Chapter 11: Work and Play

Although the sun had yet to kiss the horizon, the palace courtyard was already shrouded in shadow cast from the high walls and hedges. Mai walked into the clearing with grace and silence; flares of yellow and orange light glinted in the corners of her eyes. Her face was set in a frown as she approached her beloved, who was walking through basic firebending katas for the second time today. With a hardly perceptible flick of her wrist, she launched a small dagger at the tree nearest Zuko.

"Don't you ever take a break?" she asked as the blade stuck deep into the trunk, not bothering to disguise the annoyance in her voice.

Zuko jumped and turned, fire trailing the tips of his fingers before sputtering out. "Mai! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"You're exhausted; if I were an assassin you'd be the easiest mark in the world right now."

"I assure you, Lady Mai, an assassin would not have made it to the courtyard." A voice called from the stone path behind her. Inuzo's almost lanky frame walked towards the pair, immaculately groomed now with a clean shave and very short, dark hair, and bowed low, then looked pointedly at the knife lodged in the tree and turned to Mai. "Throwing sharp objects in the general direction of the Fire Lord-"

"Is fine, for her. She's just... expressing herself." Zuko interrupted.

Mai huffed as Zuko turned back to her. "Jee and his guards are around. I approved Inuzo's transfer request from the 41st to the Royal Guard too, and as you can see he takes the post very seriously."

Zuko turned back to Inuzo. "Continue your patrol, Guardsman."

Inuzo bowed again before leaving. "Yes, my lord."

Mai hardly waited for Inuzo to walk ten paces before picking up where she left off. "It's not just about your safety, Zuko. If you're not busy reading old documents, stuffing your vocabulary with fancy words, or personally interviewing everyone that works in or around the Capital, you're practicing firebending!"

"I need to do all those things; it's my responsibility. I have to keep training and studying until I get it all right." Zuko responded evenly.

"Do you have any idea what- who you sound like? You just put a new council together today and then promoted Tien to General. A council I'm a member of. Wasn't the point of that so you don't have to do everything yourself?"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I can just lay around!" Zuko shouted.

"Do you know what time it is?" Mai asked, her voice now under a blanket of restraint.

Zuko looked up at the twilight sky. "I don't know... not quite sunset? Evening? Tea time?"

Mai crossed her arms and stared at him.

"Dinner..." Zuko finally said. "Mai, I'm sorry, it just..."

"Slipped your mind, I know." She wanted to stay angry at him, but couldn't. She knew she was being selfish and petty, but at the same time felt justified in demanding some of his time be spent with her and not his royal station. "I understand, Zuko, I do. Just get cleaned up. I'll tell the servants to prepare something else."

Mai turned and walked back towards the palace before stopping and speaking softly over her shoulder. "Zuko, even you need to rest sometimes. Don't burn yourself out."

She left the courtyard and turned into one of the pillared hallways that ran the perimeter of the palace. No sooner than she had rounded the corner around the first pillar did she nearly walk into Inuzo, who stopped short in his marching stride. He bowed.

"Lady Mai. I meant no disrespect earlier, please forgive me."

Returning a slight nod in response, Inuzo continued his patrol route past her. Mai couldn't remember if she saw him moving along the hall beforehand or not.

Maybe I need more rest too.

She glanced towards the slowly retreating form of the swordsman, his posture stiff and movement almost mechanical, quite different from the way he moves in combat. She saw him fight Kahchi. His movement in that fight was anything but rigid and chunky, it was fluid and almost too fast to follow. He slashed and parried with bestial alacrity and equally primal viciousness. She could easily envision him going into a mindless killing spree shouting 'for the Fire Lord!' with each strike. When his standard issue longsword was sheathed, however, he was just a dull, overachieving young soldier. Mai sighed.

Weirdo.


She had only watched half the play and already felt certain she'd never hear the adoration of her subjects again. Azula was so beyond furious at how she was portrayed in this show that she had gone numb from it. Her character was an appalling caricature that garnered no respect, instilled no fear, and bore no regal poise. Instead an unattractive, flabby woman represented her on the stage as a screeching, compulsively lying, fire-spitting daddy's girl. To top it all off, she wore pink.

Azula should have known it the instant newer posters near the building announced the play had undergone 'numerous revisions'. Fire Nation playwrights did not create their stories without making sure it pandered to the largest possible audience. Azula scoffed at the concept before remembering her original reason for coming here was precisely to have her ego scratched by the play she saw advertised in the older flyer.

