Chapter 68

"You don't talk much, Mr Blue Spirit. Are you mute?"

Zuko nodded his head awkwardly, inwardly feeling a little guilty for lying to a child. His voice worked fine, but it served his purposes better to be known as a mute when donning this alias.

Though the chances of some Earth Kingdom peasant recognising who he was by voice alone was close to impossible, paranoia warned Zuko to distance his two identities wherever he could. Besides, he'd yet to say a word whenever he wore the Blue Spirit mask before, and staying silent felt right somehow.

"I'm sorry to hear that." The young girl's mother replied sympathetically, pouring clean water from her canteen into the cup set before him. No doubt she assumed he'd been injured in the war.

The moment Zuko's cup was full again, the little girl resumed her onslaught of innocent questions. "Hey, where did you learn to fight like that? It was so cool! You were all like fwaah! And then they were all like yeaaahhh!"

"Alright sweetheart, that's enough." The farmer interjected, placing a hand atop her head to settle her as she began to mime-swing a pair of swords around. "Though I agree that your swordsmanship was a sight to behold. With skills like that, I suppose you must be heading to Omashu to aid the rebellion?"

Zuko tilted his head to the side questioningly. A rebellion? He knew nothing about that. He was heading towards Omashu because, the last time he'd been around that area, he'd picked up word that The Avatar had been a guest of the Mad King Bumi for a while.

When The Avatar left the North Pole he'd seek out an Earthbending teacher next, and King Bumi was known to be one of the best.

"You didn't know?" The farmer shook his head sadly.

"Then I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news. The Fire Nation has fully occupied the city. There was no siege, no struggle; they were allowed to simply march straight in and take over.

We're from Omashu ourselves actually; one of the lucky few who the rebellion was able to slip out in time. Now governor Ukano is in full control."

Ukano?! Mai's father! Did that mean Mai was in the city too?

The farmer reached into his pocket and held out a wooden medallion. It was hexagonal in shape, with a few lines carved into it to form a simple yet stylish outline of a badger.

"Here, take this. It's a rebellion amulet. Take this to the Gritty Crown restaurant and hand it to one of the staff, and you'll be granted an audience with a member of the rebellion. Whatever business you have in Omashu, I'm sure they can help you out in exchange for a little assistance."

Zuko took the medallion and tucked it away in his pocket. He'd always been fond of Mai, but he couldn't trust her family nor the other soldiers occupying the city not to turn him over to Azula. If the Avatar did pass through Omashu though, there was a good chance that this rebellion would notice. They'd be a good source of information if nothing else.

...

One conversation, one performance, and one flaming net later, Ty Lee had joined the party.

Tanya was not happy.

"That was in violation of several important health and safety laws!" She ranted at Azula, who was deliberately keeping her eyes fixed ahead with a look of forced nonchalance on her face. "And, more than that, it was downright dangerous! What if she had fallen?!"

"Honestly Tanya, do you really have such little faith in your friends?" Azula replied dismissively. "Ty Lee is the best acrobat we know. She'd have never done something as amateur as fall off a simple tightrope."

"That doesn't excuse putting her in danger! Accidents can always happen, even to the most skilled professionals!"

"Relax. She would have said something if she didn't think she could handle it. Isn't that right, Ty Lee?"

"Of course, Azula." Came the chipper voice of Ty Lee from behind them. "And it did make the performance even more exciting. I never needed the net anyway."

There was no sign whatsoever that the flaming net had bothered her even slightly, and that was reason enough to cause Tanya's anger to stall. What if she really was making a big deal out of nothing after all?

Both Azula and Ty were acting like the flaming net wasn't even worth mentioning, and employees in her original world had always been griping about how unnecessarily anal health and safety regulations were.

Perhaps her concerns came from the mindset of the human resources manager she'd once been, and didn't really match up with the mindset of the people in her current world.

Even so, the memory of the flames spreading across the ropes still sat uncomfortably in her stomach.

"If we are to be successful in our mission, we must strive to be as efficient as possible." Tanya grit out in clipped tones, reigning in her anger through force of will. If emotions would not serve her here, then cold, clinical professionalism would.

"We cannot afford to risk the health of one of our best assets, no matter how small the risk, for the sake of entertainment."

Now Azula scowled: a small, pursed tightness around her lips and eyes. "Strange. I could have sworn that I was the one appointed as commander of this mission, not you. I believe that means I can take whatever risks I deem appropriate."

