Chapter 15: The Wait
They waited for hours, having stuck to their seats in the emergency wing of the healing hut the entire time. The healers were not saying anything other than repeating the fact that they were still treating Yue. They rushed in and out of the room they had given her, having told Sokka and Piandao many times to not pester them with questions if they wanted to wait near her room, which would ordinarily be denied by proper protocol.
Sokka didn't seem worried about anything else other than her condition. Every attempt at wanting to ask a nearby healer of the situation was met with either a "We're still providing treatment" or was ignored altogether, and if anything, the scowl on his face was that of annoyance pertaining to their strict protocols.
Piandao's thoughts, however, were all over the place. Apart from the obvious dread over Yue not having woken up yet, he was worried about the situation moving forward. Hahn was alive, as indicated by the exodus of some of the healers here, who were being periodically summoned to examine the tribesman at a different healing hut. But if the healers' whispers amongst themselves were any indication of truth, Hahn could be as good as dead given his unresponsive state. Zhao had to be enraged, and it was only a matter of time before he barged in and shot fire in their faces (in fact, it was surprising he hadn't attempted to do so already). Would Sokka's status as the Avatar's brother-in-law, while having freezed Zhao in place previously, be enough to hold up now?
Not to mention that Lady Mimik may bring some kind of legal action against them. Of course, Sokka had been defending Yue, and if anything, they were supposed to bring an action against Hahn for what he did, but it was not easy to foresee what spin Zhao was going to put on the events. The possibility of seeking legal action and help beforehand — and the futility in expecting such legal aid to succeed against Zhao's influence — loomed above their heads. Of course, there was always the option of escaping, but with Hahn's current state and the increased vigilance that they can expect in the North…what would an escape attempt look like now?
And more importantly, what of Yue's future? Hahn's brutality and current comatose state would certainly be enough to halt a marriage, but Zhao wasn't going to let this go. What other strings would he pull? It took Piandao hours of research and snooping through Zhao's estate to luckily run into the documents and coerced signatures that Zhao intended to file in court, thus giving them context as to what was going on. If Zhao had any other plans up his belt, it would not be a quick process in finding out what those plans could be.
"Whatever will happen to Hahn," Piandao mused. "What if he falls into a coma…?"
"There's no greater blessing," Sokka said.
"But this may come back to bite us in the blubber."
"I don't care. I'm done waiting. Someone had to smack that idiot; I'm glad I got the honor." With a deep glare, "The circumstances would've been horrible if he'd been spared. I mean, I know there are bad people in the world, but this bad?" Looking at Piandao, "Who do they think she is? They're trying to swallow up her life like blob monsters. No freedom, no career, no means of livelihood, no money, no family, no happiness… And how did she take all of this in? How did she not say anything? What is it going to take for her to trust us?" Miserably, "I wish she could understand I'm willing to do whatever I can to make her dream come true…"
"Not all of it is about trust, necessarily," Piandao sighed. "Zhao is threatening to decimate the workers down South. It doesn't seem like a smart move on his part if tribefolk are willing to work for less than firefolk, but whether he'll do it or not, he certainly has the means to. It's clear manipulation. Even if it's an empty threat at this point, she's afraid that making any move of retaliation will make him act on it."
Not to mention that Zhao easily sliced the throat of a high-ranking bender.
"An investigative officer had found out what Zhao was up to, but Zhao ended his life. The man died drowning in his own blood. Many inquiries were made about the poor man's disappearance, but Zhao threatened to kill the officer's family members if Yue told anyone the truth. That's why she's been covering up Zhao's fraud, too." Glaring, "Zhao knows what kind of person she is, and he has consistently been threatening to hurt others if she doesn't conform to what he wants. Part of the deal includes marriage with Hahn, and part of her 'marriage with Hahn' deals with Hahn's and Kura's demands."
Sokka shook his head, "She doesn't deserve this. She doesn't deserve any of this! She doesn't deserve an abusive manwhore who fucks around and makes her life hell every second! The nerve that piece of yakshit had to touch her…! And that Kura woman. She's a parasitic piranha-snake that sucks the blood and joy out of people! Yue doesn't deserve to be treated like some kind of backup tool! She doesn't deserve to be lying here fighting for her life!" His breath turned harsh from his outbursts, "I don't know what she saw in those people's faces when she was helping them last night, but I can tell you, Master, I saw pure joy and relief and happiness. It's amazing how she makes people feel like that. How much she respects life. And you should've seen her, she looked so happy for a moment. I saw contentment and fulfillment in her eyes. People are at their happiest when they do the things they love; Yue loves to heal, and she loves to help. Yeah, she does this at her expense, and I don't appreciate how harsh she can be on herself… but last night… I got a glimpse of what could be. The life she wants. She has a beautiful dream and a big heart…"
He wiped the sweat off of his forehead, "She deserves handwritten love notes, perfect loyalty. Someone who would worship her, dote on her."
As if his invested feelings hadn't been made obvious before.
There was a brief reprieve to their anxious gazing at one point — even if it served to make matters worse. Sokka was surprised to suddenly see Uruq rushing over to them.
"Uruq?"
"I haven't seen you since the eviction," the servant said, approaching them with deep concern. "How's Miss Atsanik?"
"We don't know yet," Sokka said. "We're still waiting on the healers to give us an update."
"You're currently working for Hahn, aren't you?" Piandao asked the servant. "Do you know about his condition?"
"It's looking like a coma. They haven't said it officially yet, but he hasn't been responsive at all to anything. No one's able to wake him up. No treatment is working."
"Of course it won't. Why would it if that imbecile insulted healing altogether as an impure profession?" Sokka scowled, "Karma shoved its foot up his ass. Let him rot."
"What is Lady Mimik saying…? What about Zhao?" Piandao asked nervously.
"I haven't heard too much about Zhao since the incident. I know he was angry that Miss Yue didn't come to the reception, and I know he left all of a sudden. Lady Mimik is devastated and inconsolable. If it hadn't been her son's fault, she would have taken legal action for sure, both against you for injuring him and Yue to recover the bride price money."
"Even if it hadn't been her son's fault, that witch wouldn't take legal action," Sokka huffed, "With all the shit she pulled, too." Like circumventing the monogamy law by trying to force a sterilization procedure, for one.
"What about Kura?" Piandao asked.
