Chapter 5: Tool

"Good afternoon. I'm Officer Hide with the Republic City Police Department. How can I assist you today?"

"Hi, Officer Hide. I'd like to report a robbery."

"First, I'll need to see some ID."

Underwhelmed by the officer's stern demeanor and callous gaze, Azula handed over her license beneath the plexiglass screen.

"Can you walk me through what happened, Miss…Azula?"

"I…" Spirits, this was embarrassing. "A man spent the night with me last night in my hotel room, but when I woke up this morning, he was gone with my cell phone and credit card."

He closed his eyes, reopening them slowly, seemingly annoyed. "Which hotel, and what was your room number? Was he also a guest at the hotel?"

"The White Dragon, room 1552. As for your other question, I don't know if he was a guest there or not."

"Do you have any proof of the robbery?" he asked, raising a disdainful eyebrow as he handed her ID back to her.

"What do you mean? I don't have my cell phone and credit card anymore, both of which were in my purse when I went to sleep. Do you think I'm making this up?"

"Were you drinking?"

Sokka stepped up to the desk to intervene. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Step back, sir. I can only talk to one of you at a time."

Exhaling heavily, Sokka complied.

"No, I was not drinking. I was completely sober."

The officer sighed. "Can you tell me anything about the man you believe to have robbed you? Name? Description?"

"I didn't catch his name, but – "

That response earned another judgmental stare.

" – he was in his mid-twenties, appeared to be from the Fire Nation in origin, wore a red tunic and a gaudy necklace, his hair was pulled back in a top knot…"

"Look," he interrupted, scowling, "I'm going to tell you straight up that we're not going to find this guy. I don't know how to help you."

"Isn't that your job?"

"I don't appreciate your attitude, Miss. You and your boyfriend can go now."

"He's not my – " Azula cut herself off. That was beside the point. "Not without the police report."

"I already said we can't help you."

"Just file the police report, you fucking tool," a young woman from a desk in the back shouted.

The officer turned around. "Shut up, rookie."

"It's your fucking job, just do it! Unless you want me to tell the higher-ups about – "

"Okay, okay, geez."

Azula smiled at the brazen woman, but the rookie officer paid her no mind, casually sitting back and kicking her feet up on the desk.

Officer Hide silently typed away at his computer before printing out the report and passing it to Azula beneath the screen. "Here."

"Thanks for your help," she said sarcastically, grabbing the police report before striding out of the station.

Sokka followed briskly after her. "Well, that was infuriating."

"No kidding. But at least we have the police report, which was all we really needed."

"Yeah, but… that officer treated you like you were some vapid party girl. And even if you were, he still had no right to be so dismissive of you."

"Well, as that other officer aptly pointed out, he was a fucking tool."

"Yeah, he really was a fucking tool," he laughed. "So what now? I don't know about you, but I could really use some caffeine."

"Yes, Sokka, that's brilliant. Coffee sounds perfect right now."

"There's a Moonbeans right around the corner – we could walk there."

"Let's go."