Long Feng is Busy Today

"Long Feng's the guy in charge", Sokka said unhappily. "Everyone says so, right?"

The group, gathered in Appa's field to "enjoy the fresh air", agreed with varying levels of resignation. They were as sick of secret meetings as they were of being constantly watched and long past sick of being handled by Joo Dee. Recently, Sokka had joked that maybe the Earth King was just a myth, sounding half serious. Overhearing him, Hui had said the theory had merit, sounding completely serious. They still weren't sure if he'd been kidding.

"We need to tell someone in authority about the eclipse", Katara said. Even to herself, she sounded tired of repeating that.

"We tried. Long Feng could care less", Toph replied. Leaning against one of Appa's legs while he devoured a bale of hay, she raised her foot off the ground, picking dirt from under the toenails.

Lying belly down on the air bison's back, Aang let out a long sigh. "We should talk to him again. They attacked the wall with that drill. What if it happens again?"

"Don't you mean, What'll they do when it does happen again?" Sokka asked, crossing his arms.

"Maybe it won't", Katara said without conviction. Although they teased her brother about being paranoid, they all knew that the war went on while they were stuck here behind Ba Sing Se's walls. The Fire Nation knew they were here. Recalling how relentless Zuko had been while pursuing Aang, she could only imagine what Azula, who seemed to have access to any troops and equipment she desired, would be like. Not that she needs troops. Those girls she travels with are terrifying on their own, she thought, suppressing a shudder. "Aang's right. We should try to convince Long Feng."

"I said it first!" Sokka yelled, throwing up his hands.

"And you're right", Aang said with a grin, spinning down off Appa's broad back. "We should go see Long Feng right now!"

Neither boy was keeping his voice down any more and there was a snort, maybe a stifled laugh, from over by the fence. The young city watchman offered a wave when they all looked toward him but kept any opinion to himself. Katara was fine with that. He seemed nice enough, feeding the occasional treat to Momo as he kept watch, but she didn't know how reliable his advice might be. Both Gan and Hui, who always pretended he was joking, told them how the city really worked and made it clear when they were approaching dangerous behavior. While they might have risked asking the two Guards, they were both off for the next few days. Then they'd be back on another fourteen day watch rotation.

They set out for the train station a short while later. The young guard who'd heard them talking wished them luck, but Katara got the impression he didn't think it would do them much good.

When they reached the outer gates of the palace complex, Aang asked not for an audience with the Earth King but a meeting with Long Feng. A message was sent to the Grand Secretariat's office but word came back that he was busy.

"We'll wait", Aang said firmly.

It was a long afternoon.

While it was the Army's job to deal with possible Fire Nation interference in city affairs, Long Feng hadn't become Ba Sing Se's unofficial ruler by blindly accepting others' assessments. To this day, he studied the many reports that crossed his desk with an analyst's sharp eye, picking out discrepancies and possible errors. When word came that they held Prince Lu Ten's corpse, the generals had wanted to display the crushed ruin from the city's outermost wall. Uncivilized, barbaric, and a missed opportunity, Long Feng had judged. Instead, he'd offered to return the bodies of the Fire Nation dead to General Iroh, which had led to the exchange of prisoners and ultimately the withdrawal of the grief stricken father from the field of battle. Desecrating his only child's corpse might have driven him mad with rage and led to the city's destruction. There was a segment of the Army that still resented Long Feng, even whispering that he'd stolen the King's authority. As if I'd have exposed the boy to that nightmare, he thought. I could barely stomach the sight of those bodies myself!

His actions had been proven correct over time. Devastated by their heavy losses, including the much admired prince, the Fire Nation Army's morale had been shattered by their mourning leader's abrupt retirement. General Iroh's successors had lacked his brilliance. Fire Lord Ozai sent commands but offered little support. He appeared to have little military acumen but a vast thirst for glory.

These events had allowed Long Feng to convince the Fire Nation officers to turn their attention elsewhere, but he was well aware they'd eventually return. Every year since the siege's end had found at least two spies in Dai Li custody. They'd been molded into an adequate spy network on the city's behalf, but brainwashing could only do so much.

The face of that scarred young refugee crossed his mind. He could have been trained to be a true asset, Long Feng believed, and his judgement in such matters was excellent. Unfortunately his scar would make him stand out among Fire Nation citizens. Unscarred, he'd pass for trueborn Fire Nation, which was probably all the reason some fire bender had needed to burn a child with such evident malice. A trend had developed in the later years of Azulon's reign, embraced and expanded on by his successor. Fire, so they claimed, was the superior element. Their element, their people, their culture, stood above and ought to rule over all else. Absurd, naturally, but it had created an obsessive arrogance, a sense of entitlement, and increased brutality in its adherents. That theoretical superiority didn't end the occasional act of rape that spread their so precious blood outside their own kind. They probably tell themselves the child's been blessed with a better birthright than they deserve, Long Feng thought, knowing that those children were also viewed as less than true Fire Nation and despised. Even Azulon never claimed that.

