Soo...it's benn a LONG time but I am working on this as the muse hits me. I'm tossing out that poll though cause I'm writing this how I want. I promise the next update won't be months later lol. Please enjoy and tell me what you think with a few reviews.
Jaherah's eyes snapped open and she pulled away, looking towards the door with alarm. "Someone's coming," She whispered. Zuko seemed a little hurt but shook it off. He shouldn't even be thinking about kissing Jaherah when his heart is still tied to Mai.
"How far are they?" He asked, pushing off the table and moving around a little, assessing what he had in mind. Their eyes widened as the doorknobs started to wiggle around. Hearing a key turn from the outside Zuko snapped around, grabbing Jaherah by the neck, and slammed her face up on the table. She was livid and screamed trying to kick him off. He arched a brow, and in that moment she calmed, nodding then continued to freak out. He wasn't choking her, just holding the collar in a manner that looked like he was. "If you so much as disobey me one more time I will have you whipped until your blood runs dry! AM I UNDERSTOOD?!"
Jaherah whimpered pathetically, even managing to squeeze out a tear and squeaked, "Yes master." By now the doors had opened and a few scholars looking very irate that they're work place had been locked on them stepped inside.
Zuko glanced to them, eyes on fire then pushed away from Jaherah, smoothing out his hair and clothes. Jaherah rolled over rubbing at her uninjured neck. "Is there a problem?" he asked them, snapping his fingers at Jaherah who composed herself and moved to kneeling by his feet.
"Oh no Prince Zuko!" one bespectacled man stammered. "We were just about to do a little research but um…" He laughed nervously then looked to one of his coworkers for assistance. "We could always use another library!"
"That won't be necessary. I was just leaving." He snapped and Jaherah rose to her feet and followed him out. The scholars bowed, stepping out of his way then watched on.
"He's becoming more like his father every day now," one whispered to the other.
"It would appear so." Jaherah had hopped he had not heard that but it was clear by his body language that he did.
Her eyes darted around the hall before she finally spoke up. "That was a good save," she said then quickly dropped off.
"Yeah it was…" he sighed. "You went a little overboard with the crying."
"Well I had to make it look like you finally broke me."
"Do you hear anyone close by?"
She blinked. "Aside from the bookworms in the library, No!" She gasped as she was pulled forward, Zuko's arms wrapping around her in a warm embrace. She was rigid for only a moment then her mind registered the hug and she slipped her arms around him.
"For your sake, please behave. I can't fake everything," he whispered into her ear, trying not to get drunk off the smell of her hair.
"Then run away. You can come with me and Ren…you, I can't believe I'm saying this. You can bring Mai," she said pushing back to look into his face. He was not as thrilled about the plan as she was.
"I can't live my life as a fugitive."
"But you can live it as a prisoner?" His silence spoke volumes. He had lived the life of and outcast before and he was no more eager to return to it than he was to cut off his own foot. They stepped away in time for a set of guards to come by on patrol. Jaherah was reluctantly passed off to them to be sent to her room while Zuko tried not to look in a frenzy with getting back to Mai with a sizable candle-lit dinner.
"What took you so long?" Mai griped with her arms crossed. "I was starting to think you forgot about me."
"Sorry love," he exhaled then snapped his fingers at the servers that had to run in stride with him. "Had to teach the girl a lesson and besides." He gave her a peck on the cheek. "I could never forget you." She smiled, nudging him away.
Mai's eyes sparkled at the romantic dinner by the koi pond and Zuko took notice. A fair save and the setting sun seemed to add more to the mood. Zuko hooked his finger under Mai's elegant chin to pull her eyes away from their meal then kissed her as if for the first time…minus the nose bumping but all of the overwhelming excitement, passion and love. For now, his worries of his future melted away. He pulled back and silver eyes fluttered open. Zuko jumped.
Mai furrowed her brow. "Are you feeling alright?" she asked, touching a hand to his face.
He blinked, eyes as gold as the sun looking back at him with such concern. A smile of relief touched his lips. He swore he was losing me mind though. "I'm fine, really," he said, touching his forehead to hers.
"Really?! Because you've been acting so strange since that girl got here," she said with a sigh. "It's like you're on edge all the time now." Her arms slipped around his neck and she shifted her head under his chin. "You can tell me when something is bothering you Zuko."
"I know," he said in a low voice. The world and all the problems that came with it were rushing back to him.
"Then why won't you talk to me?" She sat up to look into his eyes. It was clear now, the emotion on her face of worry. Her lips frowned and her eyes shook. Her distress over this being so obvious struck a major chord with him. He alone could read her and now she showed it openly as if she felt he didn't get the message and leaving herself vulnerable would help him understand. "Zuko…don't shut me out."
