Wednesday, February 4th
Korra sat outside Raiko's office and crossed her arms with a frown. She had been waiting on Desna and Eska for nearly an hour, and was bored out of her mind. She had been turning her cell phone over in her hands for a few minutes, and finally she gave up and decided to text Asami.
"Still waiting. How was class?"
"Boring. What were they meeting Raiko for anyway?"
"No idea. They've not told me. I'm ready for a nap."
"Well I'll meet you at Air Temple Island when you're done and you can nap while they talk to Tenzin."
"That's the best thing I've heard all day. You're the best sunshine :)"
"Avatar Korra," A sharp voice spoke to her and Korra's head snapped up in response. Hiroshi.
"Mr. Sato." Korra responded in the same tone, putting her phone in her pocket.
He scowled at her, glancing at Raiko's office.
"Another meeting with Mr. President?" Hiroshi asked, raising one eyebrow.
"I could ask you the same thing," Korra frowned, "But no."
Hiroshi grunted, crossing his arms and looked from Korra to the White Lotus guards on either side of her. He looked like he was going to speak again, but must have thought better of it. He stood in the hallway with Korra silently for a few minutes, until Desna and Eska were escorted out of the office by Raiko.
"Mr. Sato," Raiko's expression faltered the slightest amount "May I introduce you to Desna and Eska, they are the leaders of the Northern Water Tribe."
Hiroshi nodded to them as respectfully as he could manage, but Desna and Eska were glancing between him and Korra without speaking to him.
"I need to go upstairs and get something," Raiko told Hiroshi, stepping past him, "You may wait in my office until I return."
Raiko left immediately, leaving Hiroshi with Desna, Eska, and Korra.
"You agitate our cousin," Desna's eyebrows furrowed the slightest amount.
"Yes," Eska continued, "We share in her agitation. Leave us."
Hiroshi scowled, eyeing the pair of them quietly, until they stepped apart from each other, allowing him to walk into Raiko's office. The twins watched him walk into the office, and when the door shut, they turned to Korra.
"Why does he cause you irritation, cousin?"
"He's the source of a lot of my problems," Korra sighed, standing up. "He's a terrorist, to keep it simple. You guys ready to go to see Tenzin?"
"Yes," Eska nodded, "Take us to the Air Temple."
Asami waited on the dock for Korra to arrive with the twins, not seeing the point in making the ferry come more than once. She didn't have to wait long before their cab arrived, so Asami went ahead and climbed onto the ferry watching as Korra walked down the dock with the twins at her heels.
"Hey, sunshine," Korra smiled, stepping onto the ferry with her.
"Hello, friend of cousin Korra," Eska greeted her as Desna nodded.
"Hey guys," Asami grinned, looking at them, "How did your meeting with Raiko go?"
"He bores us," Desna told her, "We are pleased to be rid of his presence."
"That must be a family trait," Asami teased, elbowing Korra.
"Watch it, Sato," Korra smirked.
"Sato?" Asami thought she saw Eska's eyebrows twitch, "Is she a relation to that irritating man we had the displeasure of encountering, cousin?"
"She's his daughter," Korra told them, Asami saw their faces shift ever so slightly into glares.
"He wanted you dead, cousin," Desna spoke first, glancing at Asami, "We could sense it."
Korra tensed slightly, watching the twins as they stepped closer to Asami. Asami stood perfectly still, raising one eyebrow, watching as the twins evaluated her once again.
"She has no such wish for you," Eska finally broke the silence and looked away from Asami, "We will tolerate her, cousin."
Their faces returned to their typical blankness, and the pair of them turned their attention to the water. Asami saw Korra give her an apologetic shrug from behind them.
"Are we to stay on the island for the rest of the afternoon?" Desna asked, looking around with disinterest as the ferry reached the dock.
"I could really use a nap," Korra shrugged, "But you guys don't have to stay."
"We will stay as long as you slumber, cousin," Eska replied, "You will escort us back to our hotel at nightfall."
"That's fine," Korra nodded, walking toward the temple with Asami, making sure the twins were following her, "We can go get dinner again or something if I wake up in time. If I don't I'm sure Tenzin won't mind you eating here."
"Very well," both twins sighed a little after Desna spoke, "Take us to Master Tenzin."
