PRELUDE: NO SECRETS REVEALED
Pu On Tim felt the meeting-place a bit too unsettling. The Kosako Island Hanging Gardens had seen better days, it was undeniable even with the renewal project underway, and its backyard clearly suffered the worst of the worst. The large garden was grossly over-grown; the small walkway between the massive green walls of vegetation was almost impassable from the roots and branches that had intruded over it. The eerie tranquility that filled the place was even worse, though, and more than once during his journey from the entrance, Pu On Tim had seriously considered simply turning tail and running away. His fat body was sweating without end under his thick green clothes, and his long black beard was already full of leaves.
Unfortunately, he had an appointment with a very powerful person, and he knew too well what happened to those who failed her.
He finally reached the end of the walkway, a small glade with a fountain in its center. Here, the vegetation was lighter, revealing large, grey bricks beneath, the remains of the ancient palace that once included this garden. Pu On Tim quickly walked to the fountain and cleared a small seat for himself on the edges. He brought out a mug from his purse and filled it with water from the fountain.
The vegetation opened up in the opposite side, and two women entered the clearing. The one who came at the front was clearly from the Fire Nation; her coal-black hair and golden eyes betrayed her, even though she wore a simple green and white robe. The other behind her was maybe from the Water Tribes, with her dark skin, brown hair, and blue eyes – it was hard to decide as she had orange clothes, and Pu On Tim had heard about rumors about a bunch of Fire Nation sailors who mixed with the Southern Water Tribe. The odd combination of colors was confusing enough that at first, he couldn't even recognize the two women.
"I suppose you are Pu On Tim," began the woman in the front, and her voice immediately revealed her identity.
"My lady…" He tried to get on his feet to bow, but by the time he could pull himself together, the woman sat down next to him. "All apologies for my rudeness! Navigating through this garden is quite fatiguing, don't you think?"
"We had an easy walk," noted the other woman mockingly, while she prepared two teacups. She filled them with water, put some tea into them, and then handed both to the Fire Nation lady. Only a few seconds later, steam began to rise from the cups, signaling the completion of hot tea, freshly warmed by the lady's firebending.
"I don't want to waste more time here than I must." The lady sipped her tea, handing the other cup to her companion. Pu On Tim used the opportunity to calm his embarrassment with his mug of fresh, cold water. "I heard about your play, and while I'm amongst the few people who like the Ember Island Theater, the inclusion of certain events still distressed me greatly."
"My sources are…" started Pu On Tim desperately, but he was cut short by the stern gaze of a pair of golden eyes. The silent command drained the words out of his mind, and he could only stammer a few incomprehensible excuses before finally shutting his mouth.
"You are going to cut the scenes concerning those events from the play." This wasn't a request, but an order. Pu On Tim suddenly started to feel himself in trouble. "If you still want to make some poor soul's life miserable, then here, you can have these."
With that, the other woman gave him a bunch of papers, maybe pages from a book. He glanced through them, and saw that they were parts of some sort of journal. The story on them sure looked promising.
"I will rewrite the script as soon as I return to Ember Island," he muttered, without looking up from the pages. The more he read, the more excited he became. This story was a gold mine for his narrative.
"Excellent!" The lady stood up and dusted off her robe. "We are leaving now, then." The other woman quickly put away the empty teacups and walked to the opening from where they had come from, only waiting for her lady. "Oh, and don't worry about discretion! She deserves to face the truth, at least once in her life!"
The last sentence was barely audible as the two women disappeared into the thick vegetation, leaving Pu On Tim alone in the clearing.
He was just reading and pondering in the silence for a few minutes before putting the pages away. He already had an idea about how to modify the script to include this magnificent story.
As he prepared to leave this place, he realized that he also knew an actress who would be perfect for the new role.