Chapter 19

The start of a new year caught Zuko Nakamura in a foul mood as he stood in the kitchen of the four-room apartment he shared with his mother, waiting for his pot of tea to brew. It was a more luxurious Middle Ring apartment than he or Ursa could reasonably afford, if not for his uncle Iroh pitching in with the payments for rent. Ba Sing Se was no longer the segregated city it had been during the age of the Old Empire, but the denominations of the districts had carried over to the current day. Middle Ring meant middle class, and it made Zuko feel like an intruder. He barely contributed anything to the family finances, while Ursa struggled to make their ends meet. Avant-garde actors were not known for being major bread winners.

Upon turning eighteen and finishing high-school with above average marks, Zuko had faced a difficult choice the previous summer. There were two distinct paths to choose from for every junior Pai Sho player who sought to carve out a serious career behind the board. He could remain a junior player for three more years, until turning twenty-one, and continue to take part in the U21 World Championship. This was usually combined with full or part time studies in either one of the many local colleges or the University of Ba Sing Se (or the BSSU as it was known colloquially). The downside of this path was that it did not bring in a lot of money, in fact, it was a resource drain. By choosing this path, Zuko had become a financial burden for his mother and his uncle. Between the studies and Pai Sho practice, there was little time left for even a part time job at one of his uncle's teahouses, and it all left Zuko struggling with guilt.

He often had thoughts of abandoning his studies to obtain a law degree and choose the alternate path for his Pai Sho career. This choice was usually made by the more talented juniors coming from poorer backgrounds who could not afford a higher education degree. These players made the choice to turn pro at any point after celebrating their eighteenth birthday. It allowed them to take part in the many commercial Pai Sho tournaments held around the globe. However, playing in commercial tournaments automatically prohibited these players from competing for the U21 title. This was one of the reasons why the U21 title was not viewed as particularly prestigious, it was tainted by the sentiment that the winner hadn't actually competed against the most talented of his peers.

All in all, this second choice was a high risk, high reward game. Traveling costs and tournament participation fees were considerable, and you needed to consistently place high in the standings to turn a profit. This was why only the best juniors could reasonably expect to successfully pursue this path. Zuko was one of the best youth players at his age level, and his uncle had literally begged him not to pursue this risky path, promising to support him during the much safer path through the years of studies and competing with the non-professionals for the U21 title. Zuko had agreed, but five months later, he was already having doubts about his career path.

Zuko conceded that he probably wouldn't be feeling this guilty if a few weeks ago he hadn't discovered something that still left the unscarred side of his face burning with shame. One of his fellow freshmen at the BSSU had recognized his mother's face from a movie he had seen. However, it hadn't been the kind of movie that Zuko had thought his mother was taking part in. No, it was the kind of movie shown at very special showings at very special theatres, viewed almost exclusively by sleazy older men or horny male students. Yes, as much as Zuko hadn't wanted to believe it, a brief investigation of Ursa's book of phone contacts, confirmed that which Zuko had feared. Struggling to make ends meet as an avant-garde actress, his mother had made forays into adult film industry.

Zuko had been horrified by this discovery, and not just because of the stigma attached to being involved in something like that. From what little he had heard of adult film industry, it was brutal, dehumanizing business which mercilessly ground down all those unfortunate to get involved in it. He had seen the changes in his mother over the past few months, and they weren't changes for the better. Ever since the incident that had led to her divorce from Ozai, Ursa had struggled with depression and she had been on a steady diet of benzodiazepines for years. Ursa was on a downward spiral, all because she also felt guilty and would sacrifice anything just to help her son. Zuko wished that he could have an actual conversation about these issues with his mother, but… he just couldn't bring himself to it, and neither could she. Every time he meant to try, Ursa's reaction was to deflect and hear none of his concerns.

Afterwards, Zuko had done the only thing he could think of. He had told everything to Iroh. His uncle had promised to speak with his mother. That had been a couple of weeks ago. The only outcome that Zuko was aware of was that the monthly check from Iroh had become twice as large as before. This was probably done to dissuade Ursa from taking part in the adult movies, but Zuko wasn't sure it would solve the underlying issues. With Iroh's chain of teahouses spreading not only throughout Ba Sing Se, but the whole of the Earth Kingdom, his uncle could afford to support him, Zuko knew that perfectly well. But it didn't stop him from feeling guilty and it hadn't stopped him from getting angry at himself for not being able to do more.

