Chapter 17: Light as a Feather
"So when will you be back?"
"Probably sometime tomorrow," Sokka told Sela. "We're staying at their place tonight. They're leaving tomorrow afternoon, so we'll likely be with them until then."
"Alright then," Sela said, "Gansu was saying earlier that he got in touch with the mechanist. He told him that you and Yue have to take care of Ummi. That man's apparently very understanding about these things, and you can set your own schedule with him."
"Good, that's the main thing," Sokka nodded, "What about—?"
"Talks are in the works about next year's seminar, but it's still too early to know anything. But don't worry. We'll keep you and Yue informed," the Earth Kingdomer assured. "Also, I was thinking of bringing Lee here sometime later this week. Yue said she's ready to start lessons. Once she gets into the mindset of work and having a regular routine, she'll start to feel much better."
"That sounds good," Sokka smiled.
"Good." Sela poured into a cup some basil-lemon juice that she had prepared, "Here, go give this to Yue. She needs all the energy she can get."
He took the juice over to their room, gently opening the door to not wake Ummi in the event that she was asleep. He whispered as quietly as he could, "Hey, Yue, I got you some…"
As it turned out, both mom and daughter had dozed off with Ummi curled up on top of Yue's bosom. She was nestled between her mother's bare breasts, her tiny fist cast over a teat mid-sleep. Yue's arms were curled around Ummi, her lips resting atop the infant's head, long locks partly wrapped around the child like a warm blanket and partly cascading down the bed like a glimmering moonlit waterfall.
It was a beautiful but private sight; hence, Sokka scrambled out of the room and closed it behind him with wide eyes, bearing the feeling that he'd walked in on something sacred and primal. It was beyond his comprehension how he was left with a warm face and an even warmer heart all at the same time. You should've knocked, you idiot, he berated himself as he quickly made his way back to the kitchen, setting the juice on the kitchen counter.
"You didn't give her the juice?" Sela asked.
"She's sleeping."
"She can drink it when she wakes up. You could've just put it next to her on the table or something."
"Actually…" Rubbing the back of his neck, "Can you go do it, Lady Sela?"
"I need to take out the pickled barracuda before it burns," she kept her undivided attention on her dish over the hearth, "Just go put it back."
"I don't wanna wake them up. Yue's tired, and Ummi obviously needs sleep…"
"You don't have to wake them up to put the juice next to the bed."
"Yeah, but…I got something important I need to take care of," he said, making himself busy by aimlessly opening various drawers as if looking for something, giving up the "search" eventually and taking to squeeze the extract out of the frozen kelp to mix with Ummi's milk. He stared absently at the floor in long intervals as he performed the task, his head kept lowered.
"What's with you? You're as red as a tomato."
"Nothing," he shrugged.
"Then why did you run back out?"
"No reason. Just…she fell asleep while she was nursing Ummi, so…"
"So?" she nearly laughed at his sheepishness, "You've seen it all as her husband."
"Still…I respect her privacy…"
"That's sweet, but she's feeding your baby. I'm pretty sure all privacy boundaries have been broken for you three to get to this point."
"Yeah…but still…"
Sela sighed, "I don't get it. You two are so shy. Like you're newlyweds who haven't even done the deed yet. I'm surprised you even have a baby together."
"What? That's ridiculous!" he fumbled with a nervous laugh, "Yue and I did the deed multiple times. You don't just spin babies out of thin air, do ya?" he said, instantly regretting his timing as he saw his best friend suddenly walk into the kitchen at that exact moment, wearing a surprised expression at the comment.
"There you are," Sela turned to the tribeswoman, "Your husband over here's acting like he's never seen a woman topless in his entire life."
Sokka wanted to crawl into a hole and hide there forever. Yue blinked, flushing, "Um…?"
"He feels bad that he walked in on you feeding Ummi," Sela explained.
"Sorry, sorry, I'm so sorry!" he sputtered as her face bloomed a shade of bright pink, "I didn't think you were—!"
"What's so wrong in this? Am I the one missing something here?" Sela said.
Yue shook her head, still dazed, "Nothing…nothing's wrong… It's just, uh…just a cultural thing. We're pretty, um…modest about…public displays of affection and…privacy and…certain other things—"
"Oh, I see. No wonder I've seen several Water Tribe couples publicly shove their tongues down each other's throats," the Earth Kingdomer teased, surprised to find that their faces could get redder than they already were. "I'm not saying you two should make out in public or something but… maybe don't beat yourself up over this? I'm sure Water Tribe women, just like every other community of women in loving marriages, have no qualms about feeding their babies in front of their husbands. You two have been through a year of marriage, lots of deeds, and nine months of the chaos that is pregnancy. If anything, you should be enjoying these bonding moments. It's one of the best times of your life."
"Yes, you're absolutely right," Yue fumbled as Sokka handed her the juice.
"I really didn't mean—"
"It's okay, love, don't worry about it."
Love. He gawked at her, issuing a mute nod as she averted her flushed face and quickly retreated to the room.
"Now she's as red as a tomato," Sela laughed, "I can't even with you two."
After what seemed like several eternities, Yue made certain that Sela wasn't in the home before she stepped out of the room, hoping to somehow will away the crimson persistently coloring her cheeks. She was startled to see Sokka working diligently on putting up a pink curtain in front of the door. As he drew the curtain aside, he saw her and backed away, averting eye contact, "So, uh…I got an idea. Next time you really need privacy, you don't have to say anything. Just…just slide this here curtain," he demonstrated as he said it, "and I'll know to stay out…"
"Oh…that's smart…" Brushing back a loose strand of her hair, her face still warm, "I'm sorry, I should've locked the door—"
"No, I should've been more careful. I always knock. I guess I was rushing earlier and forgot…"
"No, really, I get it," she said, sighing, "I know it seems useless if I can't actually feed her, but spending time with her like this is helpful for bonding purposes. It helps her calm down—"
"Hey, you don't have to explain anything," he said softly. "You and Ummi need this, I'd never say otherwise. I just feel bad for…intruding. These are special moments between you two, and I shouldn't have—"
"It was an accident," she said, holding back a shudder, "There's a great deal of difference between someone who accidentally walks in on you and someone who deliberately picks at locks in the middle of the night to make a move on you…"
He felt his rage briefly shoving to the forefront at the mere thought of the Red Fang, but she gave him a reassuring look, "It's really okay."
