A Cog in the Machine – Book One, Chapter Ten: Burning the Bridges
Disclaimer: In case you haven't figured it out yet, I don't own The Legend of Korra. All Avatar-related characters, settings, etc. are the intellectual property of Viacom, Bryan Konietzko, and Michael Dante DiMartino.
[-]
"Ladies and gentlemen, you have my proposals in front of you. You've heard arguments from both sides," said Tarrlok, offering a pointed glance toward Tenzin as he did. "If there are no objections, I move for a vote."
"Seconded," grunted I'Inka, his Southern counterpart.
"Then all in favor?" the chairman asked in a resounding voice, more appropriate for a massive crowd than the half-dozen he was addressing.
Tenzin suppressed a grimace as one, two, three hands slowly rose to join Tarrlok's. It was as he'd feared – once again, his dissent stood alone.
A nasty leer spread across the waterbender's face as he slowly turned to Lin. She looked no more happy than Tenzin did at this outcome, though she was doing a poorer job of hiding it.
"Then it seems you have your orders, Chief," he added silkily, dipping his hand toward the door.
She returned him a look that Tenzin had only seen on her face once before; namely, during their breakup. But ultimately, she nodded. There wasn't anything either of them could do about this now.
Except try to contain the horrific damage the city was about to inflict upon itself.
[-]
"Martial law, ma'am? Can you clarify that, please?" called out Kuroi Shinobi, pointing a microphone toward the Chief of Police.
Lin resisted the urge to scowl once more. She hated dealing with the press in general, and being on the hook for Tarrlok's idiocy didn't help matters.
"First, we just want to make sure everyone remains calm," she said, both her voice and her expression hardened. "This is a temporary measure while the police conduct a thorough investigation of the bombings that occurred early this morning. The Council has assured us that these measures will be lifted as soon as the culprits are apprehended."
"But what 'measures,' exactly?" asked another reporter.
Lin winced slightly, but there was no other choice but to get this over with.
"By now, I'm sure most of you have heard the message broadcast by the terrorist calling himself Amon," she responded. "Given the stated goals of his 'Equalist' group and the clear and present threat they pose to our citizenry, the following regulations are now in place."
She began to read, verbatim, the long list of rules Tarrlok had managed to pass on the back of the bombings. There were eight in total.
Membership or association with the Equalist Movement, through business, safe harbor, or any other relationship, is both henceforth and retroactively illegal.
All non-benders are required to observe a strict, daily curfew. They must return to their domicile, place of employment, or other authorized dwelling (such as hospitals or hotels) before sunset, and remain there until dawn.
Non-benders may not congregate in groups larger than five for periods exceeding half an hour, except in the course of verified business transactions or meetings. Any organization wishing to hold such an event must submit a written petition to City Hall at least twenty-four hours prior.
The practice or teaching of the technique commonly called "chi-blocking" is both henceforth and retroactively illegal.
All non-benders must, if ordered by a law enforcement officer, submit to random and unannounced searches at any time, up to and including body cavity searches.
All non-benders in positions of public service – including government, law enforcement, and emergency services – must additionally submit to extensive personal interviews and background checks. Any and all information attained during this process may be grounds for immediate dismissal.
The possession of electrified equipment and/or weaponry, except by manufacturing or disposal companies who have submitted a written petition for a special exception permit, is both henceforth and retroactively illegal.
Any interference with the enforcement of these measures, such as by concealing knowledge of Equalist activities or obstructing the ongoing investigation, shall be considered a malicious act and a violation of Item #1.
Each of the regulations was punishable in the same manner: indefinite detention, without need for charges or access to a lawyer, "until such time as the Equalist crisis has passed."
Needless to say, the list left the crowd of reporters – most of whom were non-benders themselves – momentarily dumbfounded. Only for a moment, though, as in the next they were all shouting over each other, clamoring for more details.
Lin, however, got a signal from Saikhan that they needed to get moving. Squinting in the face of three-dozen constantly flashing cameras, she said over the din, "I'm afraid that's all the time we have for questions. Further inquiries can be directed to the Public Relations Office at City Hall. Or what's left of it…"
She hadn't meant to add that last part out loud, but the sheer amount of activity amongst the press crew was more than a little disorienting. She'd never dealt well with crowds at the best of times, and this was far from…
Suddenly, one voice managed to cut over the others – a smug, oily set of tones Lin recognized far too well. "Uwasa, Republic City Raconteur!" he shouted out, pen high in the air. "Any truth to the rumors Amon can remove people's bending at will?"
She shouldn't have said anything, shouldn't have even reacted. The Raconteur was a sleazy gossip rag notable mostly for blurry photographs of bizarre creatures or long-dead celebrities…but they stumbled upon something genuine on occasion, if only accidentally, and this was clearly one of those times.
And so, against her better judgment, Lin found herself demanding, "Rumors? What rumors?"
"C'mon, Chief! No need to play dumb," said Uwasa, smirking in a way that made Lin wish quite desperately she could punch him in the face. "Not like any of us don't know yet."
He fished a crumbled-up, slightly damp piece of paper from his breast pocket and held it out for her. Again violating the basic principles of common sense, Lin took and unfolded it.
It was a flyer for a…well, she wasn't sure exactly, but the flyer called it a "mover." Some sort of entertainment show, it looked like, dated just over a month from now.
And it just so happened to be titled The Curse of Amon, the Ancient and Almighty!
The metalbender felt her blood run cold. There was no way someone would've had enough time to make something like this in the brief span of time since Amon's broadcast. Whoever was behind this "mover" must've had advanced knowledge of the Equalist threat…and accurate knowledge, if the blurb at the bottom of the flyer could be believed.
Feast your eyes on the evil Amon, shapeshifting master of darkness, as he preys upon the innocent with his wicked and unnatural powers! Cower in fear at his unholy ability to snatch away the bending of his victims! Can the Moon Princess vanquish his dastardly plot, and reunite with her beloved…or shall she be another casualty in his quest for undying vengeance?! Get ready for an experience you won't soon forget – in never-before-seen "moving picture" technology!
Well…partially accurate, at least. Certainly, more than was possible by sheer coincidence.
Lin took a moment to compose herself, trying not to betray any of the thoughts now racing through her mind. Instead she simply told the crowd, "The Republic City Police do not use fantasy stories as credible sources, and I suggest your papers do the same."
Then she followed Saikhan into an armored vehicle, shut the door, and drove off.
[-]
Korra lay upon her bed, staring up at the ceiling, trying to will herself back to sleep. Her body, she was pretty sure, had never felt more exhausted. But her mind was wide awake and racing.
This'd been going on for nearly four hours now.
The dream, of which she could still remember every detail like she'd been there, was the cherry on top of what'd almost certainly been the worst day of her life since the Massacre. Yet no matter how hard she tried to parse some meaning out of it – if there even was any – she repeatedly came up short.
Some random spirit wanted her to come to the Spirit World and meet him; a spirit who knew way more about her than seemed possible. But why?
She wished, not for the first time, that Zaheer was here with her. While far from her favorite mentor in terms of personality, nobody knew spirits like he did. No doubt he'd be able to solve this one in the blink of an eye.
But right now, she was alone. In more ways than one. Korra found herself suppressing a sniff.
When it all came down to it…she missed her family.
Korra's thoughts, as well as her entirely futile quest to fall back asleep, were interrupted by a sharp rapping at the door. The entrant didn't bother to wait for her to open it, however, as they inserted and turned their own key.
