========= 33 - A True Leader ==========
How do you determine the strength of an entire city? By the number of soldiers populating its streets and guarding its most important strategic locations, or by its ability to withstand particularly strong, unique enemies? Any creature with an open chakra would fit this definition, and my two new acquaintances, using certain tactics and tricks, had a good chance of completely subjugating the city's army, preventing them from expressing their arrogance. The former general and the prince himself sat down in front of us on a comfortable leather sofa, while the owners of the establishment, not wanting to interrupt the conversation, simply brought two additional cups of tea and stepped aside. Tai Li completely shifted her attention from me to the prince, chatting with a mixture of surprise and anxiety with her not-so-happy childhood friend, who, it seemed to me, was instantly tired of the hyperactive girl. She was exclusively interested in his adventures.
As for the old man... I quickly realised that he was definitely not worthy of such a derogatory term; calling him simply "old man" was as stupid as calling Afka a stupid dog. The general looked at me, sipped his tea slowly, and squinted amusedly at the fox sitting on my lap. No one paid any attention to her except the all-knowing old man.
"They are both on the path to enlightenment," Afka whispered, and Airo's gaze immediately "smiled." It was as if he had seen something very amusing — I wasn't even surprised by his reaction. At my insignificant level of development, I couldn't even say how many things this old man had seen and understood: any other mortal, well, for example, Tai Li, would hardly even see his greatness. I could only vaguely understand their level of development: my scanning skills were far from perfect, and I still lacked the knowledge to taste and analyse the energy in another person's body, but the energy that floated in the air and came out when breathing was enough for me — I had even read a little about this; fire mages had some kind of complicated concentration technique. Studying qi allowed me to see what energy was hidden in the room, how it merged into two different streams belonging to two people; if you study it, it turns out that Airo found the balance of all peoples within himself, opening the Chakras of Earth, Water, Fire and Air, and that's the minimum. His energy itself was in a very strong balance, and I am unlikely to learn about the rest due to my own lack of education. But what surprised me most was Zuko's energy. I can't say that he has even opened his Earth Chakra, but Airo made a tremendous effort to create a solid foundation for his nephew's personality. He is building a domino, guiding Zuko's personality along the right, wise path so that at the right moment, when Zuko finally realises who he is, all his chakras will open one after the other.
"Maybe we should leave the old friends to chat with each other and go talk over a game of Pai Gow? - Airo seems to want a more private conversation, where they won't be overheard by people who don't know anything.
"Uncle, do you know him?
At the same time, Zuko looked extremely suspicious. His harsh gaze darted across my face, apparently not even planning to make friends. Yes, before the events of the canon, he would be very harsh and impatient.
"Hm? Are you acquainted with the great Dragon of the West? - Tai Li finally remembered my presence. She must have thought she was the only one with connections to the royal family.
"...Of course not! It's just his professional eye that gives him away as a Pai Shao player," my grandfather smiled broadly, instantly dispelling all questions and creating such a boring atmosphere that all the annoying boys and girls tried to isolate themselves from us as quickly as possible.
While Zuko began to lament how boring the game was and Tai Lee joined in the conversation, we moved away to the wall. The owner quickly brought a board and handed out chips, after which all eyes turned to me. Taking the first token and glancing over the board, I placed the "white lotus" in the centre.
"Some people told me about the great leader of Lotus, who is a very famous person. I didn't think we would meet in such circumstances. I received information months ago that you were looking for me.
Airo's questions about my affiliation were dispelled the moment he saw the talking fox. Now he smiled warmly and scratched the back of his head.
"The Lotus agents do a good job of spreading information. Although you, Dagoth, weren't that easy to find.
It was easy to tell that it wasn't luck. I thought so too: I've never had a lucky chance encounter in my life. I always had to deliberately go somewhere and look for someone. As a last resort, run away with someone from someone else." "Good disguise for hiding, even on the western mainland, few people pay attention to an ordinary monk. And you have good companions.
"I wouldn't say so. Commander Zhao was very interested in what a person like me was doing in the circus.
"Oh, so you did meet? I hope you didn't get into a fight. Zhao is a very meticulous man who notices every detail so he can use it to his advantage. And revealing yourself to the army wouldn't be a good idea, heh heh," he looked very good-natured, but the topic was sensitive...
