Chapter Thirteen: A Good Idea at the Time
Lin stands in a morgue with a princess beside her, facing a mousy man examining the mutilated corpse. The body is different; the mutilation is similar but does not follow the right pattern. With the face spared, anyone could recognize the victim.
She wonders why.
Princess Azula breaks the bitter silence by saying, "It is not the gruesome bodies that unsettle people most; it is the survivors who loved them that rattle cities. The dead are completely at peace, but the survivors scream and cry and cling. They wonder if they could have prevented it. Do you think they would let someone else die so that they could bring that child or wife or mother back?"
"Yes," Lin says, walking forward to examine the fresh corpse. She further rubs in the herbal ointment she spread on the skin beneath her nose. The smell would be unbearable without it.
"There is one murder left after this one, if our killer follows the pattern. This is supposed to be important. We are supposed to know this person," the princess says.
"Do you know them?" asks Lin.
Princess Azula shakes her head. "No, but I think we should find out as quickly as we can." Pause. "I thought you quit this case."
"I did, until this body showed up," Chief Lin Beifong solemnly admits. "The killer needs to be stopped."
"The killer might not be going for twenty-five," Azula slowly says, her lip curling.
"Why do you say that?" Lin asks. Her anger surges as she thinks about how many secrets have been kept from her.
"The carving on the woman's stomach." Azula points and Lin notices the cuts for the first time. They had been overshadowed by the many incisions and tears.
36. It still shines scarlet hours after the death.
"Does that mean something?" Lin makes it clear what she means without saying it.
The princess pieces together a possibility that she considered many times in the past. She liked being in denial until this moment.
"There are thirty-six oaths that must be taken to join the Triad. The assumption about Kun Song was that the number twenty-five was of importance; it means an undercover traitor. There were, however, possibly connected murders in earlier years. There were nine of them."
Lin groans and tears at her hair before taking sharp breaths and composing herself. "Those were all unrelated. None of the same markers. I don't know what you want me to do."
"Maybe you should speak to the woman who stopped the killings," Azula suggests.
"I'm talking to you." Lin pretends not to understand, as if that can make it go away.
"I'm not talking about myself," says the princess.
Lin sighs.
[X]
Across the ocean, Fire Lord Izumi clears her throat.
Prince Wu fights the urge to flee as Mako braces himself. Zirah sweetly smiles and pretends to be wholly innocent. Iroh II has abandoned them in the throne room.
"You needed to compare this painting to one I may or may not have, and so you stole it?" incredulously inquires the Fire Lord.
"Well, uh, it seemed like a good idea at the time," Zirah says. She stares at her feet. "Yeah, that's, I could've thought of a better excuse than that. Sorry, boys."
Izumi hesitates for a moment before continuing, "Thankfully, I talked to Lin, and she said she would take responsibility for the damage."
"It's not damaged," Wu confidently says, holding up a finger. "The painting is super intact."
"That's not what I meant by damage, but that is a good thing. I've never seen that painting before, and so there's only one place it can be," Izumi states. "We have an entire art gallery in the palace, but it's gone beyond fallen into disrepair. I don't think my father ever paid attention to it, and neither did I."
"I want to see the art gallery." Zirah beams. No one else looks any happier.
"I've heard of the Gao Family before," Izumi says as she leads the three young adults through the palace. "They're crooks, right?"
"Probably." Zirah shrugs. "They're definitely tied to the murders."
They reach a door, Izumi opens it, and everyone freezes in place. Wu peeks inside and as he takes one step, Zirah exclaims, "Don't!"
"What?" Wu spins around in a panic. "Don't what?"
"The traps!" she shrieks, suppressing laughter.
"What traps? Where?" Wu frantically glances around. Mako stands still as a statue.
"I'm only kidding." Zirah smirks. "There aren't any traps; I just couldn't help myself."
"You're stealing my heart more and more by the minute," Prince Wu earnestly remarks.
Izumi grimaces and walks inside.
The paintings are remarkable, and the scattered sculptures that look pried from the pillaged world. It is a wonder that none of it was returned to its rightful owners, but, if the room is as overlooked as Izumi said, it must have slipped by unchecked.