As the door swung open, Korra recognized the short, heavily wrinkled face of her landlady, looking about as pleasant as the night she'd chastised her about the noise. She jabbed forward with an upturned broom, pointing it directly at her tenant.
"Call for you at the main desk, missy," she said, in a tone suggesting that this interruption to her busy schedule was clearly all Korra's fault. "Hurry up and take it, the phone company charges by the minute."
"Oh! Err…thank you?" replied the Avatar, rather awkwardly. She'd never been in this sort of situation before, and hadn't the slightest idea on the etiquette. "I'll be there right away."
The landlady scoffed loudly and stormed off, clearly not impressed with her manners. Korra, meanwhile, pulled on another layer of clothing, shook her hair to straighten it out a bit, and then rushed off to the only phone in the building.
Tentatively, not having had occasion to use one of these things much before, she brought the receiver to her ear with a muttered, "…Hello?"
There was a split-second of delay, during which Korra felt certain there must've been a mistake –after all, who would even have this number? – before she heard a very quiet, very familiar, "H…Hey."
"Asami?" she said, her mouth dropping open slightly. "What, umm…I mean, how did you…?"
Her tongue tied up too quickly for her to finish the sentence, but Asami seemed to get the gist.
"Your address is listed in the company directory. I, err…got it this morning. When I called off work for you guys," explained the non-bender. She wasn't sounding all that much more articulate than Korra was right now.
The Avatar, meanwhile, scratched the back of her head, forgetting for a moment that the other girl couldn't actually see the gesture. Once that realization came to her, she hastily replied, "Err…thanks for that. I, uh…didn't even think about it. Not exactly a model employee, huh?"
"I think we all had bigger things on our minds at that point," stated Asami. Korra wasn't an expert at this sort of the thing, but she sounded almost…agitated. Distracted about something.
Her suspicions seemed to be confirmed as Asami swallowed audibly and added, "Listen, Miz…Korra. Can we meet up? Like…right now? I know we were all gonna get together tomorrow to compare notes, but…"
Another swallow, louder this time. Then, in an even lower voice, she said, "But…there's some stuff I don't really want to say in front of the others."
Korra shivered slightly. What was that supposed to mean? Probably not what her treasonous, insolent subconscious had just decided to picture, but…
Either way, she found herself joining the other girl in the Game of the Gulps. Then, once she'd finally managed to scrounge up the necessary reserves of courage – or, at minimum, basic dignity – she asked, "Where do you wanna meet?"
"Somewhere out in the open, where we could just blend in…but where we wouldn't likely be overheard," Asami mused, clearly deep in thought on the other end. "How about Republic City Park? There's this nice, quiet area along the river, next to the Dancing Dragons statue."
"Sounds, uh…fine to me," muttered Korra, her face an uneasy mix of a smile and a grimace.
"Alright, then. I'll…see you there," said Asami, just as nervously. Then the line switched off.
For the first time in her life, Avatar Korra hung up the receiver of a telephone.
Today wasn't done with her, it seemed.
[-]
"You guys did hear what Zaheer said, right?" demanded P'Li, glaring sideways at her companions from the backseat of a police truck. "You know…about keeping a low profile?"
"Yes. Exactly," said Ming-Hua, her voice light and mock-cheerful. "Low profile. Profile that is low. That's why I'm crouching."
"While you hold a police officer's neck at knifepoint," the combustionbender growled, enunciating each syllable.
"Details, details," replied the other woman with a smirk, before leaning in closer and brushing up against the back of said officer's neck. "Besides, dear sweet Lu has become so very fond of me. He wouldn't want to do anything to make me…unhappy. Would you, Lu?"
The detective swallowed, hard, his flesh rising to within a hair's breadth of the ice-blade held against it. He shook his head vigorously.
"Goooood. Then keep driving," she ordered in a sultry whisper.
He complied.
There were five of them in the truck right now – Lu and his partner Gang in the front, and P'Li, Ming-Hua, and Ghazan in the back, a makeshift curtain hiding them from view. Both of the detectives had small, thin, and obscenely sharp blades of ice held just in front of their throats, courtesy of the mildly unhinged waterbender.
It went quite a long way toward encouraging their complete and total cooperation.
After ambushing the policemen at the Ba Sing Se Bureaucratic Annex, they'd driven straight to the secondary drop-zone to pick up P'Li and Zaheer. The non-bender hadn't been there, however.
"He said he had something else he wanted to check on," she'd explained to the others when asked. "Something to do with 'spiritual loci.' You know how he is about that kinda stuff. He'll meet back up with us around sundown."
"And in the meantime?" Ghazan had said in reply.
"We continue with the mission," P'Li had answered, nodding firmly.
That was why they were currently careening down the highway in an attempt to beat rush-hour traffic.
Their main destination was Korra's apartment, but they knew they wouldn't be able to visit it until after dark. That was the reason they'd sent her in the first place, after all – all four of them had faces on wanted posters somewhere in the world, so going out in public wasn't an especially good idea right now.
As such, in the meantime, they had a couple other…errands to run.
"First stop: the United Republic First National Bank," said Ming-Hua, putting on her best exaggeratedly formal accent. "All passengers disembarking should make sure to watch their step. Or not, it might be funnier that way."
"You're fine to stay here with the hostages?" asked P'Li, as she cautiously popped open the truck's rear doors.
The waterbender smirked, bending over so that she could lick the edge of one of the ice-blades.
"Hey, someone's gotta keep the little piggy-chickies in line," she whispered dangerously. "But hurry back. These two are so mind-bogglingly stupid that I can't guarantee they won't try anything…unwise."
"W…We won't! I swear!" Gang coughed out, his entire body shivering head-to-toe.
"Shhhhh. Piggy-chickies don't talk," she added, grinning in delight; she was clearly enjoying the heck out of this. A moment later, she turned back to her compatriots. "C'mon, get along now! That whatever-you-call-it isn't going to steal itself."
Ghazan sighed as soon as they exited the police truck. They'd parked in a back-alley behind the bank, and the vehicle blocked their view from the streets, but they still moved with abundant caution.
"Bank robberies? Really?" he murmured to P'Li, shaking his head in disbelief. "What, are we out of candy to steal from babies?"
"Hey, if Zaheer says he needs that artifact, then he needs that artifact," said the firebender with a shrug. "Besides, it isn't exactly a normal robbery. Not with your power."
"Point taken," responded the earthbender, taking a deep breath and then assuming a stance.
It only took a few seconds for the stone wall before them to begin melting away, following the movements of Ghazan's hands as he spread them far apart and then, with an enormous effort, lowered them.
The result was a literal hole in the bank's security, just wide enough for a single person to pass through.
Both of them did so without delay, emerging into a room that was pitch-black save for the light streaming in from outside. P'Li formed a flame in her palm so they could at least see where they were going.
"Zaheer said it should be in one of the safety deposit boxes. Most likely belonging to Master Katara, the Avatar's widow," she said, peering over the names along the shelves. This was the most commonly used bank in the entire United Republic, and so there were a lot of names.
Several minutes passed in silence before Ghazan called out, "Found it. I think."
P'Li hurried over and brought her fire close to the shelf in question. Sure enough, amongst the hundreds of metal boxes lining the walls was one with the characters for "Katara" – along with the symbol of the Water Tribe.
Given enough time, Ghazan might've been able to bend away this barrier as well; refined metals were harder to melt than raw ore, but with enough energy just about anything could melt. Still…sometimes the best solutions were the simplest.
