Hey, sorry I haven't updated in a while. I lied in the last chapter though. I think the plot will move pretty quickly for the next few updates. Yay~
Disclaimer: I don't own any ideas from Avatar: The Last Airbender, nor Watchmen. They belong to their respective creators. But any original characters and ideas belong to me.
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He sometimes wondered if the shelter and clothing was really worth all the trouble. In some ways, this new job was worse than working in a factory for women's clothing.
"Hey! Are you deaf?" One tea shop customer practically shouted into his ear. "I've been waiting here forever and I haven't gotten my tea yet!"
None of the employees liked the man that yelled at everyone just because he had to wait for a couple minutes, or because his tea was too cold or too sweet. They had to comply with him though. He was one of the most respected people outside of the Jasmine Dragon, and it would look bad if he was neglected or kicked out.
Everyone else scuffled away, leaving Rorschach the one to be alone with him.
"You! With the weird hair! You aren't doing anything! Why don't you get me some of this tea?" He shoved a menu into his face, pointing furiously to a line of Chinese characters.
That was another thing. Even though they spoke English, they wrote in Chinese. Or another Asian language like it. It made no sense, like everything else about this place. And he couldn't read any Chinese at all, so he had no clue what kind of beverage he wanted.
He pretended he did though. "We don't make that."
"Are you kidding me?! I saw a guy with a whole tray of it pass by me recently!"
"Correction. We don't make that for assholes like you."
The reaction was priceless. His face blushed red and swelled up like a tomato with a fuzzy mustache. Slamming the menu onto the table, he pushed the chair away and starting screaming and spitting into his face.
"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?! AN ASSHOLE?! HOW DARE YOU?!"
By that point, the whole restaurant was staring at the two, but none of them were concerned about their new audience.
"Yes. I did. And you know what else I'm not afraid to do?"
Before he could say anything, he grabbed the elaborately decorated sleeves of the man's robes, dragged him towards the entrance, threw him at the ground and gave him a good kick out the door.
No one made a sound. They continued to gawk at the foreign tea server that had only been working here for a few days but already made an impression on all of them.
He ignored their intense gaze. Because when he turned around, Iroh had stepped out of the backroom and managed to figure out what happened based on the shocked silence that filled the air.
"Roko… I think it's best if you stuck with dishwashing."
---
Rorschach was able to listen in on the important conversations while pretending he was busy with the dishes. It was a bit harder to hear anything over the clattering of teacups, but at least he didn't have to deal with anyone.
"Firelord Zuko! What are you doing here?"
He glanced out of the corner of his eye and was surprised to see a teenage boy dressed in fanciful robes and surrounded by intimidating bodyguards. Intimidating to others.
"I need to talk to you. It's... important. Is there someplace private we can talk in?"
"Oh yes. Come with me."
The boy gestured the guards away while the two of them went back into the room where he was washing dishes. There was a curtain dividing this room and another, and Iroh indicated that they should step in there, but Zuko stopped when he saw Rorschach.
"Who… is this?"
"Oh, he's Roko. He's a stranger from another country, and needed a place to stay in and a job. So I gave him both."
'Roko' acted like he wasn't hearing the conversation, but he and the Firelord still made eye contact, noting th unique scar on the Firelord's right eye. Averting his gaze, he made an effort to look like there was a nasty stain on a dish and scrubbed hard at it.
"Uncle, you can't be picking up random people off the streets and helping him! I mean, especially during these times! In case you haven't noticed, there was a massive prison breakout recently and he could be one of those prisoners as far as you know! A dangerous one! Or," He had to stop and breathe for a moment, "He could be part of the Dai Li, sent here to destroy you in secret. Or he could even be sent from Az-"
Iroh shook his head, which quieted his nephew for the time being. "Don't worry, dear Zuko. I know who he is, and he is no enemy of mine. Now, what were you here for, besides ranting about my employees?"
He opened his mouth to say something but no words came out. Instead, he scowled and glared at the mysterious man one last time before ducking under the curtains and into the private room.
