Leaping through the door, Qiao Ci raced into his living room, having little time to rest from the long commute home. Turning on the radio, he collapsed in his favorite arm chair and called for his family to join him.
"Liying! Kids! The speech is about to start, hurry up!"
The rolling thunder of Qiao's young offspring hurdling down the stairs rocked the house. Qiao's son, Qiao Li, sat in the floor on the rug next to the fireplace. Ri, Qiao's daughter, ran up to her father, pulling on his pant leg. The older Qiao reached down and hoisted the little lotus blossom, stuffed rabbit in hand, onto his leg. Liying, Qiao's wife, emerged from the kitchen, drying her hands on a rag. Bending over to give her husband a kiss, she welcomed him home and took the chair opposite him, reaching into a nearby basket for her knitting supplies.
An anxious Qiao checked the clock hung up on the wall.
"It should be any minute now…"
Suddenly, the dull buzz of the radio suddenly came to an abrupt halt, as their beloved leader's voice echoed chillingly through the living room.
"Greetings, citizens of the United Republic. I am happy for you to join me this evening for our little fireside chat. As I informed you a few nights ago, the Avatar failed in her attempt on my life, and barely escaped our righteous vengeance, were it not for the unfortunate assistance of the fleeting remnants of the previous regime's bending hordes. Now, perhaps you are wondering, 'Amon, what is next for the Revolution? Will we be safe from bending reprisals?' Well, I am happy to tell you that with the Avatar running with her tail between her legs, no nation will be confident to challenge our new society based on equality and prosperity for all. Not until they have assessed our true strength. But, we will not give them that chance. Just as the bending tyrants of the Council were unaware of our real numbers, of the great technology at our disposal, the great cunning of nonbenders will keep the ignorant bending tyrants of the other nations guessing. As we speak, an attempt to rescue Hiroshi Sato, hero of our Revolution, captured audaciously and ignominiously by the retreating Avatar, is already under way. Our magnificent city, remade in the image of equality, will shine as a beacon for all the oppressed nonbenders of the world, and we will unite and together, finally achieve complete equality! Thank you for joining me on this joyous occasion; be sure to tune in tomorrow night, for a report by my lieutenant on rising employment numbers. Long live the Revolution!"
With tears in his eyes, Qiao clasped Liying's hand in ecstatic enthusiasm. Qiao's grandfather had been cut down by a ruthless earthbending bandit nearly 30 years prior. Liying's family had been harassed into debt by the Agni Kais, who forced them to live in tenement apartments with horrible living conditions. About ten years ago, Liying and Qiao married, and promised to provide an environment for their family that was as free of bending as possible. They strictly prohibited their son, an enthusiastic sports fan, from listening to probending matches on the radio, encouraging him instead to listen to races held in the Satomobile Grand Prix Racing Track, an event in which only nonbenders participate. While they had not joined the Equalists out of fear of the bending establishment, now that Amon had cleansed Republic City of benders, they could finally show their support. All the neighbors felt the same way. Ever since Qiao's bender boss had fled Republic City for the Fire Nation, along with most of the bending employees, Qiao had been promoted twice in one week by their new nonbending manager, and his wages had increased significantly. His family had never been happier, or more financially secure, and they felt personally indebted to Amon, their savior and beloved leader.
"Daddy, why do benders hate us so much?"
"Because, son, we don't have their abilities. They're stronger than us and think that makes them better. But they're wrong. They're nothing but bullies. And you know what happens to bullies at your school, right, Li?"
"Yeah! Bullies get punished!"
"Exactly. Think of Amon as the city's principal. And he just expelled all the bad apples…"
"Clever, dear."
"Thank you, sweetie," Qiao said, kissing his wife as thanks.
Things were certainly looking up for the Qiaos.
Half way across town, in a seedy entertainment district, was a down-on-her-luck, former chief of police whose position couldn't be more diametrically opposed to that of the Qiaos.
Lin Beifong had just had to endure the agonizing ordeal of listening to the very man who had stolen her bending from her gloat over the radio. If Lao's Drunken Baboonrat wasn't one of the few bars in town where she wouldn't be recognized, she would have left the moment she had heard the radio click on. Everywhere Lin went these days, signs of her failure as the former chief of police haunted her. Lin may not have been chief when the Equalists launched their coup, but she was still responsible for allowing them to build up and amass so much support. The throbbing shame of having allowed her mother's legacy fall into the gutter, along with Lin's very career and self-respect, ached in her like nothing had since Tenzin had abandoned her more than a decade ago.