Zaheer had taught P'Li a number of little "tricks" during their seventeen years on the run together, and picking locks had been among the first. With a little bit of wire and just the right set of turns, the safety deposit box clicked open.
Ghazan did the honors of extracting their prize, pulling it out carefully by the hilt. He released it from its sheath by a couple of inches, marveling at the unique shade of the metal.
"All this for a sword?" he said quietly, as P'Li refastened the lock on the box. Once he bent the earth he'd melted back into place, it would likely be some time before anyone realized there'd been a theft at all.
"It's not just about the sword," she told him, not looking up from her work. "It's about what it represents."
Then, as soon as the lock clicked once more, she got back to her feet and gestured to the hole with her plume of flame.
"C'mon. We shouldn't dawdle here," she muttered, adopting both the poise and tone that her boyfriend favored. "We have a couple more stops to make."
[-]
"You'd better have had a good reason to drag me over here," Kuvira snapped, sipping at her tea as she did. "Besides…shouldn't you have returned to Zaofu by now?"
Her companion, too, was drinking from a steaming cup, though far more calmly.
"Miss Beifong gave me wide discretion in pursuit of my mission here. I believe there is still aid I can provide her sister, whether or not she wishes to accept it," said Aiwei. "Suyin trusts me to fulfill her wishes in the manner I see fit…just as she trusts you with the same."
"Hence why we weren't supposed to interfere with each other's investigations," Kuvira pointed out. "And why I'm a little puzzled you're now violating those instructions."
"Because circumstances have changed," he replied with a frown. "Our respective missions have become significantly more urgent, as of this morning."
"The bombings," she murmured, matching his expression.
"Precisely. The Equalists are growing bolder, and there's no indication that the police are making any significant headway against them," he said. "Besides…they don't even seem to comprehend what's really going on here."
"You suspect the Red Lotus was involved with the attack as well, I take it?" asked Kuvira, before draining the remainder of her cup.
Aiwei nodded. "At very least, the targets chosen fit their history precisely," he responded. "Of course, if that is true, then it leaves us with two possibilities. Either the Equalists took advantage of the situation by seizing credit…or the two organizations have already struck an accord, and are now working together."
Kuvira's face remained an dispassionate mask, but inwardly, her mind raced like a well-oiled machine, processing and testing this theory.
The one piece of the puzzle Aiwei was missing – one that Kuvira had no interest in sharing – was Korra's presence in the city. The Avatar was an admitted member of the Red Lotus, and the removal of her earth and firebending clearly unfeigned.
Somehow, Kuvira doubted that would've happened if she and Amon were secretly on the same side all along.
That did leave one other possibility, however. The Red Lotus were over fifty years old, and had experienced a period of largely unchecked growth ever since the Southern Massacre. Some amount of internal strife, even schism, was hardly out of the question.
Could this city's present chaos be the result of two factions within the Lotus, clashing against each other? One with the Avatar as its ultimate pawn…and one with Amon?
At very least, it was worth looking into.
None of this, of course, Kuvira allowed to be reflected in either her tone or her demeanor. She'd known Aiwei for nearly her entire life, and disliked him almost as long.
She'd always been a reserved person, keeping things close to her chest unless forced otherwise, and the man who could instantly detect her every omission or falsehood had been her bane as a child. Learning to conceal her secrets from his senses had been an ongoing struggle throughout her adolescence.
And now that she could…Kuvira had no interest in sharing any more with him than she absolutely had to.
"Regardless, I don't see how this changes our central objective," she eventually said, hoping the delay in her speech hadn't been too obvious. "In either case, we'll discover the truth in time, should we continue to investigate. Separately, that is."
"Based on the attack this morning, I rather doubt that 'time' is a resource we have in abundance," stated the truth-seer. "I assure you, it will only be the first of many. The measures that were announced over the radio an hour ago will only embolden Amon. The Council, I think, vastly underestimates his capabilities, and will suffer for it."
"For once, I believe we're in full agreement. But I don't suppose you've tried bringing this to them?" asked Kuvira, more than a little irritably.
"I did, actually," he answered, adjusting his glasses. "Chief Beifong more or less brushed me off, so I brought my concerns to Councilman Tarrlok this morning. He seemed amenable, and I wouldn't be surprised if it influenced the measures he took to the Council. But those are too little, too late."
"Martial law is 'too little, too late'?" said Kuvira, raising an eyebrow. "I heard the same broadcast you did. Setting aside whether they are wise, if those rules are enforced to the letter, I cannot imagine how they'd fail to cripple the Equalist Movement."
"Which is where the Red Lotus come in," Aiwei declared pointedly. "If they are indeed working in conjunction with the Equalists – at least in part – then any measures taken against them may be compromised from the outset. Because…"
He leaned forward, staring at her over the rim of his glasses.
"I am almost certain the Lotus have a spy close to the Council," he finished, his expression severe. "And I need your help to root them out."
[-]
Tenzin breathed a heavy sigh as he plopped down into his favorite armchair. This had been one heck of a day.
He was alone in his home right now; he'd split away from the rest of the family after lunch, in order to attend Tarrlok's meeting, and evidently he'd beaten them all back to the island.
The airbending master had distinctly mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, warm hugs from his wife and children were about the best cure-all he knew.
On the other, it was probably a good thing they couldn't see how miserably he'd just failed.
He'd tried to argue against Tarrlok's foolishness, to make him see reason, but it was only him and Lin against the most skillful politician in the United Republic and three people desperate to do something. And in the end, it wasn't like Lin – hardly the most helpful ally even when she agreed with you – actually got a vote.
Tenzin had been in government long enough to know where those winds were likely to blow.
Fear was a powerful motivator, and honestly Tenzin couldn't exactly blame his fellow councilors for being scared. The bombings had shaken this city to its core, causing massive property damage and a not-inconsiderable number of casualties. Tenzin shuddered to think how much worse it could've been if Amon hadn't warned the targets ahead of time.
Their current path certainly hadn't done much to rein in the Equalist threat, so it'd been hard to argue against trying out a new one. That his "solution" was only going to make the problem that much worse was a truth Tarrlok was either unwilling or unable to hear.
Because while he was on the subject of things he couldn't blame people for, non-benders responding…negatively to these new measures was certainly one of them.
In the name of catching a tiny – if admittedly very dangerous – few, Tarrlok was demanding that the majority of the population relinquish any hope of privacy or a normal life. To be treated as criminals for as long as the Council felt like remaining in "Crisis Mode."
Who wouldn't want to join the Equalists, if that was the face of the "bending establishment"?
Unfortunately, at this point he was running short on other options. The Council had made its decision, and it was his duty and obligation to help enforce it to the best of his ability.
Perhaps the best course of action would be to wait for this all to, inevitably, blow up in Tarrlok's face. The waterbender was turning the city into a powder keg filled with blasting jelly, and it'd only take a single spark for it all to go up in flames.
The only problem was all the innocents – benders and non-benders alike – who were liable to get caught in the crossfire.
Tenzin sighed again and reached for the phone. Idling clearly wasn't a good idea right now. He needed to get back to work.
The airbender dialed the number for the Republic City Police Department's non-emergency line. He could've called Lin directly and gotten the information quicker, he supposed, but he expected he was probably the last person she wanted to hear from right now.
Well…he was pretty much always the last person she wanted to hear from, but still.
Thankfully, there were perks to being a councilman. Once he'd managed to prove his identity to the young officer on the other line, accessing his mother's case report was as simple as asking for it.
