Chapter 3: Harbingers of Chaos

"Are you suggesting we steal?"

Everyone in attendance turned to Piandao, who held an incredulous glare on his face as he eyed Pakku.

"Encouraging people to rob others? This is the final straw, Pakku!"

"It's not stealing if we take back what's ours," Pakku glared back. "That's our money that they're looting! Get this through your head, Piandao! We need to get back what's ours—!"

"This is a crime! Have you gone mad? How can you do this—?"

"ENOUGH!" Pakku hissed. "I'm tired of morals! Our people will die of starvation if we don't take this into our hands!"

"You can't just take law and order into your hands!"

"You still think there are such things as law and justice? We're constantly being stepped on! No one is going to help us!"

"Pakku," Sokka frowned, "This is dangerous territory you're treading—"

"There is nothing else we can do," Pakku pressed. "We cannot proceed legally. We all have needs that revolve around money. We can't hope to even scratch Arnook's pinky finger and make him realize all the shit he's been causing. Should we just sit back and do nothing? Wait for the Spirits to do something? 'Cause the Spirits are dead! I'm convinced!" Turning to the other tribefolk, "Arnook Industries doesn't give a damn about any of us. If anything happens to us, who will be responsible for our families?"

There was rustling and murmuring among the tribefolk. Piandao glowered, "That doesn't give you the right to—!"

"There are people in this room who have young children, Piandao," Pakku said. "We have people who have elderly parents. We have widows and widowers, parents struggling to pay for their children's education. The disabled and the ill. What are we supposed to do now? Abandon our children? Leave our folks to perish? Be left out in the tundra to die? Should we wait around until the depression hits? Witness our men fleeing their families and responsibilities, see our community freeze to death? Bandits and butchered borders, a breach of our peace! This is where we are headed! How long are we going to live our lives as slaves to these bastards?" Pakku went on. "How much longer are we going to be slugworms in the mud?!"

"That doesn't give you the right to hurt the innocent," Sokka flared.

"Hurt the innocent? That is not at all what I'm saying. I am not suggesting we attack. I am not suggesting we raid Arnook's home with fire and pitchforks. And I am not suggesting we chop off heads or limbs. I'm only concerned that if we sit around and do nothing, we will end up forgotten. Wasted. Better to take a chance and fight for what's ours." Turning to the crowd, "We can't wait around for Spirits. We are our own Spirits. We are our own harbingers of justice. I say we sneak into Arnook's manor and bring back the money that belongs to our community! Who's with me on this mission—?!"

"HOLD IT!" Sokka bellowed, charging into the small home and eyeing the tribefolk, "Everyone, go home right now. Don't listen to this guy's crap and make decisions you'll regret."

"Sokka—!"

"We all have families that are relying on us. Parents or kids or grandparents. And if Zhao's men have the resources to escape the law, they also have the resources to get us killed." Glaring at Pakku, "I think I speak for most people here, if not everyone, when I say 'd rather be alive and take care of my folks however I can— even if it means leaving this place and finding work somewhere else— than joining in on an impossible mission that destroys the line between right and wrong."

One of the members of the audience nodded, addressing his peers, "Sokka's right. We are not going to make it out alive if we go through with this. There is just no way. I have four kids and a pregnant wife who need me by their side. I'm not about to leave them in the dust."

"My parents are both elderly," chimed in another tribesman, "And I need to take care of them. I can't abandon them by doing something stupid like that. We can't take this risk. Otherwise, they'll have us all slaughtered."

"It's not just abandoning your folks that you should worry about," Sokka said. "If you ever get caught, they'll come for your folks next. You'll be putting their lives in danger."

"Cowards!" Pakku bellowed.

"Call us cowards all you want, old man," a third tribesman said. "Our people need us. Even if we can't bring them riches, we at least want to put food on their plates with what we are getting. I would much rather be known as a savage with a chance to feed my folks however I can than a man who gets killed trying to be rich."

"This is not about being rich, you fools! That money is ours!" Pakku persisted. "The world is cruel and selfish. It revolves only around money, dammit!"

"That money may be ours," came another tribesman's reply, "but any and all efforts to get it back must be peaceful. We can go on strike or protest—"

"Oh, sure! What a great idea, why didn't I think of that?" Pakku snapped. "Don't you understand that they don't give a shit about us? They'll have us easily replaced! They don't care about our demands!"

