ATLA: Azlua

Rebellion Part Two

As Commander Shin steps aside, the room falls silent, allowing everyone to get a good look at the guest. Dark hair contrasted sharply with his sunken, deep green eyes, yet his most striking feature was his frailty. He walked in with a limp, leaning heavily on a walking cane.

"You're this city's resistance leader? You don't exactly inspire confidence," Mai remarked, rising from her seat and closing the distance between them.

She noted that his frail frame made her appear taller than him. He gave a small smile. "I agree, but I do inspire sympathy, and sympathy is how we've managed to get by. But..."

"But the Earth Kingdom has grown impatient and has mustered its forces. You need something more now," Mai said, touching the hilt of her sword.

"Yes and no," Hong Li replied. "It isn't exactly confrontation but rather making it appear as though we can put up a fight."

Mai's eyes narrowed, noticing a subtle shift in his expression. "Frustration?" she thought, confused by his demeanor. "What aren't you telling me?" she hissed, her tone shifting to one of authority.

Hong Li rubbed his neck, trying to speak, but was interrupted as the Yuyan Archers aimed their bows at the door. One stepped in front of Mai, pulling her back into formation.

A larger man entered, muscular and hairy, almost bear-like in his presence.

"Always the coward, aren't you, Li?" the bear of a man said, his deep, grizzled voice breaking the tension.

"Rangi," Hong Li hissed, his voice a sharp contrast to Rangi's deeper tones.

"You both have three seconds to convince me not to kill you both," Mai threatened, her voice hollow but still a threat.

"I'm the other resistance leader actually fighting the Earth Kingdom," Rangi sneered at Hong Li.

"You mean throwing a tantrum like a child," Hong Li growled, his reserved demeanor fading as he limped over to Rangi, staring daggers at him. Most would perceive this as an insult, but to everyone else, it was almost comical. Rangi towered over Hong Li and laughed it off, brushing past him and nearly making him fall.

"Name's Rangi," he said confidently, even as Commander Shin pressed a blade against his back.

"Not another step," Shin warned, his voice cold.

Mai raised her hand to halt them. "Enough. Let's get back on track."

Rangi extended his hand, and Mai took it, noting his sheer size and the long scars running up his arms. She'd always been told she was tall for a girl, a fact hammered home by the jealous mockery of other girls. But in this moment, she felt small. Rangi stood at least 6'5", his presence demanding attention. He wasn't a soldier, but his ruggedness and the marks on his body indicated he had seen plenty of combat.

She gritted her teeth subtly, realizing she had underestimated him. Could the Yuyan eliminate him at this distance if he were an earthbender? Probably, but it would be a risk. Her thoughts raced, trying to calculate the danger he posed. Why hadn't Rangi taken over Hong Li's faction if he was so formidable?

Her thoughts were interrupted as Hong Li hit Rangi over the head with his cane. "There you go again, pushing boundaries recklessly! This is why people hesitate to join either of our causes," he said, exasperated.

Rangi laughed and turned to argue back, but Mai tuned them out, focusing on a sudden realization. "You're brothers," she said aloud.

Both men stopped arguing and looked at her in surprise. "You can tell? As expected from one of the Fire Lord's most trusted vassals," Hong Li said, giving a respectful bow.

"Haha! I knew you were different from the rest," Rangi said, almost shouting.

"It's clear there's a lot to talk about. Let's move this meeting to your headquarters. Rangi, I'll talk to you tomorrow," Mai said, trying to get the conversation back on track.

Rangi scratched his chin, then grinned. "Well, you see—"

The group was led by Hong Li through a maze of alleys, a number of twists and turns that seemed intentionally disorienting. At one point, Mai was sure they had gone in a circle. Finally, they entered an abandoned house. Rangi stepped forward, stomping on the ground to move a slab of earth, revealing a tight, single-person staircase leading down.

"One at a time, please," Hong Li said gently.

Mai's eyes widened at the sophistication of the passage. The stairs were made using earthbending, but the tunnel beyond was reinforced with wooden frames and iron sparsely used in critical sections. Side tunnels branched off, and they passed through many false entrances before arriving at an iron door.

Hong Li gave a coded knock, after which a series of locks clicked open. The door itself was inches thick. "Welcome to the Green Flame Rebellion."

Mai's expectations were low, even Azula's speculations were completely off the mark. She was led into a massive circular chamber. They arrived on the ground level, but there were clear elevators that went up three floors. Walkways formed a latticework of woven sky bridges, and sections of the walls were carved out to provide extra space. The most surprising feature was the rail system on the southern end of the hideout, a crude makeshift tunnel made from an old mine railway.

"This is..." Commander Shin couldn't help but remark.

"Amazing," Mai said, her brow furrowing for a moment before she hid her expression.

"It's too much. The rebellion only happened a couple of days ago. It's impossible for them to have set up such an elaborate base in that amount of time. Unless they had planned this since before the war? No, that's impossible. Who could have thought of this? Rangi? No, he isn't the type. Hong Li? Did I underestimate him again?" She thought to herself, her composure shaking. She unconsciously started to bite her nail.

It was then that Mai recognized a beggar from the streets and the child she had met. "Ah, he knew we were in the city the moment we stepped off the dock." A tingle went down her spine, a familiar sensation she often got when observing Azula scheme.

"They're cut from the same cloth... no, Azula's more ruthless. Is Hong Li as clever as Azula? No. If he were, he wouldn't have been surprised to see his brother follow him. He's not at her level yet, probably only recently came into power and started to hone his abilities. Should I kill him now? Should I just nip this in the bud before he threatens Azula's plans? Before he ruins my happiness?" Mai's thoughts raced, but she was snapped back to reality by one of the Yuyan touching her shoulder.

She realized Commander Shin had been covering for her, distracting the two leaders. She silently collected herself, then clapped, drawing everyone's attention. "Shall we start with a report on your current operations?"