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

Book I, Imbalance

Act V: Elementary, Part I

Chapter III:

Azula was sitting at her cafeteria table next to Nozomi, who was shamelessly wolfing down some noodles. She didn't pay much attention to her noisy eating habits, her eyes scanning every corner of that place. There was a five-by-four grid of long, oak tables with space for at least six people per table. But that did not concern her; her attention was focused on the nurses standing as lookouts in the corners of the room. The place had only two doors. The large one led to the main corridor, which joined the dining room to the rooms and gardens. The other was to the kitchen. She couldn't tell from her perspective if that room had another door.

She had begun mentally mapping the institution, considering not only its layout, but its workers, too. She focused on a young nurse. She didn't seem to have much experience; for she was standing in the corner with a superior. She assumed it was a superior, for there was no idle chatter, only a prolonged staring contest. Even if the young one's eyes were on the room, her gaze felt absent-minded. The nurse wasn't paying attention at all; maybe she coul–

"Are you gonna finish yours?" Nozomi asked with her mouth still full.

Azula turned to reply, annoyed. "Can't you see I'm trying to concentrate?"

"Oh sorry, I didn't notice." Azula's eyes focused on the young nurse again as Nozomi slurped on another noodle. She stopped midway to follow Azula's gaze.

"Why are you looking at Hinode like that?"

"Shut up, I told you I– Hold on a minute. Yes… You know them well, don't you?"

"Uh huh, yeah! The ones that are nice to me, at least… She's a bit new here, has a hard time adapting to her new work; so, they sent Nurse Shinju to supervise her. She's a mean one; that one you don't want to cross."

"Hmm… You might be able to help more than I initially thought."

"Oh?" She looked at Azula as she munched her noodles.

"Don't worry about it."

She shrugged. "Okey dokey…" Nozomi had already finished her noodles, poking her chopsticks at Azula's bowl. "If you're not going to eat them, can I–"

"No!" Azula grunted in annoyance. She had been so caught up observing the nurse that she didn't realize who sat near her. Now, of course, Zirin and her annoying goonettes would think she was staring them down. Great, another thing to deal with now. She sighed, stopping her staring to eat cold noodles.

To add to her humiliation, she was still restrained. Someone had to feed the food to her like a little child. But she had no choice for now; she had to play along until the nurses trusted her enough to leave her untied. She looked at Nozomi, who was playing with her chopsticks in a disinterested manner. It pained her to admit she needed help. Nozomi noticed without Azula saying a word, sliding closer and holding the bowl closer to Azula's mouth as she scooped the noodles.

"Don't worry, if you keep up like this, they'll take that thing off of you in no time." She smiled but noticed the pity in her eyes. Azula hated it; to feel helpless was something she couldn't comprehend or accept. She continued eating in silence.

Soon after, they were being led to the courtyard for their daily hour out. Only there could Azula break the monotonous routine. But now, it wasn't a place to relax; it could be a means of escape if she observed well enough. She noticed that many of the nurses who monitored them in the dining room also did so in the courtyard. But there were guards about, so security was considerably tighter there.

There were no vines that she could climb. There was a cherry-plum tree in the middle of the courtyard with ample space around it. There was no way she could get to the rooftop from there. The columns lining the gallery had protruding dragon decorations. Maybe she could climb to the top of the portico to scale to the main building's rooftop, but it looked too high.

Her roommate whispered, "Azula, Zirin is coming." The freckled girl stared at Azula furiously as she marched in their direction, accompanied by two other girls.

Zirin bowled past Nozomi and whispered, "Tell your pet to behave, Savage. Doesn't it know it's rude to stare at people?" They continued walking like nothing happened. As annoying as that girl was, at least, it could help Azula learn how attentive the nurses and guards were. As she suspected, several eyes were upon them. It would be no easy task to do anything there unnoticed. She felt Nozomi breathing nervously and realized the origin of her anxiety. It paralyzed her partially too.

The doctor strode along the paths of the garden with his hands behind his back, humming a song. As none of the patients were allowed to speak there, his voice was the only one accompanying the chirping of the birds. He walked close by, inspecting Azula as if she were another plant in the garden. She avoided his gaze. She could feel Nozomi's grip tightening on her wheelchair. The doctor muttered some words of satisfaction before continuing his stroll, humming cheerfully. When she couldn't hear him anymore, the ex-princess let out a sigh of relief.

