Chapter 8: Prices to Pay

"Congrats on the job, my friend."

Sokka, worn down from the heiress's tenacity and Piandao's rather long, impassioned lecture about keeping his mouth shut in front of Zhao, gave a tired smile and a nod acknowledging the nearby servant, Uruq. The Northern tribesman was set to turn in for the night, but he didn't want to miss out on an opportunity to chat with the young Southern security guard who had stunned them all earlier with the way he stood up to Zhao.

"Been working here for years and I never got this kind of promotion," Uruq said with a grin, "You hit the jackpot on your first try."

"You jealous?"

"Nah," the servant chuckled, "It's too much pressure, honestly. Guarding the heiress? No way. Not to discourage you or anything…" Noting the weary look on the young Southerner's face, "Though by the looks of things, I think the pressure's starting to get to you."

Sokka shrugged, scooting over to make space as Uruq took a seat beside him on the pelts, "Did Zhao get onto you or something?"

"No," shaking his head, "Master Piandao said he talked him into looking past it."

"You should thank your lucky stars for putting Piandao on your side," the man said. "It's hard to explain, but Zhao has a degree of respect for that man… well, they are both Fire Nation, so maybe that explains it…" Shrugging, "Anyhow, it amazes me that you have the guts to talk to Zhao like that. That ashmaker had been such a dick to me all these years, and no matter how mad I was, I never took the risk of talking to him like that. You look like you need this job more than I do, and yet, you were firing off earlier."

"It's not like I was looking for a fight," Sokka glanced absentmindedly at the pelts, "I just…I hate how he treats Miss Atsanik. She was badly injured and really needed help, and he was just standing there in the meantime yelling at her and saying she hurt that dumb fiancé's feelings. Is that fiancé of hers that insecure about himself to feel threatened by anyone who helps her?" Frowning, "And then the maids. Some of them are so rash and inconsiderate around her."

"Probably because for the past two weeks, she hadn't been giving any of her usual tips," Uruq said. "Miss Atsanik has always been very generous. Just like her father. In fact, Arnook's very big on donations and helps the less fortunate from time to time. A lot of us came to work here because he's so generous, and honestly, a lot of people stayed for the money he and his daughter kept freely giving them. So naturally some of the spoiled folk aren't used to this sudden 'neglect.'

"Not everything's about money," Sokka nearly snapped. "Miss Atsanik is clearly going through something. Why can't people be gentle and understanding?"

"If this was a place of gentleness and understanding, things would be a lot more different," the tribesman harbored a bitter hopelessness in his tone. "Mr. Arnook was the only gentle soul around here other than his daughter. He really isn't a bad man. In fact, the people in his original partnerships weren't bad, either. I know Mr. Bumi was a joy to be around." A brief smile that quickly dwindled with the comment, "If anything, I think the real trouble started ever since he appointed Zhao. Zhao had nothing when he came here…and gradually, Mr. Arnook lost all his partners. And now, thanks to that ashmaker, they're gonna lose this place, too."

"Wait, what?"

"The eviction proceedings are coming up in two days, aren't they?" And when Sokka failed to respond beyond a wide-eyed look, "Oh, you didn't know this?"

"No," he shook his head, "What do you mean 'eviction'?"

"Well, there's been a buzz the past couple of months. We all thought it was a rumor until a few days ago. Some finance officers came and spoke with Miss Atsanik. Apparently, Mr. Arnook took out a lot of loans in all these years. He hasn't made a single payment. The officers gave him a grace period of six months, but he hasn't responded. I mean, how can he? He was already in the Fire Nation by then. And what's strange is that Miss Atsanik had no knowledge of these transactions. Certainly Arnook would tell her about these loans. He always told her everything." Shaking his head, "Something doesn't seem right."

Sokka thought back to Zhao's transaction book that Piandao showed him. He recalled several transactions that were described as "loans" taken up under Arnook's name but transferred to Zhao's separate account.

"But anyway, the officers said they'll seize the property in a few days unless the entire amount is paid in full to all involved parties. Tomorrow is the last day for Miss Atsanik to gather the amount. Mr. Arnook is thousands of miles away…And if they don't pay back every copper piece borrowed, they're losing this place forever."

"Why isn't this news as public as it should be?" Sokka asked.

"Probably because they'll pay it off anyway. Besides, we won't be affected adversely by this. We'll just be given different assignments and be redirected to Zhao's estate or the guesthouse that Hahn's now in, if anything. And the servants' quarters come under Zhao's property, so we're not losing the roofs over our heads."

But Sokka was no less worried.

"They're working on paying it off, I assume," Uruq said. "It's still going to be a hassle until they actually hand over the money, but I'm sure they'll pay it off. They have to…" The servant looked around the endless corridor, "Mr. Arnook put his lifeblood into making this estate come alive right before he got married. Miss Atsanik was born here, too. That man is gonna protect this place with his life…and Miss Yue isn't gonna just let it all go."

They took several moments to process the situation. Sokka eventually took a deep breath, looking both ways before, "You've been here for a while right?" And after earning a nod, "What do you know about Miss Atsanik?"

The man sighed, "Miss Atsanik… how can I even begin? She's Mr. Arnook's pride and joy. His only child. And she's not like many of the well-to-do people we run into. She's very patient, very compassionate."

The man recounted how he recalled his early days of working here. He could still remember the smiling, giggling face of a little Miss Atsanik, who would run around the mansion with her mother at her heels, greeting her father in his toy-filled arms.

"It was a very hard time in hers and Arnook's lives when Lady Ahnah passed," he said. "She was very little and had terrible separation anxiety. She and Arnook had no one but each other to get through that trauma and grief."

Apart from separation anxiety, the young heiress was bestowed with large amounts of empathy from a very young age.

"She literally gets tears in her eyes when she sees anyone suffering around her. Well, anything, really. One time, there was a baby polar beaver that was lost and hurt. It somehow cut its paw and was wailing out in the tundra in the middle of a blizzard. Miss Atsanik spent hours in the blizzard trying to find him, and even after she bandaged him up, she went back out and didn't come inside until she found his mama. But I digress…"

Sokka tucked back a soft little smile.