"So you found out about Kura, huh?" Uruq sighed, "Well, Kura's never been better. The party yesterday had actually been a surprise engagement with Miss Yue, you see. Hahn's plan was to introduce her as his soon-to-be 'first wife' to his business partners and friends. He was gonna clear the way for Kura by saying Yue gave him permission to marry again for a child. The idea would be to bypass the anti-polygamy laws; he would claim Miss Yue was barren but that he 'loved her too much' to let her go, and after marrying her, he would resort to a second marriage with Kura. They were gonna use the documents Miss Yue signed as leverage to avoid legal trouble. Hahn had a necklace custom-designed and everything for this elaborate plan. But Miss Yue was nowhere to be seen."
"I specifically sent a note to Hahn's estate saying she won't come," Piandao flared.
"I don't know if he read that note. If he did, he probably would've exploded beforehand. But he kept waiting, and Miss Yue never came. He became blinded with rage. His mother was worried, and to pacify him and save face in front of his business partners, she decided to turn the event into a surprise wedding with Kura instead. Hahn was pissed and said that he'll bring Miss Yue wherever she was, but Lady Mimik wasn't going to entertain the idea." Looking both ways before leaning closer, "And the truth is, there was law enforcement everywhere last night. I think that's the main reason why he didn't march up to the servant's quarters and drag Miss Yue to the party."
"Why?" Piandao wondered, intrigued.
"No one knows why they came. They didn't make arrests or question anybody or anything. And they weren't there as guests because they were in uniform."
"In uniform?" Sokka blinked.
"Yeah. They just showed up… and the Mimiks were pissing their pants, worried that they would get caught for their fraud. Plus, they hadn't filed all the papers that Miss Yue signed yet in court, and even worse for them, those papers had gone missing. Kura and the Mimiks were paranoid that one of the law enforcement officers might come across them or had already come across them. Zhao wasn't there to handle the situation; he already ran off somewhere. So Lady Mimik summoned a priest from the Tui and La temple and got Hahn and Kura married last-minute."
Well that's convenient, Sokka and Piandao shared surprised looks, relieved that Piandao had timely retrieved those court documents and had burned them after discussing them with Sokka.
"Kura was worried about the drastic change in plans, so she had the certificate of marriage filed overnight," Uruq said. "She's actually living her best life right now; she's about to get access to all of Hahn's property as his proper spouse. And of course, she has the legal and monetary influence to make it all work. For now, Kura's playing the part of the 'weeping new wife.' If Hahn ends up dead, she'll have all of his property." Turning to them worriedly, "I think the next step Zhao would take — at least, based on all these years of knowing him— is to get Kura to transfer Hahn's granite fields to him. Kura can unilaterally transfer things in Hahn's name if Hahn dies…and based on that logic, we can't guarantee that Hahn will remain alive any longer. But if they do anything to him, they'll do it surreptitiously," turning to Sokka, "And they'll blame it on the head injury. Of course, you still have defenses up your belt, so it shouldn't be terrible, but… just something to watch for…"
Piandao paled, but Sokka's frown remained intact, "It's what he gets for the stunts he pulled."
"He had so much to drink. I was the one who took him to his room when he passed out. I don't know how or when… I had no idea that this would happen… But I suppose with Kura and Minri's shit, he…" the servant winced, hesitating to say what he wanted to say next.
"Is there anything else we need to know?" Sokka raised his eyebrows.
"Well… Hahn wasn't enraged only because Miss Yue didn't come. As a matter of fact, he's enraged because of a few rumors saying she did come but stayed out of sight..."
"That's ridiculous," Piandao frowned, "And it makes no sense. She wasn't there."
Uruq then reached into the pocket of his parka, pulling out some pamphlets. Handing the pamphlets to them, "I know it's not a good time right now, but… I want to give you both some context behind what else made Hahn attack so violently."
The swordsmen took the pamphlets in hand, aghast when they read over the titles.
'Ozai's My New Daddy,' Says Grieving Arnook Industries Heiress
Daughter of Arnook Industries Owner Cheating on Fiance-to-Be With Head of Sozin Exports
Yue Atsanik of Arnook Industries Skips Out on Engagement for a Rendezvous With Fire Nation Lover
Cuckolding at the Engagement! Former Arnook Industries Chairwoman Shares a Sensuous Night With Soon-to-Be Fiance's Business Partner
"What the hell is all this?" Sokka fumed, skimming over the pamphlets and raging with every word he read.
"They're saying she seduced Hahn's business partner, Ozai Sozin, at the reception last night—"
"But she wasn't even at the reception last night!" Sokka roared, "THE FUCK—?!"
"Sokka, son, calm down. This is a healing hut," Piandao said in spite of his own glares at the pamphlet in his hand, "The nerve these idiots have to spin stories like this! Even with the note I sent!"
"Minri was going around telling reporters last night that she saw Miss Yue at the reception… and that she was there in secret and apparently dragged Ozai into a closet and… was begging for sex… And that they had sex in secret before she slipped out of the reception unseen—"
"That VULTURE-RAT!" Sokka yelled again, "Feeding off of others' misery! Seriously, what the fuck is her problem?! If it wasn't for Yue, her family—!"
"I promised Kimiq that I won't give anyone the chance to suspect him… I don't want to think about what will happen to his family…"
"DAMMIT!" he trailed off.
"Mr. Ingiullik!" one of the healers glared in his direction, "This is a healing hut, please! If you can't control yourself, get out of here."
The Southern tribesman grumbled, his fists clenched at his sides as he seethed. Piandao could only wince in disbelief, shaking his head, "I don't understand what in the world that woman has against Yue. Yue has never harmed a single soul."
"It was all Kura's doing," Uruq said. "Hours before the impromptu wedding, Kura was flirting with Ozai. Hahn didn't take notice; he was too busy griping about Miss Yue not showing up. Apparently Minri caught Kura sleeping with Ozai, and Kura bought her off and told her to put the blame on Miss Yue so she could save herself from that scandal and make sure Ozai got what he wanted…" Looking at Sokka, "Ozai's obsessed with Miss Yue. The explosive thing about this whole thing is that he had actually intended to kill Hahn after his marriage to Miss Yue and take her to the Fire Nation. He was going to blame you for Hahn's murder since you both hate each other. Of course, that didn't end up happening."
The information earned highly alarmed glares.
"Minri went about spreading the rumors like Kura wanted. Hahn was enraged and highly embarrassed that the reporters found out. He began to see red, and… I can tell that's what fueled his actions."
