Book I, Act V: Elementary (1/3), Chapter II

Edited by: Bieverdog AO3: GalavantingGoose

Book I, Imbalance

Act V: Elementary, Part I

Chapter II:

Azula could feel a soft breeze blowing against her face, the rustling of the leaves above her, and the sound of crashing waves against the rocky shore. She took a deep breath. She heard the noise behind her, could feel with precision how two people brushed against the tall grass that covered that place while running in her direction. Without opening her eyes, she focused, sending energy to her fingers as she turned abruptly, throwing flames in their direction.

Azula opened her eyes. A scorch mark separated two girls who lay on the ground beside it. One wore a pink dress and a long braid, whilst the other wore a more practical, dark red robe, with her silky, black hair held up in a pair of buns. They were complaining loudly.

"Ha, I got you both. I won again!" Azula smiled proudly.

Ty Lee jumped to her feet and threw out her arms. "Hooray! Good for you, Azula!"

Mai punched the ground and dusted off her robe as she stood up. "This isn't fair; you're cheating!"

"And how would I cheat?"

"For starters, you can firebend!"

"Oh, don't be a sore loser, Mai."

"Yeah, admit she's good at it, Mai! Plus, it's always fun to spend time with friends." Mai glared at Ty Lee, who smiled at her cheerfully. "Aww come on, Mai! Don't be upset." She crossed the charred line to hug Mai, who tried her best to avoid her to no avail.

After a few awkward seconds, she shoved Ty Lee off in annoyance. "Ugh! Get off me! I'm not playing this stupid game anymore." She turned around to leave.

Azula smiled. "Relax Mai, this is no mere game. As the princess, I should always be ready to defend myself. Besides, we'll throw some knives if you stay." She smirked.

"I can do that on my own!" Mai didn't turn around.

"Yes, you could; though something tells me you just don't want to admit that I'm better than you at it."

"Don't make me laugh? You? Better than me at knife throwing?"

"I've been practicing."

"But you're always practicing. Azula! When did you get the time to do knife throwing, too?"

"I managed." Azula smiled proudly.

Ty Lee gazed at her in complete astonishment. "Wow! You can always do everything!"

"So, Mai, will you take my challenge or are you too scared to accept?"

Mai chuckled. "Sure, at least it will be fun to see you embarrass yourself."

"Now, now; don't be overconfident."

"Great! I guess I'll just watch you girls from the tree." The girl hopped and climbed a cherry-apple tree to sit on a branch and admire the view. Azula walked towards the trunk of the tree. Bending a little flame with her index finger, she drew a target.

"We'll start at twenty paces. Whoever hits the mark first wins. Hand me one of your knives."

"This is going to be easy."

"If you say so… Ok, I'll go first." Azula focused her eyes on the mark. She felt the weight of the knife on her fingers as she readied her arm to throw. She flicked her arm forward, and the knife flew swiftly, striking near the mark. Azula noticed Mai widened her eyes a bit. Her friend certainly didn't expect her to get better so fast.

Ty Lee dangled from a branch with her legs as she looked at the target. "Nice shot Azula!"

"Your turn now."

Mai took a deep breath and threw– Azula turned around. "Is that Zuko?"

Mai looked back. "Huh, where?" Azula blasted the knife off target.

Azula gave a fake gasp and covered her mouth. "Oh, no, I think it was just the wind."

Mai turned around and instantly saw through her ruse. "Azula!"

"What?" She put her hands behind her back and looked at her casually.

"I'm sure you cheated!"

"No, I didn't."

"You did! Don't lie to me." Mai pointed a finger at her.

"Okay, since you are so sure that I cheated, why don't we ask Ty Lee who won?"

"Ty Lee! Who won the game?"

"Huh? Oh sorry, I was looking at the clouds here! They look so spongy I wanna hug them!"

"Well, since she wasn't paying attention, we should settle for a draw, just for the time being."

Mai crossed her arms. "Whatever."

"You have to come up here, you guys. The sky is looking so pretty! Come on, the sun is setting; you'll miss it!"

"Let's go, Mai. Don't be so bitter about it; you won, okay?" They ran towards the tree and climbed to the branch where Ty Lee was sitting.

"Look, it's turning pink and red! That's such a good sign. I just want to say you guys are my bestest friends in the whole wide world!"

"You always make it pretty clear, Ty Lee."

"School is boring; with you guys, it isn't totally boring, so… thanks for that." Ty Lee hugged Mai. This time she stiffly allowed it.

