Forever

by MonsieurToast

Things changed after Kuvira's fall. Not just for the world, but for its Avatar, as well. From out of pain came love, and from the lessons of the old, a new world was being built. As Korra and Asami move forward with their relationship, they face their ultimate test as a string of unusual murders and disappearances strikes both worlds, prompting Korra and her friends to investigate.

7. Bad Blood

A/N: Well. This sure did take a while to write, didn't it? You could almost say it took an amount of time bordering on the titular. I could go on and on about all the reasons why, but to summarize the whole thing as quickly as possible, stuff happened, and I've found myself drained and pressed for time for a number of months now, contributing greatly to multiple bouts of extraordinary exhaustion and infuriating writer's block, all of which I will get into in greater detail after the chapter, I feel like I've made you all wait long enough for this one. It's a little bit longer than usual since I kept you all waiting so long. I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter Seven

Bad Blood

As the sun peered over the mountaintops around their marble mansion home, two young women sparred for supremacy, locked in a battle more intense than either of them had had since the Chi Eater incident a week and a half prior. With the radio on in the background playing a variety of jazzy tunes from their favorite local station, the two wide-awake early risers clashed with padded hands and feet, matching each other blow-for-blow as they danced around the specially designed room in their home's northern end – a room that, until recently, hadn't seen any use from the young engineer to whom it belonged in more than 3 years.

Having only woken up not even 30 minutes ago, neither of them had bothered to fix their hair or clean themselves up before heading down to train, seeming to have simply gotten up from bed, slipped into some shorts and a tank top, and then gotten right down to business – after enjoying a brief breakfast together, of course, as the two empty teacups and crumb-ridden plates by the door may have indicated.

"Come on, Korra, you can do better than that!" Asami taunted as she deflected another attack from her wife-to-be, the green-eyed engineer in no lesser shape than she was before hers and Korra's more than 2 month vacation in the Spirit World. Not that this was very surprising, considering they never really stopped training, even then. While they were taking a break from their duties to the city (and the world), that didn't mean that they were just going to slack off completely for 2 months and fall out-of-shape again. Especially not Korra, who had only just gotten back into shape after recovering from her poisoning. So instead, the two of them came up with a training schedule they could do together, complete with the occasional sparring session.

Though, back then, they didn't start nearly as early. That, unfortunately, was due to the reality of their busy schedules back in Republic City. Now they trained together just about every day but the weekends, waking up early in the morning to either exercise, practice their moves and forms, train with the various dummies and equipment set up in and around the room, or spar with one another, which came in three varieties: armed, unarmed and bending. The first made use of wooden practice weapons for one or both sides, the second was pure close quarters combat, and the third allowed Korra to bend while fighting while Asami could go in armed or unarmed, something the Avatar was otherwise prohibited from doing.

Today happened to be a simple unarmed combat day.

With another one of her attacks deftly avoided, Korra grumbled, giving her fiancee a playful scowl in genuine annoyance, frustrated with her inability to land a solid blow but continually impressed with her partner's hand-to-hand ability – she was a force to be reckoned with for sure. Were she allowed to use her bending today, she'd probably be able to put up a better fight, but as it stood, that wasn't the case, which gave the Sato a slight advantage given that this was all she'd ever had, making it an incredibly honed skill. Regardless of his reasons why, her father wanted Asami to be able to fight and hold her own, especially against benders, meaning that this was one of the worst positions Korra could possibly be in – completely unassisted and locked in a battle with a person trained specifically to have a chance at taking her down at her best.

Combine this with all of the training the two had done together over the past few months and things fell even more out of Korra's favor, Asami appearing to have begun picking up on some of Korra's bending techniques and incorporating their strikes and movements into her own style, something she felt would come in handy in facing benders in the future. Or, the Avatar in a sparring session. Still, it was important that Korra could hold her own without her bending, too, and she knew that. There were still a few ways her bending could be temporarily knocked out or some situations where it would be inadvisable, meaning she needed to know what she was doing on all fronts. And she was improving a lot, too. But the rate at which Asami's CQC skills were sharpening far outpaced Korra's own. If she could use even one element, then maybe... but no. That was for another day.

Shaking off the disappointment of another parried blow, Korra got her head right back in the game and rushed in twice as determined, the two of them continuing to exchange a series of blows, blocks, parries and simple dodges that almost seemed to move faster than the eye could see. Asami was landing more actual hits than Korra was, but Korra was able to tank more blows then Asami could and made use of every strike against her, taking them as an opportunity to try and grab hold of Asami and pull her in closer, or hold her back for an attack of her own. She may not have been as sharp of a fighter as Asami was, but Korra was just as resourceful, and while Asami had skill and precision (and in a real life scenario, her technology), Korra had power and physical endurance that far exceeded her fiancee's own (and, in an ordinary situation, her bending).

While a little crude and risky, Korra's strategy of intentionally allowing certain moves to connect so that she could use them to her advantage was effective, and Asami was finding it increasingly difficult to deal with it. It also didn't help that whenever Korra went in for a blow, she went in hard. Nowhere near full force, of course – both of them were pulling their punches a bit as to avoid hurting each other too badly – but by Asami's estimation, Korra's attacks were still at least a third more powerful than her own. They might not seriously harm, but they could definitely bruise, and Korra's strategy lent itself well to grapples and pins, which was precisely how this fight was slated to be ended. Whoever could pin the other down to a point where they couldn't get back up first won.

And so to that end, the two of them punched and kicked and grappled and fought with dull, resounding thuds, their padded gloves and shoes noisily declaring every strike and lessening the impact of every pulled punch even further. Just because they weren't trying to seriously hurt each other, however, didn't meant that they weren't still trying to show off and best the other in combat, as Asami's next move clearly showed. Ducking around an incoming jab from the Avatar, the long dark-haired engineer used the failed attempt to strike her to her advantage, delivering a feint to Korra's face before suddenly changing gears and grabbing hold of her shoulder instead, using it as leverage as she utilized her forward momentum and close proximity to perform a cartwheel over and behind her, catching the Avatar momentarily off guard.

The self-assured smirk on Asami's face when Korra looked back in shock said it all. Though nobody knew what she was capable of more than her, Asami still got the feeling that Korra underestimated her in battle, just a little bit, so she always felt like she had something to prove whenever they got the chance to spar like this. So, prove it she did. She could take on more than just a couple of goons, she could take on the Avatar, too, and she wanted to make sure that Korra recognized that. Hell, she was even more impressive when they were doing a sparring session where Korra was allowed to bend. But still – even if Korra did underestimate her a little bit, nobody knew Asami better than her, so when she landed right behind her, Korra knew exactly what to expect.

Before she could get the chance to turn around, Asami was already in motion, twisting and lowering her body in a spinning sweep across the floor with her right leg, clearly aiming to break the Avatar's footing while her back was turned and she was unaware, but this was a move Korra had seen Asami use against others before. The moment she got behind her and attempted to attack her from behind, she knew just what to expect, taking a short hop into the air and over her fiancee's leg, avoiding her attack entirely, the green-eyed girl's gaze slightly widening. Impressive foresight.

"Nice try," Korra began. "But I've seen that one before." Combined with her knowledge of how Asami thought and the way she was trained, it wasn't too difficult to see it coming, it was just reacting in time that was a problem. Thankfully, she'd made it.

The briefly surprised engineer's face returned to a resting smirk, Asami committing herself to following through with her initial plan of attack and settling back into her previous routine of strategically aimed punches, kicks and other such strikes before Korra had the chance to turn around to meet her in full, letting her get in one or two good punches into her fiancee's back before she regained her bearings and tried for a back kick that sent Asami staggering backwards, just barely managing to avoid it. This continued back-and-forth trading of punches and kicks in a relentless assault from both sides went on for another 15 to 20 minutes more, both girls dripping with sweat and beginning to feel the strain as the fighting took its toll. How long had it been since either of them had gone at it this intensely? Well, outside of that, anyway.

While they were both in roughly equal shape and stood there in a ready stance, panting, waiting for the other to make the move that'd end the fight, Korra was beginning to realize that she was likely on the losing end of this little bout of theirs, all the blows she'd taken and extra power she'd been using leaving her barely able to remain standing in the final stretch. She'd only served to exhaust herself further quicker, stacking the odds even more in the Non-Bender's favor. She could see it now more than ever. The fire behind those glistening green eyes. The determination on her face. She was ready to bring this match to an end, she was ready to win. This next move would be her last.

Korra furrowed her brow the moment Asami's body twitched to move forward, time almost seeming to slow down for her as the adrenaline rushed through her veins and she began to think about what, if anything, she could do to avoid what was coming, and within the confines of the rules, there was nothing. She had grown far too tired and sluggish to land a decisive blow of her own, let alone tank or avoid the one coming her way. First the snowball fight in the South Pole, then her unexpected appearance during the Chi Eater battle, now this? Either Asami was a lot more capable than even Korra had thought, or she still wasn't back at 100%, because the more she thought about it, the more she was beginning to realize just how often she was either losing out or being shown up by her these days, in the battlefield and the bedroom (spirits, that girl could get wild).

Honestly, it was kind of frustrating. She thought that she was back in action, but maybe she still had some recuperating to do? Or had Asami simply grown this much in 3 years' time? Not that it was a bad thing if she had! Korra was proud of her, definitely, but what could she say? She was a competitive girl and she'd been doing a lot of losing lately, especially this past week. Her ego was bruised. The only possible way she could ever win this match now would be if Asami made a mistake or got caught on something and tripped, creating an opening where Korra could then keep the clearly tired girl down with little more than her body weight. But the odds of that happening naturally were slim to none. There was no way out of what was coming. No way, that was, except...

A mischievous grin crept its way across Korra's face as she sussed out a way to end this match in her favor, fairly or not, making use of a little bit of stealthy Airbending to turn the tides and provide her with the "mistake" she so desperately needed to come out on top – literally, as it happened. So, as Asami came in closer and Korra moved backwards in an attempt to avoid the oncoming punch, as she slid her left foot back, she created an Airbending vacuum aimed at Asami's right leg, pulling her in ever-so-slightly by the ankle and immediately throwing her off balance, providing exactly the kind of opening she was looking for. Perfect.

"What!?" Asami yelped, feeling as though she'd slipped, an unexpected tug interrupting her attack and forcing her to try and catch herself before she fell, catching glimpse of Korra's smirk as she closed the distance between them and made use of the opening she'd created, wrestling her to the ground. It was in that instant that she realized what was going on, Asami's brow the one to furrow this time as it hit her. So she was playing dirty, was she? Well, she'd be taking that as a concession of Korra's failure, then, and Asami's overall victory if that was the only way she could think to win.

This time, Asami was the one with no way out, Korra's "victory" assured as she felt herself tackled and pinned onto the matted floor below, Korra climbing on top of her and holding her down by both arms as she lie sprawled out onto her back, the Water Tribe girl's face mere inches from hers with a satisfied grin sprawled across her lips.

"I win~" Korra sang with confidence, unaware that Asami had already caught on to her little ploy. Had she really now? The engineer raised an eyebrow in response, a half-amused, half-annoyed look in her eye to which Korra seemed to remain blissfully unaware, high off of her "victory". Seemed as though she was chalking it up to Asami's dissatisfaction at losing. She really should've known better.

"Do you really now?" Asami asked, Korra's grin almost immediately shrinking by at least half. Uh oh. That tone said it all. "You know you're not allowed to bend today, Korra – this was strictly a hand-to-hand session, remember?" Crap, she was on to her. But, she wasn't going to give up now – maybe she could lie her way out of this, she naively thought, returning her grin to its previous state.

"What? I have no idea what you're talking about," Korra began, half-rolling her eyes. "It's not my fault you got clumsy in the home stretch~" She stated with the same sing-songy voice from before, clearly teasing her fiancee. So that's how she was going to be, huh? Well, two could play at that game. If it was teasing that she wanted, it was teasing she was going to get, and unfortunately for Korra, even from down there, Asami still had the upper hand.

"You just wanted to get on top of me, didn't you?" Asami dropped with a knowing grin, Korra's eyes immediately darting back to Asami's as her face turned beet red, an embarrassed pout replacing her mischievous grin. Did she just go where she thought she did? "I mean, it's not like you've really gotten the chance any other time this last week and a half..." While Korra's face could only turn redder and redder as her nose crinkled in flustration, Asami's grin evolved into a self-assured smile. Got her.

"Excuse me!?" The Avatar asked with an amused scoff, unbelieving of what she was hearing. Seriously, did Asami really just go there? True or not, that was just plain low! ...Though, then again, so was Airbending in a Non-Bending match, so maybe it all evened out in the end... but still! That's what she was returning fire with? Okay, she got it, Asami was upset. She was just glad that no one else was around right now to hear that – this wasn't a part of her life she was exactly eager to share with everyone.

"You heard me~" Came the reply, just as playful in its tone as Korra's little tease from a moment earlier.

"T-that's just because I'm still a little dinged up from that whole Chi Eater thing, that's all! A-and this week's been very stressful! Yeah!" Korra defended, not that Asami was particularly buying it. All things considered, she came out of that battle in pretty good shape – any injuries she'd sustained had long since healed up by now, never mind the exhaustion. Korra didn't know if it was the residual post-betrothal rush or because she'd almost died a few days ago or what, but something had gotten into that girl of hers that she just couldn't top. Literally. But, she would concede that it'd been a tiring week; Korra just didn't have the energy to take charge lately. Which Asami knew of course, but it was still an effective teasing strategy. With her mind now completely removed from the match, Asami's smile grew imperceptibly wider.

Korra was open.

"I dunno, you sure put up a hell of a fight for somebody supposedly so 'dinged up'." ...Damn, Korra hadn't thought about that. Her lie was even flimsier than she thought. "You did pretty good, all things considered. You just forgot about oooone little thing..." Korra raised an eyebrow. Forgot...? "My legs." ...Wait, what?

Before Korra could register what was going on, Asami had already used her superior flexibility as a fighter to her advantage, reaching the legs Korra had so amateurishly forgotten to secure up and around her from beneath her arms, pulling the Avatar up and off of Asami with impressive physical strength, quickly reversing their positions as she slammed her back-first onto the mat, taking a much more confident and deserved stance on top of the Avatar as the Water Tribe girl now found herself to be the one held down with Asami on top of her instead – a familiar, frustrating, but not entirely unwelcome sight.

"So, what was all of that about winning, now?" She asked. Korra sighed, laughing slightly at the throbbing pain in her back. Well, that's what she got for trying to cheat her fiancee, she supposed.

"Okay, okay, you got me," She conceded, Asami flipping a stray lock of hair from her face as she flashed the girl another smirk. Damn right she did. "You don't need to be all smug about it though, I was just trying to have a little fun..." Korra excused. Well, it wasn't a total lie...

"Uh-huh, sure." Asami replied, her purportedly smug smile still unwavering. Much to Korra's dismay, Asami was much more skilled than she in securing downed enemies and sparring partners – there was no getting out of this one, even if she could use her legs like Asami. Which, to be perfectly honest, she wasn't sure she could. Asami was always just a little bit better at reversals like that than Korra was, never mind more flexible. In the end, despite her best efforts and even a little Airbending assist, Asami still won. Korra sure did know how to pick them. "What did we learn?" Asami asked.