---
'Roko' stopped doing the dishes and leaned against the wall near the curtain. Iroh and the Firelord were talking about a meeting that was going to take place later that day, in the Council War Room, wherever that is. Iroh and Firelord were going to attend, along with several other important political and military figures. Which most likely included the Avatar. 'Roko' was back doing the dishes when they both popped out.
"Roko, I'm leaving now. Make sure that the shop's closed up tight and you can do whatever you like, ok?" Iroh said before shutting the door behind him.
He was such a naïve, old man. It was rather pathetic, especially since he apparently was significant enough to be invited to the meeting personally by the Firelord. Then again, said person was his nephew.
Minutes later, a man in a black and white mask was prowling on the rooftops, following Iroh down below. Rooftops, because there were Fire Nation soldiers all over the streets. He figured that they were there to help catch the criminals that recently escape, but something about that bugged him. Countries don't usually help another country with massive breakouts. Especially not with their own troops. Was there something else that would encourage them to act this way, something that concerned them too? That's why he wanted to go to the meeting.
Whatever the reason, the soldiers were a pain in the ass when he resumed his vigilantism during the night. Luckily, they don't have the tendency to look up, so the journey to the war room was easy when he didn't stop for anything.
He finally stopped in front of a large building with only one apparent way in. And that was guarded by several Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation soldiers. They stepped aside to let Iroh in, and then stepped in front of the door after he was inside.
It wouldn't be possible for him to get in through there. Not without alerting them of his presence. Jumping down from the roof and into a dark alley, he scanned the outside of the building searching for another way in.
There was flicker of movement near the back that no one would've caught if they weren't looking for it. Then it was gone. That was enough though. Rorschach dashed over when the guards weren't looking and examined the place where it had disappeared.
He felt a crack in the wall, and when he pushed it, a hidden door revealed itself and swung open. That was easy. But as soon as he stepped in, a dagger of blue fire was up to his neck before he could blink.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?!"
The blazing weapon enabled him to see his attacker. Another Fire Nation soldier covered in armor and a mask, but the voice was distinctly feminine. And, like what he had discovered about these people a few nights ago, also had the ability to Firebend. That's what he called it anyway.
"I could ask you the same question." He said, sensing the blade starting to burn out.
She paused for a moment, and then made the fire disappear with a flick of her wrist.
"I'm… supposed to be in the war room right now, keeping everyone that's not invited out. Only I was late, and they wouldn't let me in. Now they have the room locked-down now. I have to use this secret passage to get in, or else I'll get in trouble for not showing up. And then you followed me in… I should have been more careful."
She started climb up the stairs, creating a small fireball in her hands to light the way. Though he found her circumstances a little odd, he didn't find any reason to not follow her.
"I know that you're Rorschach. One of the many prisoners that escaped, though they told us that you're the most dangerous. You don't seem so to me. I think they're just scared because you broke the Avatar's girlfriend's arms, and she's a Waterbending master. She isn't that strong. Because…"
The soldier stopped in mid-sentence, her voice trailing off like she was remembering something. She even stopped in her tracks, only jerked awake when she realized that he was moving on without her.
"Anyway, here's a deal. You don't tell anyone I was late and had to take the secret tunnel to get in, and I won't turn you in."
Rorschach just nodded. Even if she was going to break the promise anyway, he should be able to take her down and bring her to justice. He hated corrupt policemen, but they had their uses.
---
When they got to the top of the stairs, he could tell that she was disappointed. They ended up in the war room alright, but they were in a room close to the ceiling of it, not at the ground. She couldn't get down and pretend she was there all along without breaking her leg, or at least making some noise.
"Damn it! All that work and I'll still be in trouble anyway…" She hissed while staring down into the room below. While Rorschach stood next to her to watch the meeting, she sighed and grabbed the rim of her helmet.
"I don't think I'll turn you in anyway. Don't worry. It's pretty hot in here though. Do you mind if I take off my helmet?"