"I…" He looked away, trying to collect his thoughts or more so work around the truth without lying to her, but hiding the truth is just the same as telling a fib. "It's complicated but I have control of the situation." He looked into those beautiful eyes and smiled weakly, stroking her cheek. "I'm not shutting you out. I just don't want you to worry about me too much. I can handle what's coming." He pulled her into a hug, but Mai did not seem reassured. She did not want her love to go it alone anymore. He didn't have to as long as she was there, but what if he couldn't stay? "I love you Mai."
The disobedient remaining members of the Jaded sat in a small inn near the edge of the capital city drinking tea in silence. Ren moved the green material bearing the insignia of the Dai Li between his fingers as he stared at his cup of oolong. His companions were uneasy in the silence. Too long had they waited for their leader to return and the deadline they needed to meet quickly approached.
Kai fidgeted in his place then set his tea down, staring at Ren who refused to look up. "Ren!" he said in a trembling voice. He swallowed some confidence then kept on. "We have to move on with out Jaherah or will fail the mission." Fierce green eyes pinned him down and the air grew thick. Kai balled his hands into fist. "If she wants to be that fire brat's pet instead of doing what's right then we should leave her behind. If she gets hurt or worse that's her own damn fault."
"…" Ren looked away; crushing the piece of cloth in his hand then finally took up his tea, cold. "You really feel that way? That we should abandon her like that?"
All eyes were on Kai as he stammered, dropping his gave. "I just meant that…"
"Stay here." Ren shot to his feet and moved towards the room door.
"Where are you going?" the twins asked in earnest.
"To finish the mission."
Kinta moved to stand beside him. "I'm going too."
"You can't come," Ren said flatly. "Jaherah and I were the only ones that were supposed to carry out this part."
"And she's not here!" Kinta said, waving his hand back across the group. "You can't do this on your own."
"There could be another assassin out there," Jun-Lei squeaked.
"Which is why you'll all stay here, keep an eye on each other. I took one without any problems so you four should be just fine."
"But!"
"Leave him alone," Kai grunted. "If he wants to do this, then let him. We weren't supposed to go in the first place so we're not going now that Jaherah is gone." Ren looked back at him as Kai sipped at his tea. There was a sigh before Ren opened his mouth but Kai cut him off. "If you're not back by sunrise we're leaving. No sense in wasting more time here."
The air before had dissipated. They were back to being warriors again but not nearly as cold. If anything could be assumed, that Ren would get what they came for then drag Jaherah out of the palace and sprint for the gates even if he had to put her under. The young earth bender looked back to his friends and subordinates from the door. "If I'm late meet me at the next checkpoint and be careful," he said. The group nodded. "They're sneaky bastards but we mastered stealth and"
"Blah blah!" Kai groaned and moved to shove him through the door. "Enough with the pep talk fearless leader, you're burning moonlight."
Ren smiled, feeling relieved. They were trained to be the best so there was no doubt they could handle anything thrown at them. "Take care of them."
Kai shrugged with a laugh. "Like I have a choice. Any one of them gets hurt and Jaherah will have my head." There was a bit of silence as they stared one another down. "Don't screw up."
"Pep talk?" Ren laughed.
"How ever you want to take it." Kai stepped back from the door and gave a lazy salute. Ren laughed again, shaking his head, returned the salute and left. The remainder of the Jaded sat in silence. They knew their orders. At the first sign of dawn from their window, they would leave the city with out hesitation, should Ren not return in time.
Ren's stroll through the city was swift. While he remained in sight of any lurking Dai Li, he moved so quickly he felt spectral passing what few still roamed the imperial streets. His goal was the prison located just outside the city and he would reach it without difficulty or anyone sniffing at his heels. The guards at the entrance to the prison were stiff but not alert. What diversions Ren manifested by throwing small rocks barely got a blink out of them. They were either good at their job or really skilled at faking it. Thinking he would have to know them both out and drag the bodies away, he got his break.
The guard to the left gave a grunt, shouldering his pudao. "I gotta take a leak. Back in a bit," he said to his partner then sauntered off. The lone soldier nodded then leaned on his weapon, staring into space. The wheels were spinning in Ren's mind now as he crept closer staying low and off to the side. He eyed how the guar swayed, head bobbing a little. With one fist dug into the dirt, Ren slid his arm back. The ground beneath the guard's pudao shifted towards the earth bender causing the guard to topple over in the opposite direction. Ren shot for the doorway without hesitation as the man gathered himself. As the guard pushed to his feet, Ren relieved him of his keys and slipped inside, quickly darting out of view and up a flight of stairs.