They sat on a branch as they admired the view. As the sun appeared to sink into the ocean, shades of pink, red, and yellow washed over the sky, brightening as the sun dipped further below the horizon.

"I wish this moment could last forever… Okay, you guys have to promise me we'll come back here when we are older."

"Okay, but don't hug me." Mai gave Ty Lee a warning look.

She had remained silent in thought.

Ty Lee looked at her. "Azula?"

"I don't know. Don't you think this is a big waste of time? How much longer do we have to wait to be able to do something important? I haven't learnt anything here I didn't already know. It feels more like a nuisance than a test."

"But… you wouldn't have met us if you didn't come. It is a thing about… I forgot the word. It starts with a d…" She tapped a finger on her chin.

"Destiny?" said Mai, with her eyebrows raised slightly.

"Oh yes, that! Thanks, Mai!"

Azula chuckled. "Well, maybe it did happen for a reason… We will do great things together."

Ty Lee's eyes glimmered. "So, we're definitely coming back here when we're older then. I knew it! We will remain friends forever and ever!" She gave them both a small hug.

A slight smile curved on Azula's lips, and she sighed. It was getting dark already.

"Well, let's go now girls, back to the cit–"

"Mai? Ty Lee?"

Azula muttered, "You gotta be kidding me." She sighed. "Fine! I'll go on my own and leave you here in the dark, Ty Lee." She awaited a response, but none came. A feeling of emptiness filled her as darkness fell like a veil over everything. She glanced at the sky but could see no stars. She turned around to look back at the caldera. Not even the lights of the city were lit. She had been so focused on her observations, she failed to realize the branch below her began to crack until it gave way, and she fell to the ground like a rag doll. She cursed the tree, wheezing, for the hard impact had taken all the air from her lungs. Azula stood up holding her bruised back. It was too dark to see where she was walking. The sound of laughter made her turn around.

"Ty Lee, is that you?" No one answered, and the laughter continued. She walked towards it, her feet growing heavy as she approached the sound. A silvery shimmer caught her attention amid the darkness. Her first instinct was paralyzing fear. She bent a small flame to light her way, but the fire was an island in that sea of blackness. It was more a dense fog than shadows. Only a silver glimmer shone through it. As Azula neared, she noticed it was a mirror, the enveloping mist leaving it partly uncovered.

"Azula..." She flinched as she heard a feeble voice from the mirror. Could hear the laughter at her back and a wheezy, coughing voice coming from the mirror. "Leave… Now…" said the weak voice amidst stronger coughs.

The laughter became a whisper. "See for yourself..." it giggled. "Your destiny…" it said mockingly.

The mist slowly dissipated, uncovering the mirror. She saw a pale, frail, old woman with a skeletal appearance looking at her with golden eyes and pointing at her with trembling bone]y hands reaching through the glass.

"There…" She coughed, spitting blood. The old woman struggled amidst ragged breaths to reach closer.

"Is no…" She stepped out of the mirror, and Azula fell back. The old woman's face contracted into a grimace that expressed sheer terror. As blood trickled from her mouth, she drew one last breath before collapsing to the ground beside her. The fog rushed over her as mad laughter echoed in her head. She tried to cover her ears; but when she tried to lift her hands, she felt all strength had left her. Her whole body trembled; her hands had turned wrinkled and pale; her bones were pronounced under the skin. She gasped in horror as she saw her reflection. Unable to breathe, she began to suffocate as the laughter intensified.

"Time…" The whisper cackled.

Azula gasped for air as she awoke, covered in sweat, startling her roommate who stood guard by the door. Nozomi's eyes darted back and forth from Azula to the window in their door. "You were doing it again. I think no one heard you this time…" Azula calmed her breathing slowly without replying.

There was concern in Nozomi's eyes. "Are you okay now?"

Still breathing deeply, Azula whispered, "There… is no… time."

***

"So, tell me again, what are the clues we've got?"

"What is that hat you're wearing?" Zuko pointed at Sokka's blue lion-deerstalker hat.

"Hey, I'm asking the questions here. Now let's see. You told me the criminals got paid in jewels, the maker of this device hasn't been found yet, and they knew you were coming; so they prepared an ambush, they failed to get you, and you said you also followed Overseer Taiku to a tea shop in Harbor City where he met a mysterious woman. Am I correct?"

"Uh… yes. You missed some of the details, but yes."

"Oh, no, I never miss any details, my dear Zuko. This looks like it might be a case only I could crack. I gotta say you're lucky it has captured my interest." Sokka jumped up and went for the door.

