Avatar: Reborn in Ice and Blood

Chapter 117 117

Smellerbee, Jet and Longshot have been regular students at the school. They are learning to read, listening to lectures and finding some guard work in the Middle Ring. Last I heard, they were protecting a silk merchant's warehouse. For how long, was unclear.

The school is familiar territory to the Gaang now, so I feel confident leaving them alone as I check up on our paper supplies and the furniture. We always need more benches and paper, ink or brushes.

It's from the open door of the store room that I witness the two groups spotting each other. Katara goes rigid at the sight of Jet, Sokka takes up a defensive stance and prepares to restrain his sister.

But he shouldn't have worried too much. Katara is willing to shout rather than fight.

"You! What the hell are you doing here?"

Jet looks like a cat preparing to fight, hackles rising. Thankfully, Smellerbee is good at intervening by now. Jet can get into a lot of fights. Mac and Nazar have gleefully included him in their loud, sometimes violent arguments on many occasions.

"Hello Katara! It's good to see all of you! We didn't know you were coming to Ba Sing Se," Smellerbee says, shoving Jet behind her, stepping forwards with open, empty hands. A peaceful gesture that does more for Katara's mood than any of the words.

"Smellerbee! Longshot! Jet!" Aang greets them, happy to see them, though still cautious, especially with Katara's initial reaction. He's smiling, though and edging closer. He likes them.

I lower my eyes back to the inventory list. They'll sort themselves out.

It takes me some time to figure out how much funding we can spend on more paper. Perhaps we should make an arrangement with Dionu's paper supplier. He might charge us more than the local yakuza, but he always delivers and the quality is acceptable for our purposes. I'm certainly not above using any connection available to me.

"Kaito," it's Longshot at the door, getting my attention. He rarely speaks and even now he only gestures at the strange grappling that Sokka and Jet are engaging in. It looks like they're fighting without really committing. But still it's not like brothers might fight. Mac and Nazar are watching with amused expressions, probably betting on the winner.

I make a note on the tablet on the desk that we use to mark down ideas for supplies and such. Then I go out, lock the door with its two locks and see about stopping whatever it is they are doing.

Sokka's got Jet's ear in a pinch, Jet has Sokka in a headlock and both are trying to trip the other up.

I grin. It looks comical. Tome to make them feel it.

"Boys!" my sharp call stops them in their tracks. "Go fight outside, if you must. But this… an arm-wrestling contest would be less embarrassing."

Toph snorts. "As if those noodle arms would be any good."

"What! Toph!" Sokka protests, disentangling himself from Jet and Jet glares.

At me, not her. I wonder what it is I've done now. Called it embarrassing? Well, it is. It's also funny, but I have to be careful about the Dai Li. Any fighting and we're done.

As Sokka and Toph squabble over the size of Sokka's 'guns', I decide to involve Jet in our little pamphlet-project. "Jet, Smellerbee, Longshot, come with me for a moment," I ask and lead them to one of the small back rooms that Gorou soundproofed for me with some muffling ridges on the walls and double layers.

On the table there I take out one of our pamphlets. "We went printing yesterday and I think you might be interested in it."

...

I speak to Mac and Nazar on the way out, to gather those interested in blueprint and construction work in two days. Professor Guiyong will be holding his interviews and we would benefit from bringing as many people looking for work to them. He'll be pleased the more choice he has among competent people. I'll be pleased the more of them forge connections and place themselves in advantageous positions.

Unfortunately, I have yet to find anyone who could take over the work I do for when the time comes to leave Ba Sing Se.

Perhaps… Ranra will know someone.

She knows everyone worth knowing in the Lower Ring, even though she herself is a relatively new arrival. She is also dangerous and likely to use the connections for her own gain. Already she is preparing to open another tobacco shop in the Middle Ring, trade connections secured, location acquired, money not an issue.

But then again, who wouldn't take advantage of the network we're building. So long as there are strong enough personalities to counter her, so long as everyone is on the same page, I don't see the issue. I am not responsible for anything anyone else does. I don't give out orders, I only inform. It's up to the people themselves to decide what to do with the knowledge.

Ranra will give her lecture on the Crystal Caves later. I want to be there, and I want Aang to be there. It might be interesting to him.

But before then, we have hours of daylight to scour the city for hints of Appa's presence and marking more of the entrances to the Crystal Caves. Gorou promised to meet us at the tea house.

...

Smellerbee, Jet and Longshot decide to join us for a cup or two. There is still some suspicion from Katara, but she seems content to watch for now. I suspect that there are still some apologies due, but they will have to sort them out themselves.

The tea shop is bustling with activity. Word's gotten around that Mushi will move to the Middle Ring to open up his own, and this is his last day.

It's no surprise to see Lee and Mai with aprons, helping out. Tom-Tom is content to sit on the counter. He likes the hustle and bustle. Strange, for a child that grew up so sheltered, but now he likes it all. He always was very curious. I'm only glad he's not toddling around, getting underfoot.

Mai pulls me aside as soon as she can. "Ty Lee hasn't come back from her shift last night. She could be with her friend in the seamstress' dorms. Can you go ask if she's there?"

Ah. Something ominous crawls up my back. "I'll go see. If she's not there, Dionu will-"

"No. None of your friends-" she cuts herself off, her hand knuckling white around my wrist. "Come to me first. We have our own contacts."

Right. I might still ask Dionu to keep an ear out for reports on Ty Lee. "Aright. But I'll send someone to relieve you here," I say, thinking she'll want nothing more than to be out searching if Ty Lee is indeed missing.

She nods. She opens her mouth so say something else when-

"Hey Missy! Get back to work! You can chat with your boyfriend later!" some customer who thinks he's funny shouts from the nearest table. Lee is across the loud room, unable to hear or interfere.

Mai lets go of my wrist, as if burnt, whirls around to glare at him and asks: "Would the dear customer like a Jasmine blend?"

It's the most expensive tea they sell here and he knows it. It shuts him up. That, or the glare. Mai can be scary when she wants to.

"Hey," I lean down a little to speak quietly and still be heard over the bustle. "I'll see what I can do. We'll find her."

She nods, expression reserved. Then she goes back to work.

I leave the others at the tea house, where they'll be fine. They'll meet me at the school before the lecture.

...

Ty Lee is not at the seamstress' dorms. Also not at the bathhouse, the market or the flat. Haruto hasn't seen or spoken to her since yesterday morning. Gorou has no idea where she is, nor does he care.

I stop by the school to ask someone to take over Mai and Lee's shifts at the tea house, then I make my way to Dionu. He might have heard something.

I never make it there. Latih, the Pah gang's leader and Yranna's… friend – are they friends? Lovers? Enemies? – intercepts me. She looks as high strung as ever, manic in her energy.

"The girl you're looking for. The Dai Li took her," there must be a reason why she's telling me. I wait for more information, her eyes are intensely focussed on my face. It's quite unnerving. "They took Bon, too."

Ah. Bon is… one of her people. Never met them.

"There's a lecture on the Crystal Caves at the school in an hour. It'll be useful information. Maps to take with us," I offer.

Latih nods, smile jagged. "Knew I could count on you."

What the hell?

"See you later, then."

She leaves. I stand there, watching her go with a growing sense of unease. Count on me? Latih? We don't know each other. We've never spoken. I'm not particularly close with Yranna, even, who would be our connection. My reputation here is that of the watertribesman who founded the school with others and goes to the university too often to really be part of the lower class ring.

Reliability in dangerous matters is not part of that. I may have been part of stopping the drill from reaching Ba Sing Se's walls, but that is not enough for Latih of all people to say that to me.