"This is…this is all insane," Sokka shook his head, "So much is happening so fast, I… These people are disgusting! This is nothing but pure hell!" Gathering the pamphlets in his hands and hurrying over to the nearest waste bin, dumping the papers inside with a rush of adrenalin, "We can't let her see these."
"They're everywhere," Uruq said sadly, "We won't be able to hide from them—"
"I'm not letting her see them," the Southerner declared. "It would only break her heart… and I'm not letting that happen." Jolts of affection drove the fire in his resolve, "No matter what happens, I'm gonna convince her that we need to get out of this hell. Today's gonna be the day."
"I do think it's easier if I have her before she wakes up."
Zhao widened his eyes at Ozai, "Sir, we can't jump to that just yet, can we?"
"I'm not waiting around any longer, Zhao," Ozai demanded. "If I stay here one more day than I need to, I'll be roped into this case. I was expecting a brawl between those idiots, not a fatal blow that knocked one into a coma!"
"If we make a move so quickly, it's going to come back to bite us in our tails. This is a case of attempted rape. I can't just swoop in there and bring her back home—"
"I'm taking her with me tonight and this is final," Ozai snapped. "We spread this rumor so I'll have her sooner than anticipated. And I'd rather take her when she's weak and unable to fight back."
Zhao rubbed his aching head, "But you saw for yourself the law enforcement officials last night. Something's going on, and I don't know what. We can't act in a way that causes suspicion—"
"Just say that as her guardian, you would rather have her healed at your estate," Ozai hissed, "So that it'll save her from public scrutiny."
"Except I can't find that document," Zhao said, trying to reel in his irritation.
"What document?"
"The one where I made her authorize me as her guardian!"
"You imbecile! You should've filed it with the court when you had the chance!" Grabbing Zhao by his shirt, his fist itching to close around the firebender in his rage, "But you can still make this work. Bring her to me right now. Say you're doing this keeping her best interests in mind. I want her in my bunker and in my bed within the next two hours. You hear me?"
Zhao nodded shakily, holding back a frustrated sigh, "I'll do my best."
"You need to eat, Sokka."
Sokka shook his head, "I don't feel like it."
Piandao sighed, sitting next to his student. He took a bowl of noodles from the tray he brought and placed the bowl in Sokka's hands, "When she wakes up, our adrenalin will wear off because we know she's recovering. And when that happens, our energy levels will plummet. We will need to help her; we can't do that if we don't have energy." Pleased when he saw that Sokka was looking down at the food, he added, "We need to convince her to come with us, too. We need the energy to at least be able to argue with her if she still refuses."
It was enough motivation for Sokka, and he began to eat. The swordmaster, too, indulged in the noodles he got for himself, their famished insides fueling their adrenalin even more as they went back to staring at the emergency room, hoping to see a healer step out at least now and update them. At least, until they were interrupted by a nervous, "Excuse me?"
They wearily turned to a group of men approaching them; the group consisted of three tribesmen and one elderly man, who appeared to be from the Earth Kingdom given the jade ornament on his dark green robe. The Earth Kingdom man was taller than all of them, fairly wild-looking and quite large, one eye bulging out more than the other. With regard to the tribesmen, two of them did not seem particularly noteworthy, but the third one looked so official with a gold badge glimmering on his chest, indicating his position as a Tribal law enforcement officer.
"You must be Mr. Piandao and Mr. Sokka, correct? You're security for Miss Atsanik?" one of the badgeless tribesmen asked, taking a look at the sword that rested by Piandao's chair.
"What do you want?" Sokka scowled in perpetual suspicion, but Piandao remained cautious, nodding and standing up to greet them.
"No no, please keep eating," the elderly Earth Kingdomer said, gesturing to the vacant chairs beside them, "Mind if we have a little chat?"
"Not at all. Please sit."
They took their seats, the officer's attention flying to the emergency room, "We came to inquire about Miss Atsanik. We were hoping to speak with you in private about certain matters." And with Piandao's uncomfortable look, "I assure you I came here on my own volition. Not as a representative of Zhao or Hahn or Mrs. Mimik," came the assurance. "How is she doing?"
"We're waiting to hear back from the healer," Piandao said. "If I may ask who you are…"
One of the badgeless tribesmen spoke quietly, "My name is Anik. I was a longtime accountant in Mr. Atsanik's business until his demise. Well, his actual demise, not the false date Zhao forged on the death certificate months later."
Which earned Sokka's interest despite his suspicion.
"My name is Kireq," the second badgeless man spoke, pulling out an identification scroll, which bore an official Water Tribe Seal of Government and listed the details of his education, experience, and admittance to Water Tribe tribunals, "I'm a lawyer and an official from the Agna Qel'a Estates Tribunal. Mr. Arnook is a very reputable man. He is very well-known, and the changes to his estate are becoming more and more noticeable, too. Mr. Anik approached me with concerns for the estate after Mr. Arnook's passing. We were able to get a good look of the records he filed in our office, and we've been doing research for the past several months."
"I'm Qanas," the officer said. "I was originally partnered with Investigator Unquq on the case of Zhao's fraudulent activities, but he had more information as he drove the case forward. After his tragic demise, I took full and exclusive charge of the case. With Mr. Kireq's assistance, I was able to learn more about the exact situation here the past several weeks. We have officially gotten into the weeds starting yesterday. My fellow officers at the crime branch here have accompanied me to Mr. Hahn's reception last night."
Which definitely earned Sokka's attention.
"I'm Bumi. Owner of Bumi Industries." The man seemed to get choked up, "Arnook was my best friend and business partner."
"My father had a lot of 'good friends... in his last days, he regretted not having them next to him…But none of those good friends cared in the end…" "Oh, so basically the guy who wrote to Yue to get lost and never contact him again."
"You must understand. I didn't write that," Bumi insisted, "I had no idea that she even wrote to—"
"We'll get to that, we will," Kireq told Bumi before turning back the swordsmen, "We are here to dispel any misunderstandings and help Miss Yue safeguard her rights,"
"And how do we know you can be trusted?" Sokka's skepticism persisted.
"We brought with us records from Miss Yue's mother's and aunt's estate." Kireq pulled out a collection of parchments from his bag, "Lady Ahnah Atsanik and her sister, Lady Akimah Ugarik, have no other heirs. They both left their properties and assets to Miss Yue. These documents here have all been signed by the other involved parties. All that remains is for Miss Yue to sign them."
"Is her aunt deceased?" Piandao asked.
"Yes, unfortunately," Anik said. "She's one of many individuals who disappeared as a result of Zhao's fraudulent schemes."
