Sitting on his throne, the Fire Lord waited patiently for any news- he had heard of his daughters disappearance, something that rightfully shocked him- his daughter was the most prodigious firebender of her age, and she was bested by Water Tribe insurgents who had the audacity to sink her ship- he knew that Azula would do anything to re-assert her honour and self-dignity, and wasn't surprised to hear of her reappearance in an port-town on the coast of the Eastern Sea a few days later; the Princess had her sights on the conspiracy that Ozai personally wanted dealt with- his daughter was the only person he could count on to be meticulous and ruthless enough to root out any traitors and detractors of his glorious reign. The Fire Lord knew that his son had defeated Admiral Zhao- he wasn't surprised by the outcome of the duel, Zhao being an overconfident fool- albeit a useful one, but Ozai knew that his sons intent was far more sinister- he sought to insubordinate from his teachings, his honour, everything that Ozai stood for- it made him feel sick that his own son could betray him in such a way, to think that he had taught him a lesson of pain that had done nothing to soothe the boys arrogance and hot-headed attitude. The dark end of the Fire Lord's flame lit throne room was set alight by a messenger barging through the doors, the man flustered and worried, walking up to and bowing before his monarch.
"Your majesty- a message has come from Admiral Liang of the Western Fleet.", the messenger told the Fire Lord, holding out a parchment scroll, which the Fire Lord glanced upon, his eyes telling the messenger to leave him with the message; the messenger understood well enough, and after bowing a second time paced himself to the throne rooms doorway and within moments the Fire Lord's Imperial Guard had already shut the doors, leaving the Fire Lord in peace once more.
Ozai let down a gateway through his wall of flames, stepping down to pick up the message, a conventional military scroll, marked with a golden ribbon, signifying the importance of it's contents- and the secrecy behind them; the Fire Lord knew exactly what this message would involve, and he hoped that it would go the way he liked- he rather not have to deal with his son's arrogant rage.
The Fire Lord unsheathed the scroll and read it's contents: "Your supreme majesty, I have found that the vessel that had been used for your son's transportation had been empty- his vessel had been set out to sea with no one aboard it seems. My men could not find any information aboard of use- we believe that your son has made his way to the Fire Nation proper, perhaps the mainland; I trust in my Fire Lord to command upon us what he must in order to defeat the traitorous prince. I pray for the glory of your reign to be forevermore, your loyal servant- Admiral Liang."
Ozai chuckled at the contents of the message- his son was smarter than he had taken him for- or perhaps his brother had been wise enough to consider that strategy- he thought their efforts useless- even if Zuko came to the palace to face his father, he would have him arrested immediately, and if he refused, Ozai would kill him himself, or perhaps just for the fun of it: rub it in his sons face by killing his beloved 'Uncle'; his brother had been the one great obstacle to his taking of the throne- even if in the end it was his wife's knowledge of herbs that allowed him to proclaim himself Fire Lord over his father's dead body- but now that he was turning the table against him, Ozai would not stop until they both saw the futility of their actions. Ozai thought of there being one rule in the world- that the strong would always command, rule over and destroy if need be- the weak; his brother and son were both weak, overtaken by emotions like love and humility- pride and ruthlessness was what made the Fire Lord more than just a monarch- it made him a god.
In the past few days he had heard from across the other side of the world that his daughter had been found- he was glad that she had the ability to survive a shipwreck, and he knew that once she squashed the rebellion in the city of Ba Sing Se, she would be free to be of Ozai's use against Zuko- if by some chance he was smart enough to try and start a rebellion without facing Ozai himself- she was a weapon, more powerful than any plan a master general could muster- he considered that Azula herself could have conquered Ba Sing Se if given the opportunity, just to rub it in his weak and feeble brother's face.
