Parents usually tried to dissuade their children from going to shady places to meet with shady people, and Crown Prince Iroh was doing just that, going against the kinds of things his father told him. Of course, the difference between him and the kinds of people those warnings were usually given to was that he was a middle aged retired general committing what amounted to treason, given his father was the Fire Lord, the most powerful man alive, which was certainly something he didn't expect teenagers to be doing, although his mind did cross to his nephew's escapades around the capital wearing a theatre mask, which he only knew of from his sister's tattletaling.
The Prince had made his way to a warehouse in the port city, disguising himself in the garbs of a commoner to do so, knowing that getting any unnecessary attention on the building would endanger his good friends in the Order of the White Lotus. He had called the meeting, knowing now that he would be trying to effect change after his ascension to the throne, that he would need to prepare in advance. The Order was spread across all the nations, and could provide him with the contacts necessary to orchestrate a new peace between the nations, one that could actually see improvements to those on the losing side rather than a simple return to the status quo, which wouldn't go very nicely for either the Earth Kingdom or Southern Water Tribe.
Sitting around a long table, he was joined by members from not just the Fire Nation, but the Earth Kingdom too, given it was possible for them to transit through the colonies to the capital, which was now seeing a few more labourers from the Earth Kingdom, given his father's laxing of some of the earlier restrictions put in place on their movement, only possible through Iroh's conquest of Ba Sing Se.
"So, here we are... a bunch of old fools sitting around a table." Kuurasu spoke up, which seemed to amuse the others, "Might I ask why you've asked to grace us with your presence once more, your highness?" he addressed the Prince; he already knew from learning of Kurasu's past that he didn't hold the Fire Nation's ruling class in high regard, and given Iroh was the second most powerful man amongst them, he didn't exactly have the man's respect.
"I do not sit here as Crown Prince Iroh, but as a friend, and a man who wants to right his wrongs."
"If you wanted to do that, why didn't you die in that siege?" another spoke up, this time Xai Bau, who was well known amongst the White Lotus for his rather abrasive attitude and pessimism, though he was certainly wise, wise enough that Iroh could see the light in his words.
"If I were to be frank... I would have preferred to die in that siege and let my son win it for me." he acknowledged the blunt truth as it was.
There he had lost his very drive to fight the Earth Kingdom and serve his father, and it had helped frame his change of heart to those in front of him; he had not always been so supportive of changing the Fire Nation, turning it from its warmongering, violent ways, given they were what he knew, and he had once held great respect for his ancestor Sozin and what he had set out to achieve, but things were different now.
"So you didn't have to sit here and lecture us?" Kurasu spoke up once more, "Though... admittedly, you're good at lectures."
"I've heard." he nodded, amused that he could compliment him on his oratory skills, "I don't wish to command any of you, but... I need your help. The world needs our help."
"To do what, enforce your will once you're Fire Lord?" Xai Bau spoke up, narrowing his eyes at the Prince, "We're not servants of any nation, Iroh."
"No, I'm not asking you to serve me... or the Fire Nation for that. Peace has been forged with blood... my blood, and I will not see to a prolonging of this conflict, or another one coming from its resolution. There will be a settlement, and the nations will once again be able to live in peace with each other... At least, that's what I hope we can achieve."
"What good will us intervening in politics do? Revealing ourselves... even for the sake of making peace, that does not bode well for any of us. You are a Prince, protected by sworn guards... most of us are just commoners. We don't have that luxury if the wrong people come our way."
"That's why all of you are armed, if you aren't benders." Iroh acknowledged, "We have to be prepared to defend ourselves, because we meet under the belief that we should- no, the nations should be able to cooperate unmolested by the demands of our rulers."
"That's rich coming from the man who's about to be the Fire Lord." Xai Bau scoffed at his claims, which had been coming from a place of respect for his fellow members, and not out of a desire to make himself seem like some paragon of virtue.
"I am not a good man. Everyone here has done far less than I have to harm the world... to harm innocents, but I see that. My father ordered the destruction of a nation's entire population of benders because he found them an inconvenience... he has never seen the wrongs in his actions, but I have. In his and my own."
"Yet you remain loyal. Like a dog." Kurasu acknowledged, "If you weren't so skilled at your job and loyal to your father, he'd be dead already, and you'd be Fire Lord."
"I... I know it was wrong to attack the Open Eyes as I did, but at the time, I believed I was doing what was right."
"And so did we." Kurasu narrowed his eyes at him, "But we're not here to argue who's more virtuous. What kind of treaty are you proposing here?"
"The war has brought before unseen suffering to our world, and the Earth Kingdom and Southern Water Tribe have suffered from displacement of their people and the destruction of their institutions." he gave his introduction, stating the things that they all already understood, "The only way to rectify these tragedies is the rebuilding of all the nations, better than they were before."
"Whose better?" Xai Bau asked him, and the Dragon of the West narrowed his eyes, knowing that not all things his nation had done were bad, despite the terrible atrocities his father had ordered.
"I do not regret what I did in that palace." he declared confidently, "The Dai Li wanted to control every aspect of Ba Sing Se and people's lives. That is no way to live."
"And neither is under the rule of your father. The Intelligence Service is little better." Kurasu retorted, and Iroh raised a brow.
"Whatever things they are doing to innocents, I will stop as soon as I am Fire Lord. I have tried to help as many people in our country as I could." he acknowledged what he intended to do once he had the power to change things, "And this treaty will help the other nations. There is potential for a better world, and all they need is a helping hand and an assurance of assistance. The Fire Nation has done great wrongs, but we can do more good for the world. There are countless without homes, starving or without hope. Our order is composed of many like-minded people, who all care for peace and cooperation. That is what I want to bring those ideals and minds to the forefront."
He earned a few nods from those around the table, and Xai Bau even seemed to approve, though his eyes narrowed as he gestured towards him, "That all sounds nice, but what does that practically mean? How can the world be made better by a single treaty?"
"We cannot do everything in a single step, but there has to be some base to build upon. If we only leave the world with what it has right now, war will inevitably return." he argued, and Xai Bau raised a brow at that.
"So... why stop with peace? The nations are what caused this war."
"Abolishing the nations, no matter how well-intended, is exactly what my great-grandfather was proposing, only with him on top." Iroh argued, making the others on the table look at him sceptically.
"I don't think that's what Xai Bau meant." Kurasu warned him, "He means no more nations. No more governments to command people to fight, or to organise armies."
"No more Sozins, no more Chin the Conquerors, and..." Xai Bau continued, before he narrowed his eyes at the Prince, "And no more Avatars."
"No more-" he gasped, surprised by what he was suggesting; Iroh thought that if anyone could ever ensure the peace they all desired, it was the Avatar, "Are you crazy? The Avatar is the only one who can step up to the tyrants you describe. If I went crazy for power, who else could stop me, or somebody with the power I have?" he asked him rhetorically, "We have to have faith in the Avatar. If not them, who can we trust to hold the peace?"
"The Avatar has been missing for a century." Ran addressed him, her first time speaking in the meeting, "Even if Xai Bau is wrong about the Avatar, we cannot trust them to save us. If they are hiding, they don't want to be found; why should we hope for somebody who has clearly abandoned us all?"
"To lack hope means to give up." Iroh argued, and Xai Bau chuckled.
"I don't lack hope, Dragon of the West." he retorted, "None of us do... we simply disagree on what future we're hoping for. I thought you had lost your faith in the Fire Nation."
"I have lost faith in my father... there is a difference. The mission he espoused is flawed, but our nation's strength is not imaginary. To destroy what we have built, at the expense of preventing a future conflict, is a tough price to ask me to pay."
Xai Bau sighed, and gave him a small smile, "Oh, I don't expect you to pay that price." he warned him, his tone and suggestion ominous.