"What happened to her?"
Anik told them the fate of poor Lady Akimah, the younger sister of Lady Ahnah. After Ahnah passed, Akimah frequented the manor to spend time with Yue, and Yue grew very attached to her, seeing bits and pieces of her mother in her.
"Mr. Arnook was a wonderful father, no doubt, and he really loved his daughter, but the fact that he trusted the wrong people and unknowingly put himself and his daughter in a vulnerable position…and not realizing that fact… It made Miss Akimah very anxious," Anik said.
The tribeswoman had supposedly tried to warn Arnook several times, but he never listened. She became furious beyond compare. And one day, she stumbled upon a letter that Zhao had left on his desk, ready to post.
"It was in Fire Nation script. No one else could read it, so that's why Zhao made it a practice to write in his dialect. But Miss Akimah could read and understand the Fire Nation script because she had worked in the Fire Nation for several years before."
It had been a letter to a private Fire Nation businessman, offering him a position as the new partner of Arnook Industries. This was also right after Bumi and his associates split from Arnook, and their partnership failed. The letter also supposedly had details of how Zhao had instigated the issues between Bumi and Arnook for the specific purpose of clearing the spot for the Fire Nationer.
"Miss Akimah showed Arnook the letter, but Zhao insisted that it was fabricated. With the influence he had, Zhao fabricated some documents to convince Arnook that Miss Akimah had mental issues. He made her seem like she didn't know what she was talking about and called her so-called 'emotional outbursts' signs of depression following the loss of her sister."
"Miss Akimah was obviously outraged," Kireq said, pulling out yet another document from his bag, "This document was from when she filed an emergency petition seeking custody of Miss Yue. She argued in her complaint that Arnook was being foolish, that he was putting the child in danger by entrusting many things to a criminal like Zhao. But Zhao had many lawyers, all of whom were very smart. And they ended up winning the custody battle against Miss Akimah."
"Miss Akimah went missing the morning right after the final judgment," Anik sighed. "Zhao fabricated a note, saying it was written by her. She had apparently 'written' about how she felt 'defeated' and no longer wanted anything to do with the family that hurt her. Pure yakshit. That woman loved Yue like her own. She felt bad for filing the custody case to begin with but did it only for the sake of the child." Gulping, "Arnook tried to make amends and tried to find her. He used all of his resources to make a thorough search because as angry as he was that she tried to take his child away from him, for Miss Yue, it was like losing her mother all over again. And he felt the child needed Miss Akimah's care. But she was nowhere to be found. Zhao then made up a story about how she was found dead almost a year later. Some nonsense about a monorail fire accident and how the corpses were burned on the spot. It wasn't until several years later that he had her imprisoned for a crime she didn't commit. She died in prison due to an untreated illness."
"Was Arnook just blindly believing everything Zhao said?" Piandao asked, wincing, "Did he not question any of this even once…?
"Zhao had helped Arnook retain custody of Miss Yue. That's why Arnook held him in high regard ever since and trusted him with everything," Anik explained. "But that poor man was naive as to why Zhao would really want to do something like that for him."
Anik further relayed to them that he met with Yue in secret before Sokka and Piandao came to the North.
"After I learned what really happened to her aunt, I figured she needed to know the truth. But by then, she had found out the truth that Zhao wasn't who he seemed, and unfortunately, he had already realized that she found out about everything. By then, she was being manipulated and was locked away against her will. She was being blackmailed into marrying Hahn, and she was also devastated because Investigator Unquq had been brutally murdered in her presence. There was no one she could tell the truth to; Zhao threatened to kill the rest of Unquq's family if she said a single word. And I didn't know all of this was going on at that point, and…telling her about her aunt must've intensified her grief…"
"Miss Atsanik is obviously terrified that if she interacts with anyone, Zhao will find out and hurt them," Officer Qanas said. "That's also why she refuses to expose Zhao's fraud."
"She's the type of person who goes above and beyond not to step on a single spider-ant on the ground she walks on," Anik said. "She would hate to be the reason why anyone gets hurt. That's why she was so frustrated when I came to see her before. That's why she kept telling me to leave and insisted that I not come back to see her. That's when I decided to make further investigations. From a safe enough distance from the city and from Zhao's spheres of influence."
"Zhao's influence has taken over all correspondence between her and any of us," Bumi said. "I only recently learned that Arnook and Yue had written to me and that Arnook is no longer alive. Those letters had been intercepted and not only that; replies were sent as if they were from me." Shaking his head, "I did not know what Arnook was going through. I didn't send any replies. I didn't know…"
"We can't bring her father or her mother back," Kireq said, "And we can't magically make everyone here be loyal to her in the wake of the money that Hahn and Lady Mimik are throwing in their faces and the threats that Zhao keeps making. But it can be possible to get her out of here because she still has a chance to save her father's business from falling into Zhao's hands… and as long as the business and her rights are within her possession, at least as reminders of her father, she can start to heal."
"What do you mean? There's still a chance?" Sokka asked, wide-eyed.
"What no one here knows is that Mr. Arnook changed his will at the very last minute," Anik lowered his voice considerably to a whisper, "The will that everyone knows of is not the same as the updated will. The evening before Mr. Arnook passed, Miss Yue had gone to an emergency business meeting. Zhao and his associates went with her as well. I was entrusted to keep watch over Mr. Arnook. Arnook was very worried that evening; he was very restless, and he asked me to take him to the records office without anyone knowing in spite of his condition. He didn't tell me why, just that it was very important. I kept refusing because the weather was horrible that day, and it would only make his condition worse, but he begged that I take him… and that he would not be able to 'go in peace' if I didn't do this for him. I never asked him what it was for, but I generally knew he was worried about his daughter because of Zhao."
By that time, Zhao had been stressing to Arnook to consider Hahn as a son-in-law, but Arnook hated that tribesman and had heard about his reputation after thorough inquiries into his character.
"Arnook became suspicious about Zhao's insistence. Increasingly and alarmingly so. What I didn't know at the time was that he asked me to take him to the records office to modify the provisions in his will."
Anik then turned to Kireq, who took out yet another document from his bag, placing it in Piandao's hands. "This is a copy of his latest will," the lawyer said. "Under the old will, Miss Yue had full title and exclusive rights to all properties owned by Mr. Arnook. She could also sell any of these properties or rights at will to anyone. Further— and this is most important— Zhao had the ability to, quote, 'take any emergency action as needed for the growth and betterment of the business so long as it does not run contrary to the chairperson's decisions.' This gave Zhao a very broad discretion with which he's been making so many business decisions even now."
