Well, I dare say that I'm hitting my groove when it comes to writing again. Enjoy this new chapter!
I used to think the sum of one plus one, was two/
But we add up to more, me and you/
I don't know how to say the things I'm thinking of/
But this something more we're feeling must be love/
There Must Be Something More, sung by Pamelyn Ferdin, from the 1973 animated movie Charlotte's Web.
"You are the town and We are the clock.
We are the guardians of the gate in the rock. The Two.
On your left and on your right,
In the day and in the night,
We are watching you."
The Witnesses by William Auden, 1932.
The summer day was a breezy one, and Hong was grateful for the relief the drafts provided as he laid flat on the gold painted, terra-cotta tiled roof of an Upper Ring house, facing the complimentary one that the Avatar and his friends had been given at an angle. His hat provided welcome shade too, its dyed ostrich-horse tail plumes and trio of peacock feathers caressing his nape and shoulders.
A few feet at his right lay the flattened form of his patrol partner, Guozhi Wang, mint green eyes intently gazing from his slightly ruddy face. Like Hong, he was currently every bit as focused and vigilant as a leopard waiting for an impala-blackbuck to come within striking range.
It was a hard attitude to maintain right now though. The Avatar and his pals were willing to bide their time when it came to the promise (a false promise, Hong knew) of an audience with King Kuei-for now, at least-and were more or less being on their best behavior, just going about their lives.
His more typical patrol shifts on the streets, what with the potential of having to chase down, snatch, and apprehend criminals, help out someone in difficulties-or Wu Sheng forbid, suddenly being attacked by one or more hooligans that were rather too zealous to either make their voices heard about the existence of the conspiracy to muffle the war, or just plain lash out at a Dai Li agent and everything they stood for-were far more exciting any day.
So far, the only events of note for the day had been the Water Tribe girl taking that adorable flying lemur outside to go potty, a runaway ostrich horse hauling butt down the street with its groom and a few other people uselessly running in its wake and yelling for it to stop, an Upper Ring noble's boy and his servant taking his dog for a walk, and a pair of crows taking it in turn to dive at a passing sting-hawk, which would thinly yelp and roll onto its back in midair in response, brandishing its venomous talons to ward its persecutors off. Not exactly report-worthy material.
Then he heard a pair of light, female voices near the door, from which Katara emerged, holding it open and waiting until the blind earthbender girl had come out as well before shutting it behind them.
As they turned off to the right, chattering and grinning, Guozhi exchanged a silent glance with Hong.
Looks like they're leaving. Think we should follow them?
Hong was thoughtful before meeting his partner's gaze again.
"They're probably just going for another walk again, or maybe to eat lunch someplace," he lightly whispered. "They don't seem to be emboldened to talk unless the Avatar is with them."
Guozhi grunted in agreement.
"Still," he decided in a tone of voice that was fainter than the sound of a snake slithering through moist grass, "I'm going to trail them to the edge of this district to be certain. Be back later, Farm Boy."
Robes billowed in the breeze as his partner backed down the roof, and then lightly swung to the ground before pacing in the same direction as Toph and Katara on a parallel course, keeping a row of houses between him and them. Hong settled back in and went silent again to continue their vigil.
Forty more minutes crept by as magpie-starlings probed in the grass and jumped from branch to branch. Then Hong just managed to detect new footsteps approaching the door from within, saw the handle moving.
Get ready to move, he told himself. They're both coming out.
But when the Avatar stepped out with his Water Tribe friend-what was his name again? Socks maybe? So-kah?-each youth holding a cup of some sort of juice and a little plate of coconut butter cookies, the flying lemur gliding after, Hong saw that the duo was in no hurry to be going anywhere, just taking in the fresh summer air.
As both boys sat down together on a step, the flying lemur jumped to the Water Tribe teen's shoulder, where it then began to pick through his hair for lice and dandruff.
In response, the darker boy snapped out some oath of irritation and lightly shoved the animal back, which then retaliated by jumping on the guy's head several times as the Avatar laughed.
Like the impact of a pushed boulder to the chest, it struck Hong once more just how young this Avatar Aang was. Twelve years old, most likely, at best maybe a few months younger than a thirteen-year-old, newly recruited Hong had been himself when he'd first started his training to become one of the elite police.