"Because she's so sensitive to others' suffering, she insisted on doing something to help the people around her. She's not a bender, but she didn't let that stop her from wanting to learn to heal."

The man went on to describe how Yue had studied tribal herbal medicine at the Itsak School of Healing, but she wasn't satisfied and wanted to do more. Arnook then sent her to a prestigious healing school in the Earth Kingdom, where she took up herbalism and excelled.

"Top of her class. Got a gold medal apparently for… what was it… outstanding contributions in herbal medicine…? Something like that," Uruq nodded. "I still remember. Mr. Arnook threw a big party to celebrate her award. Gave all of us bonuses, too."

The heiress performed lots of services at several Earth Kingdom abbeys, during which she was able to help many underprivileged folk and gained lots of experience. She then worked sporadically in neighboring villages for another year. Arnook, who cared for nothing else in the world other than her happiness and fulfillment, urged her to pursue her dreams. He never pressured her to be involved in business affairs as he knew her heart wasn't there.

"Miss Atsanik really wanted to introduce some helpful healing techniques back home, too, and help the less fortunate here however she can, so Arnook bought land for her in Ainunga," the servant said. "He and Miss Atsanik planned to start a healing center in her mother's name. Ainunga's one of the warmer parts of the North, so it would be very easy to grow herbs there. Mr. Arnook planned to shift over to Ainunga, too. He couldn't bear to be away from his daughter."

But unknown to many, even the heiress herself, Arnook had been quietly suffering from an otherwise curable ailment, which he neglected and let escalate in the throes of his factory duties and arrangements for securing property in Ainunga. Nearly overnight, he became bedridden. Yue had done everything she could to heal him and hired plenty of bending healers to aid him. Yue also paused her regular healing efforts and started being more involved in business matters.

"It got to the point where Zhao decided to send Master Arnook to the Fire Nation for advanced treatment. At least, that's what we were told. And Miss Atsanik hasn't been the same ever since. She and her father are best friends. They're very attached to each other. She's his only child, so naturally he's very protective of her, but there was never a time when he didn't keep her happy." Uruq furrowed his eyebrows, "Mr. Arnook has been in the Fire Nation for a long time. Nearly nine months. And we don't think he's doing too well. None of us can imagine him being away from Miss Atsanik for that long…and the poor thing's probably so worried about him. She's been having breakdowns more often. She's not interacting with anyone anymore…"

Sokka recalled Piandao's words from earlier. "Everyone keeps saying Zhao sent him to the Fire Nation for advanced treatment. It's a way to silence everyone; Zhao is intentionally keeping Arnook's death a secret so he can make official filings on Arnook's behalf for monetary benefits."

"And it's a shame because someone who's so accomplished, someone of such excellence… everyone thinks she's losing it now. I mean, she's been depressed for such a long time, but that doesn't mean she's incompetent." Uruq shook his head in disapproval. "But that's still supposedly why she should be married off, according to Zhao. He said Mr. Arnook arranged for her to marry Mr. Hahn, but I seriously doubt it."

"Marriage isn't the only option. Does Miss Atsanik not have any other family?"

"She does have an aunt— Lady Ahnah's sister, Akimah. But there were some issues that came up in the family early on, so Miss Akimah and Mr. Arnook fell out of touch about a year after Lady Ahnah's passing." Shrugging, "So Hahn it is. I mean, it's not wrong if Mr. Arnook decided it's time she had a companion for herself…and also probably with the intention that someone will care for her if anything happens to him, but…to think he would choose a porcu-pig like Hahn…? It can't be right."

"Is he that bad?" Sokka asked. "Have you met him?"

"The guy's insufferable. I'm scheduled to work at the guesthouse, too, for a few days, and my first shift was last night when he arrived. He stepped out of the cruiser a drunk man. Threw up all over his guards. Seriously, is that the kind of conduct you'd expect from a man who knows he's going to be engaged and shows up at his soon-to-be fiancée's place?"

Sokka scowled in disgust, "Eugh!"

"And it's not just that. I was there this morning for some work, and I saw some ladies giggling and going to his chambers. I saw them hours later in the kitchen; they were taking food up to his room with stacks of currency stuffed in their pockets. Normally I'd say 'rumor has it' that he paid them to sleep with him, but this all happened in broad daylight, so what's the point of sugarcoating it?"

"That jackass!"

"If you think he's unbearable, wait 'till you see his mother. You would not believe it. Everything was happening right in front of her eyes, and she didn't see anything wrong with any of it. How uncultured and insensitive do you have to be to show up at your prospective fiancée's guesthouse and so openly have flings?"

"I knew he wasn't any good," Sokka huffed. "We need to tell Miss Atsanik. I tried telling her, but she didn't listen to me."

"You didn't know all of this information until I told you," Uruq pointed out.

"I tried to tell her she shouldn't marry that guy. She didn't even wanna look at his portrait, and he didn't care enough to come see her even once. It's not like the accident is a secret."

"What did she say to that?"

"She told me not to pretend like I give a rat's ass about her."

Uruq blinked, "In those exact words?"

"Just like that. She was furious with me. I know I was probably taking a few liberties by saying that, but I was just looking out for her. She doesn't even seem to like getting married to that guy, and now that we know he's a piece of shit, she shouldn't marry him."

"So she really swore?" Uruq was still stuck on the heiress's comment, "But she never swears. Well, maybe internally she does, but I've never heard her swear in all my years of being here…"

"She wasn't swearing at me, but… Well, she probably hates me, so maybe that's why…"

"Why would she hate you? It's not like you did anything bad."

"I was saying some jerk-y stuff about rich people," Sokka confessed. "I didn't know she was Miss Atsanik when I first met her."

"Oh… You ran into her before your posting?"

"Yeah. I thought she was another maid. She didn't look like she was unbelievably wealthy."

"She's not big on fancy silks and jewelry."