"But that is not the case in the new will," Anik said. "In the new will, the Zhao provision was entirely erased. The titles for all properties and all rights in the business would still pass immediately to Miss Yue. She would live at the manor and make use of the land however she saw fit, and she would be in charge of all business dealings as the owner and chairwoman of Arnook Industries. But she would under no circumstances be able to 'sell or share or demolish' in any way either the property or the business or any of her rights in the business, and she would not be able to use the home or business as collateral for any future loans in the event they would be foreclosed on. She must not do any of these things unless she meets one of two conditions."
"Under the first condition, she needs to have an independent means of sustenance," Anik said. "She needs to have acquired another home and have a stable job or business with an income of at least eight hundred thousand gold pieces per year. Her income must be steady, and she had to have received this income for at least three years in a row. This would be a showing of her financial security. The eight hundred thousand gold pieces amount is essentially an estimate to keep her at the same or similar situation as she would be in if she hadn't sold the property and the business. If she does not meet this exception, in the alternative, she will have to have a valid, fully-consenting, amicable marriage with a man who intends to share his estate with her. There is no associated income amount here, but the idea is that he would be a hard worker, and he would be willing to provide for her."
"The reason why we're stressing these conditions is that Miss Yue currently meets neither of these conditions, so any transfers of land that did not happen following either of these conditions would be completely void," Anik said. "So all those documents she signed giving the property and the business rights away to Zhao? Those are not worth the parchment they're written on. And even if Miss Yue meets one of these conditions later on, the permissions are not retroactive. Her acquiring the ability to sell later doesn't make previous transfer attempts valid. She would have to sign new instruments for those transfers to be proper."
"So this means she still has control over the manor and the business!" Sokka exclaimed. "But…the manor…it's no longer…"
"You're exactly right," Kireq said. "The dismantling of the manor was not at all valid. Zhao had all of these things done overnight, and the tribunal was not put on notice of his fraud. That's why nothing was done in time to prevent Zhao's overnight demolition of the manor. But one thing is true: even if Zhao tried to put on a performance that all of this was done with Miss Yue's consent, it would still be illegal— regardless of the fact that he didn't know about any of this— because everything was filed and on record. Not knowing about a public record is no excuse."
"What about the land she intended to use for her healing center?" Piandao asked. "She transferred that, too."
"These restrictions did not apply to the healing center property. Mr. Arnook left that property as a backup. In case she absolutely needed some type of collateral for a future loan or in the event that she needed money. She would be able to lease or sell the healing center property for any use that might arise. But Arnook was not having the home and the business be put at risk. Miss Yue still to this very moment has the title to all of this property and all of Arnook's factories and business-related properties, and she is in no way authorized to pass these rights to anyone else or otherwise destroy these properties without meeting the conditions. These conditions were meant to safeguard her and keep her financially stable. So that she would not end up without a penny to her name at any point in her life."
"I wish Mr. Arnook could've told me all of this beforehand. So I would've challenged Zhao earlier, so Miss Yue would have known," Anik sighed. "Of course, I can also understand why Mr. Arnook didn't tell me these things. I can only imagine the hell he must have felt in his final days, knowing he wasn't going to make it and knowing no one could really be trusted. Trying to protect his daughter from the people he once thought he could trust…Though he might not have known the full extent of Zhao's cruelty. I wonder why he did not get to tell Miss Yue; perhaps he never had the opportunity to with Zhao watching him like a hawk. And obviously, the man had passed unexpectedly. I found out about all this later after consulting the records office and finally getting permission to peruse through his will… But I think it will turn out to be a plus for us."
"Zhao has no reason to know the will has been altered," Kireq said. "Arnook never showed that he doubted him. So Zhao is operating on the old will, which still named Miss Yue as the heir, didn't have any restrictions on the selling of all of these properties, and didn't have any restrictions on Zhao taking any emergency actions as needed for the growth and betterment of the business. If she were to proceed with litigation, Miss Yue would be entitled to at least one trillion gold pieces in compensation, perhaps even more. With Zhao's fraud, his taking advantage of Arnook and falsely applying for loans under his name, placing Miss Yue under duress to get rid of her healing center property, all of his misrepresentations to the court, using the manor as collateral and authorizing its destruction… and this is all not including his other blatant criminal activity, including but not limited to him falsely having Miss Akimah prisoned and killing Investigator Unquq."
"Which means at this point, Miss Yue has two viable options on how she can proceed," said Officer Qanas. One: because she has full rights of ownership of the property, she can leave the North now and institute an action against Zhao and his minions. She can try to make an argument that the old will can still be valid but that her transfer of property was made under duress. It will take much longer to litigate, no doubt, because we are asking the court to cancel the new will and its provisions for Miss Yue to have full rights, including rights of transfer. Plus, she will need to take extra steps, make more filings to stop Zhao from doing the things he's been doing to the business because of the Zhao provision in the old will. She will receive compensation and the right to share or transfer her ownership after the issue is litigated. Two— and perhaps the better option of the two: Miss Yue can leave the North now but legally marry someone before she does. Because it's not possible to meet the first condition given the three years' of income requirement, it's perfectly feasible for her to marry someone trusted and take the property papers with her once and for all. She does not have to worry about the results of the case because she will have met the requirements of the updated will, which is already valid and in effect. And not only will she not have to worry about extra filings to stop Zhao; with the validation of the new will, Zhao will automatically be enjoined from taking any business actions, whether that means firing or threatening the workers down South, replacing them, or… do really anything at all. She will immediately receive full rights to transfer of ownership. It won't take as long to litigate, either. At least, compared to the first option."
"Of course, we understand that she wouldn't want to entertain the second option after everything that happened," Kireq said. "And obviously marriage is a big deal and there is just no way we can expect her to take this route. And I'm not sure how important it is for her to have the ability to transfer ownership immediately... Probably not too important at the moment because she should be the owner to best safeguard the properties. But if she thinks it's important to immediately enjoin Zhao and strip him of all of his privileges, and if she opts to go for the second option, she can still file for an annulment afterwards, provided that the person she trusts to go through this with will remove his name from the joint ownership and transfer everything solely back to her at the time of separation. But either way, whichever way out she chooses, she cannot stay in the city. It would be too dangerous."