"Afraid it doesn't look like anything's been added since the initial complaint," said the officer after a moment, his tone apologetic. "Sorry, sir."
"What about all the Red Monsoon and Triple Threat Triad members who were arrested today?" asked Tenzin. "None of them said…?"
"Wait, wait, hold on…ah, there we go. Someone did leave a little note, sir," the young man informed him politely. "Oh, uh…sorry again. I shouldn't have gotten your hopes up. It just says they questioned every waterbender – err, well, former waterbender – they took in, but none of them knew anything about…umm, what's a two-fifty-three? I've never seen that crime code before…"
"And pray you never do, son," Tenzin murmured, shaking his head. Another dead-end. "Thank you very much for your time."
The airbending master hung up the phone without another word, trying to piece everything together.
So the mysterious bloodbender in Republic City – the first known case since Yakone who could commit the crime without the benefit of the full moon – either wasn't a member of the bending triads, or else had a throng of followers willing to lie on their behalf.
The latter possibility was, of course, infinitely more likely…but Tenzin could hardly discount the former, either. Could this be the work of a single, rogue criminal? Could the bloodbending Katara sensed really have nothing to do with everything else going on right now?
No…somehow, Tenzin didn't think so. He was reminded of something his uncle had once said: coincidences existed, but they were like kiwi-zebras. If you heard hoof steps, you'd be better off expecting an ostrich-horse instead.
Uncle Sokka had been full of such kernels of "wisdom."
Tenzin was saved from any further rumination on the subject, however, as the door slammed open with the sort of force that only accompanied a rambunctious airbender.
Sure enough, Meelo strutted into the house butt-first, followed swiftly by his mother and two sisters. Pema did not look amused.
"Next time I say, 'Oh, everything's fine honey, go off to work, I can handle the kids from here'…" she said, her voice low and flat. "Slap me. Please."
Tenzin immediately rushed over and scooped up Meelo and Ikki into his arms, unsure which one was the primary cause of his wife's travails and so grabbing both just to be certain. The two immediately resumed what must've been a lengthy earlier argument – something about who would win in a fight, Avatar Roku or Avatar Kyoshi – as Tenzin carried them off, exchanging a look with his wife that both understood to mean, "We'll talk later."
For now, whether or not they were tired, these two desperately needed to be put to bed.
[-]
It took Korra a few minutes to find the statue in question, and a few minutes longer to stop gawking at it.
Built from or at least painted in gleaming gold, the sculpture depicted two enormous dragons intertwined with each other, as if the midst of an elegant dance. Live fire spewed from each of their maws, treated somehow so that it came out a magnificent rainbow of colors.
A plaque at the base of the statue, credited to the Sun Warrior Preservation Society, read:
Dedicated to Fire Lord Zuko and Avatar Aang, who brought the miracle of First Fire to the masses.
Below the plaque, a number of people – most likely of Fire Nation blood, based on the colors used – had left tributes, including flowers, offerings, and burning candles. A handsome boy in red robes was on his knees, silently praying.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" came a lilting voice from behind her. "This was my mom's favorite spot in the city."
Without thinking, Korra turned backward and muttered dreamily, "Yeah…beautiful…"
Then she realized what she'd just said, and who she'd just said it to, and her cheeks went crimson. Hastily, she averted her gaze, but couldn't help but look back a moment later.
Even if she hadn't meant to say it, there was no denying her blurted-out statement was true. Asami Sato was decked out like a model, an emerald-green dress clinging perfectly around her body, complementing her eyes and accentuating her curves. Her hair and makeup were impeccably crafted, straddling the fine line between subtle and eye-popping. A sparkling necklace, silver with gold trim, completed the effect.
Asami, too, blushed brightly. "I, uh…hope this is fine," she said, gesturing to her ensemble. "I know I probably overdressed for a meeting at the park, but I…never mind. Do you, err…like it?"
In lieu of answering, since her throat was suddenly very dry, Korra found herself swallowing deeply.
"W…Wow…" was how she finally replied, once control of her voice was reestablished. "I…dunno what to say…"
Suddenly, she felt very self-conscious about her own outfit, another hand-me-down from her cousin. While she and Eska were clearly about the same size, the Northern girl seemed to favor very conservative and, for lack of a better term…dour clothing.
With her short-cropped hair and pronounced muscle tone, Korra couldn't help but think the style didn't exactly complement her body very well. Not that that was something she should've cared much about, but…
Well, she was only human, wasn't she?
Okay…human plus a couple hundred spirits. But still.
Regardless, Asami was speaking again, and Korra had to shake her head to jolt it back to reality.
"Anyway, is this…umm…a good time to talk?" she said delicately, gesturing to a bench directly in front of the statue. The pink tinge to her cheeks hadn't disappeared. "I know I kinda called you here outta the blue, but…"
Instinctively, Korra's eyes darted around the area. The praying boy appeared to have left, and no other residents of the park looked to be within hearing distance, so long as they kept their voices low. Satisfied – or as close to it as her naturally paranoid mind ever got – she nodded and sat down upon the bench.
Asami joined her a moment later, though unlike Korra she set herself down at an angle, facing the other girl. Her expression was warm and tender, but the Avatar thought she could see a little bit of pain in there too.
Korra had a good idea where the conflict in her face was stemming from. Not that she could exactly blame her for it.
"So, umm…" mumbled Korra, her all-consuming sense of awkwardness only increasing by the second. "What exactly did you want to talk about?"
The non-bender took a few deep, steadying breaths before answering. Even in those, she managed to look attractive.
"Well…a lot of things, I guess," she said, after a lengthy pause. "We never really got to talk…really talk…after everything that went down last night. We were too busy sharing intel, and working out our next move, and…well, you know. That kinda stuff. So…I guess where I wanna start off is…"
Then she leaned forward, and took one of Korra's hands in her own. The waterbender's entire body shivered…but she didn't pull away.
"Are you…okay?" Asami finished, accompanying her words with a light squeeze.
Korra blinked a couple of times, scarcely believing what she was hearing. It'd been strange enough back at the tea shop, but she'd been certain it wouldn't remain the case after a few hours for the other girl to think on it…
"I don't…I don't get it, Asami," she told the heiress, anguished voice passing through gritted teeth. "I've lied to you since the moment we met. I admitted that I'm still keeping secrets from you! You should be angry, furious, want nothing to do with me!"
A sudden burst of defiance spread across the non-bender's face.
"And who says?" she demanded. "Look, maybe I'm gullible or naïve but that…that just doesn't bother me, okay? At least not as much as you might think it would. I mean, it's hard to explain, but…"
Asami took a deep, rattling breath.
"When I look at you, I see someone who…who I know I can trust," she continued on. "It's like there's this voice, deep down inside, that's telling me…that if I believe in you, everything will turn out alright. And whatever it is, however it works…I'm sure it's the truth. Not a single doubt in my mind."
"Well, that voice is wrong!" choked out Korra, her windpipe suddenly feeling very tight. "Because you can't trust me, no one should! The things I've done, the…the people I've hurt…"
"Tell me about them, then," said Asami, cutting her off. "Don't try to push me away by keeping me in the dark, letting me imagine the worst. Because I'm not going away, Korra. Not without a fight."
It was the first time the Avatar had ever heard her use her real name. She wished it didn't feel so good.
Korra let out a lengthy sigh, shaking her head a fraction of an inch to each side. The almighty spirit of Peace and Light incarnated in human form, and this was where she met her match.