Hmph. Tenzin. Even when she had sacrificed herself for the man she once had loved, to protect him, to save the family he had left her in order to start, even that had been wasted. Amon had completely destroyed her in every way. She was useless now: defeated, spent, and completely empty. No matter how much time she spent in dinky bars like this one, nothing seemed to fill in the gaping void in her soul, ripped into her by the colossal failure she had suffered. Wherever the Avatar was now, Lin was sure Korra felt pretty similar.
Lin tipped her glass up in the air, as a silent salute in the Avatar's honor. "Here's looking at you, kid," she said without energy, before she emptied the contents of her glass.
The bell hanging above the bar's main entrance rang as the wooden door was pushed open. Out of lazy curiosity, Lin allowed her eyes to shift in the door's direction. An unusually well-groomed, middle-aged couple wearing long, expensive-looking coats, no doubt intended to prevent them from looking out-of-place (however ineffectively), came awkwardly through the door, looking around like a pair of newborn gorilladeer walking for the first time through the meadow. Clearly, they had never been in a bar before. If Lin had a sense of humor, heck, if she was even in a position to have one at this time in her life, she would have laughed. But she didn't. Lin idly returned to the bartender to ask for another round for herself.
As she stared vacantly into the empty glass now in her hands, she vaguely processed the sound of two chairs being pulled out next to her at the bar. Great, of all the places for those stupid rich folks to sit, they choose to sit next to the grumpy, washed-out looking lady at the end of the bar avoiding all eye contact. What a great day I'm having…
The bartender lay Lin's drink in front of her, which she quickly used to try and ignore the oppressively snobby presence of the annoying couple sitting next to her. Even when they were quiet, they were annoying. What, did they come to celebrate with the Equalist rabble? Come to look at the common folk and feel what it's like to be them for a night? How nice. Rich people make me sick.
Next to her, the man spoke up to get the bartender's attention. "Yes, bartender? My wife and I will have two kale martinis, with a lime twist."
Lin's eyes rolled so fast she thought they might fall out of her head.
"Uh…we don't serve those kinds of drinks here."
The wife interjected, smug pervading her every word. "What about a raspberry Ba Sing Se cocktail, with a lemon?"
"Lady, if you want that kind of thing, you should check one of the hotels near Sokka Square or Kyoshi Boulevard…or wait, I guess they renamed those didn't they…was it, Sato Avenue or Chiblocker Road?…oh well, you know where it is."
The unimpressive, watered-down voice of the husband piped up again. "Um, well, how about you just give us whatever's popular tonight?"
"Two 'My Cabbages!', on the rocks, coming right up."
As soon as the bartender had left, the wife chimed back in. "Ugh, would you look at all these annoying Equalists? I mean, did we get the short straw when we picked this place or what?"
Lin found it odd that this woman was whispering fairly loudly, just enough for Lin to hear. And there was a certain snarky quality in her voice that sounded familiar…almost…hereditary.
"Yes, dear," came the monotonous, overly loud and poorly acted out line from the husband. "IT'S ALMOST AS IF WE WALKED INTO AN EQUALIST RALLY."
Clearly, this was indeed just an act to get Lin's attention. But these two were so conspicuous (especially the husband) that Lin's only entertainment tonight was likely going to be seeing how far these two idiots would go before attempting to talk to Lin directly.
"Shut up, Baatar, you're too loud! You'll blow our cover," the wife hissed.
From all the annoying postcards and handwritten letters Lin had been sent over the years and never opened, the name Baatar definitely stood out. She had at least read the front of those letters to know who had sent them, before throwing them away. And that name in particular stood out to her because this was the name of the very man who had married her obnoxious younger sister who she hadn't spoken to in nearly thirty years.
Turning around in mild shock, Lin looked on astonished to see the visibly aged, but still recognizable, face of her sister Suyin Beifong, who had sat right next to her and was currently eyeing her sideways to see if she had caught on to her and Baatar's little practical joke.
"…Su?"
"Hello, Lin," Su said smiling. "It's been awhile, huh?"
After thirty years and the end of her career, Su and her husband, the few people in the whole world she could actually call family, were the last people she had expected to meet in the middle of the dirtiest, most run-down bar in all of Republic City, barely a week after Amon had crushed all his opposition.
