CW for animal cruelty, referenced and not graphical

Chapter 61

Ty Lee stepped out on the front porch of the estate, taking a lungful of the crisp air of a bright September morning. She was in a good mood this morning, and she had every reason to feel happy. Her life had flipped from dismal fight for survival to actual security and comfort, surrounded by amazing friends, new and old. Ty Lee no longer had to worry about her next meal or a roof over her head, and her life was back on track. She even had a job, having replaced Yue at one of the Jasmine Dragon teahouses. Yue had found her studies, Pai Sho practice and private lessons of Pai Sho more than enough to manage a steady job on top of all that. So, Yue had spent a couple of weeks showing Ty Lee the ropes, and now she was a bona fide waitress herself, absolutely loving her new job.

Ty Lee was aware that for most of her coworkers, being a part of the waitstaff was just a stepping stone, a part time job on the road towards something greater. That wasn't the case for Ty Lee. She was aware that because of what her family had been put through, there were now large gaps in her education as she had attended school in Ba Sing Se very sporadically. The doors to higher education were firmly shut for her. But Ty Lee was not at all upset about that. Unlike most people, she actually found genuine joy working in customer service. Despite having gone through some traumatic experiences and suffering incredible hardships, having been exploited by people eager to take advantage of her misfortune, Ty Lee still hadn't lost her faith in humankind. She still loved people, and the people loved her, or at least her customers at the teahouse did. Ty Lee was one of those rare waitresses whose smile was completely genuine when facing even the surliest customer.

Azula had also kept her Jasmine Dragon job for now, even if she had a tough time balancing it with her journalism studies and Pai Sho practice. Azula seemed fiercely determined about retaining a source of income that was her own. Katara was the only one of the four girls who did not have a regular job because she had a fairly generous state scholarship from the education board back in Agna Qel'a. Azula and Yue had missed out on getting the scholarship, because they hadn't enrolled in the year when they would have been eligible for it. Still, just because Katara didn't have a steady job, it didn't mean that she was taking things easy. Her medical studies were quite intense, besides, Ty Lee would be the first to point out that Katara did way more than any of them around the estate, whether it was cooking or cleaning. Ty Lee was doing her best to pick up the slack, though. She wanted to feel like she was contributing.

Ty Lee stepped off the porch and casually cartwheeled all the way up to the postbox by the gate. She was delighted about the way her body had responded to a healthy diet, regular meals and uninterrupted sleep in a comfortable bed. Not to mention the lack of stress, and the absence of constant fear for her life. Ty Lee was quickly getting back into shape, spending at least an hour every day going through her old gymnast's routine from Li and Lo's boarding school days. She was quietly hoping to talk Azula into setting up some parallel and uneven bars in the estate yard, and maybe even a balance beam. Ty Lee felt quite confident that Azula would agree, but she was thinking of perhaps first getting Katara and Yue onboard with the idea, just as insurance.

Ty Lee slipped her hand inside the postbox, retrieving mostly advertising leaflets. There were some coupons for the local hairdressing salon which Ty Lee decided to hang on to, as well as an unmarked white envelope which raised Ty Lee's immediate suspicion. It seemed just like the one they had received a couple of weeks ago. Ty Lee had left it on the kitchen table and Azula had opened it, only to freak out upon realizing that it was full of vile and nasty threats from her father. It had been a bit scary seeing Azula so distraught. Afterwards, Katara and Yue had sat Ty Lee down for a little talk. Apparently, Katara and Yue had been doing their best to screen the letters Azula was getting from her father, destroying some of the worst ones, while letting Azula read some of the least harmful ones.

If Ty Lee hadn't already witnessed Azula freaking out about a relatively harmless letter, she probably would have disapproved of lying to Azula about the letters. Now, however, she had to agree that Yue and Katara had settled on a good compromise. They weren't keeping Azula completely in the dark. They weren't hiding the threat of Azula's father, but they were doing their best to soften Azula's reaction to it, which seemed like a good idea to Ty Lee. She was still getting used to how strangely fragile Azula was these days. For example, Ty Lee kept forgetting that she wasn't supposed to barge into Azula's room without a warning. She had been the cause of a couple of panic attacks already, feeling absolutely terrible for being such a dumb and inconsiderately forgetful airhead.

