Between a Rock and a Hard Place

by Jacob Hayes Ace Author

Jacob Hayes is no longer a confused fifteen-year-old boy, waking up in a strange world. He's grown, and is ready to show the world exactly what he's made of in the second part of this series. Continuation of Getting off to a Rocky Start. Warning, moderate discussion of sexual activity, no graphic descriptions.

7. Chapter 7

August 24th, 8:30 PM

Fire Nation Royal Palace

Roof

His back leaned against the golden spire, the sun-warmed metal feeling good against his bare skin, now that his gourd was off to the side. He concentrated for a moment, feeling the vibrations underneath him. 'I'm alone. There's nobody within fifty feet of me.' Jacob dispelled the disguise, returning to his normal form in seconds. He took a breath of fresh air for what felt like the first time in years, soaking in the warm breeze and the dying light of the sun. "I'd almost forgotten what it felt like to have air against my skin, to feel the light shine on me. It's been far too long." He stretched out, cracks and pops sounding out all over his body. "Ooohhhhh, that shit felt good." He brought out all the sand from his gourd, forming it into a shell around him. 'I'd better visit, it's been a while.' He took a deep breath, reaching out with his mind to the earth surrounding him. It was no longer a rough pull, instead a gentle hug, embracing him familiarly.

August 24th, 9:00 PM

Gaia's Domain

A pair of stone lips pressed onto his forehead the moment he reformed. "You have no idea how worried I was. What are you doing so close to the strongest icon?" He held Gaia in his arms, rubbing her back. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. There's so much of my blood in that sword, looking at me compared to it is like looking at a campfire compared to the sun." She frowned at him. "I have warned you not to be so callous. Even the blind can feel a campfire's heat." It was his turn to kiss her forehead. "And I have warned you not to underestimate me. I can get kilometers away from him in minutes if need be. Have you been lonely without me?" A crystal finger prodded his ribs. "Yes. Why haven't you come to visit?"

His head fell forward. "Uhm. I didn't want to show up looking different and get a finger through the skull. I've been running in disguise for a while, as part of a deal I made." They settled down onto the ground, as he leaned back into her soothing embrace. "You will describe this deal in detail." He let out a contented sigh. "I am to act as Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation's retainer and to have him reinstalled as the first in line for the throne. In return, he won't chase the Avatar for a month and let me find out everything I need to know about their war strategy while I'm here. I'm also nailing his sister." She raised a gembrow. "I assume the last part is extraneous information?" He chuckled. "Yes. That's probably going to be a bigger reason for me to flee Ozai than being found out as your icon."

This earned him a knock on the head. "I fail to see how the war strategy has anything to do with your quest." He shrugged. "I couldn't exactly ask for his father's head on a silver platter, so I chose the next best thing. And what's up with not telling me the Avatar was a girl, hm? I nearly had a heart attack when I saw Aya." Her laugh tinkled out through the caves. "That is your punishment for assuming. What difference does it make?" He thought about it for a second, then shook his head. "None. Just wasn't expecting it. How is your search going? Find another suitable candidate?" She sighed in exasperation. "I may have my standards set too high. Not a single one." Jacob's grin nearly spanned to his ears. "Eh, I'm good enough by myself anyways." Her fingers ran through his hair, massaging his scalp. "Yes, you are. Now go to sleep." He nestled back into her. "If you insist. Night, mom." Her emerald gems widened for a moment before she wrapped her arms around him and said "Good night, my son."

August 25th, 8:00 AM

Fire Nation Royal Palace

He walked through what felt like miles of red and gold halls, filled with paintings of past Fire Lords, ornately woven carpet under his bare feet and golden idols on the walls. 'How one man can stomach this much luxury, I have no idea. It nearly makes me sick looking at it. Ozai is quite the glimmerous fop, it seems.' Gaara reached his destination, pushing open the door to the dining hall. His progress towards the table was halted by a familiar face. "You are the lecher who assaulted the princess." The fat man snarled at him, arm wrapped in bandages and splints. "I am Lon Xau of the nobl-" He walked past, taking an open seat next to Cheara. Xau followed him, drawing a subtle glare. "My promise does not expire with the day."