"Yeah, I realize," he swallowed his guilt.

"What exactly did you say?"

"Well…that rich people typically toss the blame onto people beneath them and…they always act like they have something up their asses."

"Woah."

"It's bad, isn't it?"

"Well I'd be pissed. But the thing is, Miss Atsanik still isn't the type to take that stuff to heart. Normally she would laugh it off. But I think it's because her father's sick, and she doesn't like it when anyone trash-talks him. Of course, you were talking about rich people in general, but still, her father's a rich person, and he was basically a walking saint, so..."

"I get it," Sokka sighed. "And I know she wouldn't hold a horrible grudge. She helped me with something even after I made that comment. She gave me a serum to mail to my grandmother for her heart condition. All for free."

"Yeah, she doesn't charge," Uruq nodded. "You're very lucky. Not everyone gets the chance to get free good medicine. And let me tell you, Miss Atsanik has a golden hand. Your grandmother will be up and running in no time."

Sokka nodded, feeling much better about his Gran Gran but not so much the situation here…as well as his purpose for being here… "I still apologized, though. I said I wanted to start over, that I would like for us to be friends. And Miss Atsanik just told me not to suck up to her."

Uruq was surprised again, but he also mirrored the worry in Sokka's gaze, "That really doesn't sound like our sweet heiress. It's not like her at all to sound that harsh. But the thing is, I think I get it. I heard that she very recently had a falling out with a good friend. Miss Atsanik was good friends with a maid named Minri. They had known each other since their childhoods but became close friends ever since Mr. Arnook went to the Fire Nation for treatment. One night, Miss Atsanik was apparently trying to run away, and Minri told Zhao and sabotaged the attempt. Apparently Minri cared more about the money Zhao was gonna give her than about Miss Atsanik, and…needless to say, Miss Atsanik was devastated. Minri was like a sister to her and…well, the betrayal hurt, obviously."

"Why was she running away?" Sokka pried, occupied by all kinds of fears. Was she being forced into this? Did she find out about Zhao's misdealings and try to expose them somehow? Was her life in danger?

"I really don't know all the details. Again, everyone's saying she's losing it, and again, I highly doubt it. There's a lot of yakshit involved in the situation here. That man would visit his daughter five times a week even when she was all the way out in the Earth Kingdom. And you're telling me that that man is too weak to write to his own daughter but is competent enough to write to Zhao? Something really fishy is going on here… but none of us are in the mindset of even thinking about what that could be. We're just trying to get by."

We're just trying to get by.

"I know we got our own problems, but it must be difficult to have people coming up to you just because you have money." Uruq folded his arms, "Miss Atsanik's care and concern for others was unconditional. She never let things like money and status get in the way. But thanks to that maid, Miss Atsanik is probably distrusting of everyone now and likely thinks people only want to interact with her for her money— which is not wrong when it comes to some shallow folks, but… then the people who actually care about her are left in the dust. It's been ages since she smiled and laughed, and she barely eats now. I can't imagine how it feels to not have the people you love next to you with everyone else clamoring after your money like dogs."

Sokka softened his eyes, looking back in the direction of the corridor to Yue's room. It was definitely a conversation to be had with the heiress: the extent of her knowledge of Zhao's financial misdealings and everything he was consuming with regard to their assets. The good news was that Piandao retrieved the old accounts book — even if it was one out of many others that were destroyed. All that remained was sitting Yue down and explaining everything to her if she wasn't aware of this, and once they expose Zhao's secrets to the financial officers, she wouldn't have to lose this place, either, with Zhao's corruption finally coming to light.

Of course, Sokka could never be sure if her distress came purely from Arnook's passing or if part of it was her knowledge of Zhao's betrayal. It certainly would explain the wild embers in her eyes whenever anyone showed her a morsel of concern.

"Master Aziran told me to tell you that the Avatar is currently at the Northern Air Temple, Miss Atsanik."

Yue finished tying the bandages around her arm to the best of her ability with her uninjured arm. Her attention flew to the scroll that a maid set beside her on the bed. The heiress wouldn't have believed that this was actually happening had it not been for the official seal of the Northern Air Temple, the seal of the Avatar, and the unmistakable signatures of Northern officials and the Avatar himself. It was a very official document, incapable of easy forgery, and the scroll canister even smelled of sandalwood, the Air Temples' number one export and the unmistakable fragrance permeating the monasteries.

"Avatar Aang had apparently sent a representative to drop off his brother-in-law and Master Piandao here. In a separate trip a week later, he left the South for the Northern Air Temple for emergency matters. Your message was very timely."

"Avatar Aang has a brother-in-law?" Yue asked.

"The Avatar is engaged to Lady Katara of the Southern Water Tribe. She's none other than the sister of our Mr. Ingiullik."

"Oh…" Yue blinked, "I was not aware of that."

"Avatar Aang agreed to wait until he received your documents so he can personally deliver them to the South and make sure the funds are properly distributed. Master Aziran said the bride price should come through any day now. Maybe even as early as today if Mr. Hahn authorizes it."

Yue read back over the scroll, confirming its contents until satisfaction. She nodded slowly, whispering a prayer to the Spirits for luck. "It can't go wrong this time. The people in the South have suffered enough." Looking at the maid, "You may leave now. Thank you for the information."

"Are you not in need of anything else, Miss Yue?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Alright, ma'am. I'll be taking my leave now—" but the servant was startled by a loud snore that came from outside. "Spirits, that scared me."

Yue flitted her gaze to the door, "Didn't Mr. Ingiullik's shift end like an hour ago?"

"We told him to go home, but he wanted to stay. He said he wanted to talk to you about something."

With a sigh, "I'll handle this."

When the servant left, Yue gathered her crutches and struggled her way to the door in an effort to wake Sokka and send him home, but she found that the corridor was occupied apart from the maids who were filing out. An older woman, led by two others who were around her age, traversed down the hallway. All three of them were donned in exquisite silks and jewels, their hair pinned back in intricate buns and glimmering hair accessories. The woman in front, who strutted forth with great interest and supposed purpose, raised her eyebrows at the snoring tribesman, who was lying unceremoniously in their path, drool slipping from the side of his lips. The women beside her expressed utter disgust.