The Fire Lord would soon have his greatest threats snuffed out, and with that- he could focus on greater things- such as the restructuring of the Earth Kingdom- Azula's mission was only the beginning, with time all pockets of resistance could be destroyed and the Earth Kingdom enveloped entirely into the greater glory of their empire- the Fire Nation would be the only nation in the world, because it was the only one that deserved to exist- the Air Nomads were gone, the Earth Kingdom soon enough, and with time the Water Tribes would feel the wrath of the flames- Sozin's Comet may have mortally wounded the effort against his military might, but threats were everywhere and he knew that his son and brother were only parts of a greater threat to his reign- dissidents that unify beyond the nations were a greater threat than any angry earthbenders or Water Tribe privateers; he knew what couldn't be seen was a greater threat than any military force.
The midday sun peered over grassy hillocks, boulders and escarpments dotting the landscape- even in the distance one could see volcano's pluming- Zuko knew he was finally home, in some regard; he and his Uncle had been travelling through the eastern regions of the Fire Nation for the past few days since they had been forced to evacuate their ship- his uncle had taken up a disguise as a tea-merchant, which he could pull off quite well unsurprisingly. Zuko wasn't happy that they had to walk around so much, but his Uncle reminded him it would easier for them to go unnoticed on foot- they had bought a komodo-rhino as part of their disguise- in carried their supplies, clothes and most importantly the tea that they were meant to sell- the whole thing had been made up on the go when Uncle Iroh decided that they would need some way to disguise their identities when travelling toward the capital.
His Uncle pointed out to a town they could see in the distance, "This is Shu Jing- one of my friends in the order lives here, you might remember him."
Zuko thought for a moment, and then realised, grabbing his trusted dao from his back, "Master Piandao- he taught me the art of the sword."
"Yes- and I had sent a message in advance- he will be able to perhaps get us passage to the capital or close enough that the journey won't be so sore on these old legs." Iroh told him patting his thighs.
"This was your idea Uncle- getting captured would have been more efficient." Zuko told his ageing uncle, who laughed back at him.
"Hahaha- Prince Zuko, trust me- I know the worst thing in a war is to be captured by the enemy- it really doesn't help."
"It's not like you've been captured Uncle, you're a master firebender!" he berated his uncle for his actual lack of practical knowledge.
"That is true- but I have heard many stories- of what our nation and the Earth Kingdom have both done to prisoners- it is not a pretty thing nephew."
Walking along the path Zuko and Iroh made their way into the market of Shu Jing, where the locals eyed off their stock and Iroh made no restraint it calling out for customers to buy his teas- which many were obliged to- Zuko sat by the town well as his Uncle chatted to the townsfolk, telling them the best methods of serving tea and the finest blends that could be found; Zuko appreciated tea, he would admit- but his uncle took the idea of appreciating it to the level at which he might consider it an art-form.
Zuko glanced up the hill to look at what he thought was Piandao's manor- it almost looked like a castle on top of the hill- the Prince considered with his knowledge of Earth Kingdom history in could have been such a structure in the years before the Fire Islands were unified under the Fire Lords; thinking about the Fire Nation's past gave him a sense of connection to the land- that he could understand where everything had come from was comforting in his mind- he understood and knew the Fire Nation, much more than he did the Earth Kingdom and the other parts of the massive world. He could only consider how the war had actually changed his people and their world- the Fire Nation had lost it's way with the tragedy of the war- he knew it too well, his scar was baring of this truth; Zuko wanted to find a new way in this world, away from the idea of the war and domination- the entire world was out of balance, and he knew that someone, somewhere, had to do something.
Iroh came up to his nephew, "I've had some succesful sales today nephew- I say we take our leave and go to the manor- I'm sure Master Piandao is waiting for us."
Zuko nodded to his uncle curtly, picking himself up and grabbing the lead of the komodo rhino- the creature was surprisingly docile in his eyes, which helped when it barely grunted before following the two royals up the hill; within a few minutes they had zig-zagged up the path from the town, leading them to a large gate that bared the white-lotus tile's mark, making Zuko twitch his eyebrow.
"I didn't notice that before- are all the White Lotus like this- leaving little markers to signify their allegiance?" Zuko inquired, his Uncle glancing and shrugging his shoulders.
"I'm not too sure my nephew- the Order is secretive, but the white lotus tile- it reveals itself in many ways." he explained, Zuko almost slapping his forehead at his Uncle's near proverbial explanation.
