Chapter 36.1- And so the Dragons Danced

I wasn’t a good person. I had no doubts about that. I was selfish, power-hungry, and far too prideful to even be vaguely considered as a good person. So maybe that is why I did not hesitate when I was given the power to do as I wished. Brainwashing. The power to change the memories of others. It was one hell of a trump card to have in the deck. The Dai Li had kept it in reserve but still used in indiscriminately to take and maintain control of the city. After Long Feng had delivered the secrets of brainwashing, he delivered even more secrets to me. Things like how the Dai Li had kept the city pliant and in control. He had given up names and places and dates and amounts and a thousand other things that he used to keep his reign in order.

Upon understanding the scope of what he had at his disposal, I had my decision made, and it was not one that I had seen coming, or even one that Maki was very approving of.

“So you want just to use the brainwashing on both Long Feng and Princess Azula?” Toji asked with a smirk on his face. Toph was crumpling a piece of metal between her hands, feeling out the material and trying to get used to it, while Amara hovered over the Princess, doing her work to keep the royal unconscious and unaware of our discussion.

“I do. Long Feng would be useful as a tool for keeping the city in order. You heard all the things he said. There are a thousand things keeping this city in order, and to be honest with ourselves, we would fail to keep them all in check” I said in reply even as I spotted Maki tighten her clenched fist at my words.

“He gave his secrets to us, we have as good a chance of managing it as he did. His Dai Li agents are gone for the most part so what is even the value of one old man to us” Maki said, bargaining into the conversation.

“We both know that isn’t true, Maki. He still has undercover agents across the city. The Joo Li corps are still a valid instrument on the table that we can only use with his help.”

“What if the brainwashing doesn’t take? What if he has some defences against it?”

“We already confirmed that it will and he doesn’t. There’s no way to defend against it, in fact.”

“And the Princess?” She asked next.

“We need to undo what Long Feng did to her and he already did confirm that that was the only way to get all the brainwashing solved” I replied.

“And that’s all you’ll do?” She asked, eyes flickering between Toji and I. I wondered when this mistrust had built. Oh yes. It came when I recruited a child and turned her into my own personal murder bot. Having her as a witness to Long Feng’s torture had probably also been a bad idea.