"What are you trying to say?"
"You're the only one with the strength and authority to build a new world... I just hope that you make the right choice, and don't force your lessers to do that for you."
"You are my equals. We are all here as comrades and friends." Iroh retorted, "I do not want to argue over this. All I seek is to bring everyone to the table, then... we can argue for the fate of the world."
"Hmph, well, when you have your throne, we'll see." Xai Bau acknowledged with his arms crossed, suggesting he wasn't thinking Iroh could achieve much as the Fire Lord.
"I do not want to reign for the sake of power... I am far beyond anything like that." he assured him, before sighing, "Do you believe that, at least?"
"You are a broken man, my Prince." Kurasu observed his state of mind, "The Dragon of the West might as well have died in Ba Sing Se... but the man who came back is far wiser, and suited for the role set out for him." he acknowledged, and Iroh smiled, at least glad that somebody who had once wanted to overthrow his family's rule was actually willing to acknowledge that he had changed.
"Thank you for believing that at least." he replied with a curt bow, before glancing towards the teapot in the centre of the table, "Now, are we going to have some tea, or is this going to be one of those meetings where we just ignore drinks and get down to business?"
"We're not animals." Ran scoffed at his suggestion, picking up the teapot to begin pouring tea for herself and those seated beside her, "We look forward to the specifics of your proposal, Iroh."
"I've had years to consider this... ever since-" he began, before turning his gaze away; it wasn't his experiences as a soldier, or joining the White Lotus that had pushed him to his present desire to end the war, but his discussion with the last living child of Avatar Roku, Rina, who he had come to speak with after her daughter's untimely passing, "An old woman reminded me of what my real duty is."
"And what is that?" Xai Bau asked him, "To rebuild the Fire Nation in your image?"
"No." he narrowed his eyes, before he pulled a wrapped object from his robes, unfurling the fabric to reveal it to the table, where everyone's expressions shifted to ones of shock.
"You... you have his headpiece in your possession?" Ran asked him, obviously shocked by what she was looking at.
"Technically, it ought to be mine, as I am Crown Prince, but that is not why I hold it." he conceded, raising the headpiece up in his hand, "This represents everything I want for my niece and nephew, the inheritors of Avatar Roku and Fire Lord Sozin. They will undo the wrongs of our family, and if there is no Avatar to help us, then they shall do what their great grandfather failed to do."
"That is much to expect of two children." Kurasu acknowledged, "How can you be sure... you know who their father is. Will he allow them to take that path?"
"He won't have much of a choice. One day, they'll understand where they come from, and decide their destinies for themselves. I promised someone I'd tell them about their heritage, and when they're ready, they will learn."
"You know they mightn't react well." Ran warned him, "They might believe they are aberrations, given the propaganda taught about the Avatar here in the Fire Nation."
"I know that... that's why they have to learn once their eyes have been opened to the truths of this world, about the war and what their ancestors have done."
Mai wasn't the only serious person in her family; her mother, Michi, and father, Ukano, tried their best to be formal, respectable and affable at all times, not trying to mull on negative emotions, or at least, to hide them from the world. They had the same obsession with perfection that Azula did, and it hadn't done them much good; Mai's solution to their demands was her silence and quick compliance. However, that didn't seem to matter anymore, not after what had happened; the look on their faces when they opened the door for her, the tears running down their cheeks, and their tight hug.
It reminded her of the one thing she didn't ever pay enough attention to; they cared, and they always had. At least she had them, and their love, even if they were always so serious and tough, was always there; they loved her just as they loved Tom-Tom, it was just her lack of retrospection that made her feel otherwise. They had given her all the attention she could have asked for as a little girl, trying to shape her into the perfect child, to carry on their legacy, and be great, greater than either of them could ever be. Of course, she might have preferred if she had gotten the 'Ty Lee treatment', and just been ignored, so she could have made herself into whatever she pleased. However, she knew honestly that that really wasn't the case; she was reassured by the fact they cared, that anyone cared about her.
Her eyes turned back for a moment, looking at the person who she'd been stuck with for weeks; Zuko's warm smile was rare to find, and that was what made it all the more weirder, but the fact he was still there, watching over her, despite his desire to help his uncle, and their country. He cared, just as much as they did; he had for a long time, and though she might have found his prodding and visits more than a little annoying at times, she loved him for it. She would never dare to say it, but she did, and in that moment, she could say that she felt a sense of tranquillity and peace.
"We missed you." her mother whispered out, sniffling for a few seconds before she kissed her cheek, "We thought you were dead." she acknowledged, before her expression shifted, first into one of shock, before she became angry, "Prince Ozai did this." she stated the fact of the matter, "He-" she began, clenching her fist, "That bastard."
Mai forgot at times who she got her proverbial inner fire from, as it certainly wasn't her weak-willed, toe-kisser of a father; Michi's gaze turned over to Zuko, and she pointed towards him, "Why? Why did he do this?"
"It's my fault." he took the blame for what had happened to them, and Mai was about to turn around to intervene and come to his defence, when her father grasped her by the shoulder.
"I'm so sorry." Ukano whispered to her, "I should- I should have done something. I should have realised."
"That Ozai's an absolute tool? Yeah, no wonder." she scoffed, before sighing, noticing his remorseful face as he stepped away from their hug, "It's okay Dad. It's not your fault." she assured him, and she turned to face Zuko as well, "It's not yours either."
The Prince nodded, and she stepped closer to her father, "Dad... please. I know you didn't want any of this to happen. Who would?"
"A monster." he mumbled under his breath, "I made friends with a monster. He treated me to drinks, events, and even let me offer him advice about the war. I didn't think an old bureaucrat like me was worth his time... but now I realise, I wasn't." he explained his thoughts, turning his eyes to Mai; he raised his hand up to her cheek, "It was all about you, Mai."
"I-" she mumbled, before glancing behind her for a moment, "Did he- did anybody come here?"
"Some messenger came to tell us... about the ship." he explained, and Michi clenched her fists.
"Those damn liars." she snarled, and Zuko stepped closer to them all.
"They probably didn't realise they were being fed fabrications. Most of the servants just do what they're told... it's their job." he tried to defend whoever had come to inform them of their supposed demise, "Mai and I were the only ones who knew about Father's plans." he acknowledged their own role in the matter, "Nobody could have realised."
"Well, that's not completely true." she warned him, knowing from Piandao's letters that the Order of the White Lotus, just like Zuko, had been spying on the various meetings between Ozai and his supporters.
"What do you mean?" her mother asked her, and she shook her head, knowing that getting into a conversation about a secret society wouldn't exactly bode well for said society's secrecy.
"Never mind." she tried to dissuade her from questioning any further, before she stepped past them, pacing towards the front door, "Can we go inside?" she asked, and her parents nodded, following her inside; she pushed the door open, and eyed around the foyer of their house, noticing some odd cuts in the mat that sat in front of the door, as well in one of the cabinets beside the door
"What happened here?" she gestured to the cuts, and her mother strode inside, shooting her husband some annoyed glances.
"Oh, your father being foolish." she acknowledged, "When we first heard the news of Ozai's crimes, your father and I were rather distraught, and he decided that he would take matters into his own hands."
"Sorry... you mean, you wanted to go stop my father?" Zuko asked her father, who grimaced for a moment.
"Not stop him... kill him." he admitted, "Now I realise that was a stupid idea... I can barely use my jian. I haven't had practice in years." he clarified what he wanted to do, and why it was a bad idea, "Your mother stopped me from leaving the house, and I am glad... we found out later what had been going on at the palace."
"Did anything happen out here in the city?" Zuko asked, glancing back out the door, "The Imperial Firebenders didn't paint a pretty picture."
