"I'm sorry, Gao Li, but the answer is no."
Gao Li's face dipped down before he began again to try and convince the other councilman of the nobility of his cause.
"Jin Yao, you know these vagrancy laws are unjust. You know it. But there's more than just the morality, there's the domestic commerce, there's the cost of the reconstruction—"
"It's not a matter of money, either…" The older councilman sighed. "You are too much like your father, Gao Li. Whenever he wanted to challenge Jheng, or whenever he was preparing to harangue for a new law he'd have that look in his eyes. That same determination, that same fire… I can't Gao Li. It's just too risky."
Jin Yao looked about him at the dispersed council lounging around the atrium, his eyes darting around before focusing back to Gao Li. "There was already a vote, Jheng has twice as many people on his side than would even consider voting against him. Once it returns to be codified it will pass into law. There's no way we could form a majority—"
"But the Nationalists are losing steam right now. The defeat at the North Pole was a major blow to the war effort, not to mention the return of the Avatar. It's going to change people's minds, Jin Yao."
"This isn't about the war. This is about the economic welfare of our city, and most members of the council—yourself included—have very heavy mercantile interests. I'm sorry Gao Li but there's just no way."
Gao Li looked down at his feet, his brow furrowed and his eyes set in place, weighed down by stoic consideration. "There's another way, Jin Yao."
The elder councilman's eyes first grew wide and then narrowed in anger. "Don't you dare, Gao Li. Don't you dare repeat your father's mistake-"
"I can challenge Jheng to Agni Kai. It's Pailong law, and as old and dated as it may be it's my only chance at stopping these laws from getting through. I'm not letting Jheng displace all those people."
Jin Yao buried the bridge of his nose in between his hands, muttering into the little space they'd formed. He dropped his hands to his sides and turned his eyes again to Gao Li.
"I'm not going to bother telling you how brainless, puerile and wrong this idea is, how it will ruin your political career, your life in Pailong, your family's lives… But you are your father's son, and this decision is already made in your mind. So let me just say this:" Jin Yao put an accusatory finger on Gao Li's chest. "You'd better not lose to Jheng. For your sake." With that the older Councilman stormed off, leaving Gao Li with only doubt in his mind.
Taia did not look happy when she greeted Gao Li at the door. She wordlessly ushered him inside and followed him to the villa's courtyard, where both sat down in side-by-side wooden chairs. They sat in silence, Gao Li's head tilted up, staring in the sky, while Taia looked at her hands, kneading her knuckles with her left hand. She was the first to break the silence.
"Could you tell me exactly what happened last night?"
Gao Li turned his head, then looked back at the sky. "I was at the Oolong house and I saw Raon in there. He threatened a guard and got knocked on his ass, and he was drunk. I'm pretty sure he was saying stuff about benders, too."
"'Stuff'? What kind of 'stuff'?"
"I'm pretty sure he called the guy a 'living weapon.'"
"So our brother doesn't like benders." Taia rested her forehead on her hand. "So which one of us is going to talk to him?"
"I had to carry him home last night AND had to spend all day in council. You do it."
"You know how badly I'd fuck this up. I'm already angry at him about getting drunk, but hating benders? If I had to talk to him alone I'd deck him."
Gao Li chuckled. "You would. We'll talk to him together."
"And then training."
He sighed."… And then training."
They found Raon lying facedown in his bed, still asleep in early afternoon. The light from the open door stretched out over him; he stirred and turned over, rubbing his eyes.
"Uggh my head," he moaned. "I don't know if it's from getting knocked on my ass or the hangover, but it feels like someone jammed a knife in there."
Taia spoke first. "So you do remember what happened last night?"
"Yes, sister, I do."
"Oh, well, since you're thinking about it, you mind telling us why on earth you were drunk?"
"Because I wanted to drink. And when you drink, sometimes you get drunk."
Gao Li looked at his sister. Taia didn't like that. At all.
He tried to interrupt before she could form a retort that might be coupled with a blast of fire. "Look, Raon, you've never gotten drunk before. You've always tried to keep your record clean for the military—"
"And you never said anything about us being benders either! What, do you think we're 'living weapons' too?"
"Look: I was drunk. I was mad at the guy for whatever reason I came up with, I didn't mean what I said." Raon looked away. "And I don't need to worry about my record anymore. They turned me down from enlisting. I can't join the army."
Raon had always wanted to join the army. After their father's death, he became single-minded in his desire to enlist. Their mother being called back to the front only intensified this wish, as did being the only non-bender in the family. And a few months after his eighteenth birthday, he enlisted. Or, as his two siblings just learned, he attempted to.
Gao Li watched as the realization spread over Taia's face, and her anger became pity, empathy. "I'm… I'm sorry Raon. I know how much it meant—"
"Taia it's alright. I'm fine." He moved the crimson sheets of his bed to the side, and picked up a few articles of clothing. "Now if you two don't mind, I'm going to get changed and walk off my hangover. Maybe get some tea."
The two siblings left Raon to his privacy. Taia walked ahead of Gao Li into the courtyard, pulling her hair back to be bound together. Gao Li knew what that meant.
"Training time, little brother. It's all technique today, so change into something appropriate."
Gao Li strayed behind for a moment before walking to meet his sister. He turned his head, catching only a glimpse of something that looked like indignation and hurt on his brother's face. He pushed aside his thoughts and followed Taia.