"Too easy," Ren thought to himself as he felt the vibration of the watch moving about every other floor. The ease of his task worried him. What good could someone in a prison with such slack security be to them? The real dangerous ones were kept in the middle of a volcano! With a shake of his head, he pressed on, searching his memory for the map of the prison. He snuck his way up each flight, darting into the rafters to hide from passing guards until he reached the cell he was looking for. He peeked through the small grate in the metal door. Inside was dark and he could barely make out a set of bars further into the room. He moved to the keys, the guards so kind to label them by floor, making his little search shorter. At the third key attempt, the door clicked open and someone began to stir inside.
Ren poured in like a shadow as a grunt came from the cell. "Who's there?" an old voice asked. "What do you want? I'm trying to sleep." Pushing the door shut behind him, Ren moved forward. The rustling of paper and porcelain his hit ears before a flint was struck. The tiny spark leapt into a lamp towards the back of the cell. As the fire grew, the cells massive size became obvious along with the amount of cluttered scrolls and herbs laying about stacked on books and bowls. An old man stood by an old wood table, one hand holding the lamp high to let its light reach further out of his cage. Ren stepped back into the shadows. The man looked ancient with grey hair and whiskers scraping the floor. His eyes were near black and squinted through the new light. "I said who's there!" the man boomed.
Ren stepped forward as he reached into his cloak to a pocket. The old man glared at him but he kept moving forward, stopping at the iron bars and taking a knee to the stone floor. "Master Shun," he said in a hushed voice.
"Yes I am, but that doesn't answer my question," Master Shun said as he worked his way through the clutter.
Green gazed up at black then bowed, removing half of a lotus Pai Sho tile from its hiding place and present it to Shun. "My name is Ren," he said, still keeping his voice low. "I was sent by Bumi to retrieve something from you."
Shun eyed the tile before he shook his head and turned to return to his old bed. "Leave."
"I can't leave until I complete my mission," Ren explained.
"Then I guess you will be here a while then?"
Ren shot to his feet, holding his clenched fists at his side. "I'll stay as long as it takes for you to realize how serious the situation is."
Shun smiled and moved to take a seat on his bed, setting his lamp on a table close by. "You should get comfortable then. The order works in very secretive and complicated ways but all very necessary. And by the looks of that piece in your hand you've come to pick up something but I know for a fact you have no idea what that thing is." Ren's eyes were wide. The old man was right. All he was allowed to know was that Jaherah and he were to find Master Shun and speak with him.
Ren's eyes scanned the room, no doubt, Jaherah knew what they needed but she was locked away in the palace. He spotted more books and scrolls, herbs and jars of many a variety of plant or creature. Scribbled notes looked near illegible. With the pieces falling together he stated, "You're a doctor."
"Very good!" The sarcasm coming from the old man was starting to irritate Ren. "But we've still gotten no where and you'll continue on that path until you're partner shows up with the other half of the lotus. There is something within my books that you need but until he arrives, I cannot help you. Leave now." Master Shun killed the flame in the lamp and curled back into bed.
Ren grit his teeth then took his leave, purposely dropping the keys near the main door on the ground floor before creeping away. The guards had taken to pacing around instead of remaining stationary, making his escape easy. An unbelievable rage built up with in him as he marched back to the inn. Every move he made failed, confessing his feeling to Jaherah in the hopes that she would come to her senses, trying to carry on with the plan solo. If he should fail again, he would throw precaution to the wind and shit on the balance he was told to preserve. His friend did not deserve to be the plaything of a royal brat and The Order could not be let down. He would pull the stealing of the air maiden and retrieving of this secrete from Master Shun then and now…if he were alone. Their lives were not his to gamble. To be certain they would all get away with a fighting chance it would have to be the day of black sun, when they have the advantage. "…" Ren looked to the night sky and frowned. They would have to wait.
As the sun rose on the imperial city, it warmed the palace roof Jaherah perched herself on. She smiled, basking in the new glow. The previous night was a break through and she understood that something made him forget everything. All it came down to was finding a way to reverse the affects. Silver rolled over the many roofs of the city below, spotting gardens and squares. He seemed to be very happy with Mai, a very regal and very pretty girl; probably smarter than her too, better at holding a conversation and making Zuko happy. She inhaled, taking in the city once more before descending into the palace. When the guards stopped shutting her in by welding the door, Jaherah picked the locks and roamed about the castle at night, cautious of those creeping in the rafters. On rare occasions, she watched the sunrise then hurried back to her cell to await the prince. None caught her, not even servants rising early to prepare the castle for the royal family. Locking herself back into her room was the only difficult part about her mornings. Opening a door from the inside was cake but locking it was like bending lightning from your ass. Once the door finally clicked, Jaherah resumed her usual posture on her bed, legs crossed and facing the door.
