Tahno awoke to beams of sunlight warming him up, as he lay curled up on top of the soft green grassy patch beneath him. Slowly he stretched, waiting until he was fully sitting before taking the opportunity to open his eyes and fully take in his environment.
"Tranquil out here, isn't it?" The ex-bender almost jumped at the suddenness of the voice. He came very close to tumbling over the edge of Tui and La's pool and back into the water like the previous eve. As he was getting himself composed, he heard soft, melodious laughter. He then spied the culprit across the water from him, the twin who had spirited him through the halls the night before.
"It's Eska," she said, her voice not as gloomy or mysterious as it came off sounding the previous eve. The Water Tribe Princess by daylight wasn't near as eerie either, although she still had a mystical air about her.
Tahno shook the sleep from his mind and then looked at her awhile without saying a word. She didn't seem to mind the silence, almost seeming to relish it. Her powder-blue irises stayed level with his icy blues, never once wavering.
"Princess Yue watched over you last night, did you know that?" Eska spoke again, eyes still connected with his. "She said you were special, that you have a—very...unique spiritual connection."
"Yeah," Tahno finally got the mind to speak. He stretched a little more, working the knots out from sleeping curled up all night.
"Did you sleep well?"
Tahno looked at Eska. "Come to think of it—I got the best sleep I've had in a while out here."
"It's the tranquility of the atmosphere out here," Eska told him. "There have been several occasions where I slept through the night out here myself."
"Do you do that kind of thing often?" Tahno asked her.
Eska responded with, "When I feel the need to." She reached for something beside her. "I come out here every morning before the rest of the palace awakes to visit with the spirits. Its my morning ritual." She looked to the pond then, the pair of koi swimming there in circles around one another. "When I got out here this morning, I saw you sleeping. I thought it might be nice to bring you something to eat for breakfast, since I believe you didn't have anything before bed last night." She produced a tray and eating utensils, bringing them over and handing them to him. He took them, offering his thanks in exchange. She reclaimed her previous spot, sitting there and watching him while he ate.
"My father said he would be out here in a short while," Eska said while he continued eating. "Korra should be as well."
After Tahno finished with a bite, "Did you talk to Korra today?"
"We talked over breakfast."
"Did she mention her visit with the Face Stealer?" Tahno asked her.
"Only briefly," Eska replied. "Talking about it seemed to trouble her."
"Any idea why?" Tahno asked.
Eska replied, "I can only guess that it has something to do with Mako."
"Any clue what specifically?" Tahno asked.
Eska shrugged. "Korra seems torn up by the fact that she won't be able to help him out."
"I got that impression when we discussed it a bit last night," Tahno replied. While he continued to eat, Eska silently watched him. When he was done, he set aside the tray and utensils and looked at the Water Tribe Princess. "Do you know why your father thought it would be necessary for me to be here during Korra's spiritual lessons?" he questioned her.
"My father wants you to learn more about spiritual matters along with Korra," Eska told him simply. "After he spoke with Tenzin about the current spiritual matter, my father also wants to discuss strategy with you both on how to deal with Hiroshi Sato's spiritual aide, and the circumstances of how they built up this partnership. Considering it has a lot to do with revenge, bringing about the universal removal of bending, and the destruction of Republic City—all the work Korra's predecessor Aang constructed after the hundred-year war ended—my father finds it especially vital that Korra finds a way to link up with this spirit and convince it that seeking revenge and destruction isn't the way to solve it's problems. She needs to find a way to show it that there's a better solution to the problem—and my father wants to discuss possible solutions that might work in convincing the spirit of that."
Tahno said, "I guess he wants me here to discuss strategy with them then."
Eska gave a slight nod, adding, "You also might learn some important things from the lesson that will prove to be useful."
"Yeah—he suggested the same thing when he was giving me the palace tour last night," Tahno replied. He stared into the pond, watching Tui and La circle each other awhile. He watched as she dipped her hand into the pool, as the koi nibbled softly on the tips of her fingers. He noticed her face was awash in a serene aura as she dangled her fingers in front of the fish.