"Cheating is bad." Korra sighed.

"And?" The engineer pressed.

"And you're the better fighter." Korra begrudgingly continued, turning her head away as she did, clearly embarrassed.

"Damn right I am." Asami confirmed with confidence. "Don't do that again, please." She finished, her tone more serious this time around. All teasing aside, Korra's little trick was pretty low, and she knew it. But, she'd learned her lesson. It wouldn't happen again.

"I won't. I'm sorry." Korra apologized, looking back up at her wife-to-be. "It's just been a rough week, y'know? I wanted at least one little victory against you." She explained. Asami shook her head.

"Then earn it." She replied, warmness returning to her words as she released her hold on her fiancee and helped her back up to her feet. "You know you're better than that." Korra smiled, nodding.

"Yeah... I guess I am. I'm sorry." She repeated. Asami nodded.

"Apology accepted." She said.

The battle over and apology relayed, Korra tiredly walked over to the table by the doorway, two empty glasses and a pitcher of water sitting by the girls' teacups and breakfast plates. Cooling the pitcher with a touch and pouring herself a glass, the Avatar gulped it down in a matter of seconds, plopping onto one of the two chairs set up on either side as she did. Moving the glass back onto the table once she'd finished but refusing to release her grip on it, she looked on with exhaustion as Asami undid the ponytail she'd tied her hair into and walked over to join the Avatar, Korra taking the liberty of pouring and cooling her glass, as well. It was the least she could do, really. Asami quietly thanked her, taking the seat at the other end of the table closest to the door, choosing to nurse her water as opposed to drink it down in one go like Korra did.

While Asami stared out the large window across the room and into the garden, Korra had her gaze affixed entirely onto Asami, staring silently at her as she thought to herself about the events of the last couple of weeks. They weren't even back a day before Korra had gotten herself roped into some sort of crisis again, ultimately ending up with her going toe-to-toe with a psycho spirit not even three days after her vacation and then getting herself wrapped up in Kuvira's trial shortly thereafter, just like she'd promised. Now that the Chi Eater was dead and gone though, she was finally free to turn her attention to those sorts of things.

Meanwhile, the city had to take yet more time out of its schedule and money out of its budget in order to repair the Pro Bending Arena, which, given its importance to the local economy, obviously got bumped up to the top of the city's to-do list, yet again detracting from the older neighborhoods that were still suffering from the after effects of Kuvira's attack and the recent rise in Triad activity. But, at the very least, Ryuuki's donation money to Future Industries remained untouched, left to fulfill its intended purpose of helping the neighborhoods most in need at Asami's and Future Industries' discretion.

Speaking of, last she'd heard about that guy, he'd opted to take the time out of his schedule to stick around in Republic City for the remainder of the month and help out with the Arena's reconstruction, feeling as though he was partly responsible for everything that had happened since it was his mover that drew the creature's attention in the first place. Since then, the premiere had been rescheduled for tonight, the location having been moved to an old stage theater in Westside Republic City. It could only fit about half as many people as the Arena at best, but there were multiple showings planned today in order to compensate for that. Nobody knew how many people would actually show up for a second time though, especially after what'd happened the first time around, even if the threat had since been neutralized. But, the city remained hopeful.

And then, there was Kuvira's trial...

Just as she and Asami had discussed, she'd testified in favor of a prison sentence as opposed to a death sentence, and unsurprisingly, this immediately landed her in hot water with some portions of the public. A lot of people had fled to Republic City in hopes that they'd be safe from Kuvira's "reunification" of the Earth Kingdom, but they weren't. They weren't, and Korra felt responsible. Equally unsurprisingly, the press immediately jumped on the Avatar-hate bandwagon, spinning the story even further out of her favor and, in some circles, putting her right back where she was before the Red Lotus incident in terms of public approval.

But, those were the times she lived in now: the public's opinion was ever-changing and could turn on her at the drop of a hat. One story about her wanting to preserve a life and all the good will she'd earned from taking down Kuvira in the first place was gone, at least with some people. Thankfully, there were still crowds out there who got where she was coming from and outlets that supported her, but still, it was disheartening. Not just how mad people were that she wasn't as eager to kill somebody as they were, deserving or not, but the fact that they wanted to kill her at all. Honestly, if any of her old foes deserved a death penalty, it would've been Zaheer, in her opinion, but he was still alive and well, chained up in the mountains.

But, the United Republic appeared to be intent on making an example out of the woman. With the Earth Kingdom officially dissolved and the Earth Territories in a state of limbo as they returned to their pre-Kuvira interim (now permanent) governments, the last thing anybody wanted was another conqueror or "Great Uniter" showing up in the midst of any chaos down the line. They wanted to show what would happen to such dissidents, that actions like Kuvira's would not be tolerated. They wanted not only justice, but vengeance, and nowhere was this more apparent than with the Beifongs, the family that once considered Kuvira one of their own. Now they wouldn't even speak on behalf of her life.

The whole thing had been incredibly stressful for Korra, and to be honest, she wasn't sure what she would've done if Asami wasn't there to help her through it and talk to her about it. People hadn't hated her this much since she decided to leave the Spirit Portals open, but she had Asami there helping her through that, too. Honestly, that's kind of why today's sparring session had been so intense and why she wanted to win so badly – stress relief. She wanted SOME kind of a victory this week, no matter how small or ill-gotten it was, just like she'd said. But, it was another loss. Not exactly the best way to start her day, but what could she do? It could only go up from here, right?

Once the verdict on Kuvira was finally announced, Korra could deal with whatever it was the press had to ask of her and then get to work on asking the spirits about the Chi Eater. With any luck, it'd be a relatively quick and painless process and she could get back home and relax for a bit before heading out to help set up for the premiere, or maybe pop in on Asami at work and brighten up her day. Well, she could hope, anyway.

By this point, Korra had been staring at Asami for quite some time, admiring her fiancee's beauty and finding comfort in her just sitting there; time enough that Asami had begun to notice, raising an intrigued eyebrow as Korra practically stared a hole straight through her.

"...? Korra? Is something wrong?" She asked, recognizing the look on the Avatar's face as being her "deep thought" look. That girl had so much weighing on her mind right now, it hurt Asami's head just to think about. I mean, yeah, as the CEO of Future Industries, she had a lot on her plate as well, but Korra's job was so much bigger than signing some papers or drawing up some designs, and Asami had teams of assistants and employees at her disposal to help lighten her load. But Korra? Asami often wondered how she did it all, and frankly, sometimes, so did Korra.

"...Huh? Oh, no, it's nothing – I'm just admiring how beautiful you are. Have I ever mentioned how good you look when you sweat? The light has this way of glistening off of your skin when you do that's just..." Korra covered, half-lying. Asami already knew what she was really thinking about, but she really was admiring her fiancee's beauty at the same time. How in the world did she get so lucky? Asami often thought of herself as the lucky one – I mean, her girlfriend was the freakin' Avatar for crying out loud – but whenever Korra woke up in the morning next to her? All she could think was that she must've accumulated a LOT of good karma over the years, because Asami was just... perfect.

"You may have mentioned something like that before..." The dark-haired girl giggled in response, picking up on the sincerity in her words. They'd talked enough about current events, she supposed. She may as well let her change the subject and occupy her mind with other things if she really wanted to, she'd earned that much. "But you're pretty beautiful too, you know, sweaty and reeking with the stench of sore loser or not. Don't go selling yourself too short now." She replied, Korra immediately looking away to try (and fail) to hide her blushing.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. There's only room for one beautiful person in this relationship, and that sure as hell isn't me." Korra replied. "Like, I have the looks of an angry armadillo bear at the best of times while you look like you could star in a mover at your worst, I mean come on." Yeah, but she was Asami's angry armadillo bear, and Asami thought she was absolutely gorgeous regardless. "I will admit that I have a winning personality, though..." She finished with a smug smile, rubbing her chin. Asami laughed again.

"Whatever you say." She sarcastically conceded. Letting loose a contented sigh as she finished her water and Korra poured the both of them a fresh glass, Asami found herself the one deep in thought this time around, her mind drifting back to the room they were in. How long had it been since she'd actually been in here, anyway? 3 and a half, 4 years, maybe? Something around that; since a little before the Equalist Uprising. After that, she couldn't bring herself to so much as look at it anymore, let alone enter it. Until now, that was. If it weren't for Korra, she wasn't sure she'd have been able to take it. Not after everything that had happened since then.

"...You know, I hadn't actually been in this room for years until you moved in." Asami began after a few moments of silence, catching Korra's attention.

"Really? Why not? It seems like the perfect place to train. I mean, everything's already set up for it, and all this equipment is really top notch..." Korra wondered. Asami's smile weakened, her eyes narrowing somewhat dishearteningly at the mention as she kept her gaze affixed straight ahead, holding onto her glass with both hands.

"Yeah, well, that is what this room was made for." Asami said. "My dad called it the "Sato Family Dojo". He had it added onto the house shortly after my mother died specifically for me. He wanted to train me to be able to defend myself – against benders, especially – but keep me close while he did, somewhere safe and comfortable where he could join in or check up on me anytime he wanted or his schedule allowed. This room is where I first learned everything I know today."

"Exactly. So why wouldn't you use it then?" Korra asked. Asami bit her lip. Well, that was actually the whole problem. The memories.

"My dad." She replied simply. Korra fell silent after that, everything suddenly beginning to make sense. That's right... somehow, she'd almost forgotten. She wasn't going to press it any further after that, but Asami didn't seem to mind – she wanted to get this out there. She wanted Korra to know this. "...After everything that'd happened with my dad, Amon, the Equalists... my entire view of him changed, especially in relation to me. Finding out that he was a part of that really threw me for a loop. I began to wonder what he was really training me for, if it was really so that I'd be able to defend myself and make sure that what happened to my mom never happened to me or if he was just training me to be another weapon in his insane war against benders." Yeah, Korra could see why any memories she may have had in here would've been tainted after that... she was going to say something, but stopped herself, letting Asami continue.

"I know what you're thinking, that he probably really did care about me and was doing this to protect me, that everything he did was to protect me in the end, but I... I honestly can't say for sure. I don't know. And that really hurts, you know? Suddenly, all those memories I had of this kindly single father just trying to do his best to raise his daughter were completely destroyed. The image I had of him as this genius inventor struggling to make time for his work and his family was tainted by something I couldn't and didn't want to understand. We never got to spend much time together when I was growing up, because of the company. It's part of the reason I first started taking an interest in things, wanting to be closer to him and spend more time with him, but this room... this was one of the few places I got to spend time with him that wasn't all business or learning, you know? As much as we trained, we talked here, too. We unwound, played Pai Sho, drank tea, watched the sunset paint the gardens... and then he went and ruined all of it."

What could Korra even say to all of that? If she were in Asami's position, she probably would've reacted the same way, to be honest. It made sense. She knew that Hiroshi's betrayal had really affected her, but she didn't often put much thought into how it affected her exactly unless she had to, like when she first heard that he was making an attempt to reconnect with her. But Asami? She had to live with this every day. She didn't have the luxury of not having to think about it. Her father was the only family she had, and then he betrayed her. He threw away everything. In the end, they did finally reconnect and she did manage to forgive him, but... well, some wounds healed slower than others.

"...I'm sorry." Korra finally spoke up, not really sure what else she could say. She was sorry though, that Asami had to go through and deal with all of that. She couldn't even begin to imagine how it must've felt.

"Don't be. You... kind of changed everything." Asami continued, laughing a bit at the end. Korra raised an eyebrow. She had? "I mean, finally being able to forgive him and him being... gone... have definitely had an impact as well, but I would've been fine with just having this room taken apart and turned into something else if I weren't in a relationship with you right now. You – we – could actually use this space. And I feel like with you... regardless of whatever my father's motivations really were and the memories we shared here that he tainted, for once, I actually want to make some new ones in here. With you." That smile. Korra recognized that smile immediately. It was the same smile Asami gave her 3 years ago before Jinora's ceremony, the smile Asami gave her when she promised that she'd be there if she ever wanted to talk, or "anything". It was a brief, shy, loving, assuring smile. One that filled Korra with ease.

"...I'd be honored to." Korra replied, smiling. "And I promise that the rest of them won't involve any cheating." Asami laughed.

"Yeah, they better not." She said, playfully shoving Korra from across the table. "Even if we aren't married yet, you're kind of already my family, you know?" She remarked after a brief moment of silence, Korra continuing to smile at her.

"Yeah, I know." She said quietly, admiring the contented smile spread across her fiancee's lips. Once the city was back together again and everything finally settled back down for a bit, she'd make that girl hers. Forever. But she didn't need some fancy ceremony to be able to promise her that. As far as she was concerned, they were already more-or-less married, and there wasn't a person in the world who could tell or convince her otherwise. She was already living the life she was dreaming of. All that a wedding would do is make it official to the rest of the world, too.

As the two of them sat there a few minutes more, cooling down with the remainder of their water pitcher and letting their bodies rest, Asami checked the time. 7:58AM... she'd have to get up and get ready for work soon, ugh. If it were up to her, she'd stay and laze around with Korra for the rest of the day, and I guess technically, as CEO, it WAS up to her, but still – she had obligations to her company and her city to be there, she couldn't take a day off just because she wanted to. Not right now, at least. But, it wasn't as though Korra didn't have her own business to attend to while Asami was at work.

While the rest of the city cleaned up the Chi Eater's mess and moved on with their lives, Korra had taken it upon herself to finish the investigation into its origin on the behalf of the police, following up on any leads she could turn up from the spirits in order to try and figure out who'd corrupted the spirit and how, intent on making sure that nothing like the Chi Eater ever came into existence again. Even if it did happen over a thousand years ago, as the one that was tasked with solving problems like these, it'd probably be a good idea to have a better understanding of the circumstances surrounding it and its creation so future Avatars wouldn't be so woefully unprepared. Honestly, if she didn't know how to Energybend, she probably would've lost that fight within the first couple of seconds...

"Ugh, I really don't wanna go to work today..." Asami groaned, leaning back in her chair. A sentiment Korra shared. She didn't want Asami to go to work today, either.

"Welcome to my life. Doesn't really get any easier, does it?" The Avatar teasingly inquired.

"Oh, shut up." Asami just-as-teasingly shot back. "Are you gonna try and visit me at work again today?" She asked, changing gears for a moment. Korra nodded. Good.

"We'll see how it goes, but yeah, I'd like to swing by if I don't get too caught up in things. Help you out with a little mid-day stress relief, if you catch my drift." Korra yet again teased, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. Oh spirits, was she being serious right now?

"Really, Korra? You want to do it there? You've got to be..." Asami asked, shaking her head.

"What? I was just going to bring you some lunch and give you a massage or something, what did you think I meant?" Oh god damn it, she knew exactly what Asami thought she meant. Korra laughed, amused with the annoyed look on the CEO's face. Perfect.

As the clock ticked 8 even, the music from the radio in the corner came to an end, the hourly news report taking its place and alerting both girls to the time. 45 minutes of sparring and then a 15 minute break... that should be sufficient, Korra thought. But, she wouldn't be going to go get cleaned up just yet – considering Asami's job was much more time-sensitive than Korra's was at the moment and she had to be at work by 9, she'd let her go up and use the shower first, especially since she tended to take so long in comparison to the young Avatar. She could hop in and out in 10 or 15 minutes no problem, but Asami took closer to 45, and if Korra went in fist, that'd be cutting it pretty close.

