Chapter 5: Arnook's Manor

The modest ice sheet that was Wolf Cove could never compare to the stunning paradise that was Agna Qel'a. This, Sokka realized as Monk Jinju's sky bison passed over the fortress-like Iktuk mountain range, entering the capital city of the sheer majesty that was the North Pole. The drab glaze on the tribesman's face fell apart and bloomed into a visible gleam at the sight of fountains and canals, gondolas and abundant Arctic livestock, the flora and other fauna of the tundra frolicking beneath the faint Arctic sunlight. Of course, Sokka had always been aware of the North's higher standards of living in general compared to the South, but he realized just how much his imagination had failed him as everything about the North flaunted the tribe's status as the peak of all Water Tribe civilization. A rare pearl in the tribal ocean.

Minutes into their entry into Northern country, the bison began its descent. As they plunged further underneath the blanket of clouds, Arnook's manor loomed into sight from atop a snowy hill, resembling a palace of sorts. The courtyards of the manor had opened up to invite all who were seeking work, helping out with the wedding preparations, or representing the prospective bride and groom. Jinju's bison found footing a few feet away, attracting the attention of the passing tribefolk.

Piandao grabbed his bag and nudged Sokka out of his stupor. The tribesman cleared his throat, slinging his own bag over his shoulder. "It's, uh, really nice here."

"Yes, it's certainly very beautiful," Jinju nodded. "An icy wonderland!"

Piandao swung down from the bison, and Sokka followed suit. The two swordsmen bowed goodbye to the Avatar's friend.

"Aang wanted me to remind you to use the "Avatar Aang is my brother-in-law" card if you run into any trouble."

"Yeah yeah," Sokka shook his head, smiling, "Always trying to flex."

The monk chuckled, bowing and turning to Piandao, "Shall I take my leave now, Mr. Piandao?"

"Yes. Thank you very much. Have a safe journey back."

"I'll see you again in a few weeks. Good luck to both of you."

Despite the North's undeniable allure, the bison's ascent and rapid flight made nervousness dawn back over Sokka, especially given the nature of their visit. He looked at Piandao, who took him by the hand and led him toward the open gates. They blended in easily with the crowd of butlers and maids in identical-looking uniform sashes. They frantically roamed about, carrying platters of fruits and delicacies, others lugging around decorative garlands and exquisite bouquets. Some servants had already taken their places by the pillars outside, wrapping fancy ribbons and streamers around them to prepare for the occasion. Still others were running about and fluffing up the furs of animal pelts and dusting ceremonial headdresses.

"Wow," Sokka blinked at the chaos, entranced by the grandeur of the place, "We should decorate like this for Katara's wedding…"

Piandao smiled at him before leading him to a stall before the entrance. The tribefolk running the stall immediately recognized Piandao and offered their respect, standing and bowing, "Mr. Piandao, we weren't expecting you here."

"I'd like to speak with Mr. Zhao," Piandao said.

"Right this way, sir," one of the tribesmen began leading Piandao inside, but when he saw that Sokka was following the master swordsman, he shoved Sokka back, "Where do you think you're going—?"

"Respect, Intak," Piandao glared at the tribesman, "That's my son you're shoving."

Intak frowned in confusion before being struck by a realization, "Oh…this is Sokka?"

"Damn right I am," Sokka raised his eyebrows.

"My apologies, Mr. Sokka. Forgive me, Mr. Piandao. Please, both of you follow me."

They were both welcomed inside with a greater degree of respect than the other servants receive, owing to Piandao's identity as Fire Nation and the tolerance Zhao seemed to have for him. Sokka's focus was on memorizing what he could of the giant manor— the pristine, endless hallways lined with imported carpets, silk curtains, and elaborate tapestries.

He needed a map of this place.

After what seemed like hours of walking, Intak led the swordsmen to the heart of the manor, stopping in front of one of many official-looking doors. He knocked twice, "Mr. Zhao, Master Piandao is here to see you."

"Let him in."

Intak bowed and went on his way. Piandao turned to Sokka, a protective flicker in his

"Wait here for a minute. I'll call you in." And he stepped inside, closing the door behind him. Zhao, accompanied by his assistant, was waiting for the swordsman, sporting a look of amusement.

