Council Chamber {Private}

[Yuzuki]

It was the middle of the day, though almost no one could be found around the palace. Yuzuki had planned it this way, of course. The Fire Lord was out for the day, visiting Ember Island with his family, and the Nobles were no where to be found this day near the palace. She was going to have a secret meeting, one where she needed complete privacy. What better room than the council chamber?

She was wearing her armor, her hair up in the topknot with her bangs brushed and resting against her head neatly. Everything was perfect and in place. Her armor was polished and clean, and she sat with her legs crossed, arms folded in her lap as she waited. She invited a young man from the army to join her. Ryoko, while out doing her rounds, had spotted the boy during one of the Fire Nation raids. He had taken out the leader of the Earth Kingdom village and showed great promise. Since then, she had been investigating and getting information on the boy named Jin Senn. His family had been killed in a fire, right after they had submitted an application to become Nobles, too. From there Jin went into the academy, and has been a part of the army ever since. It intrigued Yuzuki, and brought about ideas in her head for a new member of her organization.

She needed to get things rolling. No more stalling. Ryoko could continue doing her search in the different nations, but she needed to start building her ranks. She could not continue the war by herself, let alone fight off the White Lotus, if they dare interfere with her plans. So she needed exceptional people to be a part of her organization, those that would be worthy of being in her presence. Hopefully Jin would not disappoint her.

[Jin]

The Fire Nation Royal Palace. Now if anyone wanted to scare the ever living shit out of Jin, all they would have to do is invite him here. Earth Kingdom Palace? Psh. Northern Water Tribe Palace? It's just ice. But this place... this place was different. It made him feel small, and he had not felt small in a long, long time.

He had spent over an hour polishing his blades, and two hours on his armor. He had even heated a flatrock and ironed his uniform's cloth. Scrubbed himself clean, washed his hair... and the weird thing was, he had almost no idea why he was here. All he knew was that he was to meet a Noble person in the Council Chambers. He almost felt like he was going to get court martialed.

As he entered the richly decorated hallway leading to the Chambers, his soft-soled boots made barely a sound. His armor had a fresh, thin layer of oil on it to keep its sheen and dull any sounds it would make. The only thing he could really hear was his pounding heart. The hand woven carpets he was stepping on cost more than he could make in his lifetime. Yes, he had cleaned off his boots before entering... but what if? Too late. He had reached the doors. He took a deep breath, found his inner calm and steeled his face, and knocked before entering.

As he entered the room, he removed his helmet and moved with a purpose as he crossed the room to the Lady sitting at the Council Table. He stopped sharply at six meters away and kowtow'ed deeply, waiting for her to tell him to rise before doing so.

[Yuzuki]

Yuzuki grinned slightly as she saw Jin kneel before her. She stood up from her seat, placing her left hand behind her back and lifting her right hand to signal for him to rise from his kowtow. She tilted her head to the side slightly, looking the boy over. His armor was polished, and did not even make a sound as he moved and his uniform was ironed. Interesting... it almost seemed as if he was nervous being here. He did not even have a topknot like most males in the Fire Nation. She kept her hair in a topknot because it was a style most known in the Fire Nation, but not only that, she did it because it kept her hair out of her way.

"Tell me... You are Jin Senn, correct?"

[Jin]

Jin rose smartly, bearing her examination with all of the control he could muster. It wasn't hard, once he reached his inner peace. Of course, he'd pay for it later. He watched her without moving his eyes as he kept them locked about her knee height.

"Yes, Noble Lady, I am Jin Senn."

Without knowing why he was here, or any real social niceties, he felt it was better to keep his mouth shut and answer only when questioned. Being a man of few words this worked rather well for him. Thanks to using very small amounts of his chi to keep himself calm, he felt almost... at ease. Almost.

[Yuzuki]

Slowly walking around Jin, she continued her examination with her arms behind her back. He seemed fit and in proper shape. He had to be, considering he was a part of the Fire Nation army. She moved back in front of him, standing up straight and watching him rather closely. He only seemed to speak when spoken too, and that pleased her. He listened, and he spoke when spoken to. That was the perfect soldier.

"You're a part of the Fire Nation Army, and I've heard stories about you, Jinn. Do you have any idea why you are here today?" Her amber eyes watched him rather closely, being closed halfway. Why did Jin think he was here? Really the only reason she sent in the letter to ask him here was that she requested his presence in inquiring about joining an organization known as the Black Lotus. She kept it very brief, and did not even sign her name. It was true that Yuzuki was somewhat well known within the military of the Fire Nation, and within the firebending schools. At the moment she was the Fire Lord's main adviser, and would sometimes even be seen leading raids against other nations.

[Jin]

Jin allowed himself to think for a moment before responding. He wasn't one to just sputter out nonsense, but he also loathed the thought of keeping a Noble waiting. It didn't sit well with him and he had the feeling that she wasn't one to wait or listen to nonsense.

"Noble Lady, I think I am here today due to prior performances on the field of battle. As far as the Black Lotus and what that means to me... I honestly don't know. If I were to make an assumption, I would assume it would have to do with making war. Otherwise, my being here would not make sense."

He had spoke just a bit more than he had intended, but he was seriously confused by this. He had heard of people being promoted before; they didn't necessarily have to come before a Noble person to be promoted. He had never heard of the Black Lotus, which meant it probably was either a newly established military unit, or something secret. He was hoping for the first.

