RL with peoplesprincess
Iroh scrubbed at his eyes as he crested the hill, Autumn grassed grown high with the approach of harvest season, peeking stubbornly through the volcanic soil. He'd barely slept since the cloaked messenger had arrived a few days before, bearing the lotus tile and an urgent message. He'd closed his shop with all haste and made for the next boat to the Fire Nation as quickly as possible.
They'd found Azula, cloaked and disguised inside the Fire Nation. Alone and not screaming for rebellion against Zuko at the top of her lungs.
"What can you tell me about what she was doing?"
Jueng-Jueng stopped short behind him. The long slants of the falling sun cast their shadows long and pointing towards the East as he fixed Iroh with that same sharp-eyed, wary look that the old general knew too well. Years of hiding from the Fire Nation had made the old firebender unable to keep his eyes off his surroundings for long, so a sustained look meant that something was clearly wrong.
"We shadowed her a bit before grabbing her - she was gathering intelligence, talking with some people we've been keeping tabs on anyway." Scratching at the scraggly mess of his beard, he eyed the stone-walled house at the crest of the hill ahead of them. "People that lost a lot by the war ending."
Iroh's eyes narrowed. "Anything else?"
"No, questioning her has been impossible after we seized her possessions. Just screams like a racooncat that's had its tail run over." A rucksack was tossed his way and Iroh caught it, peering inside. A few wrapped bundles of food, encased in some sort of shiny, slick material. A large, heavy book, some coin, and a feather. Making an exclaimation of surprise, he closed it up. "But we've been treating her well. Food when she'll take it, a decent bed. Weighted cuffs to restrict her ability to bend."
"Good," at least there was a greater chance of getting a coherent conversation out of her. Ascending the last few feet, Iroh twisted the sack up into his hands and knocked: once, twice, thrice. Pause. Knock twice again. The door was opened from the inside and they both stepped inside to the little cabin.
Iroh steeled himself. This wasn't going to be pretty.
"Azula."
They'd found Azula, cloaked and disguised inside the Fire Nation. Alone and not screaming for rebellion against Zuko at the top of her lungs.
"What can you tell me about what she was doing?"
Jueng-Jueng stopped short behind him. The long slants of the falling sun cast their shadows long and pointing towards the East as he fixed Iroh with that same sharp-eyed, wary look that the old general knew too well. Years of hiding from the Fire Nation had made the old firebender unable to keep his eyes off his surroundings for long, so a sustained look meant that something was clearly wrong.
"We shadowed her a bit before grabbing her - she was gathering intelligence, talking with some people we've been keeping tabs on anyway." Scratching at the scraggly mess of his beard, he eyed the stone-walled house at the crest of the hill ahead of them. "People that lost a lot by the war ending."
Iroh's eyes narrowed. "Anything else?"
"No, questioning her has been impossible after we seized her possessions. Just screams like a racooncat that's had its tail run over." A rucksack was tossed his way and Iroh caught it, peering inside. A few wrapped bundles of food, encased in some sort of shiny, slick material. A large, heavy book, some coin, and a feather. Making an exclaimation of surprise, he closed it up. "But we've been treating her well. Food when she'll take it, a decent bed. Weighted cuffs to restrict her ability to bend."
"Good," at least there was a greater chance of getting a coherent conversation out of her. Ascending the last few feet, Iroh twisted the sack up into his hands and knocked: once, twice, thrice. Pause. Knock twice again. The door was opened from the inside and they both stepped inside to the little cabin.
Iroh steeled himself. This wasn't going to be pretty.
"Azula."