"Nothing here." Michi admitted, "To our luck... I thought perhaps the Prince might have wanted to take us hostage, but some Imperial Firebenders came here to make sure we were safe after they received their orders." she explained, Zuko smiling, seeming glad that they had gone to such an effort.
"Well, I'm glad they had that foresight." he acknowledged what sounded like quick planning on the behalf of the guards; if they hadn't come to protect her parents, Mai could only imagine what Ozai's goons might have done with them to try and get an upper hand over them, "I'll make sure whoever made those orders is commended for his work. It is my fault you and your daughter have been in danger; it's only right that those responsible for helping you are given the proper respect."
"We are thankful that you have kept our daughter safe, Prince Zuko." Ukano acknowledged in return, though the Prince seemed amused by that.
"Uh, it was more the opposite way around. She looks out for me." he conceded, before sighing, "I hope... those weeks weren't too hard on you. Believing your own child to be dead... that-"
"It was a struggle." her mother admitted, making a smile at both Mai and Zuko, "We're just so happy that it wasn't true."
"And I'm-" Mai began, before stopping herself, unsure if she should be frank with her parents; she didn't want to make them feel bad for her- they were the ones who had to deal with the belief of her demise, while she had only one bad afternoon dealing with assassins, "I'm happy. I'm happy that you are safe."
"We are too." Ukano admitted, "I couldn't imagine what they would do to us... or little Tom-Tom."
"Is he alright?" she asked, and her parents both nodded.
"We didn't tell him what was going on... though we doubt he'd understand. He's still a toddler." Michi conceded, "He's just been his usual self, and he kept asking where you were." she explained, grimacing, as if she was struggling to hold back tears, "I never knew what to say."
"It's alright, Mum." Mai tried to reassure her, "I'm okay."
Michi nodded, and let out a sigh, "We left your room as you left it. I was looking forward to hearing about your holiday... but it turns out even that was a lie."
"Ozai's lie." Ukano reminded his wife, "He fooled me."
"And I mean, it wasn't completely a lie." Zuko spoke up, "We just... uh, didn't go to Ember Island... and what would have done there? Play games on the beach?"
"That doesn't sound like you." Mai argued, and the Prince smirked for a moment.
"No, I would have gone looking for dragon eggs."
"Dragon eggs?" Ukano asked him, seeming interested by his odd intentions, "But they're extinct." he stated something everyone in the Fire Nation was aware of, especially Zuko, given his uncle was the one responsible for the final extinction of the dragons, who once were the mighty steeds of Fire Lords and the progenitors of firebending itself, something she'd learned at school, which oddly contrasted with the actual treatment they received at the hands of humans.
"Being extinct doesn't mean there aren't eggs. Grandfather's hunts weren't ever focused on those." he argued, before narrowing his eyes, "I went looking for them with my cousin and sister."
"Ah, so that's the closest thing you ever got to bonding with her?" Mai prodded him, well aware that they didn't get along most of the time.
He remained silent for a few moments, before giving a curt nod, "Yeah it was." he agreed to her proposition, which was a little surprising; it really seemed like Lu Ten brightened up Zuko and Azula's lives, and their relationship as well.
The Prince's gaze turned back to her parents, seeming more serious than before, "So, was there much commotion in the city after the Imperial Firebenders tried to arrest my father?"
"Certainly." Ukano confirmed, "The city guard ordered everyone to remain in their houses while they hunted down the traitors. There were some fires, explosions, and... screaming. Whatever was going on, it certainly wasn't orderly." he acknowledged, "Nobody in the office has told me anything. They've kept saying it's classified."
"Well, not for me." Zuko spoke up, "I'll try and get to the bottom of things, make sure my father doesn't put anyone else in the Fire Nation in danger again."
"We'll do it." Mai corrected him abruptly, wanting to make sure he remembered they were equals in their fight; he might have been a Prince, but she had just as much a bone to pick after those assassins tried to kill her.
Her parents both looked at her with concerned faces, "Mai." her father mumbled, "You've just got home... you're not going to get yourself into more danger, are you?"
"I don't have much of a choice. I'm a target now." she admitted, "It's either we stop them, or they try and do the kinds of things you were fearing they'd do to all of us."
"This shouldn't be your fight." Michi acknowledged, "You're just a school student."
"And I fought off half a dozen assassins. Does your average fifteen year old usually do that?" she questioned her mother in return, and her gaze turned down; they might have been her parents, but they were in no place to tell her what was safe for her, or what her responsibility was- this was something far greater than the honour and dignity of their little family, it was about their very lives and the safety of the Fire Nation, "I don't really care about the politics, but I know when somebody's in the wrong." she stated her opinions plainly, "Zuko and Iroh need my help."
"We- we are proud of you, Mai." Ukano acknowledged, and she sighed, wishing she'd heard it earlier and in better circumstances, "But, this shouldn't have to be your responsibility."
"I agree." Zuko acknowledged, "But Mai's the only reason I'm alive right now. She's saved my life and watched my back for the past few weeks. I trust her, and my uncle does too... and trust is in short supply at the moment. Plus, she can fight better than anybody I know."
She would have thanked Zuko for backing her up if it wasn't such an embarrassment to have him talk down to her parents like that; she clenched her fists, remaining silent for a few moments, before they nodded, and gave bows to the Prince, obviously seeing that his rank and authority outweighed their own immensely, even as a sixteen year old.
"Our apologies, your highness. We didn't mean to try and stop her from helping you." Ukano tried to apologise, which only seemed to amuse the Prince.
"You don't need to apologise. You care deeply for your daughter's safety, and that's more than my father can say about my own. You have every right to feel the way you do, but there are things that need to be done. We're not going to go into any more danger than is absolutely necessary." he stressed, and her parents smiled at Zuko, seeming quite appeased by his assurances.
"That is good to hear." Michi acknowledged, and bowed to him, "Your highness."
"Please, it's unnecessary to do that. I'm here as your daughter's friend, not as a Prince of the Fire Nation." he tried his best to ask them to stop without being too specific about the familiarity between her and Zuko; she appreciated that, as even if she knew her parents were probably imagining it already, telling them that she and Zuko were anything close to a couple would get them into a frenzy about the very things she wished not to discuss.
"Well, we appreciate you coming here to tell us that." Ukano acknowledged, before raising a brow, "That is why you're here, right?"
"I'm here to make sure Mai is safe." he clarified, "There's a lot we don't know right now... and that means everyone is in danger."
"You don't need to be so dramatic about it." Mai warned him, and he scrunched his lips up, perhaps realising he was being a bit too blunt about a matter that would scare any ordinary person.
"Uh, I apologise. I don't want to scare anyone... I'm just going to do my job, and protect the people of the Fire Nation." he reiterated his intentions, and Michi chuckled, raising a finger to her cheek.
"And since when did that involve escorting my daughter around?"
"I wasn't- uh..." Zuko mumbled, lost for words; her mother really had put him in a corner, and Mai decided that even if the other option was embarrassing it was far better than what might otherwise come out of the Prince's mouth.
"I'm going to my room." she spoke up, interrupting the conversation and drawing everyone's attention back to her.
"Uh, alright." Zuko acknowledged her intentions, and she stepped past her parents.
"I just want to go and clear my head for a bit before... well, Iroh's expecting us." she explained what would come next, though it wasn't completely true; she couldn't tell her parents about their whole little investigation about the piece of paper Iroh gave Zuko, given it concerned things that mightn't make the Fire Lord out in the best light.
Her parents nodded, and she paced over to the staircase that would lead her to her room, and she momentarily glanced back as she began to climb the stairs, noticing that her parents had stepped closer to Zuko.
"Wow... so she's on a first name basis with the Fire Lord?" her mother asked him, and he awkwardly scratched the side of his scalp.