"I was just trying to scare you. But I see you don't want me to reveal myself either? Let me ask you straight, why did you want to meet?
For months, this question has been a real mystery to me and all the other members of Lotus. It's an extremely exciting topic, which made my opponent's gaze immediately deepen. He thought it was wrong to joke about it in this case and even made sure that Zuko wasn't eavesdropping on us. However...
"We'll have time for that later. Maybe you could start by telling me what you want from me? "How cunning! Sweeten the pill so you can push it in deeper later? We know, we know, it's going to be something very risky and dangerous. But in fact, I really did have a lot of important questions that I had been trying to ask even Bumi, and through him, gain access to the Lotus information base. I wanted to know about the remaining explosive mages, because the only direct source of information says that they are in some village on the mainland of the Fire People, and no one knows where it is, not even Boogie Man himself can point it out on a map; and, of course, I needed to find more of Laghima's works on chakras. So I had information about love, I knew where to possibly find enlightenment — in that very village with the explosive mages — but I had no idea about the intermediate stage — the truth — and I certainly hadn't heard anything about cosmic energy. And no one from the Lotus had helped me yet.
That's not all, I asked Airo many more questions, but those two were the most important. And Airo, taking a sip of tea, began to answer everything very calmly. His extremely measured speech and details made him a very skilled storyteller whom one wanted to listen to without taking one's eyes off him.
"As for the clan of people who shoot explosive beams from their foreheads... I used them once during my time as a general. I can't say I'm proud of it, but I used a few to besiege Ba Sing Se. It's surprising that even they couldn't break through those giant walls, because the idea seemed very sound.
"Zhao hired one of them to destroy Shen Guan," I replied dryly.
The reaction was immediate, and Airo exhaled hot air. Apparently, it was some kind of meditation technique, because my qi became even calmer. I took a sip of tea and nodded silently.
"Their magic is truly powerful. The clan of these people is extremely small, and it is under the close supervision of the Fire Lord. It's not even on the maps, it's so inconspicuous and incapable of posing a threat, but I can show you where it is," I nodded quickly and unfolded my map, covered with numerous markings, where Airo made a new one, right in the depths of the enemy mainland. Getting there could be a problem," "But you still want to know about the Guru's work..."
"Exactly. Laghima left behind several important messages: I have a theory that a piece of information may be located in the place you indicated. Does someone in your position know anything about this? You have opened more than four chakras.
"That's one of the most famous topics of discussion among collectors!" he raised his voice as soon as he noticed Zuko looking at us. But he quickly lost interest and continued in a lower voice, "But my achievements have nothing to do with that, otherwise I would have already appeased my nephew's anger and calmed his soul. And perhaps I would have come to terms with my losses much more quickly, so as to escape my grief... Such important information is no different from treasure, which is why I am forced to disappoint you and inform you that the information about the 'fifth' was destroyed along with the air nomads.
"Ah. How so... - Afka immediately frowned and began to shift from paw to paw, "If the works had simply disappeared, it would have taken decades to find them, but if they were burned... why destroy the most important achievements that affect generations of your own people?
"I am not a proponent of destroying knowledge either," added Airo, so as not to incur the fox's wrath. "But I can say with certainty that the last person to see these records was most likely the Avatar. How I wish Zuko's search would be successful and we would find someone who still possesses this knowledge, but I'm not sure that's possible. I'm sorry, Dagoth, you, like everyone else, will have to spend a decade or so to unlock the fifth chakra. But I can tell you more about it, it will come in handy!
"You say, Avatar? - Rubbing my chin thoughtfully, I shared neither Afka's disappointment nor my grandfather's apathy. Rather, I relaxed sharply, receiving a rush of endorphins. It's not such a big deal, it's a stroke of luck! No, no, it's too dangerous to call it that. It's better to just be happy that the air nomads trained Aang well. Who knows, bad luck might hear...
"You seem a little too happy to hear this news," the old man squinted, to which he had to wave his hand.
"I sincerely hope that your nephew finds this Avatar," he chuckled. Grandpa liked the joke, but Afka just nodded very seriously, confirming my words.
