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Chapter 2: "Always tell the truth"

The sun was shining in the bright blue sky when she stepped outside. In Joo Dee's opinion, another wonderful day in Ba Sing Se. Then again… every day was a wonderful day in Ba Sing Se. Joo Dee could only smile at everyone she passed on her way to the governmental building. She almost wanted to laugh.

She had been acting so, so… childish earlier; beyond childish in fact. Being afraid of the light? Who had ever heard of someone being afraid of the light? The light drove away the shadows; it brought clarity to a situation. The light was nothing to be afraid of. Besides, she was inside the great walls of Ba Sing Se. What did she have to fear?

The sun never seemed brighter as she walked down the crowded streets.

"Hello! My name is Joo Dee. I have been given the great honor of welcoming you to Ba Sing Se. I hope you will all find your stay enjoyable in this wonderful city!"

The words came naturally to her. She paused as she finished, smiling. In return, the group in front of her didn't smile. Instead, some of them, mostly younger children, gawked at their prestigious surroundings. The adults all had the dazed, dull gaze Joo Dee had come to expect of them. However… a handful, a rare handful of them, scattered amongst the crowd had a certain glint to their eyes. Joo Dee decided she didn't particularly care for that look. She couldn't respond in any way however; her shift had been randomly selected to play host for a pair of Dai Li inspectors.

"If you have any questions after I assign you your papers, you may either ask me or one of the many agents of the Dai Li. We will be happy to assist you in any way."

She had to hide a hint of smugness from her smile as she sat down behind a low table to begin handing out the papers. The process went by quickly, as the new citizens of Ba Sing Se meekly accepted their new housing arrangements. Soon enough she had finished, and the crowd had been escorted out by the two Dai Li. She leaned back in the chair, kneading the back of her neck to release the tension there. After hours of leaning over to read yet another ineligible scrawl meant to represent a personal signature, her shoulders felt sore and tired, while her neck was as taut as a string on an instrument. She wondered how any could ever manage to gain the fortitude to work all day as a common laborer or even worse, sleeping outside on the hard ground regularly.

Thankfully the day was almost over. Tilting her head up, the darkening sky filled her sight. She knew the sun hung low in the sky, its dying light turning everything to shade, but she couldn't see it from here. Sometimes she wondered why she was so far from her old village, why she couldn't see the sun set anymore. Sometimes she even wondered how she had gotten this position; governmental jobs weren't given out lightly, especially to a teen. Sometimes she even wondered why it came so naturally to her…

There was a slight scuffing sound, of boots on stone. Reacting to hide the fact that it had surprised her, she leaned forward in a rush, her chair's front feet scraping the ground as she started to check off names in a rush. After a few seconds, she risked looking up.

One of the Dai Li, a man with a thin whip of a mustache, was standing in front of her, hands concealed within the voluminous sleeves of his clothing. His hard stare seemed to bore into her eyes.

"What were you doing?" The question was so calmly and quietly stated that she didn't react to it for a few seconds. Then she felt the compulsion to tell the truth; in Ba Sing Se, one always told the Dai Li the truth.

"I was thinking about my old village, sir." The words came out in a jumbled rush, leaving her looking like a breathless fool. The man glanced to one side of her, and out of the corner of her eye she saw movement. She froze like a startled animal; the other Dai Li had been standing there the entire time and she hadn't heard him come in. He looked back at her before merely nodding. He brushed past her, moving to take his place standing behind the table, as Joo Dee let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Suddenly she heard the doors creaking open, along with all of the sounds common to a large crowd. Standing up, putting the wide smile back on her face, Joo Dee greeted the last group for today.

"Hello! My name is Joo Dee. I have been given the great honor of welcoming you to Ba Sing Se. I hope you will all find your stay enjoyable in this wonderful city…"