"You can go ahead and use the shower first, I have the luxury of being able to start my day a little bit later than you do." Korra said, announcing her plan to her partner. Asami nodded in response, rubbing her chin as she thought it over.

"True. Althooough... we could just shower together, instead. I mean, it's more efficient for both of us that way, right?" Asami asked, giving her fiancee a coy smile, Korra smiling right back in turn. Now why didn't she think of that?

"Heh, sounds good to me." She replied, standing up from her chair and quickly stretching out her back and arms, wincing a bit. Okay, so maybe she wasn't completely healed – that slamming onto the mat seemed to have aggravated her shoulder injury from the Chi Eater battle, but she couldn't say she didn't have it coming. Asami, however, appeared to be feeling merciful today, offering to tend to her shoulder for her while they were in the shower. Not that Korra couldn't easily take care of that herself, but she appreciated the sentiment, and the way Asami tenderly cared for her and massaged her was just... yeah, she could definitely go for that right about now, especially with all of the stress the recent bouts with the press had been giving her.

"Breaking news!" ...Something which didn't seem to be letting up anytime soon, sadly, the news anchor's voice from over the radio catching Korra's attention before she and Asami could leave the room. Greeeeaaaat...

Given what was due this morning, Korra had a pretty good idea what that breaking news was going to be about: Kuvira. She knew that sentencing was due this morning – the Judge, Kesuk, having set the date just yesterday – but she still didn't expect it to be over so soon. Or, rather, she did expect it, but she was hoping it'd take a bit longer anyway, and that the judge and jury would weigh their options a bit more carefully. Given that the death penalty was on the table, Korra would've assumed that this would take longer than a week to decide. But, maybe that death sentence was as foregone a conclusion as Kuvira's guilt was after all. In a moment, she would know for sure.

"As we reported to you last night, despite the fact that proceedings had only ended a week ago, it was announced early yesterday evening that Judge Kesuk and the jury involved in the ongoing Kuvira trial had already reached a decision as to the fate of the would-be empress, scheduling her sentencing hearing for early this morning and moving things along at a greatly accelerated paceas compared to the slowdown caused by the 2 month vacation and recent return of Avatar Korra to Republic City. We've just received word that this hearing has now come to a close and a verdict has been reached!" Korra tensed. This was it, the moment of truth.

Asami looked over at the shorter girl with concern as she stood there, staring at the radio in the corner, listening closely to every word. Did this really mean that much to her? In all honesty, with everything that had happened, Asami wouldn't have minded watching her hang, either, but that was a discussion she and the Avatar had had at length months ago – she'd come around to Korra's position and had supported her every step of the way since then, hard as it may have initially been. The only question was, would everybody else? If this past week was any indication, the answer to that was no, but if they ruled in favor of sparing Kuvira's life... well, who knows what would happen, then.

"While it was initially assumed that a death sentence would be inevitable, in a shocking turn of events, Judge Kesuk has ruled in favor of a sentence of life imprisonment instead! After a last-minute testimony by Avatar Korra late last week condemning Kuvira's actions but standing in defense of her life, it would appear that her words have influenced a change in the hearts of those involved, ultimately swinging things back in favor of a less violent end to the once-called "Great Uniter". While sure to be an unpopular one, Judge Kesuk has assured us that this decision is final, and that Kuvira will be remaining in her current cell at an undisclosed location off the coast of the United Republic to serve out the remainder of her sentence." She was going to live?

Korra continued to stand there as the report went on, anything after that point fading into the background as it hit her what'd just happened. Had she actually managed to save Kuvira's life? Or was the judge always going to try and aim for a prison sentence in the end, regardless of popular opinion? As Asami placed her hand on her shoulder, Korra snapped out of her trance, looking back at the taller, smiling girl behind her.

"Looks like you did it after all." She said. Korra smiled, somewhat unsure. Somehow, she got the feeling this was just the beginning of her fight. Now that Kuvira's life was being spared, not only was Korra probably going to start catching more flack from the parties that wanted her dead, but there were probably going to be attempts on Kuvira's life by those she'd wronged over the last 3 years. Which was why her exact location was kept remote and undisclosed, she supposed, but still. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't a little uneasy.

"Yeah... yeah, I guess I did." Korra replied, her smiling growing a bit happier and more comfortable. Uneasiness aside, a victory was a victory. "Anyway... we should go take that shower, you're gonna be late if we don't get going soon." She reminded, Asami nodding in agreement. Right – she had a business to run and a city to rebuild, she couldn't just stand around here in sweaty workout clothes forever.

As Asami cheerily led her through the house and up the stairs back into the master bathroom, Korra couldn't help but wonder what would happen now. The city was unstable enough as it was with the rampant property damage and Triad activity; would this decision just make things worse? It felt right, and deep down, Korra knew it was right, but still... was sparing Kuvira's life some sort of a mistake? All these possibilities that'd never occurred to her before immediately began flooding her mind, her stress continuing to mount as much as it had all week, the brief euphoric rush of victory quickly departing her as Korra realized that her work really had only just begun. Kuvira may have been defeated and the now-separate Earth Territories may have been remarkably stable, but the world was still far from being back in balance... there was a lot of healing yet to be done.

"Don't worry about it." Asami said, plucking Korra out of her thoughts as they reached their destination. How did she...? "You were making that face again." She explained with a very "I told you so" look as she nonchalantly began stripping down. She'd been TRYING to tell Korra that she had a "thinking" face, but she never really believed her. It would certainly explain what otherwise seemed like telepathy, though... "But like I said, don't worry about it," She continued, turning on the water and then facing her fiancee, who was now finding it difficult to keep her gaze anywhere else. "You're the Avatar. You can handle it, right?" She asked. After a moment, Korra smiled confidently.

"Right." She replied. She definitely could. Asami smiled back.

"Good. Now, are you going to join me or just watch?" Korra's face turned red again. Oops. She was kind of just staring again, wasn't she?

"Do you even need to ask?" Korra wondered, taking off her shirt.

To call the present situation awkward would be the understatement of the century.

How long had it been since the two of them had been together like this, just sitting quietly across from one another? 3 years, maybe? Since the beginning of the Red Lotus fiasco, at least. To be perfectly honest, Kuvira was surprised to see her here at all right now. She'd given her sister the excuse of "Just wanting to make sure Kuvira didn't try anything", but the once-great "uniter" knew her better than that. If there was one thing that Suyin Beifong valued above all else, it was family – her family. And given all that Kuvira had done to break that apart, she couldn't help but question her motives, if maybe she didn't want to try and put her in the ground herself, or at least personally throw her in her cell; a final disavowal of her existence now that execution was off the table.

It was the moments like these made Kuvira wish that the Avatar hadn't interfered. She was sure that Korra thought she was doing the right thing, but in all honesty, Kuvira would have much rather died than have to continue living with what she'd done. To have to constantly see reminders of what she'd lost like this, like her. She'd begun thinking that maybe her death would've been a positive thing for the world, that maybe it would be better off if she just stopped being in it. It'd certainly have been easier, from her perspective. But it looked as though that wouldn't be the case now, not unless she starved herself to death slowly, or somebody was both stupid enough to try and kill her themselves and lucky enough to actually get it done. And who knows, with everything she did? As many people whose lives she'd ruined? The latter may actually end up being pretty plausible.

But the fact of the matter was that it was over now. All of it. Her ambitions had been put to an end, her trial had finished, and her connection with Su and her family was irrevocably destroyed. What made it hurt more was that, once upon a time, Kuvira was almost considered a part of that family. Almost, but not quite. Su never could take that last step, it seemed; to formally adopt her and to take her in as her own. She gave her a place to stay and taught her how to Metalbend, yes, but Kuvira always wanted more than just a mentor. She wanted a mother. And for a long time, she kind of looked up to Su as that, but it seemed to her as though that street only went one way. As grateful as she may have once been for what Su had given her, she was resentful for what she hadn't.

As the boat in which she was being transported bobbed over a little wave, the rattling of the platinum cuffs around her hands and feet pulled her from out of her mind and back into reality, the sudden shifting of her eyes from a downward gaze drawing the attention of Lin's to her right. Apparently she thought she was going to do something, too. Kuvira couldn't really blame them. In the past, she would've been way too strong-willed to sit idly by and let them take her alive like this, but that wasn't her anymore. That will had been broken months ago.

"I'm not going to do anything." She said, the Chief of Police looking somewhat surprised to hear her talk. Kuvira hadn't spoken once throughout the entire trial process; so far as Lin knew, she hadn't said a single word in months. Was Su's presence here throwing her off? Or was she finally taking the chance to speak now that everything was over? "That's what you're thinking, right? That's why she's here, staring at me, isn't it?" Kuvira asked, directing her gaze over to Suyin, situated in the center of the seat straight across from her and flanked by two Metalbending Officers. She hadn't stopped staring at Kuvira since she sat down. It was obvious what she was thinking.

"Let's just say I know better than to take my eyes off of you now." Su began, venom in her words. "I made that mistake once before and it led to an all-out war with the United Republic and my son becoming a war criminal." Kuvira laughed. She couldn't help it. The way she said it, the tone in her voice... somehow, she just found it amusing. The hatred that Su felt for her. It was as apparent as it was familiar – she'd seen that kind of disgust on dozens of faces over the last few years. She didn't care about her anymore, did she?

"Bataar and I both never saw ourselves as criminals. We were just trying to do what we thought was right by whatever means we thought we had to. In hindsight, maybe we didn't go about it in the best way, but what else could we have done? The Avatar was gone and somebody needed to step up and grab the bull pig by the horns." Kuvira explained, not that it was even necessary. Everybody already knew where Kuvira stood in all of this, why she did what she did, even if she hadn't said a word in 2 months. She didn't have to explain it now just as she didn't have to explain it during her trial, so why was she taking the time to? Let alone to somebody who already knew all about her flimsy justifications?

"How you two saw yourselves doesn't change the fact that my son is going to be spending the next three decades of his life behind bars because of you. Two, if he's lucky. His life is over now because of what you did. Your ends never justified your means." Su refuted, the look in Kuvira's eyes softening at the mention of Bataar Jr.'s sentence. She thought she'd heard something about him getting a lighter sentence... 30 years, huh? Harsh, but for what he was involved in, he got off easy, she supposed. They never really gave him the threat of the death penalty, all he had to worry about was a life sentence, and while it seemed he'd be spending a good chunk of his in prison, it wasn't going to be all of it. Admittedly, she was relieved to hear it. He shouldn't have had to pay the same price she did for her mistakes.

"Yeah. I guess they didn't." Kuvira replied, clearly uninterested in continuing that line of discussion and shifting her focus to Suyin and Bataar Jr., instead. She just sat through 2 months of people talking about her failed attempt at reunification, that was more than enough. So long as Su was here, Kuvira wanted to speak more personally.

"But, at least Bataar has a chance of bouncing back from all of this, unlike me. I'm just a lost cause, right? I mean, that's what you called me during my trial, isn't it?" She asked. Su's eyes narrowed. "Oh don't look so surprised. My guards listen to that damn radio of theirs almost 24/7, I'm well aware of the details surrounding my trial and everybody's testimony, just as I'm aware of that whole Chi Eater mess you had to deal with last week. At least that one's not my fault." The former security captain shrugged, taking solace in the fact that at least her attack didn't piss off the spirits. Well, okay, it did, but not enough for them to go on a killing spree over it, at least.

"That remains to be seen." Su spat back, Kuvira almost wincing from the blow. To lie to her so directly like that... Su knew as well as the press did that the Chi Eater was an independent issue, she was just intent on seeing Kuvira writhe. She couldn't blame her. "And don't you dare speak about my son as if you care about him after everything you did. You almost killed him! It's bad enough I have to see him locked away for what could be the rest of my life, but to know he might never trust anyone like that again because of you... I've never seen him so empty before. He genuinely seemed to have loved you, somehow. But who am I kidding, since when have you understood love, loyalty and compassion?" Even Lin winced at that one. Kuvira's expression sunk almost instantly, her eyes glancing back down for the first time since she'd spoken up.

No... no, he was different.

"I did a lot of things I'm not proud of and I made a lot of sacrifices that I didn't want to, but that... that was probably my biggest mistake. At the time, I thought I had no other choice but to sacrifice my happiness – him – for the sake of my people. I was wrong, and I've regretted that decision since day one. Everything else I can live with, but losing him..." Kuvira stopped herself there. Like Su cared. Her mind was made up about this months ago. "Well, let's just say you're not the only one disappointed to not see a death penalty, today." She finished, looking back up at her former mentor. If she didn't know any better, Su could almost swear she saw some regret in those eyes.

"Please, don't give me that. I know how you are. You don't have regrets, you never have. You always went above and beyond with everything you did, sometimes to frightening extremes. I'm just disappointed I hadn't seen this sooner, that I hadn't stopped you sooner. Maybe if I had, things could have turned out differently and I'd still have my son." Again, Kuvira's cool facade cracked, amused laughter escaping her lips.

"What, no room for me in your little fantasy of what could've been?" She asked. "You couldn't have stopped me if you tried; you've always been a woman of half measures. You like to act like you're so wise and decisive, like you always know what's best, but when push comes to shove, you've never had it in you to commit to what you need to do, and it always comes back to bite you in the ass. You couldn't commit to leading your country when it could've used your guidance, you couldn't commit to stopping me when you had the chance back at the coronation, and you couldn't commit to personally taking care of the little 8-year-old girl you pulled in off the streets. Perhaps the only thing you have committed to is constantly stroking that gigantic ego of yours." The would've-been empress accused, rage filling Suyin's eyes as Kuvira's lips curled into a sadistic grin.

"Excuse me? I did everything I could for you, Kuvira. I took you in as one of my own, I gave you everything you ever could have wanted, I nurtured your talents... for a time, I almost saw you as being like a daughter to me, and now you have the gall to blame me for everything that happened? To accuse me of, what, not loving you enough? Well I'm sorry you feel that way, but I did everything in my power to help you and give you the opportunity to grow and to be the best that you could be. You were the one who threw all of that away, not me." Su defended. Kuvira, however, remained unconvinced, simultaneously amused by Su's frustration and enraged by her obstinacy. In the past, she'd have liked to try and patch things up with her old family, to try and make amends somehow, but they had proven time and again to have no interest in hearing her out anymore. She was done pulling punches, she was done holding her tongue, it was time Su understood how she really felt.

"I know full well what I did, just as I know what you didn't. The only thing you ever took me in as was a citizen of Zaofu. Nothing more, nothing less. To you, I was no different from Varrick, or Aiwei, or that damn chef. Yes, you gave me a life and a second chance I might not otherwise have had and made sure that I had every opportunity to learn and grow as a dancer, a bender, a guard, but not as a person. Never as a person. All you ever cared about was molding me into the perfect little protege, a mirror image of you, of your ambition. You're a hell of a mentor, Su, but you were never a mother – not to me. You say you thought of me as a daughter now, but I was never really a part of your family. I could never be what they were to you. I could see it in your eyes, the way you looked at them compared to the way you looked at me..." Kuvira grit her teeth.

