Marching army/The unknown enemy
4
Preparations for the grand operation began well before the sun had fully sunken in the horizon. All construction squads organized to fulfill different duties on both sides of the bridge: there would be a first group of earthbenders whose work would be to drag earth out of the nearby land and provide it to those building the bridge. Waterbenders would break the river's current, and a second group of earthbenders would build the column upon which the third group would extend a solid layer of earth, the bridge itself. In order to make the progress smoother, the earthbenders had been distributed in six groups: Aang had transported three of the groups to the other side of the river, along with one squad of waterbenders. All four teams with their respective duties would then work steadily so that the construction would be faster once they merged the bridge by meeting in the middle.
Sokka refused to risk any miscalculations on the measurements to ensure the bridge would be stable, built at matching levels of the river: he could only hope it would pay off to use two long ropes as guiding lines for the precise location to set the foundations of the bridge.
Functionally, they were only two ropes, but the truth was rather different: the non-benders and the logistics groups had spent the better part of a day tying up as many available ropes together as possible, with the strongest knots they could make. Thus, two very long ropes, that tangled slightly while being dragged out of the mountain once the time came, were then nailed to the ground on the southern riverbank, allowing enough distance for about twenty people to stand side-by-side comfortably on the bridge.
It was up to Aang and Appa to carry the ropes so they could be nailed too on the other side of the river, as well as the teams of earthbenders and waterbenders. They spent most of the day mobilizing people, including firebenders who would provide the teams with proper visibility at night… and they'd also be tasked with defending the rest of the bridge's builders if anyone happened to walk in on what they were up to. The sky bison groaned and complained a few times over the repetitive trips, even if he was kept well fed throughout the day to ensure he retained his strength. Yet again, Sokka wished they had hot-air balloons to aid their progress… but they had to adapt and work with what they had in hand.
Appa's flights had taken him most the day, and they had been a rather stressful matter, too: the archer squads were on the lookout for anyone who might catch a glimpse of the bison, ready to attack if, by any chance, the furry creature was spotted… but fortunately, the only people who approached their working area during the day remained oblivious to the developments, even unaware of the menace the archers that lurked behind a few trees: Appa had already been well over halfway to the other side of the river when the passersby had first appeared, and they were long gone once the bison returned for the next trip.
And so, night fell. The guiding ropes were in place. The teams were ready. At the northern end of the river, Appa groaned and rested, lying down on his back while Aang thanked him for his hard work. Sokka breathed deeply as the final speck of sunlight faded in the horizon…
With that, the waterbenders, Katara among them, began parting the waters. Toph, the earthbending leader on the southern riverbank, set forth to erect a sturdy column with the help of her fellow earthbenders. Within less than two minutes, the first portion of the bridge had been built.
"Next column…" Sokka directed them quietly: they were instructed to work in utmost silence, for whatever noise they made might alert the village above them of something happening down at their river…
By the time the fifth column had been built, the benders appeared to hit a proper rhythm and synch. One more earthbending team was marching over the constructed area now, strengthening the foundations further and aiding the first group in the transferring of earth to the ones doing the building. Unfortunately, though, the quick work would likely become a lot slower once the ones providing the earth were left behind, at a large distance from those who were tasked with constructing the bridge itself…
Even so, it was a good start: Sokka could only hope the ones on the other side would also have been started building their side of the bridge successfully. He glanced at the rest of the army, most of it still lurking within the mountain, watching warily as the benders crafted the final road that would take them to Ba Sing Se…
At times, the army felt too big. At others, it seemed too small instead. He could only hope they would be enough to take the allegedly impenetrable city… just so, that they wouldn't be too numerous, too noisy, too chaotic for Kino and his squad to keep that simple village distracted, so no one would notice their movements.
A glance up towards the few houses visible from the riverbank didn't reveal anything alarming, but Sokka's chest tightened as he hoped desperately for Kino's success…
The loud cheers dwindled into joyful chatter after about two minutes: the barkeep stepped up to the pipa player with a bottle of sake, clapping his shoulder cheerfully. The musician only responded with a small, almost imperceptible smile, but he thanked the tavern's owner with apparent gratitude. His fellow performers seemed to distract the crowd away from him for now – namely, the young man at the djembe –, but numerous people gazed at him with just as much adoration as Min-Ji did…
… As Kino did, Kenzo realized, perplexed by the strange spell that had seemed to fall upon the usually talkative and boisterous Kino.
"Umm… you still there, buddy?" he tapped Kino's shoulder. He was startled by the gesture, glancing at Kenzo quickly before focusing his attention on the pipa player once more…
"I… sorry. I spaced out for a second…" Kino said, blinking blankly.
Roshi. The man with the dark hair that reached his shoulders and that mostly hid away his eyes… his name was Roshi.
He was muscular… his skin tone wasn't too pale. He had a stubble, but perhaps it was a matter of having let himself go…? That skin tone, though… maybe due to having been under the sun more often lately?
And yet… maybe that wasn't it. Frankly, how was Kino supposed to unravel who this man was when he had never truly seen him before? He grinded his teeth as he tried to force himself to recall what Sokka had said that day, the name he had given him in the stories… Baohu? No, that wasn't anywhere close to his real name, Kino knew so, and that real name was…!
It wasn't Roshi, was it?
Oh, curses, he should have asked more questions about him. To think he was misremembering the name of one of Sokka's great allies, the Captain of Princess Azula's Guards… no, it wasn't Roshi at all, it was something similar, but what was it…? Though, since he was sure it wasn't Roshi, didn't that simply mean this man might not be who Kino had grown to suspect he was?
… Still, hadn't Sokka said, at some point in all those stories, that the Captain could play an instrument?
Was it the pipa, or was it something else? Kino couldn't remember that either, fool that he was. He should have been paying more attention to…
No, no, no: he wasn't here to get distracted, he was here to be a distraction. He wasn't going to waste his time trying to unravel who this man was: if he was the Captain, that was great! But if he wasn't, then he'd be wasting valuable time, crucial time in which he ought to keep the village distracted rather trying to unravel a mystery that probably didn't exist. Sokka wouldn't have let himself be swayed by ridiculous mysteries…
… Mainly because Sokka would have known, on sight, whether this was one of his best friends or not.