That had been both physically and mentally taxing, make no mistake, with Hong having to spend years in classrooms, gyms, and training rooms for combat alike, under the tutelage of instructors who often seldom made allowances for their students. And then there had been the apprenticeship work in the field under an experienced agent.
Perhaps the most ghastly part of the business had been when he'd found himself, as a 19-year-old trainee, having to face what counted as a "final exam" for a prospective agent-nine terrible minutes in a green-lit room beneath Lake Laogai in full uniform, where the idea was to not just defend himself, but actively fight back, all on his own, against three successive pairs of experienced agents trying to pound the schist out of him with their earthbending.
Blood had trickled at the end, from Hong and his designated assailants alike, and everything had throbbed-but he'd proved once more that when it came to holding one's own, not many people in Ba Sing Se could match a Lower Ring kid like him.
His teachers and mentors among the Dai Li were a practical bunch though, who had both the good sense and centuries of tradition behind them to realize that first a trainee had to be taught to walk before you spurred them to run, as it were.
The Avatar however, was being forced by the entire world to sprint before he could even really get back to his feet, in a world that was so much more different, more complex, than when he'd last laid eyes on it a century ago.
And infinitely more dangerous.
Hong softly sighed in a degree of pity as he watched the two boys chat and eat. He did not envy Avatar Aang, having to play this awful game, with so much catching up to do.
Almost casually, the Water Tribe youth raised his gaze to the rooftops as he sucked at his juice, and Hong quietly pressed himself against the saffron tiles even more tightly as he delicately back-crawled a slight distance. He understood the casual sweep of those blue eyes was deceptive.
He knew that the agents were out there, watching, and probably not very far away either.
Perhaps that was another reason the foursome was behaving as normally as possible for the time being, not rocking the boat.
They're all so damn young, Hong thought.
In some ways, that could actually work in their favor. When you weren't old enough yet to have an understanding of what you couldn't accomplish, sometimes you could end up breaking the mold in a big way. Their destruction of the Fire Nation's diabolical drill was an incredible case in point.
He had to admit, however grudgingly, the city owed them big for that.
At the same time though…
The Dai Li's sphere of direct knowledge and influence didn't extend much farther then the buffer lands stretching away from the Outer Wall. That didn't change the fact though, that Hong, Guozhi, and their fellow agents were very good at keeping their ears to the ground, at piecing together assorted scraps of information from refugees and travelers.
How much of those were actual fact, and how much was only meaningless, shifting rumor was hard to know for certain, obviously.
Either way though, there was no doubt that Fire Lord Ozai would dearly love to conquer Ba Sing Se if he could, and was a terrible, terrifying man in every sense those words could be used.
Despite his high respect for the Grand Secretariat, Hong doubted that even Long Feng-a winner of fourteen "first blood" earthbending duels and three duels to the death against both rivals and especially difficult underlings in his lengthy career-could manage to defeat the man in battle.
And almost as concerning, there was no telling what both his children might be up to at the moment-or where they were doing it, for that matter. Indeed, some whispered that even now, the daughter was right on the city-state's doorsteps.
Gods, that would be just what they needed.
And Aang was supposed to wage war against the likes of him? Lay the Fire Lord low? Might as well expect a fox-antelope to have a chance against an armadillo lion.
That was unfair beyond words-downright sick really.
Hong lightly sighed again before incrementally moving a bit higher on the roof.
He'd not only seen, but helped to feed and water Aang's volatile, justifiably irate flying bison during some of his shifts. There was a major part of him that was tempted to just cut the creature loose next time he got the chance, no matter what consequences he might face, and they could all be rid of the Avatar and friends.
Except for the fact that he seemed awfully dang determined to squeal about the war to His Majesty first.
Maybe, in the long run, it was better this way, even for the tattooed boy laughing in front of him, even if he didn't understand or appreciate it.
Behind these walls, the Avatar and his friends were in the safest place that they could be. Thousands of years of history backed that up too-even Chin The Conqueror, with squadrons of earthbenders at his command, hadn't been able to tear the walls down during his assault. And during the great siege, even though General Iroh and his troops had managed to seize part of the Agarian Zone near its end, there had never been any serious shortages of food or water. Highly reassuring facts to consider.