"I, Lon Xau, challenge you, Gaara of the Desert, to an Agni Kai, for the hand of princess Cheara!" He turned to his side. "Does he have any claim to you?" She nodded, chewing on some steamed fish. Gaara pushed up from his chair, towering nearly a foot over the man glaring at him. "I accept your challenge, on the stipulation that I may use my earthbending to trounce you." His face steamed, turning beet red with anger. Cheara pulled him down next to her. "You don't have to do this. Nobody will look down on you for not taking the fight." He glanced over at the seat of the table, where Ozai was watching with no small amount of interest. "Do you wish to marry him?" She shook her head. "Then you will not."

"You're willing to do that for me?" He nodded, eyes dead serious. "Anything for you, my princess." She stood up from the table and grabbed his head, pulling him down a few inches. She kissed him full on the lips, something he eagerly reciprocated. "That's your reward, for being so ready to fight for me. There's another in it for you if you win." He stared into her eyes for a moment. "I will, immediately." He grabbed Lon Xau's shoulder so hard it nearly broke and warped them away.

August 25th, 8:30 AM

Fire Nation Royal Palace

Agni Kai Chamber

The seats were filled with spectators, waiting for the event to start. The arena was a simple, flat rectangle of stone, three-legged iron braziers holding up bowls of burning coal. He stepped onto the middle of the platform, shirtless, gourdless, and barefoot. Xau was much the same on the opposite end, his gut spilling out over his pants. 'I'm not going to marry her, but this guy isn't qualified for half that much woman. Besides, if she doesn't want to, there's no reason I can't solve the problem for her, it won't be any trouble.' He flexed his fingers, small bits of sand curling around them.

A booming voice echoed out from overhead. "GAARA OF THE DESERT, ARE YOU FULLY PREPARED?" He nodded. "Yes." 'That's Ozai. Nice announcer voice, it must come in handy during speeches.' "LON XAU OF THE NOBLE HOUSE OF CHI TON, ARE YOU FULLY PREPARED?" Xau pointed to his arm. "I am gravely injured, and unable to duel. I wish to invoke the right of proxy!" This set the crowd astir. His eyes tightened. "Cowardly, but expected. I will fight and defeat anyone you bring forward." "THEN WHO IS YOUR PROXY?" A sinister smile split his face. "My proxy is Taya Xau, my sister and the Fighting Phoenix!" Gaara raised an eyebrow. "You clearly do not know how I fight, if you are willing to send in your sibling against me."

The woman he was going to face was 5'4", with pale skin, hair that was blood red, and a frame that was lithe and agile, except for one part. 'That's one huge fucking rack. Gotta be a pair of I's, at least.' She stretched her arms to her sides, letting him get a full view of the mountains of flesh, flaunting them and smirking when she saw his stare. "Little earth kingdom boy likes what he sees? If you forfeit right now, maybe I'll let you have a closer look." He rubbed his chin, the crowd gasping. "You must be an excellent distraction for normal men. Unfortunately for you," His gaze shifted to bore into her eyes. "I am not a normal man." Ozai cleared his throat from above. "AS ONE OF THE PARTICIPANTS IS NOT A FIREBENDER, THERE IS NEED OF A WAY TO END THE DUEL IN HIS VICTORY. THUS, THE DUEL WILL END WHEN EITHER GAARA IS BURNED OR TAYA ADMITS DEFEAT. DO BOTH PARTICIPANTS AGREE TO THESE TERMS?" Gaara crossed his arms. "Yes. Let's get on with it already." Taya's smirk intensified. "Someone's eager."

"BEGIN!" He rubbed his chin. "You're the Fighting Phoenix, one of our best soldiers. I cannot afford to damage you at this time. How will I make you submit?" She stood still, a wreath of flame appearing around her body. "If you're asking for suggestions, I'd start praying." He shook his head. "Pondering. But upon that occasion, something else has occurred to me." He flashed from view with a swirl of sand. "You're not in the proper uniform for an Agni Kai." His voice came from behind her, as he pulled the shirt over her head before she even realized what was happening. He warped back to the other side of the arena and nodded. "There. Now we can begin."