"I'm…still not ready to tell you everything," she whispered, resolve slowly filling her voice. "But I will, someday. And that's a promise."
"And that's okay with me," Asami hastened to assure her. "Because whether or not you think I should, I do trust you…from the bottom of my heart. If you say you have a good reason to keep things from me, then I believe you. No questions asked."
"But you do have questions," said Korra, averting her eyes for a moment.
"Well, of course I do. That's why I wanted…needed…to see you," responded the other girl. "I mean, I just found out that you're the Avatar! I don't even know where to start…"
She paused, exhaling deeply. "But…I won't ask you to share anything you're not comfortable with," she added quickly. "If you ever think I'm getting too personal, just say the word and I'll stop."
Korra was silent for a few moments, thinking this over as she looked out upon the river. A family of turtle-ducks swam past them, the babies nipping at each other playfully.
Eventually, wordlessly, she nodded once.
"How old were you when you found out?" asked Asami. "I can't even imagine what it'd feel like…"
"Four. From the stories I've heard, I was one of the youngest ever to learn," Korra answered, her voice toneless. "Nobody ever told me I couldn't bend more than one element, so I thought nothing of it. Not until I showed it to my folks."
"Your parents…" said Asami, wincing slightly. She clearly knew this was a delicate subject. "They were…"
"Murdered. During the Southern Massacre," Korra interjected, her eyes narrowed and dim. "Stolen from me, along with the rest of my Tribe. That's why I can never forgive…"
She caught herself, just in time. No need to bring that up right now. She wouldn't have gotten into it with Kuvira either, if she'd had a choice in the matter.
Taking a few, unsteady breaths to calm herself, Korra eventually murmured, "Sorry, but…I don't want to talk about home anymore. There's no way to bring it up without getting 'too personal,' okay?"
"Say no more," Asami told her, nodding emphatically. "It's not like I don't understand. I can usually talk about mom these days without breaking down, but there're times when…"
She didn't complete the sentence. She didn't need to.
"So…next question?" said Korra after a few moments, if only to break the silence.
Asami, however, looked even more anxious than before, shifting awkwardly upon the bench.
"This one isn't really about you, Korra," she replied, averting her eyes. "But…I can't pretend it wasn't one of the reasons I called you out here today. So, please…answer me honestly…"
There was a protracted pause, just long enough to grow uncomfortable, before she pursed her lips and asked, her voice barely audible, "Do you agree with Kuvira? About…About my dad?"
A bead of sweat traveled down Korra's cheek. Of all the questions she'd been prepared for, that wasn't one of them.
"Well, uh…I mean, like I said this morning, I don't really know him all that well…" she said, her words tripping over each other. "But he doesn't…seem like he's the kind of person who'd…"
Asami held up a hand to cut her off. "I don't mean on the surface," she added softly. "Deep down inside, what does your gut tell you?"
"Hold on. It almost sounds like you want me to say he's an Equalist conspirator," declared the Avatar, raising an eyebrow in surprise.
"I want to be able to trust my father. To be able to say Kuvira's accusations are nothing but a load of hot air," said Asami. "But I can't, and it's tearing me up inside. And I…I can't confront him about it. I just can't."
"In that case, maybe we could…y'know, investigate?" Korra asked, trying to make the suggestion sound as casual as possible. No question, this was precisely what she'd been sent here for in the first place, but at the same time the notion of taking advantage of Asami's trust in order to do it felt…
Well, she wasn't sure how it felt. But however misplaced that trust might be…Korra couldn't say she much enjoyed the idea of breaking it.
Asami, for her part, let out a breathless sigh.
"I suppose it couldn't hurt to look a little deeper into what he's been doing lately," she answered belatedly. "Okay, that's not true, it could hurt. But…not nearly as much as doing nothing. So…how about we take a look around tomorrow night? He's going to the theatre with some business associates, so we should have the run of the house for a few hours. Just you and me…and maybe Kuvira. If only because I have a good feeling she'll invite herself along regardless."
"She does seem the type," said Korra with a brief, humorless chuckle. After that, however, her expression turned downcast. "Spirits, how the heck did I even get to this point? With her, and the guys, and…you. Especially you…"
The waterbender hadn't meant to add that last bit out loud, but it'd slipped out with her own, protracted sigh. From the look on Asami's face, she hadn't missed it.
"What does that mean?" she asked quietly. Her tone was genuine rather than accusatory, but she did sound a little hurt.
"Nothing!" exclaimed the Avatar, before realizing a second later how stupid a response that was. "I mean…yes, you're different from them, but not in a…not in a bad way…"
Asami swallowed, her head dipped. "Okay…one more question," she said, biting her lip. "And I dunno how this is gonna come out, but…"
Then, with a sudden burst of resolve, she met Korra's gaze, brilliant green eyes piercing into warmest blue.
"What do you think about…well…" whispered the non-bender. "About…me?"
The breath caught in Korra's throat.
"I…well, I mean…you see…" she sputtered wildly, feeling it in real time as her brain reduced to mush. How could she even answer a question like that? Did she have an answer?
"I know we haven't known each other very long. And I know you've got this idea in your head that our time together somehow doesn't count, just because you did it under a fake name," continued Asami, her voice slightly strained. "But I don't care about that, alright? I don't care whether you're called Mizore or Korra. I don't care whether you're just some random waterbender…or the person destined to save the world."
Then, slowly, she began to lean forward. Korra became suddenly aware that, without her consciously noticing, the heiress had scooched over on the bench, so that their bodies were very nearly touching.
And right now, she was coming even closer.
"But I do know the one thing I do care about," said the non-bender, her eyes half-lidded as the distance between them grew smaller by the second. "I care about you. I…care about you a lot."
Korra's mind hadn't been working properly since she'd been asked the question, and if there was one thing she'd learned over the past week it was that she was abysmal at thinking under pressure.
So instead of making excuses, of weaving an intricate new lie, her brain defaulted to the one thing it always seemed to, whenever Asami managed to push her into a corner.
She told the truth.
"I…" murmured the Avatar, her face beginning to move forward as well, of its own accord. "I do too…"
Their lips met.
[-]
"This is what's next on old baldy's shopping list?" asked Ming-Hua, her tone incredulous. "Really?"
"Alright, I admit…I don't much understand it either," P'Li said, grimacing at the sight. "But when has Zaheer ever steered us wrong before?"
"To be perfectly fair, a bunch of times," called out Ghazan, who was taking his turn guarding their captives. "I mean, remember when we took that trip to Whale Tail Island, and he…"
"That was one time!" the combustionbender interjected, a vein pulsing in her forehead. "Anyway, just keep an eye on those two. We'll take care of things here."
"Can do!" responded Ghazan with a cheerful chuckle, patting the detectives across the back and causing them both to jump about three miles.
While less…direct in his methods than his waterbending companion, he'd chosen what was possibly an even crueler method of restraint, surrounded their necks with collars of rough stone. Both men knew he could melt them down at any time, and neither was eager to give him an excuse.
"Alright, sparks. Hold on tight," said Ming-Hua. Then, with the tips of her streams transformed into long picks, the two women began their descent into Republic City's primary landfill.
It wasn't particularly elaborate, as far as these things went – essentially just an enormous hole in the ground, formed by earthbenders, which the city garbage collectors could dump into with impunity. Once it got too full, those same earthbenders would cover it over with a thick layer of heavy sediment, and then move onto the next site.
