Marching army/The unknown enemy
3
The Fire Nation's communication network proved effective in countless ways since the war's beginnings. They had eyes everywhere: any movements by enemy troops during the bulk of the Hundred Year War had been easily perceived, intercepted and reported due to the swiftness of messenger hawk services, ensuring that their forces would be aware of most threats to their campaign of conquest.
Said network had only strengthened once they won over most the Earth Kingdom. Virtually every town and village the Fire Nation seized would communicate with others in their immediate vicinity, and the same was true to the military outposts strategically positioned across the continent, ensuring that any significant problems would be noticed by the new power that ruled over the lands they had colonized.
Thus, messages had spread quickly in the central Earth Kingdom one morning: the villages and towns in the mountain range had glimpsed specks of fire in the forests near the foot of their mountains. Had it been one or two, they would have assumed it was a handful of bandits… but there had been dozens, who knew if even hundreds. The report would have been hard to believe if multiple claims hadn't arrived at the nearest outpost, all of which meant that a squad of Fire Nation scouts would be dispatched to uncover the truth behind these reports.
Thirty soldiers marched across the forest, prepared to identify a threat and report back about their discovery before taking action against whatever lurked within the woods. The better trained trackers walked first, attentive to the signs of footprints, broken branches and, as much as it was unlikely, of burnt vegetation. Forest fires burned far more wildly than what was reported by the villages, but they would keep all possibilities in mind regardless.
Within an hour of setting out, by midmorning, the soldiers finally reached an area with suspicious signs of activity: vegetation appeared crushed by what could only have been footsteps, be it of animals or humans… but there were no actual footprints nearby.
"It… it's a coverup?" one of the soldiers concluded, touching the soil carefully with a gloved hand. "Oi, we don't have any earthbenders, do we?"
"Nope," answered another one, hands on his hips. "But I was thinking that, too. There's a lot of signs of crushed plants in a wide area…"
"I found ashes!" shouted one man, and the group coalesced around him quickly.
The source of the ashes, however, was impossible to decipher. Whatever had been burned had been reduced to nothing but cinders indeed, leaving no sign of its original form in its wake.
"Whatever this was, they covered it up thoroughly," the first man concluded, shaking his head. "Firebenders burning all their coal and wood fully… I bet that's what it was."
"And earthbenders covering the tracks," said one of the other men. "There's definitely something going on here."
"What, though?" the first man said, folding his arms over his chest. "A group of criminals, maybe? Brigands joining forces to attack nearby villages?"
"We should check all the covered-up area, then," said their commanding officer. "We'll only find disturbed soil in the area they marched through… and as we can't know which way they went, half of us should go south, the other half north. Do not engage in any combat if you find them, come back to the rest of the group instead and we'll contact the nearest base for assistance in taking down this threat."
"Yes, sir," the group chorused, and they marched off to fulfill his orders.
The group heading south would march for a long time, through the forests and eventually plains near the city of Omashu… the group heading north, however, would find something astonishing quite quickly.
The altered, damaged soil continued all the way to the foot of the mountain… where they found nothing.
There was no one there. No tracks suggested that they had climbed the mountain or rounded it. Suddenly, the traces of earthbending on the ground had vanished from existence altogether.
"What the hell…?" the commanding officer growled, glaring up at the mountain with confusion: so far, it was impossible to tell how large the group had been… but to think they'd vanish without a trace, too?
"It couldn't be… spirits, could it?" one of the soldiers asked: the commanding officer scoffed.
"We'll be the ones who'll become spirits if we can't figure out what's going on," he said, shaking his head. "Come on, we'll meet up with the others and, if they find nothing, we'll wait for more reports. If they're only glimpsed at night, to say one thing, then maybe they are spirits after all. But until we know for sure…"
"A spirit… army?" said one guard, shuddering. "L-like… maybe it's the ancient Earth Kingdom army, coming to haunt these territories?!"
"Stop talking nonsense!" the commanding officer squeaked, unable to hide his own fear at the prospect. "Fall back… and regroup with the others! That's what we'll do, and they'll surely find something to prove they're not spirits, yes! All will be… all will be well! You'll see!"
His nervousness and unease wouldn't recede easily, not after what they'd seen, or rather, what they hadn't seen: he would report their findings, messages of the strange, mysterious fires in the forest would spread far and wide across Fire Nation-held lands over the next few days…
And the army responsible for them would remain hidden from sight, secluded inside the oppressive depths of mountain tunnels.
Sokka was sure he had gotten over some of his dread of caves after all this time. He'd had a few decent experiences in tunnels in the past, regardless of his rightful apprehension, and while Rhone's ghost still haunted him in enough ways, stepping into a cave no longer filled him with the same fear and dread it had before…
Although he was going to spend about a week within a massive cavern, of all things.
The process of bringing their entire army into the tunnels crafted by the earthbenders was arduous and slow: around ninety teams of ten earthbenders distributed across the large tunnel they were crafting with their bending. Each team would dig deeper into the foot of the mountain, and after they had expanded the tunnel enough, another earthbending team would take their place and deepen the tunnel next. By the time the last team had pushed the depths of the tunnel further, the very first team, by then at the rearguard of the army, would once again close the tunnel behind them. That was how they had sealed themselves within the mountain, and how they had ensured that nobody would follow them upon doing so.
The earthbenders had their hands full: they had to clear away the footprints of their marching army back when they had begun their march out in the open, much as the firebenders had taken care to burn everything they weren't going to bring into the tunnels with them, doing away with as much evidence of their march as possible. Their progress now hinged on the speed of each of the earthbending teams with the duty of expanding the mountain's tunnel, thus, their march slowed down considerably now that the army hid inside the depths of that tall range.
Whenever they were close to the edge of the mountainside, some earthbenders would open small gaps to allow fresher air to drift into the tunnel, something direly needed by several people who had low tolerance for the stale air within the area. By nighttime, those who needed fresh air most desperately would be allowed to step out of the mountain and spend some time relaxing in the forest… but until then, they would march forward as fast as they could possibly go, in hopes of traversing the mountain range as fast as possible.
The animals hadn't taken all that well to this arrangement – for a moment, Sokka had feared they might have to relinquish their mounts, and even Appa had resisted to the underground march. But after enough bribes of food for the moose-lions' tastes, they had relented and agreed to enter the large, underground tunnels, oppressive and daunting as they might be. The creatures would be given some respite outside the tunnels once nighttime arrived… though they'd have to ensure that they would return to the tunnels before anyone in the villages in the mountains could catch sight of the unusual animals, if they chanced a glance at the forest.
The villages were also one of the reasons why the earthbending progress had been considerably slower: Sokka made sure to convey to each group that they couldn't shift the earth too fast or else they would not only risk the cavern collapsing on them, but they could create rockslides and light earthquakes above ground that would alert the villages and towns that something was happening within their mountains.
Thus, Sokka remained as tense as could be as the army moved forward, the darkness of the tunnel lit up by torches and firebenders distributed among the large army. He really wanted to think he had thought of everything, that they were hidden as well as could be, but he couldn't help but fear that something, even their efforts to cover everything up, might give away their army before long…
Meanwhile, the rest of the army was in high spirits still. Even if the march through the tunnels was exhausting, particularly for the earthbenders, it had been a strategic choice that most people had approved of. While they weren't loud enough for their noise to be worrisome, the cheerful chatter that echoed within the caves gave away that they felt as safe as could be upon following Sokka's latest plan to give the Fire Nation the slip.