"You are in command here, but your father appointed me as your subordinate so that I could advise you-…"

"Advice?!" Azula snapped, suddenly whirling around to face her. "You think that I need advice, do you? That I'm not clever enough to succeed without the help of the oh-so-mighty Moonslayer?!"

Oh come on! Azula had to know that was not how she meant it! She was being deliberately stubborn! Hints of frustration began to seep into Tanya's tone as her self control started to slip. "You are a genius Azula, and were this a matter of politics I would happily default to you.

But this is a military operation, and though you are well studied, you don't yet have the experience I do. Seeking wisdom from subordinates more specialised than you is-…"

"Girls, girls! C'mon, break it up!" Ty Lee interjected, popping up like the world's most cheerful jack-in-the-box between them. "I finally get to see you both again after so long! Let's not ruin this moment by arguing!"

The sudden interruption gave Tanya's brain to catch up with her mouth, and with a jolt of panic she realised just how close she'd come to yelling at the crown princess.

Friend or not, that was a line one should not cross lightly. Taking a literal step back from the argument, Tanya cleared her throat awkwardly. "Yes, quite right. My apologies to both of you. That was rather ill-mannered of me."

Azula took a noticeable breath herself before rebuilding her iron-clad expression of calm confidence once more. "Indeed. I apologise too. I should not have said what I did."

It wasn't her words that Tanya felt needed apologising for, but it was in poor taste to break the metaphorical olive branches they'd extended to each other. Azula turned and walked away, likely to sort out their transportation to Omashu, leaving Tanya and Ty Lee alone.

"Again, I am sorry for that shameful display." Tanya began as she looked at Ty Lee. "Your performance was fascinating to watch."

Ty Lee giggled. "Thank you! I came up with the routine myself." She launched herself at Tanya in a big, smothering hug, which Tanya awkwardly reciprocated with a couple of awkward pats on the back. "And you! Youngest admiral in history! Conqueror of the North! That's amazing!"

"I can't take all the credit." Tanya replied, fighting herself not to preen under the praise.

"Oh, right." Ty Lee broke the hug, but her hands slid over to Tanya's shoulders, and she looked her in the eyes sympathetically. "I'm sorry about what happened to Admiral Zhao. I know you respected him a lot."

"Yes…" Tanya's voice came out as little better than a whisper, and she suddenly found that she could not bear to keep eye contact with Ty. It wasn't that she regretted killing Zhao: there had been a monster in him that she couldn't believe she hadn't seen right from the beginning.

But how was she supposed to explain to one of her best friends that she'd got to where she was now by committing treason? By murdering a man she'd once respected in cold blood and framing a ten year old?

Azula understood the necessity of such things, and hadn't needed to be told anyway, but Ty Lee was far more innocent. Even if she wouldn't tell anyone, she would no doubt be horrified.

"I do sometimes find myself wondering if I could have saved him, if I'd only been there a little faster."

"No Tanya, don't say that. It's not your fault." Ty Lee replied comfortingly, mistaking her guilt for sorrow. "The Avatar is the only one to blame."

Tanya's smile did not quite sit right on her lips. "Of course. You're right."

The silence between them stretched on a little too long for comfort. Tanya awkwardly cleared her throat. "So, you've changed your mind about joining us?" As questionable as Azula's methods were, they seemed to have served their purpose of helping Ty Lee really think about the direction her life was headed.

"Yes. I thought a little bit more about what you said earlier." Ty replied with her usual smile. "Perhaps there is no escaping my place in the Fire Nation after all?"

Escaping? Not exactly the word Tanya would have used, but it was close enough. All things, be they companies, militaries or even nations, had a hierarchy, and rebelling against it was so much more wasteful than acknowledging and trying to climb it.

"You know, I don't think I've ever seen you and Azula argue like that before. Is everything alright?" Ty Lee asked.

A resigned sigh slipped out of Tanya's nose. "Truthfully? Things have been a little tense recently. Azula wants this mission to go perfectly, and has been a little more controlling than usual to make it happen."

She thought about mentioning that Azula's desire for total control was her way ensuring Zuko would not be hurt, but decided to keep that card close to her chest for now. It wasn't her place to go around revealing Azula's private thoughts.

"I've been doing my best to accommodate her, but it's starting to get a little tiring."

Ty Lee gave her a sympathetic look. "Maybe you should talk to her? I know you two will be able to figure something out. Sometimes it's like you're cut from the same cloth."

"Perhaps." Tanya nodded. "But not right now. Our next destination is Omashu, to invite Mai along. I think a few comforts of civilisation is just what we'll need to reach an equitable agreement."

...

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