In any case, it seemed as if they had yet another letter to deal with. Fortunately, Azula had already departed for the university, her lectures starting earlier on Wednesdays than Katara and Yue's. The two Water Tribe girls were sitting in the kitchen, sipping their morning coffee and chatting as Ty Lee walked back into the estate to join them. "So, we have another one of these," she said, placing the letter on the kitchen table.

"Oh, not again," Katara's face immediately fell. Ty Lee wholeheartedly sympathized with that reaction. Opening one of Ozai's letters was the surest way to spoil the entire day. "Why won't that monster give up already?" Katara exclaimed, sounding angry and frustrated.

"I think we all know the answer to that question," Yue sighed, picking up the letter. "Guess I'll go and work my magic, then," she said, walking up to the kitchen counter and starting to work, first by putting the kettle on. Yue was a real wizard when it came to unsealing and resealing the envelopes with careful use of steam.

"I really hope it's not a bad one," Katara sighed. "I hate making the decision to keep things from Azula."

"I know," Yue nodded. "Well, give me a minute or two, and we'll know what we're dealing with this time." Yue patiently waited for the steam to soften the glue holding the envelope sealed. She then used a knife to carefully open the letter. Ty Lee watched Yue withdraw a photograph and take one look at it. It was enough for Yue's eyes to go impossibly wide. "Aaah!" she screamed and let go of the photo like it had burned her fingers. "Oh no… oh no…" Yue whimpered, bent over and looking like she might throw up at any moment.

Yue's reaction left Ty Lee feeling morbidly curious as she picked up the photo Yue had tossed away. Immediately, Ty Lee wished she hadn't looked. The Fire Nation girl felt a powerful gag reflex forming as she stared at the carcasses of slain animals. She immediately flipped the photo around and placed it out of reach, pushing Katara away when she tried to take the photo from her. "You don't want to see it, Katara," Ty Lee ground out, trying to fight off the same wave of nausea that was currently assaulting Yue.

"Come on, I need to know what we're dealing with," Katara insisted. She looked spooked by the reactions of the two other girls, yet still determined to discover the truth for herself.

"Katara, don't," Yue warned, slowly starting to pull herself together. "You should trust Ty Lee on this one."

"Okay, don't show me the photo, but at least tell me what's on it," Katara insisted. "I need to know the truth."

"Horses," Ty Lee managed, finally swallowing the bile that had risen in her throat. "He… he killed the horses, Katara."

Katara went pale, her bottom lip starting to tremble. "That… that monster!" she exclaimed. Then she burst into tears. "I need to call Iroh," Katara managed, dashing towards the phone.

As Katara tearfully explained what had happened to Iroh on the phone, Yue and Ty Lee had recovered enough to sit back down at the kitchen table, exchanging uncertain, disturbed stares. It was only then that Ty Lee noticed that there was something written on the back of the photo. Her heart leapt right into her mouth upon reading the message. It said 'I warned you. Maybe you'll learn when it's one of your friends next. But which one of the three shall it be? Eeny, meeny, miny, moe…'

Ty Lee was still staring at the message with utter shock and horror, when Katara returned to join them. "Iroh says that we need to destroy the letter, now," Katara managed in a strained voice. "Azula can't see this. It just might undo all the progress she has made. If any of you have an objection, make it, but it would have to be a really persuasive argument for me to consider not burning this photo."

"I agree wholeheartedly," Yue nodded. "This is what we're supposed to protect Azula from. It's sick, what he's done. It's just plain sick."

"Umm, guys?" Ty Lee spoke quietly. "It's, uh… actually worse than just the horses. You need to read this message," she pointed at the flipped over photo, mercifully hiding the picture of the cruelly slain animals.

Yue and Katara rose and walked up to Ty Lee, quickly reading the brief but foreboding message. "That can't be…" Katara gasped. "He's bluffing. He has to be bluffing…"

"We thought that he was bluffing about the horses," Yue gulped uncomfortably. The two Water Tribe girls looked terrified. Ty Lee sympathized fully. Death threats from Ozai Nakamura weren't something that should be easily dismissed.