Sighing, "I can't believe it turned into a whole scene. It wasn't my intention at all."
"I know. It really is nothing to beat ourselves up over, but I don't understand why Lady Sela had to make a big deal about this. I think she's just seen so many amorous couples that she was…caught off guard… Or maybe that's how couples are supposed to be, and we're not meeting that standard for her to believe us."
"That's why I…Back there when I said we…did the deed many times," he said, flustered, "I was kind of caught off guard. I didn't want them thinking Ummi wasn't ours so…So that's why I made that comment. It wasn't meant to be disrespectful."
"I understand."
"You're not upset?"
"Why would I be? It's kind of awkward, if anything, but it's not bad."
"Sorry," he frowned, "I wish it didn't have to be so awkward…"
"It's really okay. I'm just glad she somewhat bought our performances. And honestly, this is still the best scenario I can expect." Donning an uncomfortable frown, "Before we told her we're married, she kept asking me if I was raped. Even after I said I wasn't, she kept asking me the same thing in different ways."
"You should've just told her to stop," he said, alarmed, "Why didn't you tell me this before?"
"Because Sela wasn't being mean-spirited. She might be inquisitive, but she was only trying to look out for me. She was worried I was assaulted and was bottling up my trauma or something. I mean, that's something a lot of people would think when they see a single woman wandering in the streets with a baby and zero help." Folding her arms, "So by comparison, the awkwardness from earlier is much, much better."
"I'm really sorry. If she makes you really uncomfortable, I can tell her to…maybe not visit so often. In a nice way, of course—"
"No, that's not necessary. They're doing too much for us already, and I greatly appreciate them." Shrugging, "And yeah, things may be awkward, but I think that's a very tiny price to pay compared to…well, getting tricked and taken to Ibbein."
He could see many of her fears coming back to the forefront, and he dispelled them with a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "Let's not think about all that. Everything's gonna be okay."
"Yeah," she nodded, looking at him. "I know you didn't mean to barge in like that. I'll be careful next time—"
"No, I'm the one who should've been more considerate of—"
"Okay okay, we'll both be careful. But if it happens again somehow even with our precautions… there's no need for you to freak out. Especially in front of them. You're not a Hahn. You're my best friend. I'm not worried."
"You're not a Hahn." "Yeah…okay…" he said, relieved, "So this means we're good?"
"Of course."
"Great!" he said, relieved, "But really, if there's anything you need me to do to make this less awkward… anything at all…"
"Well…I think there are certain things we can do to not cause suspicion. No matter how comfortable we are around each other, no matter how much we care about each other's well-being, I guess it's rather normal for some people to expect us to be more… openly affectionate. You know, things that make us seem more like a couple. Simple things that aren't touchy. Like… using terms of endearment, maybe. That's why I called you 'love' earlier. You were probably very confused by that, I'm sorry…"
"No, no, that was…that was good," he fiddled with his thumbs, holding back a smile.
"So…do you think it's okay if I call you…um… 'dear' or 'sweetie' or something like that…in front of them? So we don't have to worry about…not being couple-y enough?"
He blushed, "Yeah, yeah, absolutely."
"If you think it's weird, we don't have to do it—"
"No, no, I think that's great. You know, so we don't draw suspicion. I don't mind it. And on that note…can I call you something, too? Maybe 'baby' or 'beautiful'…or something like that…?"
"Uh…sure…Call me what you like," her face tinted pink, "It's going to be awkward, I know it, but hopefully we can get used to it pretty quickly, and hopefully Lady Sela won't have to tease us so much. We'll only be doing this in front of them, so it shouldn't be too bad."
"Yeah…"
"Okay," she sighed, "Now that that's settled." She reached for the seaweed lotion by the bedside table, "Come on. Shirt off."
"This isn't super important right now—"
"It's not the end of the world, sweetie," she insisted with a nudge, "You need to take care of yourself, too."
He blinked, his face bright red, a tiny smile lingering at the corner of his lips.
"Yeah, it's really awkward, isn't it?"
He shrugged, grinning, "I can get used to this."
"Sponge bath, sponge bath, we're taking a sponge bath. Sponge bath, sponge bath, spongey spongey sponge bath. Spongey spongey spongey spongey—"
Yue chuckled at Sokka's jingle as she proceeded to wash Ummi with a soft sponge. Ummi seemed to stare at Sokka during the entirety of the song, occasionally distracted by Yue's soapy hands.
"Spongey spongey spong— no no no, Um-Um, don't eat that," he moved her soap-clad fingers out of her reach before she could plop them in her mouth, "Don't eat the soap."
Yue washed the soap off of the infant before reaching for the fresh towel that was slung over Sokka's shoulder. Sokka gently scooped Ummi up into his arms as Yue helped wrap the towel swiftly around her. "I'll take it from here," she told him, "Go get ready."
"Already?" he said but trailed off, surprised by the instant rush of warmth that trickled down his tunic, drenching his clothes. "Uh, I think she's peeing on me…"
"Oh no, not again," she took Ummi from him and seated the infant back in her little bathtub for another minute, washing her off, "Ummi, you need to give Ah a break, ommatiga."
"Hey, leave Ummikins alone," he defended, handing Yue another fresh towel for Ummi before grabbing a spare tunic and pair of pants, which in no way resembled what he should be wearing to a family reunion. He stepped into another room to quickly change, calling behind him, "If I'm her favorite potty bin, then I'm her favorite potty bin. If anything, it's her way of saying she's on my side."
"In what universe?" Yue laughed, amused. "If anything, she just told you to go change."
