Chapter 9
On the day of the penultimate round of the tournament, Katara arrived at the Agna Qel'a observatory feeling reasonably confident. She was leading the tournament with seven points out of seven, same as Hahn Adjuk. Yue was trailing them by a point, and a couple of other contestants were a further half a point behind. The final two rounds would decide everything, as Katara was scheduled to play Hahn in Round 8 and then Yue in the final round.
All things considered, Katara had expected herself to feel more nervous, even having taken a Librium pill the previous evening. However, as she sat down at the Pai Sho board in the main hall of the observatory with its impressively high domed roof, Katara felt a strange and soothing calm coming over her. It wasn't just the sedating effect of the pill. It was more because Katara had a plan for her upcoming match with Hahn.
Waiting for the game to begin, Katara did some basic mental exercises, focusing on her breathing to keep herself relaxed. She could see Hahn milling about, conversing with some of the spectators, mostly younger girls. Hahn was in no hurry to sit down at the Pai Sho board and Katara was perfectly fine with that. She allowed herself a brief glance at the audience, spotting Sokka nearby and smiling at her brother. Not far away, she noticed grandmaster Pakku Karetak. He seemed to be glaring at his protégé Hahn, probably displeased about him wasting his time with the fans and just wishing that Hahn would focus more on his upcoming match. Katara kept staring at Pakku until he noticed her looking at him. She flashed a beaming smile at the old grandmaster, earning herself a frustrated scowl in return. Feeling even better about herself, Katara looked over at Yue a few tables away, her best friend preparing to crush some far less talented player. Katara smiled at Yue, receiving a quick grin and a wink in return.
Finally, some thirty seconds before the start of play, Hahn finally made his way over to the table, shook her hand and sat down, but not before making a ridiculous remark about there being almost too many hot chicks at this year's tournament and winking at his opponent. Katara ignored the remark, not rising to the bait. Hahn was probably just trying to throw Katara off her game, and she wasn't going to let it happen. No, she would hit him with something unexpected.
All throughout the tournament, Katara had been facing opponents considerably weaker than her. Because of that, she had been able to defeat them by remaining in her comfort zone and employing her naturally defensive style of play. She was well aware that this tactic would not work with Hahn Adjuk. Hahn was also a very solid defensive player, with style similar to hers, only more complete. Katara anticipated that his plan for their contest would be to gradually overwhelm her in a battle of two defensive strategies. He was about to receive a very unpleasant surprise.
Katara began the game very conservatively, just as Hahn had expected her to do. For the first dozen or so moves, she allowed the game to progress along a predictable pattern, slowly developing her tiles. But just when Katara felt that Hahn was starting to get comfortable and perhaps a little complacent, she suddenly switched her tactic completely. Katara went full out aggressive mode, going on an unexpected attack. This was not her usual style, and Katara knew that some of the moves she was making were not exactly well thought out and could be considered very risky. However, the game of Pai Sho was as much about skill as it was about psychology. Being able to surprise your opponent was a very important element of the game, and judging by the stunned look on Hahn's face, Katara was doing a great job in surprising him.
Within half a dozen moves, the situation on the board had transformed completely. Katara had completely blitzed Hahn and wiped out all of his tiles on the left side of the board. Taken by surprise, Hahn failed to find the best response to Katara's aggression, and his position crumbled like a house of cards. On the twenty-fourth move, Katara's White Jade tile took Hahn's unguarded Rose and formed a harmony ring, leaving Hahn staring at the board in incomprehension.
"What just happened?" Hahn managed. Katara almost felt sorry upon seeing the forlorn look on his face. Almost, but not quite.
"I would call it a complete and utter embarrassment," Katara replied, smiling. Right now, she was feeling really good about herself. Katara caught Yue staring at her with a questioning look in her eyes, giving Yue thumbs up in response. The broad grin on Yue's face was all the reward Katara had craved for.
It looked like Hahn was about to make a nasty retort at her, but fortunately, one of the tournament's referees had wandered up to their table, so the comment never left Hahn's lips. Without any further word, Hahn Adjuk rose from the table and walked off, disappearing into the crowd and ignoring the attempts of his mentor to beckon him over for some well-earned chewing out.
Feeling emboldened, Katara got up from the table and walked over to where grandmaster Pakku Karetak stood among the spectators. "I hope you enjoyed watching the game, grandmaster," she spoke, appearing all innocent smiles.