"Then we'll find other jobs. We'll even move to other villages. But we aren't gonna get ourselves killed for this."

"Well then," Pakku huffed, "Whether you are all going to come with me or not, I'm going—"

"Don't bother," Sokka snarled. "If you don't wanna get mauled by Arnook's dogs, sit your old ass in the South and call it a day. We've all had enough of your nonsense."

Piandao was furious, managing to hold in his anger until his home was emptied of the gathered tribefolk. He glared at a fuming Pakku, demanding, "What in the world are you doing?! Trying to rally people up and cause an entire uprising like this—?!"

"What else do you want me to do? Arnook and his aren't the type to sit around and listen to our grievances! We have needs, damn you!" Shifting his glower to Sokka, "You've been righteous for a long time! What has that ever done for you?! Wasting away in that factory sixteen hours a day with barely enough to eat! What is happening to you, Sokka? Doesn't your blood boil enough?!"

"Not another word against the boy," Piandao hissed. "Enough of your nonsense. I'm not letting you ruin anyone here with your horrid idea."

Trying to calm himself as he gave Sokka a serious look, "Instead of telling me off, think about necessity. Katara is lucky; she's moving to the Southern Air Temple, and she does not have to worry about feeding and educating her children in the future. But you? One day, you will marry, and you will have a family, but will you be able to look out for them? How can you if you're afraid to claim what's yours? You're a man, Sokka, think about your responsibilities!"

Sokka, who had been waiting for the older man to stop his flow of consciousness, folded his arms patiently, "Are you done now?"

Which invoked a deeper scowl from Pakku.

"I told you off because I didn't want any of the other men signing up for this and risking their lives and their family's lives," the young warrior said. "I wanted to be the only one to go and take the risk…and I didn't want them knowing about this."

Piandao gawked at his pupil, incredulous, "What?"

Pakku dropped his glare, "Wait…what are you saying?"

Sokka felt his vehemence falter little by little, his eyes softening. The images of his parents rattled his being; he was unable to protect them given his own helplessness as a child. The image of his sick grandmother spurred him further; he was an adult now, and he was still struggling to protect his people. "I gotta think about my responsibilities. I need to think about the people that are relying on me. I do think this is a dumb, terrible idea, and I don't condone stealing…but that is our hard-earned money, and there's no other way to get it back."

"Sokka," Piandao began, "Don't tell me you're really considering this…"

"I'm sorry, but I don't see any other way." Looking up determinedly, "As long as this doesn't involve anyone getting hurt…as long as we're only getting what's ours and nothing else…I'm in. I'll go to Arnook's manor and get the job done without causing any inconvenience."

Pakku, who was frozen in place for a moment, let the answer sink in. Piandao frowned, his hand firmly reaching for the tribesman's shoulder, "Are you insane?"

"No, Master, I'm tired, and I'm desperate."

"So you're just going to turn to crime like this?! Do you even know what you're agreeing to?"

"I know this is wrong, and it really is against my conscience, but I need to do this," he said. "We've handled ourselves for fifteen years. Mom and Dad died from a work accident. A fucking work accident. And Arnook Industries kicked our butts and said we're not qualified. None of us challenged that. Katara and I did everything we could to manage the household. But now, I've hit rock bottom. I asked everyone around the last time Gran Gran had to visit the healing hut. No one's gonna loan me any more money. At least, until I paid them off. I'm working my ass off, and I'm doing night shifts. Sangok officially told me he won't give me a single copper piece. I could ask for my six-month salary in advance, but after Katara leaves, we won't have anything to eat. Now I can go hunt for food, but we got other people we need to be paying off…And I can't do that if I don't have some kind of income."

Sokka turned to Piandao, "I really wanted to hear something good from you, Master. I wanted you to say they at least considered our claim. But now I know what they really think of us…And I can't expect to have a nice conversation with 'em. Talks and tea parties won't cut it. I need the money really badly, and there's no other way for me to get it."

"For Spirits' sake, Sokka, how much do you need?" Piandao demanded. "I always tell you to ask me if you—"

"Forty thousand gold pieces." Grimacing, "And I know you don't have that in your pocket right now."

Piandao widened his eyes, "Forty thousand…?"

But a look of understanding crossed Pakku's features, "For Kanna."

"I thought I told Lady Yugoda not to tell anyone," Sokka muttered.