Korra nodded again and cast a sideways glance at Asami, pressing her lips into a line as she walked into the temple with them. Tenzin could be seen speaking to Bumi not too far away.
"Tenzin!" Korra called out to him, waving when he glanced at her, "Desna and Eska want to speak to you."
Tenzin furrowed his brow when he saw the twins behind her, but he nodded.
"It is an honor to have you visit me," Tenzin bowed slightly at them.
"We require privacy for our discussion, Master Tenzin," Eska told him, "Our cousin wishes to sleep, so she will leave us now."
Korra didn't need to be told twice, and grabbed Asami by the wrist, half dragging her out of the building after shouting a goodbye back at Tenzin, Bumi and the twins.
"What did they want to talk to him about?" Asami asked, once Korra had slowed down halfway across the courtyard.
"Probably something about the Equalists," Korra shrugged, "Tenzin will tell me later if the twins don't."
The pair of them made their way to Korra's bedroom, and Korra wasted little time flopping onto the bed and stretching out like a cat. Asami laughed at her quietly, pulling her backpack off and retrieving a book from it before settling on the bed with some pillows propped behind her shoulders. Asami pushed her hair off her face while Korra yawned, and thumbed to her place in her book before looking at Korra. Korra was watching her tiredly, one arm folded under her head.
"Hmm?" Asami raised one eyebrow and smiled.
"I feel almost sorry for leaving Tenzin with the twins," Korra shrugged, yawning, "They're not too bad, but they can get to be a little much if you're around them too long."
"Another family trait?" Asami teased, earning a shove from Korra, "Kidding, kidding. Tell me about them?"
Korra yawned and stretched out again before scooting over and laying her head on Asami's shoulder.
"Well, our dads were brothers," Korra said slowly, "My uncle was the chief of both Water Tribes. Desna and Eska are a couple years younger than me, and we never really saw each other much growing up. I think maybe once or twice. So fast forward to just before the civil war, they show up with my uncle at the South Pole."
Asami nodded, looking down at Korra as she continued.
"Long story short," Korra chuckled a little, "Eska tried to marry Bolin, but that didn't happen. The twins tried to kill me, then their dad tried to kill me, then he tried to kill them, then I finally killed my uncle…"
"Wait, you killed your uncle?" Asami's eyebrow shot up.
"Yeah…" Korra's voice trailed off for a few seconds, "The simple version is that he went crazy and was trying to kill everyone, and I wouldn't have killed him if I could have helped it. But once he was dead, I was finally able to actually interact with the twins more. They don't hate me anymore, which is nice."
Korra was starting to doze, her words coming more slowly, so Asami propped her cheek against Korra's head and looked down at her book.
"I go to visit them sometimes," Korra yawned, putting her arm over Asami, "They don't normally leave the North Pole. So either they lied about the importance of their meeting with Raiko and really were worried about me, or Raiko wanted them for something pretty damn important."
"Can't hurt to ask them," Asami replied in a low voice.
Korra only hummed tiredly, her voice a soft rumble against Asami's shoulder. Eventually, Korra started snoring, so Asami started reading.
Asami looked up from her book when the door to the bedroom slid open the tiniest amount.
"Cousin?" it was Eska, "Are you in here?"
"She's still asleep," Asami replied, "You can come in."
Eska opened the door fully and stepped into the room, and Asami heard a shuffling in the hallway, assuming it was Desna.
"My brother and I were wondering if she would awaken soon," Eska told Asami, looking down at her, "We will soon require sustenance, and would enjoy dining with our genetic similar again."
"I don't know when she's going to wake up," Asami answered truthfully, "I would wake her, but she's been staying up the last few nights."
"Why has she done such a thing?"
"Since the Equalists attacked the island, she's been staying up outside the kids' bedroom so they'll sleep better."
"Our cousin is protective of the children," Desna's voice was just outside the door.
"Yes," Eska nodded, "Very well. We will let her sleep a while longer. We will go to dinner at eight. Hopefully she will awaken."
"I'll let you know if she does," Asami promised.
"Where else may we eat in this city? The restaurant with noodles was quaint, but I do not wish to eat there again. Not to disregard cousin's tastes, the food was better than expected, however the atmosphere was less than desirable. I believe I saw an individual asleep in their noodles."
"There's Kwong's if you like upscale places," Asami offered, "I have a table there if you want to use it."
