Another week, another chapter, another year of Min Lee being disappointed with her lot in life. 8D
THANK YOU STINGRAE FOR BEING AN AWESOME BETA. She's the best. Y'all owe her so much.
Lu Ten returns for this chapter! And we have a special guest appearance!
Not...really...any warnings for this one? *shrugs* It's pretty tame.
Enjoy!
When she is sixteen and freshly graduated from the Academy, she doesn't have to bring the subject up - it comes up itself, during the summer solstice celebration at the royal palace.
Min Lee and Lu Ten are carefully searching the grounds for their little sister and cousin, respectively. At the age of four, Ty Lee is a quick and rebellious little thing, and little Princess Azula isn't much better. The girls have managed to elude their caregivers, and Min Lee and Lu Ten need to find them before their mothers find out, and preferably without causing a ruckus amongst the party attendees.
They're in the gardens, because Lu Ten claims that Azula enjoys feeding the turtleducks. Min Lee eyes the trees speculatively and really, really hopes that none of the branches are low enough for a four-year-old to grab - Ty Lee has proven to be quite the little spider-monkey, even by the standards of a family of serial tree-climbers, and though she hasn't ventured higher than the kitchen counters Min Lee won't assume that doesn't mean she can't.
The children aren't in the garden, but Uncle Shigeru is, standing under a string of red lanterns hanging from the trees. He's not alone.
"Sifu Jeong Jeong!" Lu Ten says, grinning broadly as he clasps his hands in a quick, respectful bow. "Enjoying the celebration?"
Admiral Jeong Jeong has a stern face and hard eyes, but his expression softens slightly at the sight of Lu Ten. "It is quite beautiful," he says, bowing back to Lu Ten as a master to his pupil. Admiral Jeong Jeong had been one of Lu Ten's first firebending teachers, at the behest of his old friend Prince Iroh. He looks at Min Lee, and asks, "Isn't this one of Masao's daughters?"
"My eldest niece," Uncle Shigeru nods, "Min Lee."
Min Lee bows respectfully, not insulted that he doesn't remember her exactly. The admiral is a busy man, after all, and he has more important things to think of than a young girl with six sisters who he's only met a few times before. It isn't often that he comes to Kohimori Island - usually he's off on campaign - but Admiral Jeong Jeong has been a friend to Min Lee's father and uncle since their days in Nanyue.
"Ah," Admiral Jeong Jeong says, nodding at Min Lee. "That's right. You've grown up."
"I just graduated from the Academy," Min Lee tells him.
"She was top of her class and everything," Lu Ten adds, gushing for her because she was too polite to brag.
"Congratulations," Admiral Jeong Jeong says. "Your family must be proud to have such a brilliant daughter." He glances at Uncle Shigeru. "Your uncle tells me you are eager to use your talents for the good of the Fire Nation."
"I am!" Min Lee says. "I've joined Kohimori's Home Guard. It's an honor to serve." And it was, truly - in spite of her initial misgivings, Min Lee likes Home Guard. She likes Captain Alana, the no-nonsense woman who's been in charge of Kohimori's security for as long as Min Lee has been alive. She likes Captain Kekipi, Captain Alana's retired grandmother who regularly drops by headquarters with baked goods, coffee cherry juice, and advice. She likes her fellow guards - bright Hitoshi, stern Yori, funny Kaikala. She likes looking out for the people who live on her island, helping them with anything from basic concerns to actual crimes to her own specialization in Spirit World shenanigans. She'd thought it'd be a bore, that she'd stagnate if she never left home - but she's grown so much already, just from interacting with the people her family is responsible for, and she can tell that the relationships she forges now will be a great asset when she's older and managing the island. Her only complaint in not being assigned to Caldera City now is that Kohimori Island is much too far away from where Kenta and Lu Ten train for the army.
But she still wants to do more. Lu Ten knows it, too.
"Min's a fantastic guard," he says, "but in my opinion she'd be an even greater asset in the military. She's smart, and no one can chi-block like she can."
Uncle Shigeru looks amused. "I can."
Lu Ten latches onto the opening. "Yeah, and my father says you were amazing in Nanyue! Think of what Min could do!"
Judging from the way he suddenly goes still, Uncle Shigeru is. Min Lee looks at the awful colors swirling in his aura and frowns to herself.