Kino grimaced, taking a deep breath and forcing himself to focus. The performers were standing up, and it seemed they would take a break now… which meant it was his chance to do something. Though he wasn't sure of what that something might be just yet…
"… Oh, you've more than earned yourselves drinks for the whole evening, haha!" the barkeep said as the pipa player rose to his feet, careful upon handling his instrument, avoiding bumping it into anything. He offered the barkeep another tight smile and a bow of his head.
"I'm grateful. Though, of course…"
"Food, too! Yes, Roshi, of course! Food and lodgings, for a whole week if you want them! For a month, too!"
"I… don't know if we'll be staying for a month," Roshi said, with an awkward smile now. "But thank you for the offer, regardless."
"You won't be moving on that soon, now, will you?" the barkeep said. "Everyone here wants you guys to stay! Half the girls in town are in love with you!"
"Happens at every town we visit, it's nothing new," the xiao player smirked, stepping forward and bumping Roshi lightly with his shoulder. Roshi, however, only looked uncomfortable upon hearing those words. "I'm afraid we've locked him down for life, though! He's not going anywhere, not settling down with any ladies…"
"Not at all? What a sad situation you're in, Roshi! Ahaha!" laughed the barkeep, clapping Roshi's shoulder. The pipa player eyed his fellow performer skeptically, and the dark-skinned, broad-shouldered man grinned proudly at him. Roshi turned towards his other fellow performers, though, namely the one wiping the sweat off his brow while still holding his erhu.
"You did better today, Bukan," Roshi told him. Bukan grimaced under his bushy beard.
"I… would like to believe so, but I'm still dragging you down, all of you," Bukan said, shaking his head. "I'm not cut out for this, am I?"
"You're better at the erhu than either I or Ase could be," the xiao player said. "And we're not going to make Roshi stop playing the pipa and make him learn the erhu now, so…"
"I wouldn't have asked for that, Kabe," Bukan assured him, shaking his head. "It's only…"
"We'll improve little by little. All of us will," Roshi said, hoping to encourage his friend. "But for now… dinner. Alright?"
Bukan sighed and nodded: he was the tallest of the four performers once he rose to his feet, eager for some sustenance. Roshi nodded approvingly at his enthusiasm, turning to look for the table he had been promised by the barkeep – they would likely perform some more after they were done eating, but for now, the promise of a meal sufficed to put music out of his mind for the time being…
He froze on his spot even before taking a single step: a strange man with black curls and pale complexion stood before him, eyes gleaming with wonderment… and he carried a tsungi horn on his back.
"Eh, another Roshi admirer," Kabe, the xiao player, remarked with raised eyebrows.
"Several of them, from the looks of it," Ase, the djembe player, smiled as he stepped up to their group's leader, once his conversation with his own admirers had ended.
It wasn't only the man standing opposite to Roshi indeed: they were five people, and while the other three seemed reasonably interested in the whole band, the curly-haired one and the sole woman among them gaped at Roshi intently.
"Can I help you?" Roshi asked, dryly. The man before him winced, as though he hadn't even noticed he had stepped up this close to Roshi.
"H-hello! Good day! Or, rather, good evening!" Kino blurted out, blushing. "We are traveling musicians and we heard your performance, and we are…! W-we are moved! Deeply! You're the best pipa player I've ever heard!"
"Am I?" Roshi said, raising an eyebrow. "Mustn't have heard a lot of pipa players, then…"
"N-no, no, none of that!" Kino said: Min-Ji shook her head as well.
"I've heard many and they're not much good! T-they're also not as handsome, but that's neither here nor there…"
"No, it's not," Roshi said, bluntly. Kino grimaced: clearly, the man was tired of being told just how pretty he was. That didn't dismiss his suspicions in the least, but his potential envy over how desirable everyone found the man felt out of place now. Perhaps there were drawbacks to being too handsome…
"U-uh, well, as you may have been able to tell, we're musicians too," Kino said, smiling and gesturing at his tsungi horn. "We thought there would be no musicians in this town, haha. Turns out you guys were here, though! And… damn, you're really good! Y-you're…! H-how long have you been playing the pipa, if I can ask?"
"For about seventeen years," Roshi said, simply. "I have devoted my life to this instrument. It hasn't been an easy journey, and it certainly won't be any easier in the future, but I hope to one day prove myself talented enough to stand on par with the greats. Yuting, Zhongle… if I ever come anywhere close to their level of talent, I will die a happy man."
"Oh, wow. It sounds like… like you're a man devoted to music, through and through!" said Kino, beaming. "It's like music is your lover rather than any of these girls flinging themselves at you!"
"I… suppose that is one way to put it, yes," Roshi said: he spoke with solemnity… but had Kino sensed a smidge of nostalgia, as well…?
If this was who he thought it was… then he surely had a whole false identity and story prepared for anyone who asked, as Kino had. He had surely been on the road for months, who knew where he'd found a pipa to play… but he could have simply found one, polished himself a little, and taken to the road until he found other devoted musicians to work with him. That had to be how he had wound up out here, hiding behind this identity as Roshi…!
But even if his suspicions were correct, so what?
Kino's smile seemed to freeze over as he pondered what on earth he could do if this truly happened to be the man he strongly suspected him of being. He bit his lip as he eyed him with uncertainty, and Roshi bowed his head in his direction: could he simply blurt out that Sokka wasn't that far away, and this man would drop his act, his false identity, and take off to meet him again? What if Kino was wrong, though, and he wasn't who he believed he was? Bringing up Sokka's name for no reason just to test a theory would be terribly irresponsible, and… and curses, even if he were the Captain, wasn't he bound to react poorly if someone mentioned his friend's name casually? Wouldn't he think, maybe, that Kino was a Fire Nation spy and that he had to flee for his life at once…?
"Well, then. Have a good evening as well," Roshi said, walking past Kino, who stood in place, paralyzed by uncertainty.
"Oh, but he's gorgeous…" Min-Ji whimpered, yanking Kenzo's sleeve frantically. Kenzo groaned, rolling his eyes.
"You sure sound respectable, lusting over a total stranger this way…" Kenzo said, glancing at Kino again. "Hey, now… are we going to do something or not?"
"Eh?" Kino blinked blankly… realizing that, upon approaching Roshi's band as they had, they had wound up standing at the now vacant spot for the musicians.
Well, then. Perhaps their distraction wouldn't be that effective because Roshi's people were so much better than they were, but Kino bit his lip as he urged the other four to join him onstage.
"Let's give this a shot," he said. "I know following them will be difficult… but the least we can do is try."
