Chapter 23

Azula was not a huge fan of Agna Qel'a, especially in winter. Even in her warm fur lined parka, the cold always seemed to find a way to penetrate through her clothes and make her shiver. Back at the estate of Arnook Taqqiq, Azula had cranked the heating up to the maximum and she had still needed a sweater while Katara and Yue had both laughed at her. Azula supposed that turnabout was fair play after she had made a habit of making fun of her wives for their inability to withstand the heat of a Fire Nation summer.

Still, the tournaments in Agna Qel'a were always fascinating, especially during a particularly bitter winter, because the extreme conditions helped to spring a lot of unexpected surprises. Obviously, the Water Tribe competitors gained an edge in these conditions, and it was the reason why Pakku Karetak had won the annual Agna Qel'a tournament on close to twenty occasions during his illustrious and long career. It was also a tournament in which Fire Nation grandmasters consistently fared poorly, which was why Piandao, Jeong-Jeong and Zhao had all decided against showing up. Zuko and On Ji had also entered only because their partners had already decided to come to Agna Qel'a, Sokka to visit his father further up north, and Aang because he desperately needed a good result from the tournament.

Sitting in the stands together with Katara, Azula immediately realized that this first round of play was going to spring a few surprises, suggesting a completely unpredictable tournament. Yue had wrestled back the right to call herself the best active Water Tribe Pai Sho player from Siku Ikuma with relative ease, however, unlike the other Water Tribe pros, Yue was no longer based in Agna Qel'a. She was certainly still very popular in the Water Tribe territories, but people did sometimes view her as belonging more to the Earth Kingdom. Azula was not surprised that Siku, the Waska sisters and even Hahn had enjoyed louder ovations during the opening ceremony and the presentation of the participants. And the spectators had nearly raised the roof at the announcement of Pakku, clearing all doubts as to who their favorite for the tournament victory was. Still, it wasn't like Yue had been booed. The applause had still been lengthy and wholly respectful, so Azula was not exactly upset about the reception.

As the matches of the first round began, Azula was surprised to see Yue getting off to a slow start against Kori Morishita. Kori had surprised them all with her unexpected return, but this championship cycle seemed to be full of unexpected comebacks, so perhaps it was fitting after all. They had done some preparations for Kori, but with her being absent from the pro circuit for so long, Azula hadn't been certain what to expect. She imagined that with the elections in Yu Dao back in October, Kori's preparations would have been very rushed, but now it appeared that she was in a much better shape than anyone had expected and Yue was left experiencing some difficulties.

Elsewhere, some of the other games were also not going according to the script. Hahn was dominating Haru, something that could probably happen only in Agna Qel'a. Much to the delight of the spectators, Zuko was seriously struggling against an inspired Pakku. On Ji was on the verge of losing to one of the Waska sisters, Nutha, while Aang was the only one of the favorites doing well against the other Waska sister, Niyok. Also, Siku took one of the local masters to the cleaners in a little more than twenty moves, finishing her game first and leaving the hall, waving to the cheering crowds.

"This is so much harder than it has any right to be," Katara sighed, watching Yue continuing to struggle against Kori. It wasn't so much that Kori was playing great, but she was very scrappy and Yue had clearly expected a much easier contest, and as a result she was becoming frustrated.

"I know," Azula agreed. "Kori is oddly motivated for someone who's joining the cycle too late to qualify for the finals. But she's definitely playing like she has a lot to prove."

"Maybe she's seriously considering sticking around for the next cycle," Katara shrugged.

"Seems like Yue and Zuko are both in unexpected trouble," Sokka remarked. He was sitting the furthest from Azula, with Katara and Kya between them. Kya was once again starting to lose interest around the second hour of play. Kya had already devoured a large bag of popcorn and she was now killing the boredom by plucking out the eyes of her plush seal.

"Is daddy going to lose to the octagon?" Kya asked hopefully.

