Eclipse (Avatar the Last Airbender)

Chapter 26: Camellia

She had been watching the people mill about from one place to the next from this balcony for days to get a feel of their routines. Life in the capital city of the Fire Nation was so different and yet, so much the same as anywhere else. The differences were small but numerous and the similarities broad. It was a strange realization to come to. A quick outfit change was all she needed to blend in. The luxurious quality of her clothes was more than enough to fool the average eye that she was a lady from a house of high standing. That, and the demeanor of someone well-bred, which she had used all those months ago to fool Admiral Zhao, pretty much solidified her story entirely.

Like the fortune teller had said, it didn't matter where she went. Wherever she was, the admirers flocked, and she had bet heavily on that after seeing the way that they had bombarded her during her time in Ba Sing Se. She used her charm to make her way into the capital city, find accommodations fitting for that of a young woman from a wealthy family, and gather intel on her surroundings.

All the finer details of her plan had fallen right into place, and yet, she had yet to fulfill her main goal. She had yet to find the young man that she was looking for. She had come to the capital city of the enemy with various goals in mind, but this one particular goal was by far the one that she had invested the most time and effort into.

"Young miss," a deep voice began. She glanced at the ninja who seemed to appear out of nowhere before addressing her with a bow. Since leaving Agna Qel'a, Miyuki had come across more people than she would have liked to that were keen to lie, cheat, and deceive. But Saizo was an exception. Generally speaking Miyuki was confident when it came to defending herself, but it didn't hurt to have an extra hand. Besides, Saizo's skills were top class. She had never met a ninja before Saizo before, having only read about them in books as a child. Frankly, before meeting him, she was convinced that if ninjas had ever existed, there weren't any more left in this day and age.

She glanced up at Saizo, the man who she was so used to being her shadow now dressed as an attendant fit for a royal. "Yes?" she chimed back, hardly glancing at him as she played the role of a wealthy young lady.

"Your grandfather regrets to inform you that he will be working late today, and you should dine alone tonight," he told her. In other words, there was no sign of him.

"I see," she replied disinterestedly, "Well, it is getting late. Let us head back then."

They only had so many more days she could spend sitting here idly and memorizing the patterns of the people to keep herself entertained. Perhaps it was time to give up and truly get to work. She set the money down for the tea that she had ordered and stood. The sun was nearly done setting. There was little time left to map out the streets, but they had been working on it bit by bit each day. They could be done by the time they needed to leave, even if they spent the remainder of their days wasted on ultimately fruitless people watching.

The man bowed crisply. "Of course, young miss."

They were about to leave when she saw him for the first time since Ba Sing Se. The very sight had her practically frozen in place. "He's here. He's entering the store." The sound of growing fanfare spoke to how close he was getting, but Saizo reacted before she could.

"Excuse my touch, young miss." His murmured statement was all that served as warning before he scooped her up and hopped onto the roof in one fluid, silent motion. He set her down softly when they were safely on the roof in a place where they had a clear view of the balcony in the cover of the darkness.

The seeds she had planted had worked then. She'd mentioned to several of the waitstaff that as a child, she had tea with the crown prince on the balcony, which she requested a table to sit at on multiple occasions. Evidently, the rumors around town that this particular tea shop, which was by no means bad— just unnoteworthy— served the best tea in town. All that effort was betting on a part of the crown prince feeling guilty for betraying his uncle. And now, here he was.