Hello again, dear readers. I have another chapter ready at last for your enjoyment and approval! In this chapter, we get away for a time from Hong and Rajata's flirting and dating.
Somehow, as they entered the Month of The Dragon, the long summer days and short nights flowing by, and the approach of the great coup drawing ever closer, Hong still managed to find the time to get together with his new girlfriend nearly every day.
It was made all the easier by how Rajata's new family home in the Middle Ring now meant there was a shorter distance between their respective dwellings, and therefore a quicker travel time when he felt inclined to visit. It also meant a faster commute for Rajata and her parents to their stall in the spice market.
They'd used a cart they'd borrowed from Pugazhmani-a bricklayer friend of Ashwin's and a fellow Tenjikuan refugee-harnessed to a patient Yili cock by the name of Llavaracan, to move their possessions. Rajata managed to arrive home and change out of her formal clothing in time to help her family finish putting one huge load in the cart, and then unloading and unpacking as many of their things as they could before going to sleep in their new home for the first time. The rest was transferred the next day, her parents sensibly deciding to keep their place of business closed for the day.
As they were unpacking dishes, clothing, cosmetics, putting them in their appropriate new places, the Puri family was interrupted in the early afternoon by yet another runner, showing up with what Rajata eagerly anticipated was another invitation from her boyfriend.
And she was right about it being an invitation-but much to her surprise, it turned out to be from his partner Guozhi instead.
"He wants me to come and visit his house now, over in District 119," she told her parents. "Next afternoon, to have a late lunch and meet his own family. Not only that, he wants me to bring Maalai and Pankaja along as well, since he has children of his own."
Like Rajata had been-and in many ways still was-Maalai and Pankaja were rendered gaping and bedazzled by their first experience of the Upper Ring-at one point during the carriage trip, Maalai gave her sister an excited, knowing grin as she asked, "So, when you marry Hong, will we all get to live in this fancy part of the city too?"
As her boyfriend and his partner had done, Guozhi was there to greet Rajata and her two youngest siblings on the path to his walled-off courtyard house, with his wife, Zhi Ruo, looking on at his left side, wearing a turquoise blue dress with swirling mint green borders. Like her husband, she wore her hair in a long braid, secured with the exact same diamond-shaped green hair tie of lacquered silk with its gold Earth Kingdom symbol.
She also had a necklace of stunning green, large jadeite beads which went down past her breasts, and when Guozhi led them all into the reception hall, Rajata got an especially good look at the moss green satin boots Zhi Ruo wore, sporting an embroidered badger-mole on each side, as she took her place next to her formidable husband.
All three of those accessories, Rajata dimly recalled, marked a woman as an agent's wife. Well, it was a good thing those satin boots at least, sure looked both stylish and comfortable, she thought. She'd hate to have to wear stone boots like her man did for any length of time.
Guozhi then called out for his three children, and both his eleven-year-old son Tuan, and his daughters, nine-year-old Ling and fourteen-year-old Diu appeared to introduce themselves. In the dining room, all eight of them sat down to a wonderful lunch of cream cheese puffs, hot and sour soup, vegetable fried rice, Ma Yen style beef-pork with water chestnuts, and a dessert of ripe pears.
Maalai and Pankaja had been justifiably ill at ease and awed to find themselves not only in the presence of a Dai Li agent-one whom unlike Hong, they'd never even seen before-but confined in his home of stone walls and floors, where this Agent Chen had every advantage.
They'd tried not to show it of course, but anyone could've noticed the way Maalai made a point of keeping behind her earthbending siblings, and Pankaja stayed close to his older sister-at one point whispering to Maalai that it would be okay, because Hong would bring the fury of a hundred rakshasas down on this other Dai Li agent or anybody else who dared mess with his girlfriend's family.
But they both had a great time meeting and greeting Tuan, Ling, and Diu, and after lunch was finished, when Guozhi led all seven of them into the central courtyard, all five children had taken an interested shine to each other. In spite of their cultural and social differences, Rajata's baby sister and brother had an awesome time playing with "the rich kids."