Zuko's relationship with his steady girlfriend Jin was also starting to hit some serious rocks. He was constantly too beleaguered by his guilt or just too angry and frustrated to be fun to hang out with. Zuko was aware that he wasn't treating his girlfriend as well as she deserved it, but it seemed that Jin had started to cool on him even before Zuko's family situation had taken a turn for the worse. Jin had apparently expected a better financial arrangement when dating someone with the last name of Nakamura. For a while, she had been blinded by the wealth of his uncle, but upon learning of how much Zuko was struggling financially, Jin was clearly having second thoughts about their relationship. Zuko could sense that a breakup was imminent.

Despite all these issues, Iroh continued to insist and plead with his nephew to maintain the chosen course. There was some wisdom in uncle Iroh's words, Zuko acknowledged as much. If the Pai Sho career failed to work out, he would have a law degree to fall back on. It was a good safety cushion. And playing for a few more years among the juniors wasn't all that terrible, after all. Even though he tried not to think about his father and his sister, Zuko had to wonder what Ozai's plans for Azula were once she turned eighteen. He didn't believe that Ozai would stand for her turning pro right away. He would surely want her to get the best education possible. That meant that Zuko might run into Azula again in the U21 finals… which would give him the opportunity for vengeance he greatly longed for.

Last spring, Azula had humiliated him in front of the entire Fire Nation. If there was one thing he wanted most from his Pai Sho career, it was to exact sweet revenge upon his little sister.

Azula stood in her father's office, biting her lower lip and struggling not to cry as her father was busy berating her, Ozai having turned dangerously red in the face upon receiving the police report. Azula knew that she was in a lot of trouble, but the only thing she really cared about was whether her beloved red Spider could be repaired following her accident.

"If I'm reading this report correctly, it states that you were going fifty miles per hour in a thirty mile zone," Ozai stated, sounding irritated as he browsed the copy of the provided police report. "Is this true, Azula?"

"Y-yes, father," she had no choice but to admit. Lying to Ozai would just make the eventual punishment a lot worse. "I know that road very well. I drive on it a lot."

"Do you, now?" Ozai frowned at her. "Then perhaps you would care to explain this… accident to me?"

"I failed to realize just how cold it had gotten further up the mountain," Azula tried to explain. "I missed a little patch of black ice."

"Oh, is that all?" Ozai did not look impressed with her answer. "I know the road you speak of, Azula. I would never risk going above the speed limit on it." That was a lie. Azula knew perfectly well that on the rare occasions when Ozai took one of his many sports cars out for a drive he was speeding like the devil himself. She wasn't going to bring that up, though. "You had no business even being up there. No more taking these dangerous mountain roads, do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir," Azula nodded briskly, but instead of her father's admonishment, she immediately zoned in on something else he had said. "Does that mean my car can be repaired? Can I have it back?" she asked hopefully.

"It will be repaired, but we will discuss when and how you can have it back," Ozai snapped angrily. "I didn't entrust you with so much responsibility just so that you can go and almost destroy that which is most precious and important to me."

"What is that, father?" Azula asked.

Ozai turned on her, glaring fiercely. "Obviously, it's you! Idiot girl! Do you see any other heirs to the Nakamura estate around?" he shouted at her. Azula cringed and shied away from her father's outburst. "I will not have you endanger yourself like that again, do you understand?" Azula could only nod mutely in fear. It was so unfair that she was getting chewed out for this relatively minor crash, which wasn't even life threatening in any way. She had lost control of the car for the briefest of moments, but it had been enough for the back end of her Spider to brush against a wall and tear off parts of the rear bumper and suspension. It was far less serious than some of the near-accidents she had suffered up on the mountain. If Ozai knew about those, Azula was sure to be in far worse trouble.

"And then, of course, we have to address your conduct after this accident," Ozai continued, no less angry than before. "Did you really think that you could get away without me finding out? Thinking that the police would not alert me of what had happened? Trying to persuade the police officers to arrange towing the car to the nearest mechanic and having it repaired without me learning about it?" her father shook his head.