A few minutes later, they were guided like a herd of sheep-pigs back to their rooms to be locked up for the rest of the day. Azula analyzed every little detail as they walked. Returning to the main corridor, they entered the first door to the left, which led to their room's hallway. Doors lined the walls. Nurses were filing patients into them.

One stood with a guard by their door, holding a checklist. She made a tick mark as each patient passed through single-file at the guard's directions. Next to the door on the other side, there was a small room with open doors guarded by nurses constantly. All with a metal door and a small window to see through, with the same cheap monotone beds. The outside at least was decorated fairly well, resembling a well-furnished manor with sculptures and tapestries depicting mountains, valleys, and rivers. The metal doors of their rooms looked odd at best, mixed with the luxurious furniture. She counted at least fifteen other patients residing on their block. Their room was the last one on the right.

Azula spent the whole afternoon at their paltry window, trying to get a glimpse of the nurses. It was impossible from their room to see their guard positions. Now that she thought about it, all the cell doors were probably arranged so that the patients couldn't see the exit, only the doors of their fellow patients. She had to rely on the sounds the nurses made or the times they took a stroll down the corridor to inspect them.

"Are you going to stand there the whole day? I could cover for you if you want."

"I'm fine; plus, you'd just ruin it."

"I think you should be more careful, Azula. What if they notice what you are doing?"

Azula laughed. "If they do, I'll just play crazy. We're being held at an institution after all, are we not?"

"That doesn't matter. Some of them don't like it when you look, or when you speak to them… You haven't been here for as long as I have…"

"I'll manage, then. Look, you worry about telling me everything you know about them; I'll worry about the rest."

"I don't know all of them, but sure."

"If you don't know all of them, then get friendly with the ones you don't. Only try to get the important details; leave out the part when you tell me about their pets, families, and friends."

"Yes ma'am." Nozomi made the flame mockingly before giggling. "Gee, you sound like a soldier sometimes, you know that?" Azula rolled her eyes before focusing on the corridor again. What else would she do? They would only think her a nut for staring out the window.

***

A kind of market, the man told them. Through it, they could reach the dock. Also, many merchants from all corners of the world gathered there. It was a hub of commerce in which people of all social classes gathered, as well as bandits, pirates, and mercenaries. With the luck we have... I hope we are not entering the moose-lion's den. The place did not appear very impressive from the outside. In front lay a large circular door with two hanging red paper lamps and a sign that simply read 'Grand Market'. Crowds were coming and going with boxes, carpets, weapons, and even sculptures and exotic animals.

"I told you, here, for sure, there's buyers to spare… Now, hand it over."

Sokka puffed from his bubble pipe and smiled at the man. "Not so fast, my good man. find one; otherwise, no deal. Have we made ourselves clear?"

The man's eyes grew furious. "I knew I should have taken it then and there. Fine. Pick it up! I want to get back to my store before nightfall."

As they walked into the bazaar, Zuko understood why the market was "grand." There were small shops crammed side by side along a spacious, arc-like corridor. Colorful paper lanterns adorned the ceiling with some Fire Nation flags here and there. It was a world of scents, colors, and sounds. The amount of options was overwhelming. There was a small store for every little thing. Some sold incense and perfumes; spices and foods of the most varied tastes; weapons and armor; fabrics, garments, hats, canes. The cries of merchants bargaining prices and advertising their wares made it difficult to distinguish what each said unless one strolled closer to the speaker. The cacophony only increased the chaos of sensation.

Customers murmured as they perused the wares, some stopping for tea. Zuko wondered how someone could enjoy a cup of tea in that incessant hustle and bustle. Apparently, it was a place where fortunes were made and unmade in seconds. A guard was a rare sight, relegating the security of the market to hired mercenary thugs.

It was difficult to observe the area without getting lost in the sea of shoppers. He was thankful he hadn't taken that dorky hat from Sokka; it was quite garish in the blur of colors passing by.