"Wanting to serve abroad is an admirable desire," Admiral Jeong Jeong says, looking from Lu Ten to Min Lee in turn. "However, we must remember that it is here at home where our most important mission lies. There are many talents in the world, and each person must understand where theirs will best be used."
Lu Ten shoots Min Lee an apologetic look, and she answers with a minute shrug. She's getting used to these shut-downs. "You have a good point, Sifu Jeong Jeong," Lu Ten agrees reluctantly.
Admiral Jeong Jeong favors him with a fond smile. "Running a country is much like bending fire, my prince," he says. "You must never forget the basics."
Lu Ten nods.
Admiral Jeong Jeong looks at Uncle Shigeru. "Well then," he says. "There are other people I'd like to see tonight. But I'll find you again before the night is out, Shigeru."
"I'll be around," Uncle Shigeru says.
"Good, good. Our Fire Lord is shipping me off to the Earth Kingdom's Western Sea at the end of the week, and I'm not sure when I'll return. There's much I'd like to discuss with you and your brother and your lovely wife before I go."
Uncle Shigeru hums. "Would you prefer to discuss it over coffee and pai sho?"
Admiral Jeong Jeong smiles. "Yes, I'd like that. Why don't you come visit me at my house tomorrow? I'll provide the pai sho if you provide some of your family's excellent coffee."
Uncle Shigeru laughs. "It's a deal."
Admiral Jeong Jeong nods and starts to walk away, but he suddenly stops just before he passes Lu Ten. Admiral and prince hold each other's gazes for a moment, and then Admiral Jeong Jeong smiles and inclines his head. "Remember your basics, my prince," he says. "Firebending comes from the breath. Our nation comes from its people."
"I'll remember, Sifu Jeong Jeong." Lu Ten says, smiling brightly. Something about the exchange feels...off to Min Lee. Lu Ten doesn't seem to sense anything amiss, but Min Lee watches Jeong Jeong's retreating back and wonders. It's just a feeling - not like Hua Lee's premonitions, no, Min Lee doesn't get those. Just a regular feeling, stemming from Min Lee's observation. For some reason, Admiral Jeong Jeong's words sounded very much like a farewell.
Admiral Jeong Jeong heads back into the bustle of the banquet hall and Uncle Shigeru fixes his gaze on Min Lee and Lu Ten. "So," he says. "What are you two doing in the gardens together away from the main party, anyway?"
Oh - oh, right, they were supposed to be looking for small children. Min Lee winces. Lu Ten groans. "So this is a long shot," he says, "but by any chance have you seen a pair of rambunctious four-year-olds running around? One of them may or may not have been lighting things on fire - we keep trying to tell her that just because she can doesn't mean she should but it really hasn't sunk in yet - "
"Oh, you mean Ty Lee and Princess Azula?" Uncle Shigeru asks. "They were tackling Kenta in the other garden, last I saw." He nods at the covered walkway separating the two gardens. "That's why Jeong Jeong and I came here."
Min Lee and Lu Ten share relieved grins. "Thank you!" they shout, already running to the other garden.
They find Kenta facedown on the grass, a little worse for the wear thanks to the girls using him as a jungle gym. He's thrilled when they come to his rescue. Ty Lee and Azula are thrilled to have Min Lee and Lu Ten around as well. Ty Lee babbles a mile a minute about all the things Azula has been showing her while Min Lee and Kenta nod along. Lu Ten follows Azula across the garden, and Min Lee occasionally hears a panicked "Azula no, these were our grandmother's prized hibiscus bushes we cannot set them on fire Granddad would kill us." At some point Princess Ursa finds them and drops off a tired Zuko before heading back into the party, and Lu Ten gets a servant to deliver a table of food to the garden, and they spend the rest of the celebration contentedly eating and chattering and taking care of the kids. It's a peaceful evening, one that Min Lee will cherish in her memory for the rest of her life.
Less than a month later, word comes from the front that Admiral Jeong Jeong has deserted the Fire Navy.
The letter Lu Ten sends to Min Lee tells that Fire Lord Azulon is in a dreadful rage, and every one of Jeong Jeong's family, friends, and acquaintances are questioned as to his history, behavior, and motives. Even Prince Iroh is interviewed. When the investigators come to Kohimori Island, Uncle Shigeru invites them into his study, along with Father and Mother and Aunt Ryoko, and they stay in there for hours. When they finally come out, the investigators look grim, their auras a frustrated shade of orange.