"I might not be officially married to your grandmother, but all these decades, our relationship has been no less than a marriage," Pakku said. "I am entitled to know these things, son, and even Yugoda knows that."

"What's wrong with Mother Kanna?" Piandao pressed.

"Her heart condition," the old waterbending master explained. "She needs an operation within 2 months. Otherwise…it will be very difficult. To be honest, this was exactly why I wanted to take action right now."

"And also…Gran Gran really wants to see Katara married. Everyone's cool with expediting the wedding. Aang said he'll handle all the expenses, but we still need to do something from our end. For Katara, at least."

"We can do something to try to arrange the money," Piandao persisted despite the considerable burden in arranging an amount like that, "I'll see if I can do something. Maybe look at selling the forge—"

"Master, I'm not gonna have you get rid of everything!" Sokka said with utmost vehemence and burning guilt, his outburst catching Piandao off guard, "You sold your land and estate to help us out over the years. Your shop went from a mansion to a regular igloo in the center of the village. I'm not having you lose that, too!"

"He's right," Pakku shook his head, "No more sacrifices on your part, son."

"Alright, fine," Piandao said, "Then I'll work overtime. Charge more for my swords and maybe—"

"Even if you and I both made swords and sold 'em every day at the maximum price to the richest clients for the next two months, we won't even get to half of the amount we need," Sokka said. "I did the math."

"And my waterbending lessons can only get us so far," Pakku admitted. "I could lease my igloo, but no one's going to give me more than ten silver pieces per month for that place. If I sell it, it's going to be fifty silver pieces, maybe, and that's not going to be enough. No one is going to give us loans, either. We already claimed our emergency funds." Wearing a defeated look, there is just no other way…"

Sokka could see the turmoil unfolding in Piandao's gaze. "Master, I would never benefit at someone else's expense. I'm just trying to get back the benefits we deserve from our own expenses. Even if this isn't the proper way of doing that." Swallowing his misery, "I can't lose Gran Gran, and I'm doing whatever I can to see her happy and healthy."

Piandao rubbed his aching head, helplessness tossing aside his conviction and staring him in the face, demanding his acceptance.

"Arnook's daughter is supposedly going to be married off," Pakku explained, expounding to them the information he received from a servant-friend of his from Arnook's manor. "It is supposed to be a grand event. Thousands of people will be in attendance. Not only that; they are in need of many servants. We can sneak in as valets."

"There is no 'we' business," Sokka told the older man, "You're staying right here."

"What? You think I'm letting you and Piandao go by yourselves?! Neither of you are benders! Zhao has the ability to breathe fires into your faces—!"

"Someone's gotta stay behind and watch Gran Gran," Sokka insisted. "And if it were up to me, I wouldn't want Master Piandao to come with me, either—"

"You know I'm not letting you take such a big risk alone," Piandao frowned.

"I know, I know," he sighed, knowing it would be impossible to convince Piandao otherwise.

"I hear there's a vault on the eastern corner of the manor. Only a select few are allowed entry there. My friend suspects that's where they store the money."

"They haven't heard of banks?" Sokka raised his eyebrows.

"They can't store that money in banks, I'm assuming," Piandao said. "Most of it is illegally obtained, and the amount they have would be ten times their actual profits. They will have to answer to financiers and legal authorities."

"You need to be very careful. You need a way to sneak into the vault, get the money we need, and get out of there," Pakku told the two of them, "Only then, we'll be saved."

When Sokka announced to his family members that he had found work up North for a temporary period of time, Aang and Katara — surprised as they were and a little dismayed by the distance— did not immediately shoot down the idea, but Kanna was not the least bit excited even with Piandao's reassurance that he was going with the young tribesman. She was unsure why Sokka was so invested in the said work to the point of taking leave from his current work at the Arnook Industries factory, but upon being told that he was joining as a valet at the manor of Arnook himself, she was more alarmed.

"The future heiress of Arnook Industries is getting married soon," Pakku explained. "It is going to be a grand event, and they are in need of servants and valets. They also pay very well. Right, Piandao?"

The master swordsman, conflicted as he still was about this ordeal, took one more look at Sokka before turning to Kanna and nodding, "Yes. As you know, Mother Kanna, I visited Zhao at Whaletail Island recently. He told me about this opportunity, and I recommended it to Sokka. I would not have recommended this job if they did not pay. I put in a good word about Sokka, too."

"How do you expect that man to pay anything if their company hasn't even given us the funds we deserve?" Kanna demanded.