Azula cursed inwardly. She really thought she had gotten away with it. The police officers investigating the scene of the accident had been extremely helpful once she had revealed her identity to them. They had done everything she had asked of them, or at least they had promised to carry out her wishes. And perhaps they had even done so, but… they had also reported everything to Ozai. Her father really had eyes everywhere. It was times like these that she felt like a helpless fly, stuck in a spider's net.

"I'm beyond disappointed, Azula. In fact, I am livid," Ozai spoke. He had lowered his voice, but Azula knew that it was not necessarily a good sign. "The past year has been so busy. I have been away too often and for too long. In my absence, you have clearly misused the freedom I entrusted you with. You are becoming wild and you are getting out of control."

"But it was just-"

"Shut it!" Ozai barked at her. Azula flinched in the face of her father's rage. "How can you not understand that you are my most valued property? I only have one heir with no spares. I can't and I won't risk you endangering yourself this way. You don't own yourself, Azula. Not if you want to one day inherit all of this. Until then, I own you, and I decide what does and doesn't happen to you. Do I make myself clear?"

"Y-yes, father," Azula could only stutter. That confident sixteen year old, thinking herself free, speeding in her sports car with wind running wild through her hair was quickly being erased from existence, replaced by a helpless, frightened child who could not even fathom standing up for herself.

"I'm not sure this lesson is going to stick without some further reinforcement," Ozai shook his head. He reached for his leather belt, starting to undo it. "I want you to understand that doing this hurts me more than it will hurt you. But… it is for your own benefit."

As Ozai began to advance on her, Azula stood there like frozen, petrified by fear and disbelief. With a year and a half of no beatings, she had truly started to believe that these punishments had become a thing of the past.

What a fool she had been.

Zirin Sakai let out a despondent sigh as she sat in the passenger's seat of her sister's first-gen Ford Mustang, June taking them both from one of the Caldera City convention centers to their little apartment on the outskirts of the capital. The weekend speed Pai Sho tournament had just concluded, and Zirin had once again failed to place among the top dozen.

It had seemed like such a good plan to begin with. Zirin had learned that the best players amongst her peers, Zuko Nakamura, Haru Tamang and Hahn Adjuk, had all made the decision not to join the professional circuit right after turning eighteen. The two Sakai sisters were still struggling financially, trying to make their ends meet, even if June's mechanic job was working out reasonably well, allowing her to buy a solid if used car. Zirin had figured that she could help out their little household financially by taking part in the commercial speed Pai Sho tournaments that were held in the capital almost every other week. Sure, this meant that she could no longer compete with the juniors for the U21 title, but that didn't matter all that much to Zirin. She just wanted to start bringing in some money through her talent for Pai Sho.

Unfortunately… the plan was good only on paper and did not survive actual encounter with real life. These commercial tournaments all had entry fees starting from fifty yuan and going as high as two hundred. Zirin needed to place among the top six to earn back her entry fees and make a bit of a profit. Thus far, she had taken part in five tournaments, never coming close to her goal. It was a truly eye-opening moment to realize that players of her caliber were dime a dozen in the Fire Nation, all of them capable of beating her. Her chosen path right now was wasting her sister's hard earned money and pushed them deeper into poverty, struggling to keep up with their rent payments.

"Sorry," June spoke up as the car stood in a crossing, waiting for the green light. "I know you were really hoping that this time it would turn out better."

"It's okay," Zirin sighed in reply. She jerked slightly as the car began to move again, shaking her head. "No… it's really not okay, though. I have to be realistic about this."

"What do you mean, Ziri?" June asked.

"I think it's becoming painfully obvious that I have overestimated my own ability," Zirin said simply. "I thought that I had what it takes to succeed at the pro level, but I clearly don't. I can't even win some domestic tournaments against the local speed sharks."

"Maybe you just need more practice?" June asked, trying to sound encouraging. "I don't want to see you giving up on your dreams too quickly."

