Chapter 36: Boredom
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The newly-appointed Inspector-Reviser's ship went on its way, leaving the capital's harbour.
Azula and I's journey was beginning!
And it began with chores and boredom. Travelling by sea wasn't so new and fresh to me anymore. Enjoying the sea views had bored me since our last journey to the capital after a month of training at Master Piandao's manor. The sea's salty air had become familiar. The rocking didn't bother me, and I didn't need sleep. If it was a big plus before, it was more of a disadvantage now.
There were very few things to do on the warship, and the ones that were there had already been tried. Intellectual games with Azula, in which my mind had to work hard to win, bored me. My game of super spy with peeping and eavesdropping on everyone on the ship, as well as watching other people's memories, was no longer as exciting as it had been at first. From a fascinating occupation such pastime turned into a routine routine, which bored very soon.
And the process of watching other people's memories in the victim's dreams is far from ideal. It's as if I'm watching a film the length of a human life. And this is despite the fact that the frames of this film can vary in quality and go in absolutely any order. I had to work hard to make sense of it all. It was easier if I knew what I was looking for. At the same time, if I didn't know what I was looking for, I might not find what I was looking for. And there was a time limit, if I looked too closely, I might kill my victim with my presence. Two souls in one body cannot coexist, especially if they are completely different souls. And there was nothing interesting about watching someone else's life, most of the time.
All in all, it wasn't the most useful skill that didn't do much good, but enough harm and risk. Unless it came to Azula of course. With her it's different, her memory is like my own to me, with every day recorded as a video on the computer. In a way it is, her brain is a supercomputer, the likes of which I've never seen in both my lives. But still.
My mind needed a release - a rest - but there was nothing available. All I could do was to be bored, doing my spiritual routine, and continue my training, cherishing my dream of becoming human again someday, retaining all the knowledge and strength I had accumulated.
Regarding the princess... she was training.
Azula trained a lot. Not to train the girl could not, could not and did not want to. Under her influence, or rather even direct orders, Mei trained as well. Their friendly fights diversified the everyday life of not only the girls, but also mine. The friends got great pleasure from battles and using in practice trained skills. In addition to childhood friend suffered in training almost all members of the crew, as one of the options for recreation, Azula perceived the training of the personal team of her ship. A separate topic was Yuyang's archery squad, which began to compete in throwing with her friend under the supervision of the princess. I myself was far from being idle and was actively training to realise my body in the real world. It was probably the only training I had access to. As soon as I realised that I could incarnate into the real world, I trained every day, almost all my free time. It was very tiring for my mind, but it was worth all the effort.
- Check, princess," I said to the girl in a bored voice, not without pleasure moving the rook to her king with my ghostly hand. Then I relaxed, no longer holding the embodiment of my body.
The girl stares tensely at the chessboard, then makes her move.
- Hm, no, I won't lose! I definitely won't lose a third time! - The girl replied irritably, barely containing her feelings.
The game continued.
It was nice to beat a girl in chess, but this game is gradually boring my mind, even though it is a good training. The past couple of days were monotonous and tedious for both me and Zula. Training, eating, resting, training again, resting, occasional conversations between Azula and Mei, who was even more bored than I was, and staff training under the supervision of the princess. I took minimal part in all this life on the ship, busy with my progress with the incarnation.
And so, after almost a week, I had almost achieved my perfect incarnation and... I was bored. Perhaps it was too fast, however I don't think other spirits have any problems at all with their incarnation in this world. Penetrating the human world? Yes, it's a problem for them, but they can interact with the world without exception. It's as natural for them as it is for humans to walk or even breathe.
- Boring..." I stretched out, lazily watching the game board and the girl's running out of stamina.
- Stop teasing me, I'm about to win! - Azula replies aggressively, taking it as a personal insult to her own skills.
As I learnt recently, the girl disliked losing more than anything else in the world. Neither did she like it nor did she know how, taking any loss too personally. She had to make an effort to keep her cool. The girl wanted to throw a tantrum and cry, or beat me to a pulp because she was so sick of my victories.
- Huh-uh-uh?! That's right! I can't yawn," I remember after my failed attempt to yawn out of boredom.
I still look almost human, I can interact with the world like a human, but I'm still not human, and no one but Azula can see me on the entire ship. It's such a bore... wonder how I dealt with it before? Oh yes, that was a different problem back then. When you're on the verge of death, it's not a matter of idle speculation and boredom.
- Hm! - the girl only frowns her eyebrows in anger. How cute, at times like this she reminds me more than ever of a child.
- You know what your problem is? - At my relaxed look, she continues to glare at me with her menacingly cute gaze with her eyebrows pulled back. - Your problem is that once you lose once, you start making more and more mistakes. It becomes too easy to beat you all the next times. Only the first time you fight back, you run out of energy for all the other games.