And the Dai Li helped to keep it that way, safe and orderly-even if they needed to do some unpleasant things at times.
He thought of the people close to him, that were able to live out their days in untroubled, stable security, thanks in part to his efforts. His parents. His four siblings. His friends.
And now Rajata. Beautiful, brown-skinned Rajata with her sweet and demure, yet confident nature, dazzling smile, and soulful kohl-lined eyes.
But how for long can we maintain that security? Especially with the arrival of Sozin's Comet bearing down on us? And an immense Fire Nation drill already having bored right through the Outer Wall?!
The boys had finished their snack now, and were going back into the house.
Hong allowed his focus to shift back to the picnic date he was intending to have with Rajata under the setting sun after this shift was over, and the few things she'd asked for.
Yes, he was going to bring a bottle of good, top-notch rice wine along for sure.
Spirits knew he needed a glass or two.
Within two minutes of settling down onto a simple wooden chair in her new favorite tea shop, Rajata saw Mushi's distinctive squat figure striding towards her.
"Ni hao Rajata. A cup or two of oolong tea again today?" he genially asked.
"Good to see you again Mushi," she affectionately smiled. "No, not right now. But I would like a packet of the dry leaves-enough to make tea for two," she said with slight mirth.
Mushi gave a knowing, satisfied smile before he said, "I take it there's a romantic picnic in your near future then? It certainly explains why you're looking so lovely today. Not that you don't look lovely every time I see you," he hastily added.
She gave him a pleased, flattered smile before nodding. A new application of oil in her newly braided hair, a dandelion blossom tucked into each of said braid's central slits, a turmeric powder and honey face mask treatment, a pair of amethyst earrings, a simple silver nose ring with a crystal of peridot, painted nails, and a pressed green and gold cotton robe all made her feel almost as beautiful as any noble lady, and it was gratifying that others noticed. She just hoped Hong would enjoy the look too.
"First though, he has to show up. That's rather important, since he's also bringing most of the food and drink," she grinned.
"I'm sure he'll be along shortly," Mushi assured her. "In the meantime, what is a picnic without the joy of a pot of good tea? I'll go measure out enough oolong leaves to satisfy a happy couple," he told her with a wink before turning away, his comment making her half-bashfully giggle.
"I'd also like a glass of water, please."
"My pleasure."
She took both the carefully wrapped packet of oolong and the pottery cup of water from Mushi when he returned a few minutes later, and idly sipped at the latter as she watched the other patrons, patiently awaiting Hong's arrival.
The appointed time came, then went. No Hong Yan.
Rajata began to feel equal parts impatient and uneasy, shifting on her wooden seat as the minutes crept by. What was keeping him?
She had the impression that the Dai Li were not the tardy type.
Perhaps he'd been required to work additional time. Maybe there had been some sort of emergency among the Dai Li which required extra manpower to handle. Maybe he'd been called to a sudden meeting.
If so, she hoped Hong had had both the time and the decency to send a messenger her way, so that she wouldn't be stuck waiting at this table for what could be hours.
Or just perhaps, something-unfortunate-had befallen him? She inwardly shuddered at the thought, her insides churning even as a big part of her was dumbfounded that she already, actually cared that deeply about one of the most unpopular men in this city.
No. No, he was merely delayed for a perfectly valid reason.
Helping to keep Ba Sing Se and everything in it secure and orderly had to be a demanding task, with long, unpredictable hours just being part of life for a Dai Li.
At last, while her attention was half-focused on the golden eyed teenager (she had an intuitive sense that this Lee didn't care to be stared at) as he took another couple's order, Rajata heard the delightful sound she'd been waiting for, of stone shoes knocking against the floor.
Other customers went as tensely alert as a wary herd of deer-goats, breaking off their conversations. But Rajata couldn't have been happier to see Agent Yan show up here.
"Hong!" she cried in gladness as she turned to face him. "Where have you been?"
He was dressed for the occasion in a grass green, short-sleeved linen vest with strap buttons and cinnamon brown borders, over a pale green undershirt and pair of loose tan pants. He gripped the handle of a squarish wicker picnic basket in one bare hand, and the other held the neck of a hemp bag which seemed to encompass both the rounded form of a teapot and the long-necked shape of a bottle of sake.
