This fic is also on my tumblr blog where my username is Kuno-chan and my blog name is Dragoness Ramblings.

Disclaimer: Legend of Korra belongs to Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko

The Warden and The Lieutenant

Warning for themes and mentions of genocide.

The stone fit snugly into the palm of Nima's hand, red ripples wrapping around the smooth surface. For a stone that was told to provide such extraordinary strength it seemed so… ordinary in and of itself. It was pretty, yes, but compared to the rest of the things in here it looked like nothing at all.

"So, this is it, huh?" Koika peered over Nima's shoulder. "We came all this way for this little thing. You sure this is it?"

"Positive," Nima said, beaming. "There's no way it's not. Trust me on this one."

"I kind of have to after what you just did for me," he beamed back behind his beard. "Good work, lass."

Dan was looking over her shoulder too, examining the stone with a wary, pragmatic eye. She looked up at him, wagging her brows at him with smug pride. "I'm pretty good, aren't I?"

"You're lucky," he said. She stuck her lip bottom out, but he ignored her. "Now, let's get out of here."

And then without his prompting, the doors began to slide open.

Nima froze.

"I agree with Tokujo." The man that walked through had a voice like steel and a spine probably as strong as one from the looks of it. His cold gaze told anyone that he was a no nonsense man. Even worse, his attire and badge told her that this man was the warden. "Or, should I correct myself, the man who says he is Tokujo."

Guards swarmed from the warden and surrounded them. Koika immediately pulled Nima closer to him as all exits suddenly became blocked off or otherwise considered suicide. Nima's heart dropped.

No, no, no. Just when they'd found the stone and we're almost home free.

And, yet, of course they'd gotten caught riding on her luck.

She looked up at Dan and felt sick. He'd be branded as a pirate just like her even though he was only doing her, essentially, an enormous favor. Meanwhile, Koika was an actual pirate. And if there was anything she hadn't really needed too much teaching it was what the world thought of pirates- and where a lot of people believed they should be at. Usually, it was in their air, under the sea or beneath the ground. Not everybody believed that, of course. A lot of people just thought they needed rehabilitation or to be put in prison. Others… not so much. Enough people in authority that danger was simply a part of the territory. Every pirate knew that being caught by the authorities - whatever they may be in whatever country - was a possible death sentence. By many accounts, it was usually determined by the judge and their mood.

Nima discreetly tucked the stone in her dress, beneath her brassiere. Hidden behind Koika and Dan, she willed her feet to take a step forward, fully aware of the guards around them who all tensed at their every move, and gently pushed herself in front of them. The warden raised his brows slightly as if to politely asked what did she want.

She gulped, the words she might have had swallowed back into her. All she could manage was a quiet, "Please…"

The warden met her eyes for a moment, but then he raised his chin and said, "Take them."

-:-:-:-

The warden's office was plain if not a little cozy. Cushioned chairs were placed at an angle across from his desk. The candles burning around the room left a somewhat warm glow hanging in the air, the chandelier above providing the primary light source as Warden Atuna continued to fill out paperwork on his desk. At least, she assumed that was his name according to the plate on his desk.

Cross from his desk, Nima sat watching him. Unbound, unchained and unconfined.

She didn't understand. Quite frankly, part of her didn't want to. Why hadn't he kept her locked her up with Dan and Koika? She'd forgotten to breathe when one of the guards had pulled her and her alone from the cell she, Dan and Koika shared. Two of the guards had to step forward when it looked like Dan was about to get up. Another came forward when Koika actually did get up.

She shook her head at both of them. Nobody needed to get hurt, Even if her own knees nearly gave out when they took her away. When they shoved her into the warden's office, she almost whimpered and stayed as close to the exit as possible.

Although Dan's words to her that day had stung a bit, they'd aldo rung true. Him saying the obvious just made it harder to live with. She'd known Icho's intentions when he reached for her that night. It distinctly reminded her of the feeling she got when Quil had cornered her in that alley. It...

She waited for the warden to elicit that feeling out of her.

That quiet, still, panicked feeling - but it never came. He'd only stayed on his side of the desk, politely asking her if she would sit down before he went back to his paperwork.

After some time, she couldn't stand the silence anymore. It stifled her and she finally asked, "What are you doing?"

"Paperwork that would bore you to tears," he said evenly, not taking his eyes off from his work.

"No." Nima shook her head. "I mean… why am I… in here?" She gestured to the room at general.

Warden Atuna finally leveled his gaze with her. "Would you rather be in a cell?"

