A. N. : Nine is another number with both positive and negative connotations depending on the culture. In Japan, one of its pronunciations is the same as 苦 (emotional pain or bitterness), making it a rather bad number. I'm really starting to struggle with these chapter titles, Spirits. Anyway, it's Dai Li time, and finally the moment to get some more insight into Azula's side of things. There's always been a pattern to how I name Dai Li agents, and just because I've got like, ten of them in the same place now doesn't mean I'll give it up ! (Sometimes I think my own stubbornness might be the reason I struggle so much on simple things...)
Xia likes precisely none of this.
He had Yang Wu send a hawk to the Caldera when they arrived, so that Zhou and Qin's kid would know to send their report as soon as possible, and lo and behold, evening barely came that said report already reached Tenuht.
It would be nice if that efficiency was just the result of good training. Maybe it is, at least in part – Zhou certainly has experience in doing Xia's paperwork for him – but with only two Agents for the whole palace, neither of them should have the time to immediately draft up a complete summary of everything important, in the appropriate code. They shouldn't, unless something urgent came up.
Out of habit and a bit of nerve, Xia reaches up his face and scratches the scar on his nose. He already dispatched his men – Shu and Wuyue have joined the Fire Nation soldiers guarding the Dragon of the West and the unfortunate Kyoshi Warrior Leader, Yang Wu is now keeping an eye on the Princess, and Jingnan, Ma Chu, and Min are doing some reconnaissance work on the geography and geology of this place.
It's only him and Qin in this room, with no possibility of ears in the walls – none who could understand the meaning behind their words, anyway. It makes him uncomfortable.
In a way, it's ironic for Xia to be so used to having to watch his back and mouth all the time, that not having to do so would make his scars itch with unease, but here he is.
He sighs. Asks Qin to read him the report so they can get this over with.
First are some regular palace rumors, that Xia files away in his brain, even if he doubts anything will come of them. A war meeting in two days, more worrying in that the Princess won't be able to be there for it, and something telly Xia this was on purpose. Then, a message from Han – Han, right, that was his name, Xia remembers him now, picked up the kid himself years ago, brat would bend himself stairs in the buildings of the Lower Ring to escape on the roofs after his thefts, the clever little weasel-cat – saying that Lady Ty Lee appears to show some curiosity towards Qin, and asking for permission to have her over for some tea.
Even for a freshly decoded message, this seems – laconic, at best. Qin's face doesn't betray anything, and he simply takes a sip from his cup before humming quietly. A Lake thing, then, and probably bad news.
Xia drinks some of his own tea. Han's message should probably have discouraged him at least somewhat from touching something Qin brewed – he might not be familiar with Lake lingo, but the implications were what they were – but he's been an Agent for long enough that he isn't under any illusion regarding the state of his own mind. He has no proof, of course he doesn't, but he's seen Agents being taken away for mental care, and they usually don't remember it.
If Qin wants to mess with his mind, then so be it, but Xia doubts there'd be anything to gain from it. If anything, Xia trusts that Qin is self-serving enough to refrain from doing anything unnecessary.
There is, however, one person Xia is sure Qin has been working on, and who happens to make up about half of Xia's worries.
The Princess' plan won't work. Xia cannot, and will not say it to her face, of course, no one sane would, but looking at the parameters – there are eight Dai Li Agents here, roughly as many Fire Nation soldiers stationed in the compound, even though that thing was clearly built for more, and the Princess refuses to call for reinforcements. If the Avatar takes the bait – he's a kid, he might, no matter how meaningless two lives are in the balance of the world – Xia doubts there will be enough of them to hold anyone in, unless the Princess shoots the kid down with her lightning immediately.
It's like she's aiming for a repeat of Ba Sing Se, but with less players on their side, probably more on the Avatar's, and the hope that the same trap will work twice.
Xia asks Qin if there's anything he could do. Maybe convince the Princess to call for more troops, or get her to be less volatile – that's another thing, another worry to add to the pile, the Princess' anger and fear and the way she isolates herself and treats them like potential threats, rather than allies or tools – get her to be focused enough to strike the Avatar in one and be done with it.
Qin lowers his cup. Doesn't answer, but clicks his tongue.
In all of the time Xia has known Qin, even before either of them became the Heads of their respective branches, this is the most frustrated he's seen him.
Great.
Anything Xia should be anticipating from the Princess after they fail ? He'd like to be prepared and brief his men on whatever plan of action he'll come up with. Hopefully they'll all be alive enough to make it back to Ba Sing Se.
That makes Qin shake his head with a slight upturn of his lips – always so dramatic, Xia is pretty sure he hears him say under his breath – before putting his cup on the table. He can't say anything for sure, but –
He might need to collect all of Xia's debts soon.