"Su, I…I don't what to say," she ended flatly and without emotion. There was a small spark of hope and relief that had emerged in Lin when she saw her sister, but after all that had happened between them 30 years ago…she still wasn't willing to let it go. And she definitely wouldn't give Su the satisfaction of seeing Lin Beifong showing gratitude.
Su laughed. "Well, I'm happy to see you too."
Lin scoffed in disinterest.
"What are you doing here?" Lin asked, even though she already knew the answer. "Aren't you afraid Amon will take your bending away? Like he did with m—"
When Lin stopped abruptly, unable to complete her sentence, Su smiled sympathetically. "I already know Amon took your bending away, Lin. That's why Baatar and I came to get you. To bring you to Zaofu, where you'll be with your family. Where you'll be safe."
Lin's eyes narrowed as she concentrated on a piece of peeling wallpaper behind the bar. Family, huh? I've never been part of one of those. Everyone has turned their back on me, so why should I go back to my "family," now?
But they're here now, aren't they? said another voice in Lin's head. Grasping her glass so hard that it almost shattered, Lin finally said, "What's the point? I'm useless to you. I've got no bending. Might as well stay here with all my nonbending comrades."
Su's smile dropped as she reflected the sarcasm in Lin's voice; it was sarcasm that was directed at Su, but somehow seemed to be more of a self-criticism than anything else.
"Lin, I don't care if you're a bender, nonbender, or a platypus bear. You're my sister, and I love you. Whether you like it or not, I'm bringing you home."
Su's words hit the emotionally vulnerable Lin like a ton of bricks she could no longer bend away. They were words that bypassed all of Lin's insecurities and hit her right where it hurt. It was unnerving and comforting all at once. And she didn't know whether she wanted to punch her sister, or embrace her. It certainly wasn't going to be the latter…
"…you really want to bring me back to Zaofu? I don't need to be rescued by you."
"Of course not, but you'll be much better off surrounded by family than you will by chiblockers here in Republic City. Whatever you feel about me Lin, whatever reservations you may have because of what happened in the past, please, from a woman to her sister, Lin, put it behind you. Come home with us."
With a resignated sigh, Lin slowly plopped her glass back on the bar and stood up. "Fine, but you better not try to feed me anything made of kale."
Su broke out into a grin that Lin felt didn't really fit the situation. Does bringing me back with her really mean that much to her? Why am I so important? I feel like I'm missing something here…but maybe in Zaofu I'll finally find it. Or not. Yeah, probably not.
"Alright, stop smiling like a moron and let's get going."
The trek out of town, carefully avoiding any chiblocker patrols, was long and tedious. About two hours later, they finally made it into the mountains, where Su had landed her airship. Lin was surprised to see that it had been covered in tree limbs to disguise its location. Hm…I guess Su's not a total idiot after all.
When Su and Baatar approached the ship, the doors opened and a ramp lowered itself to the ground. Immediately, three armored guards from Zaofu's security forces emerged to greet Su in person. In the forefront of this group was a tall, impressive woman with a ponytail and a mole under her left eye.
"Welcome back, Suyin. We're relieved to see you back safely…I still wish you had let me escort you into the city."
"Oh, you worry way too much! Besides, I had Baatar with me."
"But, sweetie, you know I can't do anything," Baatar remarked, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. The other Zaofu metalbenders had a good chuckle at his expense. Su turned presently to Lin.
"Lin," she said, pointing to the guard with the mole. "This is the head of my security forces, Kuvira. I've raised her ever since she was small; she's practically my adopted daughter."
"It's an honor to meet you, Lin Beifong. I've looked up to you ever since I was young. To actually get to speak to you like this…it's truly a pleasure. Su has told us all so much about you."
"Hmph. I bet she did."
"Oh, Lin, don't be like that. Whatever may have happened recently, your leadership of the Metalbending Police of Republic City is almost legendary. You're a hero in Zaofu."
"Terrific," Lin quipped, rolling her eyes. "Now let's get going."
"Alright, fine. Kuvira, fire up the engines and set a course for Ba Sing Se."
"Yes, ma'am," Kuvira replied officiously and spun on her heel and marched with an air of importance back onto the airship, followed closely by her squad.
As Su was about to board the ship, Lin caught her arm sharply, glaring at her suspiciously. "What's going on? You told me we were going to Zaofu!"
