Chapter 4: No Greater Fool

Warning: A bit of gore, so tread carefully.

Swimming through the battering winds of the Arctic tundra, moonlight trailed over a lone manor on a snowy hill at the heart of Agna Qel'a, seeping into the building's windowsills and spilling over a large portrait of Arnook Atsanik in an otherwise dimly-lit room. Right beneath the picture was a desk at which a young tribeswoman was sitting. Despite the silver rays of light brightening her face and her exquisitely-long white hair, her spirits were not so bright. She sieved through the various scrolls laid out in front of her, skimming over the contents with the aid of the lantern beside her, hit with the gut feeling that something wasn't quite right despite the meticulous calculations on the parchments.

"I don't understand," she said, looking up, "I authorized numerous emergency disbursements over the past several months. I confirmed every pending compensation claim. I'm doing everything in my knowledge to keep up the workers' morale so they wouldn't be hit hard by Father's passing. What has happened to all those funds?"

"The workers received them, of course," came Zhao's unfazed reply.

"Then why are they threatening to strike? What are their demands?"

"You know how they are, Miss Atsanik." His meander across the room resembled the slither of an Arctic sea-viper, "You give them a taste of luxury, and they beg for more. Their pathetic lives are such—"

"Respect, Zhao," she frowned, "These people have been loyal to our company for years. They work hard to make both ends meet. How can you say that about them?"

Zhao's assistant, who sensed the escalating tension, deflated it with, "Just tell her the truth, sir." Turning to Arnook's heiress, "Please don't mistake Mr. Zhao, Miss Atsanik. He doesn't mean to be disrespectful. He is trying to spare you from the sad reality, that's all."

"Aziran," Zhao began.

"Please, sir, don't stop me. And don't hide this from Miss Atsanik. She needs to know."

Raising her eyebrows, "What truth are you talking about?"

Zhao took to thinking quickly on his feet, conjuring a hopeless sigh, "Well…we haven't been able to adequately provide salaries for our workers, Miss Atsanik. Even with your sanctioned funds, their needs are not being met. There is a lag in our textile production."

"This can't be right," she insisted, "Mr. Naktuq told me that production has improved—"

"Before plummeting," Zhao said, mentally cursing the said Naktuq, "Current records indicate that profits are down by thirty percent. It's all on record." He reached into his pocket and pulled out another scroll, handing her the same. "Machine costs have gone up, and we are having to rely on manpower. Understandably, our workers are upset for not receiving what they deserve, but it is becoming more and more difficult to pay them. I honestly don't know how we're going to pay them this month."

The tribeswoman shook her head, "No, that can't be right. Twelve thousand gold pieces in emergency funds, over eighty billion gold pieces in compensation for the past year alone. How can that not be enough?"

"Oh, but it isn't enough," a fierce tenacity flickered in Zhao's eyes, "Our situation is not looking too good, ma'am. I tried to sit Piandao down and tell him about our situation. I even told him about Master Arnook's passing, but Piandao is not listening to me. The man has absolutely no respect for your father. He had no condolences to give you, no sense of sympathy for your grief."

But Arnook's heiress was persistent. "No, that doesn't sound like the Master Piandao I heard so much about. He's a very reliable man. Very strong-willed, very wise and well-mannered."

"Are you saying Master Zhao is lying to you, Miss Atsanik?" Aziran widened his eyes, "He has been loyal to your family for years—!"

"I never said he was lying," she shot a look at Zhao, "I'm only saying that there's some miscommunication somewhere."

"I met with him last week, ma'am, at Whaletail Island," Zhao tried to keep his tone even despite his frustration, "The man has changed. He's embittered by his misfortunes. He sold a lot of his property and belongings to support himself and the people he calls family."

"I told you several times that I am willing to meet with him to solve these issues, but you have repeatedly ignored my request, Mr. Zhao."

"There is nothing I can do if he refuses to meet with you—"

"Why would he refuse if I wish to meet with him to solve his problems?" she glared, "I'm not going to wait around any longer. With all due respect, I expect you to stop giving excuses and arrange my meeting with him. I understand the distance between the North and the South is vast, but I need to talk to him. Even if it means I must go to the South. Please, this is important."