The smell, already intense from their vantage point in the police truck, soon became nigh-unbearable. As a firebender, P'Li had been trained all her life in the fine art of breath control, but even she had her limits, and in any event Ming-Hua had no such advantage. Within moments, the waterbender was gasping for clean air.
"Tell…that boyfriend of yours…" she hissed between bouts of heavy wheezing. "That I'm gonna…freeze his balls off…when we're through…"
"Sometimes I forget you're older than me," muttered P'Li, earning herself a patented death-glare in the process.
Eventually, they reached the bottom of the chasm and Ming-Hua released her hold on the wall, causing them to land feet-first in a pile of refuse. The trash went up almost to their knees, and both women exerted a considerable amount of energy trying to pretend this wasn't the case.
Forming another pillar of flame in her palm, P'Li peered across the veritable mountains of garbage, blinking rapidly to keep the stinging vapors out of her eyes. The treasure in the midst of this disgusting trove was nowhere to be seen.
If they had to search this manually, it could take days, if not weeks, to make even the slightest headway. But Zaheer had indicated there would be a clue, somewhere…
And she'd never once gone wrong by trusting in the man she loved.
Newspapers strewn throughout the piles gave their search some direction, at least. According to Jilu's intelligence, the object had been thrown away only a couple days ago; Councilman Tarrlok had personally overseen that it made it to the garbage truck.
Eventually, after what seemed like hours – though P'Li would readily admit the fumes might've warped her perception of time – the firebender felt a chill as a thin piece of ice prodded her on the shoulder. When she turned around, Ming-Hua directed the stream to their left.
Drawing closer, P'Li soon noticed what the waterbender had: a pile of fresh, if half-eaten, apples. In these conditions, it didn't take long for fruit to start rotting, so their presence could only mean one thing.
They were getting close.
Unfortunately, their quarry wasn't exactly large, and they only had a very general idea of what it might look like. Plus, there was no guarantee it'd even be near the surface of one of these piles, rather than buried deep. Neither of them were exactly eager to start sifting through trash with their bare hands.
Fortunately, however…one of them didn't have "bare hands." P'Li stared pleadingly at her friend, who took a moment to recognize her silent request. Once she did, the waterbender swore at the top of her lungs.
"You…owe me for this…princess…" growled Ming-Hua, as she nevertheless refashioned her streams into great shovels of ice. "Big…time…"
The next several minutes passed with the waterbender scooping up as much garbage as she could and then allowing it to slowly rain back down. P'Li's sharply trained eyes – what would always and forever be the eyes of an assassin – darted about the cascading refuse, searching for the telltale blue-and-silver glint Zaheer had described to her.
Over and over this same process was repeated, Ming-Hua's face growing less patient and more disgusted with each cycle. But P'Li couldn't, wouldn't let that deter her. Zaheer had given her a job to do and, even if he was willing to forgive her coming back empty-handed…
Her own conscience was far less forgiving.
P'Li became so engrossed in her task, watching thousands upon thousands of trashed objects pass by her with each passing second, that she almost missed her prize when it came into view.
But there was no mistaking those brilliant colors, even marred as they were by the filth of their surroundings, and the combustionbender dove forward to capture the treasure in mid-air, not caring about the deluge of garbage that came down upon her as she did.
"Spirits, girl…" said Ming-Hua, as the younger woman emerged from the pile, her plaited black hair all tangled up with wrappers and soggy noodles. "That thing better have been worth all this."
"We won't know for sure until Zaheer takes a look at it," replied the firebender, squinting her eyes at the tiny little trinket. "But for the sake of my next hundred baths, I sure as heck hope so."
The object in question was a locket on a chain, about the size of a pig-chicken egg. At one point, it must've been truly gorgeous – what looked to be pure silver, inlaid with tiny blue gemstones – but its time traveling through the municipal waste system had, unsurprisingly, diminished its luster.
Still, after all this, the temptation to open it was too great to ignore. What lay within seemed a matter of profound disappointment, however.
It was an almost profoundly ordinary picture of a small family, dressed in Water Tribe garb and gathered together around a fire. The father was tending to a chunk of meat upon a spit, his face turned away from the camera, while the mother held two young boys close to her chest. Both were smiling and laughing.
"Are you kidding me? We played hide-and-go-screw-yourself through ten tons of garbage and for…what? A reject from some family's photo album?" demanded Ming-Hua.
"There must be some reason Tarrlok disposed of it the way he did," said P'Li – though for the life of her, she couldn't even imagine what it might be. "Anyway, when we take on the Council, having a little something extra in our back pocket could only be a good thing."
Ming-Hua snorted.
"You can keep that thing outta my pockets, thank you very much," she tossed off, before extending her streams once more for the return climb.
[-]
"And that's twenty-eight, twenty-nine…thirty. Yup, thirty-thousand yuans, right there," said Butakha, chuckling to himself as he counted the bills. A satisfied smirk upon his face, he turned to Bolin and Mako, and offered his jewel-adorned hand. "Congrats, boys. Welcome to the big leagues."
Bolin enthusiastically returned the handshake, his mouth wide open. "You won't regret this, sir!" he exclaimed. "The Fire Ferrets will bring home the gold for Republic City! Or…err…whatever metal the trophy's made out of."
Butakha gave a great, exaggerated shrug, but he was still grinning. "Hey, all I care 'bout is puttin' on a good show," he replied. "You boys deliver that an' we're good."
"There's definitely no chance of us letting you down there, sir," added Mako quickly. "No one in the league puts in more work than we do."
The non-bender's smirk broadened by a fraction of an inch. "Glad to hear it," he said. "I'm 'specially interested in that new waterbender o' yours. Know she hasn't debuted yet, but I've heard 'round that she's somethin' else."
Mako's smile turned slightly nervous, though he tried not to let it show. "She sure is…unique," he answered carefully. "And I know she's ready to get out there in the arena."
"Then I'll see you next week, boys," called out Butakha, already turned away and striding out of the stadium like he owned the place. Which, to be fair, he did. "Don't go disappointin' me, now. People who disappoint me…don't wind up lastin' long in this biz."
Bolin waited until the manager left the arena before declaring, "What a nice guy! He really knows how to brighten up a room."
Out of anyone else, those words would've been dripping with sarcasm. Mako wasn't sure whether to groan or smile, and wound up doing a little of both.
Then, with that out of the way, he pulled on his helmet and began stretching his limbs.
"Alright bro, we've only got five more days to train," he said as he did his warmups. "And with the first round this close, some other teams will want to start practicing here. This might be our last day alone with the ring, so let's make the most of it."
"Err…in that case, shouldn't we wait for Mizore?" asked the earthbender, his face sinking a bit. "I mean, Korra! I mean…Mizore! Oof…I'm not good at this…"
Mako shook his head. "Somehow, I doubt we're gonna be seeing much of her at practice for a while," he told his brother. "Probably should count ourselves lucky if she even shows up for the match."
"Hey, just because she's the Avatar doesn't mean she won't take her other responsibilities seriously!" Bolin declared. "And…err…well, if she doesn't, then that just means she must've had a good reason!"
"You're such an Avatar fanboy," muttered Mako with a sigh.
Bolin, however, didn't appear to be listening. "Huh, wait…can the Avatar even play pro-bending?" he said, now talking mostly to himself as he slowly pulled on his own gear. "You'd think that'd be against the rules. I mean…if you can bend all the elements you kinda break the game wide open, right?"