"It's an unorthodox idea, for certain… but it seems we need unorthodox ideas after all," Iroh said, with a tense smile, as he marched around the middle of the army, holding a speck of fire in his hand.
He had deliberately lagged behind rather than standing with the army's leaders, since Toph was taking it upon herself to direct the earthbenders through her impeccable seismic sense, guiding them across the mountains. Even if she was in a considerably better mood after confirming one of her best friends was alive, and after reconnecting with all those gladiators, some of whom she had defeated personally in the past, Toph still grew cold and distant whenever she sensed Iroh nearby. So far, all hopes of remediating their rift were as good as non-existent, and Iroh knew he'd do best not to bother her if he could avoid it…
And so, he avoided her. Which was fine, in the end, for the person he wanted to talk to right now was Zuko.
"Sokka is the king of the unorthodox, apparently," Zuko responded, scrutinizing his surroundings to make sure everything was moving along smoothly: they would have to replenish their water in rivers north to the mountains, for the earthbenders were slowly but surely draining their drinking water supplies due to all the effort they had to invest into pushing the tunnels open. "I mean… hijacking a ship from the Fire Nation navy, ramming it into the other ships, making himself into living bait so they wouldn't escape and find reinforcements, conquering Omashu by targeting the communication sources and taking over the whole city gradually after striking through their sewers? He's… not exactly your common, average army strategist, is he?"
"Not in the slightest," Iroh smiled, shaking his head. "And he's all the better for it. His… his potential certainly was much vaster than I ever imagined it could be."
"Nobody imagined it could be this vast," Zuko said, though he grimaced before amending his statement. "Well… nobody other than Azula, I guess."
"For sure," Iroh said, his easy mood fading quickly. Zuko breathed deeply, knowing better than to discuss Iroh's greatest sins once more. It would help neither of them to continue dwelling on that while they had so much work ahead of themselves with this marching army… "Are you doing well as a leader of your squad, Zuko?"
"Uh, well, I'm trying to," Zuko said, lowering his gaze. "It's new territory for me, though. I was never much of a leader back in the South Pole, I was just part of the group, I guess…"
"You'll do a wonderful job," Iroh said, with an enthusiastic smile. Zuko smiled weakly at him too.
"Well, I suppose I'll try not to disappoint. It's not that big a group anyway," he said. "Though… a lot of them seem to look up to me for no real reason. Probably just because I'm the Fire Lord's banished son? I guess maybe they're idealizing me without thinking it through…"
"Or perhaps they see as much potential in you as Sokka has demonstrated in himself?" Iroh said. Zuko snorted, shaking his head.
"Not that I'm keen on selling myself short, but… I'm nowhere that insane," he said. Iroh chuckled softly.
"Well, he certainly will continue to lead the army as a whole… but if he has strong allies backing him up, the better. Right?" Iroh asked. Zuko shrugged.
"Of course," Zuko said, glancing across the large cavern: the torches and firebending beacons allowed him to watch as wagons rolled forward, over loose rocks and dirt, as well as stray roots. People aided each other as they climbed the most complicated areas of the path, and while a few appeared to be anxious – perhaps even claustrophobic –, most people remained enthusiastic, still. "I can only hope that this army will be enough to take Ba Sing Se, though."
"We can only hope it shall be. Anything we can do to that end, we will see it done," Iroh said, eyeing Zuko warily. "And that's why I… wanted to offer you something. I understand if you reject it, if you reject me altogether, but…"
"Oh…?" Zuko raised an eyebrow warily. Iroh sighed, lowering his head.
"You have become a much stronger firebender than before," he said. "I haven't seen you in action too many times, but I can tell all the same. Your time in the South Pole strengthened you…"
"As did our visit to the Southern Air Temple," Zuko said, his voice soft. "I grew stronger in the South Pole for sure… it was like running with weights, I suppose. Now that I'm not in that environment, I feel stronger than I've ever been. But after my chakras were cleansed, too…"
"You will have to explain some more of that story sometime," Iroh smiled. "It sounds fascinating."
"I will, I will," Zuko smiled too. "But, anyway… you wanted to offer something, you said? What, exactly, do you mean?"
"I mean… you're stronger now, in body, heart and mind. Far stronger than me, I suspect, in most those regards," Iroh said, with a weak grin. "I doubt I have any right to say I'm proud of you, but… I'm shameless enough to still feel pride now, I suppose. At any rate, that's not the point…"
"You sound more nervous than you should," Zuko said, eyeing Iroh warily. The older firebender sighed.
"I suppose I'm just… afraid of you refusing to learn anything from me? But I mean to offer for your benefit, not mine, so…"
"What exactly are you talking about?" Zuko said, his anticipation outdoing his patience. Iroh glanced up at him, his eyes gleaming with hope.
"Would you… would you like to learn to bend lightning from me, Prince Zuko?"
Zuko actually stopped on his tracks. Iroh had to stop as well, eyeing his nephew with uncertainty as the younger man's golden eyes betrayed no shortage of confusion.
"W-what do you…? Wait, in here? In this tunnel? That sounds…!"
"No, no, no," Iroh said, with a soft laugh. "I wouldn't have you testing it inside this tunnel, that would certainly be madness. I would teach you the theory, at least, and perhaps the motions, but you wouldn't learn to bend it yet. And there's also… lightning redirection. You can certainly learn that one while we're in here, no need for us to practice with actual lightning…"
"Uh… redirection? I'd never heard of that," Zuko frowned.
"It's a skill I learned and developed by watching waterbenders…" Iroh admitted, with a fond smile. "I imagine that, after all this time living in the South Pole, with at least two waterbenders in your midst, you might have an even better grasp on the skill than I do."
"Huh. That's possible, I guess. Hard to believe, but possible," Zuko said, blinking blankly. Iroh smiled and nodded.
"I do not know if the firebenders in your squad would be prepared to learn this skill… but I do believe you would be, Zuko. So, if you would like to learn, I… I would be honored to teach you. I would have taught you these skills before, but…"
"I wasn't ready," Zuko concluded. Iroh sighed and nodded.
"But I do hope and believe that you are now," he said. "Anything that can be done to our benefit in the coming battles should be done, don't you think? Offering you one more technique to take advantage of will be sure to strengthen you for what's ahead. But, well… perhaps you would have to speak with Sokka about it first."
"Really? What, you think he gets to make choices for me?" Zuko asked, slightly affronted. Iroh smiled and shook his head.
"He doesn't, I'm sure. But… he doesn't trust me and never will," Iroh said, with a shrug. "He might have reservations about letting me teach or influence anyone in his closest circle, and… well, I wouldn't blame him for that. I know my crimes against him are impossible to make amends for… so I'd rather not go behind his back with anything I do, Zuko."
"You respect him, then… or you're scared of him?" Zuko asked, distinctly recalling Aang's confession that he found Sokka terrifying, just the previous night. Iroh raised a bushy eyebrow.