The others nodded, stepping up to the seats the others had vacated. The last two members of the group, Hyeon and Minchang, had only taken their seats when the barkeep rushed towards them once more, a panicked grimace across his face.
"Well, now, what do you lot think you're doing, exactly?" he asked, scowling at the group… and at the tsungi horns they were pulling around their bodies. "None of that, nope, Roshi's band will be the only one performing tonight…"
"But they're taking a break now, so we thought…" Kino said, with a nervous smile. The barkeep scoffed.
"Not a chance, buddy. Nope. I'm not having it. Not unless you, uh, have something to drink or eat first, at least," the man said.
Kino's eyebrow twitched as he recognized, right away, that the man was merely looking for any and every excuse to not only profit off them, but to prevent them from performing. While he could certainly understand that Roshi was a far better musician than them, it seemed unlikely that this man would realize that so quickly…
"I mean… we could go sit with the pretty pipa player for a while, there's room at his table…" Min-Ji said, with a dreamy smile, gazing at Roshi once more. Kino sighed, glancing back at his other companions. They shrugged, unwilling to be confrontational with the locals.
"Alright, then… let's do that for now" Kino said, shooting them a meaningful stare: they weren't here to make friends with Roshi and his band, much as he would love to attempt to do so… especially if the man happened to be who he thought he might be.
The truth was that Kino didn't really know remotely enough about the real Captain as he wished he did. There were many things, several people, that Sokka seemed not to talk about much back in the South Pole out of grief, and while Azula was the one his heart broke over the most, he clearly missed everyone else he had bonded with in the Fire Nation. The Captain was, quite possibly, one of his very best friends, as far as Kino had been able to tell… he was one of those people Sokka would likely rejoice to reunite with, if the opportunity to do so ever came up. But the Captain was a highly qualified firebender, he had even been the one to kill the Notorious Stingray, according to Sokka's stories… a firebender powerful enough to outright kill a waterbender even more talented than Katara was a daunting concept for Kino to wrap his head around. The Captain always had sounded like everything Kino wished he could have been…
And now he had possibly become nothing but a man sitting at a tavern, ravenously eating his dinner while hunched over, his pipa resting against the bench he sat at. His fellow bandmates sat with him, and they noticed the group of tsungi horn performers kept staring at them before Roshi himself did.
"Hello again?" Kabe said, puzzled. Roshi raised his gaze warily, and Kino waved innocently at him.
"Uh… hey there. The barkeep chased us away before we could play a single note," Kino explained, with a dry grin.
"And he chased you towards us?" Roshi asked, raising an eyebrow as he regarded them warily. "There's bound to be free tables elsewhere…"
"U-uh, maybe? But I did want to talk with you, if just a bit?" Kino admitted, with a sad smile. "You guys are really good, so, uh… how about some advice on how to make it as traveling musicians? Would it be okay to ask you for a few tips?"
Roshi seemed unamused, though his fellow musicians shrugged in response to their request. Within moments, they had joined the more experienced band at their table, though Min-Ji was clearly disappointed over not having a chance to sit either across or next to Roshi – Kino suspected that the band's seating arrangement was as particular as it was, with Roshi between Ase and Kabe, and Bukan directly across him, to ensure that none of Roshi's overwhelming fans would have a chance to hound him through the evening. Commanding such power, such popularity, among total strangers… what an odd sensation that had to be.
"I suppose the first thing to advise is… can't you switch it up a little?" Kabe said, raising an eyebrow as he slowed down with his food. "You're five people and all of you play the tsungi horn? That's not much of a winning combination, no matter what kind of arrangements you do with whatever pieces you play…"
"What? You have a problem with the tsungi horn?" Kenzo asked, pouting.
"He doesn't: the barkeep, however, does," Roshi said, simply. All five members of the newly arrived band froze on the spot. "I suspect it may be an enduring resentment stemming from years of war. The tsungi horn… it was used often, by both the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom armies, as they marched into battle. It doesn't change that the instrument has greater potential beyond being used for war… but not everyone is bound to see it that way."
"B-but that's not fair…" Kino grimaced, glancing at his companions. "We've all learned the same instrument and… uh, we met because of that!"
"Good to know, but it may not be the best way to go about making it as traveling musicians, is all…" Kabe shrugged… but Kino scowled and huffed, eyeing their new acquaintances with utmost frustration.
"Then is it easy to play the pipa? Or the erhu? Maybe the xiao?" he asked. "Can you guys teach us to do it right now? I bet you'll say it's not something you can learn in a single day, right? Well…! Neither is the tsungi horn!"
"I suppose throwing away a whole life devoted to the tsungi horn is easier said than done, but…" Roshi conceded, eyeing Kino warily. "For how long have you been playing it, anyway?"
Kino froze on the spot, his more serious rant cut off entirely at that question. Roshi raised an eyebrow before focusing on his meal again.
"If it's not that long, switching to another instrument is still doable for you," he said, simply. Kino huffed.
"I… don't think so! I'll continue with the tsungi horn, we all will, and…! And you'll see! We'll rise as far, as high as we can, higher than you guys have, and we'll travel to greater places than villages with unpleasant barkeeps who think we aren't good enough, for whatever reason!" Kino huffed, arms folded across his chest.
"Well, speaking of that… what kinds of places have you performed at?" Min-Ji asked, gazing at Roshi dreamily again. "It's surprising for a group of your talent to be in a rundown village like this one… you should be playing in big cities, surely!"
"That's… not bound to happen," said Kabe, with an awkward smile. "Bukan says that until he's as good with the erhu as Roshi with the pipa, we're not going to shoot for the stars, so…"
"Really, then?" Min-Ji blinked blankly. "Well… that's too bad! You could probably make it in places like Gaoling, or even Ba Sing Se…!"
"We're not on that level yet," Roshi said, firmly. Min-Ji grimaced, and Kino frowned, knowingly.
"You don't like big cities for some reason…?" he asked… and Roshi shot him a stern glare.
"We're doing better in towns that seldom hear any music than we would in a city where countless others would be better performers than us," he said. Kino grimaced. "Or is it you're sure your tsungi horn band could do well, even someplace like Ba Sing Se?"
"We… we could. We will!" Kino declared, startling his friends: was he sure about saying something as incriminating as that? "In fact, Ba Sing Se is our goal!"
"Oi, don't…" Kenzo said, but Kino eyed him furtively, silencing him with a quick glance.
"Ba Sing Se…?" Roshi said, blinking blankly. "Heh. Good luck, then."