"Well, I don't care," Katara stammered, trying to put on a brave face. "I am not going to abandon Azula because of these threats. I refuse to be intimidated." Ty Lee thought that Katara looked plenty intimidated, but she had to give it to the Water Tribe girl, she was anything but a coward.

"Without Azula's help, I wouldn't have found shelter here," Yue nodded in agreement, even if she also looked frightened. "Ozai can threaten us all he wants. I'm also sticking with our girl no matter what."

"Azula pulled me out of the gutter and gave me this new life, so I will definitely stand by her," Ty Lee joined the others in making the same easy decision. "And I've already faced quite a few life and death situations during the past few years. Ozai can try and do his worst, but as far as I'm concerned, I've most likely dealt with worse already," Ty Lee shrugged. "Anyway, let's start by getting rid of this horrible photo," she said, rising from her seat and turning on the gas oven, proceeding to burn the photo on an open flame.

"Damn it, I'm going to have nightmares for at least a week now," Yue sighed, shaking her head. "I really didn't need this right now. None of us did."

"I suddenly feel really unsafe here," Katara confessed. She seemed to be trembling slightly. "Is there anything we can do to protect ourselves, just in case?" she asked.

Ty Lee immediately had a few ideas to suggest. She had spent two hard years on the streets, fighting for her life. She knew how to scrap and she knew how to fight dirty to survive. She didn't think that either Yue or Katara would be of much use in a fight, though. Still, there were steps they could take to protect themselves. "I can think of some things, but the problem is taking these steps without making Azula suspicious," Ty Lee said. "For example, we can't just get a guard dog without raising questions."

"Good point," Yue nodded. "Katara, I know that the BSSU has self-defense classes for women. I think we should sign up for those."

"Yes, that's a very good idea," Ty Lee said, Katara also nodding in agreement. These two girls were still quite practical, even if they didn't have the kind of street smarts that Ty Lee had developed. "I guess we could also arm ourselves. I know some people who are part of a weapon smuggling ring in Ba Sing Se. But it's going to cost a lot of yuan."

"I don't want to bring weapons into this house," Katara shook her head adamantly. "Statistically, we are more likely to accidentally injure ourselves than prevail in a shootout with Ozai's hired thugs, unless you are an amazing shot, Ty Lee."

"Not really," Ty Lee replied. "I did once shoot a pervy flasher in the crotch with a BB gun, but that doesn't really count. Hmm," she mused thoughtfully. "There's really not much we can do without tipping Azula off. Let's just observe some basic rules like always locking the gate and the front door. Let's try to not wander around too much on our own. There's safety in numbers. Also, weapons may be out, but I'm definitely getting a few cans of pepper spray."

"I don't know if those would stop any hardened criminal," Katara still looked skeptical.

"You might be surprised," Ty Lee smiled. "They never expect teenage girls like us to actually fight back. Pepper spray is certainly better than nothing."

"Sure, do that, Ty Lee," Yue nodded at the Fire Nation girl. "Katara, I don't know, maybe this is a stupid thought, but do you think Sokka could move in with us? Like Ty Lee said, there's safety in numbers."

"I'm really not sure about that, Yue," Katara shook her head. "I would just endanger my own brother. I don't want to see him going up against some gun for hire. The thought of it alone is making me incredibly anxious."

"I think if you told Sokka about what was going on, he would want to help," Yue pointed out. "Of course, convincing Azula to let Sokka move in with us would be another matter."

"It's actually not a bad idea, if your brother would agree to it, Katara," Ty Lee nodded. "Just having a guy around the place could put some thugs off from making an attempt. And your brother isn't some nerdy pushover. He actually looks pretty tough."

"Katara, I think someone has been checking out your brother while he's been visiting with us," Yue grinned.

"Oh, don't be jealous now, cutie," Ty Lee winked at the Water Tribe girl, smiling when Yue's cheeks colored instantly. Katara blinked at the exchange, then starting to giggle at them. Yue suddenly seemed to recall that they were in a hurry to leave.