Zhao clenched his jaw but refused to make his dismay known, "That will not be necessary, Miss Atsanik. I will be able to calm him down if we pay the workers adequately this month. Once the salaries are disbursed, he will be temporarily satisfied. I will then request him to come up North. I will have his trip paid for and everything."

"But the problem we have right now is funds, and that can't be ignored," Aziran said, sharing a cautious look with Zhao, who gave him a subtle nod to proceed, "How are we going to accommodate for the workers' demands? There are so many other expenses we need to be keeping up with!"

The tribeswoman leaned back in her seat, taking a brief, weary glance at her father's portrait. She thought for a moment, her eyes falling to a close from the weight of the dull ache shooting through her forehead. She could picture Arnook's smiling face, the pride and love in his eyes. She could still hear his words ringing through her ears.

"No matter what happens, dearest, never sacrifice your dream for my sake. This company may hold my sweat and tears, but it is still nothing compared to you. My flesh and blood, my pride and joy. It is no greater than your happiness."

Her eyes fluttered open, glazed with resolve, "Father has arranged a plot of land in Ainunga in my name. It is not yet occupied or in use. We can sell it."

"Sell it? But Miss Atsanik, that land is reserved for your healing center," Zhao drawled with faux concern, "You always wanted to start a healing center and serve the poor at little to no cost. All of your herbalist training can't be for nothing…" the Fire Nationer then turned to his assistant, who took up his performance from there.

"It's a pity that things have come this far, Miss Atsanik," Aziran shook his head. "On the one hand, Master Arnook bought that land with his hard-earned money to fulfill your dream. On the other hand, we have the fate of those poor workers and their families. Their children and their elderly, their famished and their diseased—"

"If it means those people will be provided for, then there's nothing to think twice about," she said with firm conviction, "This is not about my dream. This is about their futures." Flashing another glare at Zhao, "You will arrange a meeting with Master Piandao after this."

"It's a promise, ma'am."

The scrolls for the property sale were promptly arranged, perhaps more speedily than Arnook's heiress was comfortable with. Nevertheless, she read over the contents. Before she could point out any flaws, Zhao distracted her with, "I really hate to bring this up as well right now, but it's a matter of great importance, ma'am. What have you decided about the Mimik alliance?"

The tribeswoman paused just before dipping her quill into the ink, wearing a disturbed frown.

"Your marriage with the Mimik heir is sure to bring positive results for the company and the millions of families relying on us," Zhao said. "It's unfortunate that this property sale is only a temporary solution, critical as it is at the moment. Hahn Mimik, however, has shown great interest in you. He's a good man, and he is very willing to help out our company. He greatly admires your father and reveres his legacy. I know that he will care for you well."

She said nothing, her stomach twisting. Sensing her uncertainty, Aziran took the reins again, "Your father had always been worried about the company. The man was bedridden in his last days, fearing the fate of his business, lamenting the betrayal of his own good friend."

By which he meant Bumi of Bumi Industries — a close friend to her father who had supposedly leaked many of his secrets.

"After Master Arnook's passing, we have never been the same. We tried and tried to keep this running and allow you to be free to pursue your life as you wish, but…it is far too difficult." Looking at her, "We are exhausted, Miss Atsanik. We are relying on you to keep this company alive. Before Bumi Industries swallows us whole. That old timer is a mastermind. A mad genius. He has lusted after this company for years, and he will stop at nothing to get what he wants. He will toss us all in the streets." Shaking his head, "We can't afford to be abandoned and left in the streets with our families. Our livelihoods are dependent on these positions. And as heartbreaking as it is for us to be asking you this…we need you now more than ever."

Despite her silence for the next several moments, Zhao knew that she had caved in. Eventually she gave a brief nod before wetting the quill with ink. Fighting back the glaze of moisture in her eyes, she signed her name: Yue Atsanik.

"You have a heart of gold, Miss Atsanik," Zhao masked his victorious leer as a grateful smile as he took the scroll from her and bowed, "Your compassion for others is truly inspiring. Wherever your father is, I am sure he is smiling down on you with pride."