"W-we… we don't need luck! We just need practice!" Kino said, puffing out his chest. "And you know what? We might not even need that much of it! You're all so sure we're not good enough yet, well…! Maybe we are and you just have to give us a chance!"
"Is that so?" Roshi asked, raising his eyebrows. Kino huffed, staring him down intently.
"I'd prove it to you right now, but… oh! You know what? I will!" Kino exclaimed, pushing himself up from his bench. His companions eyed him warily.
"Uh, what are you doing?" Min-Ji asked. Kino set his hands on his hips.
"If tsungi horns can't be performed in here… then we'll just perform them right outside! By the town's square! Roshi, you and yours should come listen and once you do, you'll see we've got what it takes! You will!"
With that, Kino stomped away awkwardly, marching to the door… without having ordered any food or drinks whatsoever. The rest of the group at the table watched Kino taking off, his tsungi horn in tow.
"He's… serious, is he?" Kabe said, with a sigh. He would have left the matter alone if only he hadn't glanced at Roshi to find a heavy, concerned frown upon his face. "Roshi?"
The pipa player breathed out slowly before picking up his chopsticks. He gathered a small amount of rice between them before answering Kabe, dismissively:
"Don't mind me, just enjoy your meal."
Outside, Kino breathed heavily as he frowned: it was almost sundown. However curious he might be over Roshi and his potential connection to Sokka, he had no time to waste anymore. Drawing people to the tavern through the tsungi horn certainly wasn't going to happen anymore… but he could try to do it in the open square, couldn't he? The barkeep wouldn't have any say upon what he did here, or would he?
He was unsure of whether to march back into the tavern to get the others, guessing the statement he'd tried to make would come off quite weak if he did… but to his surprise, the door to the establishment swung open again, and his four companions returned to him, wary expressions on their faces.
"Uh, sorry. We didn't quite understand what you were trying to pull right away…" Kenzo acknowledged, with an awkward smile. Kino smiled, shaking his head.
"It's okay, I kind of lost my center for a moment there, too. But it's definitely better to play out here," Kino said, nodding firmly. "This way… well, at the very least we'll attract enough attention to ensure no one's looking north, I hope. So… let's be very loud, you guys."
"And very good, too," Min-Ji said, hands on her hips. "I'm not about to give out a poor performance, Roshi would never respect us at all if we did."
"Then let's give it our best!" Kino said, utterly determined, taking his seat on a wooden log that served as a bench for the locals in the town's square.
The others took their seats nearby, whether on the same log or different ones, and they began their preparations: soon, the booming sound of their tsungi horns as they calibrated their sound startled everyone in town, enough to compel a few confused people to glance out the windows of their homes. The man they had encountered at the town's entrance approached them too, still displaying an odd mix of drowsiness and curiosity, and even the pair who had been enjoying a romantic evening watching the scenery turned towards them before long, perplexed by the strange recital that appeared to be about to begin…
But not everyone was responding to the blaring of the tsungi horns as positively as their current crowd was: the barkeep seemed moments away from losing his mind when the first notes reached his ears, past the noise of his busy establishment. He rushed up to Roshi's table in a hurry:
"Please! I'll pay you ten times more if you do something about that horrible sound!" he whimpered, on his knees. Roshi had only just finished the last of his rice, and he took the final bites of fried fish – he had been enjoying peacefully until the tsungi horn band's cacophony had sent the barkeep on this mad quest to silence their sound by any means possible. "I can't stand it…! It will drive all the customers away!"
"Would it, now?" Roshi said, raising an eyebrow as he glanced through the nearest window: he could hardly see two of the members of the tsungi horn band through it, but it sufficed to confirm that preparations were done, and their first song was imminent…
"Please, just…!" the barkeep begged…
An unthinkably loud sound broke through the walls of every single house in the village as five tsungi horns took to playing in unison.
The barkeep seemed moments away from losing his mind as the musicians carried a tune somewhat clumsily, proof of insufficient practice and lack of synergy between the performers. A few dismissive comments and laughs echoed in the tavern, probably directed at the barkeep and his overreaction… and Roshi sighed before rising to his feet.
"You need me to do something, then?" he asked: his fellow performers rose too, but it was Roshi who picked up his pipa first, brandishing it carefully.
"Y-yes! Yes, please…!" the barkeep said, smiling tearfully as Roshi stepped around him, a determined frown across his face…
Kino blew as carefully as he could, controlling the output of air and changing the notes with the touch of his left hand's fingers. It wasn't easy to play the tsungi horn, but he had learned as much as he could to catch up to everyone else, and his lung capacity had increased considerably since he had first picked up the instrument. He didn't take breathing breaks unless they were supposed to, even if by the end of the first song his face was utterly red with effort.
But they finished the first song successfully, and he smiled at his companions before realizing that their crowd had surprisingly grown in size…
Though most of them didn't appear particularly thrilled by their performance, judging by the confused expressions on many faces. They whispered among themselves, mostly, and there were a few puzzled laughs… had they done a bad job, somehow? He shuddered as he feared they had, even if they'd attempted to perform at their best right now… well, if that was how it was, the plan of performing terribly was still a good idea. If the laughter continued after another piece, then maybe…
Min-Ji gasped noisily when someone stepped past most the crowd, approaching them with an inscrutable expression on his face.
"U-uh… I hope you liked it…?" Kino grimaced: Roshi stepped up to where they sat: the shadows the night cast across his face made him more menacing than he likely intended to be. A few lamps were being lit in the square, the sun was already gone…
"You truly haven't been at this for a very long time, have you?" Roshi asked. Kino winced.
"Was it that bad?" he asked, dejected.
"No. But it could be better," Roshi declared, sternly. Kino blinked blankly.
"W-what does that mean…?" he asked.
Roshi breathed out slowly and raised his pipa: he only had to strum it twice for his horde of fans to rush out of the tavern wildly, eager to listen to anything he might play next. Roshi, somehow, managed to stay focused regardless of the noise as he tested a few notes carefully. After he was satisfied, he turned towards Hyeon and played the melody he had just refined for him.
"Can you do this?" he asked. Hyeon blinked blankly but shrugged, placing his lips on the tsungi horn's mouthpiece… and he started to blow it, carefully.