"Look at the time, Katara, we're going to be late for our lectures," she said, insistently tugging on the other girl's sleeve. Katara looked beyond amused, but still allowed Yue to drag her along towards the foyer where they quickly got ready to leave.

"Until later, Ty Lee!" Katara called out as she walked out the door.

"Yes, see you!" Yue added, following Katara. Then she stopped on the doorstep and poked her head back inside, giving Ty Lee a concerned stare. "And please, be careful, okay?" Yue said worriedly.

"Don't worry about me, Yue. I'll be fine," Ty Lee smiled at the Water Tribe girl. Her smiled slowly faded once Yue had left for good. It seemed that there was a bit of a spark forming between her and Yue, and she had been thinking about possibly acting on it. But now, with this letter from Ozai, Ty Lee was starting to feel like Azula was in the right regarding her fears about letting anyone too close. With Ozai now revealing himself as a threat to them all, not just to Azula alone, thinking about getting closer with Yue felt very scary considering the danger they were facing.

Sokka sat on the sofa in his dingy Lower Ring apartment, chugging down a beer as he listened to Zuko ranting about his new part time job. Zuko was sitting next to him on the sofa, a can of beer in his hand, but he hadn't taken a swig yet, too busy ranting. With Zuko's law studies winding down to less intense pace, his uncle had stepped in with an offer of practice by becoming a part of the small legal team of the Jasmine Dragon organization. Zuko was now whining about how it was a nothing job because there was literally no work to do, and how his uncle had basically just fed him with a silver spoon when Zuko had been desperate to prove that he could forge his own path.

"Maybe there's a lull at work now, but just wait for someone to sue the Jasmine Dragon for serving them irresponsibly hot tea," Sokka chuckled.

Zuko glared at him. "That is no basis for a lawsuit. That's basis for being disqualified from breeding. Newsflash, tea is supposed to be hot."

"You really haven't heard about cases like that?" Sokka asked. Zuko shook his head. "Trust me, there have been attempts, and there will be again. Anyway, shouldn't you be happy that work isn't too intense? I mean, you are still spending a lot of hours on Pai Sho practice. And you have another tournament in October." Zuko was still riding a high from having finished second in his first pro tournament a month ago. Sokka had been delighted to read a very glowing article in The Harmony Ring, penned by Suki. Sokka had wanted to call her and compliment her on the well crafted piece, but somehow, he hadn't gotten around to it yet. Suki probably had a new boyfriend and wasn't really missing him. And oddly enough, since he had started to hang out with Zuko, Sokka hadn't been missing Suki all that much either.

"I suppose," Zuko shrugged, not looking fully convinced. "It's just the principle of the thing. Uncle still pampers me a bit too much at times, and I wish he would just stop."

"You know that he means well," Sokka smiled. Zuko nodded reluctantly. "Besides, you still have to do some stuff for the university, right? I feel like you are trying to cram way too much on your plate, Zuko. If your job was really pushing you, you would never find the time to hang out with me, and that would be pretty awful, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah, that's a good point," Zuko said, blushing slightly. "But you push yourself just as hard, so turnabout is fair play. You work long hours at that repair shop and you have your own studies on top of all that."

"I manage," Sokka smirked. "See, we're hanging out right now, and we're in no rush. Everything is honky dory." In a way, Sokka's life was very similar to what he had moved on from in Agna Qel'a. He was once again working at a car repair shop, albeit for a much improved salary, his prior experience starting to pay off. The community college courses on mechanical engineering he attended were much more in depth compared to the education he had received in the Water Tribes capital. Sokka was starting to feel as if his dream of one day having a career in the automotive industry was now taking a very real shape.

"I guess so," Zuko shrugged, offering him a slightly crooked smile.

"So, your uncle managed to sell you on the idea of trying to make it into the main qualifying event for the world championship?" Sokka asked.

"Mhm," Zuko nodded reluctantly. "You remember how skeptical I was about it at first. But after I did so well in Omashu, I guess Iroh's words started to make more and more sense. Maybe I am ready to compete with the grandmasters in my first cycle at a pro level."

"It would be so amazing if you and your uncle both qualified," Sokka said. "Imagine the two of you going up against your father in the finals and beating him. How cool would that be?"