The princess leaned against the wall outside the Ember Island Playhouse, well away from where any of the other patrons would bother her. She dressed in the most commonplace outfit she could find: leather sandals, loose burgundy pants that fell just below her knees, a thin, braided leather belt, and a red shirt with wide sleeves that went just past her elbows. Her hair was finally combed out, clean, and free of debris; she tied it in a high ponytail with a bit of red cloth. She evened out her bangs and kept the hair out of her eyes with the only adornment she felt wouldn't draw much attention: a modest silver headband (it was the only piece of jewelry that she had left in her old room at the beach house). She hid most of her scratches and bruises with creams and ointments, but stuck with her decision to forego makeup. She couldn't look at a mirror long enough to apply it evenly anyway.

Azula heard the faint ring of a bell announcing that the intermission was nearly over. Despite how awful the performance had been, curiosity kept her seated in the first half. She had learned how the Avatar was discovered and released (damn that waterbender), got a few laughs at Zuko's chain of failed capture attempts, and grew nauseated by the love story between the Avatar and the Southern Tribe girl (why can't her part be smaller?) that insisted on being in nearly every scene. She learned a great deal about Zhao's own failures that he neglected to report to her father, not to mention that Zuko had beaten him in an Agni Kai (got lucky, no doubt). The three traveling on that flying furry meat-sack apparently caused a lot more trouble for the Fire Nation than she was aware of: a prison break, blockade run, and they turned away an entire division at the Northern Air Temple. Oddly, they also saved the lives of dozens of Fire Nation colonists in Gaipan from the bombing of a local dam.

Why would they do that?

It was her character's entrance in the second act that nearly caused her to stand up and scream in the middle of the audience. First she watched herself get thrashed by stage-Zuko and Uncle Fatso on board her own cruiser, all the while acting like a spoiled brat throwing a tantrum. Then she apparently threatened to eat baby Tomtom in Omashu as revenge for Mai's parents failing to keep the city under control. Then she was cackling madly and dancing around like a drunk when she shot Uncle in the back with fire in that abandoned town (Zuko's version of the story?). The last scene before the break was her getting pummeled by the Avatar on board the giant drill.

Is that how I'll be remembered now?

Azula found herself back in her seat for the second half of the play. Surely her genius conquering of Ba Sing Se couldn't be so horribly perverted. Surely there was at least one moment her character wasn't a target of derision and mockery.

"Are you okay?" asked a young, female voice from the chair to her right.

Azula turned slowly right, for the first time noticing someone was actually seated next to her. During the first half of the performance, she was certain no one sat near her... or perhaps she just didn't notice? Azula could only tilt her head in response, hoping the little brunette would be deterred by silence. It didn't work.

"You look kinda... ill. Dehydrated maybe? Want some of my tea?" the girl asked.

Azula looked at the tall wooden cup the girl was holding. It was more than simply tea, it looked to have an assortment of fruits blended into it. Considering all Azula had managed to find at the house was cured meats and water, the drink seemed extremely appealing. She took it with some hesitation and drank half the concoction down. The girl just stared at her.

"What?" Azula asked.

"Nothing. You look a bit better now, you can have the rest," the girl said.

Azula nodded and sipped at the remainder of the drink slowly. The girl seemed to fidget in her seat.

"Why?" Azula asked after a few minutes of awkward silence.

"Hmm? The drink? Seems like you needed it more than I did," the girl replied.

More silence.

"You watch plays often?" she asked.

"No." Azula replied.

"You seem pretty into this one."

"Hm." Azula replied.

"I'm On Ji, by the way."

"Ilah." Azula said. My late grandmother's name? Brilliant, Azula. Brilliant.

"You here by yourself?"

"Yes."

"I'm here on a class trip."

Great, a schoolgirl. How old is she, twelve, thirteen maybe? Wait, how old am I? "Shouldn't you be with your classmates?"

"I am. This is my friend Shoji," On Ji gestured to the boy on her right, who waved meekly. "All my classmates are in this section. Plus you."

"Oh." Azula began to stand.

"Hey wait, you can stay here, it's not like we reserved seats or anything. Relax! So what was your favorite part so far?" On Ji asked.

Azula stared for a moment, then settled back into her seat. "The Northern Siege I suppose." Why am I having this conversation?

"Oh, yeah. That must have been terrifying for both sides. I didn't know the Avatar could turn into a giant fish-monster!" Shoji suddenly shot in.

"You know, Shoji and I met the Avatar once. It's supposed to be a scene in the play." On Ji said in a whisper.

"Oh?" Azula rolled her eyes.

