We'll force them to be our trading partners by making ourselves into what they need, but making it so that we will have to remain independent to move as we must in order to fulfil our purpose as whatever it is that they need.
But first I need to know what's transpired here. What has Gorou told them?
...
The fact is that I need Gorou. I need him, his cunning, his expertise, his ruthlessness. Gorou knows this. If this is all a way to determine how far I am is willing to go to keep him, then I will perform well, I suppose. If it isn't, then Gorou seems genuinely not to want to give these people what they want from him.
One of the two person-shadow-figures moves into the light.
It is an odd trait that beauty possesses in that it invites both nectar and poison. When it is worn vainly, arrogantly, manipulatively, it becomes a cruel weapon to utilise against unsuspecting victims. It is fortunate, then, that I live ever suspiciously. That, and I'm quite aware that this is a woman who would eat me alive and leave me happy doing it.
I'd tell myself that I'm not that pathetic, but I've made it a habit to only lie to myself unintentionally. There isn't much to construct something believable from here anyway.
"Release him," she commands. Her fellow shady-figure moves to stand beside her.
Eyebrows is apparently higher up in the organisation than I first assumed. This could be a problem, if he's the type to hold grudges. Most violent men are.
Well, it's too late now, if he is. All I can do is treat him well from now on and hope that that's all he's found inadequate about our time together.
The desire to dominate over others most often stems from a lack, after all.
Lack of affection or love or true companionship. I should know. I'm as lonely as can be, although I hope that I've got a handle on my violent tendencies.
Though I take care not to let these thoughts show as I meet Gorou's eyes across the room. Ebisu is holding a knife to his throat. So that's what happened. How lovely.
"Ara," I murmur, seeking out the leader of the organisation with my eyes, following the way Gorou's gaze shifts between the two shades, man and woman with such dark eyes they seem as black as their hair. Eyebrows shares the man's nose and mouth. A cousin? Nephew? Too old. But they are related, I'm sure.
"How about we swap, eh?" I suggest, tone light and clearly at odds with the tension in the room.
The woman gives a barely perceptible wave with her bejewelled hand.
Promptly, Ebisu shoves Gorou away from himself, to the middle of the room where the light is brightest. That's a fighting pit. Gorou looks like he already went a few rounds with someone meaner than him. I do hope this doesn't mean he's meant to fight a bit more.
I release Eyebrows who promptly hobbles to a chair where a masked guard begins to check and dress his wounds. It's the first sign of humanity I've detected from any of them.
"I take it that this wasn't the kind of reunion you'd hoped for," I tell Gorou once he's stumbled his way to my side. Circus Girl remains impassive.
"Expected worse," he admits, strangely enough. I look at Ebisu, whose eyes are clear of remorse. Indeed. Well, he's not setting foot on my ship ever again.
"So what's come of it?"
"We get to see the man responsible for defeating the Fire Nation's Navy," the woman speaks, voice smooth and inviting.
I don't react beyond a raise of my eyebrows.
"Gorou tells us you were the one," the man at her side – brother? – adds, tone far less friendly. Good cop, bad cop, then? Only, they're both bad, as far as I can tell.
I look at Gorou for confirmation, who shrugs. "They don't make agreements with just anyone."
I sigh. "So that makes me special."
"An exception," the woman agrees.
Circus Girl huffs derisively. It seems she's unhappy that she didn't get to beat up anyone. Well, we're not quite back in safe waters yet.
"Exceptional enough to get what we came for?"
"That remains to be seen," she states, eyes assessing.
Well, great. That's very helpful. But it's also not a 'no'. I can be patient for a 'maybe.' I will have to be.
The fact s that this is still capitalism. And crime revolves around money. Therefore, if what I propose is lucrative enough, then we will get out of this alive, and with a ticket into Ba Sing Se. Since I'm also not honourable, depending on the consequences of fulfilling only part of the deal, I can still skip town whenever I like without worrying about assassins following me all my life.
"You can heal, as a waterbender," the woman remarks, eyes deliberately moving to Eyebrows in suggestion.
Well. If she'll hand me a bargaining chip so easily, I won't refuse it. But I will make sure she knows that I won't leave here as a member of her organisation, or even a pawn to be directed. I don't even intend to become any sort of player within the Earthkingdom, but I'll be damned if I allow this woman to tie me to her criminal empire. Perhaps even quite literally.
And so it becomes a careful skirting of her desires while achieving my own. How tedious.
"Heal him and we'll discuss your request," the woman says.
"Guarantee us safe return to our ship and I'll demonstrate on Gorou," I tell her flatly, "And once we've discussed the request, I'll do the same for him."
She scowls, and stares at me, eyes harsh and displeased. Well. These are my conditions. After all, healing exhausts me quite a bit, and I don't intend on fighting my way out in a state like that. It's no fun, after all. The last time I felt this way, I was taken prisoner by pirates.
"Agreed," the man beside her says, voice impatient.
...
The day is murky, oppressive in a way only clouds that promise nothing but their hovering presence can be. I have long learned not to care for it, but the quality of sunlight is a well-appreciated one for me. I've been spoilt with good weather since the storm, working in the sun, and its lack is apparent.
Not, that it will matter much once I re-enter that tobacco shop.
I think of the agreement Gorou and I reached with Marija and her brother last night. Access to trading rings within Ba Sing Se for the sake of gathering our information on the Dai Li that we will share with Marija through her nephew, Eyebrows. His name is Dionu, and it sounds enough like 'dino' to amuse me because sometimes he seems like a T-Rex, incredibly dangerous, but not very dexterous.
Further, while we will be provided with accommodations within the city, he's going to live with us. Something that I can tolerate, but I don't like it all that much. Already, I'm far too vulnerable through Peter and Haruto, who both depend on me to an extent. I'll do my best to make Haruto into someone independent, and give Peter the room to decide things for himself that he needs. He's a grown man inside a child's body, after all, and I know all too well what that's like.
From my own time in that state most likely stems my obsessive need to insure my independence. To assert my own power and influence over the world, as stupid as it seems.
And it is a need, I have noticed. It became especially apparent last night. And cravings for power, I find, always comes from feeling helpless, or the lack of something. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and that is especially true for power.
The absence of power over one's own circumstances, or even the options one has within that situation has created this sensitivity towards all attempts to coerce me into subservience. Because it always goes hand in hand with restrictions of one's choices. In other words, loss of freedom. If there were an even trade-off for more safety, I suppose the argument could be made that it isn't all that bad. However, looking at things more closely, that rarely turns out to be true, if at all.
It depends on the viewpoint. As soon as one is no longer solely responsible for oneself, one must be exponentially more careful about the choices one makes.
Safety could be a very good thing for Peter while he still grows.
It could be argued that he's safest within the Fire Nation, since he's a noble there.
But I have asked him. He does not desire the life there. To him, an adventure to take part in, to have a voice and stake in, if little else, is preferable to that relative safety.
And, to be clear, it is relative. One never knows what the future brings. There is no one who is actually capable of foresight. And so, every day remains a mystery. In a country that is at war, even outside of its actual borders, that mystery could turn out to be a deadly one.
With me… it's similar, if more immediate of a risk.
Then again, what's life without risk?
What's life without freedom?
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