"And we are, Lin, calm down. But first we have to stop at Ba Sing Se. On our way to get you, we received an urgent radio message. Apparently, the Earth Queen is calling an emergency meeting of all the regional leaders of the Earth Kingdom to discuss how best to respond to the Equalists."
Lin blinked. "That's…an unusually tactful move for her…" she observed.
"True; but the Earth Queen doesn't really have that much authority outside Ba Sing Se. So she has to rely on the provincial leadership to help her in times of crisis."
"Hm…and you're going?"
"Well, it's not like I enjoy going to Ba Sing Se, or seeing the Earth Queen. But if it'll help us reach a diplomatic solution to this mess, I feel I need to do my best to make it work."
"You don't seriously think Amon can be reasoned with, do you?"
"No…but I don't think waging a war on the Equalists is going to help things either. The Lower Ring of Ba Sing Se is already in turmoil. The Dai Li have completely sealed it off from the rest of the city."
"Great. This is going to be a wonderful start to my vacation."
"Your vacation?" Su inquired in amusement.
"Sure, what else do you call it when you're not at work?"
Su laughed a deep, husky laugh. "Honestly, Lin, you have a one track mind. I think you made a better chief of police than mom ever could have been. Let's get going."
"Yeah, sure."
With that, the two sisters boarded the airship, embarking on the enigmatic first steps of a mysterious new adventure.
Hundreds of miles away, just north of the United Republic, Avatar Korra and her friends were onboard the King Bumi, commanded by no less than the aptly named Commander Bumi himself. They had been sailing for days, and had just picked up Iroh, Asami, and Bolin, along with an unexpected passenger: Hiroshi Sato. The Equalist scientist was currently in the brig, reflecting on his place in the Universe. The Avatar had been staring passively at the ocean for the past few hours, trying to think of what to do next. Iroh had suggested going to the Fire Nation, but they had just received a radio message from Fire Lord Izumi that informed them that she would not allow the Avatar to violate Fire Nation neutrality in the Equalist conflict by giving her passage through their waters. Dispirited that his own mother would turn her back on the Avatar, Iroh had confined himself to Bumi's quarters, unable to even look Korra in the eye. The two commanders were frantically trying to come up with a new plan to regroup.
Mako had been Korra's only company. Asami was busy sulking over her father's betrayal and deception. Mako, still guilty on the way things had ended between them (and unable to officially break up with her), had left the task of cheering her up to Bolin, who was arguably more capable at this sort of thing, especially with the help of Pabu.
"How're you holding up?" Mako asked.
"As good as I can, I guess," Korra lamented with a sigh. "I just wish I knew what to do. If only I could contact my past lives…or Tenzin. Tenzin would know what to do."
Korra's head slumped into her arms as she leaned on the railing of the bow, staring at the churning waves below, thrown carelessly askew in the wake of the ship. Tenzin's fate, and the fate of his family, had been gnawing at Korra ever since her fight with Amon. She had thrown up several times, which she tried to pass off as seasickness, though Mako alone knew better. She cried every night before she went to bed, and couldn't get Tenzin's calm, wise, smiling face out of her head. She had let him down in the worst possible way, and she would never be able to face him again.
Mako had given up trying to encourage Korra. The more days passed since their bout with Amon, the gloomier the situation looked. Frankly, his encouragement sounded hollow in light of all that happened. But he got the sense that just standing with Korra and sharing in her sorrow was help enough. And for Korra, it was.
Just like it wasn't the right time to break up officially with Asami, Mako also felt it wasn't the right time to start anything with Korra. Everyone's emotions were still raw, and Korra was too vulnerable. But he couldn't stop thinking about her, and just wanted to see her look happy again. He elected finally to simply offer possible suggestions for Korra's next move.
"You could always go to the Earth Kingdom. I'm sure they won't stay neutral towards the Equalists."
"I've never been to the Earth Kingdom before…do you think the Earth Queen is friendly?"
"I don't know…I've never really read up much on the Earth Kingdom."
"Didn't your father live in Ba Sing Se?"
"Yeah but, I don't know. He never really talked about it much, I guess. I don't really remember it that well anyway."
Korra received a painful reminder of what eventually happened to Mako's father.
"Sorry…I shouldn't have brought it up."
"No, that's okay, Korra. I like thinking about him. My dad was a great man…you would have liked him."
"I bet," Korra responded with a smile. "What was he like?"
