A few months passed by...
There was a light knock on Avan's room door. He and Ziara were cuddled up reading on a small couch that he had added to his still spartan layout. They were warm and comfortable and both fully engrossed in their respective stories and felt no urgency to get up. Another knock, this time with a bit more behind it. "Avan? Are you here?" They heard a voice say. It was Tenzin, no mistaking. Avan marked his place and freed himself from Ziara's legs. Tenzin was not one to drop in, at least on him, without good reason. He opened the door to find Tenzin, Kya and Korra all standing outside. Ziara poked her head above her text and upon seeing the group also sat up and focused her attention on them.
"I don't mean to be intruding," said Tenzin. Avan motioned for the small group to enter. Ziara greeted the group and moved to sit on the bed leaving the couch and Avan's desk chair for the visitors.
"Oh no, we were just relaxing, getting in some reading. What's going on? The three of you coming here, now, feels a bit ominous to me." Their glances back and forth to one another didn't help matters.
Tenzin sat at Avan's desk and fidgeted a bit with pencil laying there. "Yes, well, as you already know, I had been in contact with various members of the White Lotus regarding your ability to call upon both water and earth bending. It certainly is a curiosity, and they could not find any historical evidence of others with such ability, except the Avatars themselves of course. After some initial excitement, most considered it a result of the increased flow of spiritual energy as a result of the new spirit portals; perhaps just like the resurgence of air bending, but more rare. After Korra reported what seemed to be a spiritual connection between yourself, Avatar Kuruk and Korra, however, they became very interested in you."
Kya looked to Avan with mild concern. "Avan, they requested to meet you in person in the South Pole, specifically our mom, Master Katara. While no one intends to force you to go of course, I don't think this is one of those invitations that I would recommend ignoring."
"I believe they would like to speak with you for themselves to learn what you may know about the circumstances surrounding your bending. I expect that they may also wish to delve into your past, spiritually. The fact Korra lost connection with the past Avatars is certainly unprecedented in itself, but now finding an individual with some sort of connection to that past is surprising to say the least," said Tenzin in his calming voice.
Avan glanced around at those in the room, "When did they want to see me?"
Kya answered, "As soon as possible, they have actually already arranged an airship, available the day after tomorrow." Kya looked at Avan with the eyes of a mother, "Avan, if the idea of this makes you uncomfortable, you know that all of us here will support your decision."
Avan responded quickly and firmly, "It's fine, I'll go. Honestly, I expected something like this for quite a while. I know I am a bit of an oddity around here."
"Oh don't say it like that," said Kya smiling and messing up Avan's hair, "we will make the necessary arrangements." Tenzin and Kya got up and headed out, while Korra stayed back. Before she left the doorway, Kya turned back to Ziara, "I know it is short notice, but you of course are more than welcome to come as well."
"Oh, thank you, but I don't know, South Pole and all; I sometimes feel chilly just in the nights of Republic City," answered Ziara. Kya nodded and left.
Korra remained on the couch alone while the couple looked on. "I know what that's like. Even though Asami was born here in the city, she still has that Fire Nation blood and also claims it's cool even here. Sometimes I get sweaty just looking at her." Avan smirks at the comment.
"I'm sure it's just because of how she is dressed." Avan's quip brings a slight red tinge to Korra's cheeks and a smile to her lips.
"Don't worry about the South Pole. I am actually excited for you to meet Gran Gran. It's been awhile since even I have been able to travel there. I think you will really like her. She is an amazing water bender and pioneered so many healing techniques, I bet you will have a lot to discuss." Korra paused a moment and took on a more serious expression. "I'm sorry if I got you pulled into this White Lotus business and all. When we returned from the Earth Kingdom, I felt the need to discuss what had happened with Tenzin and I guess he felt obligated to report it as well. I never intended for it to..."
