As if in meditation, I sunk into a trance of deep breaths and clear thought. I managed to calm my mind, much like the clean calm after a heavy rain. Enter the void...let go.

"Kailyn, you should be at Lin's resting," Tenzin chided me softly as he walked down the corridor. He stopped when he stood in front of the closed door that sealed off Lin's room. "How is she?" he inquired faintly.

"She hasn't stirred once," I answered in a mumbled, and slowly rose to my feet.

"Lin is strong, and twice as stubborn," Tenzin assured me.

"I've noticed." At that, we shared a forced laugh.

"You can come in now, we are done for the time being," a healer explained as she and her coworkers exited.

I entered the room without needing to hear another word, and once again took residence in the chair at Lin's bedside. A little colour had returned to her cheeks, and the shadows around her eyes were not so stark against her porcelain skin.

"I had hoped she would be awake," Tenzin said, "I could have used her advice on how to handle Tarrlok and Saikhan's radical methods of retaliation."

"What does that war monger want to do now?"

Tenzin walked over to the radio and wordlessly turned it on. The last few chords of an unknown song floated through the room, and I was about to ask Tenzin what he was attempting to achieve, but I soon had my answer.

Tarrlok's voice, heavily burdened with aristocratic arrogance, announced, 'Republic City stands as a beacon of freedom, but Equalists are using that freedom to tear it down. The council of this great city has reached the ruling for it to be illegal for anyone to be a member of the Equalists or even be associated with them. To all nonbenders, this law also puts a curfew to be put into effect- you all must be in your home by nightfall.'

"Ignorant fool!" I growled, "The proud leading the fearful- that's what he is! A grand equation with one result- more bloodshed. He should be doing all he can to help the people realise that- yes, Republic City has favoured the benders- but we can resolve this diplomatically...everyone just needs to exercise a little patience."

"Korra and her friends have taken it upon themselves to fight the Equalists...much to Tarrlok's displeasure," Tenzin informed me.

"Good on them."

"Not when one of them, Asami, is a nonbender and Hiroshi Sato's daughter," Tenzin reprimanded me.

My brow quirked in wordless astonishment at the revelation that Asami was part of the new "Team Avatar." However, I was relieved that Asami had not fallen prey to Amon's superfluous promises.

"I must be going," Tenzin said in farewell, "Kailyn, thank you for looking after Lin."

I nodded wordlessly in response, and squeezed Lin's cool hand. I silently stared at her relaxed face for a few minutes before I went over to the radio and turned it off. I smiled when the ignorant announcer was blissfully cut off with a turn of the dial. I opted to sit on the edge of the hospital bed, and placed Lin's hand on my lap. "Do you recall when you asked me where I learned to bend...the night Amon attacked the probending arena?" I murmured, eyes fixed on the window. I took a cleansing breath then resumed, "Neither of my parents were benders...when I was born, I was very small and weak..." As the words fell through the air, I gained a little more courage to utter the next. "Eventually, after many months of extensive treatment by the best healers available, I was permitted to go home with my parents. I was kept under constant supervision by my-...but one day, when I was eight years' old, I snuck away. I ran until I had lost myself in the mountains that towered above my home. That was where I found my teachers- or rather, they found me. They were blind- considered weak due to their supposed infirmity, like me- yet they were strong.

"I followed them until the sun dipped behind the mountains' peaks...I watched them earthbend as if it were simply breathing to them. I have never seen anything more beautiful. The badgermoles guided me back to the wall that surrounded my home, and since that- I would seek them out. Those powerful beings taught me to listen, to exercise patience before all else, and in turn they taught me how to earthbend."

Lin's fingers twitched against my thigh, and I took that as an omen of good fortune for my guardian's recuperation.

"Kailyn, can we talk?"

"Korra, what are you doing here?! I thought you would be out patrolling with the others by now."

"That's the problem," she mumbled, "Tarrlok had them arrested."

I rose clumsily from my seat at Lin's side, and strode up to the Avatar. "Tell me everything," I urged softly. As I listened to Korra's regalings of Mako, Bolin, and Asami's unjust arrest- my anger grew to match hers. "Tarrlok thinks that by retaliating Amon's onslaughts with radical actions of his own, it will make the Equalists- hell, probably all of Republic City- fall in line," I growled. I paced as I contemplated all possible solutions, but could not think of one that the headstrong Avatar could achieve herself. "And Tenzin was unable to see to their release?" I repeated.

"Saikhan's too busy being Tarrlok's errand boy to listen," Korra explained.

"If the people were to hear that three young adults are being unlawfully detained- one of them being a nonbender- and rejected the rights of due process," I thought aloud, "It would be a political bloodbath."

"Tarrlok is doing exactly what Amon accuses us benders of doing," Korra added, "He's giving the Equalists exactly what they want."

"Something has to be done," I agreed.

"I am going to go talk to Tarrlok- and if he refuses to see reason, I'll make him," Korra announced.

"I can't go with you, Korra," I called after her faintly, "I would love to help you, but..."

"Look after Beifong."

"Be careful!"

Korra flashed me a tense smile, and then briefly came back to hug me. "Thank you," she murmured as she withdrew. She then turned about and jogged out of Lin's room.

I aimlessly walked the perimeter of the room as I mulled over the information Korra had given me. Had I said the correct thing? Should I have stopped Korra? But most importantly, had I acted in a manner my father would have done, were he in my place? I sighed loudly as I rubbed my face.

"Stop...acting like...Tenzin..."