Three weeks of being in and out of reality. There would be times that he would slip, and Sokka would be drugged almost immediately. It was never for anything too suspicious; he was weak around Suki and the servants whispered that it was his love for her that kept undoing the effects of the tea. But that meant the princess watched them more, and wondered about the wisdom of keeping the Fire Lord's friends so close.
Everything changed when the ministers attacked.
"Get this out of my face." Mai slapped the cup out of the servant's hands and Sokka almost started to laugh. He clenched his jaw instead, putting on Pakku's intense glower to mask the tears forming in his eyes.
"This is disgraceful. Where is the tall dirt woman? She at least understands the rules around here." Mai stood, herself towering over the servant. "And why do I keep staring at so many Earth Kingdom faces anyway? Last I checked this is the Fire Lord's palace."
The servant dashed away without a word and Mai turned to face Sokka. When Mai arrived the servants escorted her into the same longue Sokka hid in. Now they were alone and Mai scoffed in disgust.
"Ty Lee sent me." She said and turned her face away.
"I never thought I'd be so happy to see you. Ever." Sokka replied and stood.
Still turned away from him, Mai crossed her arms over her chest and sat back down in her chair with a huff.
"The feeling's mutual." She hesitated and finally faced him. "Why is everyone acting so weird?"
"It's the tea." Sokka answered, gesturing in the direction of her dashed teacup as he walked to the chair next to hers.
"So do any of you have a plan?" Mai questioned.
"Sort of." Sokka said and Mai sighed loudly, rolling her eyes. "We're trying to get Suki out of the daze."
"Ugggggh." Mai rubbed her face with a hand, making Sokka smirk. "I hate it when she's right."
Sokka tilted his head, trying to make out the mumbling and jerked back when Mai abruptly stood.
"I'm about to call down unholy fire on this palace. It should give you enough of a distraction to do whatever it is you need to do." Mai said. Confused, Sokka started to rise but was pushed back as Mai shoved something at him. He held out his hands like a bowl and Mai dropped something weighty.
"A gift from my bitchy ex to help my idiot ex." Mai said
Now gaping like an air drowned fish, Sokka watched her yank open the door, starting to shout before slamming it behind her. As things rattled off shelves, he looked at what she gave him. A small vial of pink liquid.
"Huh." He said.
As more yelling erupted in the hall - now with the booming bass of male voices - Sokka scrambled upright. Opening the door slowly, he jumped back as two jingling servants went running down the hallway. When they disappeared around the corner, Sokka slipped out into the hall and ran the other way.
Of course, he had no idea what to do. Suki could be anywhere in the palace and he didn't have a plan on how to get her to drink the thing he assumed was an antidote. Still, with his heart hammering in his chest, Sokka moved as quickly and as quietly as he could.
Hearing more bells coming toward him, Sokka dipped into a room and left the door open a crack.
"Three weeks! Almost a month and we have no idea where Katara is and the Hirasawas have somehow escaped." Sokka recognized Xianji's voice and pressed himself against the wall next to the door, holding his breath.
"We think we may know where they have gone." The head servant, NAME, said apologetically.
"Think? Like you thought you knew which ship Katara and her little conspirator got on? Like how you thought it was wise to search the islands instead of going directly to Republic City?" Xianji hissed, her voice twisting into something malevolent. When NAME didn't respond, she sighed deeply.
"Who is this person?" She questioned.
"Her name is Mai and her father was the governor in Omashu when it was New Ozai." NAME answered.
"And what does she want?"
"A meeting with the Fire Lord. Her father is the Minister of Foriegn Affairs but she sits for him as his heir. The Fire Lord hasn't met with the cabinet in months."
"I know that." Xianji snapped. "Let's deal with this then."
They passed and Sokka darted out again. From what little information their ragtag group of rebels could get, the ministers were furious. Two factions had sprouted: one called the Fire Purists who wanted to return to the former glory of the Fire Nation, and the Constitutionalists who had been working with Zuko on creating a different form of government. Mai's father was the head of the Purists, while the Constitutionalists were popular with the younger citizens.
There were a lot more Purists in the Cabinet.
Meetings with the ministers were always contentious and stalled frequently. Since the arrival of Xianji, however, they were more unified. The course of action was the only point of concern now.
Sokka wondered who might have stormed the palace, but shook himself to focus.
"Suki. Have to find Suki." He whispered to himself.
He turned into a corner and slammed into someone, sending them both sprawling backward.
"SUKI!" Sokka exclaimed as he watched two other warriors help her up.
"What?" She asked as Sokka jumped to his feet.
"Drink this." He said, holding out the vial.
"Wha-" Suki frowned, then her mouth went wide as one warrior spun behind her, pinning her arm behind her back. The other took the vial, uncorked it, and wrenched Suki's jaw open. The dance continued as the woman with the vial poured, spun to restrain Suki, and the woman behind her moved forward to pinch Suki's nose shut.
Sputtering, Suki choked but ultimately swallowed the vial's contents. Both women then lept back, one standing next to Sokka and the other further behind Suki. Both of them with their fans extended.
"What?" Sokka exclaimed. Still coughing, Suki fell to her knees and Sokka rushed to her.
"Get her some water!" He yelled. The Kyoshi Warriors looked at each other and flicked their fans shut with a firm CLACK. The one that had been standing with Sokka moved slower now, gently taking out a small waterskin from a hidden pocket.
They hadn't been taking any chances with their beverages it seemed.
She handed Suki the waterskin, which she took greedily. Taking in a mouthful of water, Suki swallowed and let out a shaky breath.
"Did it work?" The other warrior asked as she walked over.
"I-" Suki held up her finger and then leaned forward, vomiting in Sokka's lap.
"I'm going to take that as a maybe." He said, just as Suki rocked backward and fell unconscious into the warrior's arms.
"What is going on?" The other warrior asked, bewildered.
"The catalyst." Sokka stood gingerly, not looking down. "We need to get moving."
"Feel like putting the robes on again?" The warrior holding Suki asked. She stood, carrying Suki in her arms.
"Always. But especially now. Like right now." Sokka said. The two warriors smiled and they turned back the way they had come.
Waddling to keep the heavy coolness on his shirt away from his skin, Sokka blanched as he followed the pair. He could see Suki's head bounce a little with every step and he tensed.
He wouldn't always be able to protect her, but thankfully he had a lot of friends.
"What?" He asked, missing what the other two had been saying.
"It's a saying from back home. The machine of the spirits is often worked by a surprising hand." One repeated.
"It means unexpected help can come from the unlikeliest of places." The other explained.
"You don't happen to have another one of those do you?" The first inquired.
Sokka looked again at Suki's bobbing head and frowned. It had clearly not been a difficult choice. After his sister, Suki was the obvious choice to save. Zuko was his blood brother, but there were lots of people who were working to save him.
Toph had no one. And for almost a month, she had been living totally blind.
An Earthbender who could feel lies. Who could bend metal.
But he had picked the one he promised to quit being so overprotective of. The one he kept telling himself was the most pragmatic choice.
"The Fire Lord can wait." The other answered.
Everyone forgot about Toph.