She really did have matters to attend to.
She needed to speak with the Herald... about a great many things.
And now was the perfect opportunity: Uncle had gone off to decimate the tea supplies of the surrounding shops, her dear brother had been forced to accompany him, and her friends had gone to find out about the earthbending tournament.
Knowing Ty Lee, however, Azula was willing to bet that afterward their route would inevitably veer toward the nearest cafes and shops selling all manner of useless trinkets, of which this city had an enormous number.
Which meant no one would interfere with her.
Her decision made, the princess headed for the airship—she had no desire to show herself at the Fire Nation "mission," and Chan should have returned by now anyway.
Unfortunately, as she discovered a little later, the Herald of Fire was still wandering around somewhere in the city instead of returning to his office. And thus forcing her, a princess of the Fire Nation, to wait! Granted, he couldn't possibly have known she was coming, but in the eyes of a girl who had been preparing herself for a "serious conversation," that excuse seemed rather weak.
Azula looked around.
She had been in the Herald's cabin more than once before, but always on business, and had paid little attention to its furnishings. Yet they could reveal a great deal about the owner of the quarters. True, the cabin hadn't belonged to him for long, so he could hardly have had time to truly make it his own, but the important little details were precisely the things that tended to appear first.
And since he had managed to see her weakness, she had to identify his!
After a brief moment of thought, the princess began searching the room for anything "interesting."
The first thing that caught her eye was a set for maintaining weapons and armor. Nothing unusual—a stone for honing blade edges, oils that protected armor from the destructive effects of sun and sea, silk and velvet for polishing, and the polish itself. Sensible. Weapons and armor should only be entrusted to servants as a last resort, when you had no opportunity to personally care for the things that kept you alive.
Next came a tea collection, which immediately brought Uncle Iroh to the princess's mind. Well, Azula was forced to admit that at first glance Chan bore a striking resemblance to that eccentric old man, except that such a resemblance could fool only an inexperienced and inattentive observer.
The flute lying in a special case failed to attract her attention—music left the girl almost entirely indifferent. As did Pai Sho, a set for which she found not far from the flute. None of this was what she was looking for.
"Hmm, and what's this?" The girl picked up a leather tube very similar to those used to deliver messages of particular importance.
A wooden core covered in leather, several clasps ensuring that the interior remained watertight. The only things missing were the official seals. Now this was an interesting discovery. She had seen this tube among Chan's belongings when they were leaving the capital. Perhaps it contained some additional instructions for the Herald that said Herald had chosen not to disclose? Smirking in satisfaction, the girl opened the container.
"Canvas? Strange." She unrolled the aforementioned canvas, and Azula looked at the painting...
At the sight of what was depicted on it, the girl fell into a genuine stupor. Every thought vanished from her head. What she was holding in her hands... it was... it was... No, there were simply no words to describe her state of mind.
How was she even supposed to interpret this?
What did it mean?
No, if she had discovered something like this in anyone else's possession, that doomed fool would have been given only one choice: Agni Kai or being burned alive on the spot. But what had Chan meant by this, and had he even meant anything at all...?
And the execution!
Oh, she recognized that style immediately—after all, she had only recently had the pleasure of seeing paintings produced by Master Piandao's own brush.
She needed to think carefully about what she had seen. Decide what to do about it, and... It was at that exact moment that the cabin door opened and Chan appeared in the doorway, while Azula caught herself wanting to hide the painting she had been examining behind her back and, in general, get out of the commander's presence as quickly as possible.
She hadn't felt anything like this since she was six...
The Herald swept his gaze around the room.
He figured it out. Damn it, what is he going to think of me now?! flashed through the girl's mind. That's a loss of face! came the next thought when she realized just how ambiguous the first one had sounded.
Then the man's gaze fell on her and the canvas clutched in her hands.
"Oops..."
An opening! I'm saved! A supernova went off in her head.
"'Oops'?! That's all you have to say to me after I found THIS in your possession?!"
***
Same Place, Same Time. Chan.
I'm screwed! was my first thought when I saw exactly WHAT Azula was holding. And judging by her overall state, one wrong move on my part and she was going to blow.
Okay, think, Chan, think!
Hmm... Well, I did have a plan for my "secret weapon" from the start. I'd have to deploy it a little earlier than expected, but that wasn't critical. All right, here goes! No retreat! No surrender! No excuses! Otherwise, she'll eat me alive.
"This?"
"You know exactly what I mean!" To make her point, the snarling girl even jabbed a finger at the portrait still clutched in her delicate but very strong hand.
(End of Chapter)
P@treon: /SadRaven
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