There was a report about the former Fire Nation General and heir to the throne, Iroh. Ozai had finally dared to label his older brother a traitor in order to be rid of him. Or the old man's gotten his fire back and decided to claim his crown, after all. That was undoubtedly Ozai's greatest nightmare. The exiled son had been added to the list of traitors as well. Death for both was not only authorized but encouraged. He wondered if the boy was really involved or if the general had used his exile as a means to travel the colonies and Earth Kingdom, garnering support. He was a very popular leader, Long Feng recalled, especially with his soldiers.

He ignored the enclosed wanted posters. He'd peered at the Dragon of the West's grim face too often through a spyglass to want to see him again. The siege was over and Iroh was undoubtedly seeking allies among the small groups of deserters already scattered across the continent. He'd also seen a sketch of Prince Zuko, young face still swathed in bandages, done by a spy just after his exile. He had no desire to see that ruin again. It was whispered that his father had done it, at least among a few well placed Fire Nation nobles. Although they aren't too "noble" to do business with the enemy, he thought contemptuously. Did he really intend to mark the boy as unworthy of his blood? Ozai's mad behavior, even worse than that of King Kuei's father, confirmed Long Feng's belief that the self-proclaimed nobility needed to be closely managed for the nation's greater good.

And now there's the Avatar to deal with, he thought with some irritation. The war that we have, possibly a Fire Nation civil war playing out on Earth Kingdom soil soon, and he wants to play general with our soldiers' lives as the stakes? When told that the children were outside, he'd told his aide that they could wait. Ba Sing Se had nearly been destroyed once already. He wouldn't endanger it on the word of a prepubescent boy. When would they take a hint and leave?

Following the Fire Nation report was a background check on one of several potential brides for King Kuei. No hint of scandal or political leanings were apparent. He encouraged her return to the palace. Another, less acceptable, was invited to stay away.

A refugee wished to open a tea shop in the Central Ring. Since he couldn't afford to do it alone, a prominent city family was backing him. The names caught his eye and he frowned. Calling in his aide, he said, "Get Qin Pu Lo in here."

When the office door opened and a bland, serious looking man hurried out, Katara rose to address him, but he hurried past without acknowledging her.

"Hey!" Sokka called out, but he was also ignored. "Jerk."

"We aren't getting in there", Toph stated cynically.

"They said he was busy today", Aang said. "We just need to wait our turn." He started drumming his heels on the wooden bench, built along the drab corridor's pale green plastered wall.

"Can't you meditate or something?" Toph grumbled.

"It's not exactly serene in here", he replied, then brightened, "but maybe that'd make it good practice!" He folded his legs under him on the seat, pressing his fists together and closing his eyes. One popped open again immediately. "Call me if they call us in while I'm doing it, okay?"

"You got it", Sokka replied, pulling out his boomerang to examine its edge.

"That does not need sharpening", Katara told him. If they wanted to get Long Feng to listen to them, they'd need to be calm and logical. She didn't need the thin, whiny scraping of Sokka's whetstone to fray her nerves. The wait was doing them enough damage.

The Dai Li secretary came back with another, younger Dai Li Katara recognized as the one Li rescued the night of the fire. "Hello again", she said, but he didn't stop, offering a distracted half wave as he followed the other agent into Long Feng's office. She huffed as she settled back against the bench.

"Who's your friend?" Sokka asked sarcastically.

Embarrassingly, she couldn't remember the agent's name. "He was there the last time I went to visit Li, I guess to thank him for saving his life."

"The one that gave him a panic attack?" Toph asked, sitting up and looking interested. "So Sokka, how scary looking is he?"

"Not very", he replied. "He kinda looks scared himself, like his Gran Gran caught him doing something and now he's gonna hear about it."

"So speaks our expert on getting in trouble", Katara said, feeling a teasing grin come to her lips.

"Like you never get in trouble!"

"Name one time!"

He didn't stop at one and they started to argue. Toph seemed to enjoy the show, but Aang inched away with a beleaguered sigh. "Trying to meditate here."

Dismissing his aide, Long Feng gestured for Qin Pu Lo to seat himself on the low, uncomfortable chair reserved for visitors. The young man already looked nervous. "Your aunt and her husband are investing in a tea shop."

Qin Pu Lo feigned simple attentiveness, but Long Feng noticed sweat at his temples. "The shop will be in the Central Ring. Quite accessible if you were seeking", Long Feng paused to narrow his eyes, "tea."He managed not to swallow, but Qin Pu Lo's gray eyes flickered.

Good, Long Feng thought, he knows what I'm implying. And that I don't find it acceptable. "Did you ask them to sponsor Mushi?"

"Long Feng. Sir." Qin Pu Lo floundered for a moment before sitting a little forward and speaking firmly. "I owe his nephew my life. He's clearly used to better things than some grimy apartment in the Outer Ring. I only thought to offer something better in a way that wouldn't leave him feeling indebted."

So speaks the boy from the Central Ring, Long Feng thought, suppressing his scowl. Out loud, he said, "That young man wouldn't tolerate a dirty apartment."

Qin Pu Lo looked baffled, making his superior think how ignorant the young man really was. He doesn't understand that pride isn't only for rich men and aristocrats.

