"Sponsoring our team, supporting the Avatar... it was all just a big cover."
"Yes, and the most difficult part... was watching my daughter traipse around with a firebending street rat like you!"
Her father's words still echoed in her ears as Asami watched her family estate grow more and more distant through the window of the airship. If she hadn't heard them herself, she never would've believed that they'd been spoken. Even now a part of her was convinced that there'd somehow been one big misunderstanding in spite of the overwhelming evidence to the contrary, and that any moment the missing piece of the puzzle that proved her father's innocence would suddenly fall into place. But that moment never came. The man who had raised her all her life was an Equalist. The enemy.
Mako and Korra were talking in low tones somewhere behind her. Judging by the sounds of their conversation, they were under the mistaken impression that she couldn't hear them. If only. The airship's cabin was small enough for her to catch every single word. Despite the fact that her intervention had saved them both from having their bending powers stripped away, they were still talking about her as if she were some delicate flower that needed constant support and protection lest she begin to wilt. Their concern was swiftly becoming more patronising than flattering. To think they'd almost managed to talk her out of learning the truth for herself.
Her thoughts drifted back to the exchange between Lin and Tenzin. She'd overheard, of course, though she hadn't intended to at first. Yet her attention had been caught by Lin's stubborn refusal to limit herself by working within the law, and now she found herself inspired by that same defiance. Her eyes came to rest on the dull bronze gauntlet adorning her right arm. It was an Equalist weapon, but one that she'd managed to successfully turn against them. How hard would it be to do the same with their other inventions?
In a matter of moments her mind was abuzz with possibilities. She understood the inner workings of her father's technology better than anyone, except perhaps the man himself. Reverse-engineering it would be a simple task provided that she had access to the proper facilities. If she could show the people of Republic City that it was possible for a non-bender to resist the Equalists, then perhaps they would be inspired to do the same. Amon and his lackeys had enjoyed popular support amongst the city's populace for too long. It was time for that to change.
For a second, a fleeting smile passed across her face, only to fade as a disheartening realisation set in. Of course, none of this would be possible whilst she was staying with the Fire Ferrets. There would be no point in trying to unite the city if the fight against the Equalists was led by a group of benders. Equalist sympathisers would just see it as further proof of the oppression that they claimed to fight against and their support would increase as a result. It was inevitable, really. There was no way she could pursue her own crusade without abandoning her friends. Unless...
A hand coming to rest on her shoulder quickly put an end to her fantasising. She turned to see Mako standing behind her and threw her arms around him, burying her face and hiding her expression in his chest. Let them think that she was still Daddy's helpless little girl. She'd soon prove that she was capable of becoming so much more.