She seemed unperturbed by the loss of her clothes. "Really eager. But seeing as I've just won, I'll take that as your forfeiture and your closer look." He held up his hand, scarred an awful black. "It would appear that way. But appearances can be deceiving." He punched his arm around the burn, shards of rock falling off, revealing pale, unblemished skin underneath. "All you have burned is my earthen armor. Seeing as it would be rather difficult to determine my actual physical state in this condition…" He tapped all of his joints, more and more rock falling off of him. By the time he was done, a pile of rock as large as him was on the ground. "Now, you will be able to tell when it is a real burn."

She flipped her crimson hair over her shoulder, wreathing herself in flames once more. "How kind of you. I suppose I'll return the favor, by leaving you alive." 'Observe.'

[Fighting Phoenix] Taya Xau
Lvl: 73

HP: 2100/2100

SP: 2900/2900

STR: 58

AWN: 48

INT: 31

CON: 90
SPD: 135
CHR: 41

Armor: [None]

Weapon: [None]

Traits: Healthy

Healthy: Base HP and SP gain from the CON stat is doubled.

Combat Proficiencies:

Blazing Fist Lvl 89

Firebending Lvl 64

Skills: ? Lvl ?

It took every ounce of self-control he had not to break out into a cold sweat. 'A guy like that has a sister like this?! Oh, I am fucked. She's so goddamn fast, I'm not even sure if the shield's going to be able to keep up. If I want to win, I'm going to have to fix that somehow.' His mind was racing a mile a minute, before it dawned on him. He slammed a fist into the ground, turning the arena to the consistency of mud. 'That should slow her down at least a little.'

SPD: 105

'Not much, but at least I'm not totally outclassed anymore.' Taya pulled her feet out of the muck, indents being left under her feet. "Mud? Aw, that's no fun. Well, I can fix that right up! I'll even do it your way!" She punched the ground too, a tidal wave of fire spreading from her hand and coating the floor. A wall of sand guarded his feet, though that clearly wasn't her objective. He shook his head. "That won't work. There's nothing you can do to revert it." He kicked the ground next to him, charred black. It bounced like it was made of water. "This is just sheer rock. All that will do is make it black." She tested it herself, prodding it with a foot. "I've killed plenty of earthbenders, but none of them could do this. You're not bad for a kid." A tendril of sand reached out at her. She bolted out of the way so fast his eyes could barely keep up. 'Shit! She's still way too fast for me to handle. When it comes down to it, I'm smarter and barely stronger, but that's it.' She dashed in a circle around him, closing in like a hungry shark that smelled blood, hands and legs cloaked in fire. He heard an impact behind his head and sent the sand over there. Another flash of sand in front of him, another blocked punch inches from his face. He stood calm and collected as ever, but inside he was sweating. 'This is just like what happened then. I can't let it go the same way. Think, Jacob, think! How are you going to get out of this mess without killing her? Maybe that'll work.' He flicked his hand and smirked, a small pebble in his hands, well out of sight to everyone watching. 'It's been a long time since I used one of these. Here goes nothing.'

He clapped his hands together, creating a loud bang. This caused the single lapse in concentration he needed, as Taya lost her footing on the already unsteady surface and tripped. She was rolling to get back up when his sand caught her, four tendrils each grabbing a limb. He lifted her spread eagle in the air as she struggled. "Will you submit?" A blast of fire from her hands answered the question, making him bend low under it. The tendrils started to snake their way up her body, swirling around her arms and legs, eventually getting to her exposed breasts. She gasped and glared at him. "You wouldn't dare!" He shook his head. "I will not have to, if you admit defeat. You are restrained, in the air, with little ability to firebend. The winner is clear." She sealed her mouth, a small smirk forming, seeking to call his bluff. "That was the wrong choice, unless you tend towards exhibitionism." One of the tendrils curled it's way around the rightmost pale white orb and squeezed. A blush spread on her cheeks. "What the hell do you think you're doing?! This is an Agni Kai, not a porno!"