"Where are you going?"

"Where are we going, you mean? To untangle this mystery, we must go to the scene of the crime, my dear Zuko. The game is afoot."

"Would you at least take off that stupid hat?"

"The hat stays. Let's go."

The pair traveled by carriage to the crime scene where it all began: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It was a foggy cloudy morning as a thin veil of mist shrouded the rooftops, looking like a mirror-image of the cobblestoned roads beneath them. Sokka puffed his bubble pipe as he fiddled with a monocle in his other hand. Zuko looked at him, disconcerted and concerned, for they were to embark deep into investigation yet again. He thought with frustration of his failed attempts to find the real culprits, hoping, at least today, they could make a difference. The bleakness of the weather didn't help improve his mood; he felt as bad as it seemed.

"I don't get it; there is nothing there. You don't seem to be putting much thought into this."

"Well, I believe first we should get all the data we can find before arriving at any conclusions. It is a common mistake to theorize without all the evidence; not that I did that with Kyoshi's murder case, mind you."

"Kyoshi's murder case?"

"Didn't I tell you I had some experience in the matter? It was fairly easy for a detective of my stature. A few keen observations, and the case was solved. But again, we mustn't bias our judgment with early theorizing. There will be time for it later when we have made sure to gather all the clues."

"It seems we'll get our clues soon, we're almost there." Zuko pointed to the Foreign Affairs Ministry building faintly visible in the fog. Sokka slid open a small window to speak with the driver. "Leave us here, driver, please." The carriage stopped twenty yards from where Zuko had stopped earlier that day.

People were out and about. They walked to the entrance. Its ornate roof was shrouded in fog, but they could see the excessive amount of flags well. They gave an eerie red glow that shone on the white marble floor. After a few indications by Zuko, Sokka began to scan the area nonchalantly. With his monocle, he meticulously followed each step Zuko had taken rather slowly. With his eyes fixed on the ground, he stopped at the places where the assailant stood and where his friend had been wounded.

He knelt down, inspecting each minute detail and gathering much attention from curious passersby. They were craning their necks to get a glimpse of the young detective in action. But he paid them no mind, for his face was expressionless, yet his eyes showed he was entrenched in deep thought. He resembled an eel-hound following a trail. After a few minutes of silent appreciation, Zuko noticed a slight smile curved in Sokka's lips. His friend stood up and puffed his pipe, standing in admiration of himself.

"Well?" Zuko asked, looking at him confused.

"This is most interesting… See that?" Sokka pointed around with his pipe. "If the people had been kept back there behind the road, the colonists would have never managed to get close enough to even look at you. From this, we know they didn't work alone at all. Whoever arranged the security details for this event has something to do with this one way or another."

"Mak? That's not possible. He suggested strengthening security before I even left the carriage."

"Remember what I said about biased conclusions. We are not done, this is just another piece of the puzzle, my dear Zuko." "Stop calling me that…" "We have yet to find more clues in the residence of the colonists."

"That place has been thoroughly searched; it's probably sealed off right now."

"I have yet to take a good look at it. Besides, you're the Fire Lord; we'll just break in somehow. A pity I couldn't be here the day of the crime." Sokka puffed his bubble pipe again before walking to the carriage energetically. Zuko followed close by, fearing his companion had become so entranced in the matter that he would leave him behind.

"To Taramaguro District." The detective jumped into his carriage seat. Zuko motioned the driver to wait; and a moment later, they were on their way again.

As Zuko settled in his seat, he was curious. "What do you hope to find there?"

Sokka fixed his hat before answering. "Certainly, something more promising. You said this Tegakari fellow was missing, right?"

"Yes, but Mak has searched for him all over the city, and he is nowhere to be found. The man just vanished."

"There's no such thing, my dear Zuko. There is always a rational explanation if one knows where to look."

They didn't exchange many words on the way to Harbor City. Thankfully, the fog had somewhat lifted over the Caldera, allowing a few shy rays of sunshine through the cloudy sky. The Fire Lord's mind drifted to what Sokka had said. Mak… working with Taiku. To what end? Maybe a subordinate. As he glanced over Harbor City from the heights of the Caldera, anxiety struck. He also thought of Taiku's secret meeting. He wondered what would have happened that day had he been discovered earlier. That woman… Who is she? What did Taiku tell her to do? Could she be planning another attack?

Something smacked into his head. Of course, he had to throw his pipe.

"What was that for?!"