"You loved them, but me? I was never like a daughter to you, I was never a Beifong – I was just another exotic pet for you to show off to the rest of the world and brag about, another prized Metalbending prodigy for you to look at and remind yourself how great you are. But you're not, and I realized that years ago." She declared, her words equally as venomous and cutting as the Beifong's opening statement. Before she could even get the chance to interject, however, Kuvira continued with her verbal assault, finally seeing it fit to put her feelings on the table. Hell, it's not like she was going to get another chance. If she was going to burn whatever was left of this bridge, she was going to be thorough about it.

"I spent years of my life trying to emulate you, to please you, hoping that maybe you'd treat me like you treated them, but you never once seemed to care. So when Raiko and Tenzin came to Zaofu that day and I watched you abandon your country when it needed you most, I'd had enough of you feigning family and holding me back. So while you sat back and let your nation burn to the ground, I went in and built it back up stronger than ever, piece by piece. I spent 3 years of my life fixing the damage the Earth Queen and the Red Lotus did, and for what? Nothing! Everything I did, bad AND good, was undone in a day by that idiot prince! Yes, I was wrong in what I did, and I see that now, but at least I actually tried to do something, and of at least that much, I'm proud. Meanwhile, you get to add one more failure to your record you can't so easily cover up: me. Because spirits did you fail spectacularly at this one!"

Su and Lin both were speechless, the two officers to the right and left of the Zaofu leader exchanging an awkward glance as Kuvira let out a sigh, cracking her neck and returning to calm. Emotional outbursts like that were beyond rare from her, she must've been wanting to say all of that for years. Before either Beifong could collect themselves enough to say something, however, she spoke back up one more time, her typical steely demeanor having returned to her.

"Maybe you never thought it was your responsibility. To be my mother. But I was just a kid, Suyin. I was scared, alone and abandoned. You were all that I had. Whatever you thought of me, I genuinely looked up to you. Whether you want to admit it or not, one way or another, you're as responsible for everything that happened as I am, or at the very least, responsible for me. There is nothing I want more than to be able to turn back the clock and start all of this over again, to avoid this whole disaster, but I can't. What's done is done, what's lost is lost, and now I'm right back where I started. And I guess that's just where I'll have to stay forever." And with that much, she'd made peace. Returning to silence, a few moments passed before Su finally spoke back up, those gathered curious to hear what she'd have to say.

"Are you finished now?" Su inquired with impatience, catching Lin off guard and hardening Kuvira's expression. How vicious.

"Su!" Lin shouted, her sister raising her hand to silence her. Kuvira may have been finished talking, but she wasn't.

"You're not actually feeling sorry for her, are you? Don't tell me you've already forgotten what she did to Republic City? To the Earth Territories?" She asked. Lin froze, looking down. She may have been family, but she only knew the stories secondhand. Regardless of whether or not she felt Su was being too harsh, this really wasn't any of her business. Besides, she DID have a point...

"Your past may explain your actions, but it doesn't excuse them, Kuvira. Maybe I did fail you. Maybe I could have done more. Maybe I even could've stopped you and curbed some of that ambition of yours before it consumed you. Or, maybe nothing I could've done would've been enough and we'd still be sitting here having this same exact discussion for the same exact reasons. And I'm sorry that we're here now. I really am. I genuinely did care for you. I saw a lot of myself in you, and you can make whatever you want of that, but the fact of the matter is that I tried, Kuvira. But you made your choice. You brought all of this on yourself." Kuvira remained stonefaced, listening in silence as her former master talked. Whatever it was she was thinking, her face wasn't talking.

"You can convince yourself of whatever you want, but you chose how you reacted to the hand you were dealt, and your choice was to lash out at everyone around you. To become a dictator and to force your idea of stability on your people in a misguided attempt to give them a sense of security you never had, even despite my best efforts. You called me a woman of half measures, and maybe you're right. Maybe I could've benefited from being a bit more firm with some of my decisions and committing more to some of what I started. But I can assure you this, Kuvira. I have no more half measures in regards to you. What you have done to my family is unforgivable, and for what you did to your nation and the United Republic, you should probably be hanged. You should thank the Avatar if she ever goes to visit you. As for me? I'm done. I don't ever want to see you again." Su concluded, her words as sad and disappointed as they were angry, the bitter look on the woman's face almost enough to get Kuvira to react. Lin certainly did.

While the Police Chief showed some concern for her younger sister and placed her hand on her shoulder in a show of support, Kuvira simply sighed. She knew how this was going to go from the beginning, but she didn't care. The situation was already irreparable and she was tired of holding back her frustration at that and everything else. All that was left to do now was to be honest, apologize and move on, however much she could.

"Very well. I knew from the start that there was no repairing this rift. I dug my grave three years ago and I'm fully content with lying in it, I just thought I'd give you a bit of a better understanding why before I did. Even despite everything I've said and the fact that I do blame you for at least some of what's happened, I really am sorry, Su, for everything, whether you accept that apology or not. Either way, there's really nothing more I can do. And I guess there never was." Kuvira conceded.

"No. No, I guess there wasn't." Su replied, the two women falling silent for the last time as the prison boat drew nearer to its destination. Any minute now, she'd be back in that wooden cell to spend the rest of her life listening to the sea and keeping tabs on the outside from the sound of a muffled radio. Sparing her former mentor one last look before she turned away, the regret in her emerald eyes was honest and true, but whatever flame may have burned behind them 2 months ago, it had long since been snuffed out. There was no use kicking and screaming over what could never be. She just had to suck it up and accept things for what they were now. Besides, like she'd said, it's not like Suyin ever really gave her what she thought she needed, anyway, right? So then... why did it still hurt so much?

Jostling a bit as the boat came to a stop, Kuvira closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and preparing herself as Lin, Suyin and the Metalbending Officers who had accompanied them stood up, opening her eyes and exhaling as she, too, got up from her seat, an officer grabbing each arm as the door was opened and the sunlight shone through the doorway, nearly blinding her. This was it. Her final transfer. At least she finally had a chance to say her piece before they threw away the proverbial key. Or, not so proverbial, as it happened. Whatever the case, she was ready now, walking forward without resistance or sound as Republic City's finest led her off the boat, up the stairs and onto a large wooden platform situated in the middle of the sea, an equally wooden cell with which she'd grown very familiar waiting for her in its center.

She found it ironic that she'd be spending the rest of her life in a cell modeled after one of the former prisons of a core member of the very group that spurred her into action in the first place, but she had to admit, whether it was built with her specifically in mind or not, it was a pretty effective place to hold an Earthbender of her caliber. There wouldn't be any way out of here unless somebody from the outside brought in some Earth or bendable Metal of their own, just like Ghazan. But unlike Ghazan, she didn't have any allies left waiting in the wings to break her out, she'd burned all those bridges months ago. All she had left now was whoever was mad enough to try and break in and take her out themselves, and that, she imagined, was probably a pretty long list.

Escorted into the central structure, as the platinum chains around her hands and feet were undone, Kuvira rubbed her wrists where they once clasped around them, looking back over her shoulder to give one more glance to Suyin and her sister as they closed and locked the wooden cell door behind her, the look in each of their eyes paying the other a final, silent goodbye before the Metalbending prodigy turned her head back around, closed her eyes, and simply sat down in the middle of her cage. There were no more words to be shared.

As Su turned and walked away without a word, content to have seen the one who tore her family apart finally locked away for good, Lin lingered on, if only for a moment, staring cryptically at the former empress-to-be and then walking off, leaving her well and truly alone with her thoughts and the Waterbending guards assigned to watch over her and her prison platform.

It was going to be a long rest of her life.

If there was one thing Bolin didn't expect to be woken up by, it was the scent of a home-cooked meal. Not only because neither he or his brother were terribly good at cooking anything and they didn't really have a mom or anyone around to cook for them, but also because so far as he knew, his girlfriend was adhering to a strictly vegetarian diet along with all the other Airbenders, and from what his nose could detect, there was most definitely some meat cooking in the next room over. "Nn... Opal...?" He groggily asked, rubbing his eyes as he sat up on the edge of his bed dressed only in a pair of boxers, looking over at his brother's still-made bed and then back to his own, messy and unkempt from the night before and missing its second occupant. How long had she been up?

Standing up and stretching out his back and arms with a yawn, he reached down onto the floor for a plain white tee he'd thrown off last night, slipping it on and sliding open the door that separated his and his brother's bedroom from the remainder of the apartment. Immediately looking in the direction of the kitchen area to his left, he found himself greeted by a still half-naked young woman putting the finishing touches on what looked to be a very delicious breakfast, the jazzy sound of his and the rest of Team Avatar's favorite radio station playing an amusingly situation-appropriate tune as he stood there in a moment of subtle awe, his face belying the true extent to which he was marveling at the sight before him.

Reaching for his right arm, he pinched himself, letting out a quick yelp as he confirmed he wasn't dreaming and that this was, in fact, happening right now, a yelp that caught the attention of the girl who until that point had been unaware that he was awake, her back having been turned to him as she finished putting the food onto their plates. Turning her head to look at him, her face almost immediately lit up once their eyes met, Opal giving the boy a warm smile as she turned to face him completely and set the two plates onto the table in front of the couch, approaching him and wrapping her arms around the back of his neck as she leaned in for a short kiss to greet the day. He may not have been dreaming, but this was about as close to a dream come true as Bolin had ever had.

"Good morning." She smiled after breaking the kiss she'd initiated, her arms still hung around the back of her boyfriend's neck and shoulders. Bolin hadn't really moved since she began walking toward him, just standing straight in a sort of daze as she kissed him hello, his green eyes locked onto her own. He should probably say something back to her.

"...I love you..." He affirmed, Opal laughing at the way he said it. "...I mean, uh, good morning." He corrected. He was supposed to think the statement of love and speak the morning wishes, not the other way around, but he wasn't exactly at the top of his game right now. Not that he wasn't just going to tell her he loved her later on, anyway, probably multiple times. I mean, he was practically chanting it last night. He could really get used to this whole "Brother not around" thing. Granted, it was only until he finished closing the Chi Eater case and the night's premiere reattempt was all wrapped up, so he'd probably have to go back to sleeping alone by tomorrow night, but still. If this was what it was like moving in with somebody you loved, he could really get used to it. No wonder Korra and Asami seemed so happy lately, this was great!

"I love you too. I made you breakfast today." She announced, Bolin seamlessly slipping out of his stupor and into the conversation, giving the girl of his dreams a smile equally as warm as hers as he continued to keep his eyes focused squarely on her.

"Yeah, I could smell that." He replied. "Gotta say, not the worst thing to wake up to in the morning. I didn't know you were allowed to eat meat, though; I thought Airbenders only ate from the vegetarian menu." Opal gave the boy a more knowing smile than the warm, welcoming one she'd worn a moment ago. In truth, that was mostly just a rule while in the Air Temples – the new Air Nation had been a lot less strict about some of the old customs and traditions due to all of the new Airbenders being largely unfamiliar with and/or unwilling to adapt to another culture's practices as their own.

"Actually, that's mostly just a rule in the Air Temples, I've just never been that much of a meat eater. I know you are though, and I'll make a few exceptions every now and then..." Opal explained. What Tenzin didn't know wouldn't hurt him, right? I mean, it's not like Bolin was gonna rat her out or anything, not that it really mattered one way or another.

"Well, looks like I just found a few new dinner date options..." He mused, sitting down onto the couch with his girlfriend, the two of them instinctively pulling their bodies close as Bolin pulled their table a little bit closer. It'd be nice to have a more proper place to sit down and eat, but space was at a premium in here – this apartment was about as much as he and his brother could afford on a cop's salary, and even then, it was only as big as it was because of Bolin's leftover mover money. They probably wouldn't have been able to make rent if the both of them weren't working right now, though Bolin happened to have had the week off to finish recovering from the injuries he'd sustained during the Chi Eater battle. Which, as of last night, he had, something he and Opal had thoroughly celebrated. Republic City's healers really were something.

"So, are you excited for the mover premiere tonight? Or... re-premiere, I guess. The last one didn't go so well in the end, but I thought it was pretty fun! At least up until the big black spirit broke through the wall, anyway." Bolin asked, his usual manner of frank, meandering speech keeping a smile stretched across Opal's lips like always. She really loved listening to Bolin talk, he always had a way of making even the most mundane questions and topics somehow amusing and engaging.

"Actually I kind of am, yeah. We never did get to see the end of it, and it stopped right when the big chase scene had started! I was really looking forward to that..." The young Beifong pouted. "I'm glad they decided to hold it again. With any luck, there won't be any interruptions this time around. I also heard it's going to be shown twice in a row because the venue is smaller?" She asked, Bolin nodding along as he scarfed down the wooly-pig bacon his girlfriend had made for him.

"Yeah, though we, Ryuuki and the rest of the VIPs are only going to attend the first showing." He elaborated as he finished chewing, swallowing at the end of his first statement and then taking a second to drink some water before continuing. "After that, Varrick and I picked out a venue to hold an after party. That guy knows ALL the best places around here, did you know that? There was even this one club he took me to after the premiere of one of my movers, where... uh... um..." Glancing nervously to his left at the girl listening to his story, Bolin came to an awkward pause, Opal raising an eyebrow and tilting her head. Was something wrong? "...Things... were happening... that probably won't be happening at this one... but still! It's gonna be a blast!" ...Just what kind of club did Varrick take him to?

"'Things', huh?" Opal asked, unconvinced, her boyfriend sweating bullets. "You do know that I'm not going to get mad at you for anything you did before we were a couple, right?" She inquired, confirming her stance on the matter. Which Bolin already knew, he guessed, but still, it was kinda awkward for him to talk about that sort of thing with Opal if it didn't involve her, and he was afraid her knowing would give her the wrong impression of him – he had no idea where he was going until he got there. But, she wasn't going to press him if he didn't want to talk about it, she already had a decent idea already. After all, she knew Varrick about as well as Bolin did, so if she had to guess, he probably went and dragged Bolin to a strip club or something. It wasn't really that big of a deal, but she could understand why he wouldn't want her to know that.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, but, you know, it's just..." He stumbled. What was he trying to say again? "Oh, whatever. Point is, we have a lot to celebrate! The success of the mover, the donation to the city, the defeat of the Chi Eater, Kuvira's sentencing – today's gonna be a good day, I can feel it! ...Or maybe that's just gas..." Opal laughed. That's right... Kuvira's sentencing was due this morning, wasn't it? She'd heard about it on the news last night; they'd come to a decision pretty quickly given the kind of case it was, but, given how gung-ho the press had been about the whole thing, that was to be expected, she thought. The only thing there was to deliberate was whether or not Kuvira would live or die.

As Bolin and Tenzin both already knew, Opal was very much of the opinion that an example should be made of Kuvira, not only for the sake of the now fully independent Earth Territories, but for the sake of her family, as well, so admittedly, she was kind of hoping to see her die. In her eyes, that would give her closure, making sure that Kuvira could never hurt anybody else ever again. For Opal, much like her mother, there was no room for forgiveness or hope for redemption, there was just a monster, one who would gladly do it all again if she could. It sickened her. But as of today, it would all be over. Permanently. And that? Yeah. That was definitely cause for celebration.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." She smiled. "I guess there's a lot to celebrate after all." Bolin smiled back. There's the smile he fell in love with. But, unfortunately, it was not one he would get to enjoy for very long. Finishing their breakfast together in peace, once the clock struck 9 and the music came to an end, so too did their dream-like morning, the news report they'd been waiting for prompting Opal to get up and turn up the radio, something Bolin would later wish she'd never done.