Zuko crashed into a man drowning in jewels and golden chains. The man grunted and shoved him. "Watch where you're going, boy!" Before he could apologize, the man had already moved. He nearly panicked when he lost sight of Sokka. He snaked his way through the crowds to the side of a shop and stood on some boxes to get a better view. His friends had continued towards the center of the market, a hub linked to other hallways and the dock. He struggled to get there, jostling and stumbling.

At the center of the hub were rings of vendors. In the outer ring, he found a store in which he could distinguish Sokka's hat standing out behind a counter of second-hand jewelry. A guard was protecting the counter jealously. Zuko entered the shop to see Sokka nonchalantly puffing his pipe as the vendor examined the ring. The shopkeeper was tapping his fingers on the counter anxiously.

"Ah, you finally arrived, my dear Zuki. This fine gentleman here is very interested in our ring." Sokka pointed with his pipe. The man was engrossed in his work behind a half-open booth shutter.

The merchant only raised his eyes for a second to glance at Zuko before returning to his task. He had placed the ring on a bronze stand and was examining it thoroughly with a hefty magnifying glass. The Fire Lord could see the man's enlarged brown eyes and hairy white eyebrows through it.

The man muttered, "It is an exquisite piece, indeed; very valuable and rare."

Not removing his gaze, he asked in a serious undertone, "Say, where did you two good sirs find it?"

The shopkeeper huffed. "I told you, it's a family heirloom. You want it or not?"

"How odd." The old man put down the magnifying glass and rang a small bell. "Don't you find it curious that others have come before with that same argument? Though, I'm afraid in this case, I can't help you, and I have to requisition this piece." They could feel the thud of heavy footsteps in the room–they were surrounded. Their companion was pointing angrily. The merchant closed the window of his fortified office.

"Come out here, swindler! You send these scum to deal with us, eh? C'mere, you coward." The man shouted obscenities as the merchant's guards surrounded them. Sokka and Zuko stood back-to-back.

The voice of the merchant could be faintly heard from his enclosure. "You'll go quietly if you know what's good for you. It has been a pleasure doing business with you."

Zuko spun to face his friend. "I thought you said you'd have everything under control!"

"Huh? It's not my fault this guy brought us here." Sokka snatched a steel rod that had some tiaras on it. He swung, hurling the merchandise at the assailants, some smacking a few in the head.

Zuko knew he couldn't use firebending if he didn't want to set the whole place on fire; so, he followed Sokka's example by grabbing a sculpture he had on hand and throwing it at the nearest attacker. He wrestled two swords from one of the mercenaries and threw one at his friend. He parried the blows and countered like the wind. Throwing a couple of well-placed swings, he downed two giants rushing at him and landing right on top of the shopkeeper. With each blow, the store steadily disintegrated. Some began to crowd outside to look at the mess, while opportunists stole some of the jewelry scattered on the floor.

Zuko heard the sound of a door opening behind him. The merchant was escaping with a chest in his arms. The Fire Lord danced through the crowd and ran, pushing those in his way. "Stop him!" The remaining guards covered their patron's escape, but they were no match for the young detectives, who broke through in wild pursuit.

To follow his trail was not so difficult, for it was enough to look at the alarmed crowds and some people cursing on the ground to know where the merchant had passed. They followed his trail to the docks, and almost ran over some workers loading crates. They quickly scanned the port walkways. The place was crammed with as many ships as people. There were cranes and piles of crates stacked, ready to be loaded in every corner. And shady bars where Zuko supposed the sailors spent their evenings ashore.

"There!" Sokka pointed. In the distance, a man could be seen dashing against the traffic.

Zuko muttered, "Wow. For an old man he runs fast." They chased him to a small merchant steamer moored to the dock in front of a seedy bar.

The ship seemed ready to sail, loaded with cargo. They ran to the boarding plank. There were two thugs sitting on some boxes, guarding the entrance.

The one with an eye patch was bored. "If you are looking for a job, talk to the Captain." They looked at each other.

Sokka held out inquisitive hands. "Well, and where is the good captain if I may ask?" The man pointed his saber at the bar in front of the ship and laughed.