"Perhaps… it's both?" he said. Zuko snorted.
"Hard to believe the dumbass who picked a fight with me in Mai's house has become one of the most terrifying men in the world for a lot of people…" he said, shaking his head. Iroh smiled awkwardly.
"A man can be multifaceted that way," Iroh said. "At any rate, I have cost this world more than enough as it is. I would not cause further strife between you and your friend, Zuko. I've caused him troubles beyond counting… and I don't intend to worsen matters any further. He may just think I'm attempting to lure you away from your army and induct you into the Order, or so…"
"Have you considered that maybe you elaborate too much on what other people might be thinking?" Zuko asked. Iroh sighed. "It's… it's probably the main reason why so many awful things have happened, Uncle. Both you… and Azula. The two of you are too damn smart for your own good and you keep thinking ahead, trying to predict everyone else… and when you did that with each other, things went to hell. I don't know how Sokka will react, but I'll ask him: still, I'm my own man, Uncle. He may be our leader, he may be my sister's actual husband, but that doesn't mean he gets to make decisions for me."
"No… he certainly shouldn't," Iroh said, with a sad smile. "You are strong enough that… that you've become a beacon for others. Even myself."
"I wouldn't know about that," Zuko said, swallowing hard.
"I have very little I can do to prove my willingness to go anywhere, to do anything, to make amends for my wrongdoings," Iroh said. "Whatever I can provide for this army, I will…"
"Do you… do you think Sokka will get over what you've done if you prove yourself? If you do right by this army?"
"Oh, no," Iroh said, shaking his head. "I… I've made my peace with the likely outcome of this matter. I cannot presume to be sure of how things will turn out, but… I can imagine he will only stand for my execution, once everything's said and done."
"I… well, I wouldn't be sure he'd go that far," Zuko said, frowning. Iroh let out a humorless laugh.
"Well… I have no doubts that she would," he said. "And I won't pretend I deserve anything less. But whatever the outcome may be… if the war ends, that will suffice. It won't change my wrongdoings, but it means this will be a better world than it once was. It's all I can hope for."
"So… you think my sister will execute you if she becomes Fire Lord after our father's out of the way?" Zuko frowned, eyeing Iroh with confusion. The shorter man raised his eyebrows.
"I… I do," he said, simply. "If she's feeling merciful, perhaps she'll imprison me. I don't doubt my services here, assisting the White Lotus, will have no effect on how she feels about me. Much as it will have no effect on how Sokka feels… it won't change his willingness to support her in whatever choices she may make. But I am much too old, and I can't pretend that I've made good use of my life, on the most part. Perhaps I sound too defeatist… but if that's the only fate ahead of me, I'd rather offer whatever aid I can to this cause. Teaching whatever I can to you, I think, might be the best way to do so."
"Uncle…" Zuko frowned. His fist tightened at his side… and he shook his head. "Look… nobody knows what's going to happen going forward, right?"
"I suppose not," Iroh said. "That's why we strategize as much as we do, to at least have some idea as to how to attain our most desired outcome…"
"What I'm saying is… prophecy or not, nothing's set in stone," Zuko said, firmly. "I have no idea if I'll become Fire Lord, if Azula will, if… if maybe the Fire Nation will be destroyed to a point where the Fire Lord no longer exists, I don't know. But whatever the case may be, I… I'm not blind to your faults. I know you've made mistakes, terrible ones at that. I can't even say… I can't even say I've forgiven you for them yet. But I can say… that you also did right by me when no one else did. That you're more of a father for me than the Fire Lord ever was. So… even if that's all you expect, I won't let them kill you. Even if everyone agrees that this is your only possible outcome, I… I won't let it happen."
"Zuko…" Iroh said, eyeing him compassionately. "You shouldn't. What I've done is no laughing matter, I…"
"No one said it was. But nothing will be better with your death," Zuko responded. "As long as you live, you can continue to work towards making this world a better one. If you don't… then it's one less pair of hands rebuilding everything the Fire Nation has broken. Even from a point of view of efficiency, your death benefits no one. They won't feel any better about what they suffered just because you're dead."
"Well… I thank you for your willingness to fight for me, my dear nephew," Iroh said, smiling kindly at him. "But if worst comes to worst… I'm not going to fight it. The strength of this army is the most important thing, and I won't have you arguing with General Sokka over my fate, whether now or in the future. What must be done shall be done… and that's that."
"He's not so stupid as to be thinking about retribution for this now… otherwise, he would have been obsessed with making you pay throughout that month we spent in the Fortress," Zuko said, breathing out slowly. "As for later… we'll see. But I mean it, Uncle. I'm not going to sit back and watch as you pay for everything when the one true culprit is my father."
"And he will be certain to face consequences, too," Iroh nodded, firmly. "Still… thank you, my boy. I… I know I've wronged you in many ways as well. It goes to show that I was always right to believe your heart was truly pure… for after all the mistakes I've made, it still can feel compassion for me."
"I don't know about how pure it is, but… you're my family. After everything we've all been through, I refuse to sit by and watch our bonds break even further," Zuko said, wrapping an arm around Iroh's shoulders. His uncle gritted his teeth, tears blooming in his eyes. "I don't know how long it'll take, but… I'll do my best to make sure you can meet Mari and Zi, too, when everything's settled."
"I… I would be honored," Iroh said, closing his eyes. "Thank you, Zuko."
The Prince nodded, holding his uncle close still. He hadn't dared do so for a long time, and Iroh hadn't pushed for any such embraces either. As of late, Iroh had been diminishing himself as much as possible, drawing little attention to himself and constantly allowing others to take charge of most situations. Zuko knew all too well that Iroh's mistakes had been the tipping point for the catastrophe they were still facing consequences for… and he knew, too, that others believed the old man to be manipulative, perhaps more than any other member of Zuko's family. Yet, if this was some manner of manipulation, Zuko felt he was walking into it with eyes open: he understood his uncle's failings, but he would stand by his belief that Iroh could do something more significant to remediate matters besides dying to pay for the worst of his decisions.
After many long hours of work, some of the earthbenders checked the outside of the mountain and confirmed it was already nighttime: the animals marching with the army were finally allowed to step out into the night under proper supervision, and the large openings the benders carved on the mountainside allowed everyone to breathe with more ease at last. The earthbenders were utterly exhausted, and most of them turned in early after a whole day spent working tirelessly by leading the army through the tunnels: they would need as much rest as possible to spend the next day digging tunnels once again.
Zuko caught his breath outside briefly, too, but he returned to the tunnel shortly afterwards: Sokka had already brought Foo-Foo back inside after their own outing, and it was the ideal moment for the firebender to bring up his conversation with Iroh to the man who hated him most.
"Sokka…" he called him, just as the Gladiator was busy checking their group's bags for something. Sokka hummed in acknowledgement as he continued to rummage for whatever he was looking for. "My uncle spoke with me today."
"Uh… how nice?" Sokka responded, clearly uninterested in anything to do with Iroh. Zuko breathed deeply.
"He's offering to teach me to bend and redirect lightning," Zuko said. Those words did suffice to make Sokka stop searching, and he frowned as he eyed Zuko warily.