"Tui and La say that Mako and Korra aren't the only ones Koh expects something from," Eska spoke up without looking away from the two spirits dancing around her submerged fingers. "Koh wants something from you as well."
Tahno looked up at her quickly, quizzical. "What—after all I've been through over the past several months, the Face Stealer expects me to make a sacrifice as well?"
"He expects something different from you," Eska cryptically told him. Before the ex-bender could inquire about further details or an explanation, she looked past him in the direction of one of the bridges leading onto the island. His eyes followed hers, noticing the approach of the chief and the Avatar.
"Eska said you didn't take my advice last night and slept out here, pretty boy," Korra remarked as she came up behind her uncle Unalaq. She was staring at him, expression unreadable, as she took up the lotus position on the grass. As she did, Eska took her leave, greeting her father quickly before crossing over the bridge and disappearing.
"It wasn't that bad of an idea, actually," Tahno remarked in response. "I got better sleep out here then I've had in months."
"Whatever worked for you," Korra shrugged it off. She turned her attention quickly towards her uncle, who was taking a seat in a similar fashion to his niece right beside her. "How did you want to start this off—and with what?" She asked him.
"I want you both to explain to me the extent of your knowledge in spiritual matters, in detail. It will give me an idea on where you are knowledge-wise, and what direction I need to head towards in regards to your education. Also—" Unalaq aimed his attention towards the ex-bender. "We'll cut this short before lunch. I spoke with Unrak's brother, and have managed to set up a meeting between you and him to see if you can get through to Unrak in regards to your mother's location then. Afterwards, we'll eat and then come back here and further discuss what hasn't been covered beforehand, including strategy on how to deal with the situation involving Hiroshi and the spirit that is aiding him."
"Has my mother's husband shown any signs of coming out of his possessed funk at all?" Tahno asked him.
"Unrak's still unresponsive to his brother's pleas," Unalaq informed him. He turned to the Avatar. "Korra—what has Avatar Aang taught you about spiritual matters, and what have you witnessed through your own experiences regarding the subject?" Korra took her time to get comfortable before she began speaking. Tahno sat there casually listening as she told her uncle about her experiences with Avatar Aang, spirits, and the Spirit World.
Starting with the first encounter she had with her previous incarnation, she explained how Aang came to her when she felt like she was at the end of her rope after Amon stripped her of three of her four bending elements. Suicidal—her words seemed to give an indication of it; Korra had felt lost—like she had nothing left. She had felt like she could no longer fulfill her role as the Avatar, and that had clouded her mind with darkness—bleakness in regards of her future with that vital role. The ex-bender surely could relate to the feeling; he'd been there, done that.
She described how Aang taught her about energybending—the technique used to restore her bending, and the one she later used to restore the bending of most of Amon's other victims. While she was on the subject, her eyes quickly darted towards the ex-bender's direction several times, always quickly looking away, her expression pronouncedly growing more pensive as she continued. She then described the Avatar State—her first time entering it, and several other occasions she'd gone into it afterwards. The ex-bender caught hints of guilt as she noted a few instances like the time she used it to beat Tenzin's kids to the finish line in an airbending race—and then another when she used it to her advantage for another petty matter.
She then described her first encounter with the spirit that requested her presence in the Spirit World—how the first time she crossed paths with it, it attacked her, and she resorted to using the Avatar State to battle with it before managing to chase it off. She then described its attack on the festival she attended for her birthday, the threats it made—using Kuruk as an example of what could result if any other person interfered in the matter between the spirit and the Avatar, how she at the time felt it referenced how Kuruk lost his beloved to Koh's clutches, and how she hadn't wanted the same to occur to those she cared about the most.
Tahno caught the misery in her voice when she described the incident—the spirit's request for her audience and hers alone. The threat the spirit made to her regarding her loved ones—if they had chosen to interfere in its plans—he got the sense that she felt like it had happened anyways; that she felt guilt for not taking precautions and investigating the situation further to determine if it was a trap or not instead of walking blindly into it like she initially had. He sensed that she felt remorseful about what happened to Mako and Asami as a result of that, and it made him wonder if that was a part of the burden she was dealing with the previous night.