"...slated to re-premiere tonight at 8. And now on to our top story: Infamous war criminal and would-be dictator Kuvira has been sentenced to life imprisonment at an undisclosed location off the coast of the United Republic! This decision came as a shock to all the Earth Territories earlier this morning as it was announced by Judge Kesuk that the death penalty would not be carried out in what was previously thought to be an open-and-shut case. When pressed for further information regarding the reasoning of his and jury's decision in the matter and whether or not the Avatar's infamous testimony in the defense of her life had any sway over their positions, Judge Kesuk offered no comment, stating only that they had weighed their options and that their decision was final."

Watching the smile fade from Opal's face was like watching a bird fall from the sky. In an instant, the mood had all changed, Opal stunned silent as Bolin looked on in anxious concern, half reaching out for her shoulder before pulling his arm back, neither of them sure what to say, or do. All they could do was listen.

"Protest immediately erupted outside the courthouse as the crowd gathered at its steps first caught wind of the controversial sentence, Metalbending officers immediately needing to jump into action and form a line to keep angry protestors from breaking through and attacking Kuvira or Judge Kesuk as a visibly disappointed Chief of Police – accompanied by her sister and two officers – escorted the would-be empress into the back of a police truck to be taken to the coast and transferred permanently to a reportedly wooden cell. Latest reports indicate that as of 15 minutes ago, at 8:45 on the dot, Kuvira has been permanently detained, thus bringing the nearly 2-and-a-half month long trial of the so-called "Great Uniter" to a close and putting her reign of terror to a bloodless but no-less permanent end."

Opal grit her teeth, fists clenching as rage hit her like she hadn't felt since that woman made off with her family. All this time and everything that woman did, the lives she'd taken and destroyed, the cities she'd leveled, all the fear and chaos she'd helped inspire... all of that, and she lives? Of all people, Kuvira lives? How? How could something so obvious end up so... wrong?

"Hang on – we are now receiving word that the Avatar is making an announcement in regards to the situation. We will now patch this broadcast over to a live feed:"

...Korra. Well, wouldn't this be interesting? As Opal's expression grew angrier, Bolin's grew more helpless. Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place. As much as he cared for and sympathized with Opal, he also cared for Korra and understood where she was coming from. She was the Avatar, she was about keeping balance, not exacting vengeance. It was her duty to seek the least violent option whenever possible and to keep the peace, not kill whatever enemy she happened to come across; not if she felt there was another way.

While Avatar Aang simply couldn't bring himself to take a life, for Korra, it was more like she just didn't want to, and Bolin got that. She thought she and Kuvira were kind of similar and that maybe she could change, so she hadn't given up hope. There was no way she was just going to let her die. But Opal... honestly, until Kuvira, Bolin never knew she had such a dark side to her. He'd never seen anybody rile her up this much before or since Kuvira's departure and ultimate defeat. The anger that she felt... he could only imagine how much Kuvira must've hurt her to create such hatred. There was only so much she could explain to him. In the end, it was still a very personal matter.

"Avatar Korra, Hao Wai, from the Republic City Chronicler. Your defense of Kuvira came under harsh criticism this past week, and many feared that as the Avatar, your opinion, whatever it may be, could end up swaying the decision of the court in your favor regardless of whether or not it set the right precedent. Now that that it has been announced that Kuvira will live and spend the rest of her life in prison, how do you respond to these criticisms? Is it true that you bullied the court into changing its stance from one of certain death to leniency?"

"What? No! I just gave my testimony like everybody else. What the court decided was up to them, not me, but I wasn't going to go up there and lie and say that I think she should be put to death for her crimes when I don't. What she did was terrible, unforgivable even, there's no denying that, and I'm not asking anybody to forgive her. But killing her isn't the answer, it's not going to solve anything. You mentioned something about "setting the right precedent", well I think this decision does exactly that. Killing somebody after the fact isn't justice, it's revenge. Kuvira willingly surrendered and took responsibility for her actions. Killing her now isn't just unnecessary, it's wrong. We managed to end this fight peacefully... do you really want to go back and finish it like she would've? Personally, I think we're better than that."

"Avatar Korra, Mimi Hara, United Republic Today. Now that the death penalty is off the table, what do you plan to do with Kuvira from here? Will you be visiting her at all during her sentence? Or Bataar Beifong Jr., for that matter?"

"I would like to speak with them if they'll have me, yeah. As the Avatar, it's my job to keep balance in the world, but I... haven't always done the best job at that. I mean, it was my time recovering after the Red Lotus that caused Kuvira to act in the first place. But during my recovery, I think I came to understand something, and that's that balance comes from within, on an individual level, not on some gigantic, worldwide scale. I mean... sometimes, yeah, there are threats like that which need to be taken care of, but every time, all of these problems are created by people or forces who are out of balance. Amon wanted equality but had nothing to balance out his ideals, no morals or limitations. The Red Lotus wanted freedom, but they had no rules and nothing to balance out theirs or the rest of the world's destructive tendencies. Kuvira's no different, and I think we can all learn from her mistakes. And, if she's willing to listen... I'd like to try and help her find balance. That way, maybe she can finally find some peace, too."

She couldn't take it anymore – enough was enough. With a click, the radio turned off, Opal simply standing there, frozen, her head looking down as her hand remained affixed to the dial, Bolin looking more concerned than ever. "...Opal?" He meekly asked.

"...I should've known..." She quietly began, practically shaking. Bolin looked confused, though he had an idea what she was about to say next. "Of all people... I should've known that she would be the last person to understand." He knew it. She was blaming Korra. He was beginning to wish that she'd never turned that radio on and that they'd never learned the verdict, but she was bound to find out eventually. He just wished it wasn't doomed to end so badly.

"Opal..." What could he even say? Bolin wasn't very good with people at the best of times, but this? How was he supposed to react? A part of him didn't want to have anything to do with this, but that wasn't an option. Opal was his girlfriend and Korra was his best friend, and regardless of whether he wanted to be or not, he was right smack dab in the middle of this. He knew he probably wasn't the best guy for the job, but he couldn't stand seeing her think and feel like this... she had to understand what Korra's motivations were here, right? Where she was coming from? "Opal, you know that's not true, of course Korra understands! It's just..." He began, trailing off a little as he tried to think of how best to phrase what it was he was thinking. Before he could figure it out, however, Opal capitalized on his pause, interrupting him.

"Just what, Bolin? Did you forget what Kuvira did to the Earth Nation? To Republic City? To my family? She has done nothing but destroy, and Korra wants to help her "find peace"? Who cares! She's not supposed to find peace, she's not supposed to be happy, she's supposed to suffer! To be punished!" Opal exclaimed. Bolin's face grew more concerned. That almost sounded like something Lin would say...

"But that's why she's in prison though. Nobody's saying she shouldn't be punished, but if she wants to repent and change, shouldn't she have the chance to do that? Just, you know, while being kept far, far away from everybody else?" Bolin wondered. He wasn't sure about the suffering part, but... the lifetime of caged isolation could technically count, right? Knowing what she'd done, what she'd lost? But Opal shook her head.

"No. She lost that right a long time ago." She coldly replied. "In my opinion, she should either be thrown into the deepest, darkest hole imaginable and left to rot, or she should be dead. That's it. She doesn't deserve mercy, or pity. She sure never showed it to anyone else." Bolin winced. That definitely sounded like something Lin would say. It seemed to be a family trait, from Bolin's experience. Beifongs did not take kindly to traitors, or to those who hurt the ones they loved.

"Opal, listen to yourself, you know that's not right. I know you hate Kuvira for what she did to your family, but they're all safe now. Can't you just... let her go?" Bolin asked. Opal grunted in frustration. This was not a fight she wanted to be having right now. Not with Bolin, anyway. The last thing she wanted was she and him being on bad terms because of Kuvira. Again. This whole thing was very personal for her; she didn't expect him to understand and it would've been unfair of her if she did. But at the same time, she didn't need him trying to calm her down or convince that her she was somehow in the wrong about all of this right now, regardless of whether or not he was right.

"Look, I get what you're trying to do, Bolin, but stop. I know that Korra's your friend and that you don't exactly share my opinion on Kuvira, and I know you don't like seeing me get worked up like this, but please. This isn't a fight I want to have with you." She begged. "Please. Not you. Not right now." She was not in a good mood anymore. The last thing she wanted was for him to trip up and say something that just completely set her off. It was the last thing Bolin wanted, too. He didn't like her thinking like this, but... there wasn't really much he could do. He'd tried several times over the last couple of months to soften her way of thinking to no avail, as had Tenzin, but whatever had happened between Opal and Kuvira, it really hurt her.

She always blamed it on what Kuvira did to her family, but... Bolin wasn't that dumb. He knew Opal better than that and that there was something deeper going on here, but he also knew he wasn't the right person to try and dig in and find out what that was right now. Not that he'd ever want to do that. If she didn't feel comfortable enough sharing something with him, he didn't want to force it out of her or go around her back to figure it out. He just wished it wasn't hurting her so bad.

"Okay." Bolin said simply, giving her a big hug. "Just, please don't take it out on Korra too much. Even I know there's more to this than you're letting on, but whatever's going on with you and Kuvira, Korra's just trying to do what she thinks is right." He requested. Opal looked down. She knew that. But what she thought was right and what Korra thought was right were two very different things in this case and she wasn't about to back down now. She knew better than anyone what kind of a monster Kuvira really was. Unfortunately, Korra didn't, and Opal knew that Korra that wouldn't be one to back down from this, either. But at the very least, she could try and honor her boyfriend's wishes.

Sighing, Opal gave in to Bolin, hugging her boyfriend back. "Okay." She stated almost beneath her breath, knowing it wasn't entirely genuine. She knew this wasn't Korra's fault, not completely, but she certainly wasn't helping things. Tonight was going to be interesting, to say the least... she and Asami would be attending the mover and its after party, as well. She imagined they'd end up butting heads at one point or another, and who knew how that'd turn out; from her perspective, an all-out fight between the two of them over the fate of Kuvira may very well be inevitable. Bolin, however, seemed to trust the young Beifong and took her words at face value, accepting her confirmation and breaking the hug with a smile, one she weakly returned.

"Good. Now, enough about Kuvira – we still have the rest of the day to ourselves, so let's make the most of it before the premiere!" He suggested. Opal nodded. That sounded pretty good to her, to be honest. It's not as though she liked dwelling on this stuff. The way she looked at it, if anybody could drag her out of this funk and help her forget about Kuvira for a while, it'd be Bolin. I mean, he'd done it before. Maybe he wasn't an emotional savant, but he knew how to cheer her up and make her day, and that was just as important. She could certainly hope so, anyway. She was going to need him now more than ever.

"Yeah..." She said, eyes cast downward as she continued to mull it over in her head. At the very least, she would try. Looking back up to Bolin, Opal closed her eyes, tilting her head and smiling a bit more honestly than she was before, putting Korra and Kuvira out of her mind for now and focusing instead on the rest of the day ahead of her. She could deal with all of this later. "Yeah, let's."

"Well, that could've gone better." Korra thought aloud, huffing in relief as she slumped into a park bench, her left arm draped lazily over the side and her head tilted upward as she stared up at the clear blue sky, finally finished after a 45 minute round of post-trial questioning by Republic City's whiniest. Run-ins with the press like those were always a less-than-ideal-but-sadly-necessary part of being a modern Avatar, a routine malaise she'd been readjusting to for the last week-and-a-half after a good 3 years free of its tiringly neurotic clutches.

But, that was what she got for publicly taking an unpopular stance, she supposed. People were naturally going to want to try and get inside her head and understand why she would do something so socially suicidal and get an idea of how she ticked, if not try and find some sort of fault in her reasoning they could run with and exploit for one reason or another. After all, everybody wanted to be able to say they knew better than the Avatar, and it could be pretty profitable if you actually did. But she was pretty sure in what she was doing this time around. This wasn't her first rodeo with the press, and even if it had been a while, she knew she was in the right here.

Her job was to keep the peace and maintain balance, and the fact that so many people were clamoring for a death penalty was, in her opinion, a perfect example of the kind of imbalance she was meant to correct. That just couldn't be right, could it? Vengeance as justice? Granted, there were some pretty extraordinary cases where it very well could be the best option, but if at all possible, people should want to avoid something so ghoulish, right? After what'd happened with Unalaq and her father, she'd begun seeing the flaws with such a punishment. Not only did she find it morally questionable in a case like Kuvira's, but mistakes and corruption remained valid arguments against it liable to land innocent people in unfair and irreversible sentences.

She'd spent so much of her career as an active Avatar fighting threats with faces, this was the first time she actually had to tackle one that was a bit more social than it was physical. She couldn't punch and kick and bend her way to balance, this time. But that was okay. Honestly, she'd take this over another Amon, Unalaq, Zaheer or Kuvira any day. Fun as it was to fight, it was exhausting, to say the least, and she'd be lying if she said the whole thing with Zaheer didn't still bother her from time to time. The idea of affecting a change on a social level without having to throw a single punch was a breath of fresh air, and actually kind of exciting. She just wished it didn't involve so much press time. That was a pain in the ass.

"Maybe, but personally, I thought you handled yourself rather well." Korra leaped the second the deep, rich voice rumbled over the ambience of the park named in her honor, recently reopened largely due to the efforts of the one now speaking to her. When did he show up?

"Oh, Ravi, it's you," Korra laughed, placing her hand over her chest and catching her breath as she realized who it was. He almost gave her a heart attack. "Come to admire your handiwork?" She jokingly asked, motioning for the tall, dark-skinned man to come sit down next to her. She hadn't really had the chance to talk to him all that much yet since she got back, let alone thank him for his work in the park and lightening the load over at Future Industries for Asami. He was a large part of the reason the two of them got to spend so much time together in the first place.

"Something like that." He replied with a chuckle, taking a seat next to her. "I just finished overseeing the construction of the western gate and the installation of the last two Water Tribe-inspired sculptures, so my work here officially done now. I figured I may as well take a moment to relax before I headed off to the next project and happened to see you sitting at a bench in front of your own statue. Some people may call that conceited, you know." Ravi teased.

"As if, it just happened to be the first open bench I saw." That was her story, and she was sticking with it. Though, now that he'd mentioned it and she actually took a closer look, that was a pretty spot-on statue... she'd heard that Asami had overseen its construction while she was recovering and that it'd survived Kuvira's attack on the city completely unscathed, but nobody had ever really mentioned how detailed it was before. Further testament to her genius, she supposed, never mind her attention to detail and alarmingly intimate knowledge of Korra's body, even back then. "Asami told me you planned to have this place open again within a week. I have to admit, I'm kind of surprised you actually managed to get it done." She marveled, complimenting him.