"Spirits forgive me, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting Rajata," he panted as he strode up to the table and carefully placed his burdens in front of her. "We had a departmental meeting called out of nowhere on us, and while it didn't last as long as many do, thankfully, it still went on for over forty-five min-"
"It's okay," she assured him. "You're here now, there's still plenty of time left to enjoy the sunset-and most importantly, you've shown up with the snacks!"
"I see that you already have the tea leaves ready to go," he remarked. "Paid for them yet?"
She shook her head.
"Didn't see the point until you'd gotten here. I do have the plug for the pipe though, like I promised."
"Well, I'm sure the tobacco or whatever you've brought will be good, and I'm happy to go pay Mushi for the leaves."
As if he'd been an actor waiting on cue, the voice of their favorite tea server amiably redirected their attention. "I was starting to wonder if you'd ever be making an appearance, Xiansheng Yan!"
Rajata turned her head to glance at the kindly waiter, his bronze-gold eyes shining with merriment.
"I had some unexpected business to deal with, but I still made it," Hong told him as he dug in a pocket of his vest for coins. "I know what the price is already, so there's no need to tell me," he added as he exchanged them with the elderly brewer.
"And a good thing too. You don't want to leave a lady like this alone for too long," Mushi playfully chided Hong with a wink. "You never know who might come and try to steal her away!"
Both she and Hong couldn't help but blush as they shared quick glances.
"Not to worry Mushi," she replied with a light grin. "I won't be letting another guy lure me away anytime soon."
Hong gave her a pleased smile.
So did Mushi before he nodded and walked off-but as he did so, Rajata heard him shamelessly, knowingly start to teasingly sing a snatch of verse, a little performance that she knew was meant as much for their ears as his own.
"And they kiss so sweet, that you've really got to meet-the girls from Ba Sing Se!"
Hong knew the terrain of the lands contained within the Lower Ring very well, but Rajata was also familiar with a good portion of it.
Now, as she carried the hemp bag with the teapot, cups, and sake bottle in one warm brown hand, and clutched his bare left one with the other, he let her eagerly leading him to what she'd said was one of her favorite spots to just "take in the view."
He recognized the hill himself as they drew closer, nice and tall with a great ash tree rearing at its top. But when he and Rajata made their way to the top, Hong now being the one to lead, they were both stopped short by a curious discovery.
"Someone's put a funerary shrine up here," Rajata commented as she lowered her gaze to better consider the little stone altar, with burnt down incense sticks, its offerings of fruit now half-eaten by birds and rodents.
He nodded thoughtfully, considering the image on the flattened paper. A Fire Nation man, portrayed in full military dress. The realization made Hong tense, and in a flash, switch into that state of vigilance he and other Dai Li agents spent a great deal of their lives in, whether on duty or off. He gripped Rajata's hand a little tighter.
"General Iroh," she began, reading the characters by the image, "I will see you again when victory is obtained. Your loyal son, Lu Ten."
Hong lightly sucked in air through his teeth and felt his eyes slightly widen as he too, silently read off the words, his breath catching in his throat. He knew not only the names, but far more about both these supreme commanders of the Fire Nation's forces than he ever would've liked.
"Who's General Iroh?" Rajata asked as she stood erect once more and turned her baffled gaze to him.
You don't want to know my lady, and I truly can't tell you.
"Must be one of our city's military officers," she concluded in the next instant as she glanced back at the shrine, much to Hong's brief relief-but he was guarded once again as she inquired, "Have you ever met him before, Hong? Just wondering," she added, with a tinge of wariness to her voice.
"Military matters and contacts are classified subjects, Rajata," he told her crisply. "Ask me no questions, and I'll tell you no lies, as the saying goes."
She frowned in disappointment, but lightly nodded in understanding. He knew that she knew she'd started to cross a dangerous line, and was wisely stepping back.
"Anyway, it looks like this Lu Ten-his son-didn't get to complete his victory in the end. Whatever it was supposed to be. He must've fallen in battle-against some gang of punk bandits here in the Agarian Zone, I'm guessing," she concluded, with a denouncing shake of her head. "That's the only possibility, really."
