Hours later, Suki was still practicing harmonizing her movements with her chi. She'd managed to sneak back into her cell block with ease, and thankfully they'd left the cells unlocked when Sokka had snuck her and Zuko out. She finished a kata with a high kick as Sokka opened the door and slid inside. "Sokka, what's going on?"
He smiled at her, hands in the air in front of him. "Okay, I don't have much time. If I'm seen with you, the guards might think that something's up. Which it is. I just talked with my dad.
She returned the smile. "That's great, Sokka. I'm glad to hear that."
"Yeah, and we're escaping today. On the gondola."
Suki gave him a flat look. "I'm sorry, I could have sworn that I just heard you say that we were going to escape on the gondola."
"I did. Look, my dad and I came up with a plan together. We're going to commandeer the gondola. And we're gonna take a hostage with us so they won't cut the lines. It's brilliant." He moved to place his hands on Suki's shoulders before his face wrenched into a small frown and he let his hands fall to his sides.
This plan is never going to work. He doesn't know this prison like I do. "We'll never make it onto the gondola. There's way too many guards, and the prison is already on high alert from our earlier escape plan, remember?"
Sokka waved off her concerns. "My dad already thought of that. He said that we'll need a distraction. That's why we're going to start a prison riot."
She paled, but swallowed through her fear. Sokka really doesn't know the kind of people that get sent here, does he? There's going to be blood if he starts a riot. "Okay, let's say by some miracle this all works and we make it onto the gondola. The Warden will still cut the lines, even if we have a hostage. You don't know the Warden like I do, Sokka."
He winks at her. "Not if the Warden is the hostage." The clattering of feet outside her cell made him peer out of the viewport, and his shoulders fall. "I've got to go. I'll find you before we start the riot." She rushed in and wrapped him in a hug before he smiled and slipped out of the cell as silently as he'd entered.
She didn't have to wait for very long. She'd only been meditating to pass the time for a half hour or so before her cell, and every other one in the cell block opened. Low murmurs filled the halls as they all left the building and entered into the yard, confusion being the most prevalent tone amongst the prisoners. Giman sidled up beside her as she walked to the yard.
"Miss me, tinder?" Suki jumped. The older woman had been deadly quiet in her approach.
"Giman, you startled me." She continued scanning for Sokka, Hakoda or Zuko. "Do you know what's going on?"
"I don't, but you do." Her lips curled into a cruel smirk. "You're still a terrible liar. Are you going to tell me, or do I have to find out for myself?"
Suki weighed the proposition in her head. I owe her. For the chi lessons if nothing else. But I don't know what she's like on the outside, I don't know what she's done to end up here of all places. She could kill all of us in our sleep.
Before she could decide, she caught Sokka and Hakoda's eye and slipped over to them, Giman following in her wake. Sokka looked up at her with a smile that quickly faded when he caught sight of her shadow. "Who's she?"
"Someone that we can trust more than Chit Sang. Probably." At Giman's mock offended look, she rolled her eyes. "Giman helped me when I first got here." Sokka immediately nodded, taking her at her word, though Hakoda only watched Giman more closely. Probably a smart idea, to be honest. I'm glad that an unbiased party is keeping an eye on her.
Sokka continued on, oblivious to his father's tension. "This is it. All we have to do now is start a riot."
"Okay, how do we do that? The guards here are pretty brutal in putting down any sign of insurgency."
Hakoda got a smile that reminded Suki all too much of Sokka when he had an Idea. "Oh, don't you kids worry about that. I'll show you." He walked over to a nearby group of prisoners and shoved the biggest one as hard as he could, staggering him forward a step.
"Hey, why did you do that for? That hurt my feelings." Hakoda balked. That clearly wasn't the reaction that he'd been hoping for.
"Aren't you mad at me? Water Tribe guy like me, shoving you like that?"
"Uhh, well normally I would be, but I've been working to control my anger." Sokka and Suki were in as much disbelief as Hakoda. Wait, someone actually attended those voluntary anger management sessions?
"This isn't working. Think, Sokka." He paced back and forth before a huge and familiar meaty hand landed on his shoulder.
"Hey you. You're lucky I didn't rat you out. But my generosity comes with a price. I know you're planning another escape attempt and I want in." Chit Sang grinned like he held all of the cards. To be fair, if he could start a riot where Hakoda failed, we would owe him.
"Rat you out? We had nothing to do with the initial plan failing! It should have worked." Sokka knocked his hand off of his shoulder and stuck a finger up at his face. "What did you do?"
"Oh, probably something stupid. Chit Sang's like coal; useful, but not terribly bright." Giman finally made her presence known. "And escape? Why Suki, I knew that you had plans, but you already tried to escape without me? And I thought that we were friends."
The big man's face paled as he took a step back. "Giman!" He turned to look at Sokaa, shaking his head. "No way, little man, deal's off. If Deathblossom is going with you, I'm not. I want to live. Start your own riot."
Okay, ignoring the badass nickname, what? "I'm sorry, Deathblossom? " Suki rounded on her limited ally and slid a foot back, ready to defend Sokka from her. "I think that you need to share a thing or two, Giman."
"Deathblossom is a killer of the worst sort. Thirteen confirmed kills, all men. And that was six years ago, before I got locked up in here. The way that they died… drowning would have been kinder." Chit Sang ground out, fists raised and ready to set her on fire. "No man is safe with her around."
Sokka took a step back, face paling. Suki took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I know that I owe you, and I like you, I do, but… There's going to be men. And you can't hurt them."
"Oh little Suki, I wouldn't ask you to compromise your precious morals for me, nor put your... friends in danger. Just drop me off somewhere, anywhere that's not here and we'll be square." Suki looked at her companions; Chit Sang was still freaked out, and Sokka was unsure, clearly trusting her instincts. Oh boy, I'm going to regret this.
She turned to Chit Sang. "We need a riot. You wouldn't happen to know how to start one would you?"
He shook off his fear and attempted to plaster a mask of confidence onto his face, a mask that Suki was well familiar with at this point. "A prison riot? Please." He pushed his way past the group, though Suki noted that he kept at least a couple of feet between him and Giman at all times. Hakoda gave him an unimpressed look as he wandered back over to them, frowning at his own failure. Giman took one look up and down his frame before smiling, a dark light in her eyes. Sokka immediately started bristling and reaching for something on his belt, but Suki caught his hand, looked into his eyes and nodded slowly. Do you trust me, Sokka? I have a plan.
He slowly nodded and moved to put himself between the tattooed woman and his dad, fists clenched. Chit Sang finally made his way over to the same group of prisoners that Hakoda had tried to incite earlier. She wondered what tact the big man would use, and was only slightly surprised when he grabbed one of the shorter prisoners by the front of his shirt and physically lifted him over his head. "Hey!" His voice boomed over the yard as he began heaving his captive up and down. "Riot!" A heartbeat of silence passed over the assembled prisoners before all hell broke loose, fists flying as often as flames.
"Impressive." Hakoda seemed slightly miffed, as if jealous, before suddenly scowling. She turned to see what had changed his mood, and began to softly laugh. Hakoda's initial target, so proud of his anger management, had thrown control to the wind and decided to join in the melee.