"We will accept this," Eska replied with a nod.
"We should invite her to join us," Desna remarked blandly from the hallway, "I think her presence would please cousin Korra."
"Yes," Eska agreed, glancing at Korra, whose arm was still around Asami, "You will join us for dinner if cousin Korra is awake for our departure."
Eska walked out of the room and slid the door shut behind her before Asami could respond. Asami shrugged and went back to her book, she didn't figure dinner with Korra and the twins would be that bad.
"Don't you think this is a little unsafe?" Opal frowned, walking into the gym with Mako and Bolin.
"With Korra running around with Desna and Eska," Mako shrugged, "I don't think we're going to be a priority."
"Yeah," Bolin nodded, "They're gonna try to kill them first. Plus the university is safe, right?"
"So far," Opal crossed her arms and sat down, "That doesn't make me feel any better. Asami was with them."
"Why didn't you just go with them? Korra invited you, didn't she?" Mako raised his eyebrow and looked at her.
"The twins give me the creeps." Opal rolled her eyes, "So I didn't want to hang out with them for longer than necessary. Are we going back to Air Temple Island after this?"
"If you want," Bolin told her, "Me and Mako were gonna go back to the dorm. I wanted to sleep in my normal bed tonight."
Opal sighed and checked her phone, glancing up when Mako tackled Bolin to the floor.
"It's easier to worry about the four of you when you're all in the same place," Opal grumbled. Mako and Bolin laughed.
Lin pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed in frustration as she walked into Kwong's. She needed to find Desna and Eska, and didn't have to look far until she found them at a corner table with Asami and Korra.
"Party's over," Lin grumbled, jerking her thumb over her shoulder, "Desna and Eska, I'm supposed to escort you back to your hotel."
"Is something going on?" Korra stood up abruptly, nearly knocking over Asami's drink in the process.
"Settle down, Korra," Lin warned, "Nothing's happened, yet. We've gotten a few reported bomb locations at the station and I'm operating on Raiko's orders. He's put the twins under police protection. Right now he wants them to be in their hotel. You need to go back to Air Temple Island."
"But-."
"That's an order, Korra." Lin scowled, "You can go to the hotel with your cousins or you can go to Air Temple Island. Non-negotiable tonight."
"Is there anything I can do?" Korra asked, scooting out of the booth after Asami.
"Not tonight, kid." Lin shook her head, "You'll be with me Friday, so don't get restless on me. I just want everyone to be safe tonight, so if you want to help me, I need to take them to their hotel."
"Fine,' Korra frowned, "I'll go with them."
"Cousin no," Eska told her, "You should return to the Air Temple. The children will be concerned if you do not return. Your friends will also be concerned at your absence. The police will surely protect us to whatever extent is needed while we slumber. We will see you tomorrow."
"Are you sure?" Korra looked at the twins worriedly, "I don't want anything to happen to you guys."
"Your concern has been noted, Korra," Desna nodded, "We will communicate with you via typed phone messages notifying you when we are secure in our hotel suite. Does this suit you?"
"Yeah," Korra sighed, "Let me know if anything happens, please."
Asami was pulling her coat on as Korra stepped forward and embraced both of her cousins, one arm around each of them. Asami was surprised to see both the twins reach up with one hand and pat Korra's shoulders.
"I love you guys," Korra told them with another sigh.
"I believe cousin Korra is expressing her worry for us through physical affection and vocal declaration," Desna said, still patting Korra's shoulder.
"Yes," Asami almost thought Eska was smiling, "We feel the fondness of familial relation toward you as well, Korra. Go to the island and secure the airbenders."
Korra nodded and told her cousins goodnight, turning and offering her arm to Asami before walking out of the restaurant. The White Lotus guards that had been waiting outside followed Asami and Korra as they walked to Asami's car. The White Lotus had their own car they would use to trail Asami, so Asami got in and started the car with a sigh, glancing at Korra who was sitting in the front seat with her arms crossed.
"They'll be ok," Asami assured her, offering her hand to Korra once she pulled out onto the street.
Korra took Asami's hand, but the frown remained.
"I'm so tired of this," Korra sighed, staring out the window.
