Chapter III: Induction
Sokka bowed to his former master and said, "It's good to see you too, Master Piandao."
Piandao bowed in return. "I see you have your friend Suki with you."
"It's nice to see you again, Mr. Piandao," Suki replied, bowing.
Sokka sat down on the ground in front of the log. "So, what brings you all the way out here, Master?"
"Actually Sokka, I've been following you two. Do you remember that Pai Sho tile I gave you after we met in the Fire Nation?" Sokka dug around in his pockets for several moments before pulling out the tile, a small, round clay piece with a white lotus painted on its surface. "That tile is a mark of sorts. It means your talent has been recognized by a member of the Order of the White Lotus." He paused for a moment before asking, "Perhaps you would like some tea before I continue?"
"Um… sure. Suki?"
"I guess I'll take some tea, too."
Piandao took the pot from over the fire, and poured some tea into two small tin cups, handing them to both warriors. He then poured himself a cup. Once he finished, he resumed speaking. "I've heard a lot of good things about you as well, Suki," he said, "so I spoke with Master Pakku and the other Grand Masters, and they've agreed to mark you as a potential member like Sokka."
Suki took a sip from her tea before replying, "That's… I'm… not sure what to say."
Sokka, who had already downed his cup of tea, said to her, "Are you kidding? That's great news Suki! That means you and I could be handling super secret assignments for the Order of the White Lotus!"
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Sokka," Piandao interjected. "You won't be handling anything like that right away. It just means that we'll keep you in mind if we ever need recruits."
"Oh." Sokka yawned, and shook his head; for some reason, he was becoming very sleepy. "Well, if that's all you came to tell us, why didn't you just send a letter?" Piandao didn't answer. Now, Sokka was having a very difficult time just keeping his eyes open, but he noticed something a bit odd. "Master, you didn't drink any of your tea." Again, Piandao didn't respond. Sokka wobbled. "Whoa… everything… tastes… pink…" He pitched forward on his face, and lay on the ground, motionless. Suki dropped her cup and hurried over to Sokka's side, no easy feat with the exhaustion that had suddenly settled over her. "Sokka! Are you okay!? What happened!?" He didn't respond; she shot a glare over at Piandao. "You… what did you do to… what did you… wha…?" She wobbled and collapsed on top of Sokka, asleep.
Sokka awoke with a start. First, he noticed that everything was dark. Second, he noticed that his arms were pinned behind his back, and he couldn't separate them. Third, he noticed that there was something leaning against his shoulder. He struggled, trying to free his arms to no avail; the thing leaning his shoulder stirred, and he heard Suki's voice ask, "Huh? What's going on? I can't move!"
Sokka wiggled his shoulder. "Suki? Is that you?"
"Sokka? I'm glad you're here. Where are we?"
"I'm not sure." He paused for a moment, trying to get a feel for his surroundings- from the way everything rocked slightly, he guessed they were in some sort of wagon.
Just then, another voice spoke. "I see that you two are awake," Piandao said.
"Master Piandao?" Sokka asked. "What's going on? Why are we tied up?"
Piandao replied, "After the Order of the White Lotus liberated Ba Sing Se, our secret society wasn't much of a secret anymore. So, the Grand Masters and I have decided to help the Avatar in his mission to rebuild the world. But to do this, we need recruits- people who have extraordinary and outstanding abilities. People like you two."
"Okay, but that doesn't really explain why we're tied up," Suki replied.
"I'm taking you to a White Lotus safehouse. There, you'll be officially inducted into the Order of the White Lotus and receive your first assignments. To keep the location of the safehouse secure, I blindfolded you and tied your hands and feet."
Everything suddenly lurched forward, and there was the strange low grunt of an ostrich-horse. "We're here," Piandao said; there was a rustling, the sound of footsteps, and a creak somewhere behind the two. At once, Suki's body was pulled from his shoulders, and Piandao commanded, "Hold still Suki, I'm going to cut you loose." A few moments passed, then Sokka felt a hand grab his shoulder and pull him across the wagon floor. Piandao said to him, "Your turn, Sokka. Hold still." The ropes around Sokka's wrists tightened for a moment as something was pressed against them before suddenly falling away. Immediately, he pulled the blindfold away. First, he saw Suki, busily untying the ropes around her ankles, then Piandao standing by the rear of the wagon, before finally spotting a building a short distance away. Sokka began to untie himself as well before climbing out of the wagon.