"Yes. He disguised himself as a student and snuck into our school."

This piqued Azula's interest. "What did he do?"

"You'll see." On Ji smiled.

"Aren't you angry that he invaded our country and spied on you?" Azula asked.

On Ji just shook her head. The lights in the theater dimmed as firebenders brought the torches down to the merest of flickers. The show continued where it left off, in Ba Sing Se.

Much to Azula's dismay but no longer to her surprise, her character continued to be an object of loathing. Now she listened to herself seduce Long Feng, and not with promises of power. Azula furiously downed the remainder of her drink. Only the fight in the catacombs remained remotely accurate: she convinced Zuko to fight with her, the Dai Li came, she shot the Avatar with lightning. Then a good portion of the crowd booed. Azula stared around with complete shock. These people are sheep-pigs. Mindless herd animals.

The third act, as On Ji promised, had a scene in which the Avatar infiltrated a school... to throw a dance party. The stage erupted into a song and dance number. Azula raised an eyebrow at the girl next to her. On Ji just laughed.

"Yep, that's pretty much how it went." On Ji said.

The story only got more ludicrous as the Avatar's group protected a small fishing village from their own army. Preposterous. The military is the sword of the Fire Nation people, as the Fire Lord is its heart and mind. There was never some impoverished fishing town drowning in toxic mud from a war factory. These writers should be executed! Sure, the nation had peasants, working class... that's the natural order. We all had a part to play in this war... the leaders and the led. Enough.

Azula stood and walked up the aisle and out into the main hallway. She made straight for the exit but a portly man wheeled a cart in front of her.

"Excuse me miss, would you like a souvenir before you leave?" the man asked.

Azula was about to backhand the man when a glint of metal caught her eye. Arranged neatly on a small rack upon the cart was a set of throwing knives exactly like the ones Mai used. The steel gleamed white, the red trimming gave the appearance that the weapons were already coated in dried blood. The weapons seemed to shake and vibrate before slowly peeling into long strips and standing themselves upright. In moments she was staring at a miniature cage with two metallic girls shaking the bars and crying out.

"Azula, don't let us rot in here... we're sorry!" cried the girls before they rusted and crumbled away.

"Not now... not now!" Azula screamed.

"Well sorry! Good day miss!" the chubby peddler sniffed and rolled his cart away.

Azula shook her head and tried to get her bearings back. Finding the exit again, she left the building and walked down the wooden stairs towards the beach. It wasn't long before she heard Ty Lee's voice.

"Did you enjoy the play Azula?" Ty Lee asked.

"I most certainly did not, I've never been so angry in my life." Azula snapped, staring at the ground and clenching her fists.

"I think I've seen you angrier, once." Ty Lee said.

Azula stopped as a flash of intuition prompted her to look up. Instead of a pink-clad Ty Lee hallucination, she saw her childhood friend in heavy armor and white face paint, along with six similarly dressed girls – like armored ghosts – but these ghosts were not part of her imagination. Azula's eyes widened.

"I'm not going back there," the princess said.

"No, hopefully you'll go to prison where you belong this time," Suki responded. The Kyoshi leader gestured to the other girls and they began moving towards the princess with fireproof restraints. Ty Lee just looked on with a frown.

"Leave me alone!" Azula screamed, swiping her hands towards the nearest warrior. Trailing her hands was a wave of heat and a few odd tufts of flame. Azula stared at her hands in surprise. Her potential captors deployed their shields and continued to move towards her. They were now only a few steps away.

Fire is fueled by emotion. Rage, fury, passion... but above all, drive. Drive is what you must lock onto and use, for an emotional person is easy to manipulate in battle, but a truly driven person is invincible.

Her father's words. Azula suddenly realized that with her freedom came a renewed desire to keep it that way. It was a simple, primitive, and perhaps minimalist ambition to have, but it was enough. She sprung backwards onto her hands and then again to her feet, increasing the distance between herself and the painted jailers. Then she put her middle and forefingers together on one hand, took a breath, and swept towards the ground.

Flame jetted from her fingers and burned away the grasses poking out through the sandy sidewalk. It was weak, ordinary fire – she could do better when she was ten years old even – but it was still fire. The Kyoshi warriors blinked for a moment at the princess before launching forward in a full sprint. Azula turned back towards the playhouse and ran as fast as her legs would take her. The crowd was her only chance now.