A bar opened from the door, revealing two eyes, which glanced at the two of them, "I see- Prince Iroh has arrived, I assume, uh- this is the Prince?" he asked, glancing to Zuko, who for a moment paid attention to his own appearance- he had let his hair grow out over the past few months, and at the moment was wearing his hair down with a small bun- he actually reminded himself a lot of his own father's hairstyle, which disturbed him to no end when he realised it; Zuko nodded at the eyes, and within moments the door was opened.
Before them stood who Zuko could remember as Master Piandao's cook and assistant, but he couldn't remember his name- he had only been a child when he studied under the master, and only for a short period, but luckily for him his Uncle did remember.
"Fat- it is good to see you again- how have things been?" he asked the man.
"Uh- the same as usual, Piandao is always up in his study working out correspondences for the Order- he's been very busy over the past few weeks, with this whole affair going on."
"What affair exactly?" Zuko asked, somewhat confused.
"Yes- I've missed the past few messages- we've been on the move, what exactly has happened since we messaged you?" Iroh affirmed his nephews questions.
"You'd best talk to Piandao- he's got the messages himself." Fat acknowledged raising his arm and pointing to the front door of the manor, "Go right in, Master Piandao has been waiting."
Iroh nodded at Fat before signalling Zuko to follow him into the house- the banished prince looked back at their komodo rhino and their goods sitting outside the gate, which Fat had noticed.
"I'll handle your animal and possessions- don't worry." Fat assured him, ushering Zuko toward the front door, Zuko nodded in relief before turning to follow his uncle into the manor.
Glancing around Zuko was filled with the memories of the short time he had spent at Piandao's manor- he was so young, before his banishment- he could almost see his innocent self running around, practising with Fat, doing calligraphy; they were good memories, so distant from his every day thoughts of the war, his father and the plans he had for the Fire Nation- before even having a taste of power, Zuko had already been encumbered with responsibility. He followed his Uncle up the stairs where they were greeted by the sight of Master Piandao- he was calmly writing by the window- his back turned to the men.
"Ah-" he begun, aspirating before smiling curtly at his guests "Prince Zuko- General Iroh- It is good to see you both again, after all this time."
"And to you old friend." Iroh smiled at Piandao, who pulled out a scroll from his robe.
"You will want to see this- both of you." Piandao told them, his eyes stoic- making Zuko uneasy about the message- he had no idea what he was about to read.
Iroh held the scroll up and began to read it, "Fellow brother of the order Piandao, I write to you to inform you that the Crown Princess of the Fire Nation has been found alive- she was travelling the Earth Kingdom wilderness with a Water Tribesman, as intelligence has informed us; we believe that once she does whatever the Fire Lord has commanded of her, she will pose a threat to our friend Grand Lotus Iroh- please do what you can to ensure that they are safe." he finished, almost chuckling at the ending.
"Well we are- uh- safe." Iroh commented, Zuko chuckling slightly, his eyes gleaming with deep thought, "Prince Zuko- what's wrong?"
"I am happy my sister is not dead- that would have been tragic- but now there's a greater threat- even if we could defeat my father- she is the preferred child of the Fire Lord- the loyalists will support her over me in claiming the throne." he explained- Iroh nodding.
"Then we best take care of matters quickly- if we fail to act before she returns, you are right- your own claim to the throne can be reasonably challenged by your sister." Iroh told him, knowing all too well what had happened to his rightful claim once his brother took advantage of their father's death.
"This is not the best news for the Order- but we must act with what we can-" Piandao commented, turning to Prince Zuko, "I hope you are prepared Prince Zuko- it's not everyday that a teenager defeats a Fire Lord in combat."
Prince Zuko looked at his former master with a somewhat stoic face, "I do not fear the Fire Lord anymore- he cannot scare me, because what he will do- continue to do- if I don't do anything scares me far more."
Piandao raised a hand to Zuko's shoulder and smiled at him, "You have made great sacrifices to be here- I can only hope that it is worth it."