Mako looked out toward the sunset, deep in thought, like he was trying to find a dusty book in the back of his mind. He reflexively clutched the red scarf wrapped around his neck.
"He was…kind. And supportive…warmhearted…and very generous. Sort of like I thought Hiroshi was, I guess, but…y'know…not a secret Equalist."
"Sort of a weird question, but…did you see Hiroshi as a sort of father figure?"
"I dunno. Maybe. I'd like to think I'm past the point in my life where I look for father figures to take my dad's place. But you're right; when I first met Hiroshi I felt like someone cared about me, even though I was poor and…rough around the edges, I guess?"
"I know what you mean…I've had nothing but authority figures in my life, but I never felt like they really appreciated me, except Katara or my mom I guess. Being in that sort of environment…it's sort of stifling, to be honest."
"I guess it's just about finding the proper balance, huh?"
"Yeah…"
Korra glanced up at Mako, looking into his alluring gold eyes. A sudden impulse came into her mind just then to lean up and kiss him, when a sailor bellowed over the loudspeaker.
"Five ships, bearing down from the North at 30 knots."
Bumi burst from his quarters, looking mildly disheveled. "Colors?"
"It appears to be…Water Tribe, sir."
"Holy smokes! This is our lucky day. Get them on the radio, pronto!"
"Yes, sir."
Korra's heart lifted up. Why didn't she ask the Water Tribe for help? She had nearly forgotten that she was technically Water Tribe royalty, and that her uncle was the Chief of the Water Tribe! Wow, Korra. Where have you been?
Korra and Mako flew up the metal staircase leading up to the bridge. Iroh, Bumi, Asami and Bolin were already there, leaning over the radio console, when they finally reached the top of the stairs.
"This is Commander Iroh of the United Forces onboard the King Bumi. Water Tribe ship, do you read me?"
After a few seconds, a response came in.
"This is Captain Botan of the Penguin Squid. We read you loud and clear. Are you in distress?"
"Negative, Penguin Squid. We are fleeing Equalists, however, and are currently carrying the Avatar and have the recently apprehended, high level Equalist leader Hiroshi Sato. Can you provide escort to the Northern Water Tribe?"
Korra and the rest of the group listened with bated breath while there was a small delay on the other end. Suddenly, the radio crackled back to life.
"Attention, United Forces," came a crisp and commanding voice Korra knew well. "This is Chief Unalaq of the Water Tribe. I have come looking for my niece, Avatar Korra. If you are in the company of the Avatar, I request that you drop anchor immediately and allow us to board your ship and meet her in person."
Iroh looked over to Bumi, who shrugged indifferently.
"Very well, Chief Unalaq. We will acquiesce. Dropping anchor now."
After about 15 minutes, the majestic, handcrafted engravings of the Water Tribe vessels came clearly into view. The lead ship pulled right alongside Bumi's ship and a long plank slowly inched out, connecting the two. An entourage of Water Tribe troops crossed the plank and formed two parallel lines to prepare for Unalaq to board.
After a few minutes, a group of serious-looking people trailing behind Unalaq crossed the plank onto the King Bumi.
Korra ran up and hugged her uncle. "Uncle Unalaq, I'm so glad to see you," she admitted, tears in her eyes. "I've felt so helpless…it's good to see family after all this time on my own."
Unalaq patted Korra's back tenderly. "I understand Korra; as soon as I heard what happened in Republic City, I raced as fast as I could to find you. Whatever you've been through, you can rest easy now that I am here to protect you."
Iroh perked up. "Actually, Chief Unalaq, we were already escorting the Avatar. We were hoping to use either your city or the Earth Kingdom to plan our next move to rally the Avatar's allies against the Equalists."
Unalaq sneered at Iroh. "Nonsense. Staying with your rabble will achieve nothing. Korra may be the Avatar, but she is also Water Tribe, not to mention family. She has had a trying time these past few weeks, and only I can offer the protection and support she needs."
Iroh fumed, but didn't really know how to respond, he simply stared at Korra forcefully, hoping she could talk her Uncle around.
"Uh…Uncle Unalaq, I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem if Iroh came with us. I mean, it never hurts to have enough ships, right?"
"I'm sorry, Korra, but it's out of the question. These United Republic vagabonds are a distraction and a hindrance to what needs to be done."
Korra poked her tongue into her cheek, unsure of what to say next. Unalaq seemed to be particularly adamant.
