Lin could see it in his eyes, pity, in the few seconds Tenzin looked away from his family to watch if she's alright he was pitying her.
She didn't want his pity, she didn't want his presence and his familys presence, though she felt guilty at the thought.
They were on the ride to the southern watertribe, if anyone could help, it would be Katara, she is the greatest healer in the world, if she couldn't do it
nobody could, she was a last lifeline where Lin has all hopes suspended on. Maybe she could get her bending back, maybe even her police force, she could
be useful again, could still protect the city, everyone who lives therein.
It's all she had done the past 15 years, she has been protecting every streeturchin, every mother, every family and she has been protecting him.
He didn't love her anymore, she knew that, she couldn't completely believe he loved her to begin with, how else could he leave her like that after 20 years,
20 goddamn years, they were a couple since they were 16, even though their relationship ended 15 years ago she couldn't bring herself to stop loving him.
She hated him too, but she wouldn't forgive herself if something happened to him or his children or even his wife, that wretched piece of garbage who is as
interesting as a blank piece of paper. She certainly doesn't love Tenzin like Lin does, Pema doesn't love Tenzin, she loves him being Tenzin,that is, the last
Airbender, Pema is a groupie, why did Tenzin chose the most bland one he could find, it was a mystery to her.
As Lins thoughts raged on, the ship docked at the harbor of Harbor City of the Southern Watertribe. They disembarked and got onto Oogie, as Katara lived
quite a long way out of town, Korra could meet her parents later, now they got more important things to do.
'Team Avatar' didn't look very hopeful to her, they just didn't know what a goodhealer Katara was, by contrast Lin had hope,
it was all she had, Korra on the other hand looked like she was walking to the scaffold instead of a healer.
Katara awaited them at the landing site, waving until the furry beast touched the ground, she heartily greeted Tenzin and his family but stopped when she saw Korras face.
She immediately turned to Tenzin:"What has happened?"
"The equalists got Korra, she's lost her bending"
Katara's face expressed utter shock
"Let's get inside!"Katara ordered.
Lin was a bit taken aback at the revelation that Republic City's recent events didn't reach the master Waterbender, though she figured it was because of the isolated location she was living in.
Wait! Did Tenzin forget to mention me to his mother? I went on a suicide mission to save his family and lost everything I had and that is how he thanks me? I didn't even think
I would survive that, if i would have gotten the other airship, I would have jumped into a wet grave. The man I sacrificed everything for obviously doesn't care for me, not the tiniest bit, how encouraging.
Lin felt angry, sad and lonely, her whole family had left her, first Aang then Sokka and Katara, Kya, Bumi and Izumi left her after Tenzin broke up with her, seemingly to
not take sides, but she knows it's because they don't care about her, even her own flesh and blood left her, Suyin and her mother, she hated them both but she needed them and finally
the police force left her, then her city, then her bending.
They entered the house and Korra was immediately led to a wash tub they filled with lukewarm water, she submerged and Katara used her bending. The room filled with a bright blue light.
Everyone else was seated in the living room, to wait, Katara said it could take hours to even find out if it would work. Everyone sat there deflated and depressed, everyone but Lin,
she was pacing the room, anticipating a sentence if her life could return to normal or she be be broken beyond repair and completely useless.
She should be out by now!
she should be out by now being able to bend!
Lin's fear that no treatment would work and that she'd be of no use to anyone were downright agonizing.
To distract herself from the impending doom she looked at all pictures, hanging on the wall and on tables, she could find, Kya Bumi Tenzin, Aang embracing Tenzin after he got his tattoos, the old Gaang,
Tenzin with children and wife, a photo taken two years ago. There's only one thing Lin couldn't find and that was a depiction of herself, there even was a picture of Suyin and Kya,
but Lin wasn't to be seen in any of the pictures. She wondered if there was at least one picture somewhere it this house, someone who thought about her, she checked the kitchen,
some pictures of Aang playing with his children, in the hallway the Firelord Zuko and his wife Firelady Mai stood proudly over their little Princess Izumi, further down the hall was a picture of Toph at her inauguration as chief of police.
Most smaller rooms didn't have much pictures, most of them just some of Aang and Katara or their children, but none of her.
She finally reached the last room of the corridor, it was locked, even though she felt bad about the intrusion, she bent the lock open and peeked inside.
Pelts were hanging on the walls and lay on the ground, the stuffed head of a giant Sabretoothmooselion adorning the wall above a simple desk with writing utensils.
It was Sokka's hunting room and office, actually the whole house was initially Sokkas hunting hut, he would go out there, far away from the city to
hunt tigerseals otterpenguins and polarbeardogs. After Sokka died, Katara decided to live there, as Aang wasn't around anymore and their children were having their own familys.
Katara probably didn't want to disturb Sokka's sanctuary and left it as is.
She found one protruding square on the desk and approached to take a look at it, it was a framed picture, she lifted the frame to her eyes and could see herself in it, not just herself,
but she and Tenzin, they seemed so happy, Tenzin grabbing Lin by her waist beaming a smile so big one could wonder if his face would split, beside him Lin smiled full of love looking
to the love of her life with small tears in her eyes. Lin's gaze caught the necklace she was wearing that day, it was a picture of their betrothal, a promise never acted upon.
she would never be so happy again in her life. Would never be happy again, she sadly corrected herself.
When Tenzin told her he wanted to end their relationship the necklace was the only thing she threw at him, she broke the stone into tiny pieces and punched them into his chest,
the force wasn't strong enough to pierce his ribcage but she did draw blood and hopefully broke some ribs, the rest of her anger she directed at the island, she didn't want to hurt
him, not really, she loves him, she only wanted him to feel at least some of her pain.
Tears were already clouding her vision, but she only let them fall after another realization dawned on her: Sokka cared, Sokka died four years after Tenzin ended their relationship and he
visited his hut often, he cared about her and he's dead, she knows Aang cared too, she's glad he didn't have to see their breakup, they're all dead, everyone who cared about her.
She hadn't seen her mother for years but Lin is sure, she would just be dissapointed of her being weak.
"Let me be weak mother just once" she thought out loud
Lin took paper and ink and began to write.