Opal's Bedroom, Fire Nation Palace
The gentle-spirited daughter of Suyin sat on her crimson bed sifting through photographs from her morning out with Jiexue and Ikki while they were off playing airball with Kang and Meelo when Huifan came running in in a frenzy. "OPAL! How- how did you know if a boy likes you?" the older girl asked leaping onto Opal's bed. Opal used her airbending to save the photos from getting crumpled just as the earthbender landed on the covers.
"Fa-Ni! Be careful! You could have torn something!" Opal scolded gathering up all of the polaroids into a pile.
"Sorry," Huifan apologized.
Opal stowed the photographs away in the bedside table and gave her full attention to Huifan, anticipating a very unusual, if not interesting conversation coming. "But to answer your question, it depends. I mean, every boy is different. Bolin was kind of easy because he is very… straight forward. He doesn't really have a filter when it comes to who he likes and used a TON of cheesy pick up lines."
"UGH!" Huifan growled in frustration. "That doesn't help me!"
"Why? Is that one fire boy flirting with you?" Opal asked with a smirk.
"Well, that's the thing… I can't tell! He is the only person I have EVER met that is able to sneak up on me. I was really suspicious at first because I thought only earthbenders could cancel out their own heartbeats, but Masaru and Izumi trust him so, so I kind of gave him the benefit of the doubt. Then he began telling me this long story about some guy who supposedly taught himself how to airbend from some books by Avatar Aang and General Iroh but then told me that he wanted to give me a gift and so we went to his study and-"
"WAIT BACK UP!" Opal yelled. "He wanted to give you a gift and you essentially accepted it WITHOUT knowing what it is AND went with him to his study?! Did you even have an escort?"
"No, but I figured I could take him if he tried anything fishy since I kinda have managed to beat everyone I've ever encountered including a jerk-ass bloodbender."
"Fair enough. Wait. This is Taemon right? But I thought that said he wasn't allowed to court a Beifong! He said so himself! Because his adopted father is a Beifong and-"
"I guess they made an exception because he is not a blood Beifong so it is technically not incest? I don't know! They say we don't get to choose who we love, so maybe they lifted that rule about not courting a Beifong specifically for him."
"Do you think it's love?"
"I don't know I only just met him! That's why I was asking if you knew any clues, like how to tell…"
"But before we get to that, let me just get this straight, YOU WENT TO HIS STUDY? Were you alone?"
"Well his handler was in the laboratory, so we weren't completely alone, and I didn't go in. I just stayed in the hall and he brought things to me."
"His 'handler'?"
"The Fire Lord has a handler assigned to each of her children now that they're no longer all living under her roof full time. They keep her informed on her children's activities."
"So she's spying on them? Hm… Even my mom never did that…"
"Maybe she does have Dai Li Agents on you but just hasn't told you. Anyways, do YOU think Taemon likes me?" Huifan asked, eagerly uncapping the water skin and bending the water out it, shocking Opal.
"How should I know? I haven't even seen you guys interact AT ALL! And you've only spoken to him like what, twice?"
"But he gave me a gift!" Huifan said bending the water around herself and then back into the skein.
"That doesn't mean anything other than he's generous!" Opal said swatting the bag away. "You're acting like a child whose hair just got pulled by some kid on a playground!"
"Hey!"
Just then Xiaoyu ran in positively beaming.
"Good, you're both here!" she exclaimed sitting on Opal's bed.
"Where's Jinora?" Opal asked, surprised.
"I only just got rid of her…"
"Rid of her? But I thought she was your favorite sister!" Opal asked puzzled by Xiaoyu's announcement.
"We sort of had a falling out in the library earlier. See, all of the filing in the Air Nomad Section has been recorded in some ancient script that neither of us could read, but then Kohaku showed up and was helping us and then suddenly she got all suspicious of him for some reason, thinking he was going to set everything on fire because he was raising the temperature of the area, but I didn't feel it. I told her if she didn't want to stay, she could just go to another section of the library but she didn't want to leave me with Kohaku was just being incredibly rude and he really is a nice and extremely knowledgeable guy and so while we were on our way back here, I made her go hang out with Kang and Meelo."
"And she went willingly? Why?" Opal asked.
"Because I threatened to ask Kohaku send his Amber League after her if she didn't listen to me…" Xiaoyu replied with a mischievous grin.