"Huh. Redirection…" he said. Zuko raised an eyebrow. "That's just… the one Azula didn't know anything about."
"Apparently my uncle made up the technique. He says so anyway," Zuko said, unsure of why he felt more nervous now than when he had initially brought up the subject. "Either way, I intend to accept his offer. He thought I should bring it up to you, probably to clear the air and ensure you don't misunderstand this somehow… I don't know if it was necessary, but still…"
"Eh, thanks for the courtesy of letting me know, I suppose," Sokka shrugged. "If you want to learn that, go ahead. As long as you aim your lightning at the right people, I take no issue with it."
"Good, then," Zuko nodded. "I know this may have seemed weird of me, but Uncle really thinks… well, that you're paranoid about everything to do with him, pretty much."
"I'm paranoid about everything altogether, but sure, he's special, if that makes him feel any better," Sokka said, returning to the bags. "No, I won't lower my guard around him… and frankly, neither should you. It might start with 'I'll teach you this fancy technique or two', and then the next thing you know he'll be telling you that only you could ever possibly be Fire Lord and that you should totally join him in stabbing your sister's back yet again, and so on…"
"Heh. Guess there it is," Zuko sighed. Sokka shrugged.
"Honestly, I'd be apprehensive if I were in your shoes, but I'm not about to pretend I get to make your choices for you. You're supposed to be a fully-grown man and you should have already decided whether your uncle is trustworthy or not for you. If what he's done so far hasn't convinced you that he's up to no good, well… how is a single conversation with me going to change your mind?" Sokka said, matter-of-factly.
"And in your case it's the opposite, isn't it?" Zuko said. "Doesn't matter what he does… you'll never trust him again."
"Hmm, to put it simply…" Sokka said: he finally pulled out what he had been looking for, several empty waterskins that he would fill in the nearby rivers, what many army members were up to right now. "On the day Azula forgives him, I will too. She's the one he wronged the most… and if she decides there's any worth in him, I'll believe her. Same if she decides otherwise. Therefore, until the war is over and she's safe and sound, to a point where she can pass judgment over Iroh, I'm not changing my mind about him. And whether she spares him or wants him dead by then, I'll stand by whatever choice she makes. Alright?"
Zuko gritted his teeth but nodded: he couldn't really blame Sokka for thinking that way. He would fight for Iroh's life if it came to it… he suspected Azula would be likely to accept the notion of making Iroh spend the rest of his days amending so much of what their father had destroyed. If he worded it correctly, she might just agree with him… Sokka, clearly, had no intentions of changing his mind about anything. There was nothing to argue about with him.
"Well… thanks for not making a fuss over this," Zuko said, nodding. "We won't start practicing in earnest until this trek through the mountain is over, so we're not going to put anyone else at risk with these lessons. All of which means that I'll likely not learn much of worth by the time we reach Ba Sing Se, but…"
"It might come in handy later on, who knows?" Sokka said. "Anyway, thanks for letting me know. Just be careful and don't neglect your forces, alright?"
"I'm not planning to. Though I still don't feel like much of a leader, but hopefully that will change before we get out of here, huh?" Zuko said. Sokka clapped his shoulder and nodded.
Zuko would have several days to figure out how to become a proper leader for his firebending squad, as well as to learn the theory behind lightning generation and redirection: where their first day of traveling towards Ba Sing Se had seen their army crossing a considerably vast distance towards the mountains, their progress was notoriously slowed once they were moving underground. Days seemed to come and go too quickly with their new, slow march, and while they continued to move forward, the good morale and enthusiasm of the army dwindled gradually upon each new day stuck within the caverns that their earthbenders, heavily exhausted, were building constantly, crafting the safest possible path for their large army.
Five days after they first entered the tunnels, the leading team of earthbenders yanked another stretch of earth out of the way…
To find the glow of dwindling daylight before them.
For safety's sake, they closed the tunnel anew – for it was still daytime, and they couldn't risk being detected by nearby villages if there were any – but the entire army had rejoiced once news spread that they had finally completed their journey inside the mountain. All that was left was crossing the wide river that led from Full Moon Bay into the open ocean to the east…
A task much easier said than done, of course.
The army gathered at the bottom of the mountain, relaxing and getting some rest: Sokka resolved to leave the earthbenders to continue resting for another twenty-four hours or so, since they would be crucial yet again for the last serious hurdle of their journey to Ba Sing Se. They had to cross that huge river without detection, yet again: attempting a similar operation by marching through the river, this time with waterbenders to stem the tides just as earthbenders had moved the land, seemed utterly counterproductive to the Gladiator. There weren't as many waterbenders in the army as there were earthbenders, and the river's currents might prove too powerful for their almost-fifty waterbenders to part for a prolonged period of time, especially if they were being parted so that the entire army could cross by marching through the river's basin, somehow.
Therefore, after weighing his options, Sokka gathered his closest allies – his inner circle, as it were – and his new stratagems to avoid detection began to take shape:
"Aang, as soon as twilight falls… take Appa and scout to the north," Sokka instructed the Avatar, who nodded promptly as the Gladiator dragged his fingers across the river depicted by the map before him. "We need to find the safest place to cross. Try to figure out if there's any places without human settlements nearby, whether with Fire Nation presence or not. We're still trying to be as stealthy as possible, so…"
"The less people notice us, the better. Though it will be hard to scout at night, but I'll try," Aang nodded. "We should stay away from Full Moon Bay, though, right? It's ridiculous to even think about trying to cross through it…"
"It's immense. The river is already big, and the Bay's where Ba Sing Se's ferry station is located," Jet said, shaking his head. "We have to avoid it as much as possible."
"What about Fire Nation patrol ships?" Zuko asked. "Don't they travel through these rivers often?"
"They might," Sokka acknowledged. "We can't be sure that none will show up, so… that just makes matters more complicated for our earthbenders, heh."
"How so?" Aang asked.
"What I intend… is for them to build a bridge," Sokka said, pointing at the narrowest area of the river. A hum of understanding rang in the group. "But if we have to watch out for ships… it means the bridge may be a little more complicated than we anticipated."
"It would always be," Toph said, frowning. "Water sucks, you know?"
"Heh. Thank you," Katara said, bitterly. Toph grinned at her, but she focused again quickly.
"When that bastard, the Stingray, rammed that bloody tsunami against the wall I built, he was damn close to breaking it," Toph explained. "This river is going to be like… that guy, but non-stop. Even if the ships weren't a problem, this wouldn't be a simple bridge like Omashu's: the distance has to be like… I don't know, ten times as big, if not bigger."
"Bigger," Sokka acknowledged, nodding.
"Can't we just build some boats of our own…?" Kino asked, with a leisurely smile. Sokka shook his head and the former Fire Nation soldier sighed in defeat.
"That would take us forever. It would be a good idea if we had the time and resources to actually build a fleet right away, but I don't think that's going to work," he said. "Even if there happen to be chain ferries or anything of the sort somewhere down the river, hiring their services would still make matters too slow and unstable, I doubt we could get the mounts across that way, so..."
"So the crazy bridge is our best choice still?" Zuko asked, grimacing. Toph sighed.