"She means octogenarian," Sokka grinned, making both Azula and Katara laugh. "Zuko was trying to teach her a new word at the breakfast table. With limited success."

"Well, is he?" Kya repeated insistently. "Can we go and see grandpa if daddy loses?"

"We'll think about it, Kya," Sokka sighed, looking over at Azula and Katara. "I have a feeling that Zuko's plan of us staying with him until the end of the tournament isn't going to work out. All she's talked about since coming here is going to Cape Kuruk to visit grandpa and play with the puppies."

It had taken a while for Hakoda to adopt a new dog after Naga had passed away from old age, but he had recently taken in a couple of St. Bernard puppies. They had been sired by one of Naga's many offspring, so in a way, it felt like a part of Naga was still with the family. Azula was not much of a dog person, but she had liked Naga a great deal, even if the dog had been a little smelly. And she could understand why Katara was very excited about meeting the new members of the Enuaraq family.

"Surely Zuko will understand if you two head to Cape Kuruk ahead of him," Katara said. "He wouldn't want Kya to be miserable, which is what's going to happen if you force her to stay in this boring old city for two whole weeks."

"Katara is right," Azula agreed. "When the three us drive up to the coast after the tournament, we'll grab Zuko with us."

"Yes, I know you're right," Sokka sighed. "This would be easier to bring up with Zuko if he won against the octagon and was in a good mood," he added with a chuckle.

"Well, I'm afraid that's not going to happen," Azula said as they watched Zuko and Pakku shaking hands. Zuko then walked away, shaking his head and muttering to himself while Pakku enjoyed the applause from the crowd.

"Yes, that's too bad, but I think you should bring it up with Zuko anyway," Katara said. "At least our girl is finally getting her act together," she added as they watched Yue finally managing to swallow her frustrations and once again starting to play relaxed. Kori had held out bravely until the fortieth move, aided by Yue being low on time and having to rush, but once the clocks were reset, Yue was quickly gaining advantage while Kori was running out of steam.

The other games had either already finished or looked to have been decided. Haru had lost to Hahn, and On Ji was losing to Nutha Waska. The only one of the pre-tournament favorites to win was Aang, and now Yue joined him, with Kori accepting the inevitable on the fifty third move. Sokka and Kya had already left to catch up with Zuko by the time Azula and Katara also rose to leave.

"Rough start," Katara remarked quietly.

"A little too rough for my liking, yes," Azula nodded as they headed for the exit. "We have a lot of work ahead of tomorrow. Aang definitely looked better today."

"I think it was just some early nerves," Katara said. "You know how much Yue wants to win this tournament in particular. She wants to do it in front of the Water Tribe spectators, it would mean so much to her. Trust me, I know how good that feels."

"You're not telling me something I don't already know, Kat," Azula smiled. "I believe that Yue can do it, and we're going to do everything to give her the best chance to win."

Yue was going to face Aang in the second round tomorrow, in a game that both Azula and Katara believed could decide the fate of the entire tournament. It was time to get back to the estate of Arnook Taqqiq and spend most of the afternoon to get Yue ready for the big day tomorrow.


Kori Morishita rather enjoyed being back among the professional Pai Sho players, many of whom she had befriended during her teenage years. It was a welcome change after having spent six years in charge of the highest political office in the autonomous republic of Yu Dao. She'd taken on her role as the governor full of burgeoning enthusiasm and patriotic hope that everyone would come on board to rebuild their decimated metropolis from the rubble. And for the first few years, that had been the overwhelming sentiment among the people. But as life in Yu Dao quickly improved, a new upper class also spawned from the rubble, people who wanted to have more say in the decisions made at the top level. Vicious vying for more influence led to Kori having to learn all about the dirty side of politics on the fly, and even if she had handled it well, she hadn't enjoyed it. Towards the end of her second term, Kori could no longer be sure as to who was a true ally and who was a bootlicker, waiting for an opportunity to stick a knife in her back.

