We don't live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other. And I tell you that the time will soon come when if men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish. Good night.
(J. B. Priestley, An Inspector Calls)
The next morning, on my own, I made my way back to the hospitable mayor. Over the course of the night, Suki and I had not only… "talked," but also taken the time to thoroughly discuss the situation and the ways out of it.
To be honest, there were exactly three such ways out. Of those, two were viable, and only one suited me—and, I suspected, Kori's parents as well.
So. First, we could leave the girl in Yu Dao and appoint her as some sort of "Herald's representative attached to the colonial administration." The trouble was, even the stupidest man from the deepest backwater would see at once that the whole thing was a farce and a sinecure. In the worst-case scenario, I would be "scolded" for that kind of initiative, while Morishita might very well lose his post for "cozying up" to an "inspector," though that was unlikely.
The real problem was that restless girl. If she'd managed to come up with a public oath stunt, then she might very well have enough brains to "run off to the front," and the boys there were simple folk: see an earthbender, blast them with a jet of fire, and figure things out afterward.
Besides, using that little patriot as cannon fodder, given her origins and skills, would be like hammering nails with a microscope.
The second option was to take her with me and actually include her in my entourage. From a propaganda standpoint, she'd be even more effective than a whole group of Kyoshi Warriors. But dragging a bright-eyed idealist into places where, to put it mildly, things were far from peaceful—and where the policies of certain governors in occupied territories, in certain respects, could rival the "kindness" of SS punitive units…
Hm. All right, that might be a bit of an exaggeration. Still, putting the patriotism of this young, romantic-minded girl to the test was not something I should do. Neither of us would gain anything from it, and she could easily drag us into trouble.
In places where I and my people would simply pass by with little more than a shrug, and the Kyoshi Warriors would, at most, frown—after all, they had seen their fair share too, including the amusements of their pirate compatriots, and understood perfectly well that neither side was entirely blameless—this young lady's righteous heart might suddenly flare up. Then off she would go, doing good and dispensing justice wherever necessary—and wherever it wasn't.
Not the best outcome.
Which left the third option. The very one that had occurred to me right at the beginning of this whole little "surprise": appoint her as my "agent" and send her off somewhere "to the ass-end of the world to herd penguins."
Yes, de facto, it was exile. But under the present circumstances, it was the most advantageous outcome for everyone.
I would gain a debtor in the form of the city's mayor, who would not only save face, but also earn a few extra points in the unofficial "table of ranks." A daughter in the Fire Herald's entourage, actually carrying out assignments on his orders, was nothing to sneeze at. What kind of business and where exactly? That was classified information. Ask the Herald directly, if you are curious… or Fire Lord Ozai. He probably knows too. Not interested? Then stop asking stupid questions.
Kyoshi Island was perfect for the role of "the ass-end of the world," and there would also be people there to keep an eye on the girl. She would not be slipping away from there so easily. The warrior maidens would be able to train her up, too, and perhaps even knock a little sense into her. True, for that I would have to send someone from my entourage with her.
Suki was currently sounding out those who might want to return home. Personally, as she had already said during our visit to the mayor, she wanted to send back the girls who had found their "other halves" among my sailors—together with the sailors, naturally. So, aside from speaking with the warriors, she would later have to ask their suitors a couple of questions as well… And I would probably need to determine just how "serious" their intentions really were.
Whichever way you looked at it, the arrangement was advantageous on all sides, especially if I managed to convince the esteemed mayor that, for the sake of his dear little daughter, I was forced to sacrifice part of my own forces. Perhaps I could even squeeze a couple of competent earthbenders out of him "in compensation." After all, the colony had been here for a hundred years now. Kori was unlikely to be a unique phenomenon. Her status was probably the important part here: look how peacefully we live with the people of the Earth Kingdom! The wife of the colony's governor is an earthbender, his daughter is an earthbender too, they have equal rights, the same as any other citizen of the Fire Nation, and in general, we are so benevolent our halos are starting to chafe.
Something along those lines, anyway.
The mayor greeted me like family — a laid table, tea, no one else present.
"Good morning, esteemed Morishita." I bowed.
"Lord Chan." He returned the bow. The mayor personally poured the tea, then looked at me expectantly.
"I must admit, your daughter has given me quite the puzzle. But…" I allowed myself a slight pause. "I believe you will find the solution to your liking."
And with that, I began outlining my proposal.
(End of Chapter)
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