"Uh, yeah... I guess she is." he confirmed, his eyes meeting her own for just a moment before she continued to climb up the staircase.
She turned at the top of the staircase, making her way down the hallway, approaching the door of her bedroom; she momentarily glanced down the hallway, checking if any of the cleaners or cooks were around. She hadn't seen them at the entrance, though she just assumed that they were allowing her parents the time they wanted to spend with her. Usually they'd be asking her if she wanted her clothes cleaned, or her bedroom tidied before she used it. After weeks of living practically like a commoner, she was actually more than comfortable with their absence, even though she didn't mind all of them; they were respectful, and didn't try to question her behaviour, unlike her parents.
She pushed the door open, taking a deep breath and smelling her bedroom, which just smelled the same as before, except a little dustier, which was no surprise; she guessed her parents hadn't touched it since they learnt about her 'demise', as it had been. That made her grimace, thinking back to what must have been racing through their head; when she had run off to Ozai's secret meeting spot, where Zuko was fighting off the assassins, she had presumed he was dead already, or at the very least extremely injured by the explosion.
Though she was glad that he was relatively unscathed from the blast, the emotions she had felt at that moment were otherwise foreign to her. The utter dread, bile rising in her throat, like she wanted to scream but no sounds would come out; she didn't know if they'd ever be safe while Ozai was still alive, and though she wished she didn't care as much as she did about Zuko, she couldn't deny it. She didn't want to see him, or anybody else she cared about, put in harm's way; Azula was out there somewhere, on her ship, and she might be in danger too, as could Ty Lee. Her friends weren't safe, and she couldn't help but feel she could have done more; Zuko could have done more too, to keep Iroh and the others safe, but in their cautiousness, they had failed to prevent Ozai from going after them all.
"Mai." she heard his voice behind her, and she tensed up for a moment, before realising she had closed the door behind her, "Are you okay?"
"Not really." she admitted after a few seconds of considering if she ought to be truthful; it only seemed like her room was the place she could truly be honest about her emotions, and even then, she wasn't going to ball her eyes out and act like she hadn't been able to handle it all so far.
She pulled the door open, staring the Prince down, realising that he had come upstairs far quicker than she would have expected, "Were my parents annoying you?"
"No... they were being polite." Zuko acknowledged, "I mean... they were acting a bit like Ty Lee, if you know what I mean."
"Of course I do." she scoffed, "She's the one who harasses me about our relationship every other day... or at least, she used to."
"Yeah, our relationship." he mumbled awkwardly, and she rolled her eyes, knowing that he was terrible at addressing anything that happened between them, "You're my best friend, Mai. I mean, I don't really hang out with anyone else." he admitted, and she raised a brow, unsure if he did that because he liked her, or because he was really just that socially awkward that he couldn't tolerate trying to make friends with other people.
"I guess there are downsides to being raised a Prince." she observed, "You get stuck being friends with your sister's friends."
"I- uh, I just never got on with anybody at school."
"What, because they were afraid of offending a Prince?" she asked, and he turned around, seeming unsure about that.
"I don't really know. I guess I was just really... angry. All the time, actually." he admitted, shaking his head, "Lu Ten was right."
"About what?"
"Anger. It never gets you anywhere... only in trouble." he explained, "I should have paid more attention... to both him and Uncle."
"I never thought you were that angry." she admitted, although she spoke quietly, not wanting to just outright tell him what she thought.
He was always frustrated, and wanted more out of his life; not material greed, which many people fell foul too, but a simple desire to be appreciated. Mai understood that, because she felt the same way, even if she never would admit it to her parents' faces; their reactions proved they cared about her, even if they didn't trust her as much as she would like them to.
"If I wasn't angry... then what was I?" he asked, turning back to face her.
"In need of attention." she admitted bluntly, before narrowing her eyes at him, "You and Ty Lee are actually more alike than you'd think."
"What... I'm not attention-seeking."
"No, you're not... at least not from anyone and everyone. You just wanted the approval of those you respect." she conceded the slight inaccuracy of her initial description, "Like your uncle and cousin."
"And my father... once." he admitted, which seemed to bite harder than any reminder of his deceased cousin; the fact he had been forced to betray his father, and then faced assassins sent by the man who he probably expected to protect him, must have really shaken him to his core.
"You..." she mumbled, unsure what to say now, standing facing him with an ajar mouth, "We're never really happy, are we?" she asked, and the Prince sighed.
"I'm happy when I'm with you." he admitted, before his eyes widened, perhaps realising what his words implied, "I mean- I'm trying to say- uh, I value your respect." he clarified, and she rolled her eyes, stepping closer to him.
"My respect, is that it?" she questioned him, which only seemed to unnerve him further, "Can I tell you a secret?"
He glanced behind her for a moment, before nodding, "Yes." he whispered to her, and watched her hands as they moved to grasp his own.
"I'm happy right now." she admitted, "And I don't want to be scared... or angry... or frustrated. I just want to be happy."
"You have a pretty straight face for a happy person." he observed, perhaps trying to make a joke.
"I never said I was cheery." she retorted, "I'm happy with you too." she stated what she had been trying to say, but had avoided thus far, before leaning in and kissing him on the cheek.
When she leaned back, she noticed his cheeks were flushed red, and he looked lost for words, "Uh... well, your parents said they'd make us some tea before we went to the palace." he tried to change the topic, perhaps to avoid the awkwardness of actually talking about their feelings any longer; she didn't want to do that either, she just wanted to live in that moment.
"Tea can wait... unless you're really that desperate to court my parents." she prodded him, and he let out a smile.
"Okay, I don't really want to keep talking with them. I just feel like I'm going to have to keep justifying what we're doing." he admitted, and she raised her right hand, poking him on the chin.
"And right now, you don't need justifications. Just relax, Zuko." she tried to get him to just let the moment be, instead of thinking about the problems they faced, even the small ones like how her parents might feel about her putting herself in harm's way.
He took in a deep breath, and closed his eyes for its duration, before opening them, "I'm sorry. I should have just kissed you back."
"Your dorkiness has its moments."
The last thing Iroh had wanted to do was walk into a War Council meeting and command his nation into a war unto itself, but his brother had given him no choice in the matter; the Pai Sho game had started before he even had the chance to get his pieces out, and now, he was left in the dark, or at least, far more so than his brother had to be. The sight of men bowing to him wasn't foreign, but now, it felt different; they weren't just respecting him for his feats, now they were genuinely afraid. Of him, or his brother, it didn't matter; the war had never been on their soil, over their nation and their goals. The unity and purpose for their nation that Sozin had built from the ground up was destroyed in a single command, which now realised could have been a mistake; at the very least by keeping his fingers off a pen, he would have prevented Ozai's escape from the capital, even if it made it harder for Zuko to find and help him.
The men assembled in front of him did not seem to be pleased by their present circumstances, and all of them were now eyeing amongst themselves as Iroh climbed to sit in his throne; unlike his father, he didn't have the flames raised between him and those attending, as he thought that would be unnecessarily distancing between him and those he sought to work with. He knew that with allies by his side, he would be able to face down and ultimately defeat his brother; time was not on their side, however, with Sozin's Comet being less than a year away. Though he thought he could stop his brother's plans and apprehend him before then, he had no way of knowing how much bloodshed would come before that.
That bloodshed would not have been necessary if he had chosen another path, but Iroh knew now, more than ever, that giving up his throne was not the right choice. Though he had considered standing aside from the line of succession after Lu Ten's demise, he quickly realised that his brother would be a far greater issue than his own trauma and lack of motivation. Even if Zuko or Azula would be a great Fire Lord in their own right, with enough time to grow and understand themselves and the world better, he knew that time was needed, and that was more than evident with how his nephew had been acting recently, which he admittedly understood. He had destroyed the Earth King's palace in a fit of rage over what had happened to his son, so after all he'd been through, Zuko was more than justified to react as he had.
