A. N. : Formalities in English are so weird to me. Finding a way to address someone politely with a title that doesn't imply nobility was... unexpectedly challenging ? I settled on "Master" in the end, but I'm aware it's not exactly a common term. Don't y'all have an equivalent to "monsieur/madame" ? A "X-san" kind of word ? Man, English is hard.
The evening has taken a surprising turn.
Qin had barely recovered the sensation in his legs that the healer's… friend ? asked for his help to move Lady Azula outside – a measure to keep her chi strong even at night, apparently. Slightly unexpected, as the healer – Tao, Qin has learned – hadn't mentioned anything of the sort earlier, but still Qin did what was requested of him, for Lady Azula's sake, even if his legs still felt like they were filled with sand.
Master Tao is surprisingly strong for a man of his age, so carrying Lady Azula with his help was thankfully rather easy.
And then Master Tao asked the Ladies not to stay at the inn tonight – the weather is good, he said, you can easily camp close to your friend. As if that was the issue. As if this request didn't entirely contradict what he had discussed earlier with Qin in regard to the way Lady Mai had treated him.
Lady Ty Lee thanked Master Tao and his friend, Lady Mai's face went carefully blank, and Qin only watched, intrigued by this new development, fingers curled only slightly, not quite yet reaching for the earth.
Master Tao's friend introduced himself as Sekiji while settling next to Lady Azula with the wet rags, and Master Tao went back inside the house to prepare dinner, not even bothering to give instructions on Lady Azula's care.
Qin would've been outraged if it wasn't obvious this Sekiji knows the medical arts just as well as Master Tao. When Qin asked if he was also a healer, the answer – medical doctor – didn't surprise him – Fire Nation people seem to like their titles, perhaps even more than Ba Sing Se officials. At the addition of not practicing anymore, though, Qin raised an eyebrow.
It would be much more convincing if the man wasn't checking on Lady Azula's pulse while making his statement.
So yes, a surprising turn of events this evening, and Qin isn't sure he likes it. On the face of it, everything seems fine. Qin has learned never to trust faces, however, not anymore than words.
Something shifted outside of his control. From experience, this usually signals an upcoming catastrophe.
The Ladies don't seem aware of the change, having not witnessed Master Tao's unease at the idea of being in their presence any longer. Perhaps they think him a more forgiving person than he is, or believe that his status as a Sea Walker prevents him from calling out those in higher positions of power, even in his own home and practice.
As such, Qin is unsure of what to do. His first impulse would be to offer to brew some tea for their hosts, to set the stage for a questioning session. That would be the usual way.
But Lady Ty Lee's threats and suspicions, and the talk Qin had with Master Tao are making him doubt. Should he communicate his intentions and reasoning to the Ladies beforehand ? If so, how to do it without attracting unwanted attention ?
Time passes as Qin ponders these questions, so much so that Master Tao emerges from the house with a cooking pot that he places in the still hot sand, and then brings out bowls, chopsticks and spoons, another pot – this one smelling like rice – and finally cups and an unlabelled glass bottle.
While serving everyone – rice, and a broth with vegetables and some sort of fish – Master Tao asks – Master ? Doctor ? Fire Nation titles are quite confusing – Sekiji to open the bottle, starting a brief argument between the two of them on whether or not tea would have been enough, and whether they would have even opened that bottle in the first place if not for the presence of guests – that last words seemingly being the real point of contention, as the both of them say it with entirely different inflections.
Lady Mai and Lady Ty Lee look at each other, then at the bickering duo, then at Qin, who can only answer their confusion with his own.
What perplexes him more than anything is that Master Tao is, of the two, the one who appears to want to treat his guests with the most respect, when it was he who originally did not want the Ladies around.
In the end, Master Tao grabs the bottle to open it himself, chiding his friend on his manners, to which the latter's answer is something along the lines of right, because this one's family – he points to Lady Azula – cared about manners when they sent kids to die, and oh –
This is what changed. Lady Azula went from an anonymous patient to her true self, somehow.
It doesn't take long to get the whole story after that, from the royal messenger to their decision to keep the Ladies close as a form of risk management, seeing as they are combat-trained and better equipped to deal with potential danger than a pair of old men. Manipulation, albeit polite. Qin can respect that.
Master Tao is the one to say it all, his companion having sunk into silence after his – relatively tame, if bitter – outburst. He does not speak after the explanation either, eating and drinking in total silence, hands shaking slightly.
The contentious drink, it turns out, is nothing more than sweet wine, the kind with barely any alcohol in it, shared with children on festive days. It is nothing luxurious or expensive, and yet Qin has no doubt that, as per the rules of hospitality, it is the best Master Tao could offer.
As such, Qin takes it upon himself to be as perfect a guest as Master Tao is a host, the way he decided on earlier today, giving compliments on the cooking in spite of his own dislike for seafood, and trying his best to find conversation themes that won't upset anyone. Lady Ty Lee appears to share the same goal, and thankfully her cheerfulness manages to lighten up the mood much more efficiently than Qin's own efforts.
The evening's surprises seem to have finally stopped.
And then Lady Azula starts writing in pain.