Avan cut her off, "Don't worry about it. In fact, aren't you curious about this weird connection too? I mean, the bending is one thing, but this is a whole other level. I'd like to at least know that I am not slowly going crazy or something!"
Now laying down Avan's bed, Ziara chimed in, almost chuckling to herself, "Yeah, I would like to make sure of that too!"
"I'll have to admit, I'd also like to understand a bit about what might be happening. I mean what if there are other people out there with connections to the Avatars...maybe dozens of people walking around with an Avatar rattling around in their head, none the wiser!" Korra hopped up from the couch. "Anyway, I will let you guys get back to your reading," she said, throwing up accusatory air quotes around 'reading'. "I'll see you tomorrow," she said as she departed.
"Well this should be interesting," said Avan. "Think you can come along?' he asked Ziara.
"I need to make sure there is nothing pressing at work, but, yes, I think it would fun. Maybe we can make a little vacation out of it." Avan was happy to hear the excitement in her voice and at the prospect of getting away from the routines of the city.
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They would be landing soon. Avan pulled Ziara close on the deck of the air ship. The air had grown much cooler throughout the trip, but now that the South Pole was finally approaching, the scenery was worth the chill. The pale skinned, Fire Nation native was suffering the worst of it. Even bundled up in a thick coat from Kya, with gloves, hood and boots, she still shivered occasionally from the stiff wind.
"It's just blue and white as far as the eye can see, but it is still so beautiful," mentioned Ziara.
"It's home," said Korra, a strong hints of nostalgia dripping from her words. They turned to her and were a bit taken by the whimsical expression she had upon her face, returning to a place which was still home and held many memories. "I don't visit as much as I should or want to." She thinks for few moments, "It may have been a year or more since I was last here. My mom is going to ream me for that." She moved up next to the huddling couple, fully relaxed, warm in just a medium weight coat and assessed the two of them. "Don't worry, it may be cold outside, but everyone keeps their homes are extra toasty and the food is always piping hot!" she emphasized to Ziara. "I hope you like it."
The small group began to collect their things after a soft landing. Tonraq and Senna were were among a small group there to greet them.
"Mom, dad!" Korra yelled as she ran to them. "I'm glad you two are okay." Even Korra was surprised at the tears which welled up in her eyes. Sniffling, "I'm sorry I haven't been down here to visit since...well since..."
"Oh sweetie, we know that you have many other things to worry about." Senna wrapped the sobbing Avatar in her arms and Tonraq grabbed the two of them. "There's no need for the tears, we just talked a couple days ago and you know that we fully recovered from all that business some time ago."
Korra recomposed herself and gave a last sniffle, "I don't know what came over me. I guess just being home again and seeing you after everything that had happened." She finally put on a wily smile and rounded up both of them into a bear hug, "I love you both so much!"
"We know honey!" Tonraq struggled a bit getting the words out, "Now could you please put us back down?"
After a few more short exchanges of pleasantries, Korra waved at Avan and Ziara who had been standing back a bit observing the small reunion. "You guys, don't be shy!" She looked back toward her parents, "I guess you guys already know Avan, and this is Ziara."
"It is very nice to meet both of you," Ziara offered.
Senna came forward and grabbed her hands, "Oh, she's adorable." She looked toward Avan, "You two look so nice together." The couple's cheeks warmed a bit from the attention.
"Where are Gran Gran or the other White Lotus members?" Korra asked. Tonraq's face took on a more serious look as he glanced back and forth between Senna and Korra.
"They will be meeting with Avan later today." He now refocused on Avan. "Avan, please don't be worried, but they may have some very pointed questions about your abilities. They don't intend any harm or disrespect, but they do not know you as we do and, like most, are a bit suspicious and concerned about your abilities."
Korra gave her parents a suspicious look, "What do you mean by all that?"
Tonraq spoke up. "Korra, honestly, I don't know myself, but the few members who have spoken to me at all have been very quiet about Avan's visit. I just sense that there is a layer of suspicion riding through the group."