"Yes, truly," Aziran said, and after sharing another brief look with his boss, faked his lament, "But oh, dear Agni. What kind of sick irony is this? Why must the Spirits play with Miss Atsanik's fate like this?"

Yue said nothing, mutely finding her way out. When she was out of sight, Zhao dropped his grin, "Sentimental sap. If she wasn't such a treat to the eyes, I would've strangled her throat years ago."

"Just a bit more patience, sir," Aziran said. "Just until Hahn gets his necklace around that throat of hers. Then you can have everything you want."

"Hm."

"But she's insisting on meeting with Piandao. If that happens, it'll be the end of us."

Shaking his head. "That will not happen."

"What should we tell her? We need some kind of excuse to stop this."

"I'll think of something." Turning to his assistant, "Or rather, you'll think of something. I'm paying you for a reason after all."

"Miss Yue?"

The white-haired tribeswoman tore her sullen gaze away from her bedroom window, eyeing the maid standing by the entrance. "Yes, Miss Ura?"

"There's a man here. Investigator Unquq, he says. He's wanting to see you."

"Me?" Yue stood up, "Why?"

"He did not tell me any details, Miss. He wants to speak only with you."

"Where is he now?"

"In the leisure room, Miss."

"Thank you for letting me know. I'm on my way," Yue sighed, donning an overcoat before stepping out into the hallway. She was about to step into the chamber leading to the leisure room when Aziran stepped into her line of sight, surprised to see her, "Oh, Miss Atsanik! Where are you going?"

"Someone is here for me," she walked past him only for him to quickly step in front of her, stopping her.

"Oh, you mean Mr. Unquq? Don't you worry about him. Master Zhao is already speaking with him on your behalf."

Frowning, "He said he needed to see me, specifically."

"It's probably just another request for donations," Aziran smiled it off, "You know how many charities have developed around here, and everyone knows of your generosity."

"I was told he was an investigator."

He chuckled, "You must have heard wrong, Miss Atsanik. He's an investor."

"But—"

"Please, Miss Yue, don't wear yourself out. Frankly you don't look well."

"I feel fine."

"Maybe physically, but it's no secret that Master Arnook's passing had really taken a toll on you. We are worried about your well-being."

It was all a load of nonsense, she knew, but she still did not question it in front of the assistant, her innate suspicions confirmed with how persistent he was in making sure that she "take her rest" and keep away from this meeting. "Yes…you're right. Father's absence has been a great burden…"

"Would you like me to send a healer to your room?"

"No, that's not necessary. I think I just need some sleep."

"Very well then. We will be sure to inform you if anything important comes up."

Yue pretended to walk back to the hallway that led to her private quarters, but when she was sure Aziran had disappeared, she slowly and quietly stepped forward again. She hid behind a thick curtain, pressing her ear to the wall, peeking through the cracks in the icy door.

"It appears you wanted to speak with Miss Atsanik."

Unquq did not bat an eye, "Yes. I need to speak with her in private."

"I have been Master Arnook's right-hand man for decades. Surely you can share with me your matters of concern, and I will relay them to Miss Yue."

"This is a confidential matter that only she needs to hear."

"Let me guess, you cracked the code?" Zhao took his seat in front of the investigator, "I know you've been at my tail ever since Arnook passed. There are no secrets in my empire, Mr. Unquq."

"Your empire?"

"Of course. If we're being real here, I'm Arnook's true successor. That child of his is just that: a child in the realm of business. Inexperienced, naive. Uninterested, really."

"She needs to know that she's being played," Unquq stood up, "She needs to know your true colors before she falls prey to you and your assistant's performances and wrecks her life."

"Oh? And what else does she need to know? Tell me, what exactly have your little investigations led you to?"

"All the funds you've embezzled, all the documents you forged, the fact that you've leaked Arnook's business secrets and intentionally severed his friendship and business partnership with Mr. Bumi of Bumi Industries," Unquq retorted. "You're the reason why this company is headed to bankruptcy. You refused to hand over the funds to those workers over the years. You didn't inform them to this very moment of Arnook's passing. Tossing the blame onto a dead man as you loot their hard-earned money and construct bungalows upon bungalows for your whores in the Fire Nation."