"I'll change into fancier clothes after we get Ummi dressed," he assured, "It takes me seconds to get ready."
"It should take you longer than that. You need to look your best."
He raced back out, eager to get Ummi back out of the tub.
"Seriously, Sokka, go pick out something to wear—"
"'Look who's talking, anaana,'" he said with a squeaky voice, waving Ummi's hand in her face "accusingly", "'I don't see you picking your clothes out!'" Turning back to the outfit that was waiting for Ummi on the bed, "Actually, come to think of it, Ummi needs a nicer outfit, too."
"She's got plenty of dresses," Yue said, incredulous. "You literally picked one out for her a few minutes ago."
"I did, and it is very cute, but we don't have one that really takes the cake for a family portrait painting," he rubbed his chin in thought, "We didn't exactly plan anything that grand."
"You've got to be kidding me," Yue said.
"What do you think, Ummicuddlypoops? My sister thinks she's all that. World famous healer and wife of the Avatar with fancy clothes and jewelry and stuff. But we gotta show her! We can be fancy, too!"
Ummi burped.
"See? Ah's right on this one—!"
"No, you're not," Yue took Ummi into her arms. "Ummi has enough—"
"You know what this meeeaaaans!"
"No, Sokka, no—"
"What? We have plenty of time!"
Before they knew it, they were roaming through one of the very few fancy malls that existed in the lower ring with Sokka having reserved not one but two big carts, filling them with all kinds of dresses and toys and accessories that were of much greater quality than the items at Kungtuk's.
"This is the greatest dress ever made!" Sokka exclaimed regarding the tenth baby dress he'd seen in the store. The tribesman seemed as if he was in a particular sort of high, carrying Ummi around with a wide grin on his face and with the object of bestowing upon her everything remotely nice that he saw in the store. Yue took the chance to secretly put back many of the items he had picked, appalled by the price stickers.
"Ooh!" Sokka turned around excitedly, prompting her to freeze and pretend as if she was looking through a collection of shirts, "We should all match for the portrait! What do you think?"
"Yeah," she smiled, "That's great!"
Whipping out the several dresses he'd been holding and placing them into the cart for her review, "What do you think? Pretty cool, huh?"
"Sokka, this is all way too much. Pick one if you must and put the rest back."
"Put the rest back? You kiss Ummi with that mouth?" he scoffed, rubbing Ummi's back to calm her whimpers, "They're all so cute! We're not putting any of them back."
"Ah," Ummi yawned.
"You tell her, ullugiaga," he drenched her face with kisses as she settled against his chest, trying to chew on her fingers. "My Ummi's a star. She's gotta be the center of attention!"
Yue sighed, continuing to place some of the plethora of items away before he could notice they were missing.
"Oh, look at this," he turned back around, and she hid behind her back the current item she was trying to put away, "This'll go great with that…Hey, where did that bib go?"
"Which bib? You got millions."
Frowning as he looked through the items, "That's funny, I thought we got more stuff than this… And that plush dolphin's missing, too…" He gave her a curious look as she fidgeted with something behind her back, "What are you holding?"
"Nothing."
He caught hold of a sticker that he recognized, quickly reaching for the dolphin plush that she was holding behind her, "What are you doing with this?"
"Nothing, I was just trying to…see how much—"
"Are you putting things back?" he looked at the shelves behind her, widening his eyes, "How many of these did you put back? These are all Ummi's!"
"Sokka, she has enough. You're spoiling her—"
"She's a week old, she can't be spoiled yet," he fumbled to pick up the items she had shoved into whichever shelf had been nearest to her, "I didn't know you were engaged in all this treachery! I thought you were picking something out for the portrait—"
"I did pick out something," she said, gesturing to a rather worn, rumpled dress that she had long added to one of the carts. His frown remained unchanged.
"What, I really like this."
Looking at the price sticker, "Ten copper pieces? Really?"
"It was on sale—"
"No, that's not a sale, that's just an insult. It looks like it was worn by a thousand people."
"All it needs is some ironing!" she said. "You told me to pick something I liked. I like this one."
"Even with the hole on the sleeve?" he pointed out.
"Oh, I didn't see that…"
"Yeah, 'cause you're looking at the price stickers," he pouted, "I told you not to look at the price stickers, ikkingutima—"
"This has nothing to do with the price," came her clear bluff, "And it's probably the latest fashion to have holes by the elbows—"
"It's just on one arm."
"It's probably more fashionable on one arm—"
"Oh, no, ma'am, that one's ripped," a saleswoman who was nearby took hold of the dress, "And this isn't even its price sticker. It must've gotten stuck to it by accident."
"You don't have any suggestions for my wife, do you?" Sokka asked the woman. "We're gonna have our very first family portrait drawn. We need to look our best."
"Oh good heavens, this dress is not suitable for that!" the saleswoman threw aside Yue's initial choice, instead leading her to a collection of outfits in the far corner, "Might I suggest these dresses, ma'am? They will be gorgeous on you."
Yue widened her eyes at the ornate fabrics, "Oh, I can't possibly, those are a bit too…"
"Perfect for formal occasions," the saleswoman continued, "See, they have different styles. You can pick whichever one you like."
Yue reached nervously for a price sticker before Sokka took it off, "I said don't look at that, ikkingutima."
"Try on a few, ma'am," the saleswoman offered. "We have fitting rooms right here."
"Great idea!" Sokka said. "Now if you'll excuse us, Ummi and I have to go on a scavenger hunt."
He went back through the aisles they previously traversed, retrieving the items that Yue put back.
"Why does your anaana have to be so difficult, paniga? Tossing away my hard work like it's nothing. You know how difficult it is to pick out the things you like before other people steal them away?" He picked up the baby cap that he had chosen earlier— a pink cap with little white bows sewn on top, "Look at this. Does she even know how important this is? It's hot in Ba Sing Se, and we're tribefolk. This is absolutely necessary for us to keep cool! And this!" Gesturing to the collection of pacifiers that he retrieved next, "The new binky collection. We can't just ignore the latest trends! But nooo, we gotta be formal. 'Oh Sokka, this is too expensive!' I mean, can't a guy spend money on his family?"