Avan interrupted, "It's okay, Korra. I can kind of understand their perspective on things."
"No, it's not okay! What more does he need to do to earn the trust of people!" Korra began to rave. Avan put his hand on Korra's shoulder and motioned to calm her. They could all see that she was visibly agitated at the hit of allegation against Avan, but she soon settled down. After some time discussing what they both didn't know and couldn't prepare for, Senna rounded them up and they led them toward their home.
Korra explained how despite the fact Tonraq was chief of the Southern Water Tribe, they had always lived fairly simply. Unlike in many of the other kingdoms, the royal palace was typically reserved for formal and state affairs, meetings, trials and the like. They also were surprised that for the Souther Water Tribe, most of the government oversight was handled by the council, with the chief having only a minor role.
Senna had prepared a wide array of Southern dishes for the guests, seal and fish, roasted, jerked and pickled, a traditional Water Tribe soup, (in)famous Sea Prune stew and two varieties of seaweed noodles along with an array of breads and pastries. As they walked in to see the delicious spread, their mouths watered. Korra incited them, "Stop gawking at it and dig in everyone!" They all sat around the table, cozily. Senna was happy to see her dining room full once again with the sounds of youth, all munching away. She was reminded of when Korra was younger and still living there.
The group had a slow meal, talking and laughing about the goings on. Both Senna and Tonraq voiced disappointment that Asami had not joined them. Senna prodded a bit, asking Korra when they were planning to take their relationship to the 'next level', in such a way to make her feel as uncomfortable as she could, eliciting a laugh from both her parents. Korra let it be known that Asami was planning to try and visit in the next few days with Kya and Tenzin, but they were held up due to some business to which needed to attend before leaving the city.
Avan had long known of Korra's ability to eat her fill, Asami often made jokes about their nights out, but he was surprised to see that Ziara was going nearly dish for dish with Korra as the night grew late. Avan thought to himself, "Did they agree to some kind of competition while I wasn't paying attention?" Korra did not miss the fact either and casually, but now with some purpose behind it, continued to fill her bowl from the family dishes and slowly savor it. When she was feeling her own fill, she decided to finally open up the Sea Prune stew which had so far stayed sealed in its special cook pot. Tonraq, Senna and Korra all inhaled the rather unique smell and filled a bowl with the thick, brownish, purplish concoction. Ziara paused a moment, but when she caught Korra eyeing her, she too dug in, ladling herself a couple extra sea prunes for good measure. Avan could see their eyes watching Ziara as she put the first spoonful to her mouth, not quite sure what to expect. In it went.
After furrowing her brow a few times and making a few small hums in thought, she released the verdict, "These are amazing! I have to get the recipe!" Korra's jaw dropped and Tonraq let out a huge laugh. He turned to Avan, "My boy, this woman is a keeper. If I wasn't already married!" Senna gave him a stiff, but playful, nudge to his side. Korra's parents put down their bowls. Senna commented, "To be honest, even we don't really like sea prunes all that much, but Korra just loves them so I have always made them." She turned to Ziara, "It's nice to see she has found someone else to share this oddity with." The two younger women turned to each other a moment and laughed as they polished off their stew.
Avan measured out a small bowl of the stew and gave it a suspicious sniff. The smell actually seemed fairly pleasant to him, so he took a bite, not noticing all four of the others watching for a reaction. "I think he's turning...purple," Senna commented. Avan forced a deep swallow to take down the bite that had lingered in his mouth, followed by a large swig of water to wash his mouth.
"I'm sorry," he said, "it was...ummm...a very unique dish."
"Don't worry, it is an acquired taste as you can see," Senna offered.
Clean up was quick with everyone helping out. Ziara naturally found herself with Senna with a cup of hot tea. She was suddenly greeted with the realization that since they had come to the house, she had not once felt a chill and was happy for it. Korra and Tonraq rough housed, making up for lost time. After the clean up, Avan had filtered outside where he sat, huddled up, staring at the night sky. It was so vivid here away from the constant light of the cities in which he had always lived. He wondered about what was going to happen tomorrow and what exactly the White Lotus wanted from him.