"Piandao, what a surprise," Zhao switched from the Tribal dialect to the Fire tongue. He leaned back in his chair, casting one leg over the other, "I didn't think I would ever see you here. Hopefully you've had some time to think about what I said and cool off. And of course, my offer to appoint you as general manager still stands."

"I told you before that I am not interested, Zhao," Piandao stated.

"Then what could possibly be the reason for your visit? Unless if you haven't learned your lesson and are here to grovel on behalf of your peasants."

"I'm not going to ask you about the compensation claims anymore," Piandao told him calmly. "Those workers, too, have given up their fight for them. They are simple people, desperate for peace and order, and I am not going to put their lives in jeopardy by messing with you."

Leering, "Of course. No surprise there."

"That being said, I do need your help with something," Piandao said. "It won't require anything substantial on your part, but as one man of Fire to another, all I ask is for you to give Sokka something fit for his services here."

Raising his eyebrows, "You brought him here?"

"He's looking for work. You know that boy is dear to me, and I want to do what I can for him. I'm willing to work here as well and give him whatever I receive, but I still need you to help him out."

"You really are insane. Thinking that peasant to be like your own," Zhao sighed. "But I suppose I can do this for you." Standing up from his chair, "I must admit I'm very glad you see things my way, Piandao. Surely if Agni brought you this far, he will convince you to be my general manager in the future. I know I can certainly rely on your services."

Piandao did not respond to the comment, switching to the Water Tribe tongue as he called, "Sokka, come in, son."

Sokka stepped in seconds later, keeping his head lowered and mouth shut just as Piandao had advised him beforehand.

"Son, this is Mr. Zhao. Assistant and close confidant of Mr. Arnook," Piandao told Sokka.

"The tribesman greeted Zhao with a traditional Fire greeting and bow. "Sokka Ingiullik from the Southern Water Tribe."

"Piandao tells me much about you," Zhao eyed the tribesman. "I think I've also seen you from afar a few times."

"Sokka is willing to help with the preparations," Piandao said. "He is a very loyal employee of Arnook Industries, and he is willing to do anything he can to be of help. He requests that he receive something that adequately fits his service, whatever service that may be."

Zhao nodded slowly, asking Sokka, "Would you be willing to do anything?"

"Yes. Anything you need me to do," Sokka said. "My grandmother is currently under treatment for a heart condition. I'd greatly appreciate your help. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make this event go as smoothly as possible."

"Very well then. Prove your loyalty to Arnook Industries by excelling in your tasks, and you will earn a reward. Aziran?"

"Yes, sir." And the assistant sieved through a list that he carried with him.

"Actually, never mind the list," Zhao huffed impatiently, turning to Piandao, "I would like you to keep track of the accounts with regard to expenses for the occasion. Caterers, event organizers, people of the like. It's quite a taxing job for me as I have so many other things to do." Turning to Sokka next, "And as for you…"

"You will be assigned to various departments as we see fit for the occasion—" Aziran trailed off as Zhao held his hand up to silence him. The firebender took another look at the young tribesman. Zhao remembered spotting him from afar several years ago— the teenage tribesboy who worked in the forge along with Piandao, following him around and goofing off, fiddling ridiculously with a boomerang. He had been a scrawny boy back then, but now, standing here, he appeared even underneath the layers of his warm coats as a man with broadened shoulders, a widened chest, well-built extremities, and coveted muscles— not buff per se but nevertheless harboring a decent amount of girth— that tribesmen typically acquired from their consumption of abundant meats.

"So you know how to fight?" Zhao asked him. "You learned swordsmanship, I know that much. I assume you learned combat as well, being a tribesman and all."

"Yeah, I can hold my own," Sokka nodded.

"You don't seem like a bender."

"I'm not, but I'm good with a sword, a machete, a spear, and other weapons. I've tried my hand at disabling some benders, too."

"Hm…" Turning to Aziran, "Take him in for a fitness test."

Sokka blinked, "Fitness test?"

"Fuck these fitness tests," Sokka burst through the door, leading to the living quarters assigned to him and Piandao. He shut the door behind him and collapsed onto the nearest stack of pelts, "Ohhh my back…"

Piandao was relieved to see that Sokka had made it out in one piece without drawing any attention to himself— well, negative attention, at least. "Here," the swordmaster walked over to him, bringing with him a large platter of food, "Eat up. You'll feel better."

