| "Our friend is dead. And instead of mourning him, we're standing here, plotting how to maintain our grip on the Avatar. What has happened to us?" |
| — Hei-Ran expresses her concern to Jianzhu. |
"Adaptation" is the thirteenth chapter of The Rise of Kyoshi.
Overview[]
Jianzhu returns home to Yokoya and must cover for the murder of Kelsang and Yun. He and Hei-Ran plot the search for Kyoshi and Rangi.
Synopsis[]
Jianzhu enters his mansion in Yokoya to discover a "silent chaos" among his staff. He gives himself no time to grieve for Kelsang and looks for Kyoshi in her quarters, followed by a visit to the bison pen to then go back to his servants and ask them what has happened at the house. After no one answers him, he realizes that they are paralyzed with fear. Jianzhu asks Mui where Kyoshi is, and she apologizes, claiming that she does not know and that no one had seen her act like that before. She explains that Kyoshi held an ax in her hand and that she was gone before they could find a guardsman, but no one had seen her leave. The earthbender then dismisses the staff after realizing that Mui is not to blame, intending to keep them fearful of his next command.
Jianzhu finds Hei-Ran in the aisle of the gallery. Hei-Ran mentions that he looks like he was "spat out by a badgermole". Jianzhu tells Hei-Ran what happened to Kelsang and Yun in a way that makes him sound innocent. He explains that Kyoshi is the true Avatar and then lies that a treacherous spirit took both Yun and Kelsang, but Kyoshi ran off in a grudge against him for it. Hei-Ran slaps Jianzhu across the face and asks what he is going to do about it as he would lose all credibility after introducing a false Avatar to the world. Hei-Ran believes his fable and says that she will help him get the Avatar back as quickly as possible to minimize the damage.
Without knowing that Rangi had already gone with the Avatar, Hei-Ran states that she will send her to hunt Kyoshi down. When Hei-Ran pulls a summoning rope, Rin arrives and is told to fetch the young firebender. Rin shrieks an apology and fearfully explains that Rangi has disappeared and that one of the stablehands said he saw her leave with Kyoshi last night. Hei-Ran orders her to immediately leave her sight, which she does by bowing and backing away. Jianzhu waits until the servant girl is out of sight to try to blame Hei-Ran for whatever Rangi does, and then adds that they are fortunate that Rangi will keep Kyoshi safe until they find her. Hei-Ran argues that Rangi is an elite warrior trained in "escape and evasion", which will make it very difficult for them to find them.
Hei-Ran's face fills with sorrow as she reminds Jianzhu that their friend Kelsang is gone. She is sickened that instead of mourning him, they are distracted by plotting how to maintain their grip on the Avatar. He reminds her that they all made a promise to Kuruk that they would find the next Avatar and that finding Kyoshi is the best way to honor Kelsang's memory. When Hei-Ran expresses her concern about the girls' possible involvement with one of Chamberlain Hui's allies, Jianzhu ensures that it is unlikely Kyoshi even knows who he is and that it is worth bruising his reputation if it means bringing the Avatar back to his home and his control.
As Jianzhu needs a Fire Nation stamp, he asks Hei-Ran to write a letter to Professor Shaw, Head of Zoology at Ba Sing Se University, asking him to bring shirshus for them. He then rips a Water Tribe painting on the wall off its moorings and requests the former headmistress to send it to the professor as well. Hei-Ran is slightly disgusted by Jianzhu's reliance on bribery, but she recognizes that that is an Earth Kingdom cultural quirk and ends up going along with it anyway.
Production notes[]
Series continuity[]
- Jianzhu mentions that Professor Shaw heads the Zoology Department at Ba Sing Se University, the same department Earth King Kuei tasks with finding a mate for Bosco.[1]
- Jianzhu has a painting in his gallery of the northern lights by a Water Tribe artist, a spiritual display seen in "Skeletons in the Closet".[2]
Character revelations[]
- Jianzhu's personal networks and foreign contacts extend further than the Earth King's diplomacy.
References[]
- ↑ From older Avatar: The Last Airbender official site, originally on Nick.com. Encyclopedia now broken, archived at The Lost Lore of Avatar Aang - Creature: Bosco.
- ↑ DiMartino, Michael Dante, Konietzko, Bryan (writers) & Dos Santos, Joaquim, Ryu, Ki Hyun (directors). (June 23, 2012). "Skeletons in the Closet". The Legend of Korra. Book One: Air. Episode 11. Nickelodeon.