"Sorry about that. Look! We're entering Harbor City. You told me the tea shop was near the city's entrance, right?"

Zuko rubbed his head as he looked through the window. Oddly enough, he hadn't noticed the place had a sign: Tian's Teashop. It was a quaint looking place with light-blue brick walls covered in ornamental vines. It must have been painted every few months for it to have remained so immaculate compared to the typical soot stains marring the city's buildings. "Yes, that is the place."

"Good, maybe we'll come back later." Sokka absentmindedly fiddled with his monocle. Zuko sighed, focusing as they ambled into the poorest districts of the city. It was a stunning transition: from normal buildings and houses to dilapidated shops, food shelters, and sprawling factories that pumped heavy black smoke continuously. They carried on through muddied clay streets. The air became heavier and hotter as they arrived in one of the poorest districts. The black smoke seemed to compete with the morning fog's density.

The driver stopped suddenly. "This is as far as I'll take you; you'll have to make the rest of your way on foot. I'll be waiting for you here once you're done… f you come back…" he muttered.

"That's alright; we won't take long."

"We won't?" Zuko asked not without worry, eyeing the people glaring at them like fish out of water.

"Don't worry about it; I've got it all under control."

The pair walked the muddied streets. It felt like déjà vu to Zuko: the workers on the streets, the homeless people, the war veterans, and some shady characters thrown into the mix; the soot-stained buildings, and the roaring sound of the ever-working factories. He wondered for a moment if the old man he saw last time would cross them on the streets–

A dark, oily liquid splashed right in front of him, trickling down the muddy streets. The strong smell made him gag. They looked at each other, disgusted by the smell, and quickened their pace.

Sokka stopped, taking a small notebook from his pocket. A map had been folded between the pages. That's the map Renhao gave me… Sokka unfolded the map. "You're lucky I'm also an expert map reader…"

Zuko tried to get a closer glimpse of the map, but Sokka clapped it together. "This is it!"

"I don't see anything."

"Observe carefully. This shop has been closed down due to the investigation, correct?" Zuko nodded. "So, what do those boards on the corner building tell you?"

"You cannot be sure it's the shop; have you seen this place?"

"Nonsense; I'll show you myself." Sokka walked towards the covered door and struggled to pull off a board. Zuko helped, prying at it from the sides. It tore off the door, sending Sokka onto his behind. He was trapped beneath the plank.

A middle aged man with a rugged black beard chased them off with a wooden cane. "Get off my property, you punks!"

"Sorry to disturb you, sir; my friend here thought this was Yucai General Store."

"Yeah, that's me!" The man pointed proudly at his chest. "If you work for the guards, I'm warning you one last time: no one enters my property! And I don't care what they say. There's a crime scene every corner here, and no one even cares!"

Sokka struggled under his wooden trap. "Do not worry, my good fellow! We're… just… hired investigators." With that, he wiggled free of the plank. He dusted off his mud-stained clothes to join Zuko.

"Okay, you better not be with the guards, or you'll regret it. Do not think I'm taking my eyes off of you for a second."

"That's fine. May I inquire about what you know about the colonists that used to live in your shop?"

"Argh, not this again! Those rascals have only caused me misery since they came. If I had known they'd be so much trouble, I would have left them in the streets."

"So, they lived in the streets?"

"Do you think they would've lasted long on the streets, boy? They came from the same place where every mudlovin' colonist comes from. The city set up a whole block of buildings for them to work at the factories nearby. The only thing is, none of them liked to live in a crowded building working for free day and night. So, many wandered the streets looking for work or even causing trouble to hard working people such as myself. You see?"

Sokka began to look around the shop, as the shopkeeper followed him around babbling. The shelves were mostly empty. They only offered a few products: canned fish, canned meat, and several miscellaneous items, such as broken toys, scrap metal, a rusty sword, and a section that seemed dedicated to fishing nets, rods, and bait that smelled rotten.

"The guards around here don't care much for security. So, I thought maybe a few tough-looking colonists would scare off thieves pretty well. Plus, the extra hands at work didn't hurt."

Sokka raised an eyebrow, smiling. "I see. Would you take us to the room where they stayed?"

The man took them to the back of the shop. From the ceiling hung a rope attached to a trap door. He jumped to pull on it. As it opened, a ladder fell, and he climbed it. "I tell you, they may have helped a little; but they were so much trouble it wasn't worth it. One of them even snored the whole night. I mean, I sleep downstairs; so, you can imagine how loud that was for me to hear."