Everything went dark, from the stars in the sky to Korra's home. He could only feel the firmness of the snow beneath him as he fumbled about. He tried to stand, but felt bound, and he could not bend to free himself. Earth and ice held his legs firmly to the ground. When he tried to yell but nothing came across his lips. The air which he drew in felt thick, like trying to suck in mud. He felt a constricting pressure increasing on his chest while icy needles seemed to be drilling into his mind. Panic crept through his blood, until...
"Avan. Avan!" He was being shaken rather violently. As he began to feel warmer, he saw Ziara, hands on his shoulders, staring directly into his eyes.
"Ziara?! What are you? What happened?" he asked, completely puzzled.
"You can't just go outside here at night like that. It's a good thing you didn't go far. Why would you walk out without telling anyone?"
Still trying to get his bearing on what happened, "I just wanted to get some fresh air for a few moments. Did I fall asleep? I swear I just left a minute or two ago. I was looking at the stars and then nothing." He noticed Korra was standing behind Ziara as well.
She gave him a puzzling look, "Avan, we've been looking for you for the better part of half an hour. I don't know when you actually left because you didn't tell anyone!"
He glanced around and realized that he could no longer see any of the homes near Korra's parents' house that he left. There was just snow as far as he could see in any direction. "I don't understand, I swear I was just outside the house for just a minute or two. Did you see anything around me when you found me? Anything strange?" Both Ziara and Korra glanced at one another.
"I didn't see or feel anything out of the ordinary," replied Korra. The group looked back and forth at one another.
"Maybe I just need to get a good night's rest. I must have fallen asleep I guess, bad dream." Even he didn't believe his own words.
"Come on, let's head back and go to sleep. My parents would be so upset of they lost a guest on their first night!"
Once back in the house and warmed up, they all turned in. It was already the middle of the night now and everyone was exhausted. Avan and Ziara had decided to sleep in separate rooms out of respect to Korra's parents, though truly neither would have cared. In the wee hours of the morning, Avan was still not able to fall asleep. His mind was teeming with thoughts, trying to figure out what had happened earlier. He felt on edge for some reason and could almost taste an unknown fear just closing his eyes. For him, the night just dragged on, relentless. Then once, his eyes drifted closed and he felt his body jump and the next thing he knew, the sun was shining brightly on the house. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes, confused. "Where did the night go?" he thought. He wobbled as he stood, still exhausted and he could feel a fog gumming up his thoughts. His mind drifted through the night before and to events in the past, in and out, without his permission.
There was a light knock on the door that brought him back to the present.
"Avan?" It was Ziara. "I'm coming in," she announced quietly as the door slowly crept open. Avan pulled the covers over himself. "Everyone is up, aren't you going to come down for breakfast?" She waited a few moments for a response. "Korra's dad says that the meeting with the White Lotus members had to be pushed back another day, so we are free today to visit here." She was still not getting much response, save for a few grunts and sighs. "Avan, you are not being very polite to our hosts!" she scolded as she yanked the covers off.
His face was drawn and he had dark circles around his eyes. "Avan, you look terrible! Did you not sleep at all last night?!" She moved in to hug him.
"I don't know what is happening to me. I can't get my mind to turn off. It's like what happened last night, I laid here tired, unable to fall asleep. I swear I blinked my eyes and all of a sudden it was light out." He drew in a deep breath, "I feel horrible." He buried his face into Ziara's chest and she patted his head.
"Should I go down and tell them you aren't feeling well?"