"Seriously cool," Zuko smiled dreamily. His expression sobered swiftly, however. "It's also very unlikely. Uncle is having a bit of a tough time right now. I think he might have underestimated how much the Pai Sho elite have improved since his retirement."

"I'm sure he'll be fine once he has made some adjustments. It can't be easy getting back into the swing of things after a decade of retirement," Sokka said. After Zuko's surprising success at Omashu, Iroh had been really hyped about his return from retirement, filling Zuko's head with all sorts of exciting fantasies about their uncle and nephew team taking the Pai Sho world by a storm. However, Iroh's first tournament since his return was not going all that well. Sokka had overheard Azula talking about it a few days ago, and she had said that Iroh was simply past his prime and no longer the player he had once been. Sokka had thought that Azula was just being her rude and arrogant self, but now it seemed as if she might have been onto something.

"Well, I guess we'll see," Zuko shrugged. "Anyway, you must be bored talking Pai Sho all the time. I know it doesn't interest you."

"It's not that boring, actually," Sokka chuckled. "But if you are offering to watch some ice hockey with me, I'd be delighted. The Mighty Geese are just about to face the Orcas."

"Ugh, hockey," Zuko scowled. "I just don't get the attraction of twelve grown men chasing a small rubber disc."

"It's called a puck," Sokka laughed. "Anyway, we don't have to watch ice hockey if you don't want to. Besides, the news is still-" Sokka turned towards the switched on TV set, the news anchors having droned in the background during his chat with Zuko, but as he turned to face the screen now, Sokka's attention was immediately captured by what he saw. The pictures showed a massive oil tanker next to an oil rig that was clearly in danger of capsizing, tilted at a very dangerous angle. Fires had broken out all across the oil platform.

"Wow, that looks pretty bad," Zuko said, shaking his head. He looked surprised when Sokka rose from the sofa, the can of beer falling from his hand and ending up spilled on the carpet. "What's the matter, Sokka?" Zuko asked, sounding worried.

Sokka somehow overcame the freezing fear gripping him and he dashed up to the TV set, cranking the volume to the max. "At this point, there are reports of four dead, but with seventeen more workers currently missing, the death toll is expected to rise," the emotionless and robotic news anchor with inappropriately revealing cleavage droned. "The spokesperson for Nakamura Industries declined to comment, pending an investigation which has already been launched. The local authorities have begun their own investigation, but remain equally tightlipped. We have received several eyewitness reports of Sozin's Comet making contact with the oil platform in a way that the observers describe as being not according to accepted docking protocol. It is needless to say that these reports remain unsubstantiated at this point. This is a developing story, and we will provide updates as soon as we receive them."

"Well, fuck…" Zuko exclaimed, walking up to him. He looked deeply concerned, even if Sokka couldn't appreciate it because he was freaking out. "Cape Kuruk, that's where you're from, isn't that right?" he asked.

"My father works on that oil rig, Zuko," Sokka ground out, racing over to the phone and picking up the handset as he dialed the number of the Enuaraq household in Cape Kuruk, his hands shaking badly and making the task all that much more difficult. Eventually, he managed to dial the number and began to nervously wait for an answer. Zuko came up to him again, placing his hand on Sokka's shoulder in an attempt to be comforting. Once again, Sokka couldn't quite appreciate the gesture as much as he otherwise would. After an agonizing amount of waiting, he finally heard Gran-Gran's voice on the phone. "Gran-Gran!" Sokka exclaimed. "I just saw the news! Is dad-"

"It wasn't his shift, Sokka," Gran-Gran replied, her voice very strained. She sounded very unlike herself. Had she been crying? Sokka could not remember his grandmother crying on a single occasion during his lifetime. Even when Kya had died, Gran-Gran had been the only one who had kept it together. But it seemed that right now his grandmother was struggling. "Your dad is currently assisting with the rescue effort."

"That's probably really dangerous, too," Sokka shuddered with fear. "At least he's alright."

"But so many aren't, Sokka," Gran-Gran sobbed. "So many people I know have lost someone, a son, a father or a husband. The community is devastated."