Zuko led the way as they climbed the ladder, and it creaked from its use. On the ceiling above, he noticed a small circular window, too far for anyone to reach, and too high for it to light up the room properly. So, they relied more on his fire than anything to see in that dark confined place. The room looked larger due to the absence of all furniture; and cobwebs adorned the roof, which was blotched in places with mildew. The wooden floor had hay straws scattered across, its density increasing to larger piles on the sides. The walls had also fallen into disrepair but appeared to hold up considerably well despite a few cracks here and there.

Sokka nudged him. "A light, please." Zuko bent a small flame on his hand.

"There ain't much to see here. They slept in those hay piles, and that's about it. Guards made a mess of the shop when they left. I had to clean it up all by myself, then!"

Sokka seemed to have tuned out the man, as he was already looking down at the wooden floor. He lay down with one ear pressed against the ground and tapped on it with his pipe, then he jumped a few times. The shopkeeper eyed him furiously.

"What do you think you're doing?! You're gonna break the floor, kid." Sokka paid him no mind as he chose a different spot to jump on.

The man muttered, "Your friend isn't the sharpest knife in the kitchen."

Sokka stopped to puff his pipe as he looked up to the ceiling. His eyes seemed to follow an invisible line that led to a dilapidated wall. He tapped it with his pipe; it was hollow. The section of the wall didn't look particularly different, for it only had a thin crack on its sides but nothing conspicuous. Sokka examined it with his monocle then sniffed it. He got up with a jump, looking at his puzzled friend and the angered shop keeper triumphantly. "This is what we're looking for. Help me melt the glue."

Zuko knelt next to Sokka and concentrated on bending a dim flame near the wall as the shopkeeper rambled and kicked the hay piles left scattered on the floor.

"Glue? So that's where it went! They broke my wall, glued it back together, and ran away without paying for it!"

Sokka gripped the piece of wall and pulled. It slowly gave way until it collapsed, revealing a small hole big enough for a hand to fit in. "This must be where they stashed them."

"Huh? Stashed what? Hey, whatever you find in there is mine, you hear me?" Sokka paid him no mind as he put his hand in the hole. His face became serious as his whole arm disappeared within, tapping and searching thoroughly. His face lit up, and he pulled his hand out quickly– It was a scorpion-spider. He screamed, chucking it on the floor. It scurried to drop through the hole in the floor.

"Ok, I'm not doing that again. Your turn, Z– … Zuki?"

Zuko facepalmed, but composed himself, crouched down, and groped inside the hole. He could feel a lot of dust and cobwebs and… something. It felt a bit cold and was hard but with sharp edges. Could it be? He grabbed it and pulled it out. The rock glimmered even in the dark. Bending a flame, he examined it. It was a gold ring in the shape of a curling dragon inset with a ruby.

Sokka snatched it to look at it with his monocle, smirking. "Well, this certainly isn't false. What did I tell you, my dear… Zuki?"

"Just stop it now; it sounds weird."

"Hand it over, kid; that's mine!" The shopkeeper tried to snatch the ring, but Sokka pulled it back fast.

"We're working for the Fire Lord. This is evidence for our investigation. Stand aside, good fellow." Sokka smiled.

"Oh yeah? Well, Fire Lord or not, this is my property. You hand it over now!"

"Look, we'll pay you for it, okay?" Zuko took out a bag of coins.

"You won't even give me half of what it's worth!"

Now Zuko was annoyed. "You think you would've found it without us? Think again."

"These colonists cost me my shop! I'll take whatever they left, and you're not taking anything."

Sokka narrowed his eyes. "If I give it to you, what would you do with it? It's not like you'd find anyone else to sell it. And the guards are looking into anyone who buys any valuables around these parts. You either sell it to us or nobody."

"You know nothing, boy."

Zuko looked at the man. "Fine, take us to your merchant of choice, and we'll leave you alone."

"Pfft. Anyone at the docks would buy a trinket like this in a heartbeat."

"Take us there, then; and we'll give it to you, plus some extra for your troubles. Half now, the other half when we get there. Deal?"

"Make it double, and you've got yourself a deal, kid." They nodded, and Zuko tossed a coin pouch to him. After helping the man close the store, they threaded through the misplaced crooked streets, avoiding filthy patches of mud and any suspicious looking passersby. Their only indications that they were getting closer to the docks were the humid breeze and the characteristic lingering smell of fish. Their path felt like a maze, for several streets ended in dead ends. Zuko was relieved that they could convince the shopkeeper to take them, for they wouldn't have found the way to the docks on their own.