There was a window at the end of the hallway, painting the walls with stripes of white moonlight.

At first it had been painful: having freedom so close, and yet so far. Each night as the moon grew fatter it tugged at her bones with intensified vigour. Freedom, it crooned. Escape!

But now…

Now she heard nothing at all.

Korra lay against the far wall of the cell. Her legs were splayed at a comfortable angle, chin to chest, her arms tied tightly behind her back. The rope was thick and strong, as she'd quickly discovered.

It was also annoyingly scratchy.

She was a state: her hair, barely bound, was a tangled mat of blood and grime. A shallow gash in her side glinted evilly in the dimness, accompanied by various bruises and grazes scattered unsparingly over nearly every expanse of available skin. Where there wasn't blood, there was filth.

BANG.

Korra's head snapped upright, eyes trained to the sound. Footsteps echoed off of the walls of empty cells. Her ears strained as she attempted to identify them. They were slow. Measured. As per usual.

Korra hunched defensively as she waited for her visitor, though she had a vague idea of whom she should be expecting. So, her eyebrows shot up in surprise when a different face appeared before her.

"Who're you?" she blurted. Her voice was hoarse from lack of use.

The man stared down at her over the end of his nose. He wore the same silly costume that Korra had grown accustomed to over the weeks. What was unusual, however, was that his mask was tucked into the belt at his waist, rather than over his head.

At last, he spoke.

"That's quite a shiner you've got there. I'm not surprised you can't see me properly."

"Well, why don't you come a little closer and I'll give you one to match?"

"I'll pass, thanks."

His voice was cold, condescending, and horribly familiar. Every time she heard it a chill trickled down her spine. The shock had passed in time, but her gut still clenched with rage whenever he spoke. Only, she'd learned to hide the hurt a little better than in the beginning.

"So, is this a social visit?" growled the Avatar.

"Actually yes," he said lightly. "Your host has sent me to see how you're enjoying your accommodation."

Korra chuckled darkly.

"You can tell him that the food could be better," she said.

The man's lips twitched into a grim smile.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"No you're not."

He narrowed his eyes at the sudden harshness of her voice, but said nothing more. He turned to leave.

"Your hair is different."

He glanced over his shoulder. Korra was on her feet, leaning against the bars of her cell, staring straight at him. Scrutinising him. He stopped, waiting for her to continue.

"It's flat," she said slowly.

"Very observant," he sneered, before minding his tone. "It would appear that for the sake of the cause I've had to sacrifice my hairstyle."

"Is that all you've had to sacrifice?"

He sighed impatiently. "No, no it isn't. There's my time, my energy-"

"Your friends?"

"Why would I have to sacrifice them? My friends are with me in my cause," he said coldly. Korra glared at him.

"Not all of us," she muttered.

He snorted. "We were never friends. And you're stupider than I thought you were if you believed for a moment that we were."

"Well I think you're a liar." She said stubbornly. He scowled.

"Well I don't care what you think! Listen," he snapped, storming up to the bars, jabbing a gloved finger at her. "Anything I ever said to you, right from the beginning; anything I ever did and anything I ever pretended to be… It was all part of the plan."

"All part of the plan," echoed Korra.

"Yes," he said, sounding a little relieved.

"All part of the plan…" Korra laughed bitterly. "So, having me fall in love with you: was that all part of the plan?"

He blinked.
"Of course."

"Funny, you'd think he would've picked someone a little less of an asshole…"

He swore, turning on his heels and stalking back towards the door. Korra pressed her face against the bars of her prison, craning her neck as she hollered after him.

"…and how about falling in love with me? Was that part of the plan too, Mako?"

There was a brief silence, before the door shut with a clang.