Yes, he fell in battle all right Rajata-and even though it's been several years since then, you'll never know how many times I still bow in thankful praise to both the Earth Goddess and Lady Kyoshi that Lu Ten failed in his goal and that his utterly crushed father simply gave up on his mission of conquest instead of tearing into us in a spasm of revenge.
And now it looked like a ghost from that time of the Great Siege had drifted back, somehow, to haunt them.
Of course, all he could give back to the woman beside him in response was a knowing nod as he gravely replied in agreement, "Some of those roving gangs of bandits are no joke, and they've gotten the better of even experienced soldiers more then once, believe me. Even I wouldn't want to tangle with a bunch of them if I could ever help it."
"You and me both. I've heard all sorts of chilling stories about their attacks."
What did this memorial imply for the security of Ba Sing Se? Was it a part of a bigger puzzle? Should he add, multiply, take a leap of logic-and if so, exactly how?
Obviously, being dead and everything, Lu Ten himself posed no threat to either them or the harmony of the city. What worried Hong was the awareness that someone living had to have created and placed this altar up here-someone who could only be from the Fire Nation themselves, come to pay tribute to their fallen loved one-or former commander.
And common sense told him that the person who left this tribute memorial to the former prince must've fought alongside him, been under his leadership, been his brother (or maybe sister)-in-arms for at least some period of time during that seemingly endless siege.
This meant they had at least one Fire Nation military infiltrator among them now-or more. Awesome.
With the way things are going in this city right now, they'll be a firebender at that too.
Rajata frowned. "Is something wrong?"
"Perhaps," Hong casually replied as he reflexively scanned the surroundings from their vantage point. "I don't know."
"Well, I don't see anyone else around..."
And indeed, whoever had made this altar was long gone, and he began to relax to some degree. Besides, any firebender that wanted to stay hidden in plain sight and whole in both their body and mind wasn't going to cause a fiery ruckus if it could be helped-and Hou-Tu knew that the Dai Li had "reeducated" more than a few deserters from the Fire Nation army who'd been...careless with their tempers. Or speech.
All the same, the thought couldn't help but make Hong remain more than a little edgy. Spies were a constant, well-founded concern for the Council of Five and the Dai Li captains alike.
Rajata knew nothing of the war of course, nothing of the terrible 600 days when the Fire Nation had been laying siege to the city, of firebending or what it could so pitilessly do to living flesh. Neither did she know that she was looking at the image of a Fire Nation man.
But she recognized that his sudden, measured unease had something to do with the shrine, and her puzzled brown gaze met his as she asked, "Is being around this memorial making you nervous?" Then a new thought seemed to strike her. "You probably have to go and report something like this to your captain or whomever right away now, huh? Being a Dai Li agent and everything."
Hong had already thought of doing just that. Yes, he should be informing one of his superiors immediately about this find. But as he saw Rajata's features become increasingly downcast, he found himself unable to follow protocol. That meeting among the Surveillance Division had already eroded enough of their time away.
Besides, this was a ceremonial altar, for Hou-Tu's sake, a reverent memorial to just one of far too many men who'd died on both sides of the conflict. Hong suddenly felt a confusing stab of pity for the Fire Nation prince as he regarded his likeness on the paper, lying in the ground someplace around here without any proper funeral rites, so far from home…
He lightly shook his head as he turned away. "Not today. Some other agent is perfectly free to go report it himself if they want. Besides, I'm not going to risk aggravating the spirits or even the gods by meddling with a dead man's shrine, however minor," he added as he walked down the grassy slope.
"Sensible choice," Rajata agreed. "I wouldn't either, not when it comes to things like that. Indeed, I even make the odd prayer or offering at times to gods and goddesses that I don't normally 'recognize,' -like Bao Shen, your god of medicine- just in case I might need their favor one day."
"There's certainly something to be said for practicing spiritual prudence."
Just three hundred yards away was another, shorter hill, speckled with beautiful summer flowers. At its top, Hong lowered his hands and pulled two thin, angled slabs from the bedrock below the hill's base to serve as backrests.
Next, he gently parted a small section of soil with movements of his fingers, almost like he was swimming, wrinkling back the very sod to form a shallow depression about the size of a large serving bowl. Their fire pit.