"Look, I'm not saying it's impossible… but it's going to be a lot trickier than just dragging some earth from one side of the cliffs, some earth from the other side, and joining it at the center. The bridge's not bound to be strong enough for the whole army to cross if the distance between both riverbanks is that wide."
"Then… columns?" Sokka thought, rubbing his forehead with his fingertips. "Maybe if we work with a mix of water and earthbending… the waterbenders, together, could maybe open up some of the water so that the earthbenders can exert control over the earth down at the river's basin. If we make properly thick columns, they might help support the bridge and prevent it from collapsing under the weight of the army, or over the river's force…"
"Hmm. I don't know. I mean, maybe that could work, but we'll have to try it out to be sure" Toph said, frowning.
"How much time do you think we have to make it happen?" asked Jet, glancing at Sokka warily. "We're still operating under the logic that nobody should see us coming… so it's not just that we need to cross, but that we'll also need to break down the bridge afterwards and leave no sign of what we did. Right?"
"Right," Sokka said, nodding. "But we need it to be stable enough for the whole army to get across. We can, maybe, get started with some of the work tomorrow, during the day, but… do we even know if there are any towns or villages in the mountains above us? Anyone who could see us crossing in this area?"
"We don't know yet, no," Aang said. "I figured that's what you wanted me find out with Appa…?"
"Well, to be honest I was mostly thinking of the other side at first, but now I'm starting to worry about what's above us too," Sokka frowned. "If this takes us too long, longer than a night, it means the villages nearby are bound to notice us. Getting a lot of people across through Appa isn't sustainable, he can't fly non-stop…"
"If only we had a dragon army," Kino sighed. Sokka tensed up at the words, but he shook his head quickly: they had no time to track down the cavern where Xin Long's fellow dragons dwelled, let alone could they be of use. Many of the dragons had been too small to carry anyone on their backs, after all.
"Or a hot-air balloon army," Sokka said. "I know exactly how to build them, but we don't have the resources for it. So… the more we beat around the bush about what to do, the less progress we'll make. I say we prepare for building this bridge as fast as possible. Let's hope there really aren't any villages that could hinder our progress… but for now, once night's fallen, we'll get started with inspecting the area, on both sides of the river, to make sure the bridge can be built."
The dubious, unstable circumstances didn't deter the army: everyone readied themselves to begin the process of unraveling how to cross the large river. Once the skies had darkened enough, the earthbenders opened the way out of the mountain and Appa took flight with utmost delight: it took the sky bison an hour to make the trek back and forth between the two riverbanks, and the news the Avatar brought with him weren't as positive as Sokka hoped:
"The safest area on the other side is by the mountains is to the east of the ferry station… if we hide behind those mountains, they shouldn't notice the army," Aang said. "But crossing will take a long time. It might take the better part of a day for everyone to cross…"
"Can you carry anyone wounded, ill or in bad conditions on Appa?" Sokka asked. Aang nodded. "It'll make matters a little easier. I don't think we have a lot of injuries right now, but some haven't handled the shortness of breath while inside the mountain all that well…"
"Yeah, that's fine," Aang confirmed, still visibly uneasy. Sokka breathed deeply.
"Then we're good, right? I'd say we should have a really long rope, nail it at either side of the river to make sure we can build the bridge on the right place. Come to think of it, it would even be faster if we have the earthbenders splitting into two groups so that they can meet at the middle, the way Toph said it… with waterbenders helping them part the waters so they can set the foundations of the bridge too. If we go about it this way, it'll all be…"
"That sounds great, Sokka, but there's one thing I haven't told you yet," Aang said, grimacing. Sokka raised an eyebrow. "There's a village right above us. It's overlooking the very valley we'll be crossing through."
Sokka winced. Aang gritted his teeth.
"Unless we set the foundations of the bridge elsewhere…" Aang said, but he shook his head. "But relocating elsewhere would take longer, so I don't know if that'd work. If we go further east, Sokka, there's more villages and towns over there, both on this side of the river and the other one. So, wherever we cross…"
"Someone's bound to see us," Sokka frowned.
"So… unless the earthbenders somehow can toss us across the riverbanks so that everyone can get to the other side quickly, at night or so…" Aang said, eyeing Sokka warily. Sokka snarled.
"That's not going to work, no. Damn it…" he said. "And you're sure there's no better place to go? Nowhere else we can cross through?"
"I saw nothing promising," Aang said, shaking his head. "Everything else feels too risky. We'll be seen somehow. Unless the people in all towns nearby are against the Fire Nation and willing to keep our progress quiet as we need them to be…"
"And while one might think that'd be the case, we can't know that for sure," Sokka said, shaking his head. "Curses… You're sure that town above us would be able to spot us?"
"Pretty sure. They must have a great view from up there," Aang said, with a dry grin. "And a much better view of this side of the mountain rather than of the southern one, you know? Since that's just the desert…"
"So, in all likelihood, those people will be paying us more attention than we'll want them to. Brilliant," Sokka huffed, rubbing his brow. Aang grimaced.
"I can scout again, if you need me to. But maybe… maybe this is as good as it gets," he said. Sokka huffed.
"I'll talk things over with the others. Maybe they'll think of something we can do to cross safely."
It was unthinkable that their progress would hit such a snag at this point in time: Sokka had suspected, even back in Omashu, that crossing the river would be no easy matter, but perhaps it would be time to give up on their sole advantage over the Fire Nation… marching forth and hoping not to be seen had been, perhaps, a whimsical hope on his part. Maybe this really was as good as it could get, as Aang had put it…
"Sacrificing our secrecy is not something we should take lightly," Captain Shiju declared, once Sokka had brought up the matter to the White Lotus's leadership – his own friends stood nearby as well, ready to intervene if need be, but letting Sokka lead the discussion quietly for now. "A single village cannot daunt us into inaction. We did not come this far to forsake our mission over a mere hurdle, not after every effort by the earthbenders to keep us hidden…"
"I'm not sure we'll have to forsake it yet: I'm asking you all to offer ideas so we can sort out this problem," Sokka said, firmly. "If there's no other way to do it, we'll have to take the risk. For now, we can send scouts up to the village, check if they seem harmless, if there's any Fire Nation presence nearby…"
"And what would we do if there is?" Anorak interjected, raising an eyebrow. "We're going to have to be prepared to do something about this village. We could give them a scare, somehow… like the earthquake in Omashu?"
"All earthbenders will be far too busy in the bridge: we can't afford sparing them here for a mere diversion," said Iroh, shaking his head. "None of the benders should be busied with the village when they ought to be building the bridge. I am to understand you intend to use both waterbenders and earthbenders for the construction?"
"Yes," Sokka said, curtly. "Firebenders, too, should help light the darkness so that the others can navigate the building of the bridge, and then they can help direct the army's safe crossing. So yeah, I don't think benders should be scouting or causing distractions in the village if we can help it. No one can fake an earthquake for however long we might need to do it to keep them distracted… the villagers might just end up fleeing downhill, right to where our army will be crossing the river, to make matters worse."
"Then the non-benders have to do it?" asked Shiju, eyeing Sokka skeptically. "Not that I intend to offend, but… what, exactly, could non-benders do to create a proper diversion, so to speak, to ensure that the villagers don't notice what's happening? Would you head up to the village and put on some Gladiator show to impress them?"