Another sigh, longer this time. "I don't think, when they wrote the rulebook, that it ever even crossed their mind," the firebender responded impatiently. "Besides…"
He paused and, despite being the only two people in the entire bending arena, lowered his voice before continuing, "Until we take care of Amon, she's basically just a really powerful waterbender, anyway. So it's not like anyone's likely to find out."
"She could go into the Avatar State," Bolin pointed out, but his brother looked skeptical.
"In the middle of a sports match?" he asked, crossing his arms as they walked out into the ring. "There may be some jerks in the league, but no crazed Fire Lords or rampaging spirits. I think that'd be going a little overboard."
By the time he finished speaking, the two of them were on opposite sides of the arena, instinctively taking stances. Without their third member, drilling on team formations would've been a waste of time…
Which just left good, old-fashioned sparring.
"Yeah, but from what we've seen of Korr…Miz…whatever!" said Bolin, punctuating his words by sending two stone discs flying at his brother. "I'm not sure she's the type to hold back if you push her."
Mako dodged one of the discs and broke through the other with a concentrated fire blast, following it up swiftly with two powerful, arcing kicks.
"You heard her in the tea shop," he stated upon landing. "Her mission…whatever it is…is a lot more important to her than playing a game. She wouldn't risk blowing her cover publically without a good reason."
"Ooh, I like how you said that!" exclaimed the earthbender, as he raised a half-dozen more discs and sent them flying at once. A blatantly illegal move in a real match, but the best approximation he could give his brother of being assaulted three-on-one. "All gruff and grizzled and…and secret agent-y! Spirits, all this talk of covers and secret missions…it just feels so cool!"
"Slow down, little bro," said Mako, bobbing and weaving expertly through the onslaught. Not a single one managed to strike their target. "I know you're excited to be doing this kinda stuff, but this is serious. Amon is dangerous…I mean, really dangerous. This isn't like those adventure scrolls you like to read. He's already seen our faces, and he knows we're allies of the Avatar. If he sees us again…we'll be lucky just to lose our bending."
Bolin's throat emitted an audible gulp.
The firebender switched up tactics, targeting his brother's feet with a series of brief but intense bursts of flame. It was a training regimen Toza had developed for them a long time ago, in order to train Bolin to be lighter on his feet.
Bouncing from toe to heel with grace and finesse that belied his stocky stature, the earthbender easily kept ahead of his brother's attacks, operating almost purely on instinct.
"I am taking this seriously, you know. Even if I don't look like it," he told Mako, frowning slightly. "I know this could go…bad. Real bad. But I don't think it will, either."
Then, in a sudden and forceful demonstration of neutral jing, Bolin found his moment and counterattacked swiftly, his discs striking his brother directly in the abdomen. Mako doubled over, winded but largely uninjured.
"We're working with some really incredible people, bro," said Bolin, offering the older boy a hand up. "I know we haven't been a team for very long…"
"Less than a day," interrupted the firebender. "And I think 'team' is sort of pushing it…"
"But hey, nobody thought that much of the original Team Avatar, before they started kicking butt and taking names!" his brother continued on, undeterred. "They faced the odds, went against guys that were way out of their league…and they still came out on top, every time!"
In spite of himself, Mako found a small smile had appeared upon his face.
"Wish I could share your relentless optimism, Bolin," he remarked quietly, stretching again as they took a short breather. "Either way, guess we'll find out soon."
"Nah, kid. Don't think you'll be finding out anything for a while," said a rough voice from one of the arena exits.
Both brothers wheeled around at the sound, only to find five uniformed police officers, their metal cables at the ready. The one at the front, a badge on his armor denoting his rank, pulled out a thick scroll.
"Suspects Mako and Bolin," he read off, enunciating loudly and dramatically. "You are hereby under arrest."
Bolin's mouth and eyes both went wide as saucers, but Mako was more angry than he was surprised. "Yeah? And what for?" he demanded.
The officer slowly lowered his scroll, glaring at the two without an ounce of sympathy or pity.
"For conspiracy to aid the Equalist Movement."
[-]
She shouldn't…
Spirits, she shouldn't be doing this…
So why did it feel so good?
Korra had no idea how long she and Asami had been glued together; indeed, "time" wasn't a concept she was very big on now, in general. She just knew, no matter how stupid an idea it was, that she never wanted this to stop.
It was like every square inch of her body, skin and hair and bones alike, was on fire…but in a good way. Like she was just close enough to a bolt of lightning to feel its tingling aftereffects, but not so close as to risk getting hurt.
She'd never felt anything less like hurting.
Asami's demeanor, meanwhile, was – if anything – even more exhilarated than hers. Korra was far from an expert in tone of voice or body language, but even she could tell that this was a moment Asami had been building up in her head for quite a while, entirely uncertain what kind of response she'd receive.
The fact that her exuberance was being reciprocated in full clearly had the non-bender ecstatic, a passion that continued to magnify itself back and forth in a wonderful sort of feedback loop.
All of these, mind, were observations Korra managed to put together in retrospect, once she'd had some time to cool down. In the midst of the activity itself, her thought process could be better described as, "Uhhh…guhhh…bluhhh…"
When the two of them finally pulled apart, in what could've been days or weeks or millennia later, their eyes were level, despite the couple inches of difference in their heights. Asami soon, however, directed hers askance.
"I'm sorry…" she said quietly. Her eyes were wet.
"Wh…What do you mean?" asked Korra, alarm bells going off in her head. They sounded dim and muffled, however – as if she was awakening from a long sleep, and only had maybe half of her faculties back so far.
"I did that…forced that on you, without…" replied Asami, her breaths short and shallow. "I mean, without checking if you're…y'know…even into…"
In lieu of finishing her sentence, the heiress gestured awkwardly at her chest.
It took a moment, but that hint was enough to get through even Korra's legendary density. The Avatar immediately flushed scarlet.
"I guess I didn't…well, I didn't even know until now…" she said, matching the other girl blow for blow in stunning eloquence. "I haven't…I mean, I'd never…"
Asami gasped, holding up her hands to her mouth. "You mean…" she whispered, verdant eyes wide and shining. "You mean…that was your first…?"
The pink in Korra's cheeks deepened a shade. "You don't have to rub it in," she mumbled.
"No, that…that's not what I meant at all!" Asami exclaimed quickly, holding up her hands. "I mean, it's just that…you're such an amazing person, Korra. Smart, and strong, and…gorgeous. I can't believe no one ever…"
"Growing up the way I did…it didn't leave a lot of room for dating," Korra told her, trying and largely failing not to sound bitter about it. The image of Ghazan, shirtless and glistening in the sun, hazily swam up into her mind's eye. "I mean, there was…is…one guy. But that was never gonna go anywhere. Just a stupid crush."
She sighed, fidgeting against the park bench. "Wh…What about you?" she asked, unsure if she really wanted to hear the answer but desperate to take the pressure off her.
"Just…Just a few," said Asami. "Two guys, and a girl. None of them really lasted long. I've…got a bad history of choosing these kinds of things."
She let those words hang out in the air, not bothering to elaborate. Korra read her expression, and decided not to ask.
"But you, Korra, you're…different. You feel different," she added after a lengthy pause. A smile, albeit a small one, managed to creep back onto her face. "When I look at you, I see…spirits, I see so much. So much I could be. So much we could be. And I know I'm probably getting ahead of myself and making you uncomfortable and now I'm rambling, I'm rambling and I can't…"
Korra shut her up the only way she could think to: by leaning forward and capturing her lips once again.
Their second kiss was much briefer, lasting only a couple of seconds, but the layers of unspoken meaning within it were nearly endless. Yet Korra could tell, somehow, as their faces slowly parted, that they were thinking the exact same thing.
