EMBERS viii. THE BLUE SPIRIT ❝I'M HERE TO TAKE YOU HOME.❞
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BOREDOM WOULD PROVE TO BE PRINCESS JASMINE'S GREATEST FOE as her time with Commander Zhao on his dreadful ship turned from days into weeks. He had promised to rendezvous with Zuko's ship to drop her off, but first, he had seemingly thousands of detours as he performed the tasks that were expected of him as commander in the Fire Navy. She didn't see Zhao or anyone else for the majority of her time, considering she stayed locked up in her makeshift bedroom. Someone brought her food, fresh clothing, and anything else she could possibly want. Jasmine found entertainment by bothering the guards with her frivolous requests, snickering whenever she asked for something that would take ages to obtain. Still, she received everything she asked for without complaint. Her meals came at the same time every day and were made with a delicate hand, leaving everything on the plate to be perfect. Jasmine had to confess it wasn't the worst predicament she had been in, but she continued to miss her father and Zuko. Though, she wouldn't put it past her cousin to care more about capturing the Avatar than rescuing her from the clutches of Commander Zhao.
Jasmine hummed a soft tune, exploring one of the Fire Nation bases that Zhao had brought her to, the Pohuai Stronghold. It was located in the western Earth Kingdom, near the ruins of Taku. She had heard from the crew the city was once the epicenter of commerce for the west before the War, but then the Fire Nation had come and destroyed it. Of course they had, Jasmine thought bitterly. Commander Zhao was preoccupied in a heated conversation with Colonel Shinu as he requested the use of his trained men, the Yuyan Archers. It was said the Yuyan Archers had impeccable accuracy ━━ being able to pin a fly by its wings from across the field whilst keeping it alive. Or, whatever Zhao had said about them. Jasmine didn't listen too closely when the man was speaking around or to her.
An angry growl escaped Commander Zhao's lips as he narrowed his eyes at Colonel Shinu. Jasmine stood behind the man, moving from one foot to the other as she waited for their conversation to be over. She wasn't too interested in what either of them had to say ━━ the only thought on her mind was getting back to her home. Zhao looked out over the balcony, watching the archers as they trained. "You're wasting their talents using them as mere security guards."
"The Yuyan Archers stay here," Colonel Shinu spat out, clasping his hands together behind his back. "I can do whatever I want with their talents, they're my archers, and what I say goes. So, your request is denied, Commander Zhao."
"But, my search for the Avatar is━━"
"━━is nothing more than a vanity project!" Shinu cut the man off, waving his hand in disapproval. He stood close to Zhao, getting in his face as he forced the man to look down. It was nice to see Zhao be put into his place, Jasmine had to admit. "We're fighting a real war here, and I need every man I've got, Zhao."
Zhao tried to speak, but he was cut off again. It took everything in Jasmine to not snicker. Perhaps, she should request Colonel Shinu's help in returning home.