"I'll allow the permit", he said. His subordinate released a sigh of relief. "I expect them to succeed or fail on their own merits, although they do say Mushi truly is a master at brewing tea. Furthermore, I expect no unwelcome intrusions."

"Sir! I wasn't planning to do anything. Except maybe stop in for tea", he added almost guiltily.

He had been planning to seek out the nephew again. Long Feng kept his voice level and cold as he dealt with that issue. "See that your actions remain proper. You represent Ba Sing Se's power and authority. That child is a refugee and a minor. Even a hint that you desire compensation for giving Mushi this opportunity would rightly terrify the boy. Do not crowd him. Do not attempt to be alone with him. Certainly do not touch him. If you enter that shop, you will order tea, drink tea, and leave. Is that clear?"

"Very clear, sir."

Dismissing the sweat covered young agent, Long Feng wondered if he'd overreacted to a well meant act of gratitude. He turned back to his reports, trying to put aside memories of why he'd created such stringent safeguards. The decades long influx of refugees, interrupted only by General Iroh's siege, had brought an atmosphere of chaotic fear to the city, bringing out the most brutal and exploitative behavior in many. He'd grown up with it, but fought his way to the relative safety of high-ranking Dai Li agent and Central Ring resident. As he gained the power to act, he'd put a stop to the worst abuses, but concluded over time that the only way to still the fear was by silencing voices that continued to speak of the war and all its horror. Rewriting memories, instilling devotion and optimism in place of rage and war mongering, was far kinder than the violent methods used by his predecessor.

Those methods had been authorized by Kuei's father, who'd been known to come watch the bloody interrogations. The day he brought his tiny heir with him , Long Feng had known it was time he acted. The horrible man died soon after. Long Feng gained control of the little king's upbringing and training, over time taking charge of the Dai Li as his superiors retired, some more permanently than others. They never had understood the scope of his modification theories. Having secured his position and shielded the king from corruption, he used them to cleanse the city. The Dai Li didn't torture. Vices men were unwilling to suppress were managed with laws and oversight to protect those involved in the unsavory work. The king had grown to be a decent young man with enough sense to leave the details of rule in Long Feng's capable hands.

Now the Avatar wanted to bring the violence back to his city. Did the brat not see the Fire Nation outpost nearby? Did he really think they had troops to spare on his whim? They nearly took the city once already. If that man's son weren't killed we all might have died! He gritted his teeth. At best we'd be an enormous Fire Nation work camp, any surviving earth benders enslaved on factory boats on the lake while the rest suffer the attentions of their new overlords.

Which would break the many who'd already suffered them once. Signalling his aide, he told him to send for the children's Joo Dee to deal with them. He was becoming hungry. No doubt they were as well. Perhaps she could persuade them to go eat something. He turned back to his reports.

There had been a burst of activity at the Fire Nation base when their princess had arrived. The massive drill, new equipment, proved what he'd suspected all along: the Fire Nation was preparing another attack on Ba Sing Se and had no intentions of wasting two more years trying to take it. In her arrogance, Princess Azula had given the game away. This report outlined what his engineers had learned so far by studying the wrecked drill. The Avatar's group had a knack for finding weak points, they conceded. They didn't have an easy time, though. If the enemy had come in force, with several of those drills, their efforts would have been meaningless.

"The Avatar saved the city!" some of the stupider witnesses claimed, but the girl would never have commandeered that prototype if he and the others hadn't come to Ba Sing Se. Maybe we do owe him something. We've got the ruined drill to study. By the time the attack comes, maybe we'll have found ways to destroy them that don't involve fighting our way inside.

Joo Dee slipped in, gaining Long Feng's attention with a discreet little cough. "The young Avatar and his companions don't wish to leave in case they miss you, Grand Secretariat. I have explained that you have many obligations and may not have time to see them. Although I told the children they might wish to make an appointment they prefer to wait."

Long Feng massaged his temples. "Of course they do. I was planning to eat in my office today. Tell my aide to make it five orders from the usual place. The Avatar's meal should be meatless.

"As you wish, Grand Secretariat", she replied, bowing herself out. An image of the wretched, suicidal girl she'd once been flashed in his memory and he shut his eyes to will away the past. She serves Ba Sing Se. She's safe and contented. The war will not get a chance to shatter her again, whatever the Avatar might desire.

At about the same time the food arrived, so did a harried looking messenger. Naturally, he thought. How often do I eat my lunch hot? "Yes?"

The Avatar's group started to rise as the messenger and Long Feng strode past them. "Sit down", he ordered, not even pausing. "Someone should get to eat their food hot!"

"Maybe we can help?" Aang called after him, but it was halfhearted and his voice seemed to fade. Katara gave his arm an encouraging pat but it was Joo Dee he looked at, seated on the bench opposite theirs. "What's going on?"

"I know as much as you do, Avatar Aang", the creepy woman said, smiling as always. "Long Feng is an important man with many demands on his time."

"Right", Toph said, blowing the bangs away from her face loudly before shoving an entire dumpling into her mouth. The look on Joo Dee's face almost made Katara giggle. She held it down with an effort. They were trying not to annoy the authorities today.