"Well, we can't really afford much more of this, can we?" Zirin snapped, far angrier than she had intended. June remained silent at her retort. "Sorry… you're right. Giving up on a dream is hard. But the truth is that I'm just not as talented as some of those younger girls coming up through the ranks, Azula Nakamura and the two Water Tribe chicks. And I'm nowhere near hard working enough to make up for my lack of natural aptitude. So, I'm going to try something else, June. Pai Sho will just have to become a hobby instead of a way to support ourselves."

"Any thoughts as to what you might want to do, Ziri?" June asked. Her voice was soft, as always when she felt proud of her younger sister.

"Yeah," Zirin nodded. "I'm going to take some evening classes at the community college. I've already made some inquiries. There are some openings for the next semester. And I'm going to look for a steady job."

"You're really set on this, aren't you?" June wanted to make sure.

"Yes, I have a good feeling about it," Zirin nodded with certainty. "I want to bring home a bunch of yuan every month, because I know it will make me feel much more fulfilled than the way I am feeling right now. You've been supporting us both for too long, June. It's time I started to contribute equally."

"That's… wow, I didn't expect this," June admitted. "I'm impressed, Ziri. And if you're serious about work, I can make some inquiries among my clientele. There's this one guy who runs a photo studio, he always calls on me to tweak his hog."

"His… hog?" Zirin blinked.

"Haha, yeah, his Harley-Davidson bike," June laughed. "Anyway, I know he's done some shooting sessions for girls trying to break into modeling. Some of them have even made it through with his portfolio. Hah, he even tried to talk me into doing a shoot, the cad! But, I was thinking, you might actually stand a chance, Ziri."

"Modeling? Me?" Zirin couldn't quite believe what her sister was saying. "Are you quite sure about this?"

"Have you looked at yourself in the mirror, Ziri?" June chuckled. "You are fucking gorgeous, tall and slender. You have the perfect body shape. Of course you stand a chance."

"I've never thought about it," Zirin mused thoughtfully. It really did sound tempting.

"Want me to ask the guy?" June asked. "I would come along to make sure that he doesn't perv on you or something. But I think he's solid, if a bit of a flirt."

"A bit of a flirt is fine by me," Zirin chuckled. "Alright, why the heck not? Go and put in a word for me, sis. And thanks for being so supportive, I have no idea what I would do without you."

"Likewise, Ziri," June smiled. "Likewise."

"Alright," Sokka said, sitting in the passenger's seat of the family's old Powell truck and watching his sister take a nervous hold of the steering wheel. "What's the first thing you do?"

"Seatbelt check!" Katara replied with a broad and proud grin, tugging on her own seatbelt.

"Well, yes. I thought, you know, aside from the obvious," Sokka frowned.

"Oh!" Katara's eyes widened. She stuck out the very tip of her tongue, as she occasionally did when she was focusing hard. "I got it! Check the rear view mirrors!"

"Yes, that's right. Feel free to proceed," Sokka nodded. Honestly, teaching Katara to drive was both exhausting and hilarious. And more than a little bit scary. Still, somehow the experience was endearing, and he did want to help his sister. The driving instructor assigned through their high school was an impatient and short-tempered middle-aged man, and Katara was freaking out from the very thought of being in the same car with that particular instructor.

"Uh, nothing is happening? Sokka, nothing is happening!" Katara exclaimed. This whole driving business was stressing her out, probably because it might have been the first thing in Katara's entire life that she wasn't immediately brilliant at.

Sokka facepalmed. "The parking brake," he snickered.

"Oh for the love of-" Katara groaned, turning an interesting shade of red. It wasn't likely to be the last time she'd become embarrassed during this particular driving lesson.

"Just calm down, alright?" Sokka sighed. "You need to relax. We've done all of this before." With very mixed success, but Sokka decided not to mention that. "Just clear your mind and stop stressing about it."

"Alright, clearing my mind and relaxing," Katara replied, sitting still and breathing deeply for a while. "Okay, I think I'm good now. Yes, I've got it," she said before releasing the clutch and going straight into a snow bank.

"You might want to put into reverse first," Sokka rolled his eyes. "I mean, at this rate we're not even going to make it out of the yard."

"Why wasn't it already in reverse? You're trying to play a prank on me, aren't you?" Katara gave him an accusing stare.