"I like this one. Look at that jewelry. He works it. Is he related to you?" Wu asks Zirah.
She shrugs, still focused on the stunning paintings surrounding her. "Not that I know of. He's wearing green."
"Very true. You're so observant." Wu grins at her and Izumi grimaces yet again. Her disapproval could not be more clear, and that makes Zirah wrap one arm around the man she sort of is dating.
"This is… interesting." Mako has few words for the large painting in front of him. He looks at it instead of the woman he is crushing on. The painting depicts someone bleeding in the claws of a dragon. A naked someone.
"I found it," announces Izumi. "It's disturbing. No wonder a serial killer would be interested in it. So, you have one, I have one, and the other?"
Zirah says, "I don't know about the other, but we can get started on this one."
[X]
Not far away, Korra gazes out at the serene sea, leaning over the side of a metal ship.
Someone taps on her shoulder and she nearly takes a dive into the frigid ocean.
"Sorry," Asami says, turning to look out at the water. The air is getting colder and colder as they approach their destination. "The trip to the South Pole is pretty long. We haven't really… talked that much since the train."
"I… maybe there's nothing to talk about. No, no, I don't mean it that way, I just mean it…" Korra shifts her weight from foot to foot. The silence deafens.
"Because it's true. I know," Korra admits, although she is not sure if she knows or not.
"We do have to take care of a witness together. I hope things aren't too awkward." Asami sets her hand on Korra's shoulder.
The two women hear nothing but the waves for long, breathless moments.
They are so close now. Their breath intermingles in the cold air. Asami can feel Korra's arm brush softly against her body and it lights her on fire. Static crackles, or so Asami thinks.
Korra kisses Asami on the lips.
Asami starts to pull away but changes her mind, fiercely kissing Korra back. Her hand slips behind Korra's back and her nails dig into the soft blue parka. Korra never wants to let go; the moment their kiss breaks she locks their lips again.
Slowly, Asami pulls away.
"I meant what I said during our talk on the train," she breathlessly says, reluctantly pulling her body away from Korra's. "This is just…"
"Why not?" Korra asks and Asami struggles to remember. Her better judgement vanished the moment she tasted Korra's lips.
Asami finally collects herself and replies, "Because I got so hurt that sometimes I would think about it for hours, and I can't do that again. We know what happens, and you're unstable and I'm unstable and we have Yumi and—"
Korra interrupts Asami with another kiss.
Asami shoves her away this time.
"I guess I misread that," Korra comments, her voice constricted.
"You did," Asami says, turning on her heel and fleeing the scene before she starts crying.
[X]
In Republic City, a muscular earthbender with a fire ferret on his shoulder interrupts a silent study session at the Police Station. He lights up the grim room when he barges in.
"Who's ready for Bolin's wedding?" He waits for a reply but does not receive one. "I am!"
Opal and Kya look up at him, setting their chopsticks on their plates almost simultaneously. Kya sees Opal's expression falls and tries not to sigh.
"I forgot about it," says Opal. "The killings kind of overshadowed it all."
"Yeah. Well, we just sent out invitations, but I thought I'd give you guys yours personally. It's two months from now. So close, right?" Bolin smiles, unaffected by the nightmare surrounding Opal and Kya. It must feel nice.
"Really close. I'm happy for you," Opal awkwardly says.
"Yeah. I've been pet-sitting, helping the case; do you have any breakthroughs?" Bolin sits down and Opal eyes Kya.
They only just returned from the house, and Kya baffled Opal with one action: she put the picture back. She hid it again even though she said it explained why they framed Kun Song—or at least pegged him with the crime.
Her fun-loving aunt keeps shooting her severe glances and Opal does not understand why. She keeps her mouth shut, waiting for the right person to ask.
"No," Kya says, smiling at Bolin.
"Anyone want lunch?" Bolin offers, looking directly at Opal.
She shakes her head; things are awkward enough between them already.
"I'll take you up on that," Kya says, standing and abandoning the paperwork she has been pretending to read.
"You sure you don't want to come, Opal?" Bolin asks. His eyes sparkle but Opal shakes her head again.
"I'm gonna keep going over this." She will keep reading over dead ends, hoping that they secretly lead somewhere.