"What in La's hell?"

"Hey, get out of the way!"

Sokka stirred mid-snore when he felt a boot kicking at him.

"Hey, you," the woman in front nudged the tribesman with her foot, her snowboots scraping against the young man's arm. Sokka mumbled in his waking state, rubbing his bicep as the woman kept commanding, "Get up!"

"Stop," he frowned, trying to pull himself up, "Just a second—"

"You get quarters and free food from the kitchen and everything," one of the women scoffed, her boot also joining in the onslaught, "and you're still rolling around like a pig in its filth—"

"Certainly you must be one yourself for you to think everyone else is," came a sharp voice. The flustered women turned angrily to the owner of the comment. Yue stepped out from the shadows as swiftly as she was able in her condition, her glower piercing their wide eyes, "Get your feet off of him."

Yue's voice caught Sokka's immediate attention. He scrambled to his feet, wiping the sleep out of his eyes, "Miss Atsanik…"

"You dare call me a pig?!" one of the women exclaimed, offended beyond repair, more so when Sokka let out an unapologetic snicker.

"The audacity you all have to treat people like that," Yue demanded the fuming woman and her mewling comrades, "Weren't any of you taught basic human decency—?"

"The audacity you have to raise your voice at your mother-in-law and her associates!" the woman in front burst, turning crimson with embarrassment with the whispers of her friends and the insults they had to swallow, "Weren't you taught basic manners?"

Yue blinked in surprise. Sokka huffed, Hahn's mom?

"My goodness, no respect!" the first friend lamented.

"The arrogance! Oh, the arrogance!" the second woman chimed in.

And yet, the older women were all utterly taken back by the angry woman's rather ethereal beauty, seeing firsthand just what made Hahn slobber over her portrait with desperate need back home. They grumbled inwardly that even without makeup and despite how red and swollen her eyes were— serving, if anything, as testaments that she wasn't even trying to be presentable— this woman was a literal goddess in appearance.

"I do believe you owe Ura and Minah an apology," Lady Mimik hissed at Yue.

"I will as soon as they apologize to my friend."

Friend. Sokka couldn't help beaming.

"Oh, the disrespect again!" Ura wailed. "Forget it!"

"Then don't bother trying to get an apology from me," Yue said coolly.

And again, the women simply gawked at her, still displeased, having expected her to soften and grovel for pardon after she found out who they were but receiving no such reception. Lady Mimik, though fuming, said nothing of the response, for she grew quickly distracted by the little glances of adoration that Sokka was flashing in Yue's direction. "You," she glared at the tribesman, making him snap out of his trance, "Don't you know it's improper to stick around the bedroom of a woman soon to be engaged? Your surveillance is only needed at night—"

"You're obviously here to speak with me, not pick a fight with guards," Yue cut her off, her tone still annoyed but not as harsh as before, "So let's not waste our time."

"And you're obviously not here to defend this man. Though I do see you care plenty for this bodyguard of yours. Letting him touch you in public like that." Visibly displeased, "Hahn would've been happy to carry you to your room."

"It would have been improper," Yue said. "We're not engaged yet—"

"Oh, but it's proper for a stranger who's a man to bring you here to this room?"

"Mr. Ingiullik is my bodyguard. He was hired specifically to guard me. He was only doing his job."

"Would you let him into your sheets, too? So he can scare away the bedbugs and check for monsters under your bed?" Minah laughed, joined quickly by Ura. Lady Mimik, though, didn't find that so funny, her glare shutting up her friends. Yue frowned, holding up her hand before Sokka could toss a rash reply.

"If you have a problem with me having a male bodyguard, you should take this up with Mr. Zhao," Yue said. "Because this is neither in my control nor in Mr. Ingiullik's. Mr. Zhao himself appointed someone Mr. Ingiullik and specifically told him to look out for me. Which is all that Mr. Ingiullik had been doing up to this point. So please don't read a romance into this. This isn't a work of fiction nor is it a pleasure novel to satisfy your urges. This is reality. We as human beings are forced to interact with each other no matter how much we want to avoid doing so. Mr. Ingiullik himself likely doesn't enjoy staying awake at night and guarding a woman he has never known, but it's not like he has a choice."

The older woman glanced at Yue for another moment before crossing her arms, "Well it's still better to let your fiance-to-be handle these things. It's not very ladylike to let every man come into your room under the premise that they're 'looking out for you.'"

Saying nothing else regarding the comment, "If you can please wait in my study, I will join you in a minute."

"I don't wait for anyone," the Mimik matriarch said. "We can talk in your chambers. Unless they're only big enough to fit your ego and not other humans."

"What the hell is your deal?" Sokka retorted.

"Mr. Ingiullik, please keep yourself out of this," Yue said before turning back to the woman, "I don't mind that, but if you can give me a moment to gather myself together, I would appreciate it. I was not expecting visitors, and I know I can be more presentable."

"Very well. You do look like a shipwreck," Hahn's mother straightened her shoulders, "Come get us when you're done. We'll be in the common area."

Yue nodded in agreement, suddenly faltering as she lost her balance with a crutch. Sokka kept an arm around her to prevent her fall, leaning forward and picking the crutch up as he helped her regain her balance. Lady Mimik grew more and more furious by the second, disgusted to see the guard's hands on her prospective daughter-in-law even after she made her point clear.

"If you can't handle those crutches, get a maid to help you or consider getting a wheelchair," the woman spat. "I don't want to keep witnessing this atrocity."

The women then retreated, whispering amongst themselves. Sokka growled as they rounded the corner, "Those people are disgusting!"