They taught Tuan, Ling, and Diu the delights of the Tenjikuan games Seven Stones, Form A Chain Tag, Poshampa, and Vish Amrit, while Guozhi's children engaged them in Hawk Going for The Young Chicks, and Tuan let them play with his bamboo dragonfly toy. Occasionally Guozhi would get their attention and bend a stone sphere across the courtyard with a measured gesture of his wrist, all five children streaking to the spot where it fell to be the first to grab it and bring it back to the table. Just watching their flailing, laughing, running antics both delighted and wore Rajata out as she encouraged them from her seat at the table and drank cups of dark sorghum beer.
Tuan, Ling, and Diu were the children of a Dai Li agent who himself was the son of a district judge, and a mother who was the daughter of a noble lord. They had private tutors, probably seldom if ever set foot outside the Upper Ring, lived their days in luxury and wealth, receiving whatever they wanted. Rajata could also tell that they respected their father immensely, very likely viewed him as a hero who sorted out the bad guys and kept the city safe and peaceful, protected the innocent and was just plain one awesome earthbender, even though she privately knew Guozhi was far from an appropriate role model.
Her youngest siblings had refugees from a distant land for parents, grew up in a slum with few pleasures, and went to a poorly-funded state school. But they were all still kids when you bent the topsoil away. It was weird, part of her thought, how that could be such a huge, wonderous revelation.
Rajata found herself wondering then if The Avatar, only a year older than her baby brother, the last Air Nomad in the world, with the burden of setting said world's spiritual balance right again and having to learn so much about not just mastering the other three elements, but being the mediator between the human and spiritual planes, ever got the chance to just freely play and have fun himself, with one or more of his three friends.
Probably not very often, she concluded. It was a saddening thought, and Rajata found herself suddenly wishing, for a few moments, that she could somehow arrange for Aang to get to meet and play with Maalai and Pankaja too.
Another shift on the streets and rooftops of his beat in the Middle Ring's District 52 was over, and Hong was making his way down one of the familiar, eerie arched hallways under the lake in uniform, heading for his simple room in the barracks area to change into civilian garb, then probably doze for a time before heading back home. Maybe he'd have breakfast in the cafeteria after waking, he mulled-or go stop by a certain Lower Ring tea shop that now had a special place in his heart in more ways than one…
Several other agents were coming and going down the stone corridor, and Hong briefly exchanged greetings with them as they passed. Suddenly, his fatigued frame went rigid with delight as he recognized his younger brother, Zai Tian Yan, strolling towards him, also in uniform.
"Zai!" he hailed as he approached. "Good to see you on this fine morning, my brother!"
Zai Tian grinned back at him underneath his liangmao, pushing the brim up farther to reveal more of his face. "Great to bump into you as well, big brother," he replied in pleasure as they met, both brothers casually fist-bumping each other with their stone gloves and lightly laughing.
"So, how is life in the world of the Investigations Division going?" Hong asked Zai Tian, four years his junior. "Probably just as crazy for you as it is for everyone else around here, I'd suppose."
His brother shrugged his lean shoulders and stifled a yawn before replying, "Well, whether we've got the Avatar trying his best to drag our city into war and chaos or not, Ba Sing Se never sleeps-and I don't get much of it either. Still, my partner and I are both managing all right, just keeping on doing our work with vigor and due diligence."
"Good to hear. Anything interesting happen recently on the job that you're allowed to share with me?" Hong asked, gesturing to Zai Tian to accompany him as he began pacing down the hall again, their stone boots knocking against the floor.
"I've helped nail a few people for tax fraud recently," his brother responded. "A couple of so-called landlords that were price-gouging tenants for rent as well. And Jian and I have recently begun working on collecting evidence against a group of punks that are strongly suspected of selling fake medicines to people in several Lower Ring districts."
"If that's true, then I hope you both bust them soon," Hong said. "You've got to be a pretty heartless bastard to swindle people that are sick and dying."
Zai Tian grimly nodded at his right side. "Absolutely. But speaking of hearts, how is your romance with Rajata coming along, lover boy?" he teased.