"No need for all that skepticism and mirth, buddy," Sokka said, with a dry grin. "How many times do I have to say that I'm asking everyone because I want as many ideas as possible? We could use the moose-lions again somehow, maybe, but… it'd be better if they crossed quickly. It's hard to anticipate how they'll act when marching across the bridge, so…"
"Your options are growing increasingly limited," said Jeong Jeong, with a deep sigh. "At worst, a select group of men can personify brigands, they could pretend to assault the village, ensuring the villagers are kept in check across the period of time we may require to cross the river. It isn't flattering work, no, and I would rather not stoop to such lowly behavior… but if no harm is brought to the villagers, or to our dispatched forces, it can be the most effective means to handle this matter. The Avatar can ferry the group responsible for the distraction later with his mount, after the bridge has been torn down once again."
"That's a good idea," Sokka acknowledged. "That Aang would carry the distraction squad away, I mean. The other stuff… eh, I guess you mean they'd hide their actual identities properly and give nothing away, but it feels fucked up to terrorize what might just be a perfectly innocent and peaceful village even if we'd do it, ultimately, for their own good. I'd rather we don't behave that way if we can help it."
"Then what would you propose?" Jeong Jeong asked. "What you require is… a distraction squad? And what, exactly, can a distraction squad provide to ensure that nobody notices what's happening down below, especially if there are multiple firebenders lighting the way, and when the rest of the group might make who knows how much noise?"
Sokka gritted his teeth: he wished he could think of something, but nothing was coming to mind. The idea of so much as pretending to be criminals sat ill with him, though… couldn't they pretend to be salespeople, instead, and provide the village with anything they might lack? No, they were in no condition to do anything like that, tight on resources as they were. Whatever the distraction might be, they had to…
"Uh… excuse me? H-how about the… t-the music squad?"
The small voice was almost so small as to be imperceptible, but Sokka's eyes widened when he heard it. Jeong Jeong huffed.
"Who spoke?" he said. "I didn't hear that."
"Kino?" Sokka turned: the former Fire Nation soldier winced when Sokka eyed him expectantly. "Did you just suggest that the music squad could deal with this?"
"I-I… I'm sorry. I'm dumb! Haha! I didn't say anything!" Kino said, his voice much louder now when he dismissed his own ideas harshly.
But every set of eyes seemed to be focused on him. The blood seemed to slow in his body as he found himself in the unlikeliest place he had ever been in: the center of attention of a large military force.
"Kino…" Zuko frowned before shoving him lightly, so he'd stand with Sokka. "Speak up, will you?"
"A-ah, I, uh…" he swallowed, sweat pooling over his skin as he glanced anxiously across the many White Lotus leaders before him. Shiju eyed him skeptically.
"You… intend to give the village a performance to keep them distracted?" he guessed. Kino blinked blankly… and shrugged.
"I mean… it might distract them a little," he said, his voice still small. "If, uh, about five of us went up to the village and pretended to just be a traveling band… they wouldn't have much reason to distrust us and think we're part of, I don't know, a huge army, right? R-right…"
"That… actually doesn't sound so bad," Sokka reasoned, a hand on his chin, his thumb dragging over his stubble. "We need a distraction… entertainment can be a distraction. One could argue it would even be the strongest distraction possible in certain situations. If you and a few others of the music squad went up there, you could just keep those people entertained long enough to stop them from glancing down at the river from the heights of their town. Of course, your show would have to be quite flashy, but…"
"Nothing guarantees that everyone will be interested in a random performance…" said Shiju. Kino grimaced, but Sokka shrugged.
"If playing really well doesn't do the trick… play really badly instead," Sokka told Kino, who winced at the suggestion. "They'll be likely to laugh off your performance by then, and that might keep them even more entertained than a proper performance would…"
"If you're terrible at it…" Katara reasoned. "Then maybe you can march around the village, scaring people into taking refuge in their homes and hiding away from your performance!"
"I'm not that bad at the tsungi horn! Not anymore, anyway!" Kino whimpered, pouting.
"Good that you're not, but even a good musician can play badly on purpose, right?" Sokka said, with a shrug. Kino blinked blankly. "It's just a suggestion, in case playing well doesn't pay off. But… yeah, this sounds utterly ridiculous, and it just might work. At least, I hope so."
"Just… try not to make such a mess that whoever's in charge of the village decides to kick you out before dawn breaks?" Zuko suggested. Kino whimpered and moaned.
"I'll try…" he said, but then he perked up, focusing on the White Lotus leaders: he wasn't only talking with his friends right now, was he. "U-uh, wait. Um. You all have to approve of this, right?"
"We do," Jeong Jeong said, raising his eyebrows. Kino swallowed hard. "What, exactly, would we do if this plan fails?"
"U-uh…" Kino said, tapping his index fingers together. "Your plan with the brigands, maybe? Oh! Sokka once pretended he'd torture me to scare our Fire Nation prisoners into giving us information! We could do something like that too!"
"Is that so…?" Jeong Jeong said, eyeing Sokka skeptically. The Gladiator raised an eyebrow. "A tactic you resort to often, is it?"
"Uh… oh. Wait. Heh… I guess I didn't notice the resemblance," Sokka smiled weakly. "Though that was… that was Azula's idea, not mine."
"Did that help in your situation in any way?" Shiju asked Kino, who shrugged.
"A little bit. They weren't too informed about stuff, from the sound of it," he admitted. "But I'm just saying… if nothing's working, uh, all of us could actually try to play the tune for 'attack' at the same time and let the brigand team know that they should help us! Then, they could steal our instruments or so, make examples of us to scare the rest of the villagers, and that way they wouldn't have to hurt anyone from the village or steal from them, and our mission would still succeed. How about it?"
"Well… that could do," Jeong Jeong acknowledged. Kino grinned brightly, glancing across the whole group of White Lotus leaders… and one by one, they nodded in approval, even though Shiju continued to appear apprehensive about this strategy.
"An odd solution… but if it works, you could spare us a lot of trouble down the road, Kino," Piandao said, smiling at the younger man, who blushed crimson at the admirable swordsman's praise. "Thinking outside the box, exploiting your resources properly… the makings of a good swordsman, I'd say."
"Y-you're sure?" Kino smiled. Piandao nodded, and Kino giggled happily.
"And to think you were worried about not being all that useful or noteworthy in this army…" Katara smirked, wrapping an arm around her friend's shoulders. He eyed her with furtive amusement as she messed his curly hair. "And there you go, yet another highly sensitive, super secretive mission only you can handle! Quite impressive, Kino, quite impressive…"
"T-thank you? Though… you're not being sarcastic, are you?" Kino pouted. Katara laughed, letting him go and patting his back reassuringly.
It was surreal for Kino to wind up taking up such a vital, important role in the complicated, final hurdle left in their great march to Ba Sing Se. He had blurted out his thoughts unthinking, expecting no one to hear him – for typically, nobody did – and now he paid the price… by experiencing terrible anxiety over failure, as he conveyed the upcoming mission to the other members of the musical squad.
Once all duties and roles had been assigned, once all troublesome scenarios had been planned for, their group took advantage of this opportunity to rest… for, once dusk fell on the next day, the heavy, complicated work of building that bridge would be set to begin.