As she ran back up the sandy path to the playhouse, Azula tried to summon up greater flames to slow her pursuers. She heard a whirling sound in the air and rolled to the side, narrowly missing a thrown surujin (two heavy objects, usually stones or bags of sand, tied together by a yard of rope or chain). Taking a deep breath and a well-rooted stance, she spun on one heel and kicked towards the warriors, but the splash of fire was hardly more threatening than a thrown candle. In fact, she was certain she could hurl a lit candle over a greater distance and cause more damage with it. Growling, she resumed running to the playhouse.

Plan, plan, I need a plan. Firebending is back, but severely ineffective. Seven of them, all trained in hand-to-hand, probably armed with those ridiculous fans; might be able to take out a few, but Ty Lee and the leader would be much more difficult. Retreat, reposition, engage on my terms.

Azula entered the open entry hall of the playhouse. Stealing a glance backwards, she saw the warriors split off into twos and threes, no doubt to cut off escape routes. With a smile, she slid back into the darkened theater. She was met with almost deafening noise.

The stage was bathed in eerie red light, with two figures dancing around each other, throwing streamers while stagehands operated other visual or audible effects. The woman who played the part of the Avatar had her glowing paint lit up as phony rocks, chunks of ice, and fireballs spun around her, suspended on wires. The tall man, who must be representing her father in gaudy, golden attire, had fallen on his back.

"Fire Lord Ozai," a chorus of voices bellowed from behind the stage curtain, "you and your ancestors have threatened the balance and peace of this world for one hundred years, prepare to die!"

"Noooo!" yelled the man in gold as all the flying 'elements' whirled towards him, but at the last moment, they stopped and then whirled off-stage. The Avatar landed next to the Fire Lord, her back turned.

"I cannot take a life..." the Avatar said.

The Fire Lord rose to his feet and snarled, "Even with all that power, you are pathetic!" He looked ready to pounce.

"...but I can take this." the Avatar finished.

What Azula saw next she didn't quite understand. During her time at the Tomo Facility, the guards and healers told her little of the outside world, insisting she focus on herself only. No one told her what happened to her father, other than that he lost to the Avatar and was now in prison. Now she watched as the stage was bathed in white light and the chorus hummed. The Avatar-actress grabbed the Fire Lord by the shoulders and he shook violently for a few moments until she released him.

"What did you do to me?!" the Gaudy Lord asked.

"I took your bending away; you'll never be able to harm anyone with it again." The audience erupted into applause.

What? The Avatar can steal bending away? Incredible. Azula wondered at how much truth there was in this scene. It was oddly specific for it to be something of pure fiction. Certainly there were differences in the real battle, but the simple assertion that Ozai can no longer bend struck her as something that must be true. It explained the grisly sword he was using at the Tomo Facility.

Azula's shock and wonder at the scene abruptly shifted to rage. Wait a minute. He called me useless... disappointing! Because I could not bend for him! And he cannot bend at all! How could he justify leaving me there!

"You damned hypocrite!" Azula screamed. Her words struck out with wisps of fire from her mouth and cascaded over the theater. Half the audience stopped their applause of the final battle scene and turned towards the disruptive girl with confusion, amusement, or annoyance.

Azula paled. I'm supposed to be escaping capture, not drawing attention to myself and watching more of this horrible excuse for entertainment. Now I have half this room staring at me!

"Yeah, he is a damn hypocrite!" shouted a male voice.

"Shut up, Hide!" shouted another voice.

The audience now turned towards this new disruption or back to the play, which had thankfully continued through the entire outburst. Azula let out a sigh of relief as she quietly walked along the wall and opened a side door marked 'Stage Crew Only'. No one seemed to notice her as she slid in, but as she closed the door quietly she caught a glimpse of two Kyoshi Warriors enter the theater from the main hall.

Not much time.

The door lead to a hall which wrapped behind the stage. Most of the doors in the hall were marked as dressing rooms, but at last Azula found the room she was looking for, marked 'Props/Equipment/Effects'. She ducked inside quickly. As expected, it was filled with costumes, colorful objects made mostly of paper and wood, and containers of oil-based paints, among other things. Azula smiled as she lit a small flame in the palm of her hand.


Sokka gave the rope in his hand one last pull to make sure the knot was tight, securing the group's belongings to the back of Appa's saddle. A chill wind blew across his shoulders as tiny points of light sparkled off the morning dew. Sokka groaned; he hated being up this early.

Unfortunately, sleeping in was not an option today. First off, they spent the night in a Fire Nation colony, and even colony towns got busy by first light. Secondly, they were eager to track down those earthbending marauders, if possible. Aang was scouting along the river on his glider already.

