Previously, on A viper-lizard's tales : Azula comes home to a note informing her of her exile from the Caldera, under threat of death, and the erasure of her name from the Fire Nation's records. The decree will take hold on the same day, at noon. Breaking down from the combined weight of her failure in Tenuht and the fact that Ozai discarded her without a word, she takes hold of the ceremonial knife placed along the note, and argues with herself and the hallucination of Ursa her confused mind conjured, on what to do with it. In the end, she cuts off her topknot and, not recognizing herself anymore, throws the knife at her mirror, breaking both at the same time, leaving her with nothing but her own thoughts.
A. N. : Last chapter was A Lot, so today we're getting something a little lighter - although to be fair, that's a low bar. The Big Bad Arc really left a lot of fallout damage to deal with, eh...
Han is going to be sick.
He was hoping that when the others came back, things would – no. He doesn't know what he was hoping for. Not this.
Shu has been put in bed, with Min watching over him like a sparrow-hawk, waiting for a healer and maybe a surgeon to come check on him. The guy who collects rocks – Ma Chu ? – was sent to get Zhou, because apparently the situation is terrible enough that intel won't be enough to save it.
The Princess was sentenced to a life in exile. On the bright side, that means Han never has to see her again. On the other side, dark as Koh's lair, the Princess was the one who brought them all here and Han has no idea what happens now.
And then there's the war meeting Zhou observed yesterday.
Going back to Ba Sing Se – no, going back to the Earth Kingdom itself is death.
Staying here, serving Fire Lord Ozai is even more terrifying. The Princess was awful, but somewhat reasonable. Fair, even if being in her presence made Han want to crawl out of his own skin.
Fire Lord Ozai is a monster.
Han wants to puke.
The Head took him aside to discuss stuff – probably the whole Lady Ty Lee situation, and Spirits, everything is so fucked – but all Han can think of are the wounds of the Agents who went with the Princess to Tenuht and the smell of burned chicken-pig coming from Xia and the fact that Ba Sing Se will burn to the ground, people and Lake and all – Sui and Jin and Yuan and Liao and the Joo Dee who taught Han how to read, all burned to crisps and dead, and there's nothing Han can do about it.
The emptiness in his stomach, the one that feels like hunger but isn't – it's already there, simply at the thought of losing the only place he belongs to.
He breathes. Plants his feet in the earth, exhales.
Lake Agents adapt. That's what they're good at, why Long Feng and the Head selected them. They find solutions, find weaknesses, and if they can't, they adapt.
So long as he lives, he can recover, somehow.
He can cry later.
He raises his head. The Head looks at him, then nods, a slight smile on his face. You keep on impressing me, Agent Han, he says, and Han has to remind himself once more that the Head cannot read minds, he is just – very good at interpreting body language, or something.
The Head kneels then, invites Han to sit beside him. They must look odd, sitting in a corner of the room, when everything around is so chaotic, but they're Lake Agents in the middle of Intelligence guys, it's not like they have a reputation for normality anyway.
Han will miss that freedom.
He pulls the Head's teabox from his sleeve to give it back, but the Head stops him with a slow movement of the hand. I'm afraid you'll need this still, the Head says softly, and Han understands.
Things make sense now – the Head's apparent worry after the Avatar was found alive, his decision to hurry along Han's formation as if there was no time left, the servant sent to warn Lady Ty Lee and Lady Mai of the Princess' arrival even though there is no reason for the Head to do this, no without orders.
The Head was always weird, even by Lake standards. It makes sense for him to leave, to pursue different goals.
It makes sense. Han doesn't think he's ready to work alone, though. He's – he's done that, these past days, technically, but it doesn't feel like the same thing. And he…
You will not be on your own – and Spirits, Han hates it when the Head does that ! But apparently Xia was already informed of the situation and promised to take care of Han like one of his own, promised to give him the direction he still needs. Han will not be left anchorless.
The Head continues – Han will have all discretion to use Lake techniques to serve the interests of the Dai Li, may even reveal them to other Agents if he deems it necessary – I trust in your judgement.
Han nods.
He watches as the Head pulls a necklace from inside his robe, its beads shining with the color of Ba Sing Se's crystals. Watches as one bead is extracted, cut into two perfect halves, which then take on the shape of what looks like a pair of nails.
The Head jokingly remarks that it's a shame, but Han will have to do without the celebratory wine. Han chokes on his own laugh.
I'm expecting a good bottle when you come back, Sir. It makes the Head smile.
Han closes his eyes as the Head holds his jaw to keep him still while the first stone pierces his ear. It stings, even as the ceremonial words soothe him – Han, Agent of the Dai Li, is no longer an apprentice of Lake Laogai – the second stone takes its place – and will from now on know the full rights and the full duties of an accomplished Agent. Han opens his eyes and, at the Head's demand, presses the sharp end of his new earrings, flattens them so they won't slip off.
They feel foreign, as foreign as the responsibilities they involve. But Han will adapt. He has to.
The Head then starts explaining the various angles of reflection involved in the light stimulation technique, how to best obtain the most efficient results, and how to bend the stones as subtly as possible so as not to attract undue attention. They're instructions given to every Lake Agent who grows out of his apprenticeship, but they feel a lot heavier right now. Like they're the Head's dying wish.
Han thinks he'll miss him.