[Yuzuki]

Yuzuki had nodded, closing her eyes for a moment. Letting his works sink in, she slowly opened her eyes. "You are here due to your performance on the field. I never did take a notice to you before... but... a colleague of mine has been monitoring your progress. You are doing exceptionally well on the field." She turned her back on Jin for a moment, walking back to the Fire Lord's seat and sitting down. She crossed her legs, lacing her fingers together and placing them in her lap.

"What do you think of the war, Jin? We'll speak about the Black Lotus in a moment. I want to know more about you. Why are you in the Fire Nation military and what drives you to perform so well?"

[Jin]

A question that had a long, in depth answer. This wasn't helping him solve this puzzle at all. Might as well be as honest as possible...

"I view the war as a personal test. Each battle is something that I must overcome an obstacle and I would not fail my Nation. I am in the Fire Nation military because I believe it is my duty and my honor to serve the Fire Nation, Fire Lord, and Noble Houses."

He paused for a brief second, mainly to give himself a break from talking so much. It wasn't often you got this many sentences out of the soldier.

"I strive to be better than those around me so that I can... well, to be honest, I fight because I enjoy it. And to continue fighting, I have to be better than my enemy. I strive for perfection because I strive to win. Noble Lady."

The last two words were said with a slight bow of the head, Jin realizing he had not used the honorific as he spoke.

[Yuzuki]

The war was a personal test? That was an interesting way of seeing the war, she would have never thought to see it like that. Though she could, as each battle was in fact a personal test for the individual. Though each battle was a personal test, he was showing a sense of pride in his nation. Duty and honor towards the Fire Nation, that was always a plus in her book. She was always trying to convince Ryoko of the power of the Fire Nation, perhaps having Jin on board would help her in showing her friend the truth about the nation.

Though under his pride and loyalty to the nation he truly fought for himself. Jin fought because he enjoyed it and to be better than his enemy. He strives for perfection because he strives to win, much like herself. She strived for perfection, pushed herself to her limits because she could and because she would get better. Everything had to be perfect and in place. Lowering her head ever so slightly, she unfolded her arms and rested them on the arm rests of the chair. "I have a proposition for you, Jin. A proposition that will allow you to better yourself, become stronger than your enemy, and to allow you to fight just because you enjoy it."

She paused for a moment, watching his reaction. She lifted her hand from the arm rest, looking to her nails as she began to speak again. "I'm offering you to join the Black Lotus. Our organization strives for perfection. We steal the secrets of all four nations in order to learn their secrets and in turn use them for ourselves. What better way to steal these secrets than to cause chaos between each nation... such as the war happening now." Taking her gaze from her nails, she rested her hand in her lap once more. "I started the war, in order to steal the secrets of the other nations. Why should just one person be able to control all the elements? If you join our order, you will get the chance to fight for enjoyment. You will get to better yourself and strengthen your own abilities. So what do you say?"

Really, Yuzuki would give him no other option than to join. She would not let Jin know this, of course. She was telling him things that, if released to the public, would ruin the organization as well as her plans for ruling all four nations. She had already seen him prove his bending abilities and his fighting abilities in combat on the field. She could take him easily, kill him on the spot. It would be simple.

[Jin]

Now they were getting to the part of the conversation that solved his puzzle... and the part she really cared about. He was already studying her behaviour as she spoke, and listened carefully. Immediately he was interested. So what if she started the war? All it had caused him were a few nicks and scratches. And it gave him so many opportunities to excel. But he also wasn't stupid. He knew he really had only one choice... He almost smiled. It wasn't necessary. Already this woman was proving to be someone he wouldn't mind following. He knew what he wanted. He knew what he would choose.

He dropped to one knee, his helmet on the ground with his left hand on top of it and his head bowed.

"I, Jin Senn, soldier in the Fire Nation Army, would be honored to accept your invitation, Noble Lady. Anything to better myself."

His smile ghosted across his face as he looked at the floor. It was a perfect deal, one that he could not come away without learning something. To better himself and serve the Black Lotus. Soon enough, nothing else would matter.

[Yuzuki]

Yuzuki had grinned as he accepted her proposition, lifting her head slightly as she looked down at him. She saw the smile on his lips reflected off the floor, and she could already tell he would be a great asset to the organization. The thing was what should she send him to do first? They were in the middle of raids, and Ryoko was doing fine gathering information by herself. So perhaps a test mission would suffice.

"Jin, your first mission within the order is to gather information on the Western Air Temple. Find exactly what their defenses are. We have had trouble gaining access to the temples, so I want you to try and gain their trust and gain entry." This was somewhat of a lie. With Ryoko being an air nomad, she could easily slip into the air temples. However, she wanted to test Jin, and getting into one of the air temples would be just the key. The air nomads themselves were staying out of the war and simply defending their own temples, not attacking the other nations. So gaining entry into the air temples might be simple, and it might be hard, depending on Jin's abilities.

Looking to the side, she narrowed her eyes slightly. Ryoko should be arriving shortly with new information. She thought the airbender would have at least showed up to congratulate Jin on his entry into the organization, but she needed to end this. The Fire Lord and his family would be returning by the end of the day, and she wanted this meeting to be short and quick.

[Jin]

"Understood, Noble Lady. It shall be done."

He rose smoothly, bowed his head once more, and turned on his heel to leave. After exiting the Chamber, he immediately donned his helmet and tread down the carpetted halls with a bit less nervousness. It seemed he would be visiting this place regularly... better get used to it now...

Jin's mind already was contemplating the possibilities of gaining access to the Air Temple. A few were plausible... but the best one, yes, the best one was the easiest. He smile never waivered behind the the faceplate of his helmet as he left the Palace.