"Your offensive strategies leave a lot to be desired, Enuaraq," Pakku sneered at her. "You made far too many mistakes in that game. A better player would have punished you severely."
"Ah, thank you for the admission that I am a better player than your student," Katara kept smiling. "Perhaps you will admit to having made an unfortunate choice when deciding who to tutor, after all?" she asked, watching Pakku mutter something incomprehensible as he glared at her.
By now, Katara had accomplished what she had wanted, and so she walked away, smiling smugly while keeping her head raised high. She wasn't usually petty or vindictive, but Pakku's earlier rejection had upset her a great deal, especially when it was done for such disgustingly sexist reasons. Getting back at him like this felt incredibly satisfying and Katara knew that she would savor the memories of this moment for the days to come.
Azula's light sleep once again forced her to wake up in the middle of the night to the sounds of some kind of ruckus coming from downstairs. Immediately guessing the reason for this commotion, Azula wasted no time in jumping out of the bed and dashing downstairs. In one of the ground floor drawing rooms, the two additional guards whose presence she had requested had pinned a black-clad figure to the floor, rendering them immobile. Two of the regular gate guards were on standby, making sure that their captive would not manage to pull any tricks.
"Miss Nakamura?" one of the guards addressed Azula, looking surprised to see her. Perhaps the man thought that Azula would be frightened in this situation. In that case, they did not know Azula at all. "Perhaps you should remain upstairs. We might be dealing with a hardened criminal here."
"Don't be ridiculous," Azula rolled her eyes at the guard. "Drag our burglar up to their feet. I want to talk to them." The guards exchanged confused stares, wondering whether they were supposed to be taking direct orders from Azula under these circumstances. She was the teenage daughter of their employer and only fifteen years old. However, her voice was very authoritative as she spoke. Eventually, the guards did as they were told, dragging the struggling cat burglar up to their feet.
"And remove that ridiculous balaclava, I want to see their face," Azula ordered. The face cover was immediately ripped off from the black-clad dressed burglar, revealing a young woman in her twenties, her tomboyish pixie cut all mussed up under the balaclava. She was glaring angrily at Azula and the guards, but it was quite clear that she was very frightened.
"What is your name?" Azula asked the burglar. She already knew the answer, but being in the position of power allowed her to enjoy some fun and games with her captive. The woman was not answering, continuing to glare at Azula. "Alright, I see how it is," Azula scowled, turning towards one of the gate guards. "What is your name?" she asked the surprised guard.
"Uh, I'm Aaron, Miss Nakamura," the guard replied, sounding a little confused.
"There, do you see how easy it is to answer a question?" Azula asked, turning back towards the cat burglar. "Aaron, would you please punch our intruder in the stomach because she would not answer one simple question?" The guard hesitated only for a moment, walking over to the captive woman and delivering a punch to her belly that left her doubled over and wincing in pain.
"See, we could have avoided this unpleasantness if you had just told me straight up that your name is June Sakai," Azula chuckled, watching as June's eyes widened in surprise.
"What the fuck is wrong with you… why would you do that if you already knew my name?" June spat out angrily. "How do you even know my name?"
"Oh, Zirin isn't nearly as stealthy as she believes herself to be," Azula chuckled. June's eyes widened in realization. "Yes, I know that you're Zirin's sister and I know that she has betrayed my trust. Hmm, I wonder… this robbery on the eve of the final round just as I'm about to face Zirin. It would have distracted me, right? Was that the plan?"
The way June immediately averted her gaze, unable to meet Azula's eyes, gave Azula the answer she was looking for. "I see, well… turnabout is fair play," Azula smirked. "Perhaps having her sister go missing in the wake of a failed burglary will instead distract Zirin."
These words seemed to really get to June. "Please, don't do this," she started to beg. "I'm all that Zirin has. She relies on me being there for her… please."
"Are you trying to convince me not to hand you over to the police?" Azula asked, feeling pleased. She always enjoyed good groveling from those beneath her. "What would be my incentive to do so? I'm Azula Nakamura. There's nothing you have that I would want in return for my benevolence."
"I… I could ask Zirin to throw the game tomorrow," June suggested after a moment of thought.
