Chapter 41.2- And so the Dragons Danced

Piandao, perhaps upset at the casual way Toji was speaking about dismembering him sent on the attack. A straight sweeping slice that cut naught but air as Toji leaned backwards to avoid it and retaliated with a forward thrust of his spear. At the same time, Toph sent a pillar of straight stone right at Pakku. The waterbending master, with fantastic economy of motion created a cutting wave of water that sliced through the pillar and continued towards her. She stepped to the side, allowing the attack to pass her by.

Both Iroh and Jeong-Jeong were stood watching the fights, useless as they were in the present condition. I scoffed silently and rerouted my position to go back to the office in the hopes of finding my bow. Of course, I was not allowed to move unaccosted as both the old men began to chase after me.

“Let them be” I ordered Toph and Toji as I ran backwards to the office. Without their bending, they would struggle to represent anything even resembling a threat. Of course, I was much the same. Besides the part of me that had given that order to prevent them from getting distracted and thus losing their fights to their opponents who were not slouches, the rest of me had given the order because this was a good thing for me. It meant I wouldn’t have to worry about the White Lotus as a threat after today, and I was still going to get the chance to test myself against these two.

I entered the office, aware that they were chasing me and considered using the bow to get rid of them, but my aim was barely passable if I was being honest, and it felt like a copout. I turned to the hourglass and noted that it was a bit more than halfway done. Good. I walked to the table as both men ran in behind me.

“Let’s sit for tea and discuss while we wait for this situation to come to an end so we can get on to properly killing ourselves, shall we?” I asked as I began take out the tea cups from the Earth King’s set.

“Do you have jasmine?” I heard one of their voices ask out, no need to guess who it was.

“I do. Let’s sit and have tea, General, Admiral” I said before taking my own seat and turning to the flask off to the side of the desk. Shaking it, I was disappointed to note that the water had gone cold. Toji was the only one who regularly drank tea and he had me heat the water for him most of the time.

“Well, that was an idea but sadly the water is cold” I said, to laughter from the silver haired man. Both Iroh and I turned to him and he just shook his head as he said- “Three powerful firebenders in this room and not one of us can heat up some water for tea” He said.

“Give it a few minutes.” I said, looking at the hourglass again.

“A magnificent contraption. Designed to measure the length of the the eclipse?”