Did Korra feel guilty about what happened? But before Tahno could think to ask her about it, Unalaq was inquiring about his knowledge of spiritual matters in depth. Korra had finished telling hers, and they were waiting for him to speak his piece. Tahno suppressed his question, sighing instead and providing his response. He spent the next twenty minutes covering his bases before they broke up for lunch, and he headed with Unalaq to meet with Unrak's brother.
XoXoX
Eska was eavesdropping on their discussion without either her father or his two pupils' knowledge of her presence. It wasn't so much that she was interested in overhearing the lesson her father was going over with the two; she was compelled to stand there for two reasons: the first being that she had always been particularly fond of the Spirit Oasis, the other being the strange pale boy that came in Korra's company a couple days earlier.
Eska was fascinated by the young man for some reason, although she wasn't sure if it was a semblance of a crush that drew her attention towards him, or something about his aura—his spiritual presence—that caught her attention. Whatever it was though, she found him fascinating.
It was obvious Korra didn't find him all that fascinating, as every time she looked his way, her expression grew more deeply serious and troubled—if she dared to even look his way at all. From hints Eska was able to garner from snippets of conversation she had with Korra and the young man named Tahno, there was something complicated going on between them involving Mako somehow.
Her replica—her twin, Desna—slipped quietly by her side at one point, passing small talk between he and his sister for a few before he disappeared to do his daily usual once more. Desna, his sister knew, wasn't interested in their cousin's conflicts or the former waterbender's presence for that matter. He was more concerned about stability and keeping things in his life—and those that affected it—in order.
Upon her twin's departure, Eska returned her attention to the conversation that was taking place in her favorite sanctuary, listening as the former waterbender began speaking.
XoXoX
"Unrak said Nani had a son from her previous marriage, and that she was widowed a few years back," Unrak's brother, Konlaq, told the ex-bender while he was leading him and Chief Unalaq towards where his brother was being confined. "I met Nani a year back, and she is a nice woman." He looked at Tahno before adding, "You look a lot like her."
"I've been told that," Tahno replied.
"Did you inherit Nani's waterbending?" Konlaq inquired innocently.
"Yeah," Tahno replied neutrally. "Although—I can't exactly use it right now."
Unrak was restrained in a chair, his ankles and wrists bound behind him when Tahno was led in to see him. When Unalaq brought him over, he had explained his mother's husband's condition in further detail to him, how the man had sat there the past three days straight, staring vacantly ahead without saying a word, his eyes glossed over. Konlaq had said he was going out of his mind with frustration over Unrak's current unchanging state, and was worried about what might have happened to his wife out in the icy tundra.
"I hope you can manage to convince him to tell us her whereabouts," Konlaq told him. "Before something bad can happen to her anyways." He led the ex-bender right up in front of where Unrak was tied down.
Tahno bent down to level his gaze with Unrak's. He noticed the glossed over look to the man's eyes that was characteristic of spiritual possession. The ex-bender stood up straight, arms crossing over his chest as he stood there a moment collecting his thoughts.
"Hey, pathetic ex-Firelord—I know you're in there, and that Sato sent you to abduct my mother when I wasn't expecting it," Tahno leaned in close to the possessed man's face. "Ozai, was it? I never really could keep those details straight in school, since learning about an incompetent Firelord never really interested me that much."
Unrak's eyes focused on him then, narrowing as they met up with the ex-waterbender's icy blues. "You should've listened to that poor excuse of an anti-bending revolutionary when he told you to keep a special watch out for people with glazed over eyes," he remarked. "Then you would have noticed you had a spy right there in the midst of your mother's own home."
"Yeah, maybe I should've, but I'm taking it seriously now," He grabbed the collar of Unrak's shirt, staring at the man flintily. "Where did you leave my mother, huh? Where have you been keeping her?"
"Why should I tell that to a pathetic young man like you?" Unrak scoffed, smirking at him.
"She's my mother, damn it!" Tahno shouted angrily at him. "She's all I got left for family, and I'm not about to let a sorry excuse for a spirit like you let her get hurt at the hands of a bastard like Hiroshi."