"That's not something I need," Azula shrugged. "Zirin is going to be so upset regardless of whether I let you walk or not, that I'm going to literally slaughter her tomorrow. Hmm… I don't know," Azula mused. "It's not like I particularly care whether you are put behind the bars or not. But just letting you walk away free without facing any consequences also doesn't feel right. After all, you did try to steal from my family."
"Please, just let me go," June begged. "I don't know if Zirin has told you, but I'm the only family she has left. She doesn't deserve to be abandoned. Zirin was having second thoughts about this all the time. She genuinely likes you, Azula."
"This is an interesting way to show how much she appreciates me," Azula shrugged. "Fine. I'm leaning towards letting you go." The guards looked rather astonished at Azula's words. "But like I said, there have to be at least some consequences. Guards?" she looked at her father's loyal hand-picked men. "Break a couple of her fingers as a punishment."
"No! No, what are you-" June protested frantically, but the guards quickly overpowered her. Two sharp cracks were followed by June's cries of pain as she sank to the ground, clutching her injured hand against her chest, tears streaming down her face. "What did you do that for, you sadistic psycho bitch?" June snapped at her angrily.
"I think you are being very ungrateful, June," Azula remarked calmly. "Would you really prefer me to call the police? My father can put in a word so that you would be put away for three, maybe even more years. He can make sure that bad things happen to you behind the bars. Is that what you want?" June quickly shook her head, still wincing from pain. "I think you should thank me, June. Repeat after me. Thank you for your benevolence, Miss Nakamura."
"Thank you for your benevolence, Miss Nakamura," June repeated desperately.
"Very well, I'm satisfied," Azula nodded to the guards. "You may throw her out now," she ordered, turning away to leave. "I'm going back to bed," Azula said, returning upstairs. This couldn't have gone any more perfectly. June would crawl back to the motel she shared with Zirin, beaten and with her fingers broken in the wake of her failed burglary. Zirin would be absolutely distraught seeing the state her sister was in. She would be in no state to play tomorrow, making her easy prey for Azula. The plan by the Sakai sisters had quite literally blown up in their faces.
As the competitors began to gather for the final round of the Water Tribes qualifying tournament, Katara found herself riddled with uncertainty and indecision. She was currently sitting at the top of the standings with eight points, Hahn and Yue trailing her on seven points. She was due to play Yue in less than fifteen minutes, while Hahn would face an easy opponent that he was sure to crush. That would put Hahn on eight points. The only way that Yue could still qualify was if she beat Katara in the final round, and that would put the three on them equal on eight points.
Yes, Katara was seriously considering not bringing her A-game just to make sure that Yue could go to Caldera City finals with her. However, Katara wasn't certain what would happen if the three of them shared the top spot. There were only two tickets available, after all. She hadn't read the tournament regulations about what rules would apply in such a situation. Perhaps there would be a quick round robin tournament of speed Pai Sho between the three of them. That would put Katara at a big disadvantage because she struggled at speed Pai Sho. She would probably miss out on the finals by trying to help Yue. Or maybe the tie would be broken by a coin toss? It was sometimes done this way, with the help of dumb luck. Katara didn't consider herself a very lucky person. Good things didn't happen to her very often. She didn't exactly fancy her chances of winning a coin toss.
Katara felt torn and indecisive. Should she play at her best and eliminate Yue? Or should she lose and risk not qualifying for the finals? She could not make up her mind as she stood next to the Pai Sho table, feeling too nervous to sit down. When a soothing and soft feminine voice unexpectedly spoke up close by, Katara almost jumped, startled by the unexpected approach.
"Hey," it was Yue. "Can we talk for a moment?"
"Sure," Katara nodded, quickly trying to gather her bearings. "What is it, Yue?"
"Let's step a little aside," Yue said, leading her away from the gathering crowd of fellow competitors. Once they were a little apart from the others, Yue faced her with a searching stare. "Katara, I think I know what you're thinking about."
"I don't know what you mean," Katara stuttered, hating how unconvincing she sounded. Did Yue really want to talk about Katara's feelings now? Why? Was she trying to throw Katara off her game?
"No, I'm pretty sure I am correct," Yue would not be easily deterred. "You're thinking about losing to me on purpose."
Oh. That. Katara found herself blushing deeply. "Fine, I was considering that," she admitted. Lying to Yue wasn't really an option.
"Don't do it, Katara," Yue firmly shook her head. "I don't need that sort of help. Trust me."
"But Hahn is going to win his game," Katara argued. "You'll be placed third unless I lose to you!"