Toph sat by the front of the saddle, still wearing her new outfit with the little flying boar insignia and still wearing her hair down, although now she had a bandage wrapped around her head. That detail was baffling. Toph never lost in open combat, let alone got injured, unless someone took a hostage. Sure, she could be ambushed (and even that was difficult) and there was the incident with her feet and Zuko, but in general she could take on multiple opponents twice her size and come out without a scratch. What really threw him is that a group of earthbenders managed to hurt her, seeing as tackling groups of overconfident earthbenders was practically her specialty. Even Dai Li in the dozens had trouble taking her out. Still, it wouldn't do to press her on it. Lucky hit I guess, even a blind squirrel-mink can find a nut sometimes... wow, I'm so glad I didn't say that out loud.

Sokka felt a rush of air and heard the tell-tale snap of Aang's glider closing. The Avatar landed in the middle of the saddle.

"Toph was right, I think they took a boat downstream. They could be out at sea by now; they could be anywhere." Aang said.

"Told you so," Toph replied, crossing her arms.

"Toph..." Sokka started.

"Yeah, yeah, protect the village, blah blah blah. I get it," Toph said.

"Where's Katara?" Aang asked, changing the subject.

"She just went back into town to get some fresh mangoes or something. She should be back any minute," Sokka said.

"For the last time, I don't need your help carrying these!" Katara's voice echoed from a few paces beyond the town gate.

"Oh but my lady, it is not a matter of your need, for I can tell you are quite the capable young woman, but rather a matter of etiquette," replied a male voice, young and smooth, like he treated each word as a delicate glass figurine. Sokka raised an eyebrow and began to stand as Aang spun around to face the approaching pair.

"Hey Aang! Any luck spotting those earthbenders?" Katara called as she jogged up to the bison.

"No. Who's he?" Aang pointed with his staff at Katara's follower. Sokka stifled a laugh and snorted.

"I don't know, some-" Katara started.

"Call me Ren. It is an honor to meet the Avatar and his esteemed colleagues." the boy said, bowing slightly.

Sokka leaned over the saddle to watch the fireworks as Aang hopped down to Katara and Ren. Ren was perhaps Katara's age, of average height, weight, and build. He had black hair pulled back into a typical Fire Nation topknot, though apparently he had a lot of it as some hung loose and draped down the back of his neck, stopping at his shoulders. His eyes were a light brown, bright and friendly, though Sokka felt they contained a hint of mischief. He had small, almost pointy nose and an easy smile.

Ren was dressed as someone ready to travel, with brown trousers, heavy black boots, and a dark red tunic trimmed with gold. Whoever he was, it looked like he wasn't for want of money. What really grabbed Sokka's attention, however, was the equipment hanging from his belt: a long, thin blade in its scabbard on his left, and what appeared to be a miniature ballista on his right.

Aang seemed to have gotten control of himself.

"Hello Ren, thanks for offering to help Katara, but as you can see she doesn't need your assistance," he said, as Katara lifted the small basket of fruit up to Appa's saddle on a column of ice.

"A talented waterbender too! What you did with the well, Katara-"

"I didn't even tell you my name before." Katara interrupted. Aang smirked.

"Ah, of course. Well, I heard you mention tracking those earthbenders that attacked this town. I may be able to help you," Ren said.

"What do you know about them?" Sokka asked. Aang glared back at his friend in annoyance.

"I don't know anything in particular, but I have many contacts in this area of the Earth Kingdom. You see, I'm a bounty hunter, of sorts."

"Of sorts?" Katara asked.

Ren shuffled his feet, his smooth demeanor faltering for a moment before he brought it back up again. "Well, I haven't claimed many bounties yet."

"How many?" Sokka asked.

"Ahh... one." Ren replied.

"Well, was it at least a big burly bandit lord?" Sokka asked.

"Ah no... it was a... lost pet. But I do have lots of contacts! And I'm not useless in a fight either."

"That was you from the window?" Sokka asked.

"Yes, I'm looking for my first big break, and who better to serve than the Avatar himself? No charge!" Ren said.

"I don't know, Appa has enough people to carry already... don't you have family here?" Aang asked.

"Yes, I live with my mother... my father is away on business all the time. I'll just tell her I'm going on a short trip, she'll be glad to have me out of the house for a while." He grew a bit more serious. "Look, I owe you. The whole town does. Don't you want to catch those thugs?"

"Yes, we do!" Toph shouted from Appa's back.