"I was not. You're supposed to check all these things before you actually step on the gas pedal, you know," Sokka grumbled. "At least we're not stuck, so I don't have to grab the shovels. Just put it in reverse and pull out of the yard." Keeping a pair of shovels at the back of the Powell truck was absolutely essential while teaching Katara to drive. Sokka already knew that at some point they both would be busy digging the car out of whichever weird ditch Katara managed to get stuck in.

"Alright, fine," Katara sighed, shifting the gear into reverse and very slowly pulling out of the yard and onto the street. Naga, the family Saint Bernard, was going wild in the courtyard. If someone could translate her barks into human language, she would probably be saying something along the lines of 'Mistress learn car? No, no, no! Is terrible idea!'

Outside on the street, Katara predictably stalled the car, although only a couple of times, which was somehow an improvement. Fortunately, the streets of Cape Kuruk (if they could be even called that) were completely devoid of any traffic late in the afternoon, so it was unlikely that Katara's ineptitude might cause a serious accident. "Alright, let's take her up to steady... ten miles per hour?" Sokka rolled his eyes as the car finally began to move. Katara held the steering wheel in a death grip, staring at the road ahead with frightening intensity. "You might want to shift into the second gear, sis," Sokka tried gently.

Katara shook her head stubbornly. Her lips were knit tightly, to the point of being drained of color. "This is fine," Katara insisted firmly.

"Going ten miles an hour in a thirty mile zone is dangerous, Katara," Sokka reminded her.

"Nonsense. Nobody has ever crashed by going too slow," Katara would not budge.

"No, but you might cause someone else to crash by crawling around like a snail," Sokka sighed. "C'mon, sis, try and shift the gears. It's not hard, you've done it before. Just do what I say. Release the gas pedal and hit the clutch. Okay, good, now shift into the second gear... that's not second... alright, that's the second," Sokka felt cold sweat forming on his back. "Alright, now release the clutch and step on the gas, gently, just like that. That was good! See, you didn't stall it!" And almost went into the fifth gear by accident, but those were mere details.

"Hmm, you're right, this isn't so hard," Katara seemed to have cheered up and recovered a bit of her damaged self-confidence. She was going at twenty miles now, and slowly easing her death grip on the wheel, gradually relaxing.

Sokka allowed her to drive like this for a few minutes, before urging Katara to go up another gear. Soon enough, his sister was going around the dark, weaving, slosh-covered roads of Cape Kuruk like a reasonably experienced driver. Honestly, learning to drive on these roads was not easy at all. He had started in summer when the roads were dry and in good condition, and there was plenty of natural daylight, and even then it had been challenging. Katara was facing the same difficult roads, only in snowy conditions and surrounded by darkness. It wasn't doing her any favors.

Everything seemed to be going well, until at some point, Katara spoke up nervously. "Sokka? I think a car is coming up behind us!"

"Yes, well... it was bound to happen at some point?" Sokka sighed. "We are driving on a public road, you know."

"But what should I do?" Katara asked anxiously.

"You don't have to do anything," Sokka tried to reassure her. "Just keep driving the way you are and if they're going above the limit, they'll just overtake us."

"But what if they don't see us in time and crash into us?" Katara sounded like she was starting to freak out. "I think I should pull over and let them pass."

"What?! No! Why?"

"I'm pulling over Sokka!" Katara shouted.

Ten minutes later, the two Enuaraq siblings were hard at work, using their snow shovels to dig the Powell truck out of the massive snow bank Katara had 'pulled over' and into. The car was leaning over a little to one side and Sokka was very doubtful that they could push it out all on their own. Fortunately, a few minutes later, another rare car driving down the road spotted them in the ditch and stopped to help tow their Powell truck back out onto the road. This was what Sokka loved about living in Cape Kuruk. If he was to have an accident in Agna Qel'a, hundreds of people would pass right by and nobody would stop to help, leaving him to call expensive towing service. In Cape Kuruk, literally the first person they came across stopped to help. This was the beauty of the togetherness of a small, tightly-knit community of people living in the harshest of conditions.

Katara hadn't been in any mood to drive after that little accident, so Sokka had taken it upon himself to get them both back home safely. As the car finally rolled to a stop back in the yard, Sokka looked over to his sister in the passenger seat and to his dismay, realized that she had been crying all the way back home. "Aww, come on, sis… it wasn't so bad," he said, trying to cheer her up.