"Where do go from here?" asked the Avatar in a small voice, after several moments of simultaneously blissful and terrifying silence. "Where can we go from here?"
"One day at a time," was the non-bender's simple answer. Those were the last words either of them spoke for quite a while.
Several hours passed as they sat together upon that bench, holding each other close. No more needed to be said; no more could be said. Instead, they remained still, Korra leaning into the crook of Asami's arm as they lightly stroked each other's hair and faces.
Occasionally, without preamble or hesitation, they found themselves kissing again, each embrace hungrier and more desperate than the last. The fact that they were in a public place kept them from going further – not that Korra expected her courage would've held on that far, even in private – but a couple of times she was pretty sure they straddled the line of the city ordinances on public affection.
A million times over, the rational part of her mind told Korra that this was a horrid waste of time at best, and the first step down a very bad road at worst. A million times over, Korra told her mind to shove it.
It just felt so good, so…freeing, to be here right now, like this. In a way she'd never felt before. She'd lived her life so reserved, so closed off, to make sure no one guessed the terrible secrets she held within, that to be so open with someone, even without words, was…
Korra couldn't even begin to describe it. But it was like a horrible, awful, wonderful drug. She wouldn't have been able to tear herself away even if she wanted to.
But eventually, inevitably…that was precisely what happened. Her senses were about as dull right now as they'd ever been, but she'd still been trained in secrecy and espionage since she was five, and it didn't take her long to realize something.
She shifted her position slightly so that she could speak while barely moving her lips. "There's someone watching us from behind that tree over there," she said in a tight whisper.
Asami didn't react noticeably, but her eyes flicked across the river, and soon enough she noticed what Korra had. Her mouth dipped into a tiny frown.
"Wow…" she muttered. "What a creep."
The Avatar would've agreed…if not for one other, rather alarming factor. "Hold on," she responded through tight lips. "I think I recognize him."
Asami's eyes narrowed, as the dim sense of understanding slowly spread across her face. Not only was the half-hidden boy the same one who'd been praying here earlier…but he was also one they'd gotten a pretty good look at last night.
"He's with the Agni Kais," said the heiress, just as quietly as her partner. "I think that Shin guy called him 'Ketto,' or something like that."
The boy immediately took off like a rocket.
Korra swore under her breath as she worked to disentangle herself from the other girl, giving chase the moment her feet touched the ground. They'd been speaking too softly to possibly be heard from that distance, meaning the boy could most likely read lips.
And depending on how long he'd been doing so…
The waterbender shook her head and quickened her pace, Asami following right at her heel. Amon and his Equalists already knew her secret, but she sure as heck wasn't going to let it spread any farther through the underworld.
Not if she could help it.
Even absent most of her bending abilities, Korra was still in peak physical shape, and Asami perhaps even more so. As such, it didn't take long for the pair to catch up to their quarry, even given his own…ideal figure.
The non-bender reached him first, seizing him by the midsection and tackling him to the ground. Korra quickly opened up the skins on her hips and formed a water-whip, training its tip directly above the young man's face.
Not exactly in the greatest of moods given what he'd just interrupted, Korra found herself snarling, "I don't know how long you were watching, Ketto, or what you think you heard, but…"
The boy cut her off. "That's not my name, Avatar Korra," he said, not a hint of fear in his bright, golden eyes. "I wasn't going to approach you for a little while yet, but I suppose circumstances have forced my hand."
And with that, he expertly slipped out of Asami's hold, managing to leap to his feet and brush himself off in the space of about two seconds. Both women stared at him, stunned.
"I am known as Iroh. Formerly a general with the United Forces," he pronounced, his expression severe. "Prince of the Fire Nation, and second in line to her throne."
[-]
Deep in the heart of Republic City, overlooking its northern districts, stood one of the nation's crown jewels: the Harmony Tower.
Built by Penga, one of the first metalbending students of the legendary Toph Beifong, it stretched to over eight-hundred feet and dazzled the night sky with its resplendent lights. Even now, in the midst of broad daylight, it cut a figure matched only by the statue on Avatar Aang Memorial Island.
And right now, Zaheer was ascending it like it was a piece of playground equipment.
He had no guarantee this was truly the locus of spiritual energy he'd detected on the map, but all signs certainly pointed that way. Weak points in the spatial barriers often appeared at foci of human emotion, and this tower – a shining symbol of the Harmony Restoration Movement that'd eventually led to the United Republic – certainly fit the bill.
Thankfully, the very reason he was here was also the reason he was able to climb it without detection. The closer the two planes grew to each other, the more one began to intrude upon the other, and the Spirit World was far more a matter of the mind than one of substance.
In a place like this, then, it was easy to see things that weren't really there…but just as easy to miss things that were. Most people didn't expect to see a grown man leaping and vaulting his way to the top of the tallest structure in Republic City, and so their eyes followed suit.
He probably could've just used the stairs or elevator, but this was quicker than the former and more reliable than the latter. Large amounts of spiritual energy tended to do strange things to motors and engines.
It only took him about ten minutes to reach the tower's topmost platform, pushing his body in a spectacular series of acrobatics even he wouldn't normally be sure he was capable of. But the non-bender was motivated.
If he was right…
His eyes narrowed as he landed deftly upon the summit, stowing the Air Nomad staff he'd used to assist his ascent. The figure before him was wreathed in shadow; nothing more than a hazy mass of black, exuding a dim aura of intense violet.
But there was still no mistaking that silhouette.
"What are you doing here?" he demanded.
The figure twitched slightly, and though no mouth was visible, Zaheer could tell it was smiling.
"Oh, nothing special," said the spirit, though the gleeful laughter that escaped its maw seemed to suggest otherwise. It was a scratching, wheezing, ugly sound. "Merely…testing the waters, I believe they say."
Zaheer was not amused.
"We had an agreement. You were not to breach the barrier between worlds until Harmonic Convergence," he responded with a frown. "If anyone were to see you…"
"Ah, but they haven't. And they won't," it stated firmly. "Here, far from the Eyes of Raava, I am all but invisible. Even you wouldn't have known I was here, if not for that accursed map."
The non-bender grimaced. He had to admit, the spirit had a point.
Instead, Zaheer tried a different tack. "Nevertheless, I urge you to be patient," he said, trying to sound reassuring. "Harmonic Convergence is less than a year away. Once that happens, you both will be…"
But the spirit cut him off there, its nebulous form pulsing with rage.
"You dare to lecture me on patience!" it screeched. "I grow tired of waiting for your precious machinations! I fulfilled my end of the bargain twelve years ago!"
"You fulfilled most of it," he reminded the spirit, his expression now cross. "But the most difficult part still remains. And no amount of idle whining will make Harmonic Convergence come any faster."
The figure shifted again, protruding a bit of itself forward, apart from the mass. Zaheer thought it must be attempting to point at him.
"Know this, Zaheer. I have been the making of your present victory, and I can unmake it just as easily," declared the spirit warningly. "I will have vengeance. I will have restoration. Attempt to deny me one more time…and you will suffer the consequences."
Then, bit by bit, like ash being slowly blown away by a light wind, the figure began to vanish. Before it did, however, it had a few last, parting words.
"The Era of the Avatar is over," it said, its voice a venomous, spiteful rasp. "The Red Lotus can be part of the new world built in its wake…"
Zaheer tightened his grip around his staff.
"Or…they can perish alongside her."