"It will become one unless you submit." She hung her head low. "Fine. I admit it. You could've killed me by now if you wanted to. I lose." The tendrils stopped, one of them reaching for her shirt and placing it back on her. "My apologies, but it was that or death." The arena rippled, turning back to hard stone. She walked up to him and poked a finger into his chest. "I want a rematch, no funny stuff." He shrugged. "My schedule is often clear. Find me, and I will oblige." The sand twisted around him, leaving no trace of where he'd gone.

He spent the next few hours in silent meditation on the roof, after receiving his reward from Cheara.

August 25th, 3:15 PM

Outside the Royal Palace

He appeared next to Azula, who was standing in the barren field, holding a small pouch filled with sand. "Princess. You have need of me?" She nodded, pointing a finger to his left. "That man over there is Hwang, the best detective in the Fire Nation." Hwang was well-dressed, in a black robe and pointed hat, and an earnest yet fearful expression on his face. "He wants to inspect the body from yesterday to find out how the assassins got in. Be a dear and bring it up." He placed his palm on the ground. "Please move to the side, princess." She took a step to the right, as the mangled corpse of an earthbender popped out where she had been standing. "Male, mid-thirties, tan skin, from the coastal region of the Earth Kingdom."

Hwang frowned. "How can you tell he was from the coast?" He bent down and rolled him over, pointing at his wrists and hands. "Calloused, obviously from hard labor. The most common possibilities are farmer and fisher. His skin is tanned, indicating either, but his face and arms are wrinkled, from long exposure to saltwater. Where on the coast, I do not know. Logic dictates that he was not an original inclusion into the group, instead transportation and a secondary combatant. The other three's advanced projectile usage supports this, compared to his simple earthen pillar." Hwang folded his arms, thinking through it. He nodded finally. "Your conclusion seems correct. Could you produce one of their projectiles?" He snapped his fingers as a patch of earth flew up to his hand. It formed into an arrow. "This is what they used. Does it hold any significance?" He stared at it for a moment, mouth partially open as if trying to say something. "It's on the tip of my tongue… dye… die… Dai Li! The Earth King's premiere assassins." Gaara tapped his temple. "The culprit is revealed. But the identity of dead men means little. Our quarry is the traitor, whoever granted them access."

He folded his arms. "However. They showed the capability to tunnel through the earth. Could they not have burrowed their way here?" Azula smirked. "That's impossible. Iron grates are layered in the ground, though you might not be able to see them from here. It wouldn't be the first time an earthbender tried to assassinate the Fire Lord." He shook his head. "They weren't here for your father." She blinked once, then her eyes shifted towards him. "How do you know?" A smirk appeared on his face. "Because I'm one of them." Her eyes widened, but they reverted when he chuckled. "Your humor needs work." He tapped his temple. "I will take your advice to heart. In the meantime, you were their target. Otherwise, they would've continued on without attacking." Hwang nodded. "The boy is correct. Did you work as a detective?" "No."

The scene was awkwardly quiet for a moment, before he turned over the body again. "But if the princess wills it, I will become so." He pulled rocks around his hands, forming a narrow sheet. He did the same to Azula and Hwang, who looked at him expectantly. "I will explain in a moment." He rooted through the pockets, searching for anything. Finally, he found a single silver piece. "Excellent. Hold this, please. Gently." He slammed a fist into the ground, pulling up a small black rock. "Now cup your hands, with the piece in the center." She did as requested, Hwang hovering over her shoulder. He crushed the rock in his bare hands, powderizing it. It fell slowly onto the coin, coating it in the black powder. "Mr. Hwang, blow very, very lightly." A slight exhale of breath blew most of it away, except for some small lines. He grinned. "Perfect." He held it up to the light, the sun's rays shining off the white metal. "Arch. That's very good, distinctive. The next step is to get his." He brought out a small pile of sand. "Princess, if you'd be so kind as to turn this into glass, I'd be grateful." A stream of blue fire poured from her fingers. He waited until it was cooling but still malleable, and pressed the coin into it. When fully clear, the black lines were preserved almost perfectly.