"I can imagine," Sokka whispered, barely holding back a sob himself. He suddenly realized what he had to do. There would soon come a time of mourning, and he needed to be with his people. "Gran-Gran, just hang on in there and try to keep dad from doing something stupid and heroically brave. I'll be on the first plane home, I promise you."

"Sokka, child, you don't have to-"

"But I do," Sokka cut her off. "I also have to tell Katara. I suspect that she'll want to come home, too. We need to be with the family right now."

"I understand," Kanna sighed. "I guess I was naïve to think that we could spare you from the pain that the community is going through right now."

"Katara and I are adults, Gran-Gran," Sokka said. "You don't need to spare us from hardships like you would a child. Anyway, I need to call Katara now. I'll talk to you soon," he said before disconnecting the call.

"Do you want me to leave?" Zuko asked quietly. "This is kind of personal, so I'll understand if you want to be alone."

"No, please… please, stay," Sokka replied hastily. He noticed that Zuko's hand was still on his shoulder. He reached out and placed his own hand over Zuko's. "I just need to make two more calls, Katara and then the airline. After that, I think I would prefer to have someone around to talk to."

"Alright," Zuko nodded. He was looking a little flustered, removing his hand as soon as Sokka had released it, stepping away and giving Sokka the privacy to call Katara.

It was that chipper Fire Nation girl, Azula's old friend Ty Lee who answered the phone at the Upper Ring estate. Sokka found her a little overbearing at times, but she was generally pretty hilarious. Still, this was no time to get distracted by Ty Lee's antics, so he wasted no time in asking Ty Lee to find Katara for him. Less than a minute later, Sokka heard his sister's voice on the phone. From her voice alone, he could tell that Katara was smiling on the other end of the line, probably because of something that Azula had said or done. Sokka hated that he was just about to ruin his sister's day.

"Katara, first things first, dad is safe and unharmed, so you don't have to freak out about that," Sokka began.

"What the-" Katara immediately sounded panicky. "Why would you open with something like that, what's wrong with you?"

"I'm guessing that you haven't heard the news, sis," Sokka sighed. "There was an incident at the oil rig. Dad is alive and well, but there are casualties, and probably not a small number."

"Oh… oh no," Katara gasped. "Of course, oil rig accidents are always deadly! We all knew that place was a deathtrap, it was just a matter of time before something like this happened, especially with the Nakamura Industries safety standards!"

"It's hard to say what exactly happened, Katara, let's not be hasty," Sokka said. "From the news report, it looked like maybe the oil tanker had rammed the platform by accident. It was hard to tell."

"That… that would be inexcusable," Katara sounded incensed on the other end of the line. "I can't bear to think about all those poor families! Sokka, some of our classmates have probably lost their fathers in this incident. That's so horrible!"

"I know," Sokka sighed. "That's why I want to be with dad and Gran-Gran as they go through this. I'm getting a ticket for the next plane to Agna Qel'a."

"Get two tickets, please. I'm coming with you," Katara decided in a heartbeat, just like Sokka knew she would. He knew his sister well.

"I appreciate it, Kat. Family needs to stick together during these times, I thought you'd agree with me on that," he said. "Alright, start getting ready then. I'll call the airline and then get back to you about the time of our flight."

"Alright, Sokka," Katara said, disconnecting the call. She hadn't even said anything encouraging and uplifting to him, which further indicated how distressed she was by the news, and Sokka completely sympathized with his sister. Having made a call to the airline, he walked back into the living room to face a worried looking Zuko.

"Hey, uh… I'm really sorry that you have to face something like this," Zuko managed awkwardly.

"It's okay, Zuko. Well, no… it's not okay, but I appreciate you being here," Sokka managed a small smile. "Anyway, my flight is in a few hours, so I have some time left to kill. Can I count on your help with that?"

"I really am not great at this, but I'll try my best," Zuko said. It was enough to make Sokka feel a little bit better. As far as he was concerned, Zuko's best was more than good enough.

Next chapter: Sokka, Katara and Azula visit Cape Kuruk, while Yue and Ty Lee literally hold the fort in Ba Sing Se.

(Also, in the first few drafts of the story, Hakoda was supposed to die at this point. But then I asked myself what the hell is wrong with me and reconsidered.)