Asami looked out the zeppelin's window, but didn't see the brightly-lit Republic City skyline. All she could see was her father's face.

"The hardest part was watching my daughter traipsing around with a firebending street rat!

His twisted disheveled face froze when she called out to him. Then he had tried to excuse his terrorist affiliations—because Asami knew that was what the Equalists were now, terrorists—by bringing her mother into the mess. "Join us, Asami," he'd pleaded. She took the proffered gauntlet and slipped it over her hand without a sound.

And then she betrayed him.

"I love you, Daddy."

All she could see was his face, begging her to understand, then contorting with pain and falling slack.

Hey may have been an arms dealer for a terrorist group, but he was still her father. And she had stabbed him in the back. Now she was fatherless, homeless, and probably penniless. She had nothi...

"He betrayed you first, you know. He betrayed all of us."

Suddenly, Mako was at Asami's side, as though he had sensed her distress. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close, and she pressed herself closer to him instinctively.

"I know," she sighed. "But...it still hurts."

"Yeah," Mako conceded, deep in thought. After a moment, he thought aloud, "It's kind of funny, you know..." Receiving a furious glare from Asami, he quickly backpedaled. "Um, not the betrayal thing—but that's a part of it—no, wait! Hear me out!" He coughed awkwardly.

"What I meant to say was...well, it's weird"—he was careful not to say funny—"how different people react to different situations, I guess. Your mom was killed by firebenders, both my parents were killed by firebenders, and, presuming he's not being a lying snake, Amon's family was killed by firebenders. But, look at where we all are. Amon let his anger and bitterness fester and became a terrorist. Your dad, instead of opening up to other people with his sadness and accepting it and moving on like you did, looked for somebody to blame for his problems. Me and Bolin... I swear I don't mean to toot my own tsungi horn or anything, but we turned out fine. We could have gone to the Triads, or the Agni Kais, or some other gang, but we toughed it out."

He placed a hand on Asami's shoulder and looked her in the eye. "You're strong, Asami. I promise, you can tough it out, too."

(Bolin and Korra we swear we weren't eavesdropping it was all Bolin's idea wait what gawked; they'd never heard Mako say so many words at once.)

Asami wasn't wholly convinced...but, she did feel a little better. She hugged Mako tightly and smiled. "Thank you. That really means a lot to me."

He grinned softly and hugged her back. "Any time."

(Chief Beifong I was not eavesdropping and I will drop you if you suggest such a thing again scoffed to herself. "Hormones.")

~fin~