The melody Roshi had composed quickly wasn't that difficult to unravel, even if it took Hyeon a few tries. But once he mastered it, Roshi raised a hand in Hyeon's direction to silence his performance… and he started to strum a different tune, even if on the same key as before. This time, it was more of a rhythm, repeating the same note constantly… and it was Minchang's turn to replay it in the tsungi horn, once Roshi told him to do so. Kino smiled eagerly when Roshi turned to him, expecting a new tune for him as well…
"You'll repeat the song you played," he told him. Kino blinked blankly. "You'll carry the main melody."
"I… oh. Oh," Kino blushed, nodding and making to start the performance… but Roshi raised a hand to stop him.
"Not yet. The soloist and the effects next," Roshi said, turning towards Min-Ji. "Can you be the soloist?"
"I… me? Ah, well that's…!"
"Your sound is the clearest. You're the more experienced performer, aren't you?" he asked, deadpan. Min-Ji's smile dried up, realizing Roshi's choice had been a matter of practicality rather than of any interest in her.
"I… suppose so."
"Then you can improvise something on this key," Roshi decided. Min-Ji gulped. "I leave it up to you to figure something out. Do it in the verses. Understood?"
"Y-yes…" she nodded: it had been a long time since she had an actual musical director to obey, truth be told, and it was a somewhat reassuring feeling to have one once again…
"And you… the effects," Roshi told Kenzo next, tugging the strings of his pipa to create vibration effects that Kenzo would replicate with his tsungi horn. "Make sure to do them at the right moments: when you're not adding effects, you'll strengthen the main melody too. Understood?"
"Understood," Kenzo nodded.
With that, Roshi stepped back and tested them: each member of the group, one by one, played their parts individually as prompted… and so, when the right moment arrived, Roshi raised his hands to direct them into performing together.
"I'll guide you through it," he said, eyeing the tsungi horn performers carefully. "Now then… let's begin."
Their anxious eyes followed him as his hands moved, urging Minchang to start a rhythmic introduction for the song, and Hyeon followed. Then, it was Kino and Kenzo's turn: together, the three different lines of melody created a beautiful harmony that had the full expanse of their curious audience gasping in delight. By the time the verses arrived, Min-Ji's expertise would shine through as her fingers glided cleverly over the tsungi horn's tone holes, controlling her breathing and air output brilliantly to create a perfectly enveloping sound…
The sound of soft drumming joined in suddenly, at the third chorus.
Then, a smooth flute sound joined Kenzo in creating interesting effects.
A bow upon strings, evoking strong, smooth tunes too…
"Longer bow strokes, Bukan," Roshi said: his companion nodded, careful in obeying his band leader's order.
Before Kino knew it, both bands were playing together. Once they had gotten into the proper rhythm of things, Roshi had taken to improvising with his pipa, as well… and Kino would have smiled brightly if only his mouth hadn't been quite so busy: the music they were creating now was nothing short of amazing.
Little by little, the crowd thickened beyond all expectations. It seemed as though most the village had gathered to listen to the nine performers, dazzled by the synergy between all the instruments. Gradually, each of the tsungi horn players grew more comfortable with the tune, and they played it over and over until it became clear that everyone could use a break, however brief: the whole square erupted in applause, and even those who had stayed in their homes, near the square, clapped approvingly at their performance – though someone still shouted that they ought to quiet down and let them sleep.
"That was… amazing! It was amazing! Thank you so much!" Kino whimpered, offering Roshi a watery smile. The pipa player sighed, nodding in acceptance of his gratitude.
"The five of you have enough potential… but you'll probably come closer to reaching it if you learn to harmonize better," he said. "You can't expect to impress anyone in Ba Sing Se if all of you play the same way, at the same time."
"Heh, I'm sorry that we didn't think of that. But what you helped us achieve was incredible!" Kino grinned brightly. "Thank you! Thank you again, and…! S-say, if it's not too bold, can we do some other songs? Maybe… maybe you guys can teach us some! How about it?"
Roshi blinked blankly, cocking his head to the side. Kabe smiled encouragingly, nodding at Roshi.
"I like that idea. Might be fun to see how their performance works along with ours, right?"
"Hmm… I guess we'll see," Roshi said, enigmatically. Kino giggled happily, and to his surprise, Roshi actually smiled at him, if only slightly.
Even the barkeep had no choice but to acknowledge the music of the tsungi horns hadn't been quite so terrible under Roshi's direction – when asked, however, he revealed his problem with the instrument had no relation, whatsoever, with the war, for he simply found the sound of the tsungi horns irritating by nature. Little by little, though, he would be eased into accepting the music Kino's group could make, thanks to Roshi's clever guidance.
They took turns learning the songs in each band's repertoire. Roshi seemed to find it odd, perhaps even fishy, that the songs the other group performed were mostly simple… but he was pleasantly surprised by the skill the tsungi horn group proved to have upon adapting to new rhythms and melodies quickly. Thus, he continued to work with them, accepting the barkeep's occasional offers of more food and drink for the two bands, even if he still seemed slightly annoyed over the tsungi horns' particular sound.
Whether or not he was the Captain, Roshi's popularity had seen to the success of Kino and his group's mission by ensuring that the majority of the people would focus on the events in the town's square – in many cases, his admirers seemed to ignore the music altogether just to fawn over him. It seemed fitting, Kino thought, if the Captain proved to be of such help in ensuring Sokka and the army could get across to the other side of the river safely. Though he wouldn't know for if matters had proceeded successfully or not until the next morning…
They played much more quietly as the night progressed, hoping not to disturb the people who went to bed, but still entertaining those who would rather continue listening to their performance. They also entertained themselves by learning more songs and more melodies from each other: Roshi was a rather good composer too, though the very best of his songs was the last one he taught their group, when most of them were moments away from passing out over exhaustion. Even so, Kino found the smooth, seemingly simple tune utterly fascinating, so much so that he refused to stop practicing it until he had nailed it, etching it into his memory for good. It was beautiful, sorrowful, but it conveyed a sense of longing tinged with hope... no, fully submerged in hope, if anything. The emotional intensity of that melody seemed so out of place in someone as stoic and serious as Roshi, and yet…
Roshi needed a break after a while, of course – he and his group dozed off by a small fire the townsfolk had set up by the square, to ensure the traveling musicians wouldn't go too cold that night. The majority of the tsungi horn performers had also wound up sleeping briefly, but Kino couldn't seem to do so: instead, once everyone had fallen asleep, he walked to the cliffside, the very area where the bridge was being built across the large river…
He couldn't see much, and that was a good sign. A light somewhere, in the distance… maybe two lights? His heart eased up as he hoped, deeply, that the absence of more lights meant the army had already crossed the river: it would be dawn in a couple of hours, likely… and he and his group had to get going before that, too. The less chances the townsfolk had of spotting Appa crossing the river, the better…
Even so, he figured he'd give the others a little while to rest before taking off. He returned to the square and waited patiently by the fire, tending it, ensuring it wouldn't go out, eyeing the musicians they'd met that day with uncertainty: his heart ached with eagerness to discover who they were, truly… but he couldn't risk the mission. He shouldn't… he wouldn't do it.