Clearly served well by years of experience, Rajata knew just what type of sticks to gather in a little patch of woodland close by as Hong laid out a pineapple yellow cotton blanket. The perfect amount to make and maintain a small fire, which he lit ablaze with a pair of spark rocks before filling the teapot with both water and leaves, and suspending it over the flames.
After he'd gotten the fire going, Rajata evidently seemed to think nothing of the fact that Hong not only ceased to concern himself with adding fuel to the fire as needed, checking on the progress of the boiling tea leaves, or even making sure that the fire didn't break out of its pit, but actually made an effort to never look at the dancing flames if he could help it. He figured she probably dismissed it as a matter of Hong simply having his own tasks to do before they could eat, after all-and besides, women like her had been responsible for tending cooking fires since the world began.
In the meantime, he opened the basket and offered the fruits of his personal cook's labors to his date, wrapped in parchment paper or contained in little wooden boxes. Flaky pastries filled with turkey-duck and shredded radish. Egg rolls. Steamed pigeon-chicken bao. Tea eggs. Char Sui pork. Rice balls, of course. Steamed pea pods. Tangerines. Lemon shrimp. A bag of unshelled almonds.
Then, side by side, they each placed their braid over the back of their resting slab and casually laid back as they ate, alternately nursing at a cup of either the freshly brewed oolong or the huangjiu, the alcohol giving Hong a pleasant buzz that occasionally made him witlessly grin or giggle.
At some early point after they'd settled in, Hong was aware of Rajata daring to shuffle closer to him, affectionately taking his hand for a few moments and gently leaning into his side as they watched the sun descend into a horizon that was now glowing with reds and oranges, and ate from their wooden bowls.
It gave Hong a triumphant, exhilarating thrill, and he found himself quite willing to respond by applying pressure back. He half-saw Rajata give a content smile from the tail of his eye as she slipped her right foot out of her sandal and began to run it up and down his shin. Even her feet were shapely and beautiful.
They each pulled up a flat, little platform of stone out of the dirt at their outer sides, and then drew another, fist-sized amount of rock from the interior of the hill. They used these rocks as a makeshift hammer, bending them up and down with just the right amount of force to crack the shells of the almonds on their respective anvil stone.
Hong noticed that while he'd formed his cracking stone into a cruder version of a regulation glove in the name of both ease and force of habit, and was splitting the shells expertly, Rajata was just simply using the raw rock. She was also displaying somewhat less finesse, occasionally crushing the nut with too hard of a strike. Perhaps he should give her a pointer or two later.
"Surya vanishes in fire tonight," she remarked in spellbound awe as she chewed a mouthful of shrimp and took another swig of warm oolong tea. "What a beautiful sunset sky."
"Totally," he agreed. "Like a rainbow." He exhaled contentedly and grinned before he took another swallow of rice wine, letting the slug rest in his mouth for a bit to savor the taste before sucking it down. "Good as it gets, I'd say. Drinking yellow wine and killing time, kicking back in the summer sun."
"Especially with a really cute guy," Rajata added with a crafty smile, before she leaned over and kissed his cheek.
"And with an attractive, delightful girl," Hong replied as he turned and kissed her forehead, reaching around to stroke the smooth nape of her neck. She gave a charmed giggle as she leaned into the touch.
The sky became a deepening, blush-colored haze as the sun's disk receded from sight behind the Outer Wall, where a division of the Terra Team was probably starting their shift for the night. Hong knew that it would be setting on the vast, crumpled cylinder of the Fire Nation's boring machine too.
As the stars came out, glittering like jewels, and after they'd had their fill of food and drinks-including the entire pot of tea-they shared puffs on his long pipe as they chatted about trivial things. Rajata knew good tobacco when she found it, he decided.
For this moment in time at least, he could forget about the escalating war, about firebenders, about the comet, about what his superiors were putting into motion, about the brainwashing under Lake Laogai, about all of it.
He didn't need to have his psychology degree to know that when you got down to the bedrock, almost all that most people wanted from life was to have it be stable and ordinary. They simply wanted to not be stressed, own some nice things, know where their next meal was coming from-and to be left alone, if you please. They wanted little more than to sit down together at their tables to eat, hug the people they loved, go to their job or to school for the day, have a talk with their friends, enjoy the nice weather, gripe about the bad weather, try to tell a joke that might actually be clever, play with their children-and Hong suspected that was true for quite a few people in the Fire Nation as well.