They nodded and made their way to the bar. Its owner clearly didn't care for its appearance since it had long deteriorated with the help of the sea; not even the sign of it could be read. But it was easy to tell the trade of that place by looking at its customers. Still, Zuko was more preoccupied with the merchant eluding them again. Maybe this was his ship. "Are you sure he got on this ship?"

Sokka whispered, "Without a doubt. Play along." They approached the bartender, who was cleaning some glasses after serving a plate of rice to some sailors. The man gave them a strange look and raised an eyebrow patiently.

Sokka smiled widely. "Good afternoon, we are here to see the captain."

The bartender replied in a monotone voice. "You'll have to be more specific, kid; this is a port in case you haven't noticed."

"Very well, the captain of that ship." Sokka pointed to the red-sailed ship in front of the bar.

"I see. She's back here; follow me." The bartender took them to the back of the bar to the private section. The tables were empty, or at least most of them. As they approached, they heard laughter.

"Ah, you're a little rascal! Heh, heh, heh. You better watch out; I'm on a lucky streak today. Show me the best you've got, come on!" That voice… Taiku's accomplice! This can't be a coincidence.

"Yes! I'm taking this home, baby." There was the clink of dishes and the unsheathing of a sword. They quickened their pace.

"Hey, hey! We're friends, right?" A woman in red sat with her leather boots on a Pai Sho board. The pieces lay scattered on the floor. Her wavy black hair sat in a bun. A dagger glinted in her right boot. At her neck rested the sword edge of the man in black before her.

"Cheater!" Then they looked at the newcomers.

She casually inched away the sharp edge of the sword with the back of her fingers. "What could it be now? One of your kids is here to lose all your money?" The distracted swordsman tried to move back the sword; but the woman kicked it in the blink of an eye, lodging it in the ceiling. She stood up on the table, pulled it out, and slashed at the man. He covered his eyes, expecting another terrible blow; but the woman had cut only through his belt sash. His pants fell to the floor. The man grabbed them and ran away embarrassed as the woman laughed heartily. She jumped off the table, sat back, and stabbed the sword into the floor.

"So, what brings you here, kids?" She waved the bartender off.

Sokka took a moment to reply, still trying to process the situation. "I… I hear you were looking for some sailors to hire."

"Oh, yeah. No, there's no more work available. Maybe next time when you are a bit older."

"We could start right now and work for free."

"Hmm, you seem enthusiastic enough. You'll just have to get rid of that thing," she pointed at the hat, "before we set sail. But I wanna hear something from you too."

Zuko uncovered his sword. "Enough of this, you're coming with us." Sokka tensed, and the woman eyed Zuko, amused.

Sokka side-eyed him. "What are you doing? I told you t–"

"She's the one that was with Taiku."

She looked at Zuko with half-lidded eyes and smiled. "Let's make a deal. I set sail now, and I let you walk out of here with your lives. Seems like a fair offer to me."

"Not a cha–" She jumped off the seat, landing in between them. She kicked Zuko back and shoved Sokka to dash for the door. She knocked down the bartender as she sprinted. Zuko followed closely after. Dashing to the street, he bent a fire whip, closing her path.

She spun around with her dagger in hand and jumped forward, slashing swiftly and meeting a few targets. He jumped back and swept the ground with fire, but she timed her jump perfectly. She was going to fall on him– Sokka stepped in at the last moment to block her with his sword. She retreated. Zuko punched fire, singing her arm. She lost her balance, collapsing and dropping her dagger.

"All of you, on your knees! Drop your weapons!" They were surrounded by city guards.

The mercenary snarled. "There's my luck! Damn it! I jinxed it!"

Sokka shrugged. "It happens…"

Zuko pulled back his hood to some gasps. "I'm Fire Lord Zuko. I order you to arrest this woman."

The mercenary was shortly hauled into a police carriage. Zuko and Sokka inspected the merchant ship but found no trace of the merchant, but he did leave a mess. It seemed he had scrambled in a rush when he got wind of the fight. Deep below deck, they discovered several colonists ready to set sail. In the captain's cabin, they found a treasure trove of evidence: letters to informants and from Taiku, as well as an assortment of charted maps that detailed in great length the route of Fire Navy patrols. The captain had planned to sail all the way to Langshizi, bringing back the colonists. A dozen or more trips like this had been already carried out, with more planned. Zuko handed the letters to Sokka, who read them unconvinced.