"Okay." Bolin and Kya leave.
Opal keeps her gaze fixated on the gruesome crime photos.
[X]
On the ship heading to the South Pole, Asami walks into her cabin and sees Korra holding Yumi by the ankle. The little girl laughs hysterically and Asami cannot fight a smile.
"Ten gold pieces on Yumi winning this fight," Asami remarks and Korra lets the girl down.
"You're cruel," Korra says, pretending to be offended.
They share a smile that makes everything twice as uncomfortable.
Yumi does her job as the buffer when she says, "I'm hungry, Korra. Korra, Korra, I'm hungry."
Korra clears her throat. "Well, duty calls," she says, leaving Asami alone with Yumi.
Asami helps Yumi into her bed. She is not supposed to get too worked up when she is so sick, but Asami is glad that Yumi does not seem to feel as bad as she looks. Her skin is sallow, her eyes are bloodshot; Yumi looks like she has a foot in the grave and she is barely four.
"I played with Korra all day!" Yumi announces, slipping under the blankets.
Asami's chest hurts when she sees how Yumi looks even worse when she lies down. While Yumi may glow with happiness from her fun day, she still is ill.
The healers in the Water Tribe can help; that is what they do best. Nothing bad will happen to Yumi if it is the last thing Asami does. Korra holds the same opinion. The Avatar and CEO almost feel like parents, except they cannot be together. Not now, maybe not ever.
Probably not ever.
That thought hurts almost as bad as the ones about Yumi's sickness do.
[X]
Opal sits down on the floor in front of the princess, whom is seated in an ancient armchair.
"I want… to ask you something," Opal says.
"Yes?" coldly replies the old woman.
"I've been trying to write down this book about, well, the—the first killings—for a really long time. I'm a pretty pathetic airbender if I'm fascinated by death, aren't I?"
"You don't look like the type. You're too sweet and compassionate to want to watch a man get gored by a beast and feel cheated if he escapes." Her words feel like precise ice.
"Looks can be deceiving, and personalities can be complicated," Opal says.
"You want me to help you write about the 118 AG spree killings."
"Kind of," Opal says with a warm smile. She then sobers. "You know more about it than anyone else alive. You… do you know anything about a picture?"
"You will have to be more specific," says the princess.
"Me and… Kya found one here. She put it back and… I don't know why. It looked like a clue. If she won't say anything, I thought…"
"She put it back? Perhaps it was not important." Azula does not seem uneasy, but Opal still questions her alleged ignorance.
"I'll get it." Opal scurries away and up the stairs. She knows exactly how to get to the portrait, and she snatches it up.
Kya said it was why Kun Song was framed. Opal needs to know. In order to find out, she walks down the stairs and hands the portrait to the still-seated princess.
Azula takes it and examines it. She remains expressionless and Opal cannot read her.
"This portrait is evidence of his motive. Perhaps Kya does not want this case to be closed so easily. She was the one who decided to expose me and your grandmother," offers the princess but Opal does not believe her.
The murders have more to do with those investigating it than anyone will let on.
Opal makes a split second decision.
[X]
An hour later and across town, "Hi, Naga," Opal says, petting the polar bear dog. She smiles as she strides to Bolin's door and knocks on it.
She waits patiently until the door clicks and opens. Her breath catches when she sees that he is not wearing a shirt. Quickly, he pulls one over his head and clears his throat.
"Hey!" he says, starting to hug her but changing his mind halfway through the motion.
"I want to talk to you about the murders," Opal explains, her mouth dry.
He slowly nods. "I'm kind of, uh, neglected. I've been mostly babysitting the animals for the real investigators."
"The real investigators aren't trustworthy," Opal says.
"And you think I'm trustworthy?" His eyes light up.
"Something like that," Opal replies, bowing her head to hide her blush. No, no, this has nothing to do with their past relationship; it has to do with the absence of Mako, Korra and Asami.
"Come right in. Uh, Eska is home but she probably doesn't care."
"Probably." Opal believes that less than Princess Azula's response to the family portrait. "Maybe we can talk on the porch. I think Naga is lonely."