"What did we just do?" Gaara tapped one of his hands, and held up a finger. "Each human has a unique set of ripples on their finger. Faint traces that can be discovered through careful observation will remain. If we find a set that matches, we can identify who touched the piece last, potentially leading us to our traitor." She hummed, tapping her chin. "So the rocks are around our hands, so ours don't get on anything?" He nodded. "You're learning quickly. Next up, his hands." He ripped the right hand off the corpse, and peered at one of the fingers. He tossed it away after a second. "Whorl. Not his." He ignored the horrified looks on their faces. "Tell me everything you know about the plot so far."

Hwang's eyes became serious. "The time where the entrance was unguarded was only ten minutes. Five people within the palace were unaccounted for during that time. Only three would've had the authority to make the guard leave and then kill them. Otherwise, they would've needed to move the body a substantial distance without being caught." He pressed a finger into his forehead. "How were they killed?" Hwang waved his hand. "Firebending, obviously. They were burned alive inside their armor. Although…" "You must tell me everything. What was it?" He grimaced. "Their helmet had a dented hole inside, like they were hit with a pointed hammer beforehand." He picked his brain, before coming to a conclusion. "Taya Xau was one of those unaccounted for." His nod was sharp, even with the disbelief on his face. "You're accusing the Fighting Phoenix?" He shook his head. "No. But I felt her punches. It would be within her abilities to bend steel if she chose. Who else is on the list?" Hwang produced an inked sheet of paper, several names crossed off already. "Anyone eliminated had an airtight alibi. The rest are the five mentioned earlier." He clapped a hand onto both of their shoulders. "Very well. Let us be off."

August 25th, 3:30-5:30 PM

Caldera City

It was slow going. Tracking down every member on the list took hours. General Gonjin was in the bathtub, and though his fingers were wrinkled from soaking, he clearly didn't match. Next was a gaunt noble by the name of Jing Fa. His fingers were burned tragically in a freak accident years ago, or so he claimed. But the burns were years old, so there was no chance he had left the prints. Admiral Zhao was more forthcoming with his story upon seeing Gaara, admitting that he did have an alibi, but didn't want to give it out of embarrassment. He was attending a meeting but was thrown out for speaking out of turn, and the others confirmed his presence for long enough that it was impossible for him to have committed the crime. Iroh was sipping from his teacup when they found him, and claimed he had been doing the same yesterday. His fingers were the most distinctive loops that Gaara had ever seen, so he was clear.

Flickering around the city had taken quite a bit out of him, especially with the other two tagging along. That was the (fairly valid, as his SP was about 100) excuse he gave for walking for a short stretch, along with "Too little exercise and you may become fat," which earned him a blast of blue fire to the face. Their journey ended at the house of Xau, where a servant answered the door. "P-princess Azula! Please, come in! To what do we owe thi-" "Save it. Is the Phoenix home?" He gulped and stepped aside, letting them in. "She'll be down at once."

A pair of breasts pressed into his back was the first indicator that she had heard them coming. "Aw, you saved me the trouble of coming to look for you? How thoughtful!" A few tendrils of sand removed her from his back, setting her on the floor. "My apologies. Our rematch will need to be put on hold, possibly forever. I am here on a far more serious matter, concerning national security." She sighed, twirling a strand of her hair. "Of course. You really are no fun. What's that got to do with me?" He reached over and grabbed her hand, staring at the tips of her fingers. She blushed. "The hand inspection usually comes after the marriage, you know?" He let out a small curse. "Arches. Damn." He released her hand and looked into her eyes. "I'll be brutally honest. You're currently the lone suspect in an assassination plot." Her eyes widened as a tendril of sand wrapped around her leg, rooting her to the spot. "Wha- but I've been loyal to this country my entire life! I've given everything in service, since the day I was born! I could've had a cushy life, sitting around eating dates off the vine, but I chose to fight in the war, next to the common soldier, bec-" he held up a hand. "So you claim you are innocent?" A wreath of flame covered her as a vein pulsed on her forehead. "OF COURSE I AM!" He nodded. "Then compose yourself, and tell me exactly where you were at 10:20 AM yesterday."