"YOU did WHAT? Seriously? Sweet little Xiaoyi exploiting the Fire Lord's personal secret police to get rid of her little sister for an hour at most, probably?" Huifan asked.
"I needed to ask Opal some very important questions since she is the most experienced out of all of us with… courting..." Xiaoyu explained.
"Now that I think of it, you know Jinora does have a boyfriend. Kai? Remember him?" Opal reminded her.
"But they're just children. You're twenty-one. I trust your judgement a whole lot more than a fourteen-year-old's."
"Fair enough," Opal shrugged.
"WAIT KOHAKU? Isn't he one of the- did a fire boy hit on you TOO?" Opal asked clapping her hands over her mouth.
"TOO?" Xiaoyu turned to Huifan who was also grinning.
"Taemon taught me how to waterbend using metals that naturally occurs in all water at varying concentrations," Huifan said opening the skein and showing off her new ability.
"Well I don't know how fire boys operate since I've only ever dated Bolin and he's so… easy," Opal said. "But you know who might be able to help you?" Opal asked with a smirk.
"KORRA!" they all yelled at the same time.
"All we need is a radio!" Huifan said.
"And the direct line to the Sato Mansion, unless we want to be on hold for days with a secretary who may or may believe we're friends of the the CEO of Sato Industries and not pass on our call." Opal added.
"Do you know it?" Xiaoyu asked Huifan.
"No, but you know who might?" Huifan asked. "A member of the Amber League!"
"They're not going to help us!" Xiaoyu exclaimed elbowing Huifan. "And we can't ask Taemon OR Kohaku, because you KNOW they will insist on hanging around for the conversation!"
"Wait! But aren't Aunt Lin and Uncle Saru co-owners of Earthen Fire Refineries? Maybe they have a direct line to the CEO of one of their biggest clients, Future Industries!"
"But we can't ask Ma, she'll probably shut it down AND make fun of us."
"We can try Uncle Saru."
"I don't know, we don't really know him that well and."
"I say it never hurts to ask!"
"Alright, but how do we find him?"
"That we can probably ask the Amber League for help with then he can get rid of them. They're supposed to know where everyone is in the Palace at all times."
"Alright!"
In a flurry they left Opal's room, hoping to find their rather mysterious uncle. They had only met him on a couple occasions; but from what they've seen, he was a man with many resources including command of the Amber League and ownership of the sole metal provider for Future Industries. If anyone could connect them to Asami Sato, it would be Masaru Lee.
Radio Room, Fire Nation Palace
They approached a palace guard. "Excuse us, do you know how to differentiate a member of the Amber League from a member of the Imperial Guard?" Huifan asked the man in the fancy armor.
"You don't need to. The Amber League will come to you. A member knows when he is needed," a man in a nobleman's clothing said, striding down the hall towards the three Beifong girls.
"I swear these harrowed halls have ears." Opal whispered.
"They might as well," the man chuckled. "We're simply dispersed fairly uniformly throughout the palace and have an extensive communication network and method to quickly transport information."
The girls raised their eyebrows and exchanged glances.
"My name is Hiryur, how may I be of service to you?"
"We were looking for our uncle, Masaru Lee. We had a few questions for him," Huifan answered.
"He is with the Fire Lord right now, but is not needed for the current case. If you will come with me, I am sure he will be glad to see you," Hiryur said, leading them to the throne room. "If you will just wait here."
The member of the Amber League had the clearance and authority waltz right into the closed session.
"What do you need?" Izumi asked looking up from the documents.
"Only Masaru, My Lord," Hiryur replied. Izumi waved for him to go. "Sir, three of your nieces would like to speak with you." Hiryur said, gesturing to the teens as the two exited to the hall.
"Opal, Huifan, Xiaoyu," Masaru nodded. "How have you been?"
"Um…" they glanced at each other nervously.
"Talking?" Opal answered.
"Ah, I see," Masaru nodded.
"It's a closed session? Did something happen?" Huifan asked.
"Nothing you need to worry about. Only Izumi," Masaru sighed looking back at the heavy curtains that covered the entrance to the Throne Room. "Hiryur said you needed to see me?"
"Right, we were just wondering if you had access to a radio room and possibly a direct line to Asami Sato Of Future Industries," Huifan answered.
