Chapter 11: A Play of Pretend

"That's why we're thinking about telling Pakku that you and Sokka are married." Turning to the white-haired tribeswoman following his explanation, "What do you say, Yue?"

Yue looked from Piandao to Sokka, "Is this going to work?"

"If they think Ummi is Hakoda's granddaughter, they won't hurt her," Piandao told her. "The Hounds are on the hunt for any tribeswoman and child they can find. They will continue to be suspicious of you if you say you have no relation to anyone whatsoever." His voice softened, "I understand that you and your sister had struggled to protect your father as much as you could. By virtue of her being married to a gang leader, she was forced to pretend everything was alright with their marriage, and you were forced to be in that horrible situation. But it will not be a burden to pretend this time. No one is going to ask you questions, no one is going to make you feel uncomfortable. I will tell the Hounds what I can to make sure they leave you alone. That's the only goal behind this: to leave you and Ummi alone and in peace."

"It's only until we get into the middle ring," Sokka said. "Not a single minute more."

"Whatever it takes to protect Ummi, I'm doing it," Yue said. "I would much rather pull this off with a good friend than a stranger. And I'm not worried about society. The Spirits know what's between us, and that's enough for me." Looking at Sokka, "But I only worry about how this is going to affect you."

"Me?"

"It's going to hurt your chances to move on if you tell people I'm your wife. Wouldn't you want to find someone for yourself?"

Gulping, "What?"

"What if you end up liking someone but you're forced to act like you're my husband?"

Sokka trapped his feelings in his eyes, turning away, "That's not going to happen."

"You can't say that for sure—"

"It's not going to be for long anyhow. Only until your financial situation has improved to the point where you can relocate to the middle ring," Piandao said. "Unfortunately, the lower ring does not come with the luxuries that the middle ring does. But once you reach the middle ring, you two will have more freedom to be as you wish and start new and fresh lives. And until then, playing pretend is most convenient and most necessary."

Amid the lulling chorus of thunder in the middle of the night, Ummi's sharp cries pierced through Yue's soul, jolting her awake. "Ommatiga—"

"Have no fear, Ah's here!"

Yue saw Sokka rushing into the room with a bottle in his hand. She blinked at the unhuman speed at which he seemingly prepared the milk.

"I got her, no worries," he said softly. "Don't worry, I did everything. I boiled the milk, and I made sure it wasn't too hot. Tested it on my wrist and everything." Settling next to the two of them on the bed, "Shhh, it's okay, kuluk." Little one. He gently brought Ummi into his lap and held the bottle to her lips, "There we go!"

Yue reached for the bib on the table nearby and placed it softly around Ummi's neck, placing a kiss to her head.

"Oh, yeah," he nodded, "Forgot about that."

"How did you boil the milk that fast?" she asked him.

"I was actually up for a while. She was kind of fussing in her sleep the past several minutes, so I figured it was time to get the milk ready."

"Did you sleep at all?"

"Yeah, I did. I woke up 'cause of the storm and noticed she was getting antsy so… She wasn't crying or anything, just moving around a lot in her sleep."

"You can go back to sleep. I'll take it from here—"

"Are you kidding? You're the one who needs to sleep right now," he said. "I got her from here, don't worry. I even know how to burp her now."

Upon noting how curious the newborn seemed to be as she stared in the direction of the thunder, Sokka slowly pulled the curtain aside. Ummi blinked at the storming chaos outside, staring sleepily at the pouring rain.

"I think she likes storms, too," Sokka smiled, "Just like you."

Yue brushed her palm over Ummi's head, feeling a strong tug at her heart as the infant looked at her, "I guess so."

Turning to her, "Hey, Yue?"

"Hm?"

"When Katara and I were really little, my mom would mix some kelp extract in our milk. She always said it makes babies grow stronger. You think maybe we can try that for Ummi? Just two or three drops of boiled kelp extract. No harm done, It's really good for the immune system, too."

She nodded, "Yeah, that sounds good."

"Okay then! Next time, I'm boiling some kelp. We got loads of it."

Yue leaned back against the pillows, looking sleepily from him to Ummi. The storm paved the way for darkness, blocking off all light save for the lone torch that flickered across the room. But through the light of the flashes of lightning, she could see the smile on his face as he looked down at Ummi, playing softly with her fist as she drank her milk.

Yue was not sure how to feel about the warmth spreading through her heart.

"Sokka? Sokka, are you even listening?"

