THE RUMOR AMONG SHADOWS
As Suri moved away from the camp, the rest of the White Lotus team worked to prepare the caravan for the journey to Gaoling. The atmosphere was relatively quiet until Harribel—the newly recruited waterbender—frowned slightly as she noticed an absence.
—"Have you seen Suri?" she asked in a grave voice, holding a water vessel that moved with a minimal gesture of her hand.
Suki, sitting nearby cleaning her gauntlet, looked up.
—"No. I thought she was with you, training."
—"No," Harribel tilted her head. "I felt… a change. A sudden movement in her rhythm. As if she had left alone."
Suri never left alone without notice. That thought began to spread among the other team members.
Ty Lee was the first to voice what everyone was thinking:
—"Did they send her without us?"
At that moment, Ren appeared, carrying a roll of maps over his shoulder. His presence charged the air around him, vibrant and filled with a youthful energy that contrasted with the enigmatic calm of Ren Yin, who walked behind him, more silent, almost ethereal.
Suki stood up immediately.
—"Ren. Suri isn't here. Did you send her somewhere?"
Ren Yang smiled in that way of his: bright, light, but dangerously calculated beneath the surface.
—"Yes. I gave her an advance mission."
The women fell silent.
Ren took a step forward, his amber gaze sweeping the tense faces of the team.
—"It's not a lack of trust in you. It's that she was the best option to go unnoticed, observe the terrain… and not raise suspicion."
Keiko narrowed her eyes.
—"Alone?"
Ren let out a soft laugh, raising both arms with exaggerated drama.
—"Come, come~. Don't you trust Suri? She's tough as a rock and silent as an assassin. Perfect for getting ahead!"
But his playful tone didn't fool the more perceptive ones. Harribel held Ren's gaze for a long second.
—"You sent her because you wanted to test something," she said. "Something about her."
Ren spoke, his voice calm, soft, almost hypnotic:
—"I sent her because I needed to measure her conviction."
The women exchanged glances. There was no anger… but there was nervousness. Ren made moves that they could never quite anticipate. And that, while stimulating, was also unsettling.
Ren turned on his heel and pointed down the path Suri had taken.
—"We trust her. And you should too.
We are about to enter a city full of secrets and opportunities.
Suri is the tip of our spear."
Ren added:
—"And you… are the force that accompanies it."
The tensions eased. Not completely, but enough.
When the team finally resumed their work, Harribel silently watched the direction where Suri had disappeared.
—"Suri…" she murmured. "I hope you're ready for what he's planning."
Ren heard those words from the other end of the camp.
And he smiled.