A. N. : When will the Gaang come back from the war ? Next chapter. It's next chapter. Anyway have some Dai Li to conclude this mini-arc, which I've recently dubbed "the Beach, but bad". I looked up some Edgar A. Poe short stories to decide on today's title (I couldn't remember the English word for "immured") and like. What was with this guy's obsession with "short stories from a murderer's PoV in which the victim's body (sometimes still alive) is buried in some way on the culprit's property" ? On that last, unrelated note, enjoy ! Don't follow people in strange cellars !
The night is quiet.
Han looks at the Caldera from the roof of the palace, unable to sleep. In a weird way, the city reminds him of Ba Sing Se's Upper Ring – nobles and dignitaries all living behind circular walls, surrounding the royal family. Or maybe trapped with it.
He's never been one for claustrophobia – being a member of the Dai Li, as well as an Agent of Lake Laogai, would have been impossible otherwise – but for the first time in his life he somewhat understands the feeling.
Kneeling in front of Fire Lord Ozai and vowing loyalty to this man – this monster – had him almost suffocating.
Even just staying inside the palace afterwards felt like too much. Like having his head between the open jaws of a moose-lion and being unable to flee.
Except this specific moose-lion is also planning on burning everything Han knows.
He tries to find some comfort in deception – there is no loyalty, will never be any, not for this madman, and double-crossing is in the Dai Li's blood. They swore loyalty only to better access the back they will stab.
They don't have a plan.
In eleven weeks the world will end.
The walls of the Caldera feel too high, impossible to escape.
Xia promised to come up with something as they gather more intel, and as the Fire Lord's madness takes a more concrete form. Promised that he would do everything he can to keep Ba Sing Se from burning, gave his best encouragement, reminded them of their duty as the guardians of Ba Sing Se's history –
Shu still hasn't woken up, was lying in bed covered in bandages when Xia gave his speech. The Head left with the Princess this morning and probably won't ever come back.
What can eight people even do ?
The Head told him he was allowed to reveal the Lake's secrets if he thought it could be necessary, but even then he is just one guy. He can't teach the others in only a few months, not when they will all be busy collecting information and feigning loyalty to the Fire Lord. And on his own, what good is he ?
He doesn't have access to the Fire Lord, not like the Head had access to the Princess, not like he would have access to any of his clients back at the Lake, and so can't force a change of plans that would at least – at least – spare Ba Sing Se and the rest of the Dai Li.
What else is there ? Han doesn't know.
He doesn't know.
The walls of the Caldera seem to even engulf the sky when he realizes that no one else knows what is about to happen. Xia asked the Head to write a message to Ba Sing Se for him before leaving, but even in code, this kind of information is too sensitive to entrust to a hawk, especially when they can't know for sure if the Fire Lord trusts them, if the message will be intercepted, anything.
They're completely isolated here. Trapped. And they don't have a plan.
The world will end in eleven weeks and no one knows it.
Han feels the walls closing around him, crushing his lungs under their weight, erasing the stars from the night sky.
Or maybe that's just his tears.