Iroh turned to Piandao and asked, "My friend- what do you have for us? Is there any way for us to get to the capital easily?" he asked him.
"I have two fake passports for you both- I hope that these can get you through customs- there is a cargo ship taking foodstuffs to the capital markets tomorrow morning- I can arrange to get you aboard." Piandao explained, the former General nodding at his plans.
"Good- I knew I could trust in you Piandao- we will be ready to leave when we must..." Iroh affirmed, then his face turned to one of shock, "Oh no- what of our trade goods- I have been making sales of tea through every village and town we come through."
"Don't worry for that my friend- we can have the komodo rhino and your things stored here in the meantime- you can pick them up when you need to." he explained back, Zuko glancing at his Uncle with slight frustration.
"Please don't tell me you want to actually become a tea merchant Uncle." he asked him, hoping to retain some kind of image of his uncle as the battle hardened General who besieged Ba Sing Se.
"Oh not a tea merchant- I want to own a whole tea shop!" he grinned, Piandao chuckling at his enthusiasm, "Speaking of which- " Iroh pulled a pot from his bag, and grinned at Piandao and Zuko, "who wants tea?!"
The steel walls of the room gleamed from the candle sitting on the room's desk- Sokka rolled away from the flame and his roommate, who after a week of sharing the same room, he really hadn't gotten along with; Sokka had had a restless nights sleep- he had decided that he best spend the dawn doing something productive before the Princess would tell him to 'get off his sorry arse and do his job' to which he would reply, 'what job exactly?' and she would fume at him- the whole situation wasn't going to be fun, he knew that at least. Sokka pulled himself up to sit on the bed's end, leaning up against the somewhat chilly steel wall- he glanced over at the desk and pulled out the manuscripts that he had been reading; Azula had noted that he would best spend his time with using his analytical skills, stating that she 'valued a sharp mind over a boomerang throwing idiot', which offended and complimented him at the same time- frustrating to say the least. He had been reading about what the Fire Nation military forces had seen in searching the palace and it's expansive compartments and secrets- the writer of the manuscript obviously believed that there was more to the winding halls of the dungeons and other parts of the underground; he spoke of the Crystal Catacombs, something Azula had offhandedly told him about when explaining to him the possible threats in yesterdays meeting- by meeting he meant more of an informal, highly classified discussion about all the things Azula thought was wrong in the city- she had a irking at the governor for being incompetent or in bed with the enemy, she told Sokka she hadn't made up her mind on which one she thought was more realistic, but he knew she'd beat him senseless all the same.
He heard the Captain grunt, probably waking from the rising sun- Sokka guessed by the time he started glaring at him at displeasure of his company, the Princess would arrive and declare the day to have begun, and with that- all the work she expected of him; he was disappointed with the menial work he had been given so far, perhaps considering it a punishment for his drunken antics on the first night in the city- he was genuinely repentant for his actions, knowing that he got himself in a pretty stupid situation all to his own fault. The whole situation was at the back of his mind- Sokka was focused on the task at hand- hoping that it would actually lead to something a little more productive; Sokka still wanted some real work- a beat-down with some of the bastards they were trying to destroy- and preferably that beat-down not be directed at the oppressed dissidents of the Lower Ring, who had all the reasons to start throwing stones at the Fire Nation. Sokka himself had originally not had much against whoever was throwing shots at the Fire Nation- but they had made it personal- beating him up and nearly kidnapping him- he was more than ready to hunt them down; thinking about his viewpoint for a moment made him consider Azula had rubbed off on him a bit too much- he was vengeful against those who had wronged him and his people- the Fire Nation usually- not some uppity bastards in Ba Sing Se.
