ASN's drabble contest wanted the White Lotus as a subject, specifically a look at some of what they were doing during the war years. I used the opportunity to imply a few bits of my personal head-canon that runs contrary to fandom opinion. As usual.
Also, there's a few hints about my 100 Men project in here. (I'm one easy chapter away from being ready for an undetermined Beta reader.)
Meeting of the Minds
It had been a long time since Iroh last donned the blue and white robes of the White Lotus. He decided that the occasion called for a black tea.
While the pot sat warming over a small fire, Iroh stepped out of his tent, and waived over a pair of fellow Lotus who were idling nearby. Night was falling over the growing camp. A handful of men appeared every day to join Iroh's gathering, but since many of the elder members preferred an early bedtime, the minority of relatively younger members were no doubt finding the nightlife just within Ba Sing Se's outermost wall to be rather dull. Hopefully, Iroh would be giving this pair of comrades an interesting time. "Good evening, sirs. Could I presume upon you for a favor?"
The one who spoke had gold eyes that didn't quite disappear in the dim light. "Of course, Grand Lotus," he said. "What can we do for you?"
"I have much I need to do tonight, finalizing our plans and enjoying a stimulating cup of tea. Could you two guard my tent, and make sure that I'm not disturbed by any but the other leaders of our Order?" Iroh smiled with a conspiratory chuckle. "I don't expect you stand beside my tent all night, of course. Just stay nearby, and keep an eye out? I don't expect anyone will give you much trouble."
Both men bowed, and the one with the gold eyes said, "It would be our pleasure, Grand Lotus."
"Oh, thank you so much!" With one last grateful grin, Iroh retreated back into his tent. The center of his little living space had been cleared out, and a large Pai Sho table had been placed right in the center. It had taken some fancy administrative and negotiating skills to get all the supplies for the camp to Ba Sing Se's farmlands without the Fire Nation noticing, but Iroh had an eye for detail, and couldn't let necessities like tea and Pai Sho fall to the wayside.
The old man sat at the large table, poured himself a cup of tea, and waited.
It didn't take long for the first to arrive. Master Pakku of the Northern Water Tribe stepped into the tent just fifteen minutes after Iroh had sat down. "Can you believe," the Waterbender groused, "that those two lumps outside tried to stop me from coming in? And what's this about a Leadership Conference? You didn't tell me about any meeting."
Iroh shrugged with good nature. "I apologize. I certainly intended to get word to you. I thought I spoke to someone about that, but perhaps I simply meant to do so, and lost track of-"
Pakku curtly waved the concern away. "Well, I noticed your recruits out there and asked what was going on. Good thing I keep track of what's happening in this camp."
"Good thing," Iroh agreed, pouring a new cup of tea for his guest. "Since you're the only one here so far, we might as well discuss the availability of water in the city proper. The Upper and Middle rings have a sewer system and many privately owned water features, but in the Lower Ring, you'll need to..."
They had a productive talk, but hadn't quite finished when the ground beneath them gave a little shake, and King Bumi of Omashu popped up through a brand new dirt hole, not quite without making a mess.
Pakku blinked at him, and scowled. "Earthbenders. Was it too much trouble to just come in the right way?"
Bumi cackled (of course) and planted himself on the opposite side of the table from the Waterbender. "Actually, yes!" He gave a brief look at Iroh, and whispered, "Tea with sugar, please," before turning back to Pakku. "There I was, enjoying the night air and looking for something to do- I was hoping for a card game or something else I could play for money, but anything that didn't make me feel like I was in some kind of petting zoo for Old People would have been fine- when I sensed those two young'uns loitering outside this tent. They were talking about how they didn't know who they were supposed to be letting in, so I decided this was a private party I wanted to crash!"
"And we're going to tolerate this?" Pakku asked Iroh.
The former general nodded accommodatingly. "This is King Bumi of Omashu. His was the last city to fall before Ba Sing Se, but he recently liberated it single-handed. And we could certainly use an Earthbender's perspective for our Liberation plans, couldn't we?"
The Waterbender was eying Iroh with either great skepticism or deep suspicion, but both were fine with the hosting Grand Lotus.
"I'm sure you'll come to appreciate his unique talent," Iroh said. "I was thinking we could use Earthbending to quickly move our warriors into the city, so that the Occupation doesn't have time to focus their forces on our approach."