It was still dark when Kya woke up. She sat up on the bed and rolled her shoulders. She never slept well when the moon was full. Sighing, Kya stood up and yawned, walking out into the hall of the women's dormitory. No one else was awake in the dormitory, she knew that. She walked out of the building, looking at the charred remains of one corner of the building in the moonlight.
A pair of White Lotus guards were patrolling the courtyard, and they nodded at her as they passed. She thought briefly about going to the male dormitory and rousing Bumi so that she would have someone to harass for the rest of the night, but she knew that excluding the White Lotus, there would be at least one other person on the island awake.
Kya found Korra just where she expected her to be, pacing up and down the hall near the kids' room. She would walk from one end of the hall completely down to the other end, then look around the corner before turning and walking back again. Her back was to Kya when Kya came through the door, and she was still wearing her dress shirt and vest that she'd worn to dinner. The door to Korra's own room was opened slightly, and when Kya glanced in the door she saw Opal and Asami sleeping peacefully on the thin mattress. Korra turned around a few moments later, jumping slightly when she saw Kya standing in the hall. She recovered quickly, and when Kya jerked her head toward the door, Korra nodded. The pair of them walked outside together, sitting down on the steps outside the building.
"Still at your post, o' protector?" Kya smiled, nudging Korra when she sat down beside her.
"Yeah." Korra grunted, "It's the only thing I can do right, apparently. I can't help anyone else."
"Don't sell yourself short, Korra. I know you're worried, but as long as you're doing your best-"
"I'm not. I could be out there helping Lin, actually stopping the Equalists. Or I can stay here and protect the airbenders. I can't be in two places at once."
"Don't try to be, Korra. I'm not going to tell you that you need to help 'restore balance', you've heard enough of that. But you're not coasting around without doing anything. Do you know who kept Saikhan alive and took down the police airship?"
"Somone had to."
"Yeah, you." Kya put her arm around Korra's shoulder and shook her playfully, "You've been helping Lin, and if I remember correctly, you ran headfirst into burning buildings to rescue the people inside. Sometimes careless, maybe, but you aren't helpless."
"Thanks, Kya," Korra smiled a little, "I just feel like Raiko doesn't want me here."
"I'm not going to lie," Kya sighed, "He probably doesn't want you around, from what I've heard from Lin. But I'll tell you right now, there are three kids sleeping in this building behind us that think the world of you. Plus you have an interesting group of friends. I think they like you too. Sometimes."
Korra snorted and put her arm around Kya.
"Why aren't you asleep, aren't you old?"
"Watch it," Kya smirked, "Haven't you noticed the moon is full?"
"No I was too focused on the path I was making in the floor," Korra sighed, letting Kya go in favor of leaning back on her arms and looking up at the moon.
"You worry too much, Korra," Kya told her, looking up as well, "It'll wreck your aura. You should see Opal's some days."
Korra sighed again, not taking her eyes off the sky, and Kya grinned.
"Don't make me wake Asami," Kya chuckled, "She'll get you out of this slump."
"It's not a slump," Korra replied, rubbing her forehead, "I just feel like I'm stuck in place doing nothing."
"So a slump," Kya shrugged, motioning that Korra had proved her point, "You're going to work with Lin again soon, right? That'll help you."
"I just want to feel like I'm doing something."
"You mentioned that already," Kya shook her head, "That's it. I'm getting Sato."
Korra blushed immediately, latching onto Kya before she could stand.
"Oh my gosh, Kya," Korra pleaded, holding onto her, "Her and Opal need to sleep."
"Not as much as you do, kid," Kya laughed, patting Korra's shoulder, "They don't stay up all night pacing."
Korra huffed and kept her arms around Kya, afraid she would try to get up again.
"I've missed you," Korra muttered.
"What?" Kya broke into a grin.
"I said I missed you," Korra repeated, huffing again.
"You're the one who hasn't been to the South Pole to see me," Kya laughed, prying Korra off of her, "But I've missed you too. Senna told me about her visit. When is she coming back with Tonraq?"
"A couple weeks, I think," Korra shrugged, "I'm going to see them in April. I may make it down before then though."
"Maybe Tonraq will knock some sense into you," Kya chuckled, "That's what you need."
Kya sat outside with Korra for the greater part of two hours, until Meelo woke up from a bad dream and came looking for Korra. Korra said goodnight to her then, but Kya was glad she had gotten Korra to stop pacing for even a little while.