She didn't answer. She didn't know.

That all depended on why she was in here, after all.

He sighed, putting his pen down. She watched him lace his scarred hands together and look her straight in the eye. "I don't fancy chaining up little girls. Let alone imprisoning them. And in your line of work I'm sure you know why." He pursed his lips dryly. "You may have committed a crime, and a pirate you may be, but I don't particularly enjoy the thought of hurting you or letting you be hurt. Not in my facility. Not on my watch."

Nima blinked. And just like that. Blunt, brutal honesty. Not a glimmer of malice or a lie in the lines of his face, the shine in his eyes. It was the kind of brutal honesty she knew her Uncle Lefty would offer her when he was being serious.

"...what about-"

"Your friends? They're both big enough my men will probably think twice about doing anything stupid."

"But not with me?"

It was his turn not to answer. A firm silence, indeed.

Nails she hadn't realized she was digging into the arm of her chair unclenched, her shoulders slumping slightly. She blinked, her back resting into the cushion of the chair.

"Now, may I ask why you and your friends were in my fortress? I'm assuming you came by ship and my men are searching the island shores for whatever ship you came on as we speak. You don't seem like much in need of treasure Miss Waterbender."

Nima bit the inside of her cheek. "It's Gyatso. But I'm assuming you already knew that too, didn't you?'

Warden Atuna smiled a little. "Smart. Yes, I know exactly who you are. I'm a fan of your father's work, if I must admit."

Nima blinked, sitting forward. "You are?"

"Yes. I'm aware of what your family... does for a living," his hands moved to prop up his chin. "Despite my nation's history and my occupation, I do not believe in owning people. I am a warden and I oversee several facilities, but this is the only place I oversee that is not… intentionally designed to imprison humans."

She'd caught that last bit. Humans.

"I… don't hear that often. About my dad. My family in general. Except maybe my mom, but even then."

The warden shrugged. "I'm allowed to have my opinions. What is law and what is right are two different things. Your father does what is right, clearly. I can't fault him for that."

Nima wanted to say thank you. It wasn't very often that someone at least marginally complimented her father, but… when his face came to mind-

A small smile was all she could manage.

"And that raises the question," the warden said, raising his brows. "Why are you not with him? He doesn't strike me as the type of man to send his child on an errand such as this. Granted, I do not know him."

Nima shook her head and said, "He didn't send me." But that was all she would say.

The warden made a noise of affirmation. "Mm. So, you are here on your own accord. Most troubling."

They sat in silence for long minutes, Nima watching her fingers play with the fabric of her dress. The warden only went back to his paperwork after some time, not allowing her to leave, but not asking her any further questions. It was she who finally asked, "Why are you doing this?"

He looked up again. Without so much as tapping around the subject, he replied, "You're young. How old are you? Not a day over eighteen?"

"I'm sixteen."

"Ah, even younger. Yes, you don't even know who you are yet. You're a baby, quite frankly." Nima almost opened her mouth at that, but kept her comments to herself. "And you don't think you're a baby. You think you're perfectly capable. But you absolutely scream paternal issues."

Nima frowned. "No, I don't."

The warden smiled. Nima crossed her arms and looked away.

"At sixteen, you think your parents have it all wrong. Nobody understands you. You believe the world is out to get you and, sometimes, it sure feels like that doesn't it?"

"You have no idea," she muttered.

"Well, here's the truth: People understand you. But nobody totally understands you. That's fine. That's how it's supposed to be. The world isn't out to get you, but bad things happen and you need to learn how to deal with it in a healthy way. No matter how terrible it is. Whatever you're going through in your life is going to pass and it might pass like a kidney stone, but it will pass. Don't fall into the trap of thinking nothing good can ever happen to you so why bother. Take responsibility. Claw your way out. Learn how to put yourself first when you have to and roll over for no one. Don't be their victim. Be your own hero." Nima's face must have morphed into question because he went on. "I have a sister who went through hell at your age. You young souls don't get a manual on what to do when life doesn't go as planned. I, at least, can provide vague instruction. And, now, I do have paperwork that must be finished tonight so you will be escorted to your sleeping quarters. Your guards will be female and no one will disturb you. If you have need of anything, ask them."

As if they were summoned, two female guards swept into the room, swords at their sides and backs straight, the armor spiked at their shoulders and making their intimidation clear.

"What's going to happen to me?" Nima finally asked.