Whichever part of this debacle Sokka was able to understand in bits and pieces, the one thing he clearly understood was the last part. "We've got to get her out of here. And it's up to you four to convince her." Turning to Bumi, "I'm sure if you explain that the correspondence was intercepted, she'll be receptive to receiving your help. She trusts you, doesn't she?"
"I hope so," Bumi looked defeated, "But even if she doesn't anymore, I will do whatever it takes to help convince her."
Before they could discuss anything further, the harsh, familiar stomp of Zhao's footsteps came blazing through the healing hut at the crack of dawn. Zhao was accompanied by his assistant as well as several guards, who donned crimson in their obvious loyalty to the Fire Nationer.
The four visiting men hid behind a corridor wall, not wanting Zhao to get suspicious of the congregated group. Piandao all but threw himself in front of Sokka protectively, but contrary to Sokka's and Piandao's expectations, Zhao wasn't really fuming; in fact, he shockingly seemed to ignore them, pivoting instead to the receptionist wing of the healing hut and approaching a woman who was sitting at the front.
"What can I do for you, sir?"
"I'm here to take Yue Atsanik home."
Sokka growled, his fists clenching, but Piandao held him back, "Just a minute. Let's see what he's up to."
"Miss Atsanik is currently receiving treatment, sir," the woman said, alarmed, "She needs to stay here—"
"I'm not telling you to stop the treatment," he snapped. "I will have the healers come to my estate to treat her. But I'm not having her stay here."
"I don't think you understand the severity of her condition when she was admitted. She needs to stay here. We need to constantly check and see if her pulse is stable and watch for any other reactions. It's a serious case, not something we can treat at a residence. Your estate is not a healing hut, is it—?"
"I will arrange for everything you need. Discharge her immediately. Ask the healer to come with her right now, if she wants."
The four hidden men exchanged worried looks with Officer Qanas immediately whipping out a notepad and making notes.
"That's not possible, sir," the receptionist reiterated, "We have many other patients we need to—"
"I'm NOT taking no for an answer!" Zhao banged his fist against the table, startling the woman, "This is coming from her guardian! I get to decide what's best for her—!"
"Guardian, my ass!" Sokka stormed over to the firebender, ignoring the four men's quiet protests and Piandao's anxious squeaks, "You're not taking her anywhere! She's not coming with you!"
"How are you so confident?" Zhao drawled, "I'm sure she wouldn't want to be in the public eye anyway after debasing herself to such an extent."
"You watch your mouth," Piandao raised his voice, "Not another word about her!"
"I heard she took quite a beating," Zhao continued unflinchingly, "It's what she gets for sleeping with Ozai—"
"You better shut that scummy hole you have for a mouth, you fucking piece of shit!" Sokka lunged forward, barely held back by Piandao.
"Of all people, I didn't expect her to sleep with Ozai," Zhao exuded a venomous smirk, "If anything, I was afraid she'd give into your charm. Seems to me you're not handling the rejection quite well, Ingiullik—"
"Stop your nonsense, Zhao!" Piandao raged. "She was not feeling well and couldn't possibly go to the reception! I myself wrote a note to Hahn's estate—!"
"Well that's not what Ozai and Minri say," Aziran flared. The assistant waved a pamphlet in the men's faces, "Minri saw it with her own eyes—"
"Oh, did she?!" Sokka raged, snatching the pamphlet out of Aziran's hand and crumpling it up with his white-knuckled fist, "Well if she says it, it must be true 'cause she's the most trustworthy, well-meaning person on the entire fucking planet!"
"Your slandering of an honorable woman's name is unacceptable, Zhao," Piandao hissed. "You think the public's gonna entertain this nonsense you're spurring?"
"Everybody knows what kind of person she is!" Sokka went on, "Even if the idiots out there are taking advantage of her kindness, deep down, they know. Even your unsorry ass knows she's not like that. So cut the crap and get your ashmaking ass out of here."
"Gentlemen, please," Zhao raised his eyebrows, "What reason could I possibly have for fabricating all of this? What incentive would I possibly have to brand the very woman I'm trying to make marketable a whore?"
"Marketable?!" Sokka wheezed.
"Why of course. You'd be surprised at how many men would kill to break her barrier—"
"ENOUGH!" Piandao snapped, drawing his sword, "We've heard enough! Leave immediately, Zhao. I better not see your face again until we're in court."
"So you'll take this to court, then? I'd definitely like to see you try that, Piandao," Zhao said coolly, "But just remember. Whatever legal action you want to take on her behalf, you would be putting her character at a risk for litigation. Which isn't necessarily a problem for me or anything. I mean, I have plenty of witnesses who can testify about her. How about I give you a little preview of how things will go down." Folding his arms, "I'll call in my first witness. And you know what he'll say? 'Master Zhao couldn't have possibly foreseen this kind of thing happening. Miss Atsanik is the one who went morally astray. Not her fault, really; her loneliness turned to desperation. Her sanity has been slipping, afterall; hence the reason why Master Zhao is her guardian in the first place.'"
The four men widened their eyes from behind the wall, Kireq having joined Qanas's frantic notetaking.
"And I'll call my second witness," Zhao said calmly. "'Oh Spirits, how Miss Atsanik had changed. I remember an incident from a few days after her father passed. When I went to give her dinner, she tried to kiss me. Threatened to fire me if I didn't comply. I ran out of there as fast as I could—'"
"YOU DEMONIC BASTARD!" Sokka roared, barely hanging onto Piandao at this point.
"And then on to my third witness. And the fourth and the fifth. Each one has a particular incident they want to report to the judge," Zhao continued, his smirk widening at the dread overcoming Piandao's face. "This is the way it'll go. You'll call him a rapist. I'll call her a slut. The law cares only about evidence, Piandao. Not justice. Not really. You and your student might have the balls to testify against us, but you are no match to the number of allies I have. You have nothing with you." Sighing, "But still, I leave the decision to you. If you would rather have me not fabricate her entire character as a sexually charged woman… or as… how did that one pamphlet put it, Aziran?"
"A 'figure of tragedy and insanity finding relief in the arms of men,' Aziran read from the pamphlet in his hand, his smirk having been disrupted by the sudden punch to his face. Sokka's blow sent the assistant staggering back, yet no one came to his aid. Just a desperate Piandao yanking the incensed tribesman back and Zhao laughing in amusement.
"Agni knows you're only saying this because there's overwhelming evidence on exactly what kind of man Hahn is," Piandao snapped.