"That's what I wanted to talk about," I said, moving closer and forcing him to be more serious. "You want to take responsibility for ending the war, but if the Avatar is really still alive — and there's a chance he is, considering that even Kioshi lived for over a hundred years — and he's now out to get the entire Fire Nation, or simply continues to adhere to Laghima's strict philosophy, we will have problems. You or us, together, will have to find a way to change his worldview. We must not allow the same mistake that Avatar Roku made. We must not stop the Fire Lord; we must completely change this system.
"So you... don't want to overthrow Ozai?
"I believe Roku made a mistake when he failed to see the danger in Sozin, but we all make mistakes. The desire to make your nation more prosperous is not a sin, the problem lies in uncontrolled ambitions, which can be helped," Airo looked at Zuko as if to say, I'm trying, but I'm not succeeding yet." The current Avatar, if he is still alive, will surely communicate with his past self, and Roku will urge him to do as was done hundreds and thousands of years ago. The Avatar and the Fire Lord need someone who will inspire them to change. I am trying to raise such a person on my own.
Everything is starting to fall into place... So, is Zuko really a testing ground for Airo? Not only a possible future replacement, but also someone who can subdue his ambitions. Airo's goal is to reunite father and son in order to change the Fire Lord's view of the situation. On the one hand, it's incredibly cool, but on the other... it's unclear why he hopes it will work. At the very least, not only Zuko needs to be changed, but also the rulers of all other countries, and even Azul...
"Ah... so that's it," Lotus has wanted to change the direction of the world since the beginning, and the Avatar is a constant problem and headache for them. It's hard to change when your previous lives have taught you how to behave, but he is the key. The Avatar must help the other rulers, at least by becoming a threat to them. Or else...
"I hope you understand that if the Avatar is gone, you will have to fulfil his role. And if he is still alive, it is very likely that you will have to guide him onto the right path by force, knocking the worldview of his past lives out of him. I cannot comprehend how difficult this task will be, so I will give you an additional incentive and tell you that... the information about the last chakra, about cosmic energy itself, is in Oza's possession.
"Wh...
"He's not a stupid man either.
========== 34 - Good confidence ==========
Zuko, a prince eager to regain his father's favour. In the canon, he never achieved his goal; rather, everything got so twisted due to various distractions that influenced his decision-making that he quickly changed sides and turned against his father. Yes, it was his personal decision, but Airo would have liked Zuko to change, to grow up, but not to ruin the achievements of the people and, most importantly, not to destroy his father's political influence. How would the situation in the canon have turned out if everything had gone this way? Peace would have been achieved, but would technological progress have been slowed down? Who would have been able to keep thousands of dissatisfied soldiers in check? Airo had a good view of the situation from the outside, and as a politician of the royal family and leader of the Lotus, he was a skilled schemer, even if he did not show it to the public. Our conversation lasted a surprisingly long time, several hours, which we didn't even notice while playing Pai Shou — incidentally, I never managed to beat him. Our companions, however, were dying of boredom, so as soon as we decided to part ways, they jumped up from their seats.
"It was nice to meet you, Mr. Monk," Airo winked at me, deciding to keep up the act. "Your wisdom is truly valuable, although it's a pity you don't want to share it with others.
"I'm afraid my mentor won't be pleased if I bring strangers here," he said, shaking hands in full view of Zuko and Tai Lee, causing my grandfather to sigh in disappointment. Yes, the sly one had touched on the subject of access to the library's secret knowledge, but as the guardian, he was forced to refuse. Afka supported him, saying that if there was a need to obtain some knowledge, it could be done through her. As Airo left, Zuko gave me another heavy look, after which...
"See you later, circus monkey," Tai Li waved his hand, causing her to smile brightly. But I frowned. There was no positive tone in his voice. As soon as they left, silence fell over the room. Almost. Tai Lee was still standing nearby, waving her hands out of boredom.
"Was it boring waiting? You could have gone for a walk.
I looked at the girl, who seemed very happy to see her old friend.
"But I came with you," she said matter-of-factly, which surprised me quite a bit. It seemed like she didn't care about me, who would have thought that wasn't the case anymore? When we went outside to finally go back to the circus, we noticed that Zuko's guards were gone. Tai Li, in turn, decided to dispel the aura of uncertainty. "When I was a child, I was friends with the royal family, which is how I know the prince. He and his sister didn't get along very well, but we often had fun together. Although the jokes were cruel and rude, maybe that's why Zuko treated me so coldly?