Hong lowered his head to try to conceal his blushing cheeks with his hat and lightly smiled as he said, "I'd say it's going very well. I'm not quite ready to begin formally courting her, but I've already had her visit me at my house once, and will definitely be inviting her over a second time-sooner rather than later," he added with a smooth grin, raising his head once more.
His brother lightly laughed before saying, "You should also bring her over to Mom and Dad's house sometime, to meet them and the rest of our family. I'd dearly like to meet her, you know."
"Well, that's very much one of those 'If time permits' type of things, I hate to say," Hong replied. "Frankly, the fact that she and I are still able to make time at all to visit each other is something of a miracle under these circumstances. I'll try to properly introduce my fair lotus flower when I can though," he assured his younger brother. "But how's your love life at the moment, Short Stuff?" he joshed.
Zai Tian gave him an unamused glare and snorted before saying, "Don't quit your day job Hong. Anyhow, I'm still unattached, but very much continuing to play the field with several of our city's young beau-"
At that moment, while both brothers were engaged in conversation, Agent Nienhu Zhang came strolling out of a side hall at their left, hands clasped behind his back. He was currently dressed in a gingerbread brown tunic with mint green trim, secured by three strap buttons on the shoulder and a sash which was also the same shade of green. Underneath, he wore a tan shirt and pair of pantaloons, the drabness of the former offset by the gold cuffs of his sleeves. He was clearly on his own way back home, head lowered in thought.
Although Nienhu was dressed in civilian clothing, both Hong and Zai Tian recognized him immediately as he stepped out several yards in front of them, not only from his features and stance, but from the healed scar that slashed down his right cheek.
It was the legacy of a "first-blood" duel he'd had with Long Feng four years ago, when Nienhu had snapped at their leader that his strategy of responding to an emerging epidemic of typhoid fever in the city at that time, involving forcibly confining everyone who showed symptoms of the disease to their homes-for weeks at a time if need be-was "an utterly stupid and cruel idea."
Long Feng had given Nienhu a dark look, and gravely told him that if he, as a subordinate of the Grand Secretariat's, was so confident that he knew what was best for the people of Ba Sing Se, why not engage him in a duel for the chance to defeat him and then put his own policy ideas into practice? Nienhu had accepted-and paid the painful price.
And to almost literally add insult to injury, Long Feng's policy of forcible quarantine had proven to be exactly the right thing to do when it came to stopping the typhoid fever's spread in its tracks-or at least resulted in it doing much less damage to the populace than it otherwise would've.
This had all resulted in a serious, permanent attitude adjustment for the once bold and fairly cocky Nienhu, making him a bit more uncertain, less confident in his demeanor than most of his fellow agents, even nervous to a degree at times. Like now.
As soon as he became aware of their presence, Nienhu actually cried out in startled surprise. "YYYAAAAHHHH!" At the same instant, he jumped and did a quarter-turn in the air before coming back down in a fighting stance, cracks radiating through the floor from underneath both of his feet as he got ready to propel one of his stone gloves through the air, and Hong just as automatically brought up his hands to prepare to redirect it-
Then recognition dawned in his eyes. "Oh, it's just you two," he panted in both relief and embarrassment, drawing his limbs into a more relaxed stance. "The Yan brothers."
Both brothers just stared in surprise at him from under their hats for a long moment.
"Um, why wouldn't it be, Agent Nienhu?" Zai Tian finally commented. "Or at least, some other fellow agents, since I'm pretty sure any enemies of ours aren't going to be sneaking into this base anytime soon."
"Did you drink too much tea recently, buddy?" Hong asked, slightly cocking his head and raising an eyebrow. "Maybe you should consider cutting back."
"No, I just got startled," Nienhu replied, still clearly embarrassed as he breathed out and stood at ease.
"We Dai Li usually aren't the type to startle, at least not that easily," Zai Tian said, giving Nienhu an odd look.
"I know," Nienhu replied, "and I'm not either. But I'm just rather-a bit on edge these days, I'll admit," he said, reaching up to run the fingers of a stone-sheathed hand through his glossy black hair before glancing up at the arched roof.