Ummi cooed.
"I know, right?" Shaking his head, "We gotta do something about this. We gotta sit her down and talk about this, and I need you to vouch for me. 'If Ah wants to buy the entire store for us, then he should do that, anaana—!'"
"Ahem."
He turned around at the sound of Yue's voice, about to give a teasing remark when he ended up freezing in place, his words stumbling and tripping in his mouth. She was as radiant as a precious sapphire, clad in a long, modest dress bathed in blended hues of midnight blues, white pearls sewn into the fabric at the ends of her sleeves as well as over a dark blue sash that was settled around her waist. Her hair complemented the pearls flawlessly, and the glimmer of his mother's bracelet on her wrist perfectly matched the dark colors.
To say she was a breathtaking goddess, great Spirits have mercy was a grand understatement.
"Well? How is it, Great Lord of Fashion?" she folded her arms. "Are you satisfied with the classiness?"
Rubbing the back of his neck as he flushed beet red, "Uh…it looks great on you! Ums, what do you think?" Holding up Ummi's tiny hand and commenting in a squeaky voice, "'You look beautiful, anaana! Just like a princess!'"
Yue let out a small chuckle, her face tinted crimson.
"You like it, right?" he asked.
"Depends. Give me the price sticker—"
"No can do," he held the sticker out of her reach, "Try the rest on, too. We'll get a few more."
"We have plenty more styles!" the saleswoman pitched in.
"Woah woah, no way, one dress is enough," Yue said. "These are very expensive, Sokka, I can tell—"
"I don't mind. You're getting a few more," he said with a grin. "Ums and I decided it's your best punishment for putting everything back."
"I was trying to help you—"
"And I told you I don't want to be paid back."
"Well I'm fighting this fight until the end of time. Just so you know."
"Well I'm already at the finish line!"
"That makes no sense," she laughed.
The saleswoman smiled at them, "Why would it matter who's paying for what? You're both married. What's yours is his, and what's his is yours."
The duo shared a look, saying nothing further.
True to Aang and Katara's testimony earlier, there were several guards at the Avatar's Ba Sing Se guesthouse. They did not mess with the privacy of the reunited family members, though; ordinarily, they would have pried Aang off of anyone he approached and checked visitors for weapons and objects that could be used as threats, but with Sokka and Yue's arrival, they did not interfere. Aang and Katara greeted Sokka and Yue with open arms, the Avatar and master waterbender eager to introduce their children to their Uncle Sokka, the "uncle who sent cool presents" every year through Master Piandao.
Sokka had never felt this light in a long time, and Yue could clearly tell. Little beams shone on his face when his twin nieces— Kya and Kanna— and nephews— Gyatso, Tenzin, and Dorje— huddled around him and warmed up to him following a gift-giving session. They burst into giggles over his jokes and stories, sent his hair flying in all directions with their airbending, and basked in their gentle fascination over "squishy" little Ummi.
Yue, too, forgot everything that troubled her for a long while, giggling as Aang and Katara's children occasionally squirmed in her lap and played with her hair, undoing it from the confines of her bun. Kanna and Kya took great delight in braiding her hair in all different ways whereas Little Dorje became completely in awe of his aunt, likening her to the large tapestry of Tui that hung in the hallway of the guesthouse. The three-year-old grinned as he dragged his aunt to the tapestry, "Moon Pwincess! Moon Pwincess!"
"Oh, I'm not the Moon Princess, cutie pie," she told him, but the boy was persistent, giggling and clapping and tugging at her long, white hair that mirrored Tui's endless locks. "Beuful! Moon Pwincess!"
"Awww," Yue drenched him in her kisses, "You're so sweet!"
From the corner of her eye, she could see the little smiles her husband flashed in her direction. She grinned back with a curious look. What is it?
He responded with a wider smile and an enamored shrug, No reason.
"Hey, Sokka? Where's Yue?"
Sokka, who was currently holding a sleeping Ummi, was caught off guard by the concerned but determined look on the Avatar's face, "She's with Katara, why?"
"Do you and Yue have a minute?"
"Yeah…sure…"
Before they knew it, they were following Aang to a study room down a hallway.
"Is everything okay?" Yue asked.
"Yeah, of course. I have something of yours I need to return to you."
"Something of mine?"
She was still confused by the time Aang led them to the room and opened the door, revealing that the room was filled with large, heavy sack cloths.
"These are Mr. Arnook Taqqiq's funds," Aang said, "The ones that he secretly set aside for you and your sister."
Yue stared at the sacks of money, frozen and unaware that both men were watching her carefully for her reaction.
"I was actually going to talk to you about this earlier when we came to your house," Aang began. "I was surprised when Katara told me everything… but then she and Sokka had their own thing going on and tensions were high, so…I figured it was better to talk about it here."
"How…" Yue turned to the Avatar, "How do you know about my father?"
"One of your dad's assistants sent me a letter on his behalf. Mr. Kinjuq. You may know him."
"Yes, he's very close to my father. Very loyal. But he's no longer…"
"I'm aware," Aang nodded. "When he was alive, he wrote to me saying he wanted to meet with me. We set up a time to meet, but he never came. He wrote to me later that he was under a lot of pressure and wasn't able to meet with me, but he explained the situation to me in detail. I wanted to react, but he told me not to interfere just yet since the environment was dangerous for you and your sister…" Sighing, "I tried to wait, but I was too worried. I wanted to find him, but my investigations revealed he was killed. I traveled to the North, but I learned your father had passed the year before, and you and your sister had apparently escaped."
She nodded slowly, and before she knew it, she was being led to a seat by a concerned Sokka, "You okay?"
"Yeah, yeah… just processing," she said, jolts of worry prompting her to take Ummi into her arms.