She didn't wait for a response and took it off anyway. He glanced at her only briefly before turning back to the session down below. The girl was awfully young to be in the army. Around 15 or so. And she was pretty in a way, with her piercing golden eyes and messy brown hair. But she wasn't his type.
Whatever else she said after showing her face to him was ignored, because the council below starting talking again.
"Do you know how long it would take for you to find the Dai Li and flush them out without my soldiers? Too long! And that's without the assumption that your army has been infiltrated by them!"
It was obvious that Firelord Zuko was struggling to keep his temper in check. Iroh, who was sitting next to him, gave everyone else a look of apology.
"The Fire Nation never had the right to barge into Ba Sing Se, especially with so many of their soldiers, for any reason at all!" Someone spoke up from the other end of the table, presumably a general. "Who told you that some of our soldiers are members of the Dai Li anyway? We go through a thorough background check for every man and woman!"
"She had taunted us, right before she escaped, saying that she has allies everywhere! That's the source right there!" Zuko hissed.
"And you believe her? She could be playing with your mind, making you do unnecessary things like this!" A different general spoke up. "It just confirms that you sending your troops here to help capture the Dai Li isn't helping us at all. You're reacting on one small thing before you really think about it!"
"AZULA ISN'T A SMALL THING! SHE'S A REAL THREAT TO EVERYONE AND WE HAVE TO TAKE HER SERIOUSLY!"
The girl next to Rorschach seemed to smile at Zuko's outburst.
"Guys! Remember! This is suppose to be a peaceful war meeting, which means everyone has to calm down!" Aang himself was on the verge on shouting.
The Firelord shot a peeved glance at him. "I am calm! Obviously, you never been to a real war meeting before, because people shout like this all the time!"
"No, not here!" The same general that provoked him into that outrage said. "In the Fire Nation, yes, because everyone there including their leader are shortsighted hot-heads that challenge others to an Agni Kai every other minute-"
He was interrupted by Aang, who coughed quietly while tapping his staff on the table. "Let's... talk about something else then. Whether Azula was lying about having Dai Li agents in the Earth Kingdom army-"
"It's a ridiculous notion that the ranks have been infiltrated! She's just playing games with everyone, making things worse than they are-"
"She wouldn't be lying about that sort of thing!"
"GUYS!" Aang was getting a headache from all this bickering. He couldn't understand why they had to argue about everything, especially since they were relatively peaceful at the beginning of the meeting. After a blissful moment of silence, he tried again.
"Whether she was lying or not, we all know that she's the number one target right now." Aang started again. "She is leading the Dai Li, so if we capture her, the Dai Li will go down, and we win. It's just the matter of how." He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Since it's not likely that she'll show herself anytime soon, we might have to find an agent instead and see if he knows anything. Hmm. We should've captured one during a prison breakout, so he could tell us where their headquarters is. Or at least followed the tunnels that they made during the breakout here…"
While he was rambling, the girl next to him got up and started walking around.
"That isn't helping us much. Where do you think we're going to find a Dai Li agent?" One of the generals told him.
"I dunno." The boy shrugged. "We could ask Long Feng."
"We already tried that, the day after the breakout." Another general said. "He isn't saying anything."
"I know where we can find a Dai Li agent." Zuko spoke up again. "In the Earth Kingdom army. I suggest that my soldiers and I comb through your people and check for anybody that's questionable while attempting to secure a source of information as to where their headquarters are, how many others are of the Dai Li, etc. Of course, that means that your army will have to be temporarily suspended and placed under house arrest, but-"
"What?! That's outrageous!" A man that had been quiet for most of the meeting stood up, angered by what he said. "You can't do all that on the assumption that there's a Dai Li agent among us! How do you know that your troops aren't infiltrated, if you're so paranoid about mine?!"
"With all due respect Earth King Kuei, my soldiers are drawn from the Fire Nation Royal Palace Guard. I personally know each and every one of them, I picked the ones that especially have a personal grudge against Azula. Yours, on the other hand, released the Dai Li and other criminals back into the city. After all, you didn't imprisoned all of the them, so they just could have joined the city guards."