"Is that the safehouse?" Sokka asked. "It looks like a cheap inn." The once-white paint of the building was cracking in numerous places, and the plants surrounding it were wild and overgrown. If this place had an owner, they weren't doing a very good job of taking care of it.
Suki looked around for a few moments before saying, "Wait, I recognize this place! We passed through here on way to the Wulong Forest!" At this, Sokka turned to Piandao and asked, "So you're telling me you drugged us, tied us up, and threw us in the back of a wagon, just to take us to a place we've already seen?"
"Everything will explained in due time, Sokka." He began to walk toward the inn; Sokka and Suki fell in behind him. Piandao entered the building- at once, Sokka and Suki saw that everything inside was covered with dust and spider-fly cobwebs, everything… except for a small space on the floor between the back door and another door a few feet down the hall. Piandao opened the door; beyond was a small stairwell that descended into the darkness. He motioned for them to descend, saying, "Watch your step." Following his orders, Sokka and Suki began to descend the stairs- after a few feet, the door swung closed, plunging the stairwell into darkness. Slowly, cautiously, the three began to descend the staircase. Sokka couldn't help but worry- he and Suki were being taken into a dark basement in an abandoned building, and potentially anything could happen.
Finally they reached the stairs' landing. Before they could proceed, however, Piandao placed his hand on both Sokka's and Suki's shoulders and said, "Before you go any farther, you need to put your blindfolds back on."
"Why?"
"It's an important part of the ceremony, Sokka. Now please, put your blindfold on." Begrudgingly, Sokka pulled the small strip of cloth from his pocket and tied it over his eyes, Suki doing the same. They heard Piandao's footsteps move away from them, and they began to follow again, slowly, so as not to trip over anything. "This is stupid," Sokka mumbled, earning himself an elbow in the ribs from Suki. After several moments, Piandao told them, "Stop." There was a knock, and a familiar, if slightly muffled voice asked, "Who knocks at the guarded gate?"
"One who has eaten the fruit, and tasted its mysteries," Piandao replied.
A creak sounded, and the voice said, "Piandao. And I see you've brought the recruits."
Unless he was very mistaken, Sokka recognized the voice, and asked, "Master Pakku? Is that you?"
"I thought you were supposed to be overseeing the training of our warriors, Sokka," Pakku replied. "But, yes, it's me. Piandao asked me to be a witness for your initiation." Sokka then felt someone take his shoulder, and push him lightly inside, Suki alongside him. As they walked, Piandao's voice said, in a low voice, "Alright, if you accept the invitation to the Order of White Lotus, all you have to do is say that you accept, and recite our oath." Piandao's hands suddenly lifted from Sokka's and Suki's shoulders.
Almost at once, another familiar voice began to speak, saying, "My brothers, on this day, we prepare to welcome a new brother and a new sister into our ranks. Before us stands our brother, Sokka of the Water Tribe, son of Hakoda. Before us stands our sister, Suki of Kyoshi Island, leader of the Kyoshi Warriors."
The old man's voice was nearly unmistakable- there was no doubt that it was Iroh. But as Sokka began to open his mouth, Pakku said immediately, "No talking, Sokka." Sokka immediately snapped his mouth shut.
Iroh continued. "Sokka of the Water Tribe, Suki of the Kyoshi Warriors, your talents have brought the attention of the Order of the White Lotus, and we believe that your talents can aid us in our mission to restore the balance of this world. We extend an invitation to you, to join us in our mission. Sokka of the Water Tribe, do you accept our invitation?"
Sokka hesitated to reply, and briefly considered saying, "No." Sokka had always felt as though he was overshadowed by his younger sibling, and later on his other companions, because they were benders and he wasn't; as much as he was ashamed to admit it, even to himself, more than once had he considered leaving his friends to go back to the South Pole. Compared to his friends, he felt so… powerless; they were just so great, and so special, and they could do all this amazing bending, and he… couldn't. He might have been the idea guy in the group, but he could never really help his friends in a fight. And if he couldn't help them, what good was he? He didn't deserve to be a part of that, he wasn't worthy of standing alongside them.