- No, that's not true! - the girl goes into total denial. Outwardly, she may be a mature and undoubtedly beautiful girl, but at some points the princess is a child.
- Yeah? Okay. Checkmate, princess. One move to end the game. Azula was too confused and didn't notice a number of my traps, which led to a brilliant victory.
This time, she couldn't even give a decent counter. Like I said, she's getting more and more confused with each game.
- What?" the girl stares at the board in incomprehension. - Agr... stupid game," she says, turning away, trying to hide her emotions.
- Boring..." I say in response.
It's not interesting to defeat the princess in her condition, and I don't want to make her hysterical with my victories, but to give in... no, that would make her even angrier. And after defeats she gets excited, and she tries again and again, until she burns out morally. Even with the girl's memory, I was surprised to find such a side of her character, which even Azula herself was not aware of.
We sit, silent. Everyone is thinking about their own things. Azula is trying to deal with her feelings. Suddenly an idea pops into my head!
-Azula, let's have some fun.
- The last time you suggested bathing together in that tone... - Azula recalls a recent incident.
- And I still don't see anything wrong with it! You're mates! Helping with the ablution procedures of a girlfriend, what could be wrong with that? Rub May's back, she'd rub yours.
- And you'd be looking at us with your "satisfied" look. And it would be good if you only looked," the girl finished for me, having figured out my plan perfectly.
- Not only watching, but also advising! And commented! - I meet her gaze, involuntarily my face breaks into a smile at the sight of her. Like an angry hamster mongoose.
- Bastard..." she hissed coldly, "people like you are called perverts. Do you even have a hint of conscience?!
- Come on, we've already bathed together, and even...!
- I don't want to remember that! - The princess hissed even more furiously, not wanting to remember the moments of weakness when she couldn't even go to the toilet by herself.
- Just so you know, I'm still a man, and you're a woman... well, let's say a girl in the prime of her life. We're just attracted to each other. It's not a perversion, it's a normal situation. We all have a need for attention, men are attracted to women and women are attracted to men. If this were not the case, mankind would be extinct, - I explain to the young talent the simple truths of life.
- Hm!
With just one look the princess made it clear where she saw my explanations. Not wanting to play anymore, she began to change and get ready for bed.
Zula wasn't in the best of moods right now. I decided to discuss my idea with her tomorrow, with a fresh head, when the girl had cooled down from her chess defeats. It was evening, we always played a couple of games before going to bed. We were due to arrive in port in a couple of days, where Azula would be checking on the local government while the crew replenished supplies for the ship.
- It's a shame we brought so few books," I remarked, looking longingly at the modest shelving unit that held just under a hundred different books, all of which I'd already read.
- Some people just have too much free time on their hands," the princess said grumpily, climbing under the blanket and switching off the light with a snap of her fingers.
- Mm-hmm.
Wishing each other good night, we fell silent.
After a while, the princess fell asleep, and I was left alone with my thoughts and boredom. I thought of using the incarnation and scaring the team, but it was too childish and had its own problems. And I'd better keep my spies out of sight, and I'd better not shine in front of the Fire Master's eyes and ears. I don't want him to know I exist prematurely.
Maybe I should reread a couple of fiction books. That's probably the best I've got at the moment, although it wasn't all that interesting, but it was better than nothing. Maybe I should try writing books when I get a body. That's not really something I should be thinking about right now. There were too many problems as it was.
The very next day my ideas with board and entertainment games were criticised with all the ruthlessness of a princess. Not all of them of course, but most of them. Azula simply did not accept and did not want to play what she thought were stupid games and a waste of time. However, we had too much free time, so some of the games I suggested were considered and still rejected. I wasn't considered as a third player, because that would have required too much explaining to May about where I'd come from so beautifully, and I didn't know many games for two people to play, only with objects, and all of them weren't very interesting. Especially if the two of them had similar personalities to Azula and May. And playing with two people is not always as interesting as playing with three. It wasn't a happy situation...
- What to do, what to do... - I thoughtfully hum to myself, drifting in the air next to the princess.
- How about being quiet? I'm trying to wash here, - the girl answered me, not paying any attention to me, busy with her morning procedures in the bathroom.
- It's boring..." I said wistfully, glancing at the naked Zula. Unfortunately, I could only look at her. - Just be here.
- Wait. Did you just think of Ty Lee? - The girl suddenly interrupts me.
I turn round interestedly, meeting the princess's slightly shocked gaze.
- Did she come to mind, too? - I get a short nod in response.
Yes, it would be more fun with Tai Li, I knew from memory that she was an inexhaustible source of positivity. And that only made me want to meet her even more, not from Azula's memories. I thought she could liven up our everyday life, she would definitely be willing to play a couple of fun games. And three is not two, it would be more fun with three of us, if you don't include me. And the fact that sometimes the princess and I think alike was not surprising. We shared the same memory, after all, and it happened recently.