Pulling himself to sit on the bedside, Sokka glanced at the manuscript's drawing of the underground portions of the palace- he would need this if he was to investigate the areas- it would help him not get lost, and would also ensure that he would know what areas of the palace the Fire Nation actually knew about- if the map itself actually correlated with what the garrison itself patrolled. Sokka grabbed his fur boots and shin-guards and pulled them onto his feet- Azula had got him a pair of Fire Nation guards standard issue shin-guards a few days prior as he had left his original ones in the forest- they fit well and snug, and unlike his conventional armour they were far better suited to the climate of Ba Sing Se; he quickly pulled his shirt over his chest and tied his belt, wanting to be ready to go as soon as Azula arrived. He couldn't lie, he was quite eager to just get out of his room at this point, despite the time of day; Sokka started to think that the closed environment of the barracks was starting to get to him- in a lot of ways it was more like a prison than actual accommodation- he thought that it could have been a reflection of his views on the Fire Nation, but Sokka preferred to think that it was actually what it seemed. He heard the main door of the barracks creak open and the muffled sound of voices outside- probably Azula dealing with the guards, and Sokka quickly stood to his feet and slung his boomerang over his back.
Azula swung the room's door open, slightly shocking the Captain- who was still grumbling to get himself out of his own bed at moment- she looked straight at Sokka completely dressed and awake before her and almost gasped, "Someone's eager- this is the first time I've seen you willingly wake up at dawn." she smirked at him, Sokka shrugging his shoulders
"We've got work to do and I'm not sitting around to wait and get kidnapped again." he bluntly told her, before lifting up the manuscript, "I think I can guide us down into the catacombs- do you want to go now?"
"Dodging breakfast- this isn't like you- are you really that rattled by being kidnapped?" she questioned him, grabbing the manuscript and glaring at him with suspicion.
"I want to find whatever's down there- and then I'll show them what it feels like." he told her, stepping beside her to walk toward the door.
"Like what?" Azula smirked, curious to what had been irking Sokka.
"To be afraid- to have no escape." he told her coldly, his eyes dark with suppressed anger- Sokka didn't want to take another hit from these mysterious people who decided to think it was a good idea to kidnap him- Azula had told him what the Dai Li did to prisoners- there had been reports, maybe slightly exaggerated- but if these people were the Dai Li and those rumours were true, Sokka wanted to make sure no one would ever fall prey to them again.
"What about you Captain? Or do you want to sleep in?" Azula asked the half-awake man, who glanced at her in a slight daze; he rubbed his eyes before looking back at her.
"I- uh- I'll do the rounds in the office today- look through whatever old Earth Kingdom stuff I can find." he told her, not wanting to admit he was exhausted and unwilling to babysit her Water Tribe companion if they went somewhere as potentially dangerous as the Crystal Catacombs.
"Don't you want to guard your Princess as she travels to the depths of Ba Sing Se?" she questioned him, as if to goad his ego, to only be responded to with a shrug of the shoulders.
"I think my Princess is truly capable of protecting herself from whatever lies below- but I won't refrain from sending some guards with you." he told her, Azula raising an eyebrow at his offer.
"Guards? What- some of these goons in the palace- I don't trust them one bit, unless you know of any that won't be potential traitors?" she asked the Captain, who stood up from his bed.
"I-I uh- I'll get two of your own elite guards- two that are actually awake." he told her, the Princess smirking and nodding.
"That's good Captain- now run along, tell them to meet us in the-" Azula stumbled, not knowing where she was actually going, "Sokka, where is the entrance we are taking?"
"The former Royal Prison- it's now the- uh- alcohol storage?" he read the manuscript out loud, somewhat confused.
"That would be the seized illegal drinks that the garrison has taken- I assume it's their supply;" she told him before glaring at Sokka suspiciously, "don't you get any stupid ideas."
"Hey!" Sokka shouted at her with a tinge of offence, before she led him out of the door to stop him from arguing back.
Azula begun to walk out along the courtyard and Sokka followed in lead- they both glanced out at the orange horizon, where the sun was barely peeling across the horizon.
"That's pretty- you know the sky's like that all summer at night where I come from." Sokka told her, who glanced back at him sceptically.
"That's not a good thing- how would anyone be able to sleep?" she questioned him- Sokka chuckling at her statement.
"We're not like you firebenders- a Water Tribesman must be able sleep through month long days and stay awake in the month long nights." he explained, Azula chuckling as she started to walk away toward the Royal Prison.