"No, no. I will get through this. Maybe I can get a nap in later. We should visit the village here. Who knows when we will be able to visit the South Pole again." He finally stood up; wavering slightly, Ziara made a slight motion towards him, but he held up his hand, "Thanks, I'll be okay. Just give me a few minutes to clean up and I'll come down." She nodded and paused at the entrance to the room. "It's okay, I'll be down in a minute." She stood in the doorway a bit longer. He finally noticed the pink cotton sleeper she was still wearing, complete with fuzzy, lop-eared rabbit slippers. "You look really cute," he jested, though serious. With that, she smiled and left and headed to rejoin the others. Avan stared at himself in the mirror in his room. "I do look like hell," he thought to himself. He bent some water onto himself and washed up. Checking himself once again, he determined that he still looked bad, but was satisfied with the improvement and headed down into the fray. His appearance did not go unnoticed. Korra asked if he was feeling okay, but in the end he only admitted to getting a poor night's rest.
Korra decided to stay back and visit with her parents. They all insisted that Avan and Ziara head into the village for a couple hours to get away from all the 'old folks' as Korra's dad had put it. Korra, of course, voiced some objection to being lumped with that group, but was drowned out by Senna, who was telling them to take their time and enjoy the city.
They were both quite surprised at the size of the city; although, it made a bit more sense once it was explained to them that the vast majority of the Southern Water Tribe people lived in the city, only a tiny fraction stayed out on their own in small settlements throughout the South Pole. A second feature that impressed them was the detail in all the buildings. From a distance, they all appeared to be simple 'blocks of ice' as Avan put it, but in the light of day and up close, they were intricately detailed. Many of the moderately sized homes had details that would likely rival that of some of the royal buildings in the Fire Nation, though lacking the contrast of colors. "Carving out ice is much easier than having to shape and carve wood, metal and stone," mentioned Avan.
It was mid-day and the city and markets were bustling with the daily activity. People buying and selling wide varieties of goods. Trade was obviously strong in the capital, they both spotted many goods from the Earth and Fire nations, as well as Republic City. They were both surprised at the number of people out and about given the temperature, but as Korra had told them on several occasions, the people were just used to it.
The shopkeepers were all very kind to both of them. They chalked it up to the fact that they stuck out as tourists being so bundled up compared to those more accustomed to the South Pole; Ziara doubly so. Moving form store to store, they mostly stuck to browsing, but picked up a few items here and there. Avan took an opportunity to purchase a new pair of white mittens for Ziara who had mentioned about her hands being cold at least a few times. They also took every opportunity to try local delicacies as they ran into them, especially the sweets. They both discovered a pastry that was filled with some kind of sweetened seaweed. Despite the description being quite off-putting, they gave it a try and both loved them.
It was mid-afternoon and Ziara noticed that Avan was looking rather ragged. "Do you want to head back to the house, you're looking kind of beat."
Avan shook his head, "No, no, I want you to enjoy your..." He broke off and clutched his head as a headache washed over him and his vision closed in slightly. Ziara quickly grabbed his arm to steady him before they sat down on a nearby bench. She gave him a piercing look. "...maybe we should head back," he concluded.
As they made their way back to Korra's parents' house, Avan's condition quickly deteriorated. He stumbled several times even with Ziara doing her best to steady him. She was well aware of people staring at them, but barely spent a care on it. Her concern only grew when she looked into his eyes and was met only with a blank stare.
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"...maybe we should head back," he agreed. He could feel a dizziness come over him and something almost like tendrils probing back from his eyes into his head. The feeling seemed to disappear almost as quickly as it came, but there was still a dull ache in his mind. As they made their way back through the city, a chill rocketed through his spine and he was left with a feeling of fear, similar to what we recalled from the night before. Avan sensed that they were being watched, first from the rooftops then from the alleys, putting him on edge.
There was a flash of black out of the corner of his eye. "There is someone following us!" he yelled to Ziara. She only responded with a glance back in his direction. He pulled her hand to move faster, but only met resistance. "Ziara, we need to move now. I don't know how, but they found us here!"
"Who found us?" a voice responded.