"You're not the only one. Some poor volunteer from a neighboring territory tried betting against me when I started and lost 100 yuans. The workers at Future Industries know better." Ravi remarked. Whenever he set his mind to doing something by a set date, it almost always ended up getting done on time. Well, unless something like the Chi Eater ended up coming in and complicating things, anyway, but how often did that happen? "But in all honesty, it wasn't that much work. It was mostly just cleanup and repairs with a few new sculpture installations and updates to some select areas; the park entrances, for example." He explained. "A few Earth and Waterbenders and we had most of the heavy work done in the first 2 or 3 days."

"Well, that's good. It's nice to see people coming back and hanging out around here again. I've even seen a few spirits around, though not as many as I'd have thought with the new Spirit Portal being so close..." She thought they'd have been coming back in drove now that the Chi Eater was gone, but apparently not. It worried her. She still had no idea who or what that second energy inside of the Chi Eater was or belonged to, and she and Mako had yet to turn up any new leads from what spirits they'd encountered in the city. They were definitely coming back, but there weren't as many as there used to be. Even Ravi had noticed.

"Mm, I agree. There do seem to be fewer spirits around than usual. But, Republic City's taken a number of hits lately, so perhaps it's to be expected and their faith in the city has been shaken somewhat. We're still dealing with the effects of Kuvira's attack and the Chi Eater was only just destroyed a week and a half ago. Give it time." He assured. Korra nodded. He was probably right, but still, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was missing something, something just felt really off to her. She couldn't quite put her finger on it exactly, but something about the spirits that'd come back seemed... different, somehow. And then there was that night at theater... the more she thought about it, the more she wondered.

"You're probably right." Korra sighed. "I just can't shake the feeling that I'm missing something, though, I just have no idea what. It's been eating at me all week, but I haven't really had the time to investigate it too much because of Kuvira's trial. Now that that's all taken care of though... I don't know. Something just feels very, very wrong and I can't put my finger on what or why."

"Hmm. Well, I'm sure you'll figure it out." Ravi reassured, placing his hand on Korra's shoulder. "The press has a habit of being especially harsh with you from what I've seen, but honestly, as Avatars go, I think you've done a pretty good job so far. You're only 21 years old, and already you've accomplished more in the span of 4 years than I'll probably accomplish in my entire life. And if your recent bouts with the press have proven anything to me, it's that not only are you powerful, but you are wise, as well, never mind compassionate. If you feel as though something is off, then I have the utmost faith that you will be able to figure out what that is and why."

"Ravi..." Korra was speechless. Admittedly, she didn't know Ravi very well, but she never would've expected that sort of a pep talk from him. I mean, Asami had described him as a gentle giant, but still. He reminded her a bit of Asami, in some ways.

"It's not hard to see what Asami sees in you. Perhaps you should bring this up with her; she's pretty smart, too. With the two of you together, I'm sure you can figure something out." He suggested.

"Maybe. I think I'm going to wait a little bit longer, though, see if I can't figure anything out for myself first. But she's definitely my number one helper and adviser." Korra smiled. Adviser, idea bouncer, friend, lover – it didn't take much to see that Asami was pretty much everything to her. Ravi smiled back.

"I'm really glad to see that you two have hit it off so well. She'd been dreaming of all of this for years, but I doubt she ever thought it'd actually have a chance to be reality. I suppose it's true what they say... if it's real, love will always find a way." A statement that Avatar Aang himself had popularized, as it happened. Korra could remember hearing it a lot growing up whenever the subject was broached, particularly from Katara.

"Yeah, I guess it will." She replied. I mean, really, her and Asami? The odds of the two of them actually ending up together like this, of even having found each other... she didn't even know she was into girls until she met Asami. The odds of everything ultimately working out in their favor like they did were pretty astronomical, she thought. But, here they were, and they couldn't be happier together.

Watching the people in the park enjoy their day, the Avatar and the Earthbender fell silent for a few moments. From the Pai Sho players to their left to the Waterbenders practicing their forms by the river, to the couples taking a leisurely afternoon stroll all around them, it was nice to see everything so peaceful and active in the city again. This was why they fought, why they worked. This was what made it all worth it for them in the end. They just wished they could stay in moments like these forever.

"Anyway, I should probably get going... I've kinda sat around here longer than I intended to. I still have to see if I can't learn anything about the Chi Eater from the spirits around here, help Lin and Mako set up the theater, and then go get ready for the mover and after party tonight. I'm assuming I'll see you there?" Korra asked.

"Asami insists I take the time off and enjoy myself, so I don't really have a choice in the matter, honestly." He laughed. "But I'm not complaining. The mover was well enough the first time around, and hanging out at a bar with everybody afterwards sounds pretty great to me."

"Heh, you're telling me. I don't think I've had a chance to relax with everybody since Varrick and Zhu Li's wedding. I mean, I've had plenty of time to relax with Asami, of course, but I miss the rest of my friends, too." She corrected. Ravi nodded along. He understood.

"I'm kind of sad I missed that, I hear it was a hell of a celebration. But Future Industries was in some relatively dire straits after Kuvira's attack, somebody had to keep things moving. But then Asami came in and requested I look after the company as a whole in her stead for a little while almost immediately after the festivities, so I suppose maybe it's a good thing I didn't, all things considered." Korra shrugged.

"Asami said she's tried to get us to meet a few times but nothing ever really panned out. I was honestly beginning to think the enigmatic second-in-command of Future Industries was avoiding me." Ravi laughed.

"No, no, just a very heavy workload, I assure you; I tend to put a lot on myself and get pretty hands-on with things. I'm sure you've seen how easily Asami can get lost in what she's doing if she's working on something especially interesting to her? Just multiply that a couple dozen times so that I'm constantly drifting from project to project and you've got a pretty good example of how I spend most of my work days." He explained away. "And yet here we both are, completely by chance. It's funny how things work sometimes, isn't it?" He asked. Korra smirked, nodding in agreement. She supposed it was.

"...Right, didn't I say I should probably get going like 5 minutes ago? I really have a lot I need to get around to..." Ravi nodded. She and him both.

"I understand. It was nice getting to talk to you again, Avatar Korra. Best of luck in your endeavors with the spirits." He wished. Korra smiled, thanking him and bowing in respect as the two of them got up and went their separate ways. With any luck, she'd be able to find something out from the spirits here in the park and not have to travel too far into the slums or the wilds to find the information she was looking for.

Unfortunately, in regards to the spirits, luck didn't appear to be something Korra had very much of. Last time she went chasing down spirits for information on the Chi Eater, they'd already fled the city in fear of a major attack with the approaching mover premiere. This time, however, none of the spirits she'd encountered seemed to know any more than what she'd already figured out for herself, or what her friends' research had dug up a week and a half back. Honestly, it was frustrating. For 1200 years this thing was terrorizing people, and yet not a single spirit seemed to know anything new, only that it was an old spirit, its Energybending left spirits just as vulnerable to attack as humans, and that it'd carefully avoided the Avatar for centuries. Apparently, it'd avoided other spirits, too. Well, when it wasn't busy eating them alive, anyway.

She must've spoken to a dozen spirits around the park, but all she'd gotten was two hours worth of useless information. She couldn't even find out anything about the place the Chi Eater had shown her in that final vision, with the tree in the field. She thought that maybe it was some place in the Spirit World, but apparently it was just too general. She couldn't think of any really defining features other than that lone tree, which really didn't help narrow anything down all that much. She was beginning to wonder if it was even a memory of the spirit's at all, or if it was something pertaining to the memories of whoever had corrupted it that had simply blended with memories of the Spirit World, a distorted amalgamation of the two spirits, just like the creature itself. Either way, she'd learned next to nothing new. Almost two weeks dead and this thing was still a pain in Korra's ass...

Hunching over in defeat, Korra let out an exasperated sigh, standing back up straight and stretching out her back as she thought of what she could do next. As it stood, she'd almost completely blown out her morning dealing with the press and interrogating the spirits in the park, so she could probably get away with making it over to Asami's office to give her that lunch and massage combo she'd promised her earlier, but after that she'd have to get over to the theater and help the police set up for the premiere, which would probably soak up the rest of her day. Then it'd be straight home to the Sato Estate to change into her clothes for the event, then the after party, and after that she'd probably either be too tired or too drunk or both to get back to what she was doing right now, thus forcing her to push it off for yet ANOTHER day.

She'd also have to see if Lin or Raiko could get her the opportunity to visit Kuvira sometime over the weekend or early next week, too, provided she even wanted to see anybody. Korra knew it was probably rather unlikely, but she could try. She seemed open to change in the Spirit World, so with any luck she'd still be open to it now and she could help nudge her along that path. Maybe she could even provide her with some opportunities to actually do something to repent in some way, as unlikely as it was. That trial really was the least of her worries, it seemed like. She didn't feel any less stressed out or overburdened. Now that she thought about it, she had to try and help the police and the Airbenders fend off and do something about the Triads, too, on top of the continuing Chi Eater investigation. And then literally anything could go wrong at any time with the now sovereign Earth Territories, and...

...This was just not going to be a peaceful next couple of months. Good thing she got those last 2 to herself and Asami.

Finishing her stretching and beginning to walk away, looking rather dejected, a rather familiar little light spirit caught Korra's eye, drawing her attention as she passed by, seeing him interacting with a squirrel off to the side. Was that...? "Ah, it's you!" She cried out, catching the spirit's attention with a leap, scaring away its squirrely friend. Who in the worlds...? As he turned and caught sight of his mysterious caller, his leafy ears perked up almost immediately once he realized who it was, taking to the air as they spun around like helicopter blades and levitated him off the ground at about Korra's eye level.

"Avatar Korra, it's you! I'm so happy to see you again!" He exclaimed, circling around her in joy, causing her to laugh as she greeted her familiar little friend. "I'd heard you'd come back from the Spirit World! Everybody's still talking about what you did to that horrible weapon a few months ago!" Korra smiled. One more legendary feat under her belt, she supposed. From Harmonic Convergence to the opening of an entirely new Spirit Portal in the middle of Republic City... Ravi and Tenzin were right, she really had accomplished a lot in only 4 years time.

"Yeah, I've been back in the city for over a week now... it hasn't exactly been peaceful, though." She replied, rubbing the back of her head and flashing the spirit a nervous grin. Last time she saw him, he'd taken on the form of a small dog and led her to the Foggy Swamp, which in turn led her to Toph and helped her remove the last of the Red Lotus' mercury poison from her body. She wasn't sure she'd have been able to overcome her PTSD and return to Asami if it wasn't for him. He'd saved her life and she owed him a lot.

"Oh, I heard about that, too! I didn't think anybody would ever stop that poor thing! The older spirits still don't think it's safe here, but my friends and I missed this place. Your world is so strange!" Korra raised an eyebrow. Older spirits? ...Suddenly, it hit her.

"That's what's seemed so off about the spirits lately! They're all young!" Granted, it could be pretty hard to tell the age of a spirit sometimes, but this was clear enough to have been nagging at her from the back of her mind. If that was the case, then it made perfect sense why she hadn't learned anything new... these guys didn't know much more than her because they weren't around when the Chi Eater first came into being. They wouldn't know more than the basics passed down to them by their elders. The light spirit, however, looked confused.

"Huh? What do you mean?" He asked.

"Ever since I defeated the Chi Eater and the spirits started trickling back into Republic City, something's been bugging me, I just haven't been able to put my finger on it... but you just said it! All of the spirits I've been seeing lately have been young. Younger than the Chi Eater was, at least." Korra explained. The light spirit listened on intently, failing to see what the big deal was – the younger spirits had always loved the physical world. They'd been more populace than the older ones ever since the portals were reopened.

"Well, yeah! We love it in the Physical World! I know my friends and I do, anyway! Everything here is so weird and funny and new, it's completely different from the Spirit World!" Having spent extended periods of time in both, Korra could agree – they were apples and oranges. She could see why younger spirits, particularly ones who'd never been in the Physical World at all before, would find it so intriguing. "Why would that be bugging you?" He asked. Korra hummed in thought.

"You said the older spirits still don't think it's safe here, right? Did they say why?" She asked. The light spirit thought for a moment. In all honesty, he hadn't listened very closely and just wanted to hurry up and follow his friends back into the strange world with the big stone trees people walked in and out of, and humming metal wheel boxes, but now that the Avatar was asking him, he had to be sure about what he replied with.

"I can't remember exactly... but I know it has something to do with that spirit you destroyed, the really dark one that was crying all the time? They seemed to think you hadn't actually stopped it, but I'm not sure why... I just wanted to come back, so I wasn't really listening too well. But I know they said that neither world was safe, especially now that the portals are open. We're stronger in our world than we are over here though, even if we pass through the portals, so we'd stand a better chance there if it attacked us. But my friend says he saw you defeat it, so I think they're just scared!" The little light spirit replied. Korra looked concerned. If the older spirits were still afraid and didn't think she'd stopped it, then maybe there was something to that. If nothing else, it was a new lead to look into. Maybe her feelings about that night were...

"That makes sense... spirits should all be able to Energybend on some level, and the Spirit World is almost nothing but energy, so any spirit would be pretty strong there if it knows how to tap into that." Korra thought aloud. "But that worries me... if the older spirits think something's up, then maybe I should go talk to them and find out why. That spirit was the toughest foe I've ever faced. If that was just the tip of the iceberg, if there's something even stronger out there or that was just part of something bigger... I have no idea what I'm going to do." She sighed. From defeat to joy to defeat again to joy again all the way back to defeat... today had been forming a pretty annoying pattern for the Avatar. Despite her misgivings, however, the light spirit remind in light spirits.

"I'm not worried! Even if there is something more, I'm sure you can stop it! They're just afraid of leaving home because they've been there for so long, they'll give up on coming back here for the silliest things. But after how you dealt with Vaatu and that terrible weapon and the really sad spirit, I don't think there's anywhere safer than whatever world the Avatar's in." He reassured her. Korra smiled. He'd tried to cheer her up back in the Tree of Time, too. At least this time she wasn't in such a dark place that it wasn't working anymore. Maybe he was right. I mean, she did manage to stop Kuvira's Colossus... how bad could another spirit or two be?

"Maybe you're right, maybe I'm just overthinking things..." She said, shaking her head and laughing to herself. She needed more details before she let herself feel too overwhelmed. "But that really sad spirit you're talking about... that's the Chi Eater, right?" She asked.

"I think that's what the humans called it... didn't you hear it crying?" Korra's expression sank. She'd heard a lot of things from that creature... was crying one of them? She couldn't remember. But she knew that it was sad. That much was obvious the first time they'd connected. After that, all she could feel was that sickeningly evil presence corrupting it...

"I don't know... it tried contacting my spirit before the battle began. It... asked me to kill it... I didn't want to, but I had no choice in the end..." Korra sighed. She still wasn't happy about that.

"I think you did the right thing. I didn't know the spirit, but I know some older ones that did. It made them really sad seeing what happened to him. I'm sure it was for the best, otherwise Raava would have stopped you." Come to think of it, it was Raava who ultimately convinced her to go through with it. Maybe she really was overthinking things, but she wasn't sure she liked this part of the job. She'd kind of kept silent about the whole ordeal to Asami, but given how much it was starting to bug her, maybe it was time she started talking about it some more...