"I want to hear the status report on what's occurred since the Imperial Firebenders failed to apprehend my brother." Iroh spoke for the first time since entering the chamber, wanting a clear and concise description from the War Council that could help him formulate his own plan a little better.
The officers glanced amongst themselves for a few moments, before one of them rose to his feet, a younger man, by the name of General Mak, commander of the Military Intelligence and Messenger Hawk Directorate, the part of the army concerned with information on enemy movements, operations and threats to the security of the armed forces. It made sense that he'd be giving the report, given he was present in the room and not out coordinating intelligence gathering operations at present; he was probably the person in the Fire Nation best suited to explain exactly what was going on when it came to intelligence gathered concerning the war, and now the war between him and his brother.
"Uh, of course, your majesty." he acknowledged his Fire Lord with a curt bow, before he pulled out a scroll, "There have been a number of incidents here in the city, but activity died down immediately after the initial incident with your brother. Nothing of note has been found other than a few empty hideouts and safehouses which were tracked down by following leads; the places were all burned out, no useful intelligence was gathered, other than giving us a sense of scale for Prince Ozai's operations."
"And what have you learned there?"
"He has had at least a hundred if not more operatives working through this city alone, and that was outside of the guard. There were enough facilities and a large enough office in one of these hideouts that it's likely it housed two dozen secretaries just to handle whatever intelligence they were gathering." he explained, the information interesting, though it didn't tell him who exactly his brother was receiving help from; from his own observations at prior War Council meetings, he obviously had gained the loyalty of a number of officers, or at least, their interest in his conspiracy.
"And what has happened outside of the capital?" Iroh asked, knowing that things must have happened beyond the chaos in the capital; Mak flipped to the next piece of paper, and cleared his throat before he began to give his report.
"In a number of cities outside the capital, there have been reports of bombings. Various military facilities, mostly shipyards, ports and bases, have been attacked, presumably by your brother's operatives, given the timing coincided with possible commands radiated out from the capital at the time of your brother's arrest. The Home Guard has attended to these matters, but no decisive links to your brother have been found. They have also been looking throughout the surrounding settlements in the region for your brother, who, from the best of our intelligence, seems to be hiding in the countryside while he waits for us to stop our crackdown."
"Well, we won't stop." one of the officers, General Hikari, who was the commander of the central division of the Home Guard, spoke up, "Your brother will either be in our hands, or ashes by the month's end, your majesty." he assured him confidently, "We've blocked every road in the leaving the capital, and set up checkpoints."
"You mightn't have been quick enough. My brother was able to sneak out of the palace undetected, so it stands to reason he could have gotten past before your checkpoints were put in place." he argued, knowing that his brother was an adept at planning, if the work his would-be murderers had achieved was any indication.
Iroh admittedly would have preferred if his brother's knack for it had been used for the more practical purpose of actually helping their nation build itself up, and eventually the world as a whole. He would have to settle for his niece and nephew's help, but he knew they were ready to do so, even if they were younger than Lu Ten was when he had graduated from the Academy.
"Then we will search further afield." Hikari assured him, "There is no way we will fail now."
"Is there any other news?" Iroh asked, and Admiral Liang rose to his feet.
"The Western Fleet has coordinated its efforts to contain those ships fighting for your brother; your niece, Princess Azula has done a stellar effort thus far alongside Commander Zhao, and soon enough, we will have hunted down all those who had tried to attack Crescent Island. They cannot hide for long." he explained something that Iroh was already aware of, "There have also been reports of pirates in the Mo Ce Sea, though these may actually be saboteurs in disguise, unrelated to the present issue of the hostile vessels. I have ordered our battle groups to quickly flush them out, and ensure that we are ready for whatever your brother intends to do next." he explained, and Iroh's head rose up, his interest peaked by something that seemed awfully suspicious.
"I don't believe that is true." he admitted, "I have received intelligence that indicates my brother seeks to blockade the entire homeland off from the colonies with those commanders under his influence or control. Pirates are a simple excuse to move the ships into place. We are not facing an open rebellion, at least not yet." he acknowledged what he had seen; men like Houken had simply been trying to hide their loyalties and forestall Iroh's efforts to return home, rather than to outright start a conflict over control of the Fire Nation, so it stood to reason that Ozai was not ready to begin an open fight.
"Where did you gather this intelligence, your majesty?" Mak asked, and the Fire Lord raised a finger to his chin.
"From the records in Commander Houken's office." he acknowledged, "My nephew was already a step ahead of me, and investigated the documents he had. We don't know what else my brother has been planning, but there is something brewing here in the homeland, we just don't know what."
"Well, your majesty, these acts of sabotage may have something to do with those plans." Mak conceded, before glancing around the table, "Were you intending to organise our campaign to defeat your brother and his supporters?"
"Yes." he acknowledged, "But first, we need to establish with the people what exactly is happening. They mightn't be aware of the danger we are all in. My brother has already shown his propensity for acts of terror, so we must beware his intentions, for both our own sakes, and the sake of the people." he warned those at the meeting, "I propose we declare a state of emergency, for an indefinite period until my brother is apprehended and the threat of his conspiracy has been neutralised."
"That could take a number of weeks, your majesty. What kinds of restrictions do you need us to enact?" Hikari asked him, and the Fire Lord raised his hands up to his chin, wondering how harsh he ought to be when it came to dealing with the conspiracy; though the Order of the White Lotus had given him some intelligence via Zuko, he knew that the depths of the conspiracy would be hard to discern without a thorough investigation by the two intelligence-gathering organisations.
The split between military and civil had been necessary during the war due to the distinctive threats of dissidents and anti-war groups like the Open Eyes, compared to the actual armies of the Earth Kingdom, and various irregular groups that remained in the colonies; now, such a division might be utilised to Iroh's benefit, as those in military intelligence were far less lightly to be consorting with Ozai, who had taken up a leading role in the civilian-led Intelligence Service, understandably wanting to deal with dissenters rather than the distant threat of the Earth Kingdom's remnants. That flaw in his methodology left General Mak and his subordinates in a good position to be trusted, at least until he could have a thorough vetting of those men and women personally.
"We need to stop the movement of troops in the homeland immediately, and lock down each region. Any deployments or reassignments will give conspirators the opportunity to move around the country, if they are part of the military." he explained, before gesturing to Liang, "Admiral, we need the navy to increase its security and start vetting civilian ships entering and leaving ports across the homeland. Customs has always been in place, but it is more necessary than ever; a focus on those vessels bringing commodities to and from the colonies, as well as the parts required for weaponry is what I believe is required."
"It will be done, your majesty." he accepted his command, and the Fire Lord's gaze turned around the table, eyeing Mak, "The Intelligence Service will now be under the placed under the command of my nephew, Prince Zuko, and he, General Mak and their respective subordinates will form a new Intelligence Committee that will meet on a regular basis to discuss any findings and corroborate evidence so that operations may be undertaken to find my brother and anybody assisting him."
"The Prince is quite young, your majesty." Mak acknowledged, obviously concerned about Zuko's age and the role he was being given, and the Fire Lord chuckled.
"And so are you, General. You were a prodigious student at the Academy, and it is no surprise you have risen through the ranks as you have. I believe you and my nephew will work well together."
"I am... thank you, your majesty. I will ensure that none of this gets any further out of hand than it already has." Mak gave him the kind of assurance he was expecting; none of them could keep such promises when they really had no idea what was going to happen next.
The Fire Lord smiled, and nodded, just wanting to keep up the visage of confidence, "Together, victory shall be ours, and though I wish this fight was not necessary, we should all aim to restrain ourselves. Needless violence against our fellow countrymen betrays the very values our nation stands for. We all serve the Fire Nation, and the Fire Nation cannot remain divided."