"The one who attacked the air temple, who attacked Korra and Asami. What could they be after now?! I thought we took care of their organization! Why now?! Why here?!" He was becoming more agitated as Ziara didn't seem to be nearly as concerned with the danger as he. He pulled her down one alley, then another in an attempt to lose their pursuers, but it seemed like every turn just led them down the same repetitive street until Avan found themselves blocked by a figure dressed in black, as those they encountered in the Earth kingdom, now some time ago. He wheeled around only to find themselves blocked in by another.
"What do you want?" he demanded, only to receive no response. He cradled Ziara against the wall of the building in an effort to shield her. Seconds turned into minutes as they stood there, near motionless. Avan could feel tension creep up his neck and permeate his mind, as if some inevitable conflict were growing nearer.
Suddenly, there was a flash in the air as a thin blade of ice cut down in front of him. He barely dodged its edge; only the heightened sense from his connection to the water with Korra's extensive training saved him what could have been a wicked slash along his body. "How did they approach me so quickly?!" he thought. He pushed back against Ziara, trying to protect her as best he could. Another blade narrowly missed and was stuck into the side of the building.
His first instinct was to pull for earth to block his opponents, but quickly he realized there was nothing for him to bend, only ice as far as he could feel. In this moment, he wished he had spent more time training his water-bending to better handle ice, as it had always been a point of weakness for him. Seeing their adversary winding up for another blow, he both bent and physically smashed against the building's wall, causing a deluge of snow to fall around them, distracting the assailants. Lunging forward, he landed a stunning blow to the mid-section of one, then the jaw of another. He did not take time to even feel the pain that was now radiating from his clenched fist. With one doubled over and the other reeling back, he grabbed Ziara's hand and pulled her towards a now clear path from the alley.
As they ran, he felt Ziara pull back as he lost his grip on her hand. He turned only see that one of attackers had taken hold of her. Just as Avan went to lunge forward, he froze as the attacker brought an icy blade to her pale neck. "What do you want from us?!" Avan again demanded, only to be answered with silence. Time stood still around them until a glint of light reflecting off the attacker's wicked smile triggered something in Avan. He could feel the heat of anger boiling up inside him, the strength of which he had never felt even when his family was being taken from him. Without any action, the icy blade, just grazing Ziara's neck, exploded into a fine mist of powder. He tackled the man in black, knocking over Ziara as well and began to strike at him repeatedly, until there was no movement left in the body. He was in shock for a moment as he saw that his hands were covered in blood, but he willed himself past the wrenching feeling in his stomach.
Avan picked himself up, pulling Ziara along with him. They had finally made their way outside the city proper and were in the open and on the way to the house. He hoped that as they would approach, the pursuit would be called off. They were just in sight of the house when another group of attackers sprung from the snow. Avan turned around to see that they were coming from all directions to surround them. He again reached for Ziara, only to now find no one by his side. "How did they take her so quickly?" Avan tried assaulting them with snow and ice, but his ice bending was no match for their combined strength. In no time, he looked to find himself tightly surrounded. The attackers all wielded swords of ice, pointing them towards him. A feeling of desperation came over him. Just when they pulled back to strike, he refocused on them, on their bodies, their blood. Avan was about to unleash his furious anger upon them directly when he suddenly felt a sting to the back of his neck. Everything became a haze, then dim, and a quiet voice began to arise from the turmoil of the fight.
"Avan..." he heard. "Avan!" It became slightly louder. His arms, legs and body began to feel cold. He tried to concentrate, to clear his murky vision and focus on the source of the call; it took everything he had left. His eyes began to recapture the light and a blurry figure appeared. He tried to reach out his hand, but found his limbs unwilling to follow orders.
"Who...," he spoke weakly, barely able to recognize his own voice. He could feel the pressure of a warm hand on his cheek and the brush of breath across his eyes and lips. It was the last thing he could remember before everything went dark.