Only a few hours remained before the army started building the bridge. Right now, waterbenders and earthbenders would be preparing for their difficult tasks, as the afternoon sun bore across the Earth Kingdom lands before sundown. If all went well, the most dangerous part of their army's journey would be completed safely by dawn…
But only if Kino and his group succeeded at their appointed task.
Four other musicians accompanied him. He had bonded with some of them, chatted with them during the army's march and even before that, in Omashu, when he had started practicing with his tsungi horn. He wouldn't be alone, no, the brigade of non-benders had escorted them up the mountain already, and they waited nearby in case the situation took a bad turn, ready to pretend to be a criminal gang assaulting the village to keep their attention away from the river… if there was no sign of trouble by midnight, the fake brigands would simply leave the village's vicinity and cross the bridge along with the rest of the army, for it should already be near completion by that time of night.
It wasn't the first time Kino had been up to a complicated, covert mission… yet somehow, he felt even more anxious now than he had been in Omashu's wall.
"It's alright, it's alright… the village is right ahead," Kino said, reassuringly… to himself, mostly, but his words were overheard by his companions all the same.
"Do we know what kind of village this is?" the sole female member of their group, Min-Ji, asked her fellow musicians as they walked carefully through the dirt road that led higher and higher up the mountain, towards the wooden piles that signaled the village's entrance.
"You mean… do we know if it's more Earth Kingdom than Fire Nation, or the other way around?" another of the musicians, Kenzo, responded. "Not a clue, actually. I don't think the scouts checked all that thoroughly…"
"It's probably more Earth Kingdom than Fire Nation, if Sokka's stories are anything to go by," Kino said, casually. He blinked blankly when everyone fell silent… and then his cheeks and ears reddened when he realized they were waiting, expectantly, for him to elaborate further on what he'd said. "I-I mean, well, in most his stories about Earth Kingdom towns and villages… there was some sign of Fire Nation control? But it was usually not that big? Like, uh, Makapu Village! There were only a few soldiers there. And they even visited a few villages that had no Fire Nation presence, altogether…"
"Heh… you must know a lot of stories about him, don't you?" said Kenzo, eyeing Kino intently. Kino grimaced.
"Maybe a few…" he said, his voice small. "Is that such a bad thing?"
"Bad?" Kenzo said, smirking. "It's not that, but have you thought to put his exploits into song? Because if you haven't, you really should have! Though I guess we'll start working on that once we get to Ba Sing Se. Yep, that should work…"
"It's probably better not to give away anything that traces back to him for now, to be honest," Kino said, biting his lip. "We'll be better off not singing any songs about how cool Sokka is yet. But anyway… we're almost there now. Let's try to act natural, everyone…"
"Natural? Our natural is… scheming to overthrow the Fire Nation," Min-Ji said, skeptical. Kino grimaced. "You'll have to handle this, Kino… you're the one who has experience with the Fire Nation, in the first place, and everyone says you're a great spy, so…"
"Y-yeah, well, I'm a mediocre one, at best. That's very flattering but very wrong…" Kino said, cheeks red still.
The gates loomed closer, and to his relief, it seemed there were no village guards to keep tabs on the travelers on the road. That, hopefully, would mean their entrance wouldn't be too troublesome…
"Alright, then," Kino said, breathing deeply. "Just… follow my lead. We're happy musicians, troubadours, trying to make a living and we heard this town was very secluded and it didn't get enough entertainment. That's why we're here."
"And… say, what if they don't like what we can do?" Kenzo asked. Kino sighed.
"Well, that'll work too anyway. If it goes really badly, the backup squad will bail us out," Kino explained. "But if it doesn't, Sokka and Katara suggested that we can torment all the villagers into locking themselves up in their homes early, in case they think that will quiet down our terrible performances. So, if it starts to look like we won't succeed at distracting them by being good… we'll just get very bad, very fast, and it'll hopefully be much more effective. Alright?"
The others nodded and Kino breathed deeply as he marched up to the town with a pleasant smile – at least, he hoped it would come off pleasant rather than tense. As expected, there was no one keeping guard at the town's entrance, but a middle-aged man with a gaunt frame and half-lidded eyes caught sight of them after they had only passed the first two houses in the small village.
"Oh? Travelers?" the man said, his voice a smooth, lazy drawl.
Kino breathed deeply, gathering his determination… and he marched forward, offering the man a friendly smile.
"Greetings!" Kino called out, raising a hand towards the lazy-looking man. The stranger blinked a couple of times, tilting his head sideways slightly. "This is a rather beautiful village, my good sir! Did you, uh, have anything to do with the maintenance of this wonderful settlement?"
Kino did his best to sound eloquent, but his words sounded trite to his own ears. Surely they'd come off just as unpleasant to the man he spoke to…
Or perhaps he'd simply laugh and smile while blushing slightly.
"I didn't have anything to do with it," the man almost giggled. "Is it beautiful? Really?"
"Why, it is indeed! You should be very proud to live here!" Kino said, smiling nervously: the man seemed easygoing, calm, so far… he could only hope the rest of the village was just like him.
"If you say so," the man said, with a careless grin. "Good day, nice traveler…"
"W-wait!" Kino winced, startling the man with his raised voice. "I, uh… was wondering if you happen to know where the local tavern is? Uh, wait, well, you live here so I guess you would know…"
"I do know," the man said, simply. Kino blinked blankly.
"Well… great! Me and my friends, we would love to go to the tavern for a drink, and maybe we could even delight the locals with our tunes!" Kino grinned, gesturing at the large tsungi horn he carried on his back. "You see… we are musicians! Surely a town as distant from big cities as yours doesn't receive troubadours often, so it might come as a surprise to see any right now… but we were just passing through these mountains, looking for places to spread our art! We've set out on a very noble endeavor to just… spread art! Everywhere!"
The four musicians watched and listened to Kino's rambling with fearful grimaces: if Kino's words somehow didn't come off suspicious to the man he spoke to, it would only be because the man appeared to be quite the simpleton, and not out of any virtues of deception Kino could possibly boast of…
"So, uh, could you perhaps point us towards the tavern?" Kino asked, with an anxious smile.
"Sure I can," the man answered, again… and he still didn't point them anywhere. Kino blinked blankly.
"Well? Where is it?" he asked.
The man glanced over his shoulder, and Kino followed his gaze… though he couldn't be sure which building, out of the numerous clustered buildings in one area of the village, the man was looking at.
"Hmm… it's over there," said the man waving a hand carelessly in the general direction of the tavern. "Follow the music and you'll find it."
"Oh, great! I'll follow the…! U-uh. The what, now?" Kino smiled awkwardly, eyeing the man expectantly. "Did you just say… follow the music? You have local musicians here…?"
"No… we don't," the man said, still smiling without a care in the world. "A traveling group came by three days ago. Most of them were taller than me."
"Huh. I see. And they… were troubadours too?" Kino asked, grimacing. The man blinked blankly before nodding.
"They have pretty instruments," he said. "Everyone enjoys their performance in the tavern… their fingers must hurt. They have been playing every day for three days… it would hurt me to do all those tricky movements so fast all day, hehe…"
"Oh, that's a matter of practice," Kino said, waving a hand dismissively at the man. "T-then, uh… you're saying you don't need any musicians, huh?"