"I'm very sorry to hear about your father and sister," Aang told her. "I wish I had reacted sooner." Casting a look at Ummi, "It breaks my heart to think about you and Ummi suffering in the streets. If I had done something about this sooner, maybe Umaani could've gotten the medical help she needed, too."
"Even if you did try to help us, I don't know that our situation would have been any different," Yue said. "You were miles away, and our throats were literally at the mercy of Hahn's dagger. Even after we ran away, we were being chased by his men. If Hahn was alerted in any way that the Avatar was after him, he probably would've hunted us more forcefully. He would have even killed us both."
She could feel Sokka's hand squeeze her palm a degree tighter.
"I wasn't able to get to your people in time," Aang furrowed his eyebrows in guilt, "But I've done everything I could to work with top financial officials and secure the funds that your father kept secret. Several banks in the Earth Kingdom have been ransacked in the past year by Snake-Blood groups, so I had your father's funds transferred to a bank here along with your family's identifying information and financial records." He reached into a drawer and pulled out several thick folders, placing them on the table. "These are all the bank documents I've gathered. Some are from several Water Tribe banks before the funds were transferred to the Earth Kingdom." Gesturing to the sacks of currency, "All of this belonged to your father. Fifty million gold pieces. And now, it's all yours."
Yue looked through the myriad of documents, but her aimless flipping of the pages stopped at the identification portraits of her mother and father, coupled with a portrait of her sister. Sokka observed that Umaani was strikingly similar to Yue in appearance, save for the dark skin and hair. He turned to the sleeping infant nestled in his wife's arms; in many respects, Ummi was her mother's daughter.
"I'm working closely with the Earth King to track down as many Snake-Bloods as possible. That's why I was here the past few days. I was meeting with him," Aang said. "We apprehended a lot of Snake-Bloods so far in the Earth Kingdom, but there's still a long way to go. I know several main groups are in the Water Tribe, but convincing the local chiefs in both the South and the North will be difficult. Many of them unfortunately have limited means to fend for their tribes and are relying on Snake-Blood support. The issue is complicated." Placing a reassuring hand on his worried brother-in-law's shoulder, "But don't worry. We're working on this. I won't stop fighting to do my part."
"I can't tell you how grateful I am for your help," Yue told the airbender, feeling a heavy chunk of her burdens suddenly lift from her worn spirit. "I'm in so much debt right now…And I finally have a chance to break away from it."
"Debts?"
"My father asked for help from many well-known creditors when our business wasn't doing well," Yue said. "We didn't have enough to pay our workers, so we used our loans to fulfill their salaries. Hahn laid off several workers, and his involvement quickly led the company down the drain. He never let us leave the house, either, so we had no jobs or other forms of income. It got to the point where we didn't have any money for food. The banks were obviously not going to loan us in our situation, so my father asked for monetary support from previous business partners. And after he passed, I had to ask his other friends for help."
"But you were all living with Hahn," Aang frowned, "He didn't even give you something to eat?"
"Umaani and I decided not to touch anything he offered us. One time he spiked Umaani's noodles and…when she fell asleep…" Yue held back a rush of tears, "Those noodles were actually meant for me, but…she got really hungry and ate them… and I was spared that night…"
Horrified looks crossed their faces. She turned away, swallowing a sob as she felt Sokka's arm around her.
"We decided we were not going to rely on him for anything. We started pawning off our jewelry, but when Umaani was pregnant, the money we had wasn't enough for her medical expenses. She had certain complications that she had to be treated for…and I kept asking people we knew for money…" With a broken sigh, "The bottom line is that I am neck-deep in debt, and I need to pay everyone back. I can't carry this burden with me anymore. I don't want to have to be indebted to people my entire life." Turning to the sacks of money, "I want to pay back everyone we borrowed from. And after that…I want to send some amounts as a sort of compensation for the workers that Hahn laid off on the spot. I can't imagine how their families fended for themselves…"
"I get it, Yue," Aang began. "I understand you want to be free from all of this. But…now that you're in Gansu, you don't have to answer to any of those people. I know any advice of abandoning debt is unexpected from someone who needs to keep the peace, but I do mean this. Your dad specifically wanted all this to be used for you and your sister. Umaani's no longer with us, but Ummi is… and she deserves to inherit your father's assets along with you. It wouldn't make Mr. Arnook very happy if you gave it all away to pay off loans that he mostly asked for. Think about Ummi. Don't you want to use this money for her? Even if you don't want it for yourself?"
"It's because I'm thinking about Ummi that I want to do this," Yue said. "I don't ever want to give those companies a reason to come after us one day… And I can only imagine what those families went through when they lost their jobs so suddenly. They were very loyal to us…and we could do nothing when Hahn replaced them with his allies."
"But that's Hahn's fault, not yours," Sokka said. "When justice catches up to him, he'll have to compensate—"
"But when is that going to happen? Those innocent people shouldn't have to wait for justice to catch up to a dangerous, law-evading criminal when our company promised to be there for them in their times of need. What if they need this money more than me? Spirits forbid they hit the streets with their babies," she shuddered, reminded of her own plight nearly a week ago, "I would never wish that on anyone."
"We understand that, Yue, but what about yours and Ummi's future—?"
"I don't want to fuel these fires, Aang," Yue insisted. "I don't want to have to keep worrying about disgruntled people catching up to us in the future and demanding money." And upon noting their worried looks, "I don't want you two to think I'm sacrificing anything. I'm in survival mode, I can't make sacrifices. All I want is to live peacefully with my daughter and raise her…and I can't take this anxiety. It's not like I'm saying I'm giving up the whole thing. If there's anything left over even after all the distributions, I will gladly take that. So please, help me with this. That's all I'll ever need."
Despite their woes, the men didn't protest, for Yue seemed to be at greater peace at the moment. Sokka took Ummi into his arms as Yue sieved through the financial records, jotted down the names of several people and companies of interest, and made several calculations. She concluded that an amount of three thousand gold pieces was adequate as compensation for each family of nearly three hundred workers laid off without notice. This was only a fraction of the rest of the amount of debt, which she calculated to send to their creditors, the amounts including interest for the delay thus far. This left only two thousand gold pieces available for her personal use out of the original fifty million.