He thought for a moment about which secretary he'd need for the direct line to Future Industries CEO. He knew where the radio room was in the palace.
"Hiryur, could you have Satoko Arakawa fetch the line number to Asami Sato Of Future Industries?
"Office or home?"
"See, it's two-thirty in the afternoon now so it should be about seven-thirty in Republic City; she should be home, now," Masaru said to Hiryur.
"Yes sir,"
"I'll meet you in the Radio Room, if you will follow me, girls?" Masaru said leading them away.
By the time they got to the radio room a woman stood there waiting for them. Her dark brown hair hung in gentle waves down her back and she wore no sleeves. When she held out her arm, they saw she had no hands. She waterbent ink out of a bag on her waist band and wrote on her arm
Hiryur received another assignment and sent me.
Direct line: Asami Sato, Future Industries - 19-39-249-1324-9
"Thank you Sunako," Masaru said.
The woman nodded and then began to leave.
"Oh wait, could you stay with them, in case they need assistance getting back to the family?" Masaru asked.
She nodded again and returned to her former waiting place, by the window, where she could keep an eye on palace activities.
"Sunako, are you another member of the Amber League?" Huifan asked while the phone rang.
"She doesn't speak. She lost her tongue and her hands in a tragic accident years ago," Masaru informed the girls. Sunako looked down with a sadness about her, but no anger. It was in her line of duty to do and give whatever was necessary for her country.
"That's. I'm sorry to hear that," Huifan said looking at Sunako. She looked up at the metalbender and held out her handless arms and bent the ink into different characters.
I'm okay. My charge is safe and free, and so I am happy.
"That is good," Huifan nodded.
"Sato Residence," the butler's voice came over the phone.
"This is Masaru Lee of Earthen Fire Refineries, may we speak with the Lady Asami Sato?"
"I shall fetch her now," the butler responded.
"Asami Sato, Future Industries, you wished to speak with me, Mister Lee?"
"Actually, my nieces. I believe you are familiar with Huifan, Xiaoyu, and Opal," Masaru said.
"Your- nieces? Oh! Right! You're Lin's brother! Forgive me! I am still not used to this whole thing," Asami said apologetically.
"Don't worry, we're still adjusting as well. I have a feeling this conversation will not be needing me, so I am going to return to the Throne room and leave you girls to it, is that okay?"
"Of course!"
"Yeah!"
"Sure!"
"Thanks Uncle Saru!"
"Any time, girls," Masaru said, waving before leaving the room.
"Is Korra also home?" Huifan asked.
"Why?" Asami asked.
"We need all of the expertise we can get on how to tell if a fire boy has a crush on a certain somebody?" Xiaoyu explained.
"Yes, how did you and Korra find out that Mako liked you?" Opal asked.
"Wait- Who asked who? Why do you need to know?" Asami asked.
"I heard my name," Korra's voice came across the phone.
"Well this one guy, Kohaku was hitting up Xiaoyu in the library,"
"He was not hitting me up, he was just telling me stories and helping us navigate the Fire Nation's archaic archival system! At least he didn't give me gifts like Taemon did to Huifan!"
"What? Huifan got a gift from somebody?"
"On their second meeting!"
"It is literally just a sack of special water!"
"Healing water?"
"Metallic water."
"Wait- That's a thing?" Korra asked.
"Yeah!"
Sunako looked up, eyes wide, in horror, anger, then determination.
She bent water into characters on the table before the girls.
Hiryur will return in a few minutes. I have to go.
The three girls watched her flee down the steps.
"Is everything alright?" Korra asked.
"Yeah, sorry, our…handler just left," Opal replied.
"But another is coming soon. So where were we?" Xiaoyu asked.
"Well we were talking about how Mako was kind of an idiot," Asami said before giggling with Korra.
Huifan, Xiaoyu, and Opal all laughed.
A/N
I have a love-hate relationship with Taemon and Tetsu. Tatsuya is hot (and identical to Tetsu) but he doesn't have much personality. He just likes to get into fights in his free time. (BTW, nadia_dibaj on Instagram drew twin Lotors (from VLD) wearing Fire Nation Clothes at my request and I am in absolutely in love with the drawing). Fan art for this story can also be found on my art account on IG jensaaart.