"I… am?" the man blinked blankly. "You asked where the tavern was. Did I say something like that…?"
"Uh… no?" Kino smiled awkwardly. "Sorry if I'm confusing you, I… well, you know what? I'm just being stupid! Them being musicians doesn't change anything! Music, art, they're meant to be shared! Perhaps, if they're really good at what they do, me and my friends can learn a thing or two from them, right?"
"Oh… right?" the man blinked blankly, tilting his head sideways again.
"Right!" Kino declared, cheeks still red as he turned towards his companions. "And if we're better than them, then we'll teach them instead! Makes sense, right?"
"Sure…?" Kenzo blinked blankly, and Min-Ji giggled at Kino's evident stress… which had yet to alarm the careless, easygoing villager about whatever the travelers' intentions might be. He had to be quite a naïve soul not to find their behavior even slightly suspicious…
"Just… are they really good?" Kino grimaced, eyeing the villager with uncertainty. The villager shrugged.
"Not a lot of musicians come here. I don't know what's good and what's not," he said. Kino's eyebrow twitched: of all times for an actual music troupe to show up in this town, they had to be here on this very night? Curse his luck… "There's one with this funny instrument… he drags a stick over another stick and it can sound very pretty. But when it doesn't it's very funny, haha…"
"Uh… a stick over a stick?" Min-Ji repeated. "Do you mean a bow? So… an erhu, maybe?"
"A… bow?" the villager repeated. "Is that what it's called?"
"Eh… yeah, clearly he's no expert," Kenzo said, sighing and looking at Kino. "We ought to go follow the music, shouldn't we? Like Kino said, let's see if maybe we can work with those guys or learn from them or something? How about it?"
"Alright… alright," Kino nodded, apprehensive.
What on earth would they do to ensure they could create a proper distraction now? This was an unforeseen obstacle, the one thing they hadn't anticipated. Picking a musical fight with total strangers didn't sound like an appealing perspective, but it might serve their purposes in the end, if nothing else worked out. Hopefully, their group's primarily wind-and-brass instruments would be different from whatever the other musicians were playing… if, as Min-Ji suspected, an erhu was involved, perhaps the two groups wouldn't have as much of a musical overlap as Kino feared at first.
They followed the villager's vague directions towards the tavern, taking note of how many people were strolling on the unpaved streets of the small village. The settlement truly wasn't much to write home about, mainly comprised by humble buildings, most of them single-story. The more spacious center of the village perhaps served as a place for the community to gather on occasion, and Kino was inevitably reminded of the Water Tribe at the sight of it… his heart ached with yearning, but he forced himself to focus once more. There were trees at either side of the village, tall pine trees that happened to grow around the cliff-like peak of the mountain they stood at… but they were sparse, however, and they wouldn't block a proper view of what stood to the north: the beautifully flowing river down below was so large it seemed to spread out into the horizon, and Kino even glimpsed a young couple holding each other, standing together by the cliff's edge. It was a popular location for romance, then… damn it. That wouldn't make matters any easier…
Once they were at the center of the village, however, they could hear the sounds the villager had told them to follow: it was music, indeed, and… revelry? A lot of loud voices cheering, it seemed…
"Are they… cheering over the music?" Kenzo frowned, glancing at Kino with uncertainty. Their group's unofficial leader swallowed hard as he stepped up to the one building that appeared to be to overflowing with enthusiasm, with lights glowing out of every open window…
Kino dared glance through one window once they reached the building: there had to be about fifty people of a wide spectrum of different ages, laughing and cheering at the admittedly impressive performance… by a group he couldn't see properly through the limited view of the window. The sounds of the instruments suggested that there was, indeed, an erhu involved. But there was a flute, too…
"A xiao?" Min-Ji said, frowning. "And that's… a pipa. And the drums… sound like djembe!"
"You really know your stuff…" Kino said, surprised by Min-Ji's quick assessment. She shrugged.
"I've been learning music all my life, it's only natural that I'd… goodness, though. That one's good," she said, eyes wide.
"Which one?" Kino blinked blankly… though after paying some more attention to the performance, he was quick to suspect which performer Min-Ji was talking about.
She didn't waste time glancing through the window: Min-Ji pulled the door open now and the powerful music burst from the building as a tidal wave… as did the cheers. The crowd seemed to go utterly wild over the performances they were witnessing, and Kino could only be reminded of his sole experience in the Southern Coliseum upon hearing their wild screams…
They managed to wade in through the crowd, just as their excitement appeared to reach its apex… when all instruments eased up save for the pipa.
"Spirits…" Min-Ji gawked, eyes wide, jaw dropped, at the man performing that solo with incredible dexterity.
His fingers tapped at magistral speed on the mast, and his other hand strummed the strings to create a beautifully enveloping sound that cast a magnificent spell on the senses. Even though he was sitting down, no one in the entire building had a larger, presence than the man holding that pipa so powerfully, his dark hair swaying as he continued to perform at his best capacity, tapping and tapping and constantly increasing the speed of his motions…
Until he stopped.
One note seemed to linger in the air, and it left every witness breathless for a moment that extended into a long, astounding suspense…
Then he strummed again, and the other instruments came together to continue the song with him. The merging harmonic sound sent shivers down Kino's spine… even if, as the villager had told them, the erhu's performer seemed to struggle at maintaining his notes.
Two more strums, two more powerful bursts of music, and the song reached its end.
The entire tavern seemed moments away from collapsing with the enthusiasm of the many cheering villagers, delighted by the song that the four musicians, sitting at a corner that had been cleared for their performance, had only just finished. The one at the drums seemed the youngest of the group, and he laughed cheerfully as a few young teenagers rushed towards him, no doubt praising his performance. The man with the erhu, tall, broad, with a bushy beard, sighed as he rubbed his fingertips, no doubt still too much of a rookie to give a better performance than he had. The one with the xiao had the darker skin tone of the group, with a thick build: he seemed to be tired by now, but he smiled anyway as he patted the back of the pipa performer, the undeniable star of their group.
The cries of the crowd had started to merge into a word that Kino hadn't paid any attention to, utterly enthralled by the musicians before them. He wanted to think his skills with the tsungi horn might have stood a chance against the others, but that pipa player…
"He's so good… and he's hot, too," Min-Ji said, her voice airy as she gaped at the man with utmost, multifaceted admiration.
None of Min-Ji's companions protested her apparent infatuation with the pipa performer, dazed by the remarkable job he had done. He seemed to be tired as well, but he raised his head at last, and the cries that resounded in the tavern gained even more strength now. His dark bangs fell over his features in a dignified manner, his arms were visibly muscular, and what they could see of his face from where they stood certainly suggested he was quite handsome… a light stubble grew over his cheeks and chin, some on his upper lip as well. He didn't seem to rejoice in the crowd's reaction as much as the djembe and the xiao performers did, but he raised a hand in acknowledgement of the ever-louder cheers that Kino realized, only now, weren't meant for the whole band, but for him alone…
The crowd was chanting his name:
"ROSHI! ROSHI! ROSHI! ROSHI!"