Piandao watched his student patiently as the tribesman took out Ummi's mittens. He had bestowed upon himself mitten-and-socks duty, switching out her old mittens and socks for fresh ones. "Yeah, I'm listening."

"I can put them on her," Yue said.

"It's okay, Isuttanguak, I got it," he said sweetly. "I'm listening, I am."

Piandao sighed, "The shop has collapsed, Sokka. Several trees had fallen over. I gathered what I could from the rubble." He reached into his sleeve and pulled out the tiny pictures Sokka kept of his parents and of Aang and Katara's family.

"Great Spirits," Yue frowned worriedly.

"Oh," Sokka blinked, gesturing to the table nearby, "Just put 'em over there for now."

"You don't seem to be affected by this," Yue looked at him, "Does the shop have insurance?"

"Yeah, of course…Come on, Ummikins, be still for Ah," he chirped, trying to put a sock over the newborn's left foot.

"This is still a big deal, though," Yue pressed.

"Well yeah, but…I kind of see this as an opportunity," Sokka said, turning to Piandao, "I didn't want to keep working at that location anyway. In fact, I was thinking we could shift our location somewhere else. I have nothing against the Women's Center. It's just where all the Hound meetings happen, and I want nothing to do with them. I don't even wanna be next to them right now."

Piandao looked from him to Yue and back to him, "Are you saying you want to quit?"

Sokka shrugged, holding Ummi in his arms, "I don't know. I just…I want to be at a place where I can do my own thing and not worry about the Hounds constantly checking in on us."

"Would you be willing you give swordplay lessons, then?"

"Me?"

"I can use some help," Piandao said. "You will still be able to make swords if you want, but if you're hesitating to make weapons in the Hound context… we can start a swordplay institution here. Go formal and pristine."

"But you already have a school down the street," Sokka pointed out.

"That building has gotten old anyway, and it won't be difficult to redirect my students here. We can have the forge rebuilt next to it. Sensu and the team can handle the actual swordmaking under my direction while you mainly teach. It's the best option we have to keep our distance from the Hounds. You might not make weapons left and right anymore, but you can still make a good living with swordplay lessons. They are only increasing in demand as the days go by." Placing his hand on his student's shoulder, "What do you say?"

Sokka looked from Ummi to Yue before nodding gratefully, "Yeah, that…that sounds like a really good idea, actually."

"So what now, he ran off with a woman? Knocked her up and wants to be a good husband and father? And you think I'm dumb enough to believe that?"

"I think you're quite dumb for not believing that," Piandao said without a blink. "Sokka is a human being. He is not old like us to be waiting for death as his next big milestone. He is young, and he has needs. He wants a companion and a family. A fulfilling life to call his own."

"But he didn't tell even you about that wife and baby of his. You would expect him to since he's so close to you."

Piandao looked Pakku in the eye, unnerved, "He wanted her to be nowhere near Hound influence. He didn't want anything happening to her and the baby. He was terrified and kept his secrets to himself. How is that suspicious? And if I as his primary guardian don't have a problem with this, what's with you?"

"Primary guardian. Hmph. It's because of you he turned out like this—"

"It's nature, Pakku. You or I don't have a say in this. He fell in love, he got married, and he had a child. It's perfectly natural."

"Well I think it's perfectly unnatural that any woman fell for him in the first place. That hideous beard of his up until yesterday, the stench on his tunics. He rolls around filth and doesn't care to clean himself up. Walking around with a body full of scars—"

"You did that to him," Pakku pointed straight at the older man, fury simmering in his eyes, "The scars? They were all your doing. And besides, none of those things get in the way of love."

"Love? Are you serious? What are we, adolescent girls to be talking about true love and whatnot?" Shaking his head, "If he wanted to have sex so badly, we could've thrown him in Shurai for a few days—"

"What part of love do you not understand—?"

"I mean, how gullible can he even be? It was a long-distance relationship, wasn't it? He really believed it when she said the baby is his? Who knows what that woman had been doing, who all she'd been with in his absence—"

"Watch your tongue, Pakku," Piandao glared. "She is a very compassionate young woman. Not at all deserving of the filth coming out of your mouth."

"Does this compassionate goddess know about our god of stupidity and his past?"

"Yes."

Blinking, "Yes?"

"Sokka has found someone who understands him and accepts him wholeheartedly for who he really is, and he wants nothing more than to craft a safe and meaningful life with her. And you are going to respect that if you wish to respect Hakoda and his bloodline." Taking off the Hound pin that had grazed his robe for years, dropping it into the fire nearest to him, "I might not be a part of your nonsense anymore, but don't mistake my inactivity for uselessness, Pakku. Don't even dare."