She groaned. "I was here, at home." He rubbed his chin. 'This is going to be tricky. It's hard to tell if she's lying, with how fast her heart is already pounding.' "And what were you doing?" She grabbed her arm and looked at the floor. She leaned in close to his ear and whispered "I was, you know, taking care of my needs." He stared blankly at her. "So you were masturbating." Her cheeks burned. "You can't just say that in front of the-" "I just did. Your lack of alibi is expected, though no less unfortunate. You touched a piece of silver that was found in one of the assassin's pockets." She shrugged. "Don't know how you know that, but it's not hard to explain. I go to the market sometimes for a snack. Maybe his cover was a vendor." His eyes narrowed. "You're digging yourself deeper. I tore off his hand for more than one reason. There was flour still on him." She flinched, looking at his pleadingly. "I swear, I didn't do it! It was a random guess!" He felt her heart accelerate. "Lying to me is only going to make this worse. Treason carries the death penalty. Now, how did you know that was his cover?"

She grabbed her arm. 'I wish she'd stop doing that. It reminds me so much of her.' "I… it was a hunch. Two days ago, I was in the market, and I ordered a fire cake from a pretty tanned guy. He wasn't going to let me pay, but it was soooo good, I gave him a little extra. I stuck around afterwards, trying to get the recipe, and I saw him tossing a rock up and down. Then it flew over towards the right, but I wasn't sure if he was a bender. Now I am." Her heart had calmed down, and it was beating steadily. He pulled a small purple gemstone out of his gourd, and a bit of sand came out with it. It formed around her arm into a compacted bracelet. "Tanzanite has a very special signature, that I can pick out from kilometers away with my eyes open. If you run, I will know. The name of the shop?" She breathed a sigh of relief. "Anko's Bakery, in the northern quarter of Caldera. You believe me?" He shook his head. "No. I believe your explanation is possible, and will determine whether or not it is the truth." 'It's all coming back. It's like I never left. Jacob Hayes, Ace Investigator is back, baby. And he's ready to kick some fucking ass.' "Princess, Detective, I'll handle things from here. There's no need to trouble yourself with any more of this." He flickered away before they could protest.

August 25th, 6:00 PM

Caldera City

Anko's Bakery

A small bell on the door rang as he walked in. "Hello! Welcome to our shop, young'n! Anything I can get for you?" The round old lady with gray hair and a sagging face got up from behind the counter with surprising spryness. "I'm here on official business. Did you hire anyone recently?" Her face turned serious. "Yes. Has something happened to Jin?" He rubbed his chin. "It may have. Tan, mid-thirties male, with a decent build, shaven head, and rough hands?" She nodded, an exasperated look on her face. "That describes him to a t. What has he done now?" His posture was relaxed as he pointed a finger at her. "Jin, was it? He was an assassin sent by the Earth Kingdom to kill Princess Azula. I crushed him to death yesterday. How long ago did he begin employment here?" Her eyes blazed with anger. "Now, if you're insinuating I ha-" he slammed a hand on the table. "I am not insinuating anything. I asked a very simple question. Answer it." Her eyes widened and she held up her hands. "Seven days ago. He was the best cook I've ever had. That boy could make a pastry like nobody else who's set foot in this shop, excluding me."

He folded his arms. "I've heard as much. Did he show up for work yesterday?" She hustled behind the counter. "I can check the ledger. If there was any sale, it would've been him. He's the only help I have. Had." She pulled out a leather-bound book, and he warped behind the counter with her. "I am clean." She nodded slowly. "Good, or I'd have to spank you for coming back here." She ran her fingers down the page. He tapped a spot on the right. "That's marked close to the time. He did make a sale. To whom?" She shook her head. "No, no. You see the D next to it? This was a delivery. He went to the Royal Palace? Oh my, I didn't even know they enjoyed our pastries!" He grimaced. "That aligns with his movements. Who ordered them?" She shook her head again. "The only thing written here is Xau. He must've forgotten to have their full name recorded again. I wish he'd be able to one more time." He frowned. 'I thought so. But I don't think she was lying to me. There's something else going on here.' "I see. Thank you, ma'am, you've been a great help. Could you copy down that ledger?" She thrust the book into his hands. "Just bring it back. You know where to find me."