"I'm so sorry that we weren't much help," Aunt Ryoko says as they make their way toward the dining room for dinner.
"You were about as much help as anyone else we've talked to," the lead investigator says. "No one seems to know what set him off. He was a perfect leader...until suddenly he wasn't."
Mother heaves an upset sigh. "And I thought we knew him so well!" she says. "He never gave the slightest indication of disloyalty in all the time we knew him! I've no idea where his sudden behavior came from."
"It's entirely possible," the lead investigator says, "that no one really knew him at all."
Mother nods sadly, her aura disheartened shades of scarlet and pine - but Father and Uncle Shigeru and Aunt Ryoko all look grim, and their auras are muddy blue and gray, but also resolute red and motivated orange and new-growth green.
Thank you for reading! Please leave a review if you enjoyed, PLEASE, I NEED VALIDATION. ^_^"
Uhhhh notes notes...
The Summer Solstice would be a national holiday in the Fire Nation, right? Like, I'm assuming they'd at least have a party? I'm still wrapping my head around FN geography, but if it's on the equator there actually wouldn't be much difference in the amount of daylight it gets throughout the year, and seasons wouldn't have much meaning beyond "wet" and "dry", but solstices have spiritual significance in the Avatarverse so I'm guessing they'd do SOMETHING.
I also kinda assume that Azula was BORN on the Summer Solstice because hello blatant symbolism, which means that 1) This party is kinda doubling as her birthday party but she is like four and my Azulon has never been big on pomp and circumstance so while Ozai is probably all like "Ah yes this is my AMAZING DAUGHTER'S BIRTHDAY" Azulon is probably like "Ozai you little brat your amazing daughter barely knows what a birthday is and also you showing her off to all your noble patsies is making her fussy so for the love of Agni give her to Lu Ten so he can take her off to play and the rest of us can actually enjoy this party", and 2) Azula spent the entirety of Season 3: Episode 6: The Avatar and the Fire Lord wondering why Zuko was more interested in dumb questions about Great-Grandfather Sozin than he was about HER BIRTHDAY? WHY ARE YOU SO DUMB, ZUZU?
Jeong Jeong is here! And now he is GONE! GOOD LUCK IN EXILE BUDDY. I have ideas about Jeong Jeong's exile extrapolated from the very little bit we saw in canon, and how he got those scars, and Chey, and Lin Yee, and Jeong Jeong's deep respect for waterbending healers, and Jeong Jeong's deep-seated issues with his own element, and one of these days I'll pound all these plotdustbunnies out with Stingrae and publish them in a story somewhere.
Headcanon: Jeong Jeong was an Admiral. I know Chey was very confused as to whether it was admiral or general, but Jeong Jeong trained Zhao, who is in the NAVY (minus that one weird assignment in the fricking desert), so Jeong Jeong must've been in the navy.
Headcanon: Jeong Jeong trained Lu Ten because Iroh begged/ordered him to and for Jeong Jeong it was a breath of fresh air after the walking disaster that was Zhao and he allowed himself a shred of hope that maybe Lu Ten wouldn't want to burn the world to the ground or even do it accidentally if Jeong Jeong could just impress upon him the importance of the BASICS. Also he trained Kenta because where Lu Ten goes Kenta is sure to get dragged along behind kicking and screaming, dangit.
Also you'd think Kenta would be USED to being used as a jungle gym by small children, but no, he is surprised every time it happens.
And re: the infodump on Min Lee's worklife - I actually was gonna properly introduce Kohimori's Home Guard in Chapter 3, but...it just didn't pull together. :P I have ideas about these people, but unfortunately trying to develop them in this story just didn't happen. Meh. I have other Kohimori stories planned, so maybe one of those will work with them better.
And I'd like to take a moment to point out that the Kohimori clan likely got a very...respectful interrogation concerning Jeong Jeong's desertion, being nobles descended from Azulon's bff Masami, after all. Same with Iroh, being the Crown Prince. Other people who got caught up in the investigation...yeah, they probably weren't treated nearly as nicely and had to deal with a ton of suspicion.