"We'll figure something out in the morning. I don't particularly fancy turning you into the Fire Nation government, but you're going to probably to need to serve some serious community service. I have connections for that. For you and your friends," he said when she opened her mouth to ask about Dan and Koika. "For now, you go to bed."

As she began to leave, Nima turned in the doorway, opening and closing her mouth a couple times.

Warden Atuna only nodded a polite dismissal. "Good night."

-:-:-:-

"You're not going to help her by tensing yourself up like that."

Dan's jaw tightened. "I'm not tense."

"Son, I hate to break it to you, but you were tense when you said that."

"Don't call me son."

Koika raised his brows. Dan said nothing and turned away. He wasn't tense. He was… thinking. Thinking about how they hell they were going to get out of here. And even if they did manage to escape this cell, how were they going to get to Nima and out of this fortress?

He doubted that she had a plan of any sorts. Not with that cat deer look in her eyes when they'd come for her. If anybody was tense, it was probably her. He actually sent up a silent prayer that was all she was right now. While he hadn't heard of any poor rumors about the warden, he also wasn't exactly sure if the man was all that much of a role model either.

"If you look like you're up to something," Koika said out of the corner of his mouth as he made it a point to pass Dan by. "Then they're going to keep their guard up. Guards get bored. And then they get tired. Don't give them something to think about."

Dan sighed through his nose. Captain Koika was… right. Another deep breath. Since when did he ever lose his head so quickly? He spotted a seat on one of the long benches in their cell - also, their sleeping quarters. The cell wasn't too small. Big enough for two people, thankfully. It had a privy in the corner for relieving purposes and concrete walls on two sides, iron bars making up the other two walls.

"Our only option right now… is to wait." Dan snapped his head to the man, but Koika only put a hand up. "Just wait."

Dan might have growled if he didn't agree. Rational thought pleaded to him to sit down and not be stupid. He was usually the one erring on the side of caution, but they were in a situation. Not only did they have to escape now, but they had to find Nima and pray that The Sea Viper was outmaneuvering the people now actively trying to find the ship. Their only ride.

Just as Dan was about to go take a seat, one of the guards began to unlock their cell, flanked by three other fully armed men at his side. He grinned wickedly. "Someone would like to see the two of you."

-:-:-:-

When Dan saw Nima in such a huge, empty vault, two guards at her back, he almost walked a little faster. She seemed nervous, but otherwise unruffled and not disheveled in appearance.

Good. Now, if they could just get the hell out of here-

A hand clamped down on Nima's neck and a strangled squeak escaped her lips. Dan lurched forward to reach her, but the guards on either side of them had it good in them to pull on their restraints.

"If you have your friends here to encourage you, you might remember better." The sleek, oily voice belonged to a lean man with a well groomed beard, pale skin and dark beady eyes.

"Let her go," Koika growled.

The man sauntering to stand beside Nima ignored him, peering at her face with interest. Waiting. When she only side eyed him with her chin forced up from the guard's large hand wrapped around her throat, he raised well groomed brows. "Well? I'm waiting. You know where your father is. Tell me and you can go back to your nice little cell."

She struggled to get her words out and Dan was cuffed when he pulled on his restraints again, ready to pull one of the men holding him onto the ground if he had to, tight as their situation was. "The warden- he said-"

"What the warden doesn't know won't hurt him. He's a busy man. And by the time you give me the information I want, it won't matter if he knows or not." The man shrugged.

"Lieutenant Uma," said the guard with Nima's neck in his hand. Dan made a note to cut his hand off at first chance. "Shall I persuade her further?"

Uma shook his head. "No need, Shada. That's why we're in here." He gestured to the room at large and took a step closer to Nima. "Now. I'll ask you again. Where is your father and his crew? Where is Captain Kai of the Waterbender?"

Shada lifted Nima off the ground just slightly. Just enough to make her struggle. If it weren't for the guards flanked on either side of himself and Koika pressing knives to their throat, Dan would have moved. Hell, he still tried, shoving against the men restraining them. Koika pushed harder, the older man having to have the knife pressed dangerously tight against his throat before he would settle down a little. Dan's jaw clenched and he tensed as the knife felt tight against his skin. Still, he tried to move another step, some instinctive part of him refusing to just stand there while Nima was being strangled.

He felt a dribble of blood trickle down his neck and almost didn't care.

Nima's gaped with the effort as she managed, "He's no- not my- he's not my father."

Shada put Nima down and cocked his head. "That's sounds like complete bullshit from someone who looks just like him. And his wife."

She scowled right back at him. "I'm not the only girl with my complexion, you know."