"Great! I'll be back in a couple minutes, I just have to grab a couple things from the house. Don't worry, I travel very light! Don't leave without me!" Ren said as he took off running for the town.

Aang sighed. "I don't like him."

"You're just mad because he was talking up your girlfriend." Sokka said with a grin.

"Don't worry Aang, no one is going to take me away from you." Katara said, planting a quick kiss on his lips.

"Gross. Toph, was he lying or anything?" Sokka asked as Aang air-lifted himself and his sister onto the bison's saddle.

"I don't know, I'm not in contact with the ground, and I wasn't really paying attention. He sounded sincere enough and I'm hoping he continues hitting on Sugar Queen the whole trip. It'll be fun." Toph said smiling.

"What if he starts hitting on you Toph?" Katara snapped.

"Meh," the blind girl responded.

"I don't think he knows she's ah, unavailable. Can you imagine anyone dumb enough to try and steal the Avatar's girlfriend? Aang would get his glow on and send him skipping across the continent!" Sokka accented his remark with skipping noises and bounced his hand along the saddle.

"I wouldn't do that, Sokka." Aang responded, frowning.

"Sure you wouldn't, buddy." Sokka laughed, putting an arm around his friends shoulder.

"What would you do, Aang?" Toph asked casually.

"I'd send him away peacefully, simply asserting that his advances are unwelcome and he'd best move on," Aang said with a wise tone.

Sokka and Toph looked bored, Katara smiled.

"And if that doesn't work, I'll freeze his underwear. While he's wearing them." Aang remarked off-handedly.

Sokka winced. The girls laughed.


Ozai sat at the head of the table in this makeshift war room on board Azula's cruiser. Around the table sat War Minister Qin, General Shinu, Admiral Chan, and General Mung. Qin sat with his arms folded in the sleeves of his robes, posture straight and noble. Shinu, a short and somewhat rotund man with hair that had yet to start graying, sat with similar posture but no calmness, a frown stretched across his face. Chan, features similar to his son with a strong jaw and perfect grooming, leaned back with an almost casual posture, a habit that annoyed Ozai greatly. Mung, a combat veteran without noble upbringing, slouched while scratching at the jagged scar on his face. This was hardly a circle of power, but Ozai accepted it as first spark of what soon would become a mighty blaze.

"So, Bujing failed to contain my son," Ozai said.

"Yes, the General was slain, and the Rough Rhino's were either killed or captured along with any other soldiers Bujing took with him." Qin added.

"It seems Bujing underestimated Zuko, as have I. That boy is proving again and again to be much more capable than I ever gave him credit for. Perhaps if I had focused more on him and less on... no matter. What is the status of our forces?" Ozai asked.

"We have several destroyers, cruisers, and frigates in our fleet, mostly remnants of the Eastern Fleet." Chan continued reporting, "Unfortunately this puts our fleet in total at roughly a three to one disadvantage against Zuko's navy. However, I have many agents on board Zuko's ships that might give us an edge."

Mung spoke next. "Our land forces are somewhat less, but we do have plenty of armor. Most of our soldiers can be provided with tanks or mounts. Explosives are in abundance and we can continue manufacturing weapons."

Qin broke in. "Our air power is currently our greatest advantage. Due to great efforts in controlling information, Zuko does not know where the primary air ship factory is located, nor that we have complete control over it. We have twice the ships he has, and are currently building more."

"We also must realize," Shinu added, "that Zuko's forces will be spread over a large area, likely even assisting in rebuilding projects with other nations. If we concentrate our forces against the Capital at the right moment, we can seize it before he can even send for help."

Ozai felt a chill as he posed the question: "And the Avatar?"

"Our allies are keeping him busy in the Earth Kingdom. So far he has shown no inclination to come to the Fire Nation, although Zuko sends redundant messages to Ba Sing Se for him and Iroh, and we cannot intercept all the hawks."

Ozai growled. "Iroh... I had nearly forgotten about him. I want him dead! And I don't trust this rabble operating in the Earth Kingdom."

"Iroh will be dealt with, carefully, my Lord. As for our mysterious benefactors, I believe they are useful for now. Once we secure the Capital, we can dispose of them." Qin smiled.

Ozai regained his composure. The dynamics of this room was different than in the throne room. These men, particularly Qin, postured themselves like this was a partnership, not a monarchy he ruled with a burning hand. He suspected that their loyalty vanished along with his firebending, but he would play along for now. He was a resourceful man.

"Very well. Shinu, I want you to secure Pohuai Stronghold, discreetly. The rest of you, begin drafting plans for our assault."