Certainly, professional Pai Sho had its own drama and politics, but so far Kori didn't find it particularly vicious. After the ousting of Ozai Nakamura, the worst of the corruption on the federation level had been cleared out. There didn't seem to be any obvious ill feelings between the competitors, either, and the atmosphere in Agna Qel'a was relaxing. The only tensions that Kori was subjected to came from an unexpected source, which was her own husband, Haru.

Kori didn't believe that Haru had any reason to suspect her of having instructed her lawyers to start the divorce proceedings. So, it came as a bit of a surprise when during the preparation for the tournament, Haru was often snappy and dismissive of her in a way he previously hadn't been. Kori at first struggled to understand this. It almost seemed as if Haru didn't approve of her attempted comeback, as if he feared that she would manage to outshine him even after a hiatus of six long years.

And it was certainly not Kori's fault when the exact thing that Haru had been fearing happened once the tournament began. Haru lost his first three games not only to the objectively better player in Zuko Nakamura, but also to the local favorites Siku Ikuma and Hahn Adjuk. These results didn't surprise Kori. The Water Tribe players always did much better at Agna Qel'a, but also, Haru was playing very scared and nervous, perhaps because he was terrified about being upstaged by his wife. Kori was playing with no pressure or expectations, feeling completely relaxed, and the results spoke for themselves. She'd pushed Yue Taqqiq very hard in the first round, scored an easy win against a no-name local master in the second round and she'd held Siku to a draw in her third game.

With the married couple having to face each other in the fourth round, the tournament off day before that had been very tense. Kori sensed that Haru expected her to at least hand him a draw, but with the attitude he'd shown towards her thus far, Kori was not certain that he had earned such generosity. Kori had spent most of the day off away from the hotel and her husband because things had become unbearably tense. She'd spent most of the day browsing the shops of the Water Tribe capital and on her way back she had met Hahn Adjuk, who invited her for a round of drinks. Kori had agreed to that, but she turned down the offer to go back to Hahn's apartment. That was not a complication Kori needed right now.

Haru had obviously spent the whole tournament off day to practice and get ready to face her, while Kori had been away from the Pai Sho board the entire day before returning to the hotel and a fierce interrogation late in the evening. Kori had a feeling that as they sat down for their game of the fourth round, Haru was no longer looking for a quick draw. Instead, he looked determined to teach her a lesson.

There was only one problem with Haru's plan. He was no longer playing scared. He was now playing angry, and that was an even worse state of mind to be in for a Pai Sho match. From the very start of their game, Haru came at her way too aggressively, far more so than was his normal style. After Kori had weathered the immediate assault, she found that Haru didn't have much to offer after that. It took Kori all of her willpower not to make a quip about how it was very reminiscent of his lack of stamina in the bedroom, but she also didn't want to appear like too much of a bitch. She'd been unfaithful throughout most of their marriage except for the first five months, so she didn't exactly have a moral leg to stand on. But she also didn't care whether Haru or countless others thought she was a slutty whore.

After Haru had exhausted his initial assault, Kori found herself hesitating before she launched her counteroffensive. The whole mess with cheating and about to spring the divorce on Haru made her feel a little guilty, thinking that perhaps she should let Haru have the draw he wanted to end his humiliation. But at the same time, when Kori looked at her husband across the table, in many ways she saw a stranger. They'd grown apart and Kori had never felt any urgency to rebuilt that which had been lost. Meeting Jet was certainly a large part of the reason why she wasn't interested in maintaining her marriage. Haru was now a stranger in her life, coming back to try and control what she could do. Why exactly was she even considering giving him a handout?

Of course, Kori was far from her best Pai Sho form, so taking advantage of Haru exhausting himself prematurely still wasn't an easy task. It took Kori considerable time to slowly push Haru's remaining forces back and then really put the squeeze on and strangle the remaining life out of him. Haru managed to limp past the fortieth move and put up some token resistance after that. Kori kept glancing at him, realizing that her husband was absolutely boiling in anger. Anyone else would have already resigned their position by now, but clearly, Haru just couldn't say the words. In the end, he chose to suffer the ignominious fate of Kori forming the Harmony Ring and putting him out of his misery.

