A. N. : As of October 2023, FFn has been glitching out and refuses to send out emails at all. So if you're reading this, first of all congratulations on finding out about this latest chapter ! But also I genuinely encourage you to subscribe to this fic on AO3, where I post under the name "Yumi_Take" so you can, you know, rely on a working site for updates. I hope this isn't how FFn goes down, but if it is, it was a honor and a pleasure o7 With that said, please enjoy Han's suffering this chapter !

Han yawns.

He rubs his eyes for a second, before remembering where he is and straightening up. The old ladies keep on pretending he doesn't exist, but General Zenka and Lady Tsuma are glaring at him venomously.

If looks could kill, Han would have exploded by now.

Instead, he just goes back to staring right ahead, unmoving and silent, like a good tapestry. Or war trophy. Or whatever it is he's supposed to be. A souvenir from Ba Sing Se ?

Or maybe a reminder that, no matter their exploits, anyone can be discarded if they fuck up enough, or disappoint the Fire Lord too much. The subtle threat of the ex-Princess' absence.

It works for Han's purposes – the more Lady Tsuma is aware of the danger, the easier it will be to convince her to keep herself safe, so to speak.

It works, but by Koh is it boring ! Han isn't a palace Agent ! He doesn't know shit about nobles and their titles, lands, or wedding customs – even less so Fire Nation ones !

Also he hasn't slept a full night in about two weeks, and that really doesn't help. It's not like he wants to fall asleep on his feet and look like an idiot in front of a target.

He's just… been busy, is all. Preparing the treatment plan for the middle management according to the info the Intelligence guys bring him, putting it in action night after night after night, just a few hours at a time so no one notices the clients were ever gone. It's blunt, repetitive work. He doesn't even have the Lake's lantern-tram to lessen the load a bit – if he did, another guy could man the lights and Han would only have to focus on implanting commands.

As things are though, the only light stimulation he has on hand is the one he can make with the crystals from his ears. Which basically doubles his work, or like, the level of focus he has to keep.

He does try his best to pay attention to the discussion, in case there's something he can use later in this – to keep his brain awake, too. Harder to fall asleep if he's thinking. Probably.

It looks like the wedding is all but decided now – the betrothal will be announced officially on the next auspicious date, and the union will take place after the comet, as part of the victory celebrations.

Han does his best not to wince at the phrasing.

Victory, yeah, right. If things go the way the Fire Lord wants them to, it won't be a victory, it will be a massacre.

Not that a monster would know the difference.

Maybe it's just Han's ignorance showing itself again – seriously, he knows he's only here because he's neither ugly nor injured, but he wishes he could be more than a tapestry mentally at least – but it sounds weird not to celebrate a wedding as its own thing. Even if it's just politics, isn't it important ?

Shows how much Han knows – or maybe how much the Fire Lord cares. The way Lady Tsuma clenched her fist means there's at least something she doesn't like about this.

Other than just marrying a monster double her age and risk exile, disfigurement, or whatever happened to the Fire Lord's previous wife.

Since General Zenka will leave for the North two weeks before the comet – and the wedding – the old ladies insist that Lady Tsuma stay at the palace that entire length of time. It will make the transition easier on her, they say.

It will ensure she can't escape, Han thinks. Or find herself a lover and get in some sort of scandal. She doesn't seem like the type, but better safe than sorry when it comes to keeping the Fire Lord happy. Or maybe Han's just too tired to be nice and forgiving and give the old ladies the benefit of the doubt.

Still. Two weeks at the palace before the comet.

That's something Han can use.