"Wiser words have never been spoken." Liang complimented his declaration, before clearing his throat and gesturing for the others to rise to their feet; the officers got up and bowed to him, and chanted the same words in unison.
"Long live Fire Lord Iroh!" they exclaimed, and then turned around, leaving the table one by one, filing up towards the doors, except one of the officers, General Bara, who was one of his comrades from the Six Hundred Day Siege, stood looking at him, seeming unsettled.
He climbed down from the throne, and approached the General, whose eyes were distantly looking at the flames of the throne, "Bara, are you alright?"
"They killed them, you know that, right?" he asked, obviously referring to what had happened to Boei and Hong, who they both had grown to respect and care for as their brothers in arms, "Why is this happening, Iroh?" he asked him flatly, and the Fire Lord sighed, knowing that he was to blame for what had transpired.
"I didn't listen to my nephew quickly enough. He already knew what was going to happen, because he'd been spying on Ozai... now, we have to live with the consequences of my failure."
Bara narrowed his eyes, "Well they don't have that chance, Iroh." he reminded him, his snappy, harsh tone something all too rare to be addressed to a Fire Lord; Bara was frustrated, and he understood why, and Iroh felt the same.
"I'm just as angry as you." he assured him, "If I had the chance to kill my brother now... I think I'd do it, if only to make sure nobody else can ever be hurt by him or his machinations again." he assured him, "I promise you I'll fix this. I finished the siege, and I'll finish this."
"Eighteen thousand dead." he recalled a statistic that Iroh had grown to dread, "Do you think all those lives will be worth it after you're done with this?"
"Those men didn't have to die." he admitted, "But that was the path we chose."
"No, we didn't." Bara retorted, "Your father chose it for us, and you played along with it. I believed in this fight once, but now, the fruits of our labour are turning to ashes in our mouths." he argued, his anger turning into anguish, "Why didn't you listen to your nephew?"
"Because I wanted to believe that he was wrong. I wanted to believe there was another path. I thought I could try and persuade my brother... no, persuade everyone that there was a better path."
"Well, congratulations, your majesty, you've persuaded some of us." he declared, turning around as he began to pace out of the throne room.
"What do you mean?" he asked, unsure what Bara wanted him to do, "About what?"
"The truth about our nation. We were always too complacent and ignorant; arrogance is the greatest vice of a powerful ruler, and it has made a mockery of our nation." he acknowledged, "Everyone who can remember the truth is dead."
"We can rebuild it, Bara." he assured him, and the General chuckled.
"If we really had a chance to rebuild it, how is it that the most lauded officer in the navy decided to desert instead of trying to persuade his prince down a better path?" he asked, and the Fire Lord grimaced, knowing that Jeong Jeong hadn't tried to reach out to him, and it was only after he made contact with him via the Order that he could actually understand his reasons for leaving.
"Why didn't you?" he asked Bara, who made a small smile as he turned away, heading for the door.
"I wanted to believe, just as you did. Now, I can only believe your path will save more innocent lives than your brother's... because the path of Sozin is dead." he plainly gave his reasons, and stated what he wanted; Bara had never been the harshest or most confident officer who fought by his side, but he was always willing to speak his mind.
"I will not fail you, friend." he assured the General, who sighed; his face told him that he might be doubtful, though he hoped it wasn't of his resolve.
"I certainly hope you won't." he gave his parting words, before he pushed the door open, stepping out as the Imperial Firebenders eyed him momentarily; they might have been shocked by how one of his subjects had spoken to him, but it didn't surprise him in the slightest.
Knowing he ought to check up with his nephew, who must have already returned to the palace, given Iroh had already received his formal briefings from the Imperial Firebenders, as well as the commander of the Caldera City's Home Guard battalion; he had a fair bit to say about the chaos his brother had riled up, and gave Iroh some ideas about what Ozai was intending to do next. When the doors were opened for him, Iroh was surprised to see that Zuko was standing right there with Mai, now wearing his proper armour, which he was expected to wear when at formal engagements, instead of the common officer's attire he had chosen to wear while on Zhong's battleship.
"Good evening, Nephew." he addressed him with a smile, "I see you're looking quite dapper in your armour." he acknowledged, and Zuko glanced down for a moment, taking note of what he was wearing.
"Uh, yeah, I haven't worn this in a while." he admitted, before glancing back, eyeing Bara as he strode away down the hallway, "Your conversation sounded rather heated, Uncle."
"You were eavesdropping?"
"Not intentionally... Mai and I just got here when the meeting was about to finish. I decided I wouldn't walk in and distract everyone." he explained what he had been doing, "Mai's parents were happy to see her." he reminded Iroh of what he had been doing; Lady Mai hadn't seen her parents in a number of weeks, just as Iroh hadn't seen Zuko, and they must have been greatly worried, given the false story about their deaths that had been spread around by Ozai to try and cover up his own attempted murder of Mai and Zuko.
"That's good to hear." he smiled, before his expression straightened, knowing that there would have been mixed emotions, given that they now knew, like everyone else who had heard Iroh's commands, what Ozai had done, or in their case, tried to do to them, "Were they... distraught?"
"They thought I was dead for weeks." Mai snapped back at him, though her tone didn't suggest she was angry with him, but merely frustrated by the very fact, "Of course they were." she told it to him straight, and her calmer tone told him she wasn't too emotional about it; he had quickly learnt that Mai was not one to reveal her emotions easily, and he expected out of all things, the circumstances her parents had faced, believing her to be dead, was something that could make those feelings boil over.
"I apologise, I didn't mean to imply anything." he assured her, and she raised a brow.
"I didn't think you did." she conceded, before eyeing behind him, "So... what have you done now?"
"That's exactly what I was about to ask." Zuko piped up, stepping closer to the Fire Lord, "Uncle?" he addressed him after he remained silent for a few moments.
"Declared a state of emergency, indefinitely."
"Well, that's reasonable, given how insane Father's moves seem to be getting." he acknowledged the rational nature of his decision, even if Iroh thought it was a rather drastic, if not unprecedented move; the Fire Lord wielded absolute power, but it was meant to be tempered by law, conventions and a respect for the autonomy of his subjects, but that was all being thrown out the window, because Iroh's hand had been forced.
Even if Azulon nor Sozin hadn't given a care for the voices or interests of the people, but they didn't threaten them with jail because they dared to try and leave a city without documentation; the people of the Fire Nation, despite the war, were free to live as they pleased, within the plans his grandfather had orchestrated for them.
"What are we going to do?" Zuko asked him, his concerned gaze making the Fire Lord straighten his face; he had decided to give his nephew a promotion, so he knew he couldn't treat that matter unseriously, given the serious work he would be doing.
"I am going to try and plan out negotiations for peace with the Earth Kingdom, so this war can finally come to a close, and you, Nephew, will be making sure your father cannot threaten that peace. He isn't in the palace anymore, and without any formal authority, he will have to contend with persuading others to betray me, rather than fooling otherwise loyal citizens into doing his work for him." he explained what would be happening, "You're going to lead the Intelligence Service, Zuko."
"I'm-" he gasped, shocked by what he had just heard, and turned to Mai for a moment, who was equally surprised by the revelation, "I'm sixteen, Uncle... as much as I'd like to serve my nation, I'm not qualified to run the Intelligence Service."
"Well, you won't be running it, Zuko. That's the job of the Director, who also has to be appointed..." he explained, placing his hands behind his back, "The previous one has been detained until his true loyalties can be discerned, given he was your father's deputy when he ran the Service." he explained another matter that had occurred, though Iroh had had no say in that himself; the Imperial Firebenders, acting under his authority, had made quite a few changes to the running of the government while he was trying to get back to the capital.