"They shouldn't have acted like that with you," Yue said, bearing a softness in her tone, "I apologize on their behalf—"

"No, Miss Atsanik, don't apologize for them! That's not at all what I mean! I mean the way they treated you was disgusting—"

"Nevermind that," she dismissed, turning and heading to her room, "Go to your quarters and get some rest—"

"Wait, wait! Can we please talk for a minute, Miss Atsanik? Please," he followed her, finally managing to get a sliver of her attention, "Don't do this, please. You can't be with an idiot like Hahn. Someone told me that he got drunk the night he got here and puked over the guards and—"

"I told you not to concern yourself with these things if you want to keep working here," she said, her leniency dissipating.

"He's a dunce! You have to understand!"

"Isn't that how all men are?" she raised her eyebrows. "Always acting like there's something up their asses?"

He frowned more out of guilt and worry than offense, "I'm really very sorry, okay? I wasn't saying that about you. And I know you're trying to annoy me into backing off, but he really is an asshole. He was sleeping around, Miss Atsanik—!"

"And you personally saw him doing all these things?"

"I know we barely know each other, and you have no reason to believe everything I say, but everyone's been talking about his yakshit. Plenty of servants are seeing everything he's doing on a regular basis. That imbecile isn't even trying to hide any of this! His mom knows, too, and that demoness never says anything about it, apparently—"

"And so what? You're not the one marrying him. Why are you so offended?"

Stunned by her reply, "I don't think you heard me the first time. He's sleeping with other women knowing he's gonna be engaged to you—"

"I don't care."

Don't care? "He has zero respect for you, Miss Atsanik, zero respect—!"

"And so what if he doesn't?"

"Miss Atsanik," he squeaked, incredulous as she continued to make her way to her room. He caught up to her with a look of dead seriousness, "Are you being forced into this? You're being forced into this, aren't you?"

"Mr. Ingiullik—"

"Tell me the truth. Please. Are you being coerced into this? I know Zhao's a jackass, I wouldn't be surprised if—"

"Shush!" she looked frantically in all directions, "Do you have no understanding of being discreet whatsoever?"

"Hahn seems like a load of yakshit, and no woman deserves a doofus like him," he kept reiterating. "I don't understand why you're even doing this—"

"I don't think you have any business knowing these things. Don't waste your time playing hero."

Softening his tone infinitely, "I'm not playing hero. If you feel more comfortable talking to Master Piandao about this, I'll bring him in. He has concrete evidence to show you what Zhao's really been up to behind your back."

Yue felt a jolt of terror shoot through her spine. Master Piandao? What did he know? "W-What…what are you talking about…?"

"I know you're worried about the eviction proceedings," Sokka sighed, wondering how he could approach what he wanted to say. "And… I know things are especially rough right now. With Mr. Arnook actually being with the Spirits… and no one else knowing about this…"

Yue's eyes widened, her heart pounding, "How…" How did he know? But gathering herself together, "How dare you say that about my father! He's undergoing treatment in the Fire Nation!" Her tears betraying her resolve, "He's coming back, he's…!"

"Miss Atsanik," Sokka said as tenderly as he could, "This isn't how I wanted to say this. This isn't the exact circumstance, either. But if I don't say this, things are gonna get really complicated. Zhao's a fraud. I don't know if you knew this beforehand, but this is the truth. I even have proof. Master Piandao found your old transaction book. Those records were nearly burned by Zhao's assistant." Looking at her, "You yourself wrote down Mr. Arnook's cremation expenses…didn't you?"

Yue just stared at him, feeling as if her heart might give out with not only grief but the bone-chilling fear of what would happen to this man if Zhao or any of his minions heard him right now. "I-I don't know what you're talking about," she merely turned away, holding a hand to her somersaulting chest, knowing that the remark wasn't good enough.

"I don't want to cause you pain, Miss Atsanik," he said, repeatedly surprising her with how soft he was being, "I know this is a painful topic. Believe me, I get it. I lost my parents when I was younger, and I can imagine how devastated and lost you're feeling." Feeling a heaviness in his own heart, "I can imagine how dizzy and empty it feels when the people you look up to disappear just like that…"

Yue's tears blurred her vision, but she swallowed her sobs, refusing to let herself be seen.

"I'm not trying to cause you more pain, and I know this is a lot to take in, but now that I understand what's going on here… I have to say something about this. Otherwise you're just gonna suffer in silence and—"

"We are not talking about this right now," she miraculously kept her voice even.

"But it's important," he insisted, "Miss Atsanik, think about this. How can your father make all those loans up until last month when it's impossible for him to do so? Zhao's the reason why the eviction's happening, and I know you can piece that together fairly quickly. If we report his fraud, you can have everything again—"

"We're not talking about your absurd theories—"

"It's not a theory, it's the truth," he again caught up to her when she tried to step away, "Miss Atsanik, please, I'm trying to help you. What is it going to take for you to trust me?"

With a firm look, "What do you want from me? I told you I don't have any money with me right now. I can't pay you more if you keep sucking up to me—"

"I don't want anything from you, Miss Atsaink," he stressed worriedly. "Why do you keep assuming I want something from you? I'm not like a lot of the idiots we're seeing here—"

"Then leave me alone."

"I'm only trying to tell you that I understand—"

"What? That you understand what? You don't understand anything about the situation here. You haven't even been here for forty-eight hours, and this little research of yours—"

"I have concrete proof, and I'll be happy to bring it to you."

Oh Spirits, oh Spirits, she tried to calm the skyrocketing beat of her heart, "Fine. Bring it to me. And I'll be able to prove to you that whatever nonsense you found is fabricated—"

"I don't think the documentation of you giving up your dreams for our sake is nonsense. Or fabricated. If anything, it made me realize what kind of person you really are. How sincere you and your dad are. And just how wrong the South was about him."

And just how wrong the South was about him. She closed her eyes, trapping her tears, "Again, I don't know where you're getting this from and what that fake, Spirit-forsaken accounts book—"

"You gave up your dream just so you can get us our compensations. Despite everything your dad tried to do to get us what we needed. And what did Zhao do? He stepped over your dreams and stole everything you and Mr. Arnook had. And now he brings in this Hahn guy from nowhere for your 'best interests'? Saying your dad chose him for you?"