"They're paying salaries, aren't they?" Pakku said, looking to Sokka as if expecting him to cover him.

"Y-Yeah," Sokka nodded, "I'm guessing what they'll pay is a little bit above my six-months salary."

"That much?" Katara blinked in surprise.

"Well yeah, that amount means nothing to them. They're filthy rich. And this is a very important event for them, obviously. I mean, marriage is a big deal, right? And I heard Arnook's daughter is his only child, so of course it'll be grand."

Seeing that his grandmother was still not satisfied, Sokka added, "Gran Gran, I really think we can get more money working there for a few weeks instead of wasting away here in the next two months. I'll be sure to stand out as a good valet. Hopefully, they'll be impressed, and with the money I get, we can pay off some of our debt and do other things."

"Sokka, are you sure you're not doing this because of our wedding?" Aang asked worriedly, "I told you I'll handle the expenses—"

"This has nothing to do with you, Airhead, stay out of this," Sokka bluffed, holding Kanna's hand reassuringly, "It'll only be for a month or so. I'll be back as soon as I can. Pakku's gonna stay here and take care of you, okay?"

Kanna absently brushed her hand over his shoulder, "But…"

"Gran Gran, he's not going off to war or anything," Katara soothed her, "It's just work."

"Appa and I can drop you two off at the North," Aang offered to Sokka and Piandao.

"I'll come, too," Katara said. "I'll take off from work—"

"Why, so you and Airboy can make out in the back? Can't we get a break from your oogies?" he said, earning a jab to his elbow from his sister, "Besides, I need you guys to be here and take care of things while I'm gone."

"I can send my friend, Jinju, instead," Aang said. "He can drop you two off on his bison. Either way, I think going by sky bison is most convenient. It won't be easy going all the way up North on a cruiser."

But Kanna's distress was stubborn, refusing to leave the old woman be. Sokka took a deep breath, "Gran, come on, please. It's not even for two months. W'll be back in six weeks or so."

"But it's on the other side of the world," the old woman huffed, "I can't let you two go like that without anyone else by your side. You're not even benders…"

"They won't allow more people than necessary, Gran," Sokka said patiently. "W'll be fine, I promise. We'll watch each other's backs. Besides, it's the sister tribe. Same food, same culture, same language. W'll find our way around easily. W'll write to you guys every day or week. Depends on how busy we get."

Kanna shook her head, looking back at her grandson and the swordsmaster, "It's not just the distance that's bothering me. I don't know if I like the idea of sending you to… people like them… They're monsters, and I… I never wanted my children to be around those people…"

Those people. Everyone surrounding her did not have to be explicitly told of Kanna's real problem behind all of this: her suspicion and hatred for members of high society. This in turn was fueled by her own experiences long, long ago, when a pregnant Kanna was abandoned by her wealthy fiancé in his endeavor to court a well-to-do tribeslady.

"People in high societies have very low morals, Sokka," Kanna told her grandson. "Everything is a business to them. They have no compassion, no sense of dignity. They scramble after money and status. One hair out of place, and they toss the blame onto those who are beneath them. They use you…and then they throw you away…"

Holding both of her hands, "I understand why you're scared, but it's gonna be okay. I'm just going for the money, nothing else. I'll be careful. I won't interact with important people, and I won't go near important things."

But she was still not convinced, "This is all my fault. You wouldn't have agreed to this if I hadn't—"

"It's not you, Gran. We really do need money."

"We'll figure something out," she persisted. "Don't go, inngutaga. They will only treat you like dirt and do you wrong. I take back everything I asked for, I—"

"I still need to go, Gran. I promised I'd help out."

"You and your promises…"

Sokka felt a lurch in his heart. It wasn't like he wanted to do this, but he had no choice. He had to do what it took to protect the only people he had left. "I'll be back as fast as I can. I'll be right next to Master Piandao at all times."

"Hopefully we won't have to stay too long, Mother Kanna," Piandao said. "We will give them some excuse and come right back with the money."

Kanna sighed, "Piandao, I need your help more than ever, son. I need you to keep an eye on this boy. He'll nearly get himself killed with his antics, and those people are insufferable."

"Don't you worry, Mother Kanna. I'm not letting him leave my sight."

Kanna brought her grandson in for a hug. She did not let go for a long time, whispering tiredly, "Come back to me quickly, my brave warrior. I'll be waiting."