Pakku gawked at the swordsman, his surprise morphing into a glower.

"If you go anywhere near them, if you try to lay your hands on them, I will slit your throat," Piandao promised. "At least, if Sokka doesn't do it first."

"The Boulder was shocked out of his wits when he saw Wang Fire's wife and child! None of you have seen him the way he was last night! Aunt Wu was right!"

The fact that their shop had just toppled down and was currently under the insurance agent's inspection was less interesting to Sokka's apprentices in light of The Boulder's observations. Pipsqueak, The Duke, The Boulder, Longshot, and Smellerbee were gathered on top of a group of fallen tree trunks that were situated over the rubble. The Boulder held a pink box in his hands, taking great care in holding it as there was a cake inside.

"What were you doing in Inchen, anyway?" Smellerbee asked.

"The Boulder was running an errand when the storm hit hard. An inn was nearby, but it only allowed families, and any bachelors who needed shelter could serve as security guards for the night. The Boulder wanted to check out the opportunity but was shocked to see Wang Fire checking into the inn with his wife. He checked in with a different name."

"What name?"

"Uh…it was some Water Tribe name..."

"Did you catch her name?"

"It was also Water Tribe. The Boulder cannot pronounce Water Tribe words."

"Did he see you?"

"No, they were already going to their room. His wife seems to be a nice woman. Very beautiful, too. And their baby daughter is very cute. Uncle Boulder will protect her with his life and will bury anyone who tries to hurt her in a rockalanche!"

The apprentices smiled, but they couldn't help but wonder why Wang Fire was so private to the extent that he kept this from them. They considered themselves to be his friends, and he referred to them as such when he introduced them to customers. The apprentices were also struggling to put together why he had claimed to Sensu that she was a good friend from the past. What was the purpose of keeping their relationship a secret? Why not scream to the world that he was married? Was Fen aware of this when she hired Wang's wife, or was she also left out?

"I wonder how he met that woman," The Duke wondered aloud. "Do you think he's gonna introduce her to us?"

"He should if he thinks of us as friends," Smellerbee said.

Longshot only gave them a long look, which his wife interpreted with a nod, "You do have a point, Longshot. We don't know under what circumstances he's keeping this a secret, but we need to respect him and their privacy."

"We will definitely respect that," The Duke said, "It's just that we're so used to telling each other everything. I mean, Wang Fire wasn't exactly telling us everything before to tell us everything now, but—"

"Shh, shhhh, here he comes," Pipsqueak fumbled, and their attention flew simultaneously to the street where the tribesman was heading their way. Indeed, the man looked much lighter than the days prior. There was definitely a change in him: his gait was not as rough, his eyes weren't hardened or bitter, and his thoughts seemed to be elsewhere as his attention wasn't on where he was going.

The Boulder stood up from the rubble, "Wang Fire! You seem quite happy today! Tired but happy!"

Sokka blinked in his direction, looking from the strangely bright faces of the apprentices to the damage they were literally sitting on. He was very caught off guard by the comment given the situation at hand but ignored it, asking in concern, "Are you guys okay? Your folks and homes okay?"

"Yes, we're all fine, Wang," Smellerbee assured, "But we're only worried about you."

"Yeah, your room's destroyed," The Duke said. "Where are you going to stay? Anyone you know nearby or…any family members or anything like that…?"

"I found a place, don't worry." But despite the brief statement, there was a bright spark in his eyes harboring several secrets, "I'm just glad you guys are okay. Look, I can't stay for long. Where's Sensu?"

"He's over there," Pipsqueak pointed to more rubble a little ways away, behind which were Sensu and the agent. The tribesman went over to speak with them, making no mention whatsoever of anything life-changing to his apprentices.

"Well…he's got that new baby smell on him," The Duke couldn't help observing.

They watched him converse with Sensu and the agent for a short while. Eventually, Sensu nodded along to something Wang said and approached the apprentices, letting the tribesman and the agent converse for some time.

"What was he talking to you about?" Smellerbee asked.

"Well, he said he wants to get away from Hound activity," Sensu answered. "The Hounds regularly meet around this area, so he was thinking about maybe moving the shop to a different location instead of rebuilding it here. He also says he wants to put more restrictions on buyers of weapons. No more funny business. We'll have fewer weapon sales."