"Are you kidding me?" Katara ground out, frantically rubbing her eyes. "I'm absolutely useless at his!"

"Don't be ridiculous," Sokka sighed, reaching out and trying to hug her. Katara tried to bat him away, but that just made him more determined. Eventually, Sokka managed to seize his sister and pull her into a tight embrace. "Listen to me, Kat. So, maybe you're not good at one thing. So what? Think of how I feel when I look at my school grades and think about how hard I have to work to push myself above 70%. You've reached valedictorian levels without even trying too hard, Kat. You're literally better than me at everything you try. This is like the first time I've discovered something at which I'm better than you."

Katara soon stopped sobbing, looking up at her brother. "I had no idea you felt that way, Sokka," Katara said quietly. "I've never thought myself better than you in any way, you know that."

"I know," Sokka hugged her even tighter. "And I try not to compare myself to you, but sometimes I just can't help myself. And while I am determined to help you become a good driver, there's a part of me that likes the idea that there's something you're not so great at."

Katara remained silent for some time before pulling away from him. "I'm thinking… maybe I don't actually need to do this," she said. "It's not like I absolutely must have a license, right?"

"I thought you wanted to have it, Kat," Sokka argued.

"Well, sure, eventually… but maybe driving could be your thing, Sokka," Katara replied. "I'd be fine with that, as long as you would be my driver when I need to get someplace."

"I'd like that, but only if you're sure," Sokka smiled at her.

"I'm sure," Katara quickly threw her arms around him for a quick hug before getting out of the car. "Thanks, Sokka," she said, turning to walk up to the house. Sokka couldn't help but smile broadly as he got out and followed her. As far as having a sister went, Sokka was sure he had drawn the best possible lot.

"So, I was thinking…" Yue Taqqiq cringed as she listened to her father begin speaking. Every time he opened with a sentence like that, it spelled something unpleasant for her. "The Adjuks have invited us to stay with them for a week at their private ski resort. I think we should accept the offer."

"If you think it's a good idea, father," Yue replied. Her input wasn't actually expected. Her father's words were merely polite window dressing. Everything had already been decided.

"I do think so, yes," Arnook nodded, motioning for one of the estate's servants to pour him more wine. "I think it would be good for you to get to know young Hahn a little better. He seems like an upstanding young man."

Obviously, this was what it was all really about, easing her into a sort of arranged marriage with an acceptable rich suitor. There were so many unflattering things that Yue wanted to tell her father about Hahn Adjuk, but she knew that Arnook would only become angry at her unwillingness to cooperate. Still, just thinking about spending time with Hahn instantly soured her mood and seemed to spoil the very taste of her excellent lobster thermidor.

Gradually, over the past few months, Yue had begun to become more and more disillusioned with the life that was awaiting her when she finally came of age. These family dinners with her father, both of them being cold and aloof towards one another, like characters in some play, it all made Yue resent her father's intentions for her more and more. Once she had thought that she would never even entertain the thought of rebelling and risking her inheritance. Yue still didn't think she could do it, but the thoughts had started to percolate. It didn't help that her father had really begun to push this idea of Hahn as a future husband for her. But could she really walk away from it all, just so?

Her father seemed to become encouraged by her lack of pushback, deciding to continue. "There's another reason to become closer with young Hahn, Yue," Arnook said. "You know that he is being mentored by Pakku Karetak. I have made some discreet inquiries, and Grandmaster Pakku is willing to set aside his prejudices against female students. He has agreed to let you participate in his lessons with Hahn."

"Really?" That did make Yue pause. The idea of hanging out with Hahn made her stomach churn, but lessons with Pakku Karetak himself… now, that was tempting. Sure, from what Katara had told her, Pakku was a chauvinist pig, and Katara would probably be really pissed if she found out that Yue was being mentored by him. However, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to really take her game to the next level. This was something that Yue felt like she couldn't pass up in good conscience. "You know what, father? You're right," she summoned a fake bright smile at her father. "Perhaps I should spend more time getting to know Hahn better…"

Next chapter: It is springtime in Ba Sing Se, the U18 finals are about to begin and the heat is on!