"I guess I shouldn't have pushed for the win," Haru chuckled awkwardly, trying to play off the sting of the loss. "Would you have given me the draw, though?"

"I don't know. Maybe," Kori shrugged. "You didn't exactly leave me any choice. And I'm sorry to say, but this isn't the only loss you're going to suffer today." Haru gave her a look full of incomprehension. "I heard back from my lawyers. All the paperwork has been prepared and I've given them the green light to go ahead." Haru still looked as clueless as before. "I'm filing for divorce, Haru."

"What?" Haru croaked miserably.

"Come on. You couldn't have thought things were going well, right?" Kori sighed. "Let's just put an end to this unsatisfying union, shall we?"

"Unsatisfying union? Is that what you think we have?" Haru snapped. "What if I say no?"

"Then you'll discover why I have a team of lawyers working on it," Kori shrugged. "It's your choice."

"We'll see about that," Haru glared, getting up to leave. "I'll go and get a different room for myself. Preferably in another hotel."

"As you wish," Kori shrugged, watching him storm off. It was fortunate that all the other games of the round had already ended, so the only witnesses to their acrimonious exchange had been a few hapless tournament officials. The spectators were too far removed from the stage to have any idea of what was being said.

Adopting her best snobbish politician rising above the rest expression, Kori also rose from her seat. Before departing, she allowed herself a quick look at the tournament standings. She had been so immersed in crushing Haru that she hadn't paid any attention to the other games, but now with some surprise she discovered that she'd been the only winner of the round together with On Ji Takeda. The big favorites, Yue Taqqiq, Aang Jetsun and Zuko Nakamura had all been checked and held to draws by scrappy Water Tribe opposition. It meant that Kori now found herself merely half a point behind the tournament lead, a situation that she could have never imagined herself in, but which to Kori seemed to validate her recent life choices.


Yue winced lightly as her bare feet touched the cold floor tiles in the kitchen of her father's mansion. The Agna Qel'a Pai Sho tournament had just hit the halfway mark and it was the morning of the second day off. With Azula and Katara still fast asleep, Yue had woken up early and she had decided to sneak downstairs to make herself a cup of coffee. Once she had helped herself to a hot mug, Yue found a comfortable seat by the window, offering a look outside. At nine in the morning, it would still be dark outside for another half an hour. Near the winter solstice, days in Agna Qel'a were very short, but until she had moved to Ba Sing Se, Yue hadn't really noticed it. The weather had turned outside, becoming warmer, and it was snowing, large and sticky flakes falling lazily. Yue could already hear Azula's voice, complaining about the weather and stating several reasons why they should spend the entire day indoors.

It was a little odd to be back in Agna Qel'a, staying with her father. Not just because her relationship with Arnook was still lukewarm. Staying at the estate didn't feel that much different than staying at a hotel because Yue simply didn't have any emotional connection with the place. Her father had bought this piece of property after the Adjuk clan had forced him out of the almost palatial manor where Yue had been raised. Yue knew that the wealth she'd been surrounded with while growing up had been excessive, but it didn't stop her from missing her childhood home.

Yue had a feeling that Katara and Azula would have been happier staying at a nice hotel than at her father's estate. Her wives had very complicated feelings towards her father. On one hand, they wanted Yue to have a good relationship with Arnook. On the other hand, Yue could tell that both Azula and Katara would forever carry a grudge towards her father for pushing her into that arranged marriage with Hahn Adjuk and then turning a blind eye when it became abusive. But Azula and Katara also knew how to act perfectly cordially towards her father without expressing any particular warmth, so Yue didn't really have to worry about any drama or conflicts occurring.