"That's quite an ambitious list of counts you've drawn up," Zhao said, unmoved.

"And as if all that's not enough, you're now resorting to tricking Miss Yue into giving up her property and manipulating her into an unwanted marriage—"

"How insanely ridiculous are your theories. I've only wanted what's best for the company. Arnook handpicked me and entrusted the care and responsibility of his only daughter to me. She's like…a niece to me, if you will. Surely I would have her best interests at heart by suggesting this marriage."

"Best interests," Unquq spat, "Is marrying her off to a serial womanizer and rapist in her best interests? That man could be diseased, for all we know, as a result of his excessive philandering. Do you know how many women's lives he has ruined? You should be ashamed of yourself!"

"Oh Agni. That doesn't sound like the Hahn I know…"

The tribesman glared, "Arnook took you in when you had nothing for yourself in the Fire Nation. He saved you a spot next to him in all of his meetings. He gave you a special seat as the head of his corporate empire. If it wasn't for him, you would've been begging in the streets. And this is what you do in return for his kindness?"

"You and your baseless lies. I don't know where you received this information from. Arnook Industries has many business rivals looking to tarnish my good name. For an investigating officer, you sure are gullible—"

"I have all the evidence, Zhao," Unquq hissed. "I even have your correspondences with Hahn Mimik intercepted. You're only kissing the ground that bumbling idiot walks on because he promised to transfer this failing business to you in exchange for that innocent woman. Marriage, my ass. He wants to use her, and you're letting him."

"Failing is a strong word to describe this company, Unquq. You do know how much this company is worth as a whole—" the firebender froze in his step when he saw a water whip waiting by Unquq's fist, ready and willing to be launched. Zhao stepped back, knowing better than to openly challenge a powerful waterbender in the Arctic of all places, "Take it easy, my friend. Why don't we sit down and come to an understanding?"

"You think I would waste a second on listening to your excuses?"

"These aren't just excuses, these are decades-long frustrations," Zhao nearly snapped. "Instead of choosing his experienced assistant for the job, that imbecile bequeathed everything to that brat and her future spouse. It was my hard work that brought this company to its peak while she went off playing with plants and mud! Even with all of these assets at her feet, she's blind to them and delights in the company of peasants. A fool like her is not born with the divine right to lead, to rule this empire that I've constructed! Tell me, would you appoint her as Arnook's successor if you were in my place? She knows very little about business, and she cares very little about it. All 'Princess' is concerned with is pleasing Daddy Dearest's soul." With a venemous glower, "Had I not cut their friendship with Bumi, she would've allowed him to take over after Arnook's passing. And what will I get? NOTHING! BUT…Once I receive those assets, Arnook Industries will be no more. Only Zhao Industries. Business tycoons across the world will call me Zhao the conqueror, Zhao the icon, Zhao the invincible! I won't have to deal with those filthy tribal peasants anymore! I will hire my own people!"

Unquq again summoned his water whip, but Zhao took a deep breath to calm himself, taking slow steps forward, "And if you keep this between us…I will even offer you a share in the profits. What does working for the government do for you? You get a meager salary each month that barely gets you and your family anywhere."

Unquq hissed, "I'm getting this information to Miss Yue, and I would rather die trying than ever take up your offer."

"Hm…what a shame…" And with that, Zhao whipped out a dagger. Before Unquq could defend himself, the firebender jammed the dagger into the tribesman's throat, delighting in ripping his flesh apart. Unquq lay in a pool of blood diluted by his own unutilized water whip, stripped of life in seconds.

"You did say you'd die trying," Zhao kicked the body aside, "Indeed, you're a man of your word."

Outside, a deathly pale Yue muffled her screams into the curtain, her heart pounding as if it was all she was made of. She acted on adrenalin and instinct as Zhao made his way to the door. She raced out of the hallway before she was seen, her legs shaking. She barely made it to her bedroom before hitting the floor, losing consciousness.

"Please don't do this, Yue! You are not well!"

Despite her raging fever, a traumatized Yue straightened the torn servant outfit she was wearing and fumbled to shove a limited number of her belongings into a small satchel. "I have no other choice, Minri," she whispered. "If I stay here any longer, my life will no longer be mine. I don't even know if I'll be alive."