"This is all I needed; we can arrest him!"

"I don't know…"

"Look, you said we shouldn't theorize without all the evidence. This is it! This shows that Taiku had the link with the colonists and the merchant! He couldn't have fled here just because. He even recognized the ring we found at the colonists' house! This proves it all!"

"Well, you're probably right… Let's go find Taiku, then. After you, my dear Zuko."

"Would you stop that already?"

"No… my dear–"

"I hate you."

***

Zuko stood in the capital admiring a tapestry as guards came and went around the Overseer's house. It was modest for a government official but located near the palace. Its main attraction was a small inner garden that simulated a small waterfall. The Overseer seemed to spend most of his time in that place, for it was just a side-door away from his office. The sanctuary acted as a sort of hub that connected the whole house.

The tapestry was beautifully crafted, depicting a dragon in a ferocious struggle with a tigerdillo. They were so focused on their brawl that they failed to notice the men lurking around them–

"They found him." He turned to see Sokka gesticulating excitedly. "He tried to burn his letters, but we found some still intact, and they match perfectly with the ones we found on the ship. Do you want to come see him off to jail?" Zuko nodded and followed Sokka out of Taiku's house. As the duo walked outside, they could see the cuffed Overseer being manhandled by two guards.

"Let me go! I can walk on my own." He glared at Zuko before continuing his way to the back of the police carriage alongside his escorts.

Zuko sighed and gazed up at the sky. "It feels like a weight off my shoulders. Thanks, Sokka; I couldn't have done it without you."

"Don't mention it; it was a pleasure to help. You know who to call when you have another case. But don't let your guard down yet. Remember, the merchant is still on the run."

"I doubt he'll stay that way for long. Let's go back to the palace; I promised Mai we'd be there for lunch."

"Why didn't you say so before? Let's go."

***

"And after fighting off dozens of the merchant's thugs, we chased him to the docks, where there was an army of pirates awaiting our arrival led by a pirate captain who was an expert fighter but was no match for the swordsman and detective Sokka… and his sidekick, Zuko. Then we went swish swash and banggity bang… and we won."

Katara stared at him incredulously. "Sure, and then a dragon fell from the sky and helped you defeat the pirate army, right?"

"You really don't know how to have fun, sister."

Toph shrugged as she poked her toes. "I think it's a pretty cool story."

Zuko sighed. "It wasn't quite like Sokka says, but some things are true."

"Satisfactory, my dear Zuko?"

"I am banning that phrase."

Toph held out disappointed hands. "Man, why is it only you having fun adventures with Zuko? If you had called me, I would have gladly helped; instead, I had to spend these days with Katara… Uh, no offense, Sweetness."

"Hey! I thought you were having fun." Katara sounded indignant.

"I would have preferred some action."

Katara saw Aang staring wistfully at them.

"What's the matter, Aang?"

"Oh, nothing; just enjoying the moment. We have to leave soon…"

Sokka looked at him in confusion. "Already?! Come on, we just got here."

"Sorry, Sokka, but you know we still have a lot to do."

"But there's still a lot of places we haven't seen here. I mean, have you guys been to Harbor City? Lots of crazy good restaurants there."

Katara facepalmed. "No, the dinner fiasco was bad enough."

"But–"

"I'm not pumping your stomach again!"

Zuko smirked. "Don't worry, Sokka, I'll make sure to send you some spice-free food."

"What's the point of that? I want to feel alive, to look death in the face and laugh!"

Mai sighed roughly. "It's just food; get over it."

The friends spent the whole evening laughing and recounting their stories. Sokka agreed to a spicy food contest with Mai. He lost.

"Katara, please!"

"I told you…"

***

Nozomi lay there staring at the ceiling. The night had passed without her roommate having any episodes. She was relieved but worried about Azula's late desire to escape, knew that nothing good would come of it, but feared something would happen to them. When Zirin told her that the doctor had taken an interest in Azula, her blood ran cold. If her friend was not careful, she was going to end up like the countless missing patients, and Nozomi could do nothing about it.