"Hah, join the club," Hong replied wryly. "The stress of both the Avatar and that Koh-damned comet has actually been affecting my dreams."
Zai Tian smirked as he gave his older brother a telling glance, saying "I thought you might be. Me, I actually had a crazy one a few nights ago in fact, a dream in which I was in a pig filled netherworld, cleaning out toilets with my head," he chuckled. All three agents laughed hugely at that for a time.
"Anyway," Hong assured Nienhu at length, "we Dai Li have headed off plenty of potential crises facing Ba Sing Se over the centuries, and while I'm not happy that we're having to deal with two major ones at once, we'll make it through Sozin's Comet and put the Avatar in his place just fine."
His younger brother nodded. "Especially once Long Feng is placed in complete charge of this city-instead of 'The Monkey King,'" he sneered sardonically. "Just got to roll with the punches until then."
"Maybe," Nienhu said, quietly, doubtfully, both his tone and expression so strangely troubled that once more, both Yan brothers were at a bit of a loss how to respond. Before they could, he glanced at them as he said, "I'm sure you both know about the Fire Nation's attempt to break in with their massive drilling machine, right?"
Hong gravely nodded. "That was both an unexpected shock, and came far too close to success for comfort."
"Agreed," Zai Tian said. "As unwelcome as Avatar Aang and his companions are right now, as determined as they seem to haul our city into war with the Fire Nation and tear the lid off what we've been so carefully concealing for everyone's greater good, I will give them their share of credit, respect, and even my gratitude for destroying that device in its tracks-although we probably could've managed to do it ourselves, if it came to that."
Nienhu hesitated briefly as he looked at them before speaking. "Perhaps. But getting back to the topic at hand-I'm sure I've told you about my cousin Shongshu before, right?"
Hong nodded. "He's one of the Royal Earthbending Guards, if I remember correctly."
"That's right. And he's not only stationed on the Outer Wall-he was actually there when the Fire Nation's drilling machine tried to break in." Nienhu paused, lost in thought for a bit before continuing. "I paid a visit to my cousin two days ago on the Outer Wall, had a long talk with him, and not only saw the crumpled drill in its huge pool of mud slurry myself, but actually went inside of the structure with him at his invitation-and I left feeling more than a little concerned about might be coming next for Ba Sing Se."
"Then surely, I'd assume you've told one of our captains, or Commander Quan about it?" Hong said.
Nienhu sighed. "That's just the problem. I didn't come away with any actual facts or proof to be presented-or if there is, its nothing that our higher-ups don't already now. It was mere speculation, educated guesses that passed between Shongshu and I. But my cousin has always had good instincts," he added, "so when he told me on the wall, that he was certain the Fire Nation's forces weren't done with us yet, I believe him."
"What leads him to think that?" Hong asked.
"Well, the biggest reason is that the Fire Nation troops associated with that drill haven't left entirely-they regrouped and formed a camp just over the horizon. I saw the plumes of smoke from it myself," he added. "Why would they still be hanging around if they weren't plotting a new tactic?"
"There's all sorts of reasons why they might be staying in place," Zai Tian shrugged. "They could be resting for a while before leaving for good. They might've been ordered to stay at their position until further notice, or to bide their time until the comet finally comes, to act as an advance guard."
"Yes," Hong agreed. "A huge, complicated, powerful machine like that also must've cost the Fire Nation a great deal of time, money, and energy, not only to construct, but to transport and drive all the way here. And then to have it fall apart, be destroyed at the moment of success? Fire Lord Ozai must be utterly furious right now with its crew, troops, and officers, wanting to strangle every last one of them with his bare, flaming hands for their failure, and I don't blame them at all for not being eager to go back and face his rage anytime soon."
"Neither do I," Nienhu replied. "But my cousin and at least a few of his fellow guards are certain that they're up to no good, and I got that impression as well."