August 25th, 6:15 PM

Caldera City

Xau Household

His arrival in the living room was abrupt, and apparently disturbing, given the jet of fire that was launched his way. "Impeding my investigation is as good as spitting in the Princess's face. Now move, I have business with your sister." Lon snarled, his arm tensing, a bright gold ring on his finger. "First you shatter my arm, then you embarrass her in front of the entire palace, now you accuse her of such a heinous crime while being a dirty mudslinger?! I will not stand for your impudence!" He spat right at Gaara's face, whose sand moved up to block it. There was a dangerous edge to his words. "I am told the proper term for you is "small fry." Without your sister, you are nothing. You cannot even produce fire hot enough to turn my sand into glass. Now leave, before I am forced to turn you into a cube of meat." He stalked off through the house. Upon hearing Gaara's gourd uncork, it turned into a full-fledged run. He smirked at the reaction, then turned his attention to Taya.

He made a small table between them, a seat on either side. "Please, pull up a chair." She scooted into the seat, feeling the surface. "It's kinda hard." His foot reached over and tapped it. The sandstone puffed up a little. "Much better. Thank you." He netted his hands under his chin. "Taya. I'd like you to take a look at this for me." A small section of his gourd split off and the book hovered out, splitting open on the table in front of her. He tapped the page for August 24th. "Read what it says right here on the third line." She craned her head over. Her eyes widened. "That's correct. You said you had nothing to do with this. Yet here is your name on the ledger, having assassins brought into the palace at just the right time. Do you have an explanation?" She held her head in her hands. "I… no. I don't. I don't know why it's there. But…" he laid his hands down flat. "I am again going to be brutally honest. Currently, the case against you is very solid. Any prosecutor could make a conviction with this, if it even gets to trial. I would like to believe you when you say that you had nothing to do with this. But I can't, not unless you give me something to work with. Tell me, Taya."

She wiped a tear from her eye. "If you had to choose between your family and yourself, what would you pick?" He frowned. "That is a complex question. Family is a burden that takes two people. When one does not hold up their end, all the effort of the other is meaningless, no matter how strong. Do you believe that the other side has dropped out from under you?" She grabbed her arm, right above the bracelet. "I… yes. I think my brother is framing me." He nodded. "I've gathered that he sees you as a useful tool. Now, you are being discarded. So that I may be clear, the only stake I have in this matter is the truth. If the truth is that you are innocent…" he put a hand on hers. "I will prove it." She pulled him in closer, hugging him as the sand table dissolved between them. "Then I'm already free. Thank you, Gaara." He let the unspoken implication hang in the air as they separated. The sand flowed back into his gourd, before twisting around him once more.

August 25th, 6:45 PM

Caldera City

Hwang was walking through the wide open streets of Caldera City when Gaara appeared in front of him. "What was Lon Xau's alibi?" He shook his head. "It was absolutely ironclad, evidence proved he was there and there was even a corroborator. There's no-" He folded his arms. "I don't recall asking for your opinion. Now, what was his alibi?" Hwang sighed. "Ms. Xau has caught your eye, clearly. He went shopping, and the clerk saw him, his name and family seal are on the ledger. Other people in the store report seeing a fat man with black hair." He nodded. "I'll need the name of the store and witness. For the record, she has not "caught my eye." I simply wish for the truth, and these circumstances seem too perfect. In my experience, when a suspect has an alibi that seems too perfect? It usually is." Hwang rubbed his chin. "It happens. But sometimes, it really is the most obvious solution. And when that obvious solution is a beautiful woman, a surprising amount of men are willing to look past it." He shook his head. "I've already seen the most beautiful woman on this planet."