"Korra, I know you've had a rough time. But it's time that we concentrate on the hard work ahead. I have an important task that only the Avatar can accomplish."
"Really?" Korra asked in surprise. "What is it?"
Unalaq's eyes gazed disapprovingly at Iroh and Bumi.
"Um, guys? Can you, er…give my Uncle and me a chance to talk about…important…Water Tribe matters?"
Bumi walked away quickly like Unalaq might give him a nasty rash, and Iroh slowly backed away giving Unalaq his best impression of an angry Azula.
"So, Uncle. What is it?"
"I'm sorry for the secrecy, Korra, but as you know, these are troubled times. The Equalists will eventually try to take the bending away from the Water Tribe. Without waterbending, our entire culture, our civilization, our very way of life would be in turmoil. Without the skills of our benders, the Water Tribe will be at a distinct disadvantage. That is why I need your help to fortify the Water Tribe against a potential incursion by Amon."
"How exactly do you want me to do that?"
Unalaq turned towards the sea and gazed over it philosophically. He walked casually to the rail of the ship, and Korra followed. When he was sure no one was within earshot, Unalaq continued.
"There is an ancient portal, Korra, in the North. It connects this world to that of the Spirits."
Korra's eyes widened. "Wow! No way…I had no idea."
"Yes…it is a secret that has historically been known to only a few. I may be one of the only ones in the world today who knows of its existence."
"That's incredible. I can't believe none of the other Avatar's ever knew about it."
There was a slight glint in Unalaq's eyes, as he peered back to Korra.
"Yes…it is indeed a shame. But there is also another portal at the South Pole, as well. Opening both of these portals will allow our Tribe to travel from the North to the South, in a matter of seconds. Only this will allow our tribes to be united; once united, we can stand firm against the Equalists."
Korra thought long and hard for several moments. "Well…I haven't had much luck with any other plans. If I can help my tribe and maybe connect to my spiritual side, you can count me in!"
A wide grin spread across Unalaq's normally stoic face. "That's great news, Korra. I'm confident that you will achieve the spiritual balance the Water Tribe needs to renew our civilization and prepare for the road ahead. There is…of course…one other thing. As I said earlier, this is a strictly Water Tribe matter, so I'm afraid you'll have to…" Unalaq waved dismissively. "Dismiss these riffraff you've accumulated. They're useless to you now anyway. Their morale has plummeted in the past week, and will be little protection anyway."
Korra frowned sadly. "But…they've done so much for me. It seems kind of rude to just cast them aside."
"Korra, as the Avatar, you must do what is necessary to bring balance to the world. Avatar Aang kept only those who were capable at his side. Those who were unable to help him restore balance were left behind. If you wish to achieve what he achieved…you must learn to part ways from those who only weaken you."
Fidgeting furtively for a moment, Korra finally agreed. She had tried doing things her own way, and that led to Amon's victory in Republic City. Perhaps if she wanted to regain her honor, she should start listening to her mentors. Unalaq, in particular, seemed to have a lot more faith than others did. Even after she had lost to Amon, he still believed in her. "Alright, Uncle. I trust your judgment. I'll ask them to rendezvous with the Fire Nation. If I go with you, they can enter the Fire Nation and be protected by Fire Lord Izumi."
Unalaq patted Korra on the shoulder. "Excellent. You see? Everything will work out for the best anyway. Besides, the Fire Nation would avail you little. They do not understand how to live in balance with the Spirits. If you want to learn to embrace your own spiritual powers, and master them to defeat Amon, it can only be in the Northern Water Tribe, where we live in perfect harmony with the spirits."
Korra lifted her arms up and grasped her fists tightly, barely containing her enthusiasm. "I don't know what to say, Uncle. I feel invigorated! I feel like I'm on the cusp of something new and exciting."
Unalaq smiled knowingly. "Yes…I believe you are."
As Korra bid farewell to Iroh and Bumi, the rest of the group moved onto Unalaq's ship. They didn't have much luggage, so it was a fairly painless process. Asami was simply glad to be away from her father.
Unalaq was glanced triumphantly at the receding view of the departing United Forces ships. Chuckling darkly to himself, he turned to Korra, who seemed rather sad in comparison. Unalaq placed a consoling hand on her shoulder.
"I know this was a hard decision, Korra. But it was the right one. Now it is time to put it behind you and begin your new training. I have great plans for you."