"This all reminds me of a confrontation I once had with my own son a long time ago," Unrak said, the grin twisting his lips wickedly. "A broken down, sorry excuse for a young man confronting me about the whereabouts of his mother." He laughed derisively. "I won't divulge that information to you any more than I would have for Zuko in regards to his mother."
"Damn it!" Tahno shouted aggravatingly. "Unrak—if you care even a little for my mother—you'll override this pathetic bastard whose possessing you and tell me what you know about where he's keeping her. If she means anything to you—please just kick him out and tell me!" He was half pleading, half demanding it. "For all I know, Sato might plan to do something to her, and not telling me could lead to her getting killed. Do you want something like that on your conscience huh? Do you want my mother's blood on your hands for not being man enough to tell me where she is?"
Unrak's eyes closed as his head slumped forward. For a moment he was still, and then his eyes slowly opened again. A small voice emerged from his lips, words coming out hoarse and raspy. "I'll tell you where he took Nani. I-I don't want anything to happen to—Nani." Unrak looked up at the ex-bender with tired eyes. Tired, but clear—and undoubtedly his own. Their turquoise color shone through purely, the person behind them evident. Off to the side, Tahno noticed an angered man with loose falling, long dark hair standing nearby, fiery amber eyes broiling as he stared hard at the ex-bender.
"You're already too late anyways," The man coldly warned him. "He already got to her." An instant later, the man vanished into thin air.
"I-if you untie me, I'll take you right to Nani," Unrak said, but the former waterbender wasn't paying attention to him anymore. Tahno stumbled, dazed, out of the room while Konlaq got to work releasing his brother's wrists and ankles from his restraints and helped him to his feet. Unalaq met up with him outside; it took the ex-bender a while to take notice of him standing there beside him.
"If I'm going to survive your lessons for the rest of the afternoon, I'm going to need to eat something first," Tahno said, suddenly feeling very weary. "Let's get back. I-I don't know how much energy I've got, and—I-I need something to eat."
Unalaq didn't question him, instead complying with the ex-bender's wish and heading back.
XoXoX
Asami awoke with a pounding migraine. Slowly she opened her eyes to slits, even the dark lighting of the mecha's inner cabin too intense for her to take in all at once. For a long while, an indeterminable amount of time really, she listened to her surroundings more than saw them, taking in the loud engine whirring, breathing from a few other sources, the pounding of her own heartbeat in her temple—
Abruptly and coming unannounced, she felt something cool and liquidy being applied to her forehead. At first she released a surprised gasp, but then settled her nerves down as the liquid force brought on a nice, cooling sensation.
Eventually Asami's headache seemed to have cleared and, with her eyes adjusted to the light finally, she opened them wide enough to take in her surroundings. Beside her knelt a woman with long, raven-dark hair and piercing light teal eyes. She wore a comforting smile filled with reassurance and warmth. At first Asami didn't recognize her, believing the woman to be just a figment of her imagination, until her mind reached clarity and she could decipher the woman's identity.
"Kanani—" Asami began to cough, her body shaking uncontrollably as she hacked, her arms and legs not giving her support as the action caused her to tumble sideways. She realized her limbs were still bound—and tightly so—explaining the lack of bodily support when her coughing tossed her off balance towards the floor of the small compartment.
A gentle grip brought her back into a sitting position, and she was staring into the woman's face again.
"You're Asami, I believe?" Kanani asked in a gentle tone. Asami nodded as best she could, taking that moment to look around. Hiroshi was fully occupied at the controls, and Shaozu was biding his time by staring into space. And Mako—
"There isn't much I've been able to do for him, I'm afraid," Kanani's gaze was drawn to the same source as Asami's, sadness flashing in her eyes. "After all he has done for my son, I wish there was something I could do for him, but my healing water doesn't seem to be very effective on his current condition."
"My so-called father stripped Mako of his bending," Asami noted with a hint of grief. "I think he's suffering from something that's more than just physical. I'm not sure what exactly it might be, but my father suggested that something called an energy transference might be the cause."