"But where are you going to go?" her maid friend panicked, "This…this is too sudden… Do you even have a plan?"

"First I need to get out of here—"

"And then what?"

"I don't know. I just need to leave." Closing her satchel, her fingers shaking, "I want to live. I want to do something meaningful with my life. But if I stay here, I don't know what's going to happen."

"But…"

"I need to go," Yue swallowed, grabbing a ragged cloak that she threw over herself, covering her hair. She pulled up her muffler, covering most of her face.

"Yue, wait," Minri placed her hand over the young tribeswoman's shoulder, "Please. Take the north entrance. There's no one there."

Yue couldn't resist giving her friend a hug, holding back tears. "My father was my best friend. My only friend. I thought I was alone in this world after he was gone. But your friendship… it was one of the only things that kept me strong." Pulling away, "Thank you, Minri. Thank you for being my friend. Maybe one day, I'll see you again, but it won't be in the North."

Despite the blurriness of her vision and the excessive chill of the Arctic gusts, Yue was firm in her resolve. She wandered the halls, evading the attention of bustling butlers and hustling maids. Praying to the Spirits for even a single ray of luck, she slipped quickly, quietly into the garden by the north entrance of the manor. With the possibility of escape so close, she picked up her uncertain shuffles into a full-fledged run, the north gate easily in her line of sight, beckoning her to come just a little bit closer—

"Going somewhere, Princess?"

Yue jarred to a stop, her heart tumbling into her stomach. She turned to see the silhouette of Zhao waiting for her, accompanied by the shadow of his assistant. Yue attempted to barge through the gates, but upon turning back around, she saw that several guards had moved in front of her, several more surrounding her, all of them wielding spears. They were calm as if they had been expecting this move from her, their loyalties to Zhao made clear with their use of leashed bull-hounds to back the young tribeswoman against the wall.

"Leaving Uncle Zhao in the dust, are we?" the firebender stepped forward. She spat in his face in her rage, earning a fierce slap to her cheek that sent her tumbling against a fountain nearby, making her crash into the icy water. She shivered from the weight of the slap and the sting of the freezing water, blood trickling from her mouth and tears slipping profusely from her eyes at the pain.

"You tribal wench," Zhao grabbed her by her hair, dragging her wailing form inside and throwing her against the wall. She sank down, her legs giving out as her feverish condition ravaged her bodily senses. She could barely see clearly, but even through her tears, she recognized the unmistakable presence of Minri. Her expectation of being defended by her best friend crumbled when she saw the servant woman taking her place next to Zhao, avoiding eye contact with Arnook's heiress. Yue felt her pulse stop flowing for a moment.

"You've proved yourself to be a loyal bitch," Zhao tossed a stack of paper currency in Minri's direction, some of it fluttering to the floor, "I had no reason to doubt you after all."

Minri picked up the currency that fell, scooping it up ravenously. The fires of betrayal burned Yue's heart as she witnessed the currency notes receiving greater importance than her life. She was sprawled out on the ground as the servant she thought to be her friend shoved the currency into the pockets of her tunic.

"I thought…" Yue sputtered in Minri's direction, "I thought you were my friend…"

"How can you be this delusional, Miss Atsanik?" Minri asked tersely, "You and I can never be friends. Your kind and my kind can never be anything. You're our masters, and we're your slaves."

Rage boiling in her eyes, "Have I ever treated you like a slave?! Have I treated any of you like slaves?!" Yue screamed. "I thought of you as my sister! I was willing to toss aside my futures so you wouldn't lose your jobs!"

"Hmph. There is no sisterhood, no friendship," Minri continued picking up more of the currency notes that flailed around, "Only money. And don't look at me like I'm a horrible person, Miss. This is my necessity. You made the mistake of trusting people, and you're suffering for it. If anyone's the fool here, it's you."

Yue's tears stained the carpet as the guards grabbed her, yanking her up in an effort to take her back to her room.

"Guard this brat well," Zhao commanded them, leering at the devastated tribeswoman, "The reputation of Arnook Industries shouldn't be wandering in the streets."