Sokka didn't have to be told twice as he immediately shoved a piece of seal meat into his mouth, followed by a hefty piece of Arctic hen.

"What's all this… supposed to be…?" he asked between bites, "I feel like…like I'm in the… military or something…"

"What did they make you do?"

"Ask me what they didn't make me do," he chomped on a few dumplings, "Runs and sprints and stretches and combat. They were timing everything."

Piandao thought for a few moments before musing aloud, "If they're drilling you this hard, my guess is that you will most likely be part of the security personnel. They're going to make you guard something of great importance. It's the highest position you can get here."

Gulping down his food, "They better pay well for all this shit."

"They will," Piandao assured, "Two hundred fifty silver pieces for the highest security guards. It's no joke."

"My one year's salary isn't worth that much back home," Sokka blinked, wide-eyed. They could use that money for Aang and Katara's wedding. "But if they're giving me that much…" lowering his voice, "Master, you think there's a chance I'll be guarding the vault?"

"I don't know," Piandao answered honestly.

"Did anyone even say anything to you about the eastern corner?"

"You weren't asking around, were you—?"

"No, no, of course not. I know that would make it too obvious," he assured. "I just want to know if anyone mentioned anything about it to you."

"I was told not to direct anyone to the eastern corner, and that was it," Piandao said. "Pakku's friend might be right. Maybe that's where the vault is. But we can never be too sure. Zhao has always been careful about these kinds of things; it's not like him to leave such huge amounts of unaccounted currency lying around. And even if he was careless enough to do something like that, he still doesn't know you for long. It's surprising that he's even considering you for the highest position available."

"Not really. You're both Fire Nation. He's not gonna back out of helping you."

"Even patriotism won't bring him this far, though," Piandao shook his head. "He might give you a relatively high position, but I don't know if he will trust you with something like that on the first day. Then again, there must be a reason why they're making you do this. If whatever you're set to guard isn't important, these drills wouldn't be necessary."

Sighing, "Well whatever it is, we'll find out in the morning. In the meantime, I need to survey this place." Looking out of the window at the waxing crescent in the sky, which seemed to light up the tribe as if it was a full moon instead, "I think tonight's a good choice."

"Tonight?" Piandao wore a concerned look, "We just came here. And you say you're exhausted."

"Yeah, but I don't think it's smart to wait it out further," Sokka said, ravenously swallowing more of the food that he shoved down his throat, "When we were drilling, I was able to get a good estimate on how many security guards we have right now. There are plenty, but there's gonna be more than usual starting tomorrow. Besides, me and a few other men are gonna be finalized tomorrow, so we'll be part of that team, too. It'll be too many people, and we'll be constantly watched. Now is the right time."

"Fine, I will go, then—"

"I was thinking of going by myself."

"I'm not letting you wander around by yourself," Piandao frowned, insistent. "This isn't a casual stroll, Sokka—"

"Well you obviously can't go," Sokka said. "If Zhao runs into you, he'll get suspicious. Since you're only working on the accounts and you don't have a strong reason for memorizing the place."

Piandao found that he couldn't argue with that logic, and the fact that he did butt heads with Zhao a few weeks ago.

"You have a map of the manor on you? That place is huge."

"You didn't ask around for one?"

"They said they'll give me one in the morning," he huffed in annoyance, "And I didn't push it."

"I don't have anything. This is my first time here, too."

"Guess I have to go by trial and error," the tribesman said, hissing from the soreness of his muscles as he pulled himself up. His exhaustion wasn't the only thing weighing him down, however. The nagging uncertainty of this mission, the feeling that this wasn't right but the necessity of it undeniable...

"Sokka, are you sure about this?"

He sighed, nodding, "I thought everything through. This is the perfect time, Master. Another plus is that it's my first day here. I can get away with saying I'm lost and I'm trying to find my way around this place."

Piandao could see through the tribesman's conflicted look. He attempted to say something, but Sokka cut through the unspoken tension by grabbing a roll off of his plate and heading to the door. The swordmaster said nothing beyond a whisper of "Be careful," as the warrior left, but he did invoke a prayer to the Spirits. Keep him on the right path.