounter those kids practically on Yuyan Fortress's doorstep. We weren't prepared, and as a result, we lost seven men."
The news was becoming increasingly alarming.
Had the young monk realized that his mentor, Gyatso, hadn't simply died but had taken nearly a hundred soldiers and benders with him—and decided to follow in his teacher's footsteps?
Given the Avatar's potential, that was a very serious problem.
"So he's started using lethal force?"
"Fortunately, no. But when a stone projectile the size of a platypus bear's head hits a warrior wearing nothing but light leather armor square in the chest..."
"I understand."
If the victim was extraordinarily lucky, it'd shatter the sternum, knock the wind out of them, and put them in the infirmary for three months or so. Usually, though, a broken rib punctured a lung, and the person drowned in their own blood.
A thoroughly unpleasant way to die.
We sat in silence for a while, each lost in our own thoughts.
"Perhaps..." the general finally said, changing the subject, "a game of pai sho?"
"With pleasure," I replied.
Honestly, distracting myself sounded like the best possible idea right now. I'd think about what to do next later, once I was alone, replaying my conversation with Iroh over and over in my mind.
What exactly had he told me?
How had he said it?
What had he not said?
And what had he learned from me in return?
But...
That could wait.
For now, I took out a tile bearing the image of a dragon and placed it on the board.
"An unusual opening," the general remarked, raising an eyebrow before making his own move.
"I know a few unusual strategies..."
We looked at each other and burst into laughter.
Once upon a time—it felt like an entire lifetime ago now—almost this exact exchange had led to a retired general giving me a masterclass in firebending.
I wondered where this one would lead.
(End of Chapter)
P@treon: /SadRaven
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