A short while later.
"Yes, Lord Chan, I now understand why Fire Lord Ozai chose you as his Herald, despite your youth."
"Youth is a flaw that corrects itself with time. So—what do you think of my proposal?"
"Much as I would wish to keep my daughter by my side, preserving both her honor and my own would be impossible," he said. In my view, it wasn't quite that dire, but that only worked in my favor. "Your proposal is an excellent way out of this situation. I shall remain forever in your debt."
"Oh, come now, esteemed Morishita—helping the people of the Fire Nation is my duty as a Herald." Another stock phrase, but such things couldn't be avoided—certain standards of etiquette had to be maintained. After all, we weren't old friends who could afford informality, and besides, the fact that he was older while I outranked him added its own peculiar nuance. "Though I won't deny that my actions were not entirely selfless," I added.
He tensed at that, though he kept his composure.
"I've developed quite a thirst to learn where you procure such exquisite tea—and whether I might gain access to the same supplier." I let a smile tug at my lips. A small joke, a signal, and an invitation to move toward a more relaxed tone.
"Nothing could be simpler, Lord Chan—it's a variety from our family plantation," the mayor said with a laugh. The offer had been accepted.
"Well then, I was simply obliged to help you! For tea like that, one could move mountains!" Letting that bit of levity ease the formal atmosphere, I gradually steered the conversation toward the situation across the continent, sounding out my "new friend."
I had no reliable data beyond geography. Reports—whether requested by post or dug out of some archive (assuming it wasn't in the Capital)—could hardly be considered trustworthy, given that they were written by the very people I was meant to inspect.
And besides, information from a man who had spent decades navigating colonial politics—and, judging by his city, doing so rather successfully—would hardly be a bad idea.
The inspection of the colonies itself was, for me, a deeply secondary objective. What truly interested me was the chance to "perfectly legally" dig my way into the library of that owl spirit.
Still, I had to at least appear properly invested.
Choosing his words with care, Morishita advised me to first visit the northern colonies—specifically the Northern Air Temple. It would also be wise, he added, if the esteemed Herald were to bring along a larger detachment… purely as a precaution.
There were also some rather "interesting" developments in the vicinity of Omashu. From his evasions and rather dry remarks, the picture remained blurred, but it seemed that some local "staff rat"—or perhaps someone higher up—had decided that "war excuses everything," and was squeezing the population of the occupied territories for all it was worth, pushing them dangerously close to the line of "we have nothing to lose but our chains."
Elsewhere, things were somewhat better. The northwestern and central regions had been under Fire Nation control for a long time. "Peace and love" were far from universal, of course, but tolerable relations had long since become the norm. Outright abuses, like those in the Northern Air Temple, were the exception rather than the rule.
The south and far east, however, were another matter entirely. First, the front line ran through those regions. Second, as the mayor informed me, the south was home to the Foggy Swamp, inhabited by local tribes that made life difficult for both the Earth Kingdom forces and us.
Savages were… savages. But they wielded waterbending, and in those mist-shrouded forests they could hide like no one else. What to do about such a thorn in the side, no one really knew.
The Earth Kingdom armies had no time for it, and neither did we. Venturing into those forests was an exquisitely refined form of suicide: heavy equipment bogged down hopelessly in the swamps, while cavalry and infantry alike became easy targets for hidden saboteurs.
So that was how things stood.
Having gathered the necessary information—and received, as a gift from the hospitable mayor, several packages of assorted tea, including the legendary White Dragon flower tea—I set off for the barracks. I needed to find out what terms Suki had agreed to, and then make a trip out to the outskirts to collect the lizards…
The warrior maiden brought welcome news: the girls who had found themselves partners had finally realized they'd had their fill of fighting, and if they were "sent back home with a diplomatic mission," they wouldn't object—quite the opposite, in fact. That left me with the task of "sounding out" the men…
"All right, gentlemen," I began, "I've gathered you here to ask a few rather unpleasant questions."
The sailors tensed. Judging by their faces, these "gentlemen" were frantically recalling every mistake they'd ever made—real or imagined—while trying to figure out exactly what their "beloved captain" was about to chew them out for, and how to get through it with minimal losses.
"How serious are things between you and the warrior girls?"
The question stunned them into silence.
"Let me clarify. Circumstances have developed in such a way that I need to send some of them back to Kyoshi as part of an escort mission. Our upcoming operation on land will be far riskier than anything we faced at sea. I have no doubts about your valor, your courage, or your loyalty—you've proven all of that more than once against superior enemy forces. But I have no desire to create widows if something goes wrong."
I let that sink in for a moment before continuing.
"That's why I'm offering you the chance to join the escort group heading to Kyoshi alongside the warriors and a representative of the Fire Nation. Let me be clear: this is not a discharge. You will retain your rank and your pay. Any questions?"
(End of Chapter)
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