Things at the estate were very quiet and peaceful, ensuring perfect preparations for her games, and Yue's results spoke for themselves. After six rounds played, Yue was leading the tournament with four wins and two draws. Her match of the second round with Aang had been an absolute classic of punching and counter punching. After seventy-six exhausting moves, they had finally agreed on a draw. Yue's other draw was slightly more frustrating because it had come against Pakku, and as far as Yue was concerned, she had no right to drop points against the old grandmaster. Still, Pakku was playing some inspired Pai Sho, claiming that he had been inspired by his teaching role replacing Yue at her academy club back in Ba Sing Se.

Yue's best game had come in the previous round, a rare and decisive win over Zuko. Yue had wrestled the initiative soon after the opening and she'd never relinquished it, playing a near perfect game, not allowing Zuko as much as a look in. With five more rounds to go, Yue was feeling fairly confident about the tournament win because her opponents down this final stretch weren't the most fearsome.

Still, Yue wasn't going to underestimate her opposition. Aang and Siku were trailing her only by half a point, so it wasn't as if Yue was in a situation where she could relax. Zuko and one of the Waska sisters were a full point behind, which wasn't an insurmountable gap by any means. Kori Morishita was a further half a point back, and probably wasn't going to be a serious contender for the tournament victory, but still, her return to competition had been quite impressive. The Water Tribe representatives were acquitting themselves very well. Pakku was playing as good as any eighty-year-old had ever played, and even Hahn was enjoying some minor success. He'd lost his game against Yue rather hopelessly, but had actually for once acted respectfully, without making any dumb comments.

Not everyone was having a successful tournament, however. Predictably, On Ji was struggling in Agna Qel'a, not enjoying her time this far up north. She was down in the bottom three, and not even prepping with Aang and Zuko was doing her any favors. Still, she was doing much better than Haru Tamang. Haru had lost all six of his games, playing appallingly and looking like he didn't even want to be here. Yue had no idea what was going on with Haru, but perhaps Kori's success was getting to him, in which case, Yue found that explanation to be a bit pathetic.

Yue was about half way through her cup of coffee, when she heard someone else descending downstairs. Normally, Yue would have expected Azula, because her Fire Nation wife was usually the one who rose first, but Azula was currently a little sniffly, suffering from a light cold, and she had decided to sleep in. The footfall on the stairs didn't sound like Azula or Katara, anyway, and shortly after Yue saw her father entering the kitchen, yawning as he ran his hand through his rapidly thinning hair.

"Ah, Yue! Good morning, I didn't see you there," Arnook looked surprised to see her already up on her day off. "We didn't get to speak last night, but I understand that congratulations are in order."

"Thank you, father," Yue smiled up at Arnook.

Arnook also helped himself to a mug of coffee, deciding to sit down with her. They sat for a while in silence, with her father occasionally casting a quick glance at her, while also appearing to be listening in for Azula and Katara moving about upstairs. "I was wondering if we could talk," Arnook spoke up eventually, probably having decided that Yue was in a good enough mood, and on this occasion, he wasn't wrong.

"Of course," Yue nodded quickly.

"You know that I have restored you as the sole beneficiary of our family fortune, and nothing you do will change that, never again. Because I really am so proud of you, Yue," her father began quietly. "And yet, at the same time, I can't help but feel conflicted."

"Because our bloodline will end with me," Yue said simply. They'd discussed this topic before, with their earlier conversations ending with Yue shouting at her father for being unreasonable and pigheaded.

"Yes, I'm sorry, but it's not easy to accept," Arnook sighed. "And please, understand that this is not intended as a slight to your current relationship. I'm just urging you to think about possibly finding a way to make sure that our name doesn't become dust in the wind."

Yue remained silent for a while before replying. Having watched Jin and Ty Lee go through their pregnancies had given Yue ideas, she couldn't deny that. She loved children, it was true, but she still wasn't sure if childbirth was something she wanted to go through. Perhaps they could look into adoption, but that wouldn't satisfy her father's wish to continue the bloodline. In the meantime, being there for Kya's early years and working with all those talented kids at the academy had been enough to smother what desire Yue may have had to have children of her own.