This day went exactly the same as all the other days. Except that the princess agreed to change her playmate, and I could watch a very strange and even somewhat creepy game of chess played by Azula and Mei. Her friend happily agreed to play a game, and after a little instruction on all the rules of the game, they began the game. Both were silent for most of the time, acting reserved and cold, they must have felt uncomfortable. Very rarely exchanging short phrases. In a word, creepy.
As I watched the game, I noticed that May was holding back a bit, sometimes making moves to her own detriment. It was interesting... but I was in no hurry to tell Zula about it. Involuntarily I caught myself thinking that I was just staring at the girl, thinking about something stupid. But nothing, I'm invisible anyway.
I continued to stare at Azula's friend without anyone noticing. The princess was too engrossed in the game, and May simply did not see me, even if I was standing right in front of her. Tested by practice.
Mei usually spent her time either next to Azula, as part of her personal retinue, or in her chambers, which were located next to the princess' chambers. Among the girl's personal belongings were targets and a variety of small, throwing weapons. All day long the girl threw knives at the wall, rarely spending her days reading books. Her general demeanour was very calm and quiet, perhaps even too quiet and somewhat depressed.
As I studied her a little closer, I wondered how she would react to me if she knew I existed. But even though I was material and able to interact with the world, I was still invisible, which was sad. The girl was starting to interest me, there was something special about Mei. Something that caught my eye, but I didn't know what it was. I could only hope that in the future I would be able to unravel the mystery.
After another day, the ship reached the dock. The princess began to fulfil her duties, namely to inspect and check how her father's will was being carried out among the people.
While part of the crew was busy replenishing provisions and fuel, the other part went off to gather rumours, news, to explore the city, of which a small part of the chosen few went to do so in the tavern. The princess herself was chatting with the local governor. The latter at her appearance began to lie at the girl's feet, almost licking her boots. When I looked at the court sycophancy, I even grimaced in disgust. Then I decided to leave Azula's company, going into the city for sightseeing. The girl did not comment on my actions. We had already discussed my espionage capabilities, and I would inform her of any illegal activity in the city, but I wasn't going to try too hard to find it.
It was an ordinary, unremarkable city of the Fire Nation, of which there are many in this country. White walls of buildings, red slate roofs, rare architectural monuments, a bazaar, shops and, of course, a few factories. There was a unified style of architecture in all of it, even in the paving stones of light-coloured stone.
The people here were ordinary and unremarkable. Except that all as one were dressed not particularly pompous, but far from poor, in the same style, with a minimum of jewellery and without gold parts, which is allowed only to people of special status, such as the imperial family. The differences of ordinary people were in the quality of clothing and rare jewellery. Special attention was paid to the hair ring, by the presence of which one could easily determine the position in society of almost any person, if of course he does not hide it. And where there is a higher position there is more money. Actually, it was easy to distinguish bosses from subordinates by the presence of such jewellery and hairstyles befitting these jewellery.
Citizens walked in broad daylight without fear for their lives. No matter how I flew over the city, no matter where I looked I could not find any slums or other hot spots where crime and criminality could thrive. Even in the factories, people seemed content with their lives and their situation. It was a nice life for everyone with almost no hint of crime. But I simply did not believe in the total absence of crime, knowing full well that such a thing was impossible.
As I learnt, crime in the fire nation was fought well, pulling it out from the root and cauterising it with fire just in case. Progress with stability only perpetuated a level of good living, even for the lowest strata of society. I didn't even spot a single homeless person all day. And that could be credited to Ozai, but no. It was his father, Azulon, who ruled far longer than his son. And you shouldn't judge a country by one city, but I liked what I saw. Although there were some things, like the pollution from the factories.
Their benefits were too high, but in the distant future it was a problem worth worrying about. Even now it was possible to be concerned about it and choose the location of the factories so that no one would be harmed, as well as to apply at least some waste treatment processes. But it's expensive and nobody is interested, especially the arsehole that sits on the throne of the country.
While exploring the local sights of the city, I came across the captain's first mate, Na Liwei. The man lived up to his name and was already sitting in a tavern pouring himself more than his first mug of liquor. Luckily for him, he was able to get all his work done and then relax with alcohol. Attracted by his military uniform, he was quickly surrounded by young girls listening to the stories of a real sailor with admiring eyes. Watching him, I myself had a desire to relax in a similar way with good company. I don't have a body, of course, but you can always think of something, and alcohol makes a man so open. That was something to take advantage of.
It was due to my efforts that one case of the best sake and one case of the best wine in town were among the supplies being replenished. So to speak, for the princess's personal use....
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