After saying my goodbyes to the general, I headed toward Suki's little stone house. Hopefully she hadn't gone to bed yet.
And there was still all that meaningful glancing...
Maybe she could explain what it had all meant. Because my own mind was clearly unequal to unraveling the tangled mysteries of feminine logic.
She was still awake. Having changed into a light qipao, she sat quietly sipping tea, her gaze turned inward in quiet contemplation. In moments like these, the fierce warrior took on an almost domestic gentleness that stirred a wave of tenderness within me. She became a little haven of peace and tranquility—a place where I could simply let my guard down, needing nothing more than to be by her side.
Man... It was hard to believe that only a few months ago this very girl had been enthusiastically trying to tie me up on the beach, adorably huffing in indignation when she ended up hopelessly tangled in her own rope instead.
"Am I interrupting?" The warmth that had settled in my chest naturally found its way onto my face, and I had no intention of hiding it.
"Chan." A faint smile touched her lips. "You could never interrupt me. Tea?" She nodded toward the teapot.
"You already know the answer."
"True enough. Silly question." She reached for a second cup. "You can heat the water while you're at it. I don't feel like walking all the way to the campfire."
"Of course." I topped off the kettle with water and wrapped it in a gentle stream of blue fire. Before long, the water inside was merrily bubbling. Now all it needed was a minute to cool slightly before it was ready for brewing.
Suki watched the entire ritual with a hint of quiet sadness.
"Something wrong?"
"No. Yes. I don't know..."
"Hmm?"
"I'm not stupid, Chan. I understand perfectly well. What happened today only confirmed what I'd already realized."
"What? What are you talking about?" I was genuinely confused. Unlike the warrior, I couldn't make heads or tails of what she meant.
"Men..." She sighed, looking at me with endless, almost patronizing fondness. "You're supposed to be intelligent creatures, but when it comes to certain things, you're complete blockheads. I'm talking about you, Azula, and that 'one big happy family,' as she so eloquently put it."
"Uh...?" Please don't tell me she'd interpreted that phrase exactly the way I thought she had... "There's nothing between Azula and me, and you know that perfectly well."
"I know." Suki nervously brushed the stray lock of hair from her face, her gaze wandering around the room for a brief moment. "Just like I know that when a young man from a distinguished family is appointed as the personal advisor to a young lady from another distinguished family... there are only so many ways that can end."
"All right." I was beginning to get irritated. "This again? I've already told you—I don't care what kind of games my beloved father is playing. I love you, and yours is the only opinion that matters to me. I couldn't care less what anyone else thinks."
"I know." She smiled again before wrapping me in a gentle embrace and giving me a tender kiss. "And I love you too. That's exactly why I don't want to ruin your life."
"Don't be ridiculous. You're not ruining anything!" I liked the direction this conversation was taking less and less.
"Not yet. But how long will that last?" she asked, her expression turning serious as she narrowed her eyes, without letting go of me.
"And what? Is this the part where you tell me, 'We have to break up. It's not you, it's me,' and all that other crap?"
The candle flames turned blue.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself.
"What? No!" Suki replied, surprising—and greatly relieving—me. "It's just..." She looked away. "While you were gone..."
"You found yourself a lover?" The candle flames, which had only just returned to normal, immediately turned blue again.
"No! And would you stop interrupting me already?! This isn't exactly easy for me either, you know." She planted her hands on her hips.
"Yeah... sorry."
"While you were away in Yu Dao, the girls and I had the chance to talk to quite a few people. We got a much better understanding of Fire Nation traditions and refreshed our knowledge of Earth Kingdom customs..."
"And?"
"Well..." Suki blushed and began studying the earthen floor with an intensity it clearly didn't deserve. "If... if something really does happen between you and Azula... just make me your concubine."
"W-What?" Good thing I hadn't been taking a sip, or I would've choked.
"Stop 'what'-ing me like a little kid!" the flushed beauty snapped, trying to sound confident, though her darting eyes gave her away completely. "We talked about this six months ago, remember? Back near the Air Temple, I told you I wouldn't mind if someone else came into your life, and we settled the matter then. Besides, that's perfectly normal among our peoples. And let's be honest—it's the only way out of this situation! You're not just someone carrying out the Fire Lord's will anymore; you're a symbol. People won't forgive improper behavior from someone like you. I'm offering you a perfectly reasonable solution!"
"We could always do what Master Piandao did..."
"And disappear into the middle of nowhere?" This time, the skepticism in Suki's voice and expression was entirely genuine. "Come on. We both know you'd wither away there. I really did talk to a lot of people. Why, even your friend Morishita has three concubines. One of them was serving us tea, by the way. And they all get along just fine."
"Suki, I honestly don't understand what's gotten into you or why you're saying all this."
"Because," she answered, looking me straight in the eye, "I don't want to lose you. And I don't want to die."
"What are you—"
"I already told you, I'm not stupid. Given enough free time and access to the right books, it's amazing how much you can learn. I'm in everyone's way. And there are only three ways this can end: we break up, I die, or we do what I just suggested."
(End of Chapter)
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