"My father would only choose someone honorable for me—"

"Exactly. And Hahn's an animal. Not even that. He's a piece of yakshit. Why would your father ever want him to marry you?" And growing increasingly exasperated by her continued silence and hesitation, "Again, I don't want anything from you, Miss Atsanik, please. I'm not trying to hurt you in any way, okay? I want to help whether you believe this or not. You said I was your friend—"

"It was a slip of the tongue, Mr. Ingiullik. I'll be careful to call you an acquaintance from now on. So please, let this go."

"Well I consider you my friend," he persisted. "I always want the best for my friends."

"Well I don't believe in friendship," she breathed bitterly.

"Oh yeah?" he pouted, "Then why did you defend me? Why do you care if they treat me like shit? Why do you care so much about me keeping this job? That's not friendship to you?"

"I don't believe in friendship, but I do believe in being humane."

"Well news flash. I do, too," he said. "You're one of the kindest, most compassionate people I've ever met, Miss Atsanik. You don't deserve any of the shit that's going on here."

"Spirits, what is it going to take?" she mumbled, rubbing her aching head, "Do me a favor and don't go around saying these ridiculous things. It will not bode well for you. Put your pity aside and try to understand what exactly I mean by that."

"It's not pity—"

"Whatever," she said, avoiding all eye contact as a burst of irritation boosted her step, "Now go home."

Another second of silence before he said in a small voice, "I need to be next to you when you're meeting with people. It's part of the protocol."

She didn't protest, too occupied with trying to balance herself, but one of her crutches buckled yet again, this time falling apart as the pieces toppled to the ground. He caught her before she fell, tossing aside the splinters of the cheap quality crutch, "Are you okay? I'll have the healers bring a better one—"

"Forget it," she threw the other crutch aside in her frustration, watching it also break into pieces before grabbing the door for support and limping inside, shutting it behind her.

Sokka took a deep breath, kicking aside a piece of lint as he waited out in the corridor. She's a stubborn one.

Much to the dismay of Hahn's mother and her friends, Sokka was persistent in staying, claiming it as a duty and occupying a seat in the corner of the room. Lady Mimik kept her eyes on him and Yue, repeatedly recoiling whenever Sokka jumped at every chance to help the young heiress with anything, whether it be helping her to the pelts, refilling her cup of water, granting her extra gauze and dabbing away occasional specks of blood that slipped from the wound at her temple, which was yet to be healed completely. The older woman didn't focus on anything else apart from their interaction for long intervals.

"Ooh! Is this perfume?" Ura grabbed hold of the small wooden box near Yue's bedside table. Without bothering to ask, she opened the container, pulling out small glass jars, "Some kind of face mask, maybe?" And in her haste, she took the lid off of one such container and sniffed the product. "It smells like mud," she grimaced, "And a little like rain."

"Those are herbal balms and lotions," Yue said. "I'm using them for pain."

Lady Mimik reached out and took the box from her friend, looking over the little glass containers inside. "I'm telling you beforehand, Yue. There will be none of this healing business after the wedding. Perhaps midwifery would've been a more noble profession for you. Too bad your father wasn't cultured enough to suggest it to you."

A flare of rage burned in her eyes, but she said nothing. She held up her hand to stop Sokka before he could retort a harsh comment.

"You're not a bender anyhow," Lady Mimik went on, "Your contributions aren't too significant, so no one has to worry about a potential collapse of our medical industry or anything with your absence. I would much rather have my daughter-in-law tend to the household than touch men as a part of her practice."

"No healer can heal anyone without basic touch," Yue said. "It would be very absurd to assume all healers are having affairs with their patients or are touching them inappropriately. Again, I implore you to stop reading romance into every single interaction I have with fellow human beings—"

"Well I think it's still improper," Lady Mimik reiterated. "And if you choose to marry into this family, you must adhere to the demands of this family." And with that, she tipped the box over, letting the containers and their contents slip to the ground. The jars splintered to pieces, the balm staining the pelts in her room. Yue widened her eyes.

"You need to learn to let go starting now, Yue," Lady Mimik reveled in the young woman's displeasure, "It will make it easier for you down the road—"

"She was using that for pain, you witch!" Sokka shot up from his seat, surprising them all, "Improper, my ass. It's not okay to heal but it's more than okay for your son to solicit lady friends' services with the flick of a silver piece—?!"

"Mr. Ingiullik!" Yue exclaimed, "If you can't be calm, please see yourself out."

"But she—!"

"Out."

He could see a spiteful smirk slithering over the older woman's lips, accompanied by the simpers of her friends. He swallowed an angry grumble and took to his seat again, indicating he'd be quiet.

Lady Mimik didn't even take the initiative to defend her son's actions in any way, nor did she dismiss them. She simply rolled her eyes, "To be perfectly honest with you, Yue, I normally wouldn't be wasting so much time on someone with great arrogance. You're nothing like a Water Tribe bride. No respect, no obedience. You put in no effort to meet with your in-laws and your fiancé. Your conduct is a disgrace. Your lack of respect for your elders is absolutely horrendous, and you don't seem to care at all about keeping your tongue under control." Scoffing with a tone of mockery, "But Zhao tells me that you are somewhat sick in the head. And I realize…you're still essentially a baby waiting for daddy dearest to come back home from that never-ending treatment of his. So I'm willing to look past everything."

Sokka gave another worried look in Yue's direction, noting the grief that simmered in her downward gaze. She replied, though, with a dry chuckle, "It's not like you or I have a choice. We must tolerate each other."

"You got that right," Lady Mimik muttered, "Hahn's been obsessed with you ever since he saw you with your father at Maztaq's wedding last year. I keep telling him there are several women far more respectful and wealthy than you'll ever be, but he just doesn't listen." Sighing, "That being said, I'm not a monster as to ignore his wants and needs, and I want to incentivize you to keep your act together. That's why I decided to go ahead and proceed with the bride price."