She thoughtfully raised her head, remembering that her conversation with the prince had not gone well.
"Is that why he was so rude to you? You don't get along very well?
"I hear that so often that it's become a compliment.
And she flashed a bright smile. At least she tried to, but in reality, her heartbeat told her that she was extremely depressed. Her less than cheerful gait and vacant stare betrayed her extreme distress. What was the reason? Extreme dissatisfaction with her job, which was unlikely to be true, or something more substantial?
"Hey, you're dressed like a circus gymnast! Can you show me something so I can decide whether to go to the show or not?" At that moment, on our way home, we were met by several guards who were having fun. They stood in front of Tai Li and made her smile. Happily paying attention to the guys, she began to jump, stand on her hands and hang from things around her, as if completely forgetting about me.
"Ha ha, how agile.
"You're a real monkey. Cool, really cool, maybe we should go and watch the show?
"Sure, if there are more monkeys like that, I'd love to.
"I hope you enjoyed it!" I waved at them, and their attention returned to me. I silently asked: shall we stay or go? The longer the day went on, the less I understood their intentions... Airo had sucked all the energy out of me with his plans, so I nodded helplessly and returned to the tent. By this time, the performances had begun, so after getting ready and doing a few demonstration shows, by evening I was simply exhausted.
"You're quite the gorilla, sir.
"Yeah, it was fun. And that monkey performed pretty well.
I met those same guards again at the very exit of the tent. They slapped me with their steel gloves and, laughing loudly, kept mentioning the monkey family from which they apparently descended. A simple joke? Well, considering the slight energy I was beginning to feel, it was nothing of the sort; they were deliberately being rude.
But while I personally saw something powerful and interesting in the gorilla, which made it difficult to take it personally, Tai Li, who had come out not far from me and heard these words, felt upset again. She quickly turned away and walked away from these guys, amid their laughter and references to banana lovers.
"Hey..." I grabbed the shoulder of the man who had treated me rudely and looked intently into his eyes. "Did you enjoy the performance? Show some respect."
"Huh? Go to hell," he said, roughly pushing my hand away, causing a slight flash of anger. "Another circus monkey touching my armour. One more time and you'll be sorry... Let's go, I think I'll come back tomorrow.
How often do people like that come here? Do circus performers really command much respect? It was hard to say... I had only recently started paying attention to human emotions; before that, I didn't really care. Was I doing the right thing? Well, for my mental health, most likely yes. If I paid attention to every crazy person, I would become one myself. But now I am required to let all emotions pass through me and... remain human despite it all? Laghima, you have very sophisticated training methods."Choose:
1 - The customer is always right (The sooner you accept human nature, the easier your life will be. They say that ascetics are those who have realised this and never want to interact with people again. You will deepen your understanding of the guru's teachings and be able to supplement them more quickly. Let the hatred pass through you)
2 - Blessed physical contact (Pride prevents you from leaving a friend who has been offended. Practice infusing chi into other people through physical contact on their ribs. Leave no trace behind and show Tai Li how to release emotions properly).
Wasn't this the "useful" option marked with pride? After reading the first and second options several times, I didn't really understand the advantage of the latter. Rather... again, a choice of which side to take? Accept Afka's position and quickly supplement the works, or have fun with Tai Li again?
Turning my head, I saw that the girl was standing aside, waiting for me. Apparently, there was nothing else to do, but her upset look raised the same questions as the first time. And then I caught myself thinking that I didn't want to accept this hatred at all. To endure so much just to leave and become an ascetic? Instead, I winked at the girl and followed the people walking along the tents. The guys were laughing and having fun, but as soon as we got near the animal pen, my beads quietly turned into an iron staff... I snuck up behind the first guy and hit him hard on the legs. As he fell, my finger dug into his neck and knocked him unconscious.
Hearing the sound of a falling body, everyone else turned around. They almost saw my face, but it was covered in time by a folding shield. The soldiers only opened their eyes, and then one of them was hit hard in the face, and another was struck with a stick. Both flew away and almost immediately lost consciousness.