"Me having children isn't the only way of preserving our family name, father," Yue eventually replied.

"Perhaps," her father nodded. "Can I ask what you would like to do with your inheritance? After all, it's a question that you'll have to deal with soon."

"Not that soon," Yue replied quickly. Her father had been diagnosed with liver cirrhosis a couple of years ago. It wasn't at an advanced stage yet, so the doctors were giving Arnook anything between four to eight years, but it was inevitably true that her father wouldn't be around for too much longer, especially since he hadn't completely overcome his weakness for good single malt scotch, despite his very serious diagnosis.

"Perhaps," Arnook shrugged. "But if you have ideas, please, indulge me. Set an old man's nerves at ease."

"I would most certainly leave most of the money to Kya," Yue smiled. "I don't care about the actual legal status, Katara's niece is my family. I would set up college funds both for her and Lee. That's the child of my two good friends."

"You've mentioned the boy before," her father nodded, smiling slightly.

"After that… I don't know," Yue shrugged. "You know that my thoughts regarding wealth have changed dramatically. I would probably pour a lot of that money into various charities." Yue didn't particularly want to advertise that she was thinking about charities specifically promoting the cause of sexual minorities. While her father had never dared to express any disapproval for her relationships, she suspected that his true feelings on the matter were at best described as confused. "I've also thought about opening a specialized academy for Pai Sho," Yue continued. "Either here or back in Ba Sing Se, or perhaps in both capitals. The Taqqiq Academy of Pai Sho has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? If you're looking for a way to immortalize the family name, why not like this?"

"It would be a good use of the funds," the quick agreement of her father surprised Yue. "But nothing would immortalize our family name more like you winning that world title. I'm rooting for you so much, Yue. Do you think you can do it?" Arnook asked.

"You know what?" Yue returned, smiling softly. She had suffered doubts during some of the darker moments of her journey, but with Katara and Azula at her side, always finding the right words or bits of advice had by now erased all of her doubts. She had come to believe in her own immense talent, and when it was nurtured by coaches as talented and inspiring as her beloved wives, Yue knew that she had no right not to win. "I don't just think that I can do it, dad. I'm going to bloody do it," she said with full confidence. "I'm going to put the name Yue Taqqiq forever in the history books, and that's a promise."


Katara was in no way surprised that after her decisive and confident display against Zuko, Yue went on a roll during the next few rounds, winning all of her games with the exception of a fighting draw with Niyok Waska. While Yue was surging towards the tournament win, her competitors were struggling to keep up.

Zuko did not stay down for long after his bitter defeat to Yue. On the contrary, he surged back with a string of impressive victories to become Yue's closest challenger. One of his victories was an impressively fought close contest with Aang, with Zuko just coming out on top. Katara had been delighted to see her friends finally giving each other a real battle, and even if Aang had badly needed this win to keep his chances of qualifying for the finals strong, Katara could see that Aang had actually looked happy after the loss, because he had quite simply enjoyed the game so much. Still, even with his impressive results, Zuko was trailing Yue by a whole point before the final round, and having lost their head-to-head contest, he could no longer overtake Yue in the standings.

Yue's other closest followers were Aang and Siku Ikuma. Siku's challenge had been slightly derailed by her becoming unstuck in a series of drawn contests, but she was still playing highly impressive Pai Sho. Just like Yue, she had not lost a single game throughout the entire tournament, an impressive achievement in itself. As for Aang, his chances of a tournament win had suffered a dent not only by his tough loss to Zuko, but also by his arranged draw with On Ji. If not for that, Aang would have still been in a situation where he could theoretically share the tournament win with Yue. As it was, Aang was too far behind and the tournament had for once been decided before the final round. When Yue sat down to face Siku in the final round of play, she was already doing it as the deserved winner.