The temptation was strong, regardless of his resolve, but Kino managed to stand firm by his decision not to cause more trouble than he was ready to handle. He almost dozed off a couple of times, himself… but he pinched his thigh to get back to consciousness quickly: dawn would arrive soon, he suspected… and after one more trip to the cliff area, he saw no more lights in the distance.
"Guess you guys did it…?" he said, smiling a little. He had feared not being all that useful constantly… but perhaps, after what he'd done that night, and after everything he'd done in Omashu, he could start to appreciate himself, and his potential, a little more.
He breathed deeply as he returned to the square. He woke his companions gently, and they stirred awake one by one: they were quiet as they picked up their instruments and bags, ready to take off…
"Leaving so soon?"
They had only taken a few steps towards the town's entrance when Roshi's voice reached them. He didn't sound accusatory, so Kino turned with a gentle smile towards the pipa player: he was rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand, but he stepped up to the tsungi horn group, however drowsy as he might be.
"I'm afraid so," Kino said. "Though… thank you, truly. You were really… really helpful to us. You have no idea just how much…"
"Hmm," Roshi said, breathing deeply. "I guess we'll know just how much if you do make it big in Ba Sing Se, huh?"
"We'll try," Kino chuckled. "Say… if that were to happen? Is there, uh, any way I could reach out to you, maybe? So we could let you know that… well, that Ba Sing Se is actually open for you and your bandmates to visit and thrill everyone with your talent? You guys are really good…"
"I'm afraid I… I don't intend for us to go there anytime soon," Roshi said. Kino's smile waned slightly, even if it was a foreseeable answer. "But thank you for the offer, regardless. You… uh, do you plan to go there next?"
"We might," Kino said, nodding. "If we can find a way in, that is. We hear it's tough, getting on that ferry…"
"It might be," Roshi said, nodding. "But, well… if you truly feel indebted to me at all? That last song I taught you… all of you. Perhaps…"
"Yeah?" Kino said. Roshi couldn't seem to help but smile with a sad resignation, shaking his head.
"Never mind…"
"No! I… I mean, I do mind," Kino said, pouting. "It was a beautiful song, it's…! I've never heard one like it! It felt like it… squeezed my heart and all sorts of emotions I'd never felt before started gushing out of me! That you could evoke something like that with your music… it's no small feat, you know? So… if you want us to do something, to carry it forward everywhere we may go, then…!"
"I honestly… I just thought that someone I know in Ba Sing Se might want to hear it," Roshi said, breathing deeply. "But there's not much point in asking you to perform it there. I doubt you'll be allowed to play at that kind of venue, so…"
"What? Why wouldn't we be allowed to play at some venue? Who is it, the governor?" Kino smirked. Roshi raised an eyebrow.
"It could be," he said. Kino snickered.
"Well, who knows? Maybe I'll have a chance to play for him after all!"
"You're remarkably optimistic, aren't you?" Roshi asked, amused. Kino giggled and shrugged. "Well, then… it's not for the governor to hear. It's for someone else… someone in his vicinity, I suppose."
"Oh. I was just messing around," Kino said, perplexed. "Well, then… you want us to perform it for them, then? Great! We can try, if you really want us to… though, say, what's it called? This song, I mean…"
Roshi breathed deeply, offering Kino a weak smile before saying:
"Song."
Kino raised an eyebrow, puzzled. Roshi couldn't seem to begrudge him for his reaction, of course… but he didn't stop smiling anyway.
"That's, uh… strange. Simple? Generic? Are you sure that's all you want to call it?" Kino asked, scratching the top of his head. "It's such a beautiful tune, too!"
"That's why," Roshi said, closing his eyes, still smiling.
"Well… you do you, but I think it could be something more epic. Like… 'When Stars Align' or 'Birth of Hope'…!"
"It's just 'Song,'" Roshi reiterated, and Kino sighed. "It's alright. Myeung will understand."
"Ah, that's the person we should play it for?" Kino asked. Roshi nodded. "And they're somewhere in Ba Sing Se's Palace then?"
"That's right," Roshi said. Kino smiled and shrugged.
"I'll try, then. We all will," he said. "If, by any chance, you get there faster than us, though… maybe we can perform it together again one day?"
"Huh… maybe," Roshi said, smiling and nodding. "Thank you… well, tsungi horn band. It was an honor performing with you."
"And for us as well," Kino said, bowing his head towards Roshi. "Thank you for everything. Farewell, Roshi."
Roshi nodded: he stood by as the group marched off, with Min-Ji offering him tearful farewells from a distance. Within a few moments, they had started the climb downhill… and they were gone from sight.
Roshi breathed deeply once… then twice. Truth be told, he wasn't sure what the hell had come over him just now. He really shouldn't have said anything like that, anything at all… was it the drinks from the night were still affecting him, somewhat? Was he overly sentimental that night, for some reason? Though he was always overly sentimental lately, anyhow…
It wasn't likely to result in any consequences, he hoped. These tsungi horn players… they seemed sketchy in some ways, and yet they didn't seem to be bad people. More than anything… their leader, that strange, determined, stubborn guy had reminded him of a dear friend, somehow. A stupid thought to have… and it might be even more stupid to feel any manner of weakness over the friend in question considering what their relationship had been like, but even so…
"Not like he could've performed half as well as that, though… tone-deaf Gladiator he was," Rui Shi said, with a light smile.
One day he'd perform that melody for them – maybe Wuhan, Qiang and Han would perform it with him, too. For the Gladiator who would surely be dazed by the song itself, and then he'd likely ramble about joining the band… for the Princess who would surely commend him for his composition, and then tease him for the artistic sensibilities he couldn't possibly hope to hide…
Most of all, for the beautiful woman who still held his heart to this day, no matter how far apart they might be, the very woman who had inspired him to create a melody that could evoke her presence deep in his heart every time he performed it. He had written it while missing her, and the name he had chosen proved as much: that tune carried her name… for even if she hadn't heard it yet, that tune belonged to Song.