"Ooh! We can use the old surfboard trick! I love that one!" Bumi knocked back his tea in one gulp, then leaned forward and stared at the other two Masters. "But we're going to need something a little bigger than a surfboard, I think. We can't get all these Old People onto one board, not without a lot of very impolite shoving, but lucky for you, you have the world's greatest Earthbender on your side!"
They eventually got Bumi to describe something workable, although Iroh felt compelled to cut down on the sugar going into the Earthbender King's tea after the fifth cup. Iroh was just wondering if he would have to stall his two guests when voices carried through the tent's walls. His guards were talking, but their words weren't quite audible at this range. Someone else, though, was speaking quite clearly.
"Get out of the way, you simpletons! I was schooling Firebenders since before you were inflicted on this tainted world of destruction!"
Pakku grimaced and said nothing. Bumi grinned and drawled, "Definitely a Firebender."
A second later, a man with bushy gray hair and thin twin scars over one eye stomped into the tent. "Iroh! Tell the two simpletons that I have a place here!" Two confused faces peaked into the tent, and Iroh gave a reassuring nod, prompting them to quickly disappear again. "Thank you," the newcomer growled as he sat down at the table. He glared a challenge at both Pakku and Bumi individually, as if inviting them to protest his presence.
Pakku shrugged. Bumi winked.
"This is former Admiral Jeong-Jeong, the world's most famous deserter," Iroh said smoothly, passing over another cup of tea. "He's been living and working in the Earth Kingdom's less civilized areas for some time, and has much practical knowledge of insurgent movements. Master Jeong-Jeong, we were just discussing our plans for Ba Sing Se on the Day of Sozin's Comet. I would have invited you, but I didn't know you had arrived."
Jeong-Jeong ignored his tea and leaned heavily over the table. "The Fires of the Comet will destroy the people of Ba Sing Se! No Firebender can contain such power! If we take the fight to the streets of the city, all will perish in the flames of hatred!"
"He's giving me headache," mumbled Bumi. Then he laughed, snorted, and winked again.
"He raises a good point about civilian casualties, though," Pakku said. "We'll have to do what we can to shield the people from the collateral damage, and limit our own attacks to precise strikes against the enemy, but that will be hard for our Benders. I'll barely have enough Water to fight with, never mind if I use it up shielding everyone in the city."
Bumi tapped his prominent chin thoughtfully. "Welllll, there's plenty of Earth in Ba Sing Se (t'would be an utter disgrace if there weren't, really), but any Earthbenders will hard pressed to shield themselves from the Comet's firepower (heh), without worrying about also shielding the rest of the city. I know, I've seen it. Besides, if Ex-Admiral Scowly over there thought I was capable, he wouldn't have ranted like that in the first place. I can just tell, he's one of those expert types who only needs to look at ya to tell if you're a master." Bumi cackled once again. "I bet he got an eyeful out of me!"
Iroh looked to Jeong-Jeong for confirmation. For once, the man was quiet and impassive. "He is correct," the scarred Firebender said. "I can already feel the Fires anticipating the Comet's arrival. The power will be beyond imagination."
"And yet, you can imagine it quite clearly, can't you?" Iroh leaned forward, and stared into Jeong-Jeong's haunted eyes. "You've always been one of the most powerful Firebenders in the Nation. With the Comet, your own raw power should be completely overwhelming."
The Deserter flinched away from Iroh's gaze, and snarled, "I cannot help you! I do not fight anymore. It is treacherous enough to unleash my power in the Winter, never mind on the Day of Sozin's Comet. The hate! The horror! It is too much!"
"No one is asking you to fight," Iroh answered calmly. He picked up Jeong-Jeong's unclaimed cup of tea, and held it in his warming hands. "Your technique of creating a Wall of Flame, a purely defensive move, should be sufficient. No other Firebender alive has the power to pierce it. And I might be able to teach you a thing or two about fueling your flame with something other than hate and anger." He smiled. "Fire comes from the breath, and we have many choices when it comes to igniting it."
For a long moment, all was still. Then, tentatively, Jeong-Jeong reached out a hand, and accepted the offered tea. "It will be my honor to learn from you, Sifu Iroh."
Everyone smiled in relief.