"Yes, but there's something you don't know. It's something I didn't want to tell you, because I knew you won't like it," Yue sighed. "And I hoped I wouldn't need to tell you because we would be placed first and second. The thing is, Katara... next year's finals are in Caldera City, which means that Ozai Nakamura will be involved with the organizing committee. Ozai Nakamura owes a favor to my father. And my father told me that he would pull this favor to secure a wild card for me, if it were necessary. So, I'm going to Caldera City regardless of where I place."
"I see..." Katara blinked, feeling stunned. Never before had she felt so keenly that Yue Taqqiq belonged to a different world, a world where different rules applied. It was not at all a good feeling. "Well, I'm happy that we'll both be going in the end," she managed, still feeling conflicted.
"It's okay, Katara, I know you think this isn't right and I know that you don't like it," Yue smiled softly at her. "You can be honest with me about how you really feel. Your sense of justice and fairness is what I love about you."
Katara felt herself blushing fiercely. "Thanks, Yue," she smiled back at the other girl. "And no, I'm not all that upset, honest. I'm just relieved that we can both go to Caldera City."
"I know, isn't it great?" Yue grinned. "But still, you have to beat me first if you want to go. Shall we?" she pointed towards the table. Most of the contestants had already sat down in their seats with the games about to start.
Katara nodded and they both took their places. The bell was soon rung and the game began. It didn't take Katara long to gain an advantage, which she then gradually pushed home without much resistance from Yue. It really did feel as if Yue was not putting in her best effort, probably because she knew that she was going to the finals anyway, and she simply wanted to make sure that Katara qualified as well. Deep down, Katara wasn't happy about how it had all worked out in the end. There was a hint of unfairness about it all, and that bothered her. However, it was hard to argue that Yue didn't deserve the wild card on merit. She was definitely among the best Pai Sho players in her age group.
There was another thing that bothered Katara at the conclusion of the tournament, and that once again slightly overshadowed her victory. It was her firm belief that in case she should have placed third, nobody would even consider offering a wild card to poor Katara Enuaraq from the remote village of Cape Kuruk.
On paper, Azula's position before the final round was not great. She had beaten some nobody in Round 7 and then managed to squeeze out a draw against Ruon-Jian Ogawa, which was no mean feat. In the other games, Zirin had lost to Ruon-Jian, but had then managed to beat Chan. This meant that before the final round, Ruon-Jian was leading the tournament on 7.5 points and was as good as qualified. Chan and Zirin had 7 points each, and Azula trailed in the fourth place on 6.5 points.
The good thing about this situation was that ahead of the final round, Azula's fate was in her own hands. All she needed to do was to beat Zirin and she would place on the podium. And Azula had done all the necessary prep work to feel confident about destroying Zirin.
Aware that Zirin would be in quite the state because of what had happened to June, Azula wanted to pile on the psychological pressure even more. Knowing that Zirin would try to speak with her, Azula made sure to arrive at the hotel ten minutes after the start of the game. She didn't care about incurring some disadvantage in the form of lost time to Zirin. Putting Zirin on edge was much more important.
Indeed, when Azula sat down at the table, pointedly ignoring Zirin, she noticed that the other girl had already made her opening move and there were only fifty minutes left on her clock. She quickly made a basic move planting her Jasmine tile and pressed the button of the timing clock.
"Azula, please, can we talk about what happened?" Zirin asked instead of thinking about her next move. She sounded really down and her face reflected it, dark bags under her usually expressive, now dull brown eyes. "I'm really, really sorry about what happened. I didn't mean for things to go this far. I even tried to talk June out of it. I know it doesn't make it better, but-"
"No talking during games," Azula reprimanded her emotionlessly. She didn't care about Zirin's excuses. She had been a fool and had nearly been played. No more. "Do it again and I'm telling the referee."
Zirin winced from the coldness in Azula's voice. "Then at least let me thank you for sparing June from the prison. I will be forever in your debt for that," Zirin muttered, trying to refocus her attention on the game. If Zirin wanted to qualify for the finals, she could not allow Azula to win this game. Chan was playing his buddy Ruon in the final round, and since Ruon had already qualified, he would obviously help his pal by letting Chan win. This meant that the last qualifying berth was literally between Zirin and Azula.
