Republic City
Autumn, 174 AG
Dear Wu,
Police detectives are not in the business of getting revenge. That said, if Kyoshi Yumi lays a finger on you, I will put aside my badge for awhile.
Also, I can't approve of concubines. Although I'm pretty sure I shouldn't be giving relationship advice to anyone. Except to my brother, and that advice is, don't fuck it up with Opal. Other than that, I'm out.
Speaking of bad relationship advice, Korra and Asami finally got back from their vacation. Asami jumped right back into Future Industries and she's hiring and there are plans for transport infrastructure revision (Asami's words, not mine) and Varrick is working with her as well. Well. Zhu Li is working with her, Varrick is busy filming a new mover and yes, it is another Nuktuk feature. I love my brother, but I can't take the furry shorts seriously.
I had lunch with Korra yesterday (Asami works 12 hour days right now, Korra tells me, and she's not very happy about it - Korra that is, Asami always was a bit of a workaholic, so I don't know about her) and I told her I was writing to you and she said a)to say hello from her (so hello from Korra) and also b)that she is planning a trip to Ba Sing Se in the very near future and that she will let you know herself when that will happen. Because now I am her social secretary, I guess. Next time she can write her own damn letter. Not that she's a very good correspondent.
In other news, the healer let me try out lightning yesterday. It went okay. It was a pretty weak little crackle, but according to her the important thing is that I can get lightning at all and I just have to continue with the therapy and to think of the bending with that hand as a beginner's bending. I have to build it back up. I'll do whatever it takes, honestly. The hand, though…the arm doesn't show under a shirt and jacket, but the hand looks pretty bad. The scars, I mean. Maybe I should see about getting some sort of glove. Leather maybe, something more durable than cloth, but it would have to be flexible. I don't know. Maybe I'll ask Asami, she always has good ideas for that kind of thing. If she has time, that is.
Oh! I forgot, I found a place in the part of downtown that's still standing. It's pretty small, but it's mine. I don't need a big place anyhow. It's got a bed and a kitchen and my own toilet, so for right now I'm okay with it. So don't throw away the return address on the envelope, although my grandma will make sure I get anything sent to her.
Thanks for writing to her, by the way. You really make her day when she gets a letter from you. Also thank you for not discussing concubines with my grandmother. Although if the stories she tells about my grandfather are true, I doubt a concubine or two would shock her. Grandpa was quite the player, apparently. According to Grandma, she finally had had enough and she hit Grandpa upside the head with a metal teapot and then he asked her to marry him. Engagement by teapot!
We had a bad case last week that involved a murder of a woman, leaving behind her two children. That wasn't a good one. Those children are very small. What will become of them? We don't have anything in Republic City to deal with that kind of thing, not really. Nothing but orphanages, and there's a reason I ran with Bolin away from the orphanages. They aren't good places. I sent them to stay with Aunt LiLing and Uncle Chow for now. I don't know what else to do. Aunt LiLing suspects they are not sisters at all - the older girl seems to be about four and knows her name is Shu but the baby is nameless - Shu doesn't know - and looks absolutely nothing like Shu. Who knows where the baby came from? Republic City is such a mess right now. The baby has more traditional Fire Nation coloring and looks, though, so Aunt LiLing decided to name her Naoki after my mother. Bolin and I were very touched.
Hang in there. Soon you'll be all abdicated and then you can go to a spa. You know. Treat yourself.
-Mako
P.S. Enclosed is "Lord of the Desert." I won't give spoilers, but let's just say that Ping redeems himself a little for all the crap he pulled on Jade Blossom in the first book. (That business with the Oasis Bar singer was pretty disappointing. I expected better from a heroic Sandbender.) So if you don't get the book with this letter then go hunt down the Kyoshis and take it back. I sent it for you, not them. They can have it when you're done.