She also thought about the promise she had made to her that she would see her mother again. It had been so long since the last time she saw her that it was hard to remember her face. She had taken for granted that she would never see her again; that she could only do so in her dreams, where her mother's sweet voice would tuck her in and tell her stories. Sometimes, they were just routine dreams, but they did soothe her soul and help her to carry on.

Nozomi's first year in that place had been horrible. She had been terrified and confused, and she knew very well how Azula felt. She just hoped she could help her deal with all of it. Maybe that's why she ended up being her roommate; maybe it was a thing of fate or something.

She turned her head to look at Azula still sleeping like a log. I guess she must have spent the whole night staring out the window. Nozomi had tried to help, but she couldn't fight the fatigue that took over her body when it was nighttime–

A jingling of keys cut off her train of thought, and she slipped out of bed and walked over to the small window to look outside. Maybe it was time for breakfast. A young nurse came to open her door.

"Good morning, Ling."

"Good morning, Nozomi." The nurse looked at Azula's sleeping form and then at her.

"Why isn't she up?"

"Ah, I'm sure it's nothing; she always tends to sleep late if I don't wake her up. Can I borrow her wheelchair? I'll take care of it."

"Okay, you have five minutes; otherwise, I'll be back." She approached the wheelchair she had left in the hallway. Nozomi took it and smiled. "Don't worry."

The nurse left, and Nozomi moved the wheelchair closer to Azula's bed.

"Azula... Azula... Please wake up; we have to go." Seeing that her pleas were fruitless, she tapped her shoulder. Her friend almost jumped with fright.

Nozomi jumped back and quickly composed herself. "Geez, you scared me."

Azula sat on her bed. She looked over deep bags at her. "What do you want?"

She smiled at her. "Well, in case you don't want to stay and eat air, we have to go."

Her companion went back to lie down. "I'll eat air then. Now go away and let me sleep."

"Come on, Azula... You know it doesn't work that way; there's no choice here. Why did you stay up so late?"

"You know why."

Nozomi looked down. "You can ask me for help, you know?"

Azula stared off disinterestedly. "You'd blow it."

"Look, we can discuss that later. Now come on, will you?"

Azula gave a sigh. "Fine." She rose, and Nozomi helped her into the chair.

As she led her down the hallway towards the dining room, she noticed that Azula had nodded off. She hoped the nurses wouldn't notice, or if that failed, care. She heard her mumbling something but didn't pay much attention to it, thinking that she had fallen asleep again.

When she stepped out into the hallway, she noticed the door to the dining room was closed. Ling approached her. "Breakfast is not ready yet; but in the meantime, you can wait in the garden." Nozomi nodded and wheeled Azula outside.

The weather had begun to turn chillier lately. It was a cloudy morning; but still, the gardens were beautiful, and such a day did not detract from their natural charm. In fact, it reminded her of home. Maybe it was colder than usual, but she loved to play outside. In the winter, she used to romp around in the snow with her mother until dark. She had had to deal with annoying colds. The price of fun. It had been years since she had seen that wonderful whiteness blanketing the ground. It was certainly much warmer than her old home.

She noticed Azula shaking her head. Startled, she touched her shoulder and whispered, "Hey, what's wrong? Are you feeling okay?" Azula began to mumble again. Nozomi stood in front of her. Her friend was shaking her head with her eyes wide open.

"Mother... you... get away!"

"Snap out of it, Azula! Come on." She heard hurried footsteps around her and could no longer hide her desperation. Nozomi cupped her friend's face, stopping her shaking. "Look at me! Look at me, okay? You're here with me; there's no one else; calm down." She felt tears threatening to flow as a hand grabbed her shoulder tightly.

Azula looked at her, confused and then worried. "Nozomi?" But Azula's gaze froze again as she looked behind her.

"Good morning, miss." A doctor smiled coldly at them. "I don't see the need to hurt other patients. And you, come with me. I will take you to a place where you can calm down." Nozomi began to tremble as a needle jabbed into her neck and a stone-faced nurse rammed a wheelchair under her. She couldn't look back as Azula was wheeled away behind her.