The fire war renaissance

Chapter 21: Lovely Philosophy

What is the Black Jade? You're about to find out. Buckle up because there's a lot of information coming up in this chapter.

On another, totally unrelated note, guess who's learning how to drive? I am! Yay!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter Twenty-One: Lovely Philosophy

"The Black Jade?" Both Aang and Mai repeated, equally flabbergasted. Jojo smirked and leaned more against the barred window of the prison door.

"Yeah, the rebellion was created to kick your butt." She waved a finger at Aang and he scowled at her.

"Calm down Aang," Mai said, quickly seeing the boy heat up. "So this is the rebellion that was in the Town of Tong Pi a few weeks ago?"

"Yeah, that sounds about right, though not all of us were there, only about fifty." Mai and Aang regarded her with heavy stares and she smiled. "We weren't looking for trouble," she assured them jokingly. "We were just scouting some new recruits."

"Tell us about this Black Jade, who runs it and what are you guys doing underground?" Aang demanded to know, for her knew she was stalling them.

"Whoa, whoa," Jojo laughed. "A little on the demanding side for someone's who's at my mercy." Aang grimaced, fire burning visibly in his palms. "Alright, don't worry, I'm on your side almighty Avatar." She bowed to him and he calmed, only slightly.

"Just tell us," Mai got to the point. Jojo turned, the back of her head facing them now.

"Ever heard of the white jade flower?" she started, when there was silence she went into detail. "A nasty flower that grows on the edges of the Earth Kingdom. If you eat it you'll get a rash so big it'll inflame your throat and you won't be able to breathe."

"What does that have to do with-?" Aang asked, but was cut off by her hand coming up beside her head.

"The black jade flower is ten times worse, it only grows a few odd, little places in the Earth Kingdom and when some crops are found they're either destroyed or boxed off as a health hazard. They say the aroma it gives off is the loveliest scent in the world but one whiff of the stuff and you're dead." Both Mai and Aang gulped. "If it's just one flower, you'll probably just pass out, maybe suffer some internal damage, but a whole field of them," she laughed bitterly. "Well, I think you know the rest."

"So you guys choose a deadly flower for your rebellion name, cute." Mai sighed, growing board and wishing Jojo would get to the point. "But we're still not getting it."

"Alright, alright, let me break it to you," Jojo cooperated. "The black jade is exactly like our tactic. Alone we're just someone with an idea…but together, in a field, we're deadly."

"So why are you telling us all this, since this rebellion is supposed to be against me?" Aang asked. He was glad someone was telling him these things, but he didn't understand, if she was working for the Black Jade, why would she be helping them?

"Great power knows where to stop, Arrows." She smirked using the same name she had called him at first. "You know all about that, don't you? Or else Ozai would be buried instead of lying up in jail feeling sorry for himself. I'm not pro-Fire Lord, no one around here is, but when I joined I thought this rebellion was all about justice, but it's morphed into something ugly and violent and…sickening."