"Yue, this is less than one percent of everything you should be normally getting," Aang stressed. "Two thousand gold pieces might seem like a lot for a one-time use, but it's not going to be adequate in the long run. Are you really sure about this?"
"Yes, this is absolutely perfect," Yue said. "I needed the remaining amount for something important anyway—"
"What, so you can pay me back?" Sokka frowned at her, having been suspicious from the point in which she hid her later calculations from him. "That's what that's for, isn't it?"
"Sokka, I'm too tired to argue right now—"
"I told you, I don't want to be paid back!" he insisted.
"Sokka has a point, Yue," Aang interjected. "You two have been best friends since forever. I know that getting paid back is the least of his concerns right now. You need to think about Ummi's future. What about her education?"
"I'll save up for her education. I'll work hard. I'll homeschool her for her primary years and save up in the meantime. I'll figure something out—"
"What's this 'I' business? I'll be saving up, too!" the tribesman huffed. "Yue, if you need to do this to be at peace, then no one's gonna stop you, but I do think Aang's right. Your dad spent his last days heartbroken for not being able to do anything for you and your sister. Umaani's not here anymore, but he would want you and Ummi to be secure. So here's the deal." Sokka took the papers with the calculations, including the ones she had made regarding his earlier expenses, "No one's touching your money. I've got enough saved up and enough of the insurance money to cover forty million—"
"What?" She looked at him in absolute horror, shaking her head vigorously, "No! No way!"
"Yue, just hear me out—"
"I can't let you do this! I'm dying in shame as we speak, don't you see that? You're doing way too much for us already—!"
"There's nothing shameful about this, ikkingutima," he said gently. "Just listen to me for a second—"
"We're not talking about this."
Aang looked to Sokka, "I'm gonna give you two a minute to get this sorted out. Let me know when you're done. I'll be out in the hall." And with that, he stepped out, granting them privacy.
"Yue, please, just hear me out—"
"You're not in charge of our debts, Sokka," Yue said. "I'm not letting you do this. I can handle this by myself—!"
"I'm not saying you can't, and I'm not trying to show off or anything, and I'm definitely not trying to make you feel like you're useless or powerless," he said firmly. "I'm your best friend, not just another creditor. I care, and I wanna help. Why do you have to worry about paying me back all the time? If you really think of me as a friend, and if you really respect me, don't calculate. Please."
"But—"
"No buts. It's an insult to our friendship if you keep doing this."
Glaring helplessly at the sacks of currency, "You don't understand. You don't know how many of my father's friends turned on us, how decades' worth of friendship was shattered by a few thousand gold pieces. They came knocking on our doors, which isn't a bad thing in and of itself, but then they started breaking down our doors. They started taking what they found, which I would've tolerated, but the things they said to my father in his last hours…the things they said to Umaani without even being considerate of the fact that she was pregnant. The letters, the harassment, the spit in our faces, the threats…"
"Do you really think I'm like those imbeciles?" Sokka asked, "Do you really think I'd do that to you one day—?"
"No, no, not at all. I know you would never do that. The point I'm trying to make by telling you all this is that I became a coward over the years. It's terrifying to get help and to rely on other people, and the extent I've relied on you so far…I never would've done this with anyone else. I married you. I wouldn't do that if I didn't trust you. I just…I don't want to come across as taking advantage of you. I don't want that affecting our friendship—"
"You're not taking advantage of me. I'm the one offering this!"
"It doesn't matter if I'm asking you or if you're offering this. I told myself I'll never take money from anyone ever again. I came here for a job, Sokka, I didn't want to rely on anyone. But then I saw you do all these things…I see you emptying all the stores for us…" Holding Ummi close to her, "I don't know how much more I can take."
With a sigh, "It's one thing to count every copper piece that strangers give you…and it's another thing to do that for the people who really love you."
The people who really love you.
"I never did these things so you can pay me back one day. I did these things because I care about you. Just like when you spent all your money on me—"
"But that was ten years ago," she ignored the flutters in her chest, "and we were kids back then—"
"And what difference does that make? My feelings for you haven't changed. I still…" Holding back his sudden burst of adoration as she looked at him, "I still trust you. I still want us to share everything. We never let money get in between us. I don't see why we have to start now."
"Sokka, that's not my intention. I'm being respectful of your situation. I know you worked hard to earn all that money that you spent on us…I can't possibly… If I don't pay you back now, I won't ever be able to, do you understand?"
"Yue, I don't want you to pay me back. I don't get what's so stressful about this."
"Because I don't want you to look back on this one day and…regret…"
"Why would you ever think I'd regret this?" his heart lurched painfully, "Yue, it's the most natural thing in the world to spend money on family. Ummi's my daughter, too, you know."
She stared at him for a long moment, noting the impassioned tremble in his gentle hold of Ummi as he spoke. And she somehow felt as if she was floating, soaring, tossed away from the shore of reality in the tides of fierce warmth…and when she eventually found herself grounded again, "Sokka…I told you before we were married that I don't expect you to be a father to Ummi—"
"And I told you I wanted this," he lowered his voice to a whisper as Ummi squirmed in her sleep. "I told you I want to raise her, too. I didn't wanna make it awkward for you by specifically asking if you'd let me be her dad, but…that's what that means, doesn't it?"
"Well it wasn't my intention to turn you into a dad overnight. I'm not here to deplete your resources and take huge chunks of your life away from your control."
"I know that, Yue," he said calmly, softly. "I'm telling you that I want this. Why is this so stressful for you? Do you think I'm not good enough to be a dad to Ummi? I know what being a dad entails. I'm staying in Ummi's life forever. I'm not the type to leave like that."
"Sokka, I'm not saying you're not good enough. That's not at all what I'm trying to say. I just want to know...Are you sure? About this?"
