A. N. : Pai Sho is, in the shows, never truly explained. So I made stuff up, taking some inspiration from games I am familiar with, and using what we see of the board and tiles. Mainly, this was a way to write some symbolic foreshadowing - there has never been a single chapter with this much foreshadowing in this story, ever. If you feel like trying to make sense of it all, I'd be curious to see what you come up with ! Good luck !
Piandao is having the time of his life.
He just checked on Sokka, instructed him on the first steps he needs to take in order to forge his own sword – Phat will watch over him for most of the early process, but things should process smoothly.
The Avatar and his friends are relaxing in the garden, finally over their earlier confusion. Convincing the jumpy one to come inside was an unexpectedly difficult task, but Prince Zuko helped. It is – good, to see him overcoming his awkwardness around people. But perhaps it should've been expected. It has been ten years. He grew a lot.
Piandao has always loved nurturing those willing to grow and learn – though age and experience both taught him how rare such people actually are – and seeing the result of such growth is the best reward in his eyes.
Even if all he did was plant a seed, he still helped forge the future. For now, until a better occasion presents itself, that will have to be enough.
And Prince Zuko too is forging a bright new future now, much earlier than planned, but with kindness and courage and his everlasting stubbornness. If the child takes after his parenting as much as the Earth blood in her veins, the result should be interesting.
Piandao hopes he will get to teach her as well.
For now, he has three of his students around, all at various stages of growth, all more eager to better themselves than the preceding one, and he enjoys it very much. Perhaps he could take some time to spar with Prince Zuko, see his progress with the sword after seeing his progress with the world.
Make sure he will be an appropriate tutor to continue Sokka's formation.
Or maybe he should try to get the jumpy boy to sit down and stop looking for traps and escape routes. Does he like Pai Sho ?
The boy freezes, hands going to his side before quickly settling on his belt – not simply a tactician or a killer then, but a fighter, and one who isn't used to his current weapon. His attitude makes more sense in that light. Enemy territory, used to conflict, probably used to being in charge of the lives of his troop – or whatever it was he used to lead before joining the Avatar – and not quite ready for a more peaceful place. Piandao knows the type.
The boy reads him as an unknown, and as such, dangerous. Pai Sho is good if he wants to play then, but maybe offering him tea would be counterproductive. He didn't take the first offer, and Piandao won't make another.
But jumpiness is good, in a way. It means the boy is unsure. Won't try anything again – Piandao knows the type, knows he got very close to losing his life without even noticing something was wrong, could read it in the boy's face when Zuko unmasked himself earlier.
He's become lenient. Jeong Jeong would no doubt hold this one against him, were he to learn about it. Which he won't, ever.
But perhaps lenient is good, or will be good, in the future, when peace comes. Piandao wants to believe that.
The boy shrugs in fake nonchalance and accepts the game. Prince Zuko, who was still hovering nearby, lets out a relieved sigh.
They set up the board outside, and Piandao takes a moment to admire the efforts of the Avatar's earthbending teacher to educate him in the field of sculpture, using the rock Sokka turned into a seat as their canvas. Rather inconclusive, but they seem to be having fun.
The waterbender comes closer and sits between Prince Zuko and Piandao, where she can both follow the game and watch over the attempts at art in the garden.
Piandao will tell her of the revolution she brought about later, tell her all about how neither Pakku nor the rest of the Northern Water Tribe had any excuse anymore, tell her about the new students and their determination to learn the way she did.
But first he has a game to play. The boy offers Piandao the first move, then has a short laugh at the White Lotus opening – he raises and eyebrow at Prince Zuko, who shrugs, and isn't this interesting ? Piandao hasn't heard about the boy from Iroh, but the boy on the other hand seems somewhat familiar with the Order. Or at the very least its philosophy – friends everywhere eh, he mutters while thinking of his own move.
Iris in red it is. An uncommon response. His following moves are just as unorthodox, and by the time he attempts a forbidden one, Piandao is certain the boy lacks experience. Still, he has potential. He understands the board, even if he doesn't quite remember the rules, plays and lays traps using all the tiles on the board, something young players typically have trouble doing – those with a background in shogi especially tend to have difficulties using tiles they didn't lay themselves, or noticing when their opponent is doing it.
Piandao is starting to think the only background the boy has are real-life battles he fought with minimal resources but still managed to win, or at least survive – almost a win in itself.
He could've made a good student under different circumstances.
Instead he takes a risky gambit, bridging his very first tile with a Dahlia, and Piandao almost misses it because this is definitely not a move he foresaw – was this planned, or did the boy improvise ? – and he needs a moment to rethink his strategy.
By placing the Dahlia, the boy is threatening a Palm Leaf in white and a White Dragon Bush in red, effectively taking control of the board. But the move is unbalanced, and if Piandao plays right, it will be his last. Thinking back to earlier traps, there was a common flaw brought on by the more complex aspects of the game. The quadrants are complicated, even for long-time players, but privileging one over the others, even on accident, can make a good strategy crumble entirely.
The boy has full control over the red bird and occupies his center rather well. Azure dragon doesn't have any glaring weaknesses.
Piandao places a Moonflower in red, white tiger.
And the boy just stares at the board, eyes wide. Then he frowns, lifts his head to look up at Piandao and he laughs. Prince Zuko starts – he stopped paying attention a while ago, instead focusing on the child crawling on the floor – and looks between Piandao and the boy in confusion. The waterbender looks closely at the board and – she doesn't get it. The boy doesn't either, but he lost, and he wants Piandao to tell him how. His eyes are shining. Well.
Perhaps the boy can learn something from Piandao in the end. One more seed to the future, though this one seems to be a wildflower.
Pai Sho was always plant themed anyway.