Bride price. It was a Northern custom, Sokka knew. The opposite of groom prices that were endorsed down South. Slowly the pieces of the puzzle began to align for him. She's going to use the money to pay off the debt and keep the estate.

"Seventy million gold pieces. Just as you asked," Lady Mimik said, turning to the other servants beside her, "Bring in the bags."

Yue eyed the large sacks of currency that found their way into the room moments later. Several sacks awaited her attention, spelling out her "worth" in gold. And despite the fact that Sokka had never seen this much money all at once, his attention lingered on Yue and the uncomfortable look on her face. It infuriated him to no end that Zhao tossed her into this situation. And the fact that she was to be betrothed to a "blubbersucking douchebag" just to keep her home, the fact that she had to put a price on herself, the way her pride disintegrated with every additional sack that the servants brought in…

"I know this is more than enough to recover daddy dearest's estate," Lady Mimik boasted, crossing one leg over the other as she leaned back in her chair. "The money's been meticulously counted several times, by the way, but feel free to double check."

Yue turned to the servants, requesting them to take the sacks to her study and count the amount. They scrambled up, giving frequent bows as they carried out the task.

"The Mimiks have no reason to be lacking in any aspect. After all, it is but one percent of our entire empire."

Unmoved by the flaunt, "Thank you for your business."

"Now now, we're not done yet. The wedding is in two months, but we still need a date for the engagement."

"I honestly do not care when," Yue said in the throes of exhaustion. "You're welcome to decide all of that."

"You don't seem to care about a lot of things," she narrowed her eyes. "Like taking the initiative to properly greet your mother-in-law or pleasing your husband-to-be. Hahn and I were waiting for three hours to see if you would join us for lunch yesterday, and you unapologetically stood us up. You want our money but not my son. And as his mother, I must warn you. This kind of conduct is not tolerable."

"With all due respect, I was not trying to avoid anyone. The initial plan was for me to come back from the temple in time for lunch and join you—"

"Well I seriously didn't see the necessity in going yesterday. It wasn't a sacred holiday or anything—"

"It was for good luck—"

"Then what's the necessity behind getting yourself trampled under a buffalo-yak cart?"

"It was an accident—"

"That you brought upon yourself. It was all on purpose. Diving in front of that carriage is nothing short of a suicide attempt. Tell me, dearest, how exactly were you planning on getting your bride price if you died on us?"

"It wasn't a suicide attempt," Yue said sharply. "If I really wanted to take my own life, I wouldn't have to resort to something that drastic. And if I had a choice at all, I would've left this world a long time ago."

The comment earned a look of great alarm from the Southern tribesman.

"A child would've been severely injured or killed if I had just been standing there," Yue went on. "I wasn't just going to ignore—"

"It wasn't your child, was it?" the older woman huffed, her outburst earning an incredulous look, "I still can't believe you'd do that for some peasant's spawn. It's a waste of time even talking to those undeserving scum of the earth, let alone saving them."

Yue clenched her fists, "You certainly have a point when you say undeserving scum of the earth shouldn't be saved, but as you know, I'm a healer, and I took the oath of protection. And no matter how much of a scum you and your friends here may be to the planet, had it been any of you under that carriage, I still would've saved your undeserving asses."

"How dare you?!" Hahn's mother shrieked as she shot up out of her seat, urged by her disapproving friends. "Insulting your future mother-in-law for a peasant?! Even after I threw all that money in your face just now?!"

"How dare you insult an innocent life?" Yue glared. "And besides, isn't that just 'one percent' of your empire? Why so defensive?"

Incensed beyond the point of reason, Lady Mimik stomped forward, raising her hand at the young heiress with an ear-shattering screech of, "YOU INSOLENT WENCH—!"

Yue flinched, her eyes squeezed shut with the expectation of pain, but it wasn't her cheek that had taken the stinging slap. The heiress fluttered her eyes open nervously, gasping when she realized that Sokka had stepped in front of her in time, having taken the blow. "Mr. Ingiullik! Oh my Spirits!"

Hahn's mother backed away not so much from the surprise she held over her own action but from the scowl that darkened the warrior's face.

"Get. Out," Sokka hissed at the woman, his voice low but laced with quiet rage, "Now."

Ura and Minah had already raced out of the room by this point, yelling at the servants to move aside. Lady Mimik, too, backed away, but she kept getting more and more incensed as she glared at the heiress and the guard. Yue winced at the blow on the man's cheek, which crimsoned from the impact, bearing a very visible handprint. "Mr. Ingiullik, why did you get in the middle of this? You must be in a lot of pain, I'm so sorry—"

"It's not bad," he told her. "And don't apologize for things that aren't your fault—"

"Why do you not listen to me when I tell you to stay out of these things?"

"Are you kidding? I'm not letting you get hurt…" he trailed off, surprised by the softness of her touch, the way her fingers tilted his head and lingered very cautiously by his cheek. The sting from the slap was persistent, but for a split second, he didn't feel it, lost in her eyes as her gaze lingered guiltily on his affected cheek, "Oh Spirits…wait, I'll get something to help with—"

"WHAT is going on here?!" came a roar as Zhao torpedoed into the room, breaking the moment. He didn't care to discover what really happened, taking Lady Mimik's paled look at face value and fostering rage at the sight of the angry guard. What didn't make sense in that apparent scenario was the rush of crimson permeating the skin at the guard's cheek. Nevertheless, he demanded Sokka, "What did you do?"

"He didn't do anything," Yue said. "He was only—"

"If my son wasn't so taken with this minx, I would've grabbed my money back and rejected this alliance this instant!" Hahn's mother gave a hysterical cry as if she was the one assaulted.

"Mrs. Mimik," Zhao began, "I can fix the situation, just tell me what—"

The woman shoved the firebender aside before she could be ratted out. Zhao exhibited nothing but pure rage at the heiress and the guard, "What in Agni's hell happened here?!" Observing the glass pieces on the ground, "What did you do to her—?!"

"That witch was the one—!"