"Oh of course. There's no doubt about that. But would you drag her into the streets for it? To make a point? Would you put her virtue at issue in court? I must remind you, I can easily make her never raise her head in public again if she decides to drag me out with him. If you don't care, then definitely proceed against me. Just think about whether that's something she would want. Besides, for what reason would you want to proceed against me in court anyway? Hahn's useless anyway right now, and the wedding with him is obviously off. I no longer need to rely on him, either, to be able to get what I want from him. No need for you two to make a scene here for something that's been canceled."
Zhao's amusement then withered away, replaced by a deathly scowl, "If you know what's good for you, you two will leave the North immediately instead of peeping into my plans and our lives. None of this concerns you, And it has never concerned you to begin with. Might as well leave here alive when you can." Turning specifically to Piandao, "I swear to you, I've never been more lenient on anyone in my life as I have been with your student. The Avatar's brother-in-law is certainly trying to push my buttons, but there's a limit to everything. Take him away from here before I snap for good." Flitting his eyes to Sokka next, "I guarantee you; defending yourself against me won't be as easy as smashing a bottle against a tribesman's head."
It was then that Sokka channeled all of his fury into an idea, a product of sheer madness as he blurted out, "What makes you think I won't get the chance to smash a glass bottle on your head? Trust me, I won't be as lenient this time."
"Try me, you little shit," Zhao snapped, "You're ridiculous. Trying to fight a fight you know you'll lose. You seem pretty confident about it, too." Zhao then turned to his guards, "Ignore his idiotic ass. I don't care what you need to do to accomplish this, but I want her at my estate in the next thirty minutes. Bring her there—"
"You seem confident, too, to be calling yourself her guardian when you don't even have the proper documentation with you."
Zhao froze in place, his commands tumbling over his tongue. His eyes blazed a dangerous gold before shooting daggers at him, "What are you saying?" Grabbing his tunic, "What the hell are you saying?"
"Ever wondered why law enforcement surrounded your little party all last night? Oh, that's right. You ran away from the scene, didn't you?"
What in the name of Agni is he doing? Piandao gawked at his student. The four officials behind the wall were also worried, gawking at the tribesman's burst of confidence.
"What documents are you blabbering about?!" Zhao screamed.
"Oh nothing," he maintained his cool despite the rapid thumping of his heart, threatening to blow out of his chest at the lies he was conjuring on the spot, "Just the ones you didn't file in court because you were so confident that no one would find them yet. The ones you and Kura blackmailed Yue into signing." Sokka shoved the firebender's hand away, smoothing the wrinkles on his tunic and holding his head high, "I guess you didn't hear about how I slipped out of the premises last night. Go ask your minions around the servant quarters. Though I guess even if you did know about it, you probably thought it was good that you were spared of my nuisance. But what you didn't know is that I took the trouble of submitting those documents in court for you. Except as further evidence of your shit."
Zhao fumed, fire lingering at his knuckles, "How did you get those documents, you peasant?!"
"There's nothing I can do when you're the one being careless," Sokka shrugged, "You should've been more careful about throwing the old transaction books away, too. You know, the transactions that Mr. Arnook "authorized" from the grave. Probably should've destroyed the authentic books when you had the chance instead of keeping them and making a whole fucking new set of books. Or in the very least, you should've done a better job of forging Mr. Arnook's handwriting."
Dread crept over Zhao in waves, prompting Sokka to continue, "I submitted all of this in court, and it's all on file. That is, along with the other evidence from Investigator Unquq's previous files."
Just when Zhao believed his eyes couldn't get any wider.
"It's pretty cool, really; I got to take a look at his files," Sokka went on. "He's got quite a lot of stuff. There's the medical reports from Mr. Arnook's death. You know, the ones that report the actual date and time of death, not the ones you forged on the birth certificate months later. There were also copies of your loan documentation. You know what I mean, the ones you forged so you can get more money even after Mr. Arnook's death. Oh, and wasn't there some note that you wrote years ago in the Fire Nation script? When you tried to cut off Mr. Bumi's partnership with Arnook Industries so you could bring in your old buddy from the Fire Nation?"
It was Sokka's turn to smirk as Zhao involuntarily took a few steps back. "And guess what else. I already submitted my testimony in court. You can bribe as many people as you want, bring them on as evidence if you want, but you don't have the documentation, do you? At least, not as much documentation as we do." Folding his arms, "And might I say, you're quite a dumbass for a criminal, you know that—?"
Zhao roared in anger, nearly jamming a fireball in his face, but Sokka grabbed Aziran by the shirt and tossed him against the hurled fireball, nearly making him scream as the assistant's body crashed against Zhao's hand, nearly throwing him backward. A few guards caught Zhao as Aziran tumbled forward, flailing to wipe out the flames on his shoulder. Zhao gawked at the assistant and then at the scowling tribesman.
"The court and the authorities have notice, Zhao," Sokka said dangerously, confidence expertly covering up his bluffs. "Now's the time you should start acting like a good boy, don't you think? Sending fireballs at people who literally have your life in their hands isn't short of a dumb move." And with a strong rush of adrenalin at its purest, "If even a spider-fly lands on Yue, Master Piandao, or me, you'll be the prime suspect. You'll have to answer to the court. So not only do you have to keep your hands to yourself and your tongue in check, but you also have to take great care to make sure nothing happens to us. Otherwise, there won't be a need for an investigation anymore. They'll just throw you straight in prison. And even if you buy these people off, even if every single person here strips himself or herself of all sense of justice, the Avatar is also on notice of your shit. And even if you decide to say 'fuck it' and do anything to the three of us, Aang's gonna hunt you down. And I wouldn't advise you to underestimate him. He's got the power to drain you of your bending completely. And not just you…" Pointing to the guards behind him, "Your minions here, and your precious Ozai, too. And that'll be an irreversible process, no doubt."
Zhao stared at the tribesman, ashamed and downright mortified that a nonbender was the reason why he was frozen in place. Certainly he couldn't be lying about any of this. Could it really be that this was the reason why there was law enforcement at the reception…?
"Keep your distance at least now," Sokka seethed, "I better not see you or anyone associated with you anywhere near Yue. Now get the hell out of here," gesturing to Zhao's minions, "and take these dumbasses with you."
Had Zhao and his assistant and his men had not filed out in the moments that followed, Piandao would've had a heart attack for sure.
It wasn't until another hour that the chief healer finally stepped out and approached the numb, faint-looking men waiting outside of the Atsanik heiress's room. Sokka was the first to abandon his seat, "H-How is she?"