"Oh..." he mumbled, before nodding, "Well, of course." he accepted what he had just been told, his straightened posture showing that he had gotten over the shock and returned to his formal, serious attitude, "I will follow your command to the end." he assured him, "Ozai will be stopped, and apprehended, so he can... he can face justice for his crimes."
"We are not going to kill him if it isn't necessary, Zuko." Iroh acknowledged, before sighing, "But even I must admit it may be necessary." he acknowledged, "He is a danger to us all."
"Not personally." Zuko narrowed his eyes, "Give me somebody like that Sanyan guy and I'll make quick work of him." he argued, and Iroh raised a hand.
"We have no idea where your father is, nor what kind of protection he has. It would be foolish to try and send dangerous assassins after him; the collateral damage could be immense." he warned, and his nephew's previously confident expression faded.
"You're right." he agreed with him, before his tone quietened, "What was I thinking? That's- that's just what he'd want us to do, right?"
"Make ourselves our to be bloodthirsty fools? Probably. It doesn't sit well with the civilian population." he acknowledged what such a terrible outcome would lead to, "Don't worry about it Prince Zuko, you'll have much time to plan with the Intelligence Service. It's full of people who know what they're doing, and they are not unprepared in the slightest." he assured him, and Zuko raised a brow.
"You mean... they've been planning for a civil war?"
"Coup attempts, violent uprisings and political unrest... that's the worst case scenario the Intelligence Service can think up, and now, they're all becoming a reality." he noted their expertise happened to be around preparing for and defusing potential situations that could lead in the very direction they were headed; Ozai had lit the first spark, not some group like the Open Eyes, or the Order of the White Lotus, even if he was sure some members in the latter two would certainly like to see a violent uprising against the Fire Nation's present form of government.
"And couldn't that knowledge be turned against you?" Mai asked him, addressing something that Iroh was already well aware of.
"How do you think Ozai was able to organise his conspiracy to begin with? He didn't start with nothing." he told her the fact of the matter, indicating to his own experience leading the Intelligence Service, and the likelihood a number of people in the organisation were working for him.
"And what about them? Those people in the Service helping Father... or planning to help him?" Zuko asked him, "What do I need to do?"
"Restrain yourself until you have sufficient evidence. That is another goal I have in mind... clearing Ozai's supporters out of every nook and cranny they've found themselves in. They're like a weed infesting our government, and Prince Zuko, you've proven yourself a fine weed-killer... metaphorically, that is."
"Well, Commander Houken isn't metaphorically dead." his nephew bluntly reminded him of what he'd done, and Iroh didn't want to address it, so he decided to turn the conversation to something else.
"That doesn't matter." Iroh retorted, before clearing his throat, "Were we going to have dinner? It must already be dark out." he asked his nephew, who glanced at Mai for a moment.
"Uh, is she coming with us?" he asked, "I mean, Mai, do you want to go back to your house? I'm sure your-" he began questioning her, only for the noblewoman to raise her hand up to speak for herself.
"I'd be honoured to join you... and then we can deal with matters after that."
Iroh raised a brow, interested in what she meant by that; it sounded rather euphemistic, and knowing how prudish his nephew could be at times, at least around him, he decided to go with the most obvious conclusion.
"Ah yes, matters." he elbowed Zuko, who looked at him with confusion.
"You're the one who gave me the note, Uncle." he reminded him of what he'd done back at the port; Iroh's jaw dropped, realising what he'd just implied by his action, and Mai seemed to have caught on, her expression shifting to one of ever so slight disgust, and placed her right palm on her cheek as she shook her head in disappointment.
"I'm going to act like I didn't see that."
As night fell over the Fire Nation Capital, lanterns were lit, and the streets became lively with activity as people went to the evening market; away from the market, people tended to stay by the main thoroughfares, avoiding the shadier parts of the city, where criminal elements and other dangers lurked. Prince Zuko, however, had little concern for those dangers, as they were nothing in comparison to what he had already faced, or what loomed over the Fire Nation as a whole.
He was not walking through the streets as a Prince, but in drab clothes, and a topknot, wearing parts of his tattered training garbs to solidify his appearance as a commoner; that fit with the task assigned of him, given he was going to visit the local chapter of the Order of the White Lotus, who he was to meet with to receive the latest intelligence they had on his father's whereabouts and plans. He was there to represent his uncle, and perhaps, learn more about the order, which he had yet to be formally initiated into. Amongst them, he was their equal, and if not that, then an outsider, and not a Prince that ought to be deferred to.
As he walked through the darkness in search of the address his uncle had given him, Zuko felt uncomfortable, even with Mai by his side; the last time he had walked those streets was in a limp after being nearly murdered by his father's agents. He had spent most of the evening lying in the catacombs, barely able to breathe properly, let alone stand, and spent the following days practically bedridden, though he was able to recover, slowly regaining his strength on the trip to Shu Jing. Now, Zuko was more than confident in his abilities, but still afraid; his father's men were still lurking in the capital, that was certain enough, as only the Imperial Firebenders loyal to Ozai were clearly and certainly found out and captured. The various people in his employ, probably a mix of mercenaries, assassins and former soldiers, were far less likely to be in custody, and he assumed them most likely to be the culprits for the various attacks across the capital.
Inadvertently, even if he was going to speak with the White Lotus members with no violent intent, he knew that his presence in the streets might draw out those he truly sought to destroy, and that possibility improved his mood, though his fear for his and Mai's safety kept him grounded. That very real danger was more on his mind than the chance to bring justice and peace to his country; he doubted that apprehending a few lowlifes under his father's employ would do much anyways, but he knew that doing it would at least make the capital a little safer for those he cared about.
As they approached the address itself, they were walking down a back alleyway; the darkness of twilight shrouded the building itself, but he could make it out as a large warehouse. The lack of light emanating out the windows indicated that nobody might be inside, but he thought that at least, he could leave a message for those who met there, so he might be able to formally request their assistance in handling the mess his father had created. Mai seemed a little taken aback by that fact, and held a hand over his chest before they could get any closer.
"Are you sure we should go inside?" she asked him, and he raised a brow.
"Well, that's assuming that the doors are unlocked." he argued, before glancing towards the closest door, "We might as well try." he decided, "One way or another, we're going to meet with whoever Uncle wants us to."
He strode closer to the door, and knocked on it, only to find that it was in fact unlocked, and more than that, but the lock had clearly been broken; he turned to face Mai, now realising she may have had a point. He just gestured to the broken lock, instead of speaking, and she gave a curt nod, her expression hardening as she readied two knives in each of her hands. He gave the door a little push, letting it open up, and made sight of a narrow hallway leading further into the building; he paced down it slowly, glancing through two doorways to either side, both leading into smaller rooms, which looked like storage areas for cleaning equipment and tools, which fit with the building being a warehouse for the storing of goods moving in and out of the city.
Reaching the end of the hallway, Zuko glanced around the large open space of the warehouse that he had found, which itself didn't seem too interesting; there were just a bunch of crates and bags around, though he did notice that there were some burn marks on some of the crates, as well as on the wall to his left. His uneasy feelings about the building had only grown stronger, and he followed the burn marks down the side of the main area of the warehouse, following a dividing wall to a metal staircase, leading up to an elevated area. He glanced around at said area, and immediately noticed that there were windows looking out over the storage area, a number of which had been shattered.
"Something is definitely wrong here." he mumbled under his breath, and Mai shook her head.
"That was already pretty obvious." she retorted, before pacing up the staircase ahead of him.
He followed her up, worried what might lie inside the office, and when he made his way around the corner into the door, his worst suspicions were confirmed when he saw splatterings of blood on the floor, tables and desks overturned, and burn marks all over the place. If the office had been used by the White Lotus for their meetings, it certainly wasn't in any condition to be used for that purpose anymore. He glanced towards the back of the room, and noticed that there were wooden shelves and cabinets that also looked to be ransacked, suspiciously lacking any scrolls or books.