"I think I remember my son mentioning something about an energy transference when I asked him about a visitation he once had with that young man," Kanani said in a soft voice, looking over towards Mako as she said it. "My son asked me to leave him alone with that young man, Mako, at my home for an afternoon. Although he tried to deny it, I could hear the affection Tahno had for him in his voice whenever he talked about him. I can only say that they got intimate with one another while I was gone." She smiled very faintly before adding, "I...discovered the evidence when I was laundering sheets the next morning, and bothered to confront him about it. I guess I forced an admission out of him when I presented the sheets to him."
Shaozu seemed to perk up at just that moment, eyes incredulously wide. "Are you suggesting Tahno and him—" He glanced quickly in Mako's direction. "—might've gotten hot and heavy with one another?"
"I don't believe that it was purely just that, but yes—he did admit to me that they got physical with one another," Kanani noted. "I think I remember him insisting that it was just a way to replenish some lost strength he was dealing with due to his spiritual abilities. At least...that's what he told me when he eventually admitted that something of that nature had occurred between them after I confronted him about it."
Asami looked over at Mako, a mixture of shock at learning that something more had happened between he and the ex-waterbender than either had ever let on—to her awareness anyways—and an abrupt understanding of her father's words in regards to Mako's condition. Asami turned her gaze from her former boyfriend quickly then to look in the ex-waterbender's mother's direction.
"No—I don't think it's just that," she said, looking directly into Kanani's eyes before saying, "I'm not sure what Mako's feelings are on the matter, but I know your son...that Tahno—cares a lot about Mako—that he loves him even, if I recall what I've learned correctly." Recalling a few awkward instances she'd witnessed between the two recently, she added, "From how I've seen those two interacting with each other lately, Mako and Tahno...I think, maybe...the feeling's mutual between them. But please—don't quote me on that."
"Tahno insisted that Mako was seeing the Avatar," Kanani's eyes were drawn in Mako's direction, staying there. "Are he and the Avatar on rocky grounds with each other?"
"I don't think so," Asami replied uncertainly. "But lately...I'm not so sure. Mako...you see—even though he's a good guy deep down, he...has a tendency to be indecisive when it comes to relationships. He and I—we were together for a time...at least—until he and Korra's feelings for each other got in the way. I know he didn't mean to hurt me when they both did that—he and Korra—but still..." She looked at Mako with anguish. "I think—Mako has a hard time dealing with personal relationships because of the fact that he...lost both of his parents fairly young. He had to grow up fast, and—that might've altered how he handles relationships. But—I could be wrong."
"So...Tahno likes that guy, huh?" Shaozu noted. "I guess I should've seen that he dug the guy as more than just a friend when he stopped by the apartment a few weeks back with him." He looked at Asami then, "If you're right about that guy and his relationships...I sure hope he doesn't end up hurting Tahno, cause he's already been hurt enough these last several months. I know Tahno's relationship record isn't exactly squeaky clean either, but...after all the beatings he's been put through by our pissed off ex-rivals, Ming's death, and everything else he's gone through lately...I don't care if Mako's lost his bending for good because of—" He glared at Hiroshi harshly, pausing a moment before adding, "—Him. If he does anything like that to my friend...I'll pound him for it."
"I just hope that he'll be okay in the end," Asami stated. She looked at Kanani, curious. "How long have you been here with us, and how—?"
"Unrak left me in a cave somewhere outside the Northern Water Tribe, and I was picked up from there a few hours ago I believe," Kanani replied. "Do you think you could tell me what all this is about? Why that strange man over there took me captive, and what he wants from me—how this involves my son if it does?"
Asami didn't know all the answers, but she did the best she could to tell Kanani what she knew.
"That man over there...is my father, Hiroshi Sato, and—as for what he's planning—"
XoXoX
The spiritual lesson reconvened at the Spirit Oasis shortly after lunch. The day was more than half over, and there was a lot they needed to get in. Chief Unalaq began the discussion, but neither Korra nor Tahno really had their full attention focused on it however, and the lesson that was supposed to be very informative to them—and useful for their plans in dealing with Hiroshi—ended up feeling disjointed.
