Where There Is Smoke, There Is Fire [Avatar: The Last Airbender Fanfic]

Chapter 23

Chapter 23
Izara was waiting to speak to Iroh, and she had intentionally worn casual clothes, forgoing her standard uniform. Iroh emerged a little earlier than she expected. It was just past dawn when he came out of his chambers with a knowing look on his face. He must have somehow known she was there, even though she was perfectly silent. She didn't want to wake him, especially since nothing had actually happened yet, and she was more than happy to let the guy she captured sweat overnight. Maybe the longer he was left in a small cell by himself, the more likely he would talk.

"Good morning, Izara," Iroh spoke kindly with a smile, but it faltered quickly as he became serious. "I could feel your worry from inside. What can I do for you?"

"I have reason to believe we apprehended a suspect for espionage. No one has spoken to them yet, but we wanted to ask for your guidance first. I've left him in solitude the whole night." Izara said after a brief bow.

"Of course. Take me to him." Iroh was frowning slightly as Izara gestured for him to follow her. She much preferred his usual, light demeanour and found that he was somewhat intimidating like this.

They walked in silence to the cell where the man was being held in the underground levels of the Palace where no natural light reached. Iroh stared through the small window at him, looking to see if he recognised him. When he didn't show any recognition on his face, she waited for him to speak.

"I do not recognise him. Where did you find him?"

"When you were returning from your outing in the evening last night, he was in the same spot as when you were leaving. I also noticed that he smelt the same as when I fought the Supremacists. Even if I was wrong, I had to do something about it." She answered, but she knew that someone would have to question him. "Would you like me to interview him?"

Iroh nodded once, and Izara bowed in deference before she went to the guards' table and began to remove her visible weapons and their holsters. The bottle of poison was stashed in one of her pants pockets since she had plans for it. Her everyday clothing was designed to make him feel at ease since she wasn't in formal robes or Guard's armour. He wouldn't be able to recognise her since she made she he didn't see her face when she captured him. She took a breath, picked up a chair, and went inside the room, closing the door behind him. The start of the game began before she even entered the room. She kept her footfalls audible, so he didn't suspect her of being anything more than what she would tell him. Anytime she had previously needed to get information out of someone, her actions weren't exactly something she could get away with in her current position. Instead, she had opted for the same style of questioning. Still, she had fully intended to keep her intimidation and fear tactics in place without violence. In the past, some of her interrogations needed to be as fast as possible. Hence, it was crucial to get as many details with haste. Otherwise, it may have cost unnecessary bloodshed.

He was sitting on the small cot when she opened the door, and his head lifted to look at her. The man before her didn't have anything that made him stand out, like the usual Fire Nation hair, eye colour, and somewhat tanned skin. He had no scars or marks that would make it easy to identify him, and he looked like an average man. Perfect for someone who needed to infiltrate and blend in. She guessed his age as maybe ten years her senior.

She sat down across from him in the small wooden chair but didn't say anything for about thirty seconds. Ideally, the point would be to see what happened and how he reacted. So far, he'd been here for about 10 hours, with no one coming anywhere near him, even to bring him water or food. Depending on their first conversation, she would ensure he was given water and something to eat. She would ensure that he was treated well if he was forthcoming with her. If not, she would keep him deprived of sleep, with just a bit less food and water than would keep him comfortable.