"These burn marks are fresh... I mean, at the most a week, two weeks old." Zuko observed as he knelt over, eyeing a mark that was made on the top of an overturned table, "There must have been a fight."
"Does it look like they won?" Mai asked him, clearly sarcastic, though that was only discernible due to the context; the White Lotus couldn't have won yet let their hideout get ransacked, and then not try to clean up the place after the fact.
"No." he mumbled under his breath, "Father..." he said the first thing that came to mind, thinking that if anybody had decided to go after the White Lotus, it'd be him; though they weren't directly involved in the conflict, they had been assisting Zuko and Iroh when they needed the help, so that might have been enough to justify what lay before him, "He has it out for everyone." he noted, and the ordinarily stoic girl let out a humoured huff.
"I don't think you've put enough thought into it, Zuko. They were spying on him, remember? We asked for this." she gestured around the ruined office, "What did you think he'd do?"
"I..." he mumbled, head falling down as he came to realise how foolish his actions had been; he had just wanted to try and scope out the conspiracy, when he had really just inadvertently put even more people in danger, "What have I done?"
Mai's life being on the line was bad enough, but now, his own decisions had led some people probably to their deaths, or worse, to be tortured for information. Zuko was sure enough, given the White Lotus' shady appearance as a secret society, that the Intelligence Service could have been unwittingly used by his father to stomp out the Fire Lord's own allies for his benefit, while believing they may have been a terrorist group, or some other entity bent on harming the Royal Family.
His eyes then turned back up to the cabinet and shelves where he would have expected things to be sitting, and approached, realising that the Order might record the kinds of information that would help his father destroy them, if he so wished, and indict his uncle as consorting with supposed traitors, though Zuko didn't consider them as such. He really didn't have a great grasp on their motivations and ideals, but he knew if they were composed of people like Piandao, then they were worthy of his respect, and the respect of his nation.
He approached the desk closest to the shelves and cabinets, and noticed that it was covered in ashes; Zuko glanced back, and realised that the shelves themselves hadn't been attacked by the intruders. The White Lotus members had tried to cover their associates, including Piandao, but from the look of the torn parchment on the ground, on which he could see scribbled letters, it didn't seem like all the information could be torched before the intruders got them.
"Piandao's in danger." he stated the first thing that came to mind, "He was contacting these people... they're the ones who helped us find out who was working with my father." he explained, gesturing to the parchments as Mai reached his side.
"Then why'd they leave these... why not take them?"
"Insurance, maybe? The Intelligence Service could just as easily come around here, and find out some people have been sending letters from the North Pole and Omashu." he warned her, "That won't run well with the propagandists, if the White Lotus does end up being revealed."
"I don't think anything about them runs well with the image your uncle used to have." she admitted, before sighing, "Anyone's a traitor if you squint hard enough and shout at them about Sozin's mission enough times."
"I wish... I wish we didn't have to take this path." he admitted honestly, "Why did the White Lotus need to be involved... I- I should have just gone to one of the Generals. Somebody Uncle trusts... somebody not involved with father."
"Yeah, you could have, but I don't imagine the Intelligence Service, or whoever your father had on our tails would have found it too hard to find us then." she warned him against the potential path they could have taken, "Piandao kept us safe. He gave you time to heal... to think."
"What... you think I would have gone straight back to the palace?" he asked, knowing that she was probably thinking he would have been that foolish; he was certainly angry at the time, but he was more afraid than anything- he couldn't just throw them both into danger again.
"Yes, I do." she narrowed her eyes at him, "This is what he can do, Zuko. People who get in your father's way, or even close to his allies. We're just lucky Zhong's men were mostly supportive of your uncle over your father." she admitted, and he cringed, realising she was just as afraid of his father as he was, "What happened to Houken can just as easily go the other way... you're in danger as long as you don't have a plan."
"I'm working on one." he assured her, before he lit a flame in his hand, "We can't let the Intelligence Service find this place... assuming they weren't the ones responsible to begin with." he explained the danger he saw in those who might take the White Lotus' operations the wrong way, even if they were helping him and Iroh.
"Do it." she agreed to his proposition, "Given you'll be calling the shots."
"This isn't really the best way to start off with my new subordinates... covering up intelligence concerning national security." he observed what he was about to do, "Well, I never said I wanted the job." he smirked, before setting the papers alight, though he kept his hands over the flames, making sure they didn't grow too wild, and consume the building, which would probably just raise more questions for whoever ended up looking through the place.
Mai covered her mouth, obviously not wanting to breathe in the fumes, and stepped away from him; he chuckled, a little amused that she found the smoke irritating. He thought after all her training with Azula that she'd have built up a little tolerance for the smell of smoke, even if it was rather pungent at times.
"Zuko." she muttered his name, and he turned around as he snuffed out the flames with the clench of his fist; he tensed up as he realised her expression was confused, "Somebody's out there." she warned him, gesturing to the window that looked out over the nearby alleyway; he paced over, and made sight of a figure who had their face covered and some odd red markings on their outfit, which was otherwise completely black, fitting in with the darkness of the city streets.
The Prince's eyes widened as he realised he might be staring down an assassin, and those thoughts were confirmed as he make sight of what looked like a bomb in their hand, made out of a bottle of ricewine and some cloth. Without a moment to waste, he grasped Mai by the wrist, and the two of them rushed for the door, both forced to cower from the heat of the fire blast the weapon created; he it wasn't like firebending, as the liquid inside must have splattered out, setting light to the furniture and floor as he quickly checked that his robes weren't alight as well. He had only gotten a few embers on him, and he immediately continued out of the room, covering his mouth as the smoke became unbearably heavy.
When he and Mai reached the door, he kicked it open, and coughed as he tried to get a breath of the fresher air outside; she sputtered a few times too, before wiping her lips as she glanced into the room, "Did you recognise that person's outfit?" she asked him, and the Prince shook his head.
"No- I thought- no, the assassins my dad hired wore something completely different." he conceded, sure that if the person had been sent by his father, it wasn't just some random assassin, but somebody better trained and aware of the Prince's identity, if they had really just tracked them down through the streets.
"Well, are you going to chase them?" she asked, and he shook his head.
"I've had enough of following shady people and getting myself in danger. First, we need to figure out what we're dealing with... and my new role will definitely help with that." he smirked at her, confident the Intelligence Service could help him find out who had just tried to attack them, if it had anything to do with his father, or something else entirely, though he had his suspicions it was the former, "Let's get out of here." he offered her a hand, she accepted it, walking down the stairs beside him as she armed her stiletto gun, ready to attack whoever had just thrown a bomb at them.
To their luck, as they reached the floor of the warehouse, they weren't attacked, and they quickly paced their way to the opposite side of the building, where they reached another door, unlocked, just like the last one, and Zuko kicked it open, revealing a bigger, but empty street. He glanced up and down it, glad they hadn't been tailed yet, and he pulled his cloak up over his head, deciding he couldn't take any chances, in case the person who attacked them didn't already know their identities.
"Now, what?"
"Hope the catacombs aren't being used by my father's spies, so we can safely get back to the palace." he suggested, before she tapped his bag, shaking the coins inside.
"Or we could just hide in a tavern for the night." she suggested something far simpler than his own plan, and the Prince pouted, having missed the luxury of his home.
"I haven't slept in my own bed for over six weeks now." he reminded her, and she shrugged her shoulders.
"I'm sure whatever coins your uncle gave you will pay for the best room we can find." she countered his point, before he nodded, grasping her by the wrist.
"Well, let's hurry and hope that guy doesn't have the balls to follow us."