"Yeah... I guess she would have." She replied. "Anyway, I have to go see my girlfriend at work and help the police with the new mover premiere tonight. I mean fiancee! I have to go see my fiancee at work. Wow, that still seems so surreal..." She corrected with a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of her head. The light spirit tilted its own in confusion. Humans were weird. "But it was nice seeing you again. Hopefully I'll see you around the city again sometime." To that, the spirit nodded.

"Maybe! I'm going to travel around the world with my friends again, but I like playing with the dragonfly bunnies on Air Temple Island! I noticed last time I visited that you don't live there anymore, but maybe next time you visit!" He excitedly suggested. She nodded. Maybe. Waving goodbye and letting the light spirit go on its way, Korra sighed. Right. Time to go pick up lunch and then get to the theater. Today may be stressful, but tonight? Tonight was gonna make it all worth it.

The club patrons looked on in bemused awe as the surreal scene unfolded in front of them, the Avatar and her fiancee having taken to the stage and started singing a duet for those gathered with the in-house band. Perhaps more surprising than the sudden move on the part of the newly announced couple, however, was the fact that they were actually pretty good. Really good, in fact. Good enough that everybody's ears were about as focused as their eyes as the two very attractive and very powerful, sharply dressed young women serenaded one another (and by extension, the audience) with a local jazz band supporting their vocal talents behind them.

"I bet you never got them to sing like that, huh, Mako?" Bolin slyly asked, playfully nudging his older brother with his elbow from a seat immediately next to him, drink still in hand. The detective scoffed, refusing to dignify the accusation with an answer while his younger brother laughed, taking another sip of his drink as Opal looked on with an amused grin. So, the lovebirds doubled as songbirds, too, did they? Go figure. She never would've pegged them for the type, but damn if they weren't good at it, and as their tune carried on, she couldn't help but hum along.

Of the five friends who'd gathered there today, she was the one who expected the least from the evening, having fully expected to have gotten into a fight with Korra over the subject of Kuvira's sentencing by now or to have been disappointed by the end of the mover she'd missed the week before, but she sat pleasantly surprised on both accounts, the "Great Uniter" the furthest thing from her mind after the day she'd had with Bolin, the good time she'd had at the mover and the night she'd had so far, Korra's and Asami's spontaneous duet just the latest in a long line of happy chance events that'd salvaged what would've otherwise been a much, much more exhausting day as she found herself swept away within their song.

Even the older and more stern crowd of Raiko, Ravi, Lin and Tenzin were caught off guard, whatever topic the four of them happened to have been discussing at the bar across the room beforehand having been dropped entirely as they found themselves pulled into the sound of the two young women currently commanding the stage, the remainder of the club's patrons and premiere's VIPs happily looking on from their tables and booths and enjoying the show. Varrick, especially, who seemed to have been moved to tears, vocalizing how it was "just so beautiful" as Zhu Li handed him a tissue. Now this was how you celebrated a successful mover premiere and the saving of the city.

Just as everybody had hoped, the second premiere had gone off without a hitch, somehow managing to have drawn in a crowd at least as big as the first one, making full use of the city's strategy of staging two showings in a theater with half the Arena's seating capacity. Then, just as Varrick and Ryuuki had planned, with the end of the first showing, the VIP group had exited the building and broken away to celebrate a twofold victory (or even threefold, if you counted Kuvira) with some time off and some drinks at a recently reopened club which Varrick had highly recommended. This one may have been devoid of any strippers, but the band had more than made up for that.

The crowd applauded as the two girls finished their song, blushing as they put the microphone back on its stand and walked off the stage, wondering if they'd really just done that. I mean, Korra was brave, but not that brave, and Asami hardly seemed the type – were they really that drunk already? Whatever the case, Bolin immediately ran up to greet and compliment them the instant they stepped down, leading the two ladies back to their table with Opal and Mako. As Bolin sang their praises to his brother and his girlfriend, Korra smiled, happy to finally have a night she could let her hair down and have some fun with her friends again. It felt like it'd been a long, long time since she'd had a chance to have some fun with so many people like this.

"Seriously, I mean it! You two should put out a record!" The rookie cop loudly suggested, causing Korra to laugh and shake her head, almost blushing a second time. She'd been doing a lot of that today, she'd noticed. At least this time she'd managed to keep it at bay.

"Oh come on, we're not that good." She modestly proclaimed. "I can't even believe I just did that, I don't know what got into me."

"It's called alcohol, sweetie." Asami teased. "I guess even the mighty Avatar's a bit more fun when she's drinking." Korra scoffed at the accusation.

"Please, I haven't even finished a glass yet, I was just following your lead." Korra defended, momentarily raising her glass to prove her innocence. "You're the one who's been having the fun tonight." She teased right back, Asami shrugging her shoulders. Guilty as charged. But what could she say? It'd been a stressful work week. She had a lot of projects to keep on top of. I mean, rebuilding and expanding an entire city wasn't easy, she needed a little fun. But either way, regardless of Korra's reasoning, the Avatar had apparently made some new fans out of Bolin and the crowd tonight. Just, this time for her voice as opposed to her bending.

"Whatever, I'm only on my second glass. I feel like we could all use a little fun tonight. We've earned it." Asami explained. Her fiancee and her friends agreed, nodding their heads. That they had.

"Yeah, I mean, after almost getting my spirit sucked right out of me, I guess I may as well put a few extra ones into me, right?" Mako asked, causing his brother to almost spit out his drink.

"Gasp! Mako, was that a joke?" Did Bolin's ears deceive him, or did it actually sound like there was a tinge of fun in his dull, dutiful brother's voice? How long had it been since he'd heard that? Mako shrugged, looking away. He had no idea what Bolin was talking about. "We need to get you out of that office more often, it can't be good for you. I mean, I can't even remember the last time I heard you crack a joke..." He thought aloud, placing his hand on his forehead as he gave a look of disbelief, genuinely trying to remember the last time his brother had made one.

"There hasn't really been much to joke about, the city's been in some pretty dire straits. But we've scored some real victories lately... like Asami said, we've earned a little fun." He smiled, the look of contentment on his face and the relief in his eyes causing Korra to smile, as well. Mako always seemed so wound up about one thing or another... it was nice to finally see him having fun again. And he hadn't clutched that scar of his all day, either – Korra had been making a point to watch for that since Bolin had brought it up to her a few days ago. If it was just a symptom of stress like she thought, then she took its absence as a good sign that he was finally starting to take everything in stride again.

"Speaking of fun, was that Prince Wu hitting on you earlier tonight?" Opal asked, Mako nearly choking on his drink at the accusation. She saw that? "Or, just Wu, I guess it'd be now..." Korra and Asami raised an eyebrow, exchanging a side glance as Bolin leaned in, eager for answers. The shit-eating grin on Opal's face said it all. What a way to enter back into the conversation – she actually seemed to have caught Mako off guard. Not an easy thing to do, as Korra, Bolin and Asami could attest. Bolin was almost proud of her.

"I-it's not what you think, he just doesn't handle alcohol very well," Mako hurriedly explained, clearing his throat as four sets of eyes eagerly affixed themselves to his face. "I-I think he must've thought I was a girl or something, I dunno, I don't really swing that way. Whose idea was it to invite him to this premiere in the first place, anyway? I thought I'd seen the last of that guy months ago, after he dissolved the monarchy..." The skillful shifting of the topic from himself to whoever had invited Wu (Raiko, in all likelihood) was duly noted by those gathered, the three girls and his brother not entirely buying Mako's story or claims of arrow-like construction.

Fun as it would have been to push it a bit more and watch him squirm, however, neither Korra nor Asami would get the chance as an unexpected guest invited himself over to their table, a tall man in a very expensive looking Fire Nation suit stepping up in an attempt to speak with the Avatar and her fiancee, two similarly well dressed Fire Nation natives following silently behind him, interrupting the five's casual conversation.

"Sorry to interrupt, but that was a heck of a performance you two put on up there... who'da thunk the Avatar'd be so multi-talented?" He inquired, grabbing the confused attention of four of the five friends and a cold glare from Mako. Of all the people they could've possibly bumped into tonight, it just had to be this guy, didn't it? Mako didn't expect anybody else to recognize who he was, but he was all-too familiar to the Firebending detective – his was a mugshot he'd seen before. Just when he thought he'd get a nice, crime and drama free evening...

"You... you're the leader of the Agni Kais, Atsushi, aren't you? What are you doing here?" Mako asked. The man in the expensive suit flashed the detective a toothy grin, Asami immediately going on edge at the mention of that group. Like Mako had thought not even a moment earlier, of all of the people they could've bumped into...

"There've been those who've accused me of such. All completely unfounded rumors, of course – I'm just the humble owner of a couple nice night clubs around the city is all." He replied. Korra's face soured. The Agni Kais? She knew this club was in their territory, but they didn't actually own the place, did they? The way this Atsushi guy spoke seemed to hint as much, and given how bad the city had had it with the Triads lately, she couldn't say she'd be surprised if they did, but she was really hoping to avoid another fight tonight. These guys were growing bolder and stronger by the day, and their territories were expanding faster than ever. Just one more problem she'd probably have to help this city address, eventually...

"But, even if I were, I ain't here to cause no trouble, just to give you twos a little praise. You've got yaself a pretty little voice there, Avatar Korra. Ms. Sato, too, I might add. If I were you, I'd be sure to take good care of it... it'd be a crying shame if anything were to happen to damage it with a couple a risk takers like yaselves, ya feel?" Korra's eyes narrowed. Was that a threat?

"And what's that supposed to mean?" She asked, her hand instinctively grabbing hold of Asami's as the alleged leader of the Agni Kais said her name. She knew the history between Asami and them, how they'd killed her mother... she didn't even want think about what was going through her head right now. The look in her eyes made it clear enough.

"Nothing, nothing, I'm only saying, it's a pretty dangerous world out there right now, which I suppose you'd know better than most. Crazy anarchists, giant mecha suits, angry spirits... you two have seen it all. This city can be a pretty scary place, especially once them Triads ya friend mentioned get involved. Alls I'm saying is, for one whose job it is to fight so much, you should prolly be careful... don't go around risking something so beautiful unless ya sure you can protect it." He warned, his eyes shifting briefly over to Asami to drive the message home. "I'm talking about ya voices, of course. One bad blow or bending attack to the throat could really shake up them vocal cords, y'know?" Yeah. Her voice. That's exactly what he was talking about. Before Korra could say anything in response, however, Asami had already taken the lead.

"Don't worry, she can take care of herself. She is the Avatar, after all." Asami threatened back, Atsushi flashing a rather impressed smirk at her retort. That girl had moxie. "And even if she can't, we're no slouches, either. We'll always be there to back her up and we can more than take care of ourselves. She'll be perfectly fine, voice and all." The coldness in her words was enough to make Bolin shiver, Atsushi simply looking on in amusement and giving the group an innocent shrug.

"If you say so. I'm glad to hear it, honestly, ain't no telling what sorts of forces an Avatar's line of work may end up provoking. Just gotta be sure to keep yaselves safe. Even them Triads weren't, from what I hear... apparently it got leaked that one of their attack dogs was a victim of that there Chi Eater thing you took out a week or so back... like I said, these are troubled times. Who knows what's over the horizon." The looks of the five friends around the table had become cold and distrustful. His threats weren't as thinly veiled as he thought they were, assuming he was attempting to veil them at all. It was pretty clear he was taking his chance to try and scare the Avatar off now while he could. Now that the Chi Eater was gone and Kuvira was taken care of, it'd only be a matter of time before she started interfering with his business, and clearly, that was the last thing he wanted.

"Ah, but that's the exciting thing about life! You never do know for sure, and it sure does like moving in cycles. With all the bad that we've been having lately, I think it's only a matter of time before some good comes along and takes its place, right?" This time, Atsushi was the one being interrupted as yet another uninvited guest made his way over to the Avatar's table, though this one was much more familiar and much more welcome in their eyes, Bolin especially breathing a sigh of relief while Opal looked up with a mix of surprise and admiration. Seemed as though Ryuuki had noticed the tension at the table and had come over to break it up before things escalated.

"Well, well, if it isn't Mr. Mover Star himself... I'm just surrounded by talent tonight, ain't I?" Atsushi asked, laughing, the blue-haired millionaire giving him a disconcertingly warm smile in response, his laughter coming to an end once he'd noticed it. Something about the way this guy carried himself really weirded him out... but whatever, he was about to leave, anyway. He'd said all he wanted to say. "But maybe you're right... balance and whatnot, right? Time will tell in the end. Anywho, I just wanted to express my admiration for the Avatar and her lovely fiancee's performance, is all... I'll leave you lot to the rest of ya night, now. Ta ta!" Turning and walking away with a lazy wave goodbye, his two stern associates immediately followed his lead, turning and following him back to their VIP table in the corner of the club, the five left behind feeling as though the weight of the world had been lifted from their backs.

Shrugging his shoulders with an innocent hum, Ryuuki turned to face the Avatar and her friends, keeping his disconcertingly warm smile intact as he commented on the strangeness of the situation, though his smile hardly seemed so disconcerting to them. After that unwelcome encounter, it was a breath of fresh air and a sentiment they could share. "Well, that was a thing. What was that guy's problem?" He asked rather nonchalantly. While the rest of the table seemed relieved, Mako's face remained cold and distrustful, his eyes focused on Atsushi's table across the room as he addressed the actor's question.

"His name's Atsushi." The Firebender spoke up. "And he's been the head of the Agni Kais since Harmonic Convergence. We've been trying to bring him down for years, but we've never been able to get anything to stick. I always heard he was a real weaselsnake..." He instinctively reached for his left arm, rubbing it in an attempt to relieve the tingling pain he was now experiencing up and down its length, something which Korra almost immediately took note of. To be honest though, she couldn't really blame him. That whole encounter was strange. Very strange. Whatever it was the Triads were planning, they clearly didn't want Korra to get involved. Good luck stopping her though, she thought.

"Huh? You're kidding!" Ryuuki exclaimed, a look of shock upon his face. That guy was the leader of the Agni Kais? He certainly didn't look like much. Well, other than wealthy, anyway. Was he really so terrifying a bender as to lead a Triad? "No wonder you guys looked so tense! It looked like he was really starting to get under you guys' skin, so I figured I'd step in before Korra broke his arm off or something, but I thought maybe he was just hitting on one of you three." He remarked, speaking of course of Opal, Korra and Asami.

"Ugh, if only." Korra sighed, resting her right arm on the table and her forehead on her right hand while her left remained wrapped around her drink. She suddenly felt like finishing it really quickly now and getting buzzed enough where she could forget about that little incident and return to her evening. One night. All she wanted was one night.

"If he was, I would've been the one to break his arm, trust me." Asami slid in, Korra shrugging and gesturing her head in agreement with a hum.

"I would've helped." Opal tacked on, raising her hand with an eager smile, a response that made Ryuuki laugh. Girls had to stick together, right?

"Ah, I wouldn't doubt it! The wrath of a Beifong is almost legendary." Ryuuki mused. "Same goes for you, Ms. Sato. You're a really brave girl, what with the way you handled yourself against the Chi Eater the other week. I don't think we would've been able to beat that thing back like we did if you didn't intervene. For all we know, it would've killed Korra without you!" Seemed as though Bolin and Varrick weren't the only animated ones – it seemed to be a trait Ryuuki shared, as well. Maybe it was just an actor thing. "You're a pretty lucky woman, Avatar Korra." Asami blushed. It wasn't THAT impressive. I mean, she was only doing what anybody in her position would've done, right? Given access to a leftover Earth Empire Mecha Suit like she was, anyway. Like hell she was going to let that thing kill her fiancee!