"She's stable now," she said. "She's been sick for the past few hours, but the good thing is that the poison is now out of her system."
"Poison?" Sokka panicked, "But she never had any—!"
"She didn't," the healer clarified, "But what happened was that the pain medicine she took beforehand was also a powerful sedative. By itself, it's medicinal and causes no harm, but her assailant made her unconscious with the use of another powerful anesthetic. The combination of both substances produced a fatal reaction, like a reaction to any kind of poison. We would have lost her for sure."
The men looked petrified. Qanas and Kireq took to writing down their observations, conversing between themselves in whispers.
"But not to worry, she's doing fine now. The toxins are out of her system, and she's not getting sick anymore so the danger has passed."
"Hahn had gotten violent. She had fallen several times on her legs, and they're still healing," Piandao pointed out worriedly. "I hope her condition hasn't worsened…"
"She's going to need complete rest. Thankfully her legs are not broken, but there was a bit of swelling. We managed to bring it down, but she may need to take something to prevent more swelling if it occurs. If she absolutely needs to walk and it's unavoidable, she's sticking with crutches, but no strenuous activity." Her voice lowering a little bit, "We were also able to heal most of her bruises. Her attacker had slapped her many times, and there's still a bit of swelling on her face because of that. I'll prescribe a soothing lotion for the swelling and pain."
Sokka clenched his fist, a deadly glare taking over him at the thought of Hahn's cruelty. Piandao placed a hand on his shoulder, whispering, "I think you've reacted enough today, Sokka," before turning back to the healer, "Thank you. Please let me know what other medications she might need—"
"I'll go get them," Bumi volunteered. "This is the least I can do."
"I'll have the nurse give you the names. I'm also thinking of changing the pain medicine she's currently taking. I'll give her a smaller dose… just in case… Not that this will happen again or anything, but just to be safe. We can never be too careful." Looking at Sokka, whose eyes were crimson and glazed with moisture, "You did really well, Mr. Ingiullik. You acted quickly and got here on time. We commend you for your efforts."
"Can we go see her?" Anik asked.
"Not right now. And most definitely not all of you at once. Let her sleep for a while. We'll shift her to the recovery wing soon, and you'll all be able to see her then. If she remains stable like this for at least two hours, she can go home."
"We're going to need more information about her injuries in the meantime," Qanas told the healer, "For investigation purposes. I'd like to take your statement."
"I'll be happy to share what I know, Officer." Turning to the other men, "Another thing. I can't allow you all to keep waiting here. We have other patients coming into the emergency wing, and we need to clear the space. You're going to have to wait out in the waiting area."
"You'll tell us when she's in the recovery wing?" Sokka asked.
"Yes, yes, we will, Mr. Ingiullik," the healer sighed, "Now please, go wait in the waiting area."
The healer then left with the other aiding nurses, followed closely by Officer Qanas. Kireq, Anik, and Bumi headed to the waiting area. Piandao expected Sokka to join him on his way out but found that he was heading to the emergency room, "Sokka, where are you going—?"
"There's no one in there."
"The healer said—"
"I just need to see that Yue's okay," he said. "Just for a few seconds, Master. I'll keep my distance."
He darted towards the room and opened the door slightly. Yue was presently lying on her messy hair against the cot, her eyes closed, eyebrows furrowed in a state of distress. There was now a healthy rise and fall to her chest, a stark contrast to her numbing stillness when they had rushed her here. Her cheeks were swollen, and her soft skin tender and reddened from the harsh impacts.
That scum of the earth deserves far worse than a vegetative state, Sokka grit his teeth. With burning eyes, he slowly walked over to the table beside her cot. He pulled out from his pocket the small framed portrait of Arnook and Ahnah holding baby Yue. To Sokka's regret, other than the large portrait of Arnook that still hung on the wall in her room, this small portrait was the only portrait of her family that survived Hahn's monstrous rampage. Hoping it would bring her at least some level of comfort, he kept it on the table, keeping the portrait faced towards the sleeping tribeswoman.
He failed to trap a choked sob and turned away, but before he could leave, he was stopped with a quiet, faint, rather raspy, "Are you crying?"
He quickly wiped his face and turned back around, seeing that her eyes were now slightly open and that she was looking at him with a degree of surprise.
"N-No," came a miserable lie. He inched a little closer, and when she gestured to a pelted chair beside her bed, he took his seat. "I was just worried 'cause it's been quite a few hours... But you're gonna be okay. I knew you'd be okay."
She was not sure what to make of this situation. The past months had dragged by in desolation, and the past few weeks, especially, were laced with isolation and betrayal from the people she believed were close. She didn't think there was anyone left in this world who would cry for her, but here was this stranger proving her wrong. "You're not supposed to be here."
"I know. I just wanted to see you."
Despite the healers' assurances that nothing had transpired, Yue still felt a painful wrench in her gut as she asked, "What happened… after I passed out?"
"Nothing happened. Nothing we need to worry about. Get some rest, okay—?"
She stopped his arm, her curiosity desperate, persistent. He sighed, "Right after he gave you that anesthetic, I was able to climb in through the window. He tried to hit me with a bottle of spirits, but I ended up knocking him out with it. And then we brought you here."
"Is that it? You can tell me, it's fine. I need to know…" Her eyes brimmed with tears, "Did he…after I…?"
Realizing what she was really asking, "Yue, I swear on my grandparents' souls," he told her as softly as he could. "Nothing happened. He already got that blow to the head. That was the end of it."
She blinked out another tear, nodding. "Thank you."
With a gentle squeeze of her hand, "There aren't any thank you's between friends."
"Can I at least say I'm sorry? For misunderstanding you?"
"Nope, no sorry's between friends, either."
With a burn in her throat, "You still want to be my friend?"
"Mhm," nodding sincerely, "Very much so."
"I wasn't really nice to you at first."
"Oh. Then I guess I just daydreamed that you saved my life from hypothermia." Brushing away her tears, "You could never be mean to anyone, Yue. You were hurting. A lot. Doesn't change the fact that you care about everyone around you. Even the people who wronged you."
More tears dripped down her face.
"Just admit I'm your best friend," he dried her eyes again, "and all will be forgiven."
Her palm slightly ruffled his hair in a bout of affection, and she whispered a quiet, "You're a good man, Sokka," before her drowsiness got the best of her. Her hand grasping the one in hers, eyes closing, "Can you stay with me for another minute, ikkingutima?" My friend.
He nodded elatedly, "Of course, ikkingutima."