"Can you hear me?"

I wearily opened my eyes to green eyes illuminated by green fire. I thought I should have felt scared, but something about his serene expression made me feel secure.

"Yes… where am I?" I asked, trying to find some indicator in my surroundings, but with just books and Earth Kingdom flags, I could've been anywhere.

"You're in Ba Sing Se, the capital of the Earth Kingdom," the man explained, watching me carefully. "Tell me, do you remember how you got here?"

I thought that was a rather silly question, but as I tried to respond, I realized that I had no answer. "No, I…" I strained my head to find the end of my sentence, but I only gave myself a headache.

"It's alright," he said calmly. "It seems you just got in an accident on the way to our beloved capital. I was simply wondering how much of it you remembered. You must've hit your head very hard."

"I must've…" my voice drifted off as I rubbed at my aching head.

"Our nurses did their best to heal your injury, but unfortunately, they could do nothing for the amnesia," he went on with a sympathetic air.

When my expression refused to improve, he tried again. "I'm sure things will come back to you over time," he reassured me. "In the meantime, you'll need to secure yourself some money and a place to stay. But don't worry—I've already found a potential job for you."

"Really?" I said, almost afraid to believe my luck. "That's… thank you, so much. But… are you sure I'm ready for this? I mean, I was just in an accident, I've had no training—"

"Listen to me," he said in a voice that demanded respect. "You'll be doing your kingdom a great service. You wouldn't be granted this honor if we didn't have faith in you. You'll, of course, be given free training before we put you to work. Everything will work out just fine."

I smiled, but I guess he could sense my persisting hesitation, for he added: "It's my job to protect the citizens of Ba Sing Se, and that now includes you. You can trust me."

And, staring into those piercing green eyes, I couldn't bring myself not to. As I was taken away for training, the words Ba Sing Se and safe were already becoming synonyms in my mind.

"Can you hear me?" I asked yet again, though I carefully kept that note of annoyance out of my voice.

Finally, the new recruit's eyes fluttered open. "Yes… where am I?" she said, her eyes already searching my proud room for clues.

"You're in Ba Sing Se, the capital of the Earth Kingdom," I told her. "Tell me, do you remember how you got here?"

I kept my eyes locked on hers, but could find no signs of knowledge; good… the Dai Li's methods are certainly improving. "No, I…" was all she said, almost cueing me.

"It's alright," I stepped in. "It seems you just got in an accident on the way to our beloved capital. I was simply wondering how much of it you remembered. You must've hit your head very hard."

"I must've…" she tentatively agreed. That excuse never got old.

"Our nurses did their best to heal your injury, but unfortunately, they could do nothing for the amnesia," I explained, and I almost wanted to laugh at how easily the story rolled off my tongue.

But the lady didn't look very satisfied. She must've had a fulfilling life before her cleansing… no matter, I'll just have to convince her of her new life sooner than expected. "I'm sure things will come back to you over time. In the meantime, you'll need to secure yourself some money and a place to stay. But don't worry—I've already found a potential job for you."

"Really?" she said, her eyes brimming with laughably childish hope. "That's… thank you, so much. But… are you sure I'm ready for this? I mean, I was just in an accident, I've had no training—"

Then it was time for the part I knew best—the part that made me smile inwardly. "Listen to me," I implored. "You'll be doing your kingdom a great service. You wouldn't be granted this honor if we didn't have faith in you. You'll, of course, be given free training before we put you to work. Everything will work out just fine."

And, just as a finishing touch, I added: "It's my job to protect the citizens of Ba Sing Se, and that now includes you. You can trust me."

Then I knew she was ours. The brainwashing process was still a bit bumpy—my Dai Li hadn't yet mastered replacing the old memories with new ones—but it was getting there. It was keeping my city safely deluded, and that was enough.