"No wonder you're so damn crazy- I was thinking who in their right mind would try and attack my ship." she jested, Sokka raising his finger to answer.
"For a matter of fact- there is a condition we call midnight sun madness- it's a debilitating disease!" he told her, making Azula laugh.
"Come along now- you can stop appreciating the basic movements of celestial objects and start doing your job." she commanded him, Sokka shrugging and following suite.
The two walked along the courtyard behind the palace itself to reach a large structure that seemed somewhat out of repair- Sokka nodded at it's sight, "Yep- that's it."
"You'd think the garrison would maintain a prison of all things." she questioned, thinking it was wasteful to simply store the building with alcohol and other illicit commodities.
"Well- the earthbenders would be worse to deal with if there's more of them in a single place." Sokka thought aloud, she nodded in agreement.
"Yes- that makes sense- although I heard that they just execute rowdy earthbenders- too much of a hassle to keep them in prisoners if you don't have other earthbenders to restrain them."
Sokka grimaced at the thought of Earth Kingdom protesters being killed simply because they could bend, but shook the thought out of his mind- now was not the time for him to be concerned with the sufferings of the people- he had a goal at hand- find whatever lay in the depths of the palace, and then he could sleep soundly without the fear of crazy earthbenders trying to capture him or worse. Azula pulled on the heavy door handle of the building for a moment- before glancing at Sokka with slight frustration.
"Could you give a hand?" she asked him, Sokka obliging and grabbing the other handle to pull the door wide open, with some struggle; looking into the prison they could see what the manuscript had meant- there was a large number of cells- all filled with crates of illicit goods.
"Well- wait so I went all that way to get my booze when I could have just gone right here?!" Sokka whined in realisation, Azula whacking him in the back of the head.
"Shut it you- we need to actually search for the passageway- not just look at the illegal stuff." she told him, Sokka scratching his nape and grumbling.
"Ah- whatever- we just need to head down toward the larger cells- for upper-class prisoners supposedly." he told Azula, who nodded back and started to pace herself down through the prison, forcing Sokka to chase after her- he preferred when she couldn't run- it was a lot easier to go at his pace.
The two raced their way down into the prison's depths, passing to the point where there was no longer any contraband and the cells became creepily empty in Sokka's eyes- although he preferred there to be less people in a prison, this one almost seemed haunted with the lack of people. On their way along the descending pathway into the prison they had arrived at what seemed like an officer's quarters- presumably in originally housed whatever prison guards were stationed here.
"Should we take a look in there?" Sokka asked her, who glanced back with a curt smirk for the recognition of authority before glancing at the scroll in Sokka's hand.
"Maybe- how much further until we reach the unknown portions of the underground?" she asked him.
"The prison connects to the basement of the palace- and from what it seems the whole area hasn't been exactly mapped out- it wasn't damaged, according to the surveyor, which means whatever passages built by the Earth Kingdom should still be here."
"So to the Crystal Catacombs?" she asked him, Sokka scratching his chin in dismay.
"I have no idea if these passages even lead there- it's deep underground right? So what if they just bent their way there- if that's the case there might not even be a direct passage down." he brainstormed, Azula nodding.
"Let's just check your little office- maybe there's something in here the garrison didn't clear out." Azula affirmed, walking into the abandoned office with intrigue- the desks and bedding weren't even trifled with- it was just as if the entire place was abandoned without a fight; Sokka immediately went to the desk and ruffled through it, finding only personal writings- he glanced over them and found nothing of interest.
"Well that's just great- I think we have got ourselves the personal writings of a poet." he joked with a sense of disappointment.
Azula glanced over to the bed, and realised that there was some clothing dislodged underneath it, leaning down to pull it out- and her eyes peeled wide at the sight- it seemed to be the attire- armour and all- of one of their long sought after Dai Li agents.
"We've got something- Dai Li I assume." Azula looked at the clothes, pulling out a hat that resembled a peasants cone-shaped hat- like the one Sokka had wore as a disguise, except it had a golden point atop it; Sokka pulled out another manuscript that described the attire of Earth Kingdom officials, and he nodded when he saw the correlation between the drawing of the Dai Li and the hat before him.
