There were actually fifteen guards, and they were easily dispatched. After the first two, Azula figured out that they couldn't shoot if she suppressed every spark of fire she could feel in their guns. That made it harder to bend, of course, but she had backup.
They tied the guards up, and worked on releasing the prisoners. Toph got rid of the chains; Father hadn't' been through here lately, and most of the benders still had their bending. There were about thirty prisoners, which was excessive. Azula hadn't realized that Father's operation had increased its speed.
Uncle was in one of the rooms at the top of the building. But Ty Lee was nowhere to be found.
When she'd made absolutely sure that they hadn't missed a room, Azula went back to the guards, grabbed one, and ripped the gag from his mouth.
“Where is Ty Lee?” she asked, grabbing his arm and digging her nails in hard enough to make him bleed.
“Who?” he asked.
“She was a political prisoner,” Azula said. “She didn't have any bending. Your records say she was being kept here, but she's gone. So where is she?”
“Her?” he said. “She's-”
She dug her nails in harder, because she could tell he was going to lie.
“You may be under the impression,” she said, “that I want to let you live. It's an understandable mistake, because we've tied you up instead of roasting you like a pig-monkey. However, rest assured that the only reason that I am not staring at your charred carcass is that I need information from you. If you lie to me, or if I even think you're lying to me, there are fourteen other men in this room who could just as easily give me the information I need. Are we clear?”
He nodded. “I- She escaped.”
“Escaped,” she repeated. “You're telling me that your facilities- facilities sufficient to keep dozens of benders contained- were inadequate to keep one non-bending teenaged girl from escaping?”
“She was a bender,” he said. “She hid it, but she was practicing in her room, and we didn't know until too late.”
So Azula's firebending lessons had finally paid off. “I thought she'd never figure it out. Good for her.”
He gaped at her.
“Did she burn her way out, then?” Azula asked with a vicious smile, trying to picture it. “A firestorm? Or did she just quietly melt the locks and slip out?”
He stared at her as though she were mad. “As far as we can tell, she made a makeshift glider and flew out her window.”
It took a moment for that statement to process. Hadn't her father made Ty Lee a firebender? But then, maybe that wasn't how it worked. Maybe he couldn't pick. Maybe Ty Lee had just been too airbender-like to learn firebending.
“You've been helpful,” Azula said. “So I suppose I won't kill you.”
She thought for a moment, then added: “Have you told Ozai yet, about her escape?”
“No,” he said. “No, we were still trying to think of what to do.”
She smiled at him. “I think it would be in your best interests if he thought she escaped today, don't you? There's no need to complicate the story further. After all, he isn't likely to look kindly on two failures of your security.”
He nodded. “Of course.”
“And you won't mention anything about her bending. It isn't like airbending is even that dangerous.”
He nodded again, more slowly. It would be wiser to kill him, she thought, and all the other guards. It was ensure their silence. But Azula wasn't a murderer yet, and she wasn't going to waste that. Not on him.
She found the others, who were still working to free the last of the prisoners.
“Ty Lee escaped on her own,” Azula told them. “We'll have to find her another way. Later.”
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branchandroot
Prison Break (2/2)
Date: 2012-04-24 02:24 am (UTC)They tied the guards up, and worked on releasing the prisoners. Toph got rid of the chains; Father hadn't' been through here lately, and most of the benders still had their bending. There were about thirty prisoners, which was excessive. Azula hadn't realized that Father's operation had increased its speed.
Uncle was in one of the rooms at the top of the building. But Ty Lee was nowhere to be found.
When she'd made absolutely sure that they hadn't missed a room, Azula went back to the guards, grabbed one, and ripped the gag from his mouth.
“Where is Ty Lee?” she asked, grabbing his arm and digging her nails in hard enough to make him bleed.
“Who?” he asked.
“She was a political prisoner,” Azula said. “She didn't have any bending. Your records say she was being kept here, but she's gone. So where is she?”
“Her?” he said. “She's-”
She dug her nails in harder, because she could tell he was going to lie.
“You may be under the impression,” she said, “that I want to let you live. It's an understandable mistake, because we've tied you up instead of roasting you like a pig-monkey. However, rest assured that the only reason that I am not staring at your charred carcass is that I need information from you. If you lie to me, or if I even think you're lying to me, there are fourteen other men in this room who could just as easily give me the information I need. Are we clear?”
He nodded. “I- She escaped.”
“Escaped,” she repeated. “You're telling me that your facilities- facilities sufficient to keep dozens of benders contained- were inadequate to keep one non-bending teenaged girl from escaping?”
“She was a bender,” he said. “She hid it, but she was practicing in her room, and we didn't know until too late.”
So Azula's firebending lessons had finally paid off. “I thought she'd never figure it out. Good for her.”
He gaped at her.
“Did she burn her way out, then?” Azula asked with a vicious smile, trying to picture it. “A firestorm? Or did she just quietly melt the locks and slip out?”
He stared at her as though she were mad. “As far as we can tell, she made a makeshift glider and flew out her window.”
It took a moment for that statement to process. Hadn't her father made Ty Lee a firebender? But then, maybe that wasn't how it worked. Maybe he couldn't pick. Maybe Ty Lee had just been too airbender-like to learn firebending.
“You've been helpful,” Azula said. “So I suppose I won't kill you.”
She thought for a moment, then added: “Have you told Ozai yet, about her escape?”
“No,” he said. “No, we were still trying to think of what to do.”
She smiled at him. “I think it would be in your best interests if he thought she escaped today, don't you? There's no need to complicate the story further. After all, he isn't likely to look kindly on two failures of your security.”
He nodded. “Of course.”
“And you won't mention anything about her bending. It isn't like airbending is even that dangerous.”
He nodded again, more slowly. It would be wiser to kill him, she thought, and all the other guards. It was ensure their silence. But Azula wasn't a murderer yet, and she wasn't going to waste that. Not on him.
She found the others, who were still working to free the last of the prisoners.
“Ty Lee escaped on her own,” Azula told them. “We'll have to find her another way. Later.”