"You don't believe me?"
"It's not that. I've made the conscious decision to be in her life forever. I can't demand you to do the same thing."
"But you're not demanding me."
"But what are you going to do if you find someone who makes you happier than we do—?"
"That's not happening," he told her with great confidence. "That's an impossible scenario. What hasn't happened in the past decade isn't happening now. It won't."
"I wouldn't say that. You kept yourself isolated. If you take the time to put yourself out there—"
"Well I'm not doing that. I don't care about any of that." Squeezing her hand as he spoke with every bit of sincerity he had. "I don't want you to have any uncertainty in this. You decided to be her mom in a matter of, what, seconds? You decided that there's no one else you want in your life other than her. Why is it any different if I do it? 'Cause you're related to her? 'Cause Umaani specifically asked you?"
"Responsibility is responsibility whether you're related or not—"
"Then are you gonna play the 'women are better at childrearing' card? 'Cause that's very sexist, Isuttanguak."
"That's not what I mean, I…"
Sokka gently rubbed the sleeping bundle's small back as her tiny face burrowed in his neck, her tender warmth pulsing over his chest, "Ikkingutima, she's worth every struggle. Just let me do this."
"She's worth every struggle, Umaani." Yue didn't realize she'd been crying until she felt his hand on her cheek. He thumbed away a stray tear and brought her into his arms, making sure Ummi wasn't squished between them.
"Ummi is our panikuluk. You're her anaana, and I'm her ataata. Nothing about this will change." Pulling back, "And if you think of me as family, too, then let me do this."
She dried her eyes, unable to say anything else, "Then what about the swordplay institution? You can't just use up all the money you need for that."
"Oh, that. Don't worry about that, it's not a big deal, I—"
"Not a big deal? How can you be so careless?" she glared. "If we're both going to be Ummi's parents, we're going to have to split up responsibilities. Why can't we split this amount, too?"
If we're both going to be Ummi's parents. "Fine, that's fair," he admitted with a rare smile. "You send them your share, and I'll send them mine, and the rest is strictly for Ummi. We're not touching any of it. I'll talk to Master Piandao, and tomorrow, we'll get a joint locker at the bank and put everything under her name. It's time we start saving."
She acquiesced, "Fine."
"Great! Here's the breakdown. I'll take care of the funds for the creditors, and you can take care of the compensations—"
"The creditors' funds are disproportionately greater than the workers' funds," she frowned. "It's not fair if you handle all of that. Don't try to get around this."
"Okay okay," he sighed. "Half and half. Smack down the middle. So it's out of…what is it, forty-nine million nine hundred ninety-eight thousand," he looked back over the calculations, nodding, "Yeah, so half of that is, what, twenty-four million or something?"
"It's twenty-four million nine hundred ninety-nine thousand," she said, "I hate to say it, but your math skills are a bit rusty."
"Good thing I'm not tutoring anyone, eh?" he said, proud to elicit a laugh.
"Alright, I think we got it!"
Ironically, Ummi had fussed throughout the entire portrait session but found herself lulled back to sleep as soon as the session was over. Aang and Katara, in the meantime, breathed sighs of relief as they gave their children permission to fidget and move around as much as they wanted. Blasts of air torpedoed through the house in an instant, and the portrait painters had to hold onto their oils and brushes to keep them from being blown away.
"Be careful," Aang cautioned his children, "We need to be mindful of your baby cousin. If you wanna play using your bending, you can play in the backyard." The airbender then turned to his childhood friend: a fellow monk from the Southern Air Temple standing at attention along with the guards, "Jinju?"
"I'll watch them, Aang," the monk smiled reassuringly, following the children out into the backyard.
"Aang and I will get started on dinner in the meantime," Katara told her brother and sister-in-law.
"Let me help—"
"No, no, you're not doing anything," Katara told Yue. "Just chill. And that goes for you, too," she turned to her brother, "I'm not letting you anywhere near the kitchen. I'm not taking any risks."
"Hey!" he frowned, "Don't forget it was my cooking that carried you through healing school!"
"Your brother's a great cook, Katara," Yue smiled, "Why not give him a chance?"
"When we were barely surviving, I had no other choice but to eat his food," she teased, "But Aang's cooking made me realize what real food was."
Sokka scoffed as his sister pulled her laughing husband into the kitchen with her. "So ungrateful," the tribesman shook his head, positioning a sleeping Ummi comfortably against him. "You better make sure dinner is flawless for all the fuss you're making, sis! It better be worth the wait!"
"I think I know of something we can do in the meantime," Yue chuckled, nudging him, "You wanna get a portrait of just the three of us? No one's letting us do anything anyway, and Ummi's sleeping now."
Sokka's smile stretched from ear to ear, his eyes vibrant with joy, "That's a great idea! But I'm paying."
"Suit yourself."
His grin positively blossomed as he handed Ummi over to Yue. "I'm holding her for this portrait," he said before racing after the leaving artists, "Hey there! Mind painting a portrait of us three? Me, my wife, and my daughter?"
"Sure thing, sir," the lead artist agreed, eagerness shining in his eyes as Sokka presented him with an ample amount of silver pieces. The tribesman rushed back over to his wife giddily, the wheels in his mind turning as he brought Ummi back into his arms.
"Your hair's getting messy."
"I just had an idea," he lost himself in her eyes as she led him to their seats, straightening his wolf tail, "I was thinking we should do a portrait painting every month until Ummi turns one. You know, one for each milestone. We can have a whole collection! What do you think?"
"It's a rather expensive idea," she mused but grinned nevertheless, "But I think that would be really cool."
"Right?"
"Alright," the lead artist set up his canvas, followed closely by his assistants. "Since this isn't as formal as the one with the entire household, we can make this a bit more intimate." Looking up at the seating arrangement, "You can be a little closer to your wife, sir," he directed Sokka. "Scoot a little closer. You're so stiff."
"I'm not stiff!"
"Then put your arm around her or something," an assistant suggested, walking over to them, "Here, keep your daughter in the middle and hold her together. And then you can put your arm around your wife."