"Well it seems we've found some evidence of the secretive Dai Li- it seems this must have been discarded during the invasion- oh wait- I figured it out." Sokka exclaimed, "The manuscript describes that the captured Dai Li was not as large as they expected it to be- they scoured the city and killed many elite guards and members of the organisation itself; what if they had foresaw the attack of the Fire Nation and disguised themselves as common guards- if so they could have evaded capture or at least the threat of being interrogated for their actual knowledge." he theorised, Azula slowly clapping at him, although at the moment he couldn't tell of her genuineness.
"Well done Sokka- you've proven that mind's use- now I can't get rid of you." she told him, smirking deviously as he told him of her idealised fate for him.
"Oh please no- I take it back- I'm a stupid savage, please just throw me out to wander the Earth Kingdom!" he jokingly begged with exaggeration, "Uh- well not at least until we destroy these guys- it'd ruin my ego if you just got to handle these guys all by yourself." Sokka admitted.
"Now, now Sokka- don't be so hasty- I'm the bender here, your wish-washy boomerang throwing won't do much good against elite earthbenders." she told him, Sokka pouting at her with barely faked grief before it contorted into a smirk.
"Actually- I know exactly how to defeat the earthbenders- I'll make them defeat themselves." he told her, Azula chuckling at him.
"Oh- I thought you were too honourable for deceptive tactics savage." she tried to seriously question his ethics, making Sokka raise his hand in defiance.
Sokka smirked when he spoke back, "I'll make an exception just this once- they're asking for it."
Walking through the streets of the Lower Ring, the Freedom Fighters were at home- maybe not in the same way they had been in the Gaipan Forest, but it was their home nonetheless; they might have said in the year gone past they didn't have a goal, plan or focus- just surviving, like every other refugee was their goal, but now out of the blue had come their opportunity.
Jet piped up to his friends as they strolled along, comfortable talking as they were in a quiet alley, "I can't believe it- we're actually going to do it." he told them.
The Duke looked at him with disbelief, "Come on Jet- we don't even know who's got the balls to try and fight the Fire Nation here- people ran here to get away from the Fire Nation, remember?"
Smellerbee retorted back at him, "Hey- how do you think they feel that their plight of getting here was nothing- we're pissed off, and I'm sure many of them are too."
Longshot eyed his leader with a slight tinge of doubt, "What about Sokka?" he said, the first words he had spoken all day; Jet furrowed his brow and sighed in frustration.
"I don't know about him- or whatever he's got himself caught up in... he might be a threat for all we know- he has the foresight of us being a threat to the Fire Nation wench of a princess." Jet though aloud, stopping his ramblings as they made their way to a main road.
"Never mind that- we've got to get to the hall- where is it Smellerbee?" he asked, trying to change the topic- Jet didn't want to concern himself over Sokka- his plight conflicted Jet's own morals, something he didn't want challenged.
"Just down this street- it was used as a drinking hall- I think the Fire Nation shut it down a few months ago for some bullshit- as per usual." she explained, Jet grumbling at the story.
Jet considered the statement before responding, "I'm not surprised- at least that means we'll have less of a threat of them snooping in on our meeting."
The group made their way down the through-fare, noting a number of individuals walking in the same direction as them- Jet didn't personally recognise any of them- , although he guessed some of them had heard of their meeting by hearsay; turning down a small alley they arrived at the entrance to the abandoned hall, where Pipsqueak was already standing guard as their bouncer.
"Hey guys- uh- there's already a lot of people inside." Pipsqueak told them, smiling at them and getting out of the way so they could pass through the door.