"You don't know the half of it, trust me." Korra laughed, giving her blushing fiancee a knowing look, only causing her to blush harder. That alcohol certainly wasn't helping her keep a cool face, she could say that much. As she sunk slightly into her seat, Opal also joined in on the laughter, making her question coming out with hers and Korra's relationship at all if this was the kind of public teasing and innuendo she was in for. She wasn't ready for this. Meanwhile, Ryuuki's face returned to a resting smile as he surveyed the young group before him, Korra and Asami especially. So long as they had each other, those two would be unstoppable, he surmised. With the tension dissolved and the group in good spirits again, he considered going back to his table with Varrick and Zhu Li, almost turning to walk away before remembering something he'd meant to say earlier that day.

"By the way, Avatar Korra," The azure actor blurted out after a moment of silence, raising his index finger as if to communicate 'one more thing' before he forgot a second time. Korra hummed in response, prompting him to go on. "I was meaning to say something earlier, but I couldn't catch you before the premiere on account of helping out at the Arena, but I caught your rounds with the press on the radio today, about Kuvira?"

The look on Opal's face plummeted with the mention of that name. She'd almost managed to forget about her tonight, about that ruling. Up until now, it almost seemed as though the night would pass without incident and it wouldn't become an argumentative mess after all, but of course, somebody just had to bring her up. It really was inevitable, wasn't it? As Ryuuki carried on, Opal's eyes shot downward towards her drink as she immediately finished what was left, which happened to be a considerable amount. She suddenly felt as though she was going to need it.

"I just wanted to say, you handled yourself really well up there. It's nice to hear that not all of Avatar Aang's philosophies have completely died out, even if you are a bit more willing to take decisive action than he was. Honestly, it was refreshing to hear somebody speak out against this barbaric public execution thing that's been floating around lately... that's exactly the kind of guidance this city needs right now. The Red Lotus and that woman really put the Republic in a dark place for a while." He explained. Opal rolled her eyes. After his performance in The Dancing Dragons, she'd actually kind of started to look up to the guy... figured he'd have to go and ruin it. However, she bit her tongue, trying her hardest to keep her feelings to herself and hoping the moment would pass and she could finish her evening off with a smile. Even if she had to get blackout drunk to do it now.

"Oh... thanks, I guess. Ravi mentioned something similar to me earlier today... I don't know, it just seemed right to me. It's really not that big of a deal." She said. Right, not that big of a deal, Opal thought. It's not like Kuvira tormented the largest nation in the world for 3 years straight or anything.

"It's always a big deal to take a stand against public opinion and to stick to your beliefs like that. It's the kind of strength of character an Avatar needs, if you ask me, regardless of whether or not you agree with them. But I'm definitely with you on this one. Killing her would've just been garish!" He exclaimed. Was he TRYING to piss her off, Opal wondered? She just as quickly chased the thought from her mind – of course not. How would he have known it'd get under her skin? It was kind of just the topic of the day, anyway. That verdict had taken everybody by surprise. She'd just been lucky enough to avoid everybody talking about it since the announcement first came over the radio, at least until now.

"Yeah, I agree. After what happened with Unalaq and my dad before Harmonic Convergence, I'm not sure if I can really stand behind the death penalty anymore, at least not outside of some really exceptional cases where there are no other options." The Chi Eater, for instance. She'd genuinely tried her hardest to save it, but... by the end of it all, even the spirit was begging her to kill it. She had no other options then, even if it still didn't sit right with her. "It's just needlessly violent and permanent. I'd like to think we're better than that. She willingly gave herself up and expressed a potential to change... I feel like that's deserving of life." Korra explained. Mako shrugged.

"The way I look at it, justice is served either way," The Firebender began. "So whether she lives or dies isn't that important to me. I don't know if I entirely agree with Korra or not, but I'm inclined to, at least. She's never going to be bothering anybody ever again, regardless, so it's all just semantics by this point." He wasn't wrong, but that didn't mean he was right, Opal thought. Bolin remained uncharacteristically silent, seemingly avoiding to give his opinion on the matter, but he more-or-less agreed with Korra and Mako... either way, justice was served, right?

"I'm not gonna lie, I wanted to see her burn, at first." Asami shrugged. Opal smirked. Made sense, given what had happened. "But I realized... Korra is right. At this point, anything else would just be vengeance. The Republic would be no better than Kuvira was and I'd be no better than my dad had I rallied for it. I don't know that I'm ever going to forgive her for what she did, but killing her is just waste of time. She honestly isn't worth it." With that, she took another sip of her drink, her reaction to the topic having been the coldest so far, not counting Opal's private reaction with Bolin earlier in the day. At first the Beifong kind of agreed with her, but by the end of it Asami had lost her. She wasn't worth it? Seriously?

"Are you kidding me?" She finally blurted out, Asami's glance shifting over to Opal as she sipped her drink and everybody's eyes focused on her. Here we go. "How can you say that after everything she did? I mean, you of all people should understand, she killed your father!" The force with which Asami's glass returned to the table made it clear Opal had crossed the line bringing up her dad like that. Her look immediately became more annoyed while Ryuuki just blinked, raising his hand to say something, but then closing it, giving a very "oops" looking expression as the scene began devolving in front of him. Out of one frying pan, into an even hotter fire? Maybe he shouldn't have brought that up...

"Okay, first of all, don't you dare think you understand how I feel or can get off telling me how I should feel, because that, quite frankly, is none of your fucking business," Asami began, looking as though she were about ready to slap Opal, who continued to look on with annoyance. "And secondly, what do you mean am I kidding you? Korra's right, and you know as well as I do that she is. I get that you're still upset about what she did to you and your family, but you're the last person I expected to be out for blood, here. You actually got to have a happy ending. What about me?" Opal clenched her fists, her jaw tightening with rage as Bolin nervously looked on. This wasn't good... this was exactly what he was hoping to avoid tonight!

"Um, guys, maybe we should just change the subject..." The Earthbender meekly interjected, scared to jump into the middle of things as tensions clearly began to rise between his girlfriend and the Avatar's fiancee. Ryuuki nodded quickly in agreement.

"I think Bolin's right, I think maybe I made a mistake in bringing it up. We should talk about something else!" The blue-haired man agreed.

"No. No, you know what, I'm glad somebody finally brought up the elephant in the room, I knew it was only a matter of time before it got to this." Opal stated, throwing her hands up into the air as she let out an exasperated sigh, tensions at the table immediately beginning to rise again. Great. Because this was exactly what Korra was looking forward to tonight. "That's why I can't believe you actually think letting her live is a good idea. She took everything from you, and you're not the only one! And she never would've stopped!" Opal exclaimed, directing her words at Asami. "And you," She transitioned, pointing now at the young Avatar. "I can't believe you're taking her side in all of this. You, of all people! After everything she did!" Opal accused. Korra scoffed in disbelief, shaking her head. Was she really going to have to have this discussion now?

"I'm not taking anybody's side, Opal, there are no sides here, only what's right and wrong. And you know what you're implying is wrong. I know you do. Tenzin taught you better than that, and so did your mom." Korra replied, still hoping she'd be able to diffuse the situation before it got too heated. Opal, however, wasn't having any of it.

"Oh, and I suppose you'd know all about right and wrong, wouldn't you?" She asked.

"Well, considering I'm the Avatar, yeah, I figure I do have some idea of what I'm talking about." Korra stated a bit more smugly than she'd intended. That probably wouldn't go over well... "Kuvira deserves another chance as much as the next guy; she's a person, too, Opal. She has a right and an ability to turn things around and perhaps even help the Earth Territories going into the future. The way she was going about it was wrong, but she has some idea what she's doing, she could help the new nations coalesce and stabilize." She explained. Raava knows they'd need some help, and there was only so much Korra and Raiko could do alone...

"No, that's where you're wrong. She's not a person, she's a monster. You have no idea what you're even talking about!" Opal shouted. Korra grit her teeth in frustration. She wanted to unload on her the instant she addressed Asami, but now it was just getting ridiculous. She couldn't actually believe that, could she?

"Well, why don't you enlighten me then!?" The Water Tribe girl challenged, Bolin growing more worried by the second. Both of them were about ready to snap, he could see it in their eyes. He wasn't sure he'd ever seen Opal look so angry before... the rage that was burning in her eyes... he reached his hand out to grab her shoulder in an attempt to calm her down, but it was too late. She'd had enough. Slamming her hands on the table, Opal stood up, Korra immediately leaping up from her seat as well in response as Opal finally let loose.

"WELL HOW ABOUT YOU TAKE A STEP OUTSIDE AND LOOK AROUND YOU! LOOK! ACTUALLY! LOOK!" Opal screamed, all of the conversations in the room immediately coming to a halt as the Avatar's and the Beifong's argument boiled over, everything Opal had been holding back these past 2 months spilling out at once. Two gusts of wind emanated from her body as she stressed her last two words, Korra's suit fluttering in the wind as she stood tall against her, her expression unwavering and annoyed.

"Opal...?" Suyin asked as she rose from the booth she and her family were situated in, looking over in her daughter's direction while the patrons and the rest of the mover's VIPs could only stare, not willing to stand up and involve themselves in whatever was about to happen. As the enraged Airbender's breeze reached him, Ryuuki threw up his hands as if he were being approached by the RCPD, taking a few steps back as he turned and walked back over to Varrick and Zhu Li's table, pretending he hadn't done anything. That was certainly unexpected.

"LOOK AT WHAT SHE DID! She DESTROYED this city! Do you have ANY idea how many lives she actually ended up taking, even despite our best efforts to evacuate the city during her attack? The final death toll was in the thousands, Korra. THE THOUSANDS. She decimated Republic City's skyline and devastated its economy and its infrastructure and made it possible for weaselsnakes like Viper and Atsushi to take control! There's whispers of a turf war like this city's never seen on the horizon and it's going to take YEARS before it can make it back to what it was before, and that's not even mentioning what she did to Zaofu, how exposed she left us! She brought nothing but pain and misery and fear and hatred to the Earth Territories, and you want to SAVE her? She threw innocent people into concentration camps simply for being descendants of the colonies, and you think she deserves to LIVE? After what she did to my people? To my cities? To my fucking FAMILY? NO! SHE DESERVES TO DIE!" She screamed.

How could they not get it? How could nobody else here actually get it? How in the hell could she be alone in this? As she stood there in the center of the room, panting from her outburst and more than a little angry, as a deafening silence befell the club, she began to notice the way everybody was looking at her, the confusion, fear or all-around disappointment on their faces. Tenzin was completely speechless and her mother wasn't much different, simply standing there agape at the true extent of her daughter's rage, not sure what to do or say. I mean, she didn't entirely disagree, but this... and then there was Bolin. His was the face that broke her. He almost looked like he was about to cry. The disappointment that painted his expression was just...

"AUGH!" She cried out in frustration, another gust of wind coming from her body as she began to realize what she'd just done. So much was beginning to hit her at once, she couldn't take it anymore. She had to get out of here. "I can't do this. I can't be around you people right now. I'm out of here." She declared.

"Opal! Where are you going?" Lin demanded. As she made her way over to the exit, all Opal said was one thing:

"To set things right." Before she walked out the front door, activating the wings of her glider suit and taking off into the night sky before anybody else could leave the building and follow her.

Nobody knew what to say anymore. How do you just go back to normal after an outburst like that? The awkwardness that'd fallen over the club was something else, not even the band or the servers knew what to do. And as the seconds past, those closest to Opal began to become more desperate as everything that'd just happened began hitting them one after the other, Suyin, Lin and Tenzin scrambling to figure out what to do, talking of forming a search party to go find her and how they should handle the situation while Bolin buried his head in his hands, having been afraid of this happening all week. "I failed." He said. "I wanted to avoid this, and I failed. I didn't know what else to do."

"I don't think there was anything you COULD do, bro... this is clearly personal for her." Mako comforted with a concerned smile, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder. Asami did the same.

"Korra," Bolin spoke up, lifting his head from his hands to look his friend – the Avatar – in the eyes. "Please. Find her. I know you're probably the last person she wants to see right now, but you also might be the only one who can actually get through to her. I'm afraid she might do something bad." He expressed more earnestly than he'd expressed anything in a long, long time. Korra frowned. She could understand where he was coming from. This was honestly the LAST thing she wanted to be doing, but... he was probably right. She had a pretty good idea where Opal was going, and if she was right... it wasn't something Lin, Suyin or even Tenzin had to deal with. She wasn't going to have Opal put them into the same position Su put Toph in. She'd resolve this herself.

"Okay." She said simply, Asami's attention immediately returning to Korra.

"Are you sure...?" She asked her fiancee.

"Like Bolin said, I'm the only one who can, honestly. If she's going where I think she's going and what she said means what I think it means, then I should be the one to confront her right now." She explained. Asami frowned, giving the woman she loved a hug.

"I'm sorry... you just can't seem to catch a break... it isn't fair..." She said. Korra sighed. She really couldn't, could she?

"All a part of the job description, I guess." She shrugged as the two ended their hug, giving Asami a weaker version of her signature crooked grin. "Don't worry, I'll be back soon. I just need to make sure she doesn't do something stupid." Korra said.

"So long as you don't do something stupid, yourself." Asami replied. Korra laughed.

"I'll be fine. Just look after Bolin with Mako for me and let Lin and the others know I'm going to go try and calm her down and bring her back here, okay? If I'm not back in two hours, then tell them to make their way over to Kuvira's prison. I'd just like to avoid that if at all possible." Asami nodded. As she wished. With everything here settled, Korra gave her fiancee one more hug then turned and walked out the door.

With any luck, she'd be able to make it there in time.

---

A/N: Oh, shit! Well, that's certainly a thing that just happened, isn't it?

I've been racking my brain on the exact direction I want to take the rest of this story for a couple of months now, and while it took me a while to figure it all out, I now have a pretty good idea of what is going to happen, where I feel these characters would go and how I want to try and develop them as well as what themes and aspects I'd like to touch upon and explore in this vast, magical world of spirits and bending and numerous intricate characters.

As a result of all of this, I'd initially taken a couple weeks to sort out the direction of this chapter and the rest of the story before I actually started Chapter 7 proper, which would've made it take a bit longer to come out no matter what I did, but then I was hit with a hellish combination of interfering outside forces which not only constricted my writing time, but did a number on my energy, creativity and motivation to write.

From work and exhaustion to bouts of depression to multiple counts of writer's block scattered about the long and troubled writing of this long and intermediary chapter, I really can't apologize enough for taking 3 months to actually write this whole thing and I'll try my hardest not to let that happen again. I mean, chapters as long as these take a while to write regardless, but everything else conspiring against me just made it next to impossible and I feel really bad about that.

I'm hoping the remainder of these chapters will go by much more quickly, but we'll see how everything ultimately plays out. Work on Chapter 8 has already begun and it'll be out as soon as I can get it done, and also feature at least two or three decent action beats, if everything goes as currently planned. I promise to try not to let it take 3 months, this time!