"The Fire Nation is never up to anything good," Hong snorted, "but if these particular troops of theirs are actually plotting, the worst thing I can imagine them attempting is charging the gap their drill managed to make in the wall and either trying to force their way through the space between the metal sheath and the stone, or trying to seize the machine from our control-at which point they would probably do their best to destroy it, to keep us from coming up with equally nasty weapons of our own. Although they seem oddly apathetic about that possibility," he added thoughtfully, "considering they've made no move to do that for at least the past week."
"Either way, between us Dai Li and the run-of-the-mill soldiers, we'll be able to handle them," Zai Tian declared.
"But what if you're not imagining hard enough, Hong?" Nienhu asked him. "Or not doing it from the right angle, as it were?"
"I'm afraid I'm not seeing your point there."
"When Shongshu and I went into the interior of the drill," Nienhu said, "we saw a big factor in just how what are basically three teenage kids were able to make that huge device collapse on their own. Most of the metal bars acting as a support strut had been weakened by being partially cut with repeated bending, and had then given way under the pressure of the slurry they forced back in."
"That is very clever, brilliantly strategic thinking," an impressed Hong acknowledged. "Good work on their part. But I'm tired, Nienhu, and I'd really like to change out of uniform and get some sleep. So, with all due respect to a fellow agent, could you just get to the point?"
"I guess what I'm saying is that they-the Fire Nation troops-may try something similar to that to take Ba Sing Se. Something more cunning, more subtle, do calculated damage from the inside to accomplish that goal."
"You mean with spies?" Zai Tian commented, both brothers sardonically chuckling. "The Fire Nation's been trying that since before your father and ours was born, and the very few that ever managed to slip through our fingers never succeeded in doing any serious or lasting harm."
"So, try not to get all worked up over nothing, okay?" he went on. "You're under enough stress as it is without going and concocting additional, imagined threats to keep yourself up at night. Now go get some good, refreshing sleep, my good man."
"I'll take your advice," Nienhu replied, seeming at least somewhat mollified. He sidestepped back into the side hall to let both men pass. But as they did, before turning the corner to go down the main hall in the opposite direction, he added "All the same though…I think it would be a wise move for both of you to speak with Shongshu. He's not known for being paranoid or making up tall tales."
"We'll keep that in mind," Zai Tian said pleasantly as they left the scarred Nienhu behind.
Once they were out of his earshot though, he glanced skeptically at his older brother as he asked, "Think that offer of his is worth looking into?"
Hong shook his head. "Nah. Without any solid proof, what Nienhu just gabbled on about and Shongshu's words are both flat-out conjecture when you get down to the bedrock."
"Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's a bad thing for us to be in the mindset of always trying to anticipate what the Fire Nation's next move might be," he quickly added, "or staying vigilant for any signs of a plot-that's our job after all, and we do it very well."
"Damn well," his brother proudly agreed. "But yeah, there's a big difference between being rightfully paranoid-and being stupidly paranoid. If Chin the Conqueror couldn't tear these walls down with the assistance of dozens of earthbenders, then there's no way the Fire Nation can either-and I'd just love to see them try to topple our government from within. As if they could possibly be clever enough to pull such a thing off," he derisively sniggered.
Hong chuckled in scorn as they walked. And yet…
Over the past several years, starting with General Iroh's nearly two-year siege, the Fire Nation had become both increasingly determined, and far too close to blowing the doors of Ba Sing Se wide open in more ways than one.
Things were escalating. How long could both the city's walls-and their luck-hold? Crazy to think that way, stupid and almost sacrilegious, he admonished himself.
But he still had this uncomfortable, persistent feeling, in the back of his mind-which Nienhu's words just now had not exactly helped to alleviate, blast him-that a great chasm was going to form in front of them all, sooner rather than later-and in spite of all their resources, track record, and careful preparations, even the Dai Li would have to scramble like hell to avoid falling in.
If that came to pass, Hong just hoped to Hou-Tu that he'd be able to snatch Rajata to safety as well.
Nienhu (clay in Mandarin) is, of course, the poor chap who Team Avatar and Iroh interrogated as the "Captured Agent" on the porch of their home. It was fun giving him both a name and a rather important role in this chapter. He and his cousin Shongshu (pine tree) are, as we know, closer to the truth than our brothers think at this moment too...