The crowd turned to look at Jet who was obviously the centre of attention for the group- he could here many people mumbling and whispering about their group and whatever pitch they had been told by one of the Freedom Fighters. He acknowledged them but had to slowly shuffle his way through the haphazard crowd up to the front of the hall where there stood a decrepit bar, which Jet decided to climb upon- he knew it'd be a lot easier for the crowd to see them if he was standing at height- the crowd looked at him and the sound he made by climbing up onto the bar where he drew out and clanked his hook swords together to make a ringing noise, which got the attention of anyone else not looking his way. Standing before what he would describe as a sizeable crowd, Jet begun to proclaim to the people that had been gathered- his Freedom Fighters had searched around nearby neighbourhoods for anyone interested in overturning the present government in exchange for a new one; there wasn't that many people- let alone many earthbenders or people with military experience- but they could spread his message and allow their fight to expand.
He begun to speak, "People of the mighty Earth Kingdom!" he shouted out, getting their attention with his patriotic statement, "We have suffered through a century of war, so many dead, so much pain- I offer you all a choice- to take their pain and direct it toward something greater than yourself- greater than any one man or woman."
Hearing cheering and shouts from the crowd incited Jet to continue his speech, "We destroy the Fire Nation and their cronies- we can liberate this city and make it a place people can be proud of again- not a place of inequality and corruption but one of fairness and freedom! Are you with me?!" he shouted at the crowd, their fists rising to the air, and in response he heard what he desired.
"Yes!" he heard echo throughout the hall- and with that he raised his own fist.
"We will strike them down from their golden thrones and bring about a new Earth Kingdom!" he told the crowd, turning to his Freedom Fighters behind him and nodding- now it was time to make their plans.
"Now friends- you will now be handed descriptions of your potential role- you cannot tell anyone what you are doing- these positions are chosen at random, because we have to be certain that our movement cannot be undermined." he told the crowd as Smellerbee, Longshot, Pipsqueak and The Duke handed out the bound notes to each of the crowd members, "We will act on our plans in two days time- you will understand from the message what you must do." he continued, before glancing at the crowd seriously, "You must not return to this hall- if there is subversion- we must be safe, so once you have your message- leave and go home, act like this meeting never happened." the crowd acknowledging him with a series of nods and turning around to leave the building; within a few minutes all of the crowd had shuffled out of the building and all who remained were his friends, who smiled at him with confidence.
"I think we've really got something going here Jet." Smellerbee grinned at her comrade, who nodded with a smirk.
"We've been waiting since Gaipan for something like this- I'm just glad I was able to get us here." he told the group, clasping Smellerbee on the shoulder, "The Fire Nation thinks they've won- they're dead wrong."
"That's right Jet!" Pipsqueak assured, swinging his arm over Jet's shoulder, "Uh- so what exactly did you give all those guys?"
"Our new friends won't play much part in our actual plans- they serve as a distraction while we go to strike the Palace- when the garrison troops realise they have no backup, our allies will easily be able to overwhelm the Fire Nation forces- they'll get the crowds swinging their fists." Jet explained, smirking in his own hubris, which made Smellerbee look at him sceptically.
"That's assuming we can actually break into the palace, and get back out- I've seen it- how are we even going to handle that?!" she asked him.
"There's a few earthbenders that can help us- I've sent them to be strategically placed- they will cause a simultaneous strike on our mark- which Longshot can create with some explosive arrows; those earthbenders will cover us as we go in and overwhelm the governor and the princess- if all goes to plan we can either capture them or keep them stuck in the palace for long enough- if no commands can get out- we have the advantage." Jet explained- his friends nodding in agreement.
The Freedom Fighters walked out of the hall and back into the side-street- they glanced around to check for any prying eyes before leaving the premises as if they had never been there; they made their way back up the major street before turning back into their well memorised alleyways and streets- they would lose any potential followers in the labyrinthine heart of the Lower Ring. Jet took the lead and led the group down a alleyway that lacked any shops or travellers- a good way to ensure that they wouldn't be noticed by any chance Fire Nation patrol, but he was surprised to see two beggars standing before them in the alleyway- they were standing in fighting form- not begging, which made him immediately suspicious.
"What do you want? We don't have any money." Jet lied to the two men, whose straw hats covered their faces, but he could clearly make out two smirks.
"You." the two men said simultaneously, making Jet draw his hook swords and swing his arms into form.
With the most confident smirk he could muster, he simply uttered "Try me."