A Little of This, a Little of that.

The sound of feet rushing right and left, orders being barked from here to there. From the outside looking in all chaos had broken loose and their might have been some invasion about to take place; part of that was correct. Their was an invasion about to take place, but not here in the Fire Nation. Outside lands to boost fortification seemed to be the target of the Fire Lord and the necessary preparations were being made to make that order into a reality. It had been quite some time since an offensive had taken place, and for most of the soldiers it was a bit of a surprise given the relative peace shared by the entire world for however long. But this was the life of an infantry-man, to be ever ready and willing to serve.

Tensei had been mulling about when the order came through via messenger, with an order to meet with the Fire Lord himself. The soldier had only been addressed by Novai once before when their swearing in ceremony took place, though it took place with a host of other soldiers. For a Captain this was a bit of a surprise, as the pecking order didn't normally have a man of that rank meeting with the head honcho in charge one on one. To say stranger things had happened would be a lie, and thus it would become a memory of life time even before it had taken place. With his full military garb adorned, minus the helmet of course, the soldier made his way throughout the large palace until he reached the doors outside of the main meeting room. He could feel the heat radiating from the other side of the door. From what he had heard, flames danced around the seat of the Fire Lord, but surely he had to have been sitting at the back of the room; but to feel them from outside of the room was outstanding. Perhaps planning an invasion put an inhuman amount of stress on even Novai himself. However, none had halted Tensei throughout his trek so it must have been somewhat safe to enter.

Two knocks came before the young man pushed open the large doors leading into the room. With his head bowed in reverence Tensei made his way about halfway through the large space before stopping and bending to a knee. "Here at your request, Fire Lord." The man stated, awaiting a response, but more importantly orders from the exalted one. Chances were slim that simple that a meeting would have been to just give simple orders to a lowly captain. No, Tensei felt that there was much more much to this than random happenstance.

An awkward mixture of elation and worry filled the soldier as he processed the praise given to him by Novai. He didn't think his exploits were of higher merit than any other soldier in the military, but it seemed the Fire Lord thought otherwise. However, any number of certificates or medals could have been given to get across the same message without wasting Novai's precious time, which once again hinted towards a larger goal for this meeting.

"Thank you, sir. Just doing my part for the nation is all." The soldier replied, a small smile running across his face but with his head still bowed he would be the only one to take note of it. What he heard next was no new news, every member of the military had been racing around for the past two days preparing for some kind of event that all could speculate on, but only a few actually knew of. What Tensei was surprised to hear, however, was that the object of their offensive was the Western Air Temple. Interesting places they were, often perched atop some dangerous mountaintop only accessible to those who could bend the very air to their will. In the end though these were simple practice exercises in an effort to gauge how certain situations would play out should actual measures be taken, nothing more nothing less.

"The Western Air Temple... I am at your command, Firelord." Tensei replied, eager to receive his new orders. It had been quite some time since the soldier had left the mainland, and though expansive trips across a vast ocean weren't necessarily ideal for a firebender, the chances of running into trouble seemed slim at best.

The heat in the room seemed more intense than when Tensei had first arrived, any mositure in the air being devoured by the flames. The air became thick, breathes difficult to come by. If the soldier didn't know any better, one might have thought the room had begun to spin. Surely this must have been some kind of ruse, a stress test, something out of the ordinary. No, this was really happening; the twenty year old being promoted to General, and spearheading the invasion. Though words would not be able to describe his elation and gratitude on this occasion, the soldier would have to mutter something else before Novai thought he had died where he kneeled.

"Thank you, Fire Lord. I will not disappoint." He replied, feeling it best to keep a reply short and to the point rather than risking prattling on like a schoolgirl. Instead of just a platoon to lead, Tensei now had to preside over the entire invading force; an immeasurable difference. However, this was the chance he had already waited for, to be put in a position of power so that his style of leadership could be spread. Nothing mutinous of course, the boy wasn't stupid. Instead, a more humane approach to things would be utilized, and if that were to fail the old methods seemed to work wonders for all these years.

"Any further instructions, my Lord?" The now-General asked, various thoughts racing through his mind on just how exactly he would begin to command an entire invasion fleet. The time for that would come soon, though after anything Novai had left to say.