"Here," Piandao said and dropped a wooden sword in his lap. "You're going to learn how to use this."
"Am I?" Jeong-Jeong briefly considered setting it on fire to spite Piandao for interrupting his meditations. No, that was another destructive impulse, another flare of the all-consuming fire trying to escape his control. He would not give into it.
"You are." Piandao wore his own sword across his back and carried a practice one in hand himself. He paused and stared down at the slowly rising candle-flames. "It's a way to defend yourself without firebending."
The candles went out.
"You don't have to be that dramatic," Piandao said, a smile in his voice.
"I know enough ways to kill people." Jeong-Jeong picked up the wooden sword. It weighed more than he expected, but it had been sanded smooth and sealed with oil. Even with practice weapons, Piandao refused to make less than the best he was capable of.
"I saw what happened the last time the Fire Nation caught up with us," Piandao reminded him gently.
"The Fire Nation wouldn't keep catching up with us if I didn't have a camp full of followers," Jeong-Jeong grumbled.
Piandao changed tactics instead of responding to that. He tended to ignore Jeong-Jeong's suggestions that they sneak away from the other deserters these days. "If you practice with me, I'll take Chey away for a week."
"- A month."
"Two weeks."
"Fine."