"W-what?" frowned the last one, the one who had been taunting me. He even managed to swing his arm in my direction, but he couldn't release the stream of fire. The shield came too close too quickly and hit his fist very hard. The mage's arm was simply twisted out of joint, and a couple of blows to his weak spots finished the job. As soon as I had dealt with everyone, Tai Li, who was interested in my actions, caught up and looked at the result of the magnificent show.
"Must have been a gorilla playing around here," I chuckled, discreetly clipping the beads back onto my neck. Considering how quickly the smile appeared on her face, this was a familiar sight for her. Although, I'm not sure she used to get into fights over such trivial matters.
"You beat them up because they were laughing at you? Ha, that's cruel," she said, walking cheerfully towards the bodies and thoughtfully pushing one of them in the arm. "We should get them out of here so people don't think we're a circus.
Taking charge of the situation, she explained how to properly dispose of the evidence and cover their tracks. It was as if she were some kind of ninja or just a person with vast experience in hiding bodies, who, after all the work was done, happily sat down with me by the fire and wasn't very sad anymore. In fact, she looked at me as if I were a close friend with whom she could... well, share something, for example.
"I've long since learned to accept this attitude towards myself. You're not likely to get a job in the circus if you repeat this too often. But I'll help you get rid of the bodies!" I decided to add, so that my words wouldn't sound too harsh.
"...If you let everything pass you by, it's so much easier to build good relationships. People are happy to communicate with those who don't say anything bad about them and just nod with a smile," I smiled and leaned back on my arms, looking at the frozen girl. "I don't want to be loved by everyone, to put up with jerks with crazy behaviour or people who have simply withdrawn from human relationships. To hell with it. Saying everything to their faces makes me feel better somehow.
Tai Li blushed slightly and quickly lowered her head to the hem of her top.
"They say you have to be able to control yourself. What if you anger someone you shouldn't?
"Wise words for someone who doesn't want a lot of enemies. But I think you should control yourself in front of those you respect. Don't want a bunch of enemies? Surround yourself with normal friends," I tapped my fingers on the sand and looked at Tai Li's pensive face, struggling to hold back what I wanted to say. Would she be offended or not? But then again... "Are you trying so hard to be friends with everyone because you didn't get much attention as a child because of your sisters? But if I didn't have a bike when I was a child and now I have a 'ship', it doesn't change the fact that you didn't have a bike when you were a child."
She froze. She thought for a few seconds and leaned back onto the bare ground. I didn't know if she was thinking about how much she had compensated or if she had finally lost interest in talking to me. But I really wanted to know, so I closed my eyes to feel her qi as clearly as possible. The world opened up along with my sixth sense, and I could clearly feel the ants passing by and the leaves moving. There were crowds of people in the circus and in the city. But the girl's heartbeat drowned out all other sounds. I was receiving signals directly from her body... and besides vibrations, I felt small flashes of energy.
Calmness... hyperactivity, or as he called it, attention deficit disorder, began to slowly come under control. The girl looked at the dark sky and slowly began to enjoy simply... the silence? It's hard to understand qi when you know so little about it, but she wanted to lie there longer and think longer. This was the clearest intention that could not be confused with anything else. The most I could do was lie down next to her.
I simply put my hands behind my head and stared at the night sky. It was a good place to think and process Tai Lee's difficult emotions. A guru would have used this information and found something to say. But I was just there to support her, because I wanted to be a friend, not a moral mentor. After all, if she thought it over and decided to change herself, using only the facts I had thrown into the fire, she would become someone I would really enjoy talking to.
And if not... well, then that person is just a pawn in my plans.
"Yeah...," she drawled, clicking her tongue softly, "If I see Zuko again, I'll tell him he's a monkey.
"Really? - I raised an eyebrow.
"I don't want to go back to my old life. Never.
And she did. She even smiled, continuing to lie in the same spot, despite the pin in her bum that was constantly urging her to jump and hop. For she had renounced, or rather simply accepted her past, wishing never to touch it again. It was a confidence that could well rival Azula's, if she were to come to her in an attempt to wreak havoc.
Of course, all of this could change several times, but if she gave up her fear and unleashed her powerful will, her position would become stronger than steel, yet more flexible than water. And no, I'm unlikely to have to do anything to help her achieve this. Tai Li, strange as it may sound, had the potential to open her chakras herself. I was so impressed that I even felt respect.
"You're more fun than my old friends," she said to me too.