Sokka didn't do so right away, mindful of giving Yue space, but he was surprised when her hand brought his arm over her shoulders, granting him a small smile, "It's fine with me if you're okay with it."
"Yeah," he nodded, his smile widening, "Okay…"
"Much better!" the lead artist took his seat, grabbing his paints, "That's one happy family we're lookin' at!"
"You seem distracted, Sokka."
Sokka slipped out of his thoughts, unaware that he had zoned out from the conversation. "Sorry, I just…I'm feeling very happy today."
"There's no need to be sorry about that," Katara smiled at her brother. "We're just glad you're doing better now."
He was feeling too giddy to sleep, but his heart was tugging him to Yue and Ummi, so he said anyway, "I think I'm gonna turn in for the night, guys. I know you gotta pack and everything, and I'm exhausted."
"Sure thing, Sokka," Aang said, handing him a couple of blankets, "In case you guys need them."
"Thanks."
"I'll talk to the finance representatives first thing in the morning," Aang promised. "They'll draw the funds from your old account and get everything settled and sent to the creditors. In the meantime, I'll have someone else escort the rest of Yue's funds to the Bank of Gansu and store them as a special case. Once you two open up your family account, you can have access to the funds and put them under Ummi's name."
"That sounds good. Thanks so much for your help, Aang."
"It's the least I can do," the monk sighed. "I really wish I could've done more, but…"
"Don't worry about it. You've done everything you could from your end. I know Yue appreciates that very much."
Katara then reached for something that she had set on a nearby table earlier: a boomerang. Not just any boomerang but Sokka's boomerang, the one he gave her several years ago in the throes of devastation and detachment. The only difference was that it was now baby-proofed with a soft, rubber-like sheath.
"I want you to have this back," the master waterbender said.
"You still have it," he smiled.
"Of course I do." Placing it in his hands, "I didn't know it at the time, but… you gave this to me when you had given up on everything. And I know you felt that way with not just Mom being gone but with Yue disappearing, too." With a hopeful look, "I know Mom's watching over us…but if Yue came back, boomerang can, too."
Sokka looked over his oldest possession, musing, "Mom's still with me, Katara. She told me she's gonna be with me as long as I make a happy life for myself."
"And she's right. All she ever wanted is for us to be educated and happy. And it's very clear that you have your happiness right in front of you." Briefly looking in the direction of the room where Yue and Ummi currently were, "I know it may not be the right time to tell Yue how you feel, but…I have a really good feeling about this. And I'm not just saying that." With a hand on his shoulder, "All of my children had loads of fun with this, but I think it's about time for you to pass it onto your children."
He nodded, left with a gentle, hopeful flutter in his chest as he bid them goodnight and retreated to the room given to him, Yue, and Ummi. The door was ajar with Yue laughing and singing softly to Ummi. The infant was tucked under warm blankets but showed no signs of sleep despite the song, simply blinking at her mother in interest and sucking on a finger.
"You're not sleepy, ommatiga?" Yue asked her softly. "Are you waiting on ataata?"
Ataata. Sokka had been thinking nothing could make his day any better, but after being referred to as Ummi's ataata by Yue herself… he couldn't describe the sensations that overcame him. The moisture in his eyes tipped over into his heart, making it swell with love and belonging.
"You're not tired from all that shopping?" Yue smiled with the child's every coo. "All those scavenger hunts with ataata?"
"She's got her ataata's shopping spirit!" Sokka boasted as he stepped in, placing his boomerang on the bedside table. Ummi turned in the direction of his voice as he took his place on the other side of the bed, raining soft kisses onto her cheek.
"Hey, boomerang's back," Yue grinned.
"Yeah, Katara gave it to me. They kept it in surprisingly good condition." With another kiss to Ummi's cheek, "I thought Um-Um would be asleep by now."
"She's persistent today, and I'm all out of songs," she shrugged.
"Let me try." He cleared his throat, choosing a song he knew and trying to sound as melodious as possible, but he froze instantly when sharp wails left the infant.
"Shh, shh, it's okay, it's okay!" he stopped and panicked, surprised to see her settle down when he started talking again. He blinked at Yue, wide-eyed, "I can't be that bad."
"You're not," she laughed, "but I think she likes your stories and silly songs better than your lullabies. Which balances out, I suppose. I can't exactly spit out interesting stories."
"And I don't have the voice of a goddess, so I guess that's fair."
She smiled, looking at him, "I'll get her to sleep. You should go spend time with Katara and Aang. I don't want you to miss out on catching up with them."
"Nah, they're busy. They gotta finish packing early in the morning. Besides, I missed Ummi. Adults are so boring, right, Ums?"
Ummi farted in response.
Yue smiled at their interaction, her attention briefly resting on the portraits of her parents and sister, which were tucked under Sokka's boomerang on the bedside table. They were the only parts of the financial records that she kept intact, having discarded everything else to leave the horrid past behind her. The smile on Umaani's face briefly seemed to stretch wider…or so Yue thought in the wake of the tender moment.
"I really think Ummi was meant to be mine," Yue whispered. "Maybe the Spirits made a mistake somewhere, and she was born to the wrong people."
"Maybe she was actually meant to be ours, but the Spirits made a big screw-up somewhere, and she was born to the wrong people." He beamed at the striking similarity of their thoughts, "I have a strong feeling that Umaani will agree with you."
"Seems to me she looks more like you, sis. The world is more willing to believe you're her mom." Yue smiled sadly, "I know she will." Another kiss, this time on Ummi's nose, "I love you, paniga. Anaana loves you."
Ummi blinked, her sleepy eyes lidded.
"So now you're tired," Yue chuckled. "You really were waiting for ataata, weren't you?"
"Ah," Ummi kicked at her legs, grabbing onto Sokka's finger that had been tucked in her fist.
"Ataata loves you, Ummi." He kissed the top of her head, his very being at the mercy of her tiny grip.