With Rajata, he could be like one of those ordinary people for a while, indulge in these casual pleasures.
Eventually though, it was time to pack up and start for their respective homes. Carefully, Hong bent all signs of exposed rock back down into their original positions within the earth, snuffed the fire-with maybe a bit too much vigor-and replaced the peeled-back sod as best he could.
The summer night was a warm, beautiful one, and the dazzling, cold green flashes of fireflies flickered around them in the moonlit grass as they walked through the Agarian Lands to the nearest carriage depot.
There, Hong waved over a carriage, and once they'd boarded, the green, blinking lights of the fireflies slowly gave way to those of glowstones in their lanterns and crystal holders as the ostrich horse was directed into the Lower Ring's slums, and then to the Chettiar house, while Rajata serenely rested in the crook of his strong right arm. There Hong once again had the driver stop at a respectful distance from Rajata's front doorstep as he helped her out.
Heedless of potential attackers, he embraced her short, warm body for several seconds as she affectionately did the same under the waxing moon, placing a kiss on her hairline before resting his chin in her hair. With great reluctance, he let his arms fall loose at last and backed away.
The moonlight made the dandelions in her braid seem to gleam like stars, and winked off of Rajata's nose ring as one of her hands stroked down one of his arms, the fingers of the other briefly meshing with those of his own.
Hong knew for certain then, in that moment, that he truly did love her. It was just one of those feelings that was above questioning.
"Thanks so much for the picnic," she told him as she used her bending to elevate herself to a point where she could comfortably kiss his cheek. "It was wonderful, and I enjoyed the rice wine too."
"My pleasure. And you picked out some great tea and tobacco for the occasion," he smiled.
"Glad you liked it. Any plans for when we can get together and enjoy some again?" she asked.
"I can't ever say for certain," he replied honestly. "Things among all our departments are well, quite busy and in flux right now," he shrugged. "Unfortunately, I have a night shift tomorrow, so the best I might be able to do is stop by and have a brief chat before you leave for the day, maybe have lunch close to where you work."
"Lunch sounds perfect to me."
Hong cocked his head as he glanced up at the stars, considering. "I think I can manage that. And not that they'd resist, but hopefully your parents are okay with you taking either part of-or even the entire day-off from your duties," he softly added, switching his gaze to where Ashwin and Madhuri were standing just behind the threshold of the door, meek yet anxious as they watched their daughter actually canoodling with an officer of the Dai Li, just thirty yards away.
Madhuri shot him a deferential smile, and her husband performed the namaste greeting on realizing Hong was glancing in their direction.
"I don't think that'll be a problem," Rajata playfully grinned as she also briefly turned to look back at the rest of her family. "I'll just tell them that Agent Hong Yan of the Dai Li has commanded me to take an extended lunch break!" she giggled.
He lightly laughed. Then, as an afterthought, he dug in a pocket of his tunic and pulled out a fistful of silver coins.
"Here," he told her as he handed them over. "For you. Spend them however you please."
"Wow, thank you so much. You're sure awfully good to me, Hong," Rajata smiled as she squeezed him again in delighted appreciation.
"Well, you're a lady who fully deserves it," he replied as he gently kissed her forehead.
They indulged in a few peaceful last moments of silence between them.
"Be seeing you later then, I guess," Rajata said at length, before bending her short platform back down into the street and turning away.
"Zai jian, Rajata," he replied fondly.
He watched her stride up to the door and warmly greet her parents, her siblings, as they all disappeared within and someone shut the door behind them.
As he got back into the carriage, the driver remarked, "I hope you don't mind me speaking about your relationship, guardian of culture and stability, but you and that sweet lady sure have something written in the stars between you. My advice about matters like that is, just go with the flow, and never think twice."
"Very much so," Hong found himself agreeing as he looked out of the nearest window at the winking points of light, lips curving upward in bliss.
Then he thought again of Sozin's Comet, and frowned.
Too bad that was written in the stars as well.
Xiansheng is the Mandarin equivalent of our "Mr." address. Hope you all enjoyed this better quality chapter!