Then they noticed that another man had joined them in the tent.
Everyone turned in alarm to stare at the newcomer, who was standing just beside the tent's entrance. He regarded them with what might have been a tinge of amusement, and casually held a sheathed sword in his hand. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything?" He was younger than the others, his hair still dark and his face unwrinkled beneath his small beard.
Pakku spoke first. "Who is this clown?"
"Whoever he is," Jeong-Jeong said as he sipped his tea, "he's more dangerous and deadly than you."
Pakku snorted in disbelief and eyed the sword in the newcomer's hand. "How did you get in here? This is a private meeting of the Grand Lotus leadership. We're not having a social occasion that you just crash."
Bumi's eyes widened. "We aren't?"
The newcomer shrugged, and moved to sit down. "While I might not have the rank of Grand Lotus just yet, I still know many things about our organization. I dare say that every important piece of information that passes through our Fire Nation networks eventually comes to me. And in the Fire Nation, we've been using our contacts for more than just Pai Sho and idle philosophy for quite some time. Although, I suppose that in the Northern Water Tribe, you wouldn't hear much about that, would you, Master Pakku?"
The cranky Waterbender threw his hands into the air. "Does everyone around here have a trick they need to show off? King Bumi, do you want to make a coin disappear for us?"
The Earthbender grinned. "I can do that, actually. Want to see?"
Jeong-Jeong was ignoring the banter, and finally turned his full attention to the newcomer. "Who are you? And as much power as you may wield in the Fire Nation, what gives you the right to sit at this table? You are but a swordsman."
The man nodded. "I am just a swordsman, but even a Bender of your caliber should not underestimate the reach and versatility of a mere blade, Master Jeong-Jeong. I have probably killed enough in the war to equal you and General Iroh. Perhaps more than you, since you spent so much of your career in Navy Command.
"I am Piandao."
Jeong-Jeong's eyes widened momentarily, and then he gave a short bow and went back to his tea. Iroh was as passive as always, and Bumi was completely ignoring everyone else in favor of stirring some more sugar into his latest cup. Only Pakku was still on the defensive. "Sadly, your name apparently didn't make it up to the Northern Water Tribe. I still haven't heard why you should have a voice in this discussion. Who sponsored you into the White Lotus, anyway?"
Piandao didn't answer. Instead, another man sitting at that table raised a hand.
It was Bumi.
"You're joking," Pakku said.
Bumi shook his head, all amusement gone from his face for the first time all night. "Piandao may not be as notorious a Deserter as Jeong-Jeong (although I think that's only because of his lack of political connections, really), but his betrayal of the Fire Nation was just as powerful. He has sought the Wisdom our Order reveres with a unique single-mindedness, and even before I sponsored him, he already showed all the signs of truly being one of us. He may be one of the world's most proliferate killers, but he has come to respect Life, and Philosophy, and he now lives his life in true accordance with our ideals. He is one of the best men I have the pleasure of knowing."
Eyes wide at Bumi's seriousness, Pakku nodded. "I can respect that. Welcome, Piandao of the Fire Nation."
"Thank you," the swordsman said smoothly. "I may never have had Jeong-Jeong's political connections, but I spent my entire life in the military, both in command and on the frontlines. From what I've heard, you all made very good, very necessary plans, but now it's time for my perspective. Gentlemen, it's time to talk... basic logistics. We need to organize a patrol for this camp, take care to keep the smoke of our fires from becoming visible from the city proper, not to mention everything for the day of our invasion. I assume we're waiting for the Day of the Comet because we won't have the firepower to break in as an army beforehand? Well, we also have to worry about what comes after. We need to preserve food and water. We need to get a team up to the palace before the fighting is done, so that we can seize control of the government. Not to mention getting someone to sew us up some flags, so that the civilians in the city don't think we're some kind of evil mountain cult come to sacrifice them to the Comet. Flags are political. They reassure commoners."
Piandao smiled softly. "Take it from a real soldier, this is the type of thing we want to plan out ahead of time."
Iroh nodded. His brain trust has assembled itself, and it was time to guide them to a plan that would fulfill his youthful visions, and liberate Ba Sing Se from the evils of his own nation. "Sounds like we have a long night yet," he said brightly. "I'll put another pot of tea on."
Everyone groaned.
END