But, Piandao had seen something in him, something that made him worthy, even though he was nothing more than a Southern Water Tribe peasant who couldn't bend. And now, the Order of the White Lotus had told him that he had talents that could be used to change the world, talents that had nothing to do with bending. If he really had some talent, maybe the White Lotus could help to draw it out; it would be to his own disadvantage if he didn't. And besides, they went through all this trouble to find him. So, Sokka answered, "I accept your invitation."
"Suki, of the Kyoshi Warriors, do you accept our invitation?"
Suki took almost no time answering. "I do."
"By accepting our invitation, you have done the world an immeasurable service. But, before you can be fully initiated into our society, you must recite our oath. Place your right hand over your heart." Sokka and Suki placed their right hands over their hearts. "Now, repeat what I say, exactly as I say it." There was a short pause before he continued. "We are the White Lotus."
"We are the White Lotus." Sokka and Suki nearly jumped in surprise from the multitude of voices that spoke along with their own. They had severely underestimated the number of people with them, wherever they were, much less expecting them to recite the oath as well.
"We are the foundation upon which this world has established itself."
"We are the foundation upon which this world has established itself."
"We are the roots that sustain the great tree of peace in this world."
"We are the roots that sustain the great tree of peace in this world."
"We are the sword that cuts down any who would threaten this great tree."
"We are the sword that cuts down any who would threaten this great tree."
"We are constrained by no law; we are deterred by no obstacle. We shall never waver in our mission."
"We are constrained by no law; we are deterred by no obstacle. We shall never waver in our mission."
"We are the White Lotus. We work in the darkness to uphold the light."
"We are the White Lotus. We work in the darkness to uphold the light."
A profound silence soon settled. Several moments passed before Iroh finally asked, "Sokka of the Water Tribe, do you swear to uphold this oath, even to your dying breath?"
There was only a moment's pause before Sokka replied, "I swear to uphold this oath… even to my dying breath."
"Suki of the Kyoshi Warriors, do you swear to uphold this oath, even to your dying breath?"
As before, Suki did not hesitate in the slightest: "I swear to uphold this oath, even to my dying breath."
"Sokka of the Water Tribe, Suki of the Kyoshi Warriors, by swearing to lay down your life in the name of our oath, I, Grand Lotus Iroh, formally admit you into the Order of the White Lotus. Welcome, Brother Sokka. Welcome, Sister Suki. The white lotus opens wide to those who know her secrets." Iroh's tone then changed from a serious one to his familiar friendly one. "Take off your blindfolds. You deserve to see your new comrades." Sokka and Suki pulled off their blindfolds; at once, they saw that they were in a massive cavern carved from stone, illuminated by a handful of torches. With them were about a dozen or so others, Iroh, Pakku, and Piandao included, encircling them. After a moment, Piandao stepped out of the circle. "Forgive me, Iroh, but I must be going," he said. "I need to resume searching for potential candidates. I've heard rumors that someone who had trained a Shirshu is travelling through the Earth Kingdom. We could use someone like that."
"I see," Iroh replied. "Go well, Piandao."
"Stay well, Iroh. And stay well, Sokka." He disappeared down a hallway branching off the chamber. After a few moments, Pakku broke away as well. "I must be going as well. I need to return to the South Pole. Stay well, Iroh. And it was good to see you again Sokka, Suki." He followed Piandao, and eventually disappeared as well. A few of the others followed them, the rest gathering together to discuss some unknown subject. Iroh approached them, and said, "Now that you're official agents of the Order of the White Lotus, it's time you received your first assignment." From within his robe, he pulled a small scroll and handed it to Sokka. Sokka looked down at it in anticipation. What sort of assignment would he and Suki receive? Would they be infiltrating some a Fire Nation Outcast stronghold? Assassinating a power-hungry Earth Kingdom general? Protecting some important noble family? It was too much to take- Sokka tore open the scroll and rapidly read its contents.
His heart sank immediately.
Suki leaned over to read the scroll as well. "Survival training? At the South Pole? For two months?"
"…Is this some kind of joke?" Sokka asked.
Iroh replied, "This is an assignment all new recruits are given. I had to survive on a deserted island in the Fire Nation for two months for my first assignment as well. But I'm sure that a trained Water Tribe warrior will have no trouble surviving at the South Pole for two months."
A few moments passed. "Alright," Sokka replied. "I guess this isn't too bad."
