An Exchange
[POV: Asami]
After my father's betrayal and my move to Air Temple Island, I decided to go back home and get some of my things. I went at night, despite Korra's concerns about my safety. I made her promise not to tell Mako and refused to let her escort me. It was my home; I had the right to be there. I certainly wasn't going to let anybody stand in my way. And besides, I knew that at night, I would most likely go unnoticed. I would be safe.
How wrong, how reckless I was. I did not know of the dangers of night itself.
Once downtown, I took a shortcut through a humid alley. The walls were covered with profanities. Words of hatred against benders. The city had changed so much in the last few months.
I felt the unease of being observed from afar. I reassured myself by looking back and seeing nobody behind me. Only blackness.
But then I felt a hand on my mouth. And I heard the voice from the radio.
"Shhh," it said. "Don't move."
Fear made it easy for me to stay still. I held my breath and waited to hear it again.
"Hello, Asami. Your father asked me to deliver a message to you."
It really was him. It was Amon.
"He says that he loves you, too but that he hopes you will come to your senses and realize that the Equalists are right. That you will opt for the correct side once you've finally understood his motives."
The warmth of his body, so close to mine, troubled me. Somehow, it did not seem normal for such a man to be made of flesh and blood.
"You might be wondering why he sent me, of all people. The answer is simple. He wanted to show you that no matter what you choose to do, you are not to be harmed by the Equalists. Not even by me. Our war is not waged against you. Whether your friends would do the same, should you join us, remains questionable, however. But that is for you to see.
He'd spoken the word friends with disdain, as though it were a falsehood, a lie.
"Now I will let you speak, in case you have a message for your father. If you don't have anything to say to him, I will leave. Stay very still and don't try anything bold. It would be useless and you know it."
Amon removed his hand and pulled away, his warmth deserting me. How could my father have sent this monster to me? Anger soon gave me the necessary courage to turn and face him.
"Why are you doing this?" I asked. "I lost my mother at the hands of firebenders, too. But I don't condemn all benders for it!"
"I'm not here to discuss this with you," he dryly replied. Do you have a message for your father or not? I you don't, I will simply leave."
He turned away.
"Wait," I said. "Tell him… tell him that I will always love him, but that I hope that he will come to his senses. I stand by my friends. I stand by the Avatar."
"The Avatar," he declared, with a hint of derision in his voice. "Yes. Very well, I shall deliver your message to your father. Oh, and one more thing."
He looked me straight in the eyes, forcing me to stare back into his.
"I'm glad your father asked me to come see you, Asami. Because your face is the complete opposite of mine."
Amon's hand gently stroked my cheek. My heart raced. Agitation, confusion, disgust. What was he doing?
"Goodbye," was the last thing he said, before he finally backed away into the shadows from which he'd emerged.