However, Zirin was clearly too upset to play on this particular day. Neither her heart nor her head was in it. She had made several crucial mistakes by the fifteenth move. On move eighteen, Azula finished an elegant combination involving her Boat tile to set up a perfect harmony ring, and the game was over.
"I wish I didn't feel like I deserved that," Zirin let out a deep sigh.
"You really did," Azula nodded, getting up to walk away without bothering to shake Zirin's hand. With the final game of the tournament completed and her goal to qualify achieved, Azula wanted nothing more than to leave and not be anywhere near Zirin. Still, there was a small victory ceremony planned for the lucky qualifiers, and Azula supposed that her presence would be expected. Father would probably consider her absence as improper conduct and would be displeased with her.
Azula spent the next quarter of an hour successfully dodging Zirin and her attempts to apologize. Eventually, the older girl got the message and disappeared from Azula's sight. Azula felt relieved as she simply stood aside from the others, all by herself while waiting for the final games to be completed so that the victory ceremony could be held. At some point, Azula became aware of a crowd starting to form around the table where Chan and Ruon were playing out their game. Azula wasn't sure what could be the reason for all the commotion. That game was supposed to be a formality... or was it?
Spurred by curiosity, Azula walked up to the crowd and deftly elbowed her way through, ending up at the front of the group of spectators. Unfortunately, she had emerged right next to Zirin. Still, she steadfastly ignored the other girl and instead focused on the Pai Sho game unfolding before them. And Azula could not believe what she was seeing. Instead of letting his buddy Chan score the win he needed, Ruon-Jian was crushing his friend. Chan was losing badly, and he was not taking it well if the redness of his face was anything to go by. Anger was not an emotion that went well with Pai Sho and Chan discovered that within three moves when Ruon-Jian formed a harmony ring to deliver a knockout blow.
"What the actual fuck?" Chan bellowed as Ruon offered him a handshake, slapping his friend's hand aside and storming off in a rage. While Azula could understand Chan, she found the whole episode hilarious. At the end of the tournament, Ruon-Jian had won with 8.5 points. Azula had placed an impressive second on 7.5 points. Chan and Zirin both were on 7 points, but Chan had lost his game to Zirin. As a result, Zirin made the podium while the pre-tournament favorite had missed out on qualifying for the finals altogether. To say that this was a major upset was an understatement.
"You are the luckiest bitch in the whole world," Azula told Zirin who probably could not believe her good fortune.
"I guess this means we'll see each other at the finals," Zirin replied. "Maybe you'll feel ready to forgive me then."
"Don't count on it," Azula shrugged.
Fortunately, any further conversation between them was interrupted by the victory ceremony. It was mercifully short, and having tossed her flower bouquet in the nearest waste bin, Azula soon found herself hurrying towards the closest exit, only to quite literally crash into her father as he was rounding the corner.
"Father!" she exclaimed in surprise. Was she actually happy to see him? She had just placed second in the qualifying tournament, just as Ozai had demanded of her. It meant that she had pleased her father. Ozai was the only one who could give her validation and make her feel like she was worth something. Even if she didn't necessarily always want her father's overbearing presence, she was desperate for his approval.
"Azula, I just heard the good news, daughter," Ozai smiled at her, pulling his daughter into an embrace and kissing the top of her head. "You have done as I asked of you, and I could not be prouder."
Azula beamed happily. This was her drug, her addiction. She was getting high on her father's approval. "Thank you, father. Did you follow my games?" she asked hopefully.
"I did," Ozai nodded at her. "I am pleased, but there is much room for improvement, and I will see to it being done. However, it shouldn't detract from your success, Azula. You deserve to be rewarded. Name one thing you wish, within reason, and I will procure it for you."
Azula had been waiting for something like this. Her father probably expected her to ask for another horse, or something similarly extravagant, but there was one thing Azula wanted more than anything. "Father, I want to return to Li and Lo's boarding school. Will you please let me?" Azula asked, trying not to sound too desperate. Mai and Ty Lee may no longer be at the school, but Azula was tired of the crushing loneliness of the estate. Maybe she could make new friends, or just revel in the adoration of her sycophants.
"If that is what you want," her father shrugged, looking a little surprised. "Fine, you may return to Li and Lo's following the autumn school break. But now, let's go home."
"Thank you, father," Azula said gratefully. "I'm so glad you're back," she added. On this occasion, she even truly meant it.
Next chapter: How about checking in on our heroines to see how they are spending their winter holidays?