"Uh…okay," Pipsqueak blinked, "But if I'm being honest, our weapon sales really got us far—"

"It's all about safety now. He's got a family to care for, what do you expect?" Sensu said. "From now on, only people with licenses— and only after their licenses are authenticated— are gonna be sold weapons. And also, he wants me to be the in-charge, so no questioning my orders."

"Hey, you finally got your promotion! Wait…Is he quitting—?!"

"No, he said he'll check on the shop regularly and make things every once in a while, but this will only be his side gig. He and Master Piandao are thinking about setting up a swordplay institution."

"What?"

"Master Piandao is closing his school and opening one with Sokka."

"He wants to teach swordplay? Well that's certainly a change," Pipsqueak noted.

"Look at him getting all responsible," Smellerbee grinned. "Piandao made a great living off of teaching swordplay. Is Sokka going to make swords, too?"

"That's gonna be our job. He's mainly gonna teach. That's why he's hoping to have the school and the forge side by side."

"Where would we move our shop?" Smellerbee wondered.

"He said he's open to what we all think," Sensu said, turning back to the tribesman, "But I think his heart's personally set on Lotus Street. He said he'll consider having the institution there, too."

"The Boulder doesn't understand," The Boulder frowned, "What could possibly be so special about Lotus Street?"

"They bought the house on Lotus Street, don't you remember?" Smellerbee pointed out, "He wants to be closer to her and the baby, dumbass."

"Oh…OH! Yes yes yes, we don't mind Lotus Street at all—!"

"SHUSH, he's coming this way!"

True to his declaration, Sokka was in a hurry. He raced back over to the apprentices, "I talked to the agent. He says in about a week, he'll send you your salaries for the next six months. In the meantime, his company will handle the costs."

"That's fine," The Boulder said, clearing his throat, "Anyhow…We hear you have an old friend in town. Won't you introduce her to us?"

"One of these days," Sokka said simply.

"Who is she, by the way?" Pipsqueak pried despite Longshot's subtle disapproval.

"My best friend from university."

"University? You went to university?"

"Ba Sing Se University."

"WHAT?" their jaws dropped collectively.

"You went to Ba Sing Se University?!" Pipsqueak squeaked. "What did you major in, man?"

"I wanted to major in engineering, but I had to drop out after my parents passed."

"The hell…? You didn't bother to tell us this ever?" The Boulder frowned.

"The more you know," Sokka shrugged.

"What department was your friend in?"

Again, that bright spark lit up his eyes despite him maintaining a nonchalant appearance, "Astronomy."

Before Sokka went on his way, The Duke nudged The Boulder, pointing furiously to the cake. The buff Earth Kingdomer fumbled to stop Sokka, "Hey, Wang. You wanna maybe…take this with you?"

Sokka turned around, spotting the pink box in The Boulder's hands. "What's that?"

"It's a cake!" The Boulder opened the lid, allowing Sokka a look inside. It was a cake colored in white and baby pink with Daddy's Little Princess written in yellow icing. Sokka looked up at The Boulder curiously.

"Uh…a friend of mine thought he was gonna have a baby girl," The Boulder rasped. "A fortuneteller told him he would, apparently, so I got him a pink cake to celebrate. Turned out it was a boy."

"What an idiot," Sokka frowned, "I hope he doesn't influence his daughter with that idiocy of his."

"Ah, come on. Fortunetellers aren't always wrong." But upon noting his unamused look, "Anyway, we didn't wanna waste it."

"Just eat it."

"It feels weird. None of us are parents yet…Not saying that you are one but…You don't have reservations like that for food."

"Yeah, don't waste perfectly good food," Sokka took the cake from him, "People are dying out there without food on the table." And when he saw them staring at him, barely on the cusp of bursting into frolic and song, for some reason, "What?"

"Nothing, nothing! You're absolutely right, Wang."

Sokka turned to leave, holding the box firmly in his hands, but despite his nonchalant surface, his lips sported a tiny smile. He proceeded to walk ahead with his smile fixed on the cake before turning around, finding that no one else was watching him. What he was not aware of, though, was the fact that his curious friends were still following him, taking to hiding behind whatever stall or cart was in their way. They took note of how Sokka paused by certain stalls, buying balloons that were mostly pink but also of different colors. He even picked up a stuffed animal and a few more soft toys from other stalls before walking along with the biggest grin he could muster.

"That sneaky bastard," Pipsqueak grinned as his friends chuckled warm-heartedly. "Aunt Wu never fails."