"I'll handle this," Yue held him back, turning to Zhao, "We didn't do anything. She was the one who assaulted Mr. Ingiullik. Well, she meant to hit me but—"

"And what exactly did you do to make her want to discipline you, a grown woman who should know the difference between right and wrong? Is this about the little squabble you had earlier?"

"So you're just going to ignore the fact that she raised her hand at Miss Atsanik even after seeing the condition she's in?" Sokka said, incredulous.

"She is going to be her mother-in-law. Whether they argue or not is their business. You should stay out of personal matters—"

"With all due respect, I was raised to take no yakshit. My job is to protect her. That's what I'm doing."

Zhao, with obvious displeasure over Sokka's conduct, simply said, "I am convinced that you are purposely out to get yourself fired."

"Are you gonna fire me for doing my job—?"

"Mr. Ingiullik, please, that's enough," Yue said, struggling to stand between him and Zhao. "He was just defending me," she told the enraged firebender. "I was the one she had a problem with—"

"What did you do?" he demanded.

"I called her an undeserving scum of the earth," came her unapologetic reply.

"WHY?!"

"Because that's what she is."

"Oh my Agni…How can you be so disrespectful?! She's going to be your mother-in-law!" Zhao yelled, giving a dangerous hiss as he whispered, "Are you trying to circumvent this—?"

"No, no," she said in all sincerity. "She was the one being highly disrespectful, and I was very displeased with her attitude—"

"Are you expecting her to be a weirdo like you? Being considerate about every polar sewer-rat around the corner? Well it's not happening—!"

"It was a child she insulted—!"

"So what? What's it to you? How can you act so shamelessly? Taking someone's money one minute and insulting them the next! No gratitude, no respect for someone who dumped cash all over you barely a minute ago!" Pointing at her, "You brought this on yourself, and you're going to be the one to settle this."

"Perhaps an apology will do," Aziran began. "Or maybe a written apology if that makes it—"

But Yue shook her head, "Apologizing to that woman will make me go against everything I believe in. In fact, I'm the one waiting on her apology for insulting and assaulting Mr. Ingiullik the way she did."

"What the hell did you just say—?" Zhao stomped closer to her but was stopped by Sokka, who stepped in front of her again.

"No one's laying a hand on her," the tribesman said. "I don't care who that is."

"Mr. Ingiullik, calm down," Yue freaked out internally, tugging him back with a pull on his arm as she tried to pacify the stunned firebender next, "He doesn't know his way around here just yet. I'll speak with him." With a ghost of a whisper, "Let him go."

Only the Spirits knew what was going through Zhao's mind the entire twenty seconds he took to brush his tunic neatly and take a step back, his death glare remaining on Sokka, "You really shouldn't get in the habit of expecting Piandao to bail you out every time, Ingiullik. Don't get on my bad side."

"He won't," Yue said, "Please, let it go."

Pointing to the entrance, "You don't need to still be standing here. Go back to your post."

"His shift is over—"

"Not today," Zhao cut Yue off. "As punishment, Ingiullik is staying the full twenty-four hours. And if anything goes wrong, if he lets even a single ant into your room, he will be fired." Turning to his assistant, "Aziran, cancel his food voucher for the day. He's not getting a morsel from the kitchen—"

"You can't do that!" Yue yelled, "He did nothing wrong! I was the one—!"

"You raise your voice one more time, and we'll make that two days without food," Zhao said, shoving the tribesman away from her vicinity, "Now get the hell out. And don't leave your post."

Sokka didn't mind the punishment but kept looking back at the heiress nervously, who in turn answered with a look of pure guilt.

"I'm not going to hit her, you oaf," Zhao shoved him out yet again, slamming the door in his face. He cast his glare back over Yue, incensed by her look that lingered in the tribesman's direction.

"Go easy on him. Please," Yue said. "That poor man is just trying to support his family. That's the only reason why he cares about this job too much. It's not me he actually cares about. He just doesn't want to mess things up—"

"He would know better than to challenge me—"

"Well he's still not your target, okay? He doesn't know how to carry himself. He's innocent. Naive. He's not a threat to you."

Zhao's displeasure did not change.

"Please. I don't want innocent people suffering because of me. He has a very sick grandmother, and all of her hopes are on him," Yue said. "I'll be more careful with my conduct."

"But you won't apologize."

"You did mention to them that I'm sick in the head. I don't care if you tell them I'm officially going insane. I'll gladly own it. Besides, no matter what I say, Lady Mimik's not in a position to reject me. Hahn's not going to give up on me that easily. You couldn't care less about her feelings anyhow; Hahn's the one you need to be pampering."

"You certainly got that right," he folded his arms. "Hahn's going insane over you. It's taking the guards everything they have to make sure he doesn't jump in your bed this instant. He's having to resort to the maids for his needs. Especially with you getting your limbs broken just in time."

Yue, despite averting eye contact, still felt him staring at her. She wrapped her father's cloak around herself, "I don't care who he's with. I'm not letting him anywhere near me until the wedding. We established this. If everyone's so concerned, then expedite the wedding." And when Zhao still gave her a suspicious look, "I'm not in a position to fight, Zhao. I'm exhausted. I need peace. Why are you so worried? Just tell them I'm a psycho and call it a day. That's not going to change anything."

He gave her another look before loosening his fingers out of their fisted state, "If you do anything to screw this up, that 'poor man' will be the first to go. I'll have his corpse thrown in the ocean to rot for all of eternity, and that sickly grandmother of his won't ever be able to find him."

Yue gave him a horrified look, shaking her head, "I told you he's innocent—"

"Then tell him to be obedient," he ordered. "Everyone's thinking he's the fiance at the rate he's going."

"It's not like that between us!"

"Hm…" was all he said, directing his glare to the door before storming out. Yue, overcome by all kinds of exhaustion, fell against the sheets with a groan, her body aching, her eyes stinging. The blood-bathed images of a lifeless Investigator Unquq drowning in his own blood terrorized her thoughts, shooting up her temperature for the fifth time that week.

Great Spirits, give me strength.