While she waited for Zuko to arrive, she meditated and practiced what little bending she could in the small space. The prince came within the hour with company, an old tailor and his apprentice, a young man no older than Zuko holding armfuls of black fabric and sewing implements. His hair and eyes were black and he seemed very excited to be in the palace; his gaze bright and alert. Jaherah's door swung open and the hall light rushed in. "Let's go," Zuko called out to Jaherah.
She rose without a fuss, stepping into the light. She lifted her gaze to meet the eyes of the young apprentice and smiled coyly. "She's beautiful," he gasped. The air maiden felt he had to be lying, she just finished messing up her hair with bending and barely slept, but she'd take the compliment. The tailor did not look so pleased and even panicked, looking to Zuko before glaring at his apprentice. "I'm sorry!" He bowed low to Zuko who smirked. "I didn't mean to stare."
"He shall be punished once our job here is done my prince," the tailor said then bowed.
"No," Zuko said shortly. "Pretty things are meant to be looked at." Jaherah's eyes were wide. He openly complimented her in front of people! It was one way to save a helpless student from getting a beating for no good reason. "Come," he addressed to them all and began to walk ahead, making to a sitting room not far from Zuko's own room. The room consisted of tall windows, a round tea table and sitting pillows around it. There were shelves filled with different assorted tea sets, scrolls and books. On the table sat Jaherah's breakfast: a bowl of fresh fruit. Zuko waved the trio in then stopped at the door. "I don't need to be here for this and I've more important things to tend to." He cut his eyes at Jaherah as she leaned over the bowl to pick up an orange. "Behave girl."
Jaherah shifted her eyes to him, smirking for a moment before moving to bow low with her hands on the floor and her head resting on them. "Yes master," she replied then sat up to watch him take his leave. When the door shut, she turned her attention to the tailor that sat across from her, pulling a small book from his robes and a hunk of charcoal.
"You're master has requested we make you new clothes and I can see why," the tailor said as he eyed her sitting form with as much scrutiny as a sculptor. "Far too revealing for a slave to walk about like that in the presence of royals." Jaherah cut her eyes at him then resumed eating in silence. What would a fire nation old man know about bohemian fashion? "Issa, get her measurements," he ordered. The apprentice Issa was still in la-la land, staring at Jaherah as if she were a polished gem in the room. "Issa!" his master snapped.
"Ah! Sorry Master Orihara!" he stammered then rummaged through the tools around him for his measuring instruments. He approached Jaherah, who rose with a strawberry puckered between her lips. She had never seen anyone so nervous around her. It was a little amusing. "Um…" His eyes rolled over her robes and how they distorted her true form. "If you would…um…"
"Remove my clothes?" Jaherah finished for him. Master Orihara rolled his eyes and went about sketching. "Of course." Issa averted his eyes to the floor as Jaherah stripped down to her undergarments; a small chest wrap and skirt like panties. "Ready when you are," she said with a hand on her hip. The apprentice gulped and approached her. She stood straight and still as a statue while he moved about her form with different lengths of string, reporting her measurements to his master.
Once he finished his work, he backed away and took his seat at the table. Jaherah redressed and sat to continue eating her breakfast. "They keep you so well fed for a slave," Orihara stated. She rolled her eyes and remained silent. "You are clearly more than just a trophy for the prince."
"Are you insinuating that I am his bed prize?" Jaherah asked in a small voice. "Zu…Master Zuko is loyal and true to his sweetheart Mistress Mai. He would never lay with someone so beneath him. He would not like to know you've spoken ill of him."
Orihara blinked and looked up from his work to her. "What makes you think he'll take you're word over mine?" he asked. Issa could feel the tension rising between the two and wished to have a reason to leave the room, possibly fetch more fabric from their shop.
Jaherah held his gaze with a blank expression. "Because I have no reason to lie to him. I am an orphan and a prisoner here, why make my situation any worse than it already is?" The old man's eyes were sharp as she moved to pick up the bowl and hold it up to him. "Apple?"
Don't you just love her? I know I do. So...bold. Ren is starting to grow tired of Jaherah's little games and Zuko is being nice again! Yay! But things are getting complicated with the impending attack and the mission the Jaded must finish. And what of Azula and her suspicions about Jaherah or Ozai. Yeah the shit is getting close to hitting the fan. REVIEWS! I love comments bad or good so i gotta hear them.