The moment I stepped into the covered market and the partisan "negotiators" had departed, our reserve force emerged to meet me, Azula at its head.
"So... he never came," she said, looking at me with an odd expression.
"No." I let out a tired sigh and motioned for one of the soldiers to quickly bring me something to drink. "And I have no idea why. He couldn't have decided to abandon his friend, could he? And that Waterbender would've never left her brother behind." As soon as the much-awaited pitcher of water reached me, I lifted it straight to my lips.
Bliss...
"And we're just going to let them walk away?" Ty Lee asked, her innocent expression shifting between Azula and me.
"As paradoxical as it sounds," I said, setting the pitcher on a nearby table, "this benefits us even more than it benefits them. We're clearing the city of most—if not all—of the disloyal population, shipping a few hundred extra mouths to feed and a number of officers accustomed to taking orders from anyone but Ba Sing Se's generals over to the enemy, all while making them believe they're the ones who forced us to agree to it."
I shrugged.
"With a single decision, we eliminate a major rear-area security problem while creating logistical and command headaches for the enemy. That's not a bad trade for a few wagonloads of provisions."
"Honestly, I'm impressed." Azula smiled good-naturedly. Thanks to Toph, who had made sure the reserve could hear every word, she'd heard the entire negotiation. "You handled the stalling masterfully. And that final touch..."
She paced gracefully across the room, her predatory gaze sweeping over the market's entrances.
"By the way, are you aware that your pupils are slightly slit right now, and your eyes are glowing yellow?" she remarked as if in passing, accompanying the question with an almost casual, "accidental" glance at my face.
"Damn it! Again?!" I hurriedly calmed the flow of energy. "They really did get under my skin."
"You kept your composure remarkably well," the princess hurried to reassure me. "From the outside, it was only slightly obvious that you wanted to grind their skulls into dust and burn out their insides."
Spirits… she could've used a couple fewer gallons of venom.
"Thanks. That's comforting," I muttered.
"But what do we do about the Avatar?" Mai joined the conversation, her face as unreadable as ever. "Five hours have passed, and he never showed up."
"Come up with a new plan." I sighed again. So far, I didn't have a single idea. "We should tell everyone to stand down. There's no point keeping watch here any longer."
"I've already sent messengers with those orders," Azula replied. "I've also instructed them to prepare everything our 'friends' requested."
"Excellent."
"Thank you, Azula," Mai said with a brief nod.
"Did I miss something?" Zuko asked as he arrived with Suki and Toph.
"Chan managed to negotiate Tom-Tom's return," Ty Lee explained.
"And, in the process, reduced the other negotiator to a stuttering wreck," the princess added with a knowing smile.
"You're losing your touch, Chan! I was hoping he'd wet himself!" Toph complained, her voice full of indignation. "Where was the intimidation? The fire tornadoes? Waving your sword around right in front of his throat? How could you just... talk to him?" Something was off... She was far too upset.
"I told you Chan wouldn't behave like that during negotiations," Suki remarked, giving me a look full of weary resignation.
Yeah, yeah! You win!" the little blind girl grumbled, waving her off
Ah. That explained it. They'd made a bet on how I'd behave, and the tiny terrorist had lost.
Seriously... Was I the only one who'd actually suffered through all this?
"I see..." Zuko said cautiously after looking from one to the other. "Fine. But what about Aang?"
"The Avatar didn't honor us with his presence," Mai informed her boyfriend.
"That's strange..." The prince frowned thoughtfully. "It doesn't seem like him at all..."
"Let's think about that later. Right now, I'd suggest we head to the gates and finish this whole ridiculous affair. Sigh... I'd really like something to eat first, though. Give it a little longer, and I'll be ready to kill for some lunch and a cup of tea."
My stomach let out an approving croak, enthusiastically seconding the suggestion.
***
Half an Hour Later
The sun had long since passed its zenith. Sunset was still an hour away—perhaps an hour and a half.
The square was packed with people. Besides the agreed-upon thousand "relocated citizens," plenty of onlookers had come simply out of curiosity. At a rough estimate, the crowd numbered seven or eight thousand.
Yeah… let's just hope nothing gets out of hand. Otherwise, people could easily end up trampled to death.
Shomei was already waiting by the city gates. Beside him stood the "child's carrier" with the child himself in his arms, and next to them was the quartermaster.
We arrived with all the pomp and ceremony.
The Fire Herald. Azula at his side, with Mai and Zuko nearby. Suki on the other side. Meanwhile, I, along with the Kyoshi Warriors and a detachment of regular soldiers, formed the "security cordon" responsible for clearing a path through the crowd for the high command.
Though, to be fair, the crowd scattered on its own the moment it caught sight of the Herald's hulking figure.
The actual "exchange" proceeded smoothly and without incident.
Each person received the agreed-upon ration before being kicked out of the city, while officials carefully counted everyone passing through the gates.
As soon as the last of the agreed-upon revolutionaries had left Omashu, Shomei and his companion honestly handed Tom-Tom over to us. Then they hoisted their sacks onto their shoulders and hurried off to rejoin the others.
No one tried to strike them in the back or interfere with their departure. For one thing, honoring the agreement would earn the Fire Nation a measure of goodwill. For another, dumping nearly a thousand extra mouths on the enemy really was preferable to simply wiping out a dangerous element. Now, if it had been a thousand fully equipped soldiers, that would've been a different story. But as things stood… let them go.
Taking her little brother into her arms, Mai gave away nothing of what she was feeling beyond perhaps a careful, lingering embrace. The spectators gradually dispersed, chatting among themselves about what they'd witnessed. I was already breathing a sigh of relief...
...but it didn't last long.
A sweat-soaked messenger came sprinting from the palace and reported that the Avatar had broken into the prison, freed the prisoners, and vanished without a trace.
...Motherf—
(End of Chapter)
P@treon: /SadRaven
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