"How dare you say that?!" The Earth King was red with anger. "I can't let you do this on a suspicion, especially with my troops!"
"Then you're just helping Azula then! You're letting her soldiers roam free in Ba Sing Se, undermining everything that you've been working on for the past few months! You're helping her take over your city when you won't admit that there might be a chance of an infiltration!"
"And I should just let the Fire Nation troops control the city all in the name of Azula? It seems to me that she didn't have to do much to take the throne."
Suddenly, much to the all the onlookers' surprise, Iroh placed a hand on Zuko's shoulder and stood up.
"We're all playing right into her hand. This is part of Azula's plan, to divide and create mistrust between the two countries that are here today. With each of you acting separately, she could take all of you down easier. Plus, if she doesn't destroy anyone just yet, the people will do it themselves. The citizens of Ba Sing Se certainly don't appreciate a second occupation of the Fire Nation, and if they learn of the arrests of the guards they trust more, a rebellion might be on our hands."
"But... Don't you agree that it's necessary?" His nephew turned to him, no longer quite as fired up.
"Not the way you suggested it." It was Aang's turn to speak. "Iroh's right. If they hear of the Fire Nation locking up their own guards, the trouble they cause won't be worth it. But we do need to find the Dai Li out, and if Azula said that they're in the Earth Kingdom army, then they are. Sorry Kuei."
When he turned to give a look of apology, he saw that the man remained silent and his face solemn.
"It wouldn't hurt to check them all over, but it shouldn't be solely conducted by the Fire Nation. I can help run it. And so can the Earth King, and the generals, and Toph. She can tell if anyone's lying, isn't that right?
"...Toph?"
Alarmed that she wasn't sitting next to her like she was beforehand, he glanced around the room and saw her standing next to the wall.
"That's right. And you know what else I can do?" The blind girl turned to Aang briefly and then placed a hand on the wall. "I can tell if there's people here, when they shouldn't be."
Shit. This wasn't going to end well.
Taking in a deep breath, she punched the wall with her other hand, the resulting force cracking the place she struck. And it also created stone pillars that launched both Rorschach and the girl into the room.
He fell with an ungraceful thud. He was lucky that he didn't gain anything more than bruises though.
The girl seemed to have anticipated this, and kicked her heels so a jet of blue fire flamed out of her feet. She propelled herself towards the other end of the room and torpedoed herself into the unsuspecting Aang, knocking him unconscious.
"Well done little girl." She tossed back her stray hair that fell in front of her face. "I thought that the ice witch would've found me first. Pity that she had to run because she let her arms get broken though. A rematch would be nice."
Everyone was in shock at the sudden appearance of their worst enemy, except for the masked man that was still trying to regain his bearings.
"AZULA!" Zuko was the first one to recover from the surprise. "Why are we just standing here, listening to her talk?!" He stood up and knocked his chair away. "Get her!"
"Oh, Zuzu, you haven't changed a bit." She casually flicked her palms open, creating two balls of blue fire. "Who's going to get me though? I did say that I have friends everywhere, even in this very room."
All the guards suddenly pointed their spears at the Firelord and his friends, instead of at the girl. If that wasn't bad enough, the door was smashed open as more people wearing the Earth Kingdom uniforms flooded in, weapons and sharp rocks readied. And many Earthbenders in the Dai Li apparel dropped down from the ceiling, stone gauntlets on their hands.
"Before you think about surrendering, I think it's fair that you should know that I'll kill you anyway. Or maybe I'll let you all live because you did stick me in jail rather than executing me. I actually haven't made up my mind yet." She shrugged, gazing at everyone and everything with her golden eyes.
"So what'll it be? Will you surrender?"
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Thanks to my brother for helping me type up the war meeting of this chapter. I'm not that great at making political stuffs. And yes I should have the next chapter done soon.