For once, Azula and Katara could relax as they sat down to enjoy the matches of the final round, safe in the knowledge that Yue had the tournament win in the bag. Once Yue was done with the formalities that came with finishing on the podium, they would enjoy some celebrating of their own. The plans they had hatched didn't involve anything too wild, because come tomorrow morning, they would grab Zuko and set out on a long drive up north to Cape Kuruk to spend more than a week with Katara's father at the little coastal community where she'd grown up.

Still, despite having already secured the tournament win, Yue was not going to take it easy in the final round. The game against Siku meant a lot to them both. Siku had tried to hold on to the right to call herself the best of the Water Tribe, but Yue had by now clearly regained that status, and winning the tournament further reinforced that belief. Still, Siku was determined to win at least some bragging rights and she came out against Yue all guns blazing, trying her best to confound Yue with some unusual moves during the game's opening. Their fierce struggle continued past the fortieth move, and Katara could well imagine how hard it must have been for Yue to focus while already knowing that the outcome of this game didn't really matter and she had already won the tournament. Probably knowing that Yue would be struggling to focus, Siku was playing a clever game, creating all sorts of unorthodox complications and making Yue think harder than she was willing to.

In the end, Siku's persistence paid off and on sixtieth move, Yue missed one of the many traps Siku had laid out for her and it led to the loss of Yue's Orchid tile. With great effort and some luck, perhaps Yue could have still salvaged a draw, but when Yue decided against it, instead offering her surrender, Katara couldn't find it in her to judge her wife too harshly. She had played a brilliant tournament overall, and the spectators recognized it, giving both Yue and Siku a standing ovation as they rose to bow to the crowds. With her impressive final round victory, Siku ended up finishing in a shared second place together with Aang, the best result of her pro career so far. Katara suspected that if Siku continued to practice hard, she would soon become a real threat, especially on home soil.

Before the final round, Zuko had been in the best position to claim the second place. However, he had blundered in his final game, trying to push for a win against On Ji in a situation where victory really wasn't in the cards. He had overplayed his hand and given On Ji a rare win that still hadn't salvaged her tournament, as she wound up finishing in the bottom three of the rankings. With Aang winning his final round game over Nutha Waska, he and Siku had both jumped ahead of Zuko, pushing him down to the fourth place. Second place finish was exactly the result Aang had needed in order to revitalize his chances of qualifying for the finals.

The other Water Tribe contestants had also made the local spectators proud. Niyok Waska had finished shared fifth with Kori Morishita, who could rightfully claim the title of the surprise performer of the tournament. They were closely followed by the other Water Tribe entries, Hahn, Pakku and Nutha Waska. The disappointments of the tournament were On Ji, but in particular, Haru Tamang, finishing with a single point to his name and looking as if he had mentally checked out during the tournament. Katara had no idea what had happened to Haru, but rumors were swirling about him and Kori heading for a divorce. Katara had encountered Kori a few times during the tournament, and they've chatted for a bit, but at the same time, Katara didn't feel like they were close enough for her to prod Kori about the matters of her private life.

"Another job well done," Azula said as they waited patiently for the crowds to file out of the stands before they followed, not keen on tangling with the worst of the masses. "We make quite the coaching team, don't we?"

"We're the best, obviously," Katara agreed, grinning. "We have earned ourselves a lovely week-long vacation in Cape Kuruk."

"Yes, and I also saw the weather forecast for next week. Record lows are expected," Azula sighed, shuddering theatrically. "That sounds simply wonderful."

"Don't act like you're not excited," Katara sighed, giving Azula a light shoulder bump. "I know you've been looking forward to hanging out with my dad. You two always have such spirited debates. Also, there will be puppies! And sharing that bed that's honestly a little too small for the three of us, but somehow we always manage."

"That's all true," Azula was forced to agree with a smile. "We do manage to overcome every adversity we end up facing," she added before taking the risk and giving Katara a quick kiss on the lips, which went largely ignored by the crowd, people too preoccupied to leave the premises.