"No. No you're not," Uma mused. "But you're also the only one I know who's had her face in the papers all her life. Anybody who keeps up with the filth you run around with knows just who you are after a good look. So, if we're done with this nonsense, I'll ask again. Where is your father?"

Nima met his gaze with steely eyes Dan had never quite seen from her. "I already told you. I don't know. I don't know what you're talking about because he's not my father."

"You can't remember? Truly, you can't. Not even for your friends here? It would be a… shame if I were to split open their throats, wouldn't it?"

Nima paled and her mouth hung open. "Okay, okay. Hang on… please don't. Neither of them even really ...I really don't know. Really, I don't. I haven't seen my family in a couple weeks already. We got separated. They could be anywhere now."

Uma let out a sharp sigh through his nose. "I suppose you're just going to be difficult with this, aren't you?"

Nima put a hand up. "Please, I don't know." She teared up looking at Dan and Koika. "Don't hurt them. I don't know where they are. I swear."

"That's disappointing." Uma said shaking his head. "Very disappointing. I was hoping to leave and have you tag along while I try to… reunite you with your family. Your father's quite the wanted man. The bounties on his head are rather large. I could get out of this dump and retire handsomely. But… very well. It doesn't appear you're much use to me then."

She took a step back warily, as if she could feel something amiss. "Then… you'll let us go back to our cells, right?"

Uma took a long time to answer. "...why, of course not. I can't have you informing the warden of my unannounced leave. But I won't have any of my men bloodying their knives on you and your friends... it's too risky for quick work." But his eyes held a wicked glint that Nima couldn't quite place. "As long as I've worked here, I've never met anyone who came out of the vault. We make it so easy. So, so easy for your brainless lot to get in. But leaving… no, they never leave. Those scary bastards in there have always done the work for us."

"We're practically mere decoration here, boring ourselves to tears. I wanted to be a pirate hunter, you know, but this was a cushy promotion. More money. Why not? Now, I see that I should have been ridding the seas of your kind. People like you… you… the world is so enamored with you." Uma seemed lost in himself, his monologue. A vapid, dark look in his eyes as he beheld her. "But what are you? A rogue mutt of the worst kind. A pirate with arrowheads and dirteaters in her blood. You might be pretty, but you're still degenerate from a line of other degenerates. And yet you came out of the vault." He became breathless. "Your kind… How? Why?"

"My kind?" Nima asked, disgusted. "Which kind? The pirate kind? The Earth Kingdom kind? Or the Air Nomad kind?"

"It doesn't matter." He told her. "And I don't understand it, but it doesn't matter. You're going to either serve a purpose or go back into a vault where your people belong. That's for you to decide. And who knows? Perhaps, if I leave you in here, you'll suddenly remember where your father is."

"I don't kno- eep!" Nima was thrown to the ground near the back of the vault, Dan and Koika getting the same treatment as Uma and his men headed for the exit. Her hands found Dan's and she helped him onto his feet.

"Did you know that this vault was special? Laced with old magic? It was less of a storage area and more of a waste cleaner. In the days of Sozin, the foreign prisoners used to be housed on this island. Thing is, it's really inconvenient to have too many mouths to feed. So, old, unfortunately abolished tradition tells of any prisoners too long term here being shoved into this vault and… well, let's just say people aren't a good conductor of heat. For all that air part of your heritage cares so much about, they couldn't really handle it when it was too hot."

Dan felt like Nima's face looked. Her face was immediately crestfallen and her voice was nothing more than a whisper. "You can't…"

Clearly, Nima knew her history well enough to know what they were now standing in. She and Dan got up, lunging for the exit, but Uma only grinned as the vault door slid closed on them like a mask over his horrible face.

"I can," he said. "And I will. Goodbye, mutt."

The angle in which Uma went was not one I initially chose, actually. I had totally intended him to be purely about getting the bounties on Kai's head, but it ended up fleshing him out a bit more and that's going to end up coming around later on for a purpose. The whole thing about Nima being called a mutt too is a bit of a callback to Kai because he's been called that for basically all of his life. But, yeah, this ended up also having allusions and themes related to real life genocides and I hadn't originally planned that from the beginning but further brainstorming ended up bringing it this route.

I also ended up liking Atuna more than I initially thought I would. He's not a bad guy, at all. We'll see more of him in next chapter, too.

As always, guys I love it when you leave those reviews! They really keep me motivated and keep me writing! Thank you or reading! Tune in for next chapter!