They had only climbed down halfway down the mountain when the familiar groan of a certain sky bison took Kino by surprise: Aang sat alone on Appa's neck, a small flame dancing on his palm as they hid among trees and bushes on the side of the road.
"Hey, guys," Aang grinned: the tired performers, still drowsy after barely getting a few hours of rest, were thrilled to find their ride awaiting them.
"There you are!" Kino smiled too, urging the others to hurry after him as he rushed to Appa's side. "Did you get the other team out safely too?"
"Yeah, about an hour ago," Aang confirmed. Kino let out a sigh of relief. "Appa's not thrilled about having crossed the same river like fifty times, feels like… but this is the last of it! Katara and Toph came with us earlier, we tore down the bridge already. It's done: everyone's across."
"For real?" Kino gasped, smiling brightly. "So everything worked out perfectly?"
"Sokka can barely believe it either, but yep, that's right," Aang smiled. "Now, then, get on and let's get going! The faster we leave, the sooner we'll be safe and sound at camp."
Kino nodded: he helped the others hoist their equipment on Appa's saddle and they took off shortly afterwards: the sun was starting to rise by then, and the hints of sunlight escaped through the sky, to the east…
By the time it had risen further, they were already crossing the wide river. The chances of being seen from the village by the cliffs, or elsewhere, would be minimal now.
And so, Kino sighed in relief as he joined the others in napping while Aang continued to guide Appa carefully through the sky. The process of building the bridge had included a few complications, namely for the earthbenders providing material for the ones properly building the bridge… but as stressful as that process had been, and as slow as it had become at the very final stages, all had gone well when both sides finally merged. Once the bridge had been strong and stable, the beasts of burden and the wagons, as well as the moose-lions and all the mounts they had brought, crossed the river at last. The benders were exhausted, unsurprisingly, and they were already enjoying their well-deserved rest in the tents the logistics groups had prepared for them upon arrival. Another mountain had greeted them on the other side of the river, one that concealed them from Ba Sing Se and from most the dangers that lay ahead…
Sokka had directed the groups of benders and ensured everyone got across safely. He had been the first to climb the bridge to ensure its stability, and the very last to climb off it, only once he was certain that no one had been left behind. Even now, he waited on the other side of the river... and Aang smiled brightly at him once he spotted their army's leader there, waiting at the very spot where the bridge had stood not long ago. Katara, Toph, Zuko, Jet and even Anorak accompanied him, and Aang waved in their direction as he approached: their complicated journey across the Earth Kingdom had been fulfilled successfully…
And now, war loomed in the horizon once more. War unlike any he had witnessed personally so far, unlike anything his friends had witnessed throughout their lives, as well. But their resolve was firm, their hearts were set… their determination burned brightly. Their army would need time to prepare, that much was true… but as soon as they were ready, and that would be the case quite soon, their march to Ba Sing Se would finally reach its intended destination…
Once it did, the world would know the Avatar was back. Once it did, they would know the White Lotus would no longer stand on the sidelines, waiting for miracles to create themselves. They would know the last waterbender of the South was still standing. They would know there were Fire Nation rebels, deserters, turning against the Fire Lord openly… among them, his own son.
And they would know, more than anything, that a Gladiator still lived… and that he meant to bring vengeance and justice down upon Fire Lord Ozai, at long last.
What started as a normal morning became anything but after Rei opened the door to Azula's bedroom, uncertainty in her dark eyes. Azula, already busy attempting to make her bed, glanced at her with a friendly smile.
"Good morning," she said. Rei blinked blankly, glancing about herself with confusion. Azula raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong?"
"Uh…" Rei closed the door behind herself before frowning and asking her question, freely. "Song isn't here yet?"
Azula let go of the sheet she had been holding upon hearing the question. She frowned too, an unpleasant shiver rushing through her body.
"I… assumed she was with you," Azula said. "You two always arrive together, so…"
"She wasn't there for breakfast," Rei said, her face a mask of anxiety now. Azula's stomach lurched with fear suddenly. "And… I assumed she'd come here right away for some reason or another? I… I don't know. M-maybe she just overslept? Maybe…"
"I've never heard of her oversleeping for… for no reason," Azula said, shaking her head.
A surging rush inside her gut told her this was no casual happenstance. This was no meaningless event… and her stomach churned for it. Her heart raced as her damnable mind, wretched as it was, began conjuring scenarios, terrifying concepts that she didn't even want to ponder…
"S-she might be alright. She should be…" Azula said, shaking her head and taking her seat by the edge of her bed. "Let's wait. Let's not jump to conclusions. It might be nothing. Just… she got distracted for some reason or another, right? It might just be that."
Rei nodded, though she seemed as unconvinced by Azula's words as the Princess herself was. Even so, Rei climbed up the dais to Azula's bed, taking her seat beside her and wrapping her arms around her anxious mother. Azula gritted her teeth, clasping one of Rei's arms to find some comfort, some solace, in her company.
"It's okay. She has to be okay," Azula said, uttering the word like a mantra as she closed her eyes… as she felt the urge to reach into her nightstand to find Sokka's necklace. "She has to be… she has to be okay, she…"
She didn't know how many times she repeated the words, fearfully… until she heard her friend's voice unintelligibly across the closed door, startling both Azula and Rei out of their tense expectation.
In a matter of instants, Azula crossed the distance between the bed and the bedroom door: Renkai had already opened it by then, and Song stepped past the bedroom's threshold.
"Sorry I'm a little late, I…" she started… but Azula's arms wrapped around her, tightly, before she could finish her sentence.
Azula let out an anxious breath as she held her, her face pressed to Song's shoulder. Song gritted her teeth, patting Azula's back reassuringly as Renkai closed the door behind them. Azula couldn't seem to settle down easily, but she didn't present any opposition when Song pulled her towards the bed once more, still patting her back gently. Rei joined in on their embrace too, and Song smiled as she hugged her younger friend as well.
"There, there. It's alright, both of you," she said. "I'm okay. He didn't do anything to me, just…"
"He…?" Azula repeated, pulling back upon hearing Song's words. "What's that supposed to mean? Did… did my father actually summon you for something? Did he have anything to do with…?"
"With why I'm late? Everything to do with it, actually," Song admitted, frowning: the darkness in her expression spoke lengths about her displeasure over having dealt with Ozai, personally, that morning. "His guards came to fetch me when I was on my way to get breakfast. Which, uh, I haven't eaten yet, so I'll go get some food after I explain…"
"A good idea," Azula agreed, nodding. "But then…?"
