Six years ago
"What do you hear, Mai?"
"Nothing but the rain, General."
Now
There wasn't much in Omashu that Mai liked.
Earth Kingdom architecture had long since lost its novelty and the less said about the fat and lazy populace used to hiding in their mountain eyrie, protected from the war the better. Bumi she despised - what sort of leader surrendered without a fight? - and at the same time feared, because there was a look in his eyes that reminded her far too much of the General.
If it wasn't for firm orders from the Fire Lord, she would have poisoned him. it wouldn't matter how skilled a bender he was if his stomach was perforated by rabbit jaguar fur in his broth. Just another mistake by the 'glorious and honourable' Fire Lord Ozai.
She even hated the throne that she occupied as the city's military governor. Fortunately, symbolism could be made to work for her there and the throne was left ostentaiously unoccupied. A Fire Nation banner was draped over it and the scroll-case containing Mai's orders to hold the city until a civili administration unit could arrive was placed upon it to 'symbolise the authority of the Fire Lord'.
Mai herself had carried the small, rather battered field stool from her quarters in what had once been the apartments of the Royal Chamberlain and placed it in front of the throne. The stool was famous and as she walked she had heard muttering as old soldiers told the story to the raw recruits wondering why their commander would use such a humble piece of furniture.
Mai hated that story. Hated hearing about how General Iroh had had that very stool in his tent the whole time Ba Sing Se was under seige, had been sitting right there on it when the news arrived that Prince Lu Ten had been killed in the fighting. Hated remembering the tired look on the General's face that day almost a year later when he arrived unannounced on the docks just as Mai was returning to the war, newly promoted to Captain, and gave her the stool and his advice: 'It's a comfort to sit on it, but never think you can fight a battle from it'.
Not that there had been a battle. She'd been looking forward to a nice cathartic campaign through the mountains and then taking Omashu. That would probably have been enough to force even the fossils around Ozai to agree she should be promoted to General. But no one got promoted for a bloodless victory and the sudden lack of resistance had thrown off the timetables, leaving her marooned here until everything else could be expedited.
The throne room was empty now. She'd ordered everyone out so that she could think in peace.
There was one thing - one person - in Omashu she didn't hate, yet. Probably she would be given reason to shortly, but for now she was merely intrigued. Of all the things to find in Omashu, an airbender?
The attack on her last night had been fairly trivial of course. A few boulders shoved down a chute while she was passing with her guards. It was mildly insulting that the Resistance seemed to believe that something so crude would be enough to kill her. Of course they might have crushed some of her guards if the boulders hadn't been blasted aside by the short airbender who was probably the Avatar.
That the Avatar might be here was somewhat challenging. That he might be working at cross-purposes to the Resistance made him fascinating. And possibly useful.
"What do you hear, Mai?"
"Nothing but the rain, General."
Now
There wasn't much in Omashu that Mai liked.
Earth Kingdom architecture had long since lost its novelty and the less said about the fat and lazy populace used to hiding in their mountain eyrie, protected from the war the better. Bumi she despised - what sort of leader surrendered without a fight? - and at the same time feared, because there was a look in his eyes that reminded her far too much of the General.
If it wasn't for firm orders from the Fire Lord, she would have poisoned him. it wouldn't matter how skilled a bender he was if his stomach was perforated by rabbit jaguar fur in his broth. Just another mistake by the 'glorious and honourable' Fire Lord Ozai.
She even hated the throne that she occupied as the city's military governor. Fortunately, symbolism could be made to work for her there and the throne was left ostentaiously unoccupied. A Fire Nation banner was draped over it and the scroll-case containing Mai's orders to hold the city until a civili administration unit could arrive was placed upon it to 'symbolise the authority of the Fire Lord'.
Mai herself had carried the small, rather battered field stool from her quarters in what had once been the apartments of the Royal Chamberlain and placed it in front of the throne. The stool was famous and as she walked she had heard muttering as old soldiers told the story to the raw recruits wondering why their commander would use such a humble piece of furniture.
Mai hated that story. Hated hearing about how General Iroh had had that very stool in his tent the whole time Ba Sing Se was under seige, had been sitting right there on it when the news arrived that Prince Lu Ten had been killed in the fighting. Hated remembering the tired look on the General's face that day almost a year later when he arrived unannounced on the docks just as Mai was returning to the war, newly promoted to Captain, and gave her the stool and his advice: 'It's a comfort to sit on it, but never think you can fight a battle from it'.
Not that there had been a battle. She'd been looking forward to a nice cathartic campaign through the mountains and then taking Omashu. That would probably have been enough to force even the fossils around Ozai to agree she should be promoted to General. But no one got promoted for a bloodless victory and the sudden lack of resistance had thrown off the timetables, leaving her marooned here until everything else could be expedited.
The throne room was empty now. She'd ordered everyone out so that she could think in peace.
There was one thing - one person - in Omashu she didn't hate, yet. Probably she would be given reason to shortly, but for now she was merely intrigued. Of all the things to find in Omashu, an airbender?
The attack on her last night had been fairly trivial of course. A few boulders shoved down a chute while she was passing with her guards. It was mildly insulting that the Resistance seemed to believe that something so crude would be enough to kill her. Of course they might have crushed some of her guards if the boulders hadn't been blasted aside by the short airbender who was probably the Avatar.
That the Avatar might be here was somewhat challenging. That he might be working at cross-purposes to the Resistance made him fascinating. And possibly useful.