Bolin steps outside. Pabu chirps and follows him. He shuts the door and Opal tries to organize her thoughts.
"I want to catch this serial killer," Opal says. "I don't know if anybody else does. I'm not sure but there's something wrong with this… picture."
She cringes at her accidental pun as she holds up the portrait she smuggled out of the creepy house in her purse.
"That's that guy from the shrine… and she's hot." Bolin squints. "I shouldn't have said that. They made a cute kid too."
"Yeah. So, Korra and Asami are at the South Pole, and Mako is in the Fire Nation, and so I think it might be up to us right now. I kind of trust my aunt, but I don't think she trusts me."
"I don't think she trusts anybody." Bolin shrugs.
"Are you in?" Opal inquires.
"Do you have to ask?"
[X]
On the high and frigid seas, Asami stands in front of Korra. They stand inside of their small cabin, alone in the indigo night. Their eyes meet and their hearts beat too fast.
"I'm not going to kiss you again, if you're worried about it," Asami says, walking closer. Maybe she should not be walking closer.
"I won't either, unless you've changed your mind," Korra replies. Asami freezes in place. "I guess you haven't."
Asami stares at her. It is hard to stand there.
"We'll be there in another day. Yumi can get better and we'll probably get caught in explosions less," Asami softly says, her heart racing.
The tension in the air is palpable. They both cannot ignore it, and that makes Asami break out into a sweat. Korra feels the same way, chewing on her lower lip to keep from blurting out a thousand stupid phrases.
"Uh, Korra," Asami says. "I changed my mind."
Asami kisses Korra while her teeth are still out. It hurts her lips, but she goes in for another. And another, and another, and another, and another. They press up against each other, searing hot in the middle of an ice cold bedroom.
Korra's hand rests on her back, and then presses on it insistently.
Asami manages to lock the door before they fall into each other.
[X]
In Republic City, Lin Beifong picks up her mother from the train station. They drive in utter silence, and neither says a word until they settle in the Police Station.
Opal is missing, but Kya and the princess are waiting. That is good enough for now.
"Well, this case makes me feel inadequate," Toph Beifong calmly says, her hands clasped on Lin's desk. "I really thought I locked the guy up for good."
"You framed him and he killed himself," Lin brusquely corrects.
"We didn't frame him," Toph brusquely interrupts. "We knew he did it but we couldn't make the allegations stick."
"This killer seems aware of that," Lin states. "I don't know why you did it."
"It seemed like a good idea at the time," Toph says, and her face dares anyone to question it. "If someone wants revenge, they want revenge. I don't think that's it."
"Why? You haven't even heard all of the details," snaps Lin and Toph sighs.
"I think this case makes you feel a bit inadequate too," she remarks to her dear daughter.
"We'll solve it before anyone else dies. I know we will," Lin earnestly says and Kya smirks at her. She glares back.
"I don't want to know any of your assumptions or connections," Toph says. "Just give me the facts."
[X]
At sea, Korra wakes up to small hands pulling on her hair.
The motion around her feels unfamiliar until she remembers that she is on a ship. The fingers wrapped in her brunette locks feel unfamiliar until she remembers that she has Yumi to take care of. The breathing beside her feels unfamiliar until she remembers what happened with Asami.
With Asami…
That…
Oh, spirits…
"Wait a minute, Yumi," Korra slurs, struggling to sit up. She swings her legs over the edge of the bed to sit and see the witness under her protection. "You need something?"
"We're stopped," Yumi says, grabbing Korra's wrist and tugging on her.
"Go see the ice. See if you can spot some penguins or something. I'll catch up," Korra hastily states and Yumi nods.
Once the little girl dashes off, Korra turns to face Asami.
The CEO now sits up straight. Their eyes meet, sapphire against emerald, both glistening for some reason.
"That was really stupid, wasn't it?" Korra awkwardly says. Asami nods.
"It seemed like a good idea at the time," Asami replies. She tries to seem confident, but she certainly is not.
"It did." Korra stands up.
They part ways as quickly as possible.
It wasn't a good idea at the time, because now everything is ten times as complicated. Their stay at the South Pole will be the most uncomfortable vacation in history.
They should not have done that.