"I'd honestly thought about it… it was very lucky he hadn't called me for a report thus far, you know?" Song said, with a tight grin. Azula's eyes widened. "That he'd been quite so nice as to leave us alone, even if he'd told me, from the get-go, that he'd expect frequent reports from me about your actions, your behavior, the reasons behind everything you do…"
"He called you in for questioning… why?" Azula asked, shaking her head… until a spark of clarity struck her suddenly. "Wait… wait. He wanted to talk to Zhao. He called him back to…"
"I have no idea, Azula, frankly," Song said, grimacing. "He obviously didn't say anything important to me, and I didn't dare ask any questions in case he'd decide I was snooping about too much. I… I don't know how to be subtle with these things, these power games with nobility are a little too stressful and confusing for me…"
"But… is it possible this is why?" Azula asked, staring at Song intently. "I… I thought he was acting strange. That desperation over fetching Zhao… it wasn't all that normal, not even from him. So…"
"Like I said… I couldn't even think about questioning your father right back," Song said, with a sigh. "I told him whatever I could say that wouldn't cause you any trouble, or that I thought wouldn't cause you trouble… I just want him off your case as soon as possible. That's all that matters, really…"
"Is it, though?" Azula said: by now, her anxiety was receding, replaced by a stroke of curiosity and determination… Song grimaced at the sight of it. "He didn't do anything to hurt you? To threaten you?"
"Nothing noteworthy, at any rate," Song said, with a shrug. "Just veiled threats of the same kind as ever. Not exactly reassuring, I know, but… he pretty much just said he'll be calling me in more often? Which, well, won't be fun, but…"
Azula frowned, a hand going to her hair as she stepped away from Song. Rei still clung to Song's arm, and the healer smiled warmly at the younger woman, patting her hair gently.
"Sorry I couldn't have breakfast with you today," she said. Rei shook her head.
"I was just worried… I'm glad you're okay," Rei said, with a small smile that faded once both she and Song focused on Azula again.
The Princess regained sparks of her old self on occasion, Song could see it vividly whenever it happened. The deviousness came back on occasion, whenever she wanted to poke fun at Renkai in particular… the protectiveness that Rei triggered in her was familiar, too. Some of her old traits were utterly absent, and it was possible that they'd never return, after everything she had endured.
Bur suddenly, the clever scheming she would occasionally get up to with Sokka seemed to be making a comeback. Song could see it in the glimmer in her eyes, in the set of her shoulders, in the determined scowl…
"Azula?" she called her. The Princess breathed deeply.
"He wouldn't be keeping an eye on me more carefully than before if he had no reason for it," she concluded. "The meeting with Zhao, too… it's all happening at the same time. The way he acted that day, when we bumped into him…"
"Something's wrong, then?" Rei asked. Azula nodded.
"The problem is… we have no idea what it is, of course," she said, shaking her head. "It could be nothing. It could be my father's paranoia rearing its hideous head once more… just as it could be something meaningful instead. Something troublesome, even. But he's up to something… he has to be. And somehow, he thinks I'm a threat for it… a threat for him, even as I am now. He wouldn't be so keen to spy on me otherwise."
"Well… you're not up to anything, yourself," Song said, with a shrug. "He'll get bored trying to spy on you, I expect, if that's really what he's doing…"
"Maybe we shouldn't let him be so bored, then," Azula said, and Song's eyes widened.
"Wait… what? You're… going to defy your father?" she asked. Azula shook her head.
"No… but I can give him a chance to spy on me, if he's so keen on it," she said, bitterly. "And in the process… I may just reverse the situation. He wants to find out what I'm hiding? Then maybe I'll find out what he's hiding, in turn. I… I know I shouldn't be so reckless, but I can't stand being left in the dark. Something's going on, damn it… and I may be crazy for wanting to find out what it is, but I intend to try anyway."
"Are you sure?" Song asked, warily. Azula nodded. "Then you… goodness, Azula, this is easier said than done. It's very dangerous, it's… w-what do you want us to do? Spy on him during a meeting with Zhao, or…? D-do you want me to question him subtly, somehow, maybe, the next time he summons me? Look, I'd be down for it if it means you'll stay put and not jump into more trouble than you can deal with, six months into this pregnancy…"
"I won't be jumping into trouble personally," Azula said, shaking her head. "And you won't have to deal with this yourself, either. But if he wants to play at spying on me… well, it's not like I can't return the favor if I feel like it."
"You can?" Rei asked. "But… Song won't be the one to do it?"
"No, not Song…" Azula said, with a slight smile.
There was someone far better suited than Song to coax answers subtly out of the Fire Lord. Someone reliable, someone Ozai would be sure to wish to speak to at once, after Azula spoke to her, first… someone who was under orders, too, to report on Azula's activities if she learned of them at all. And that was all fine, truly… but if she played her cards right, Azula would learn more about her father's schemes and she'd unravel whatever it was that plagued him so badly that he would question her midwife about Azula's non-existent movements lately.
She breathed in one more time as she built up her resolve, and she turned towards Song again.
"Well, then. Let's make sure you get some breakfast after all: we're taking a trip after you're finished eating," she concluded. Song's eyes widened, and Rei's jaw dropped.
"We… uh, wait, what?" Song smiled awkwardly. Azula smiled.
"Are we allowed to…?" Rei asked. "Are we going to the Temple?"
"No, not today," Azula said, smiling knowingly as she glanced out the window.
She had very little reason to expect her father would turn down yet another opportunity to spy on her, should she provide it to him… he certainly wouldn't have much reason to complain about his daughter's overflowing generosity, now, would he? She could only hope he would return the favor by being careless and sloppy… by letting truths spill without his awareness to the one person who ever stood ready to pick up any inkling of information that could be gleamed from words and body language through the sheer power of careful observation and understanding of human nature…
She'd get permission to travel outside the Palace for that day. Her father would be pleased for it, she hoped… for hadn't he often encouraged her to spend more time with her friends, long before her life had fallen to pieces? Hadn't he sent her to the very destination she meant to travel to, on the very day of her dark return to the Capital? Her lips curled into a dangerous smirk as she glanced out the window, in the direction of an elegant house she hoped to return to within the next few hours:
"It's time to visit an old friend," Azula said, her gold eyes alight with unyielding determination.