At one point it was obvious to Chief Unalaq that both his pupils were distracted, and decided it was time to rein in their complete and full attention. "I know you both have a lot on your minds, but it's imperative that I have your full concentration on this matter. Lives could be held in the balance on what we manage to discuss here—lives of your abducted friends, the ones you love, amongst many others."
He noticed that he got the full attention of the ex-bender and the Avatar drawn towards him, their eyes losing the clouded over appearance that had plagued their minds through most of the after lunch conversation up to that point. Once he was certain he got their full concentration, he went on, "Let's start with what you both know about Hiroshi's goals, and what exactly it is that drove the Spirit that's aiding him to that decision. Tell me—what do you know about that thus far?"
Tahno was the one to speak up after discarding his previous issues. "Hiroshi's pet spirit wants revenge for the damage to its territory. It's mad that Korra's predecessor turned its stomping grounds into Republic City, and has been seeking revenge for it a few times over the last seventy years or so. Yakone's crazy bloodbending skills were a result of a pact between he and the same spirit sometime back, and when that plan didn't go anywhere, the Spirit moved on to it's next candidate, Hiroshi—the mad former businessman who shared some of the same goals. Hiroshi wants to see a universal end to bending—and his spirit aide wants to end the Avatar. Sato's willing to go the distance to achieve his goals, and the Spirit's feeding off that enthusiasm."
"Didn't Hiroshi have plans to also resurrect his dead wife or something? Some kind of pact he has with the Spirit about bringing back Mrs. Sato?" Korra spoke up, looking directly at her uncle, trying—it seemed—to show as little acknowledgement of the ex-bender's existence as possible, Tahno noticed. "Is something like that even possible?"
"In most instances, it would be deemed near impossible, but with just the right influences, and help—there is a slight possibility it could be accomplished," Chief Unalaq said. "Long before specific bending practices were culturally established and put into practice and the Avatar came into being, energybending had a much stronger prevalence—with the Spirits being the most active practicers of the art."
He looked from the Avatar to the ex-bender. "It is said that some of the more ancient spirits learned the practice of life-bending itself—having control over the very forces that surround us in every aspect. It is a rare practice, and it is said that very few still-existing spirits have the knowledge or ability to practice it—to the point that it has transformed from being perceived as a real possibility towards only practical myth. But, one thing that has been proven from myth on occasion is that myth has a basis in reality, and there is a possibility—a chance—that Hiroshi discovered a spirit that manages to have obtained that very knowledge, and knows how to use it."
"If there's any chance that theory of yours is real—what would it take for Hiroshi and his pet spirit to put that kind of practice to good use?" Tahno inquired.
"This is an area I don't have much knowledge on, as it is something nearly lost to history, but—from what I do know...besides the spirit having to have the capability to do so—they also need something material from both realms in their possession in order to accomplish their goal," Chief Unalaq explained. "And it can't be just any particular pieces of material—they have to be specific in order for it to work. What that might be, however...I haven't the knowledge to know for certain."
"How's Asami tied into this? What use could Hiroshi have for her?" Korra inquired.
"You said it was Hiroshi's wife he wants to resurrect, correct?" Unalaq looked to Korra. She nodded.
"Far as I know, that's what Hiroshi's planning to do," Korra responded.
"It's possible he needs some semblance of his wife's likeness in order to achieve success in her resurrection, and his daughter, Asami, has a part of her mother in her," Unalaq replied. Korra's eyes widened while Tahno swore under his breath.
"Damn—I should've remembered the fact that Asami's mom mentioned that fact to me while I was in that coma," Tahno bitterly commented.
"We're gonna have to make a point of getting Asami out of his grasp as much as Mako then—if not more so," Korra noted.
"What kind of consequences could a maneuver like that have if it was set into motion? Could something like that—if it was successfully done—throw everything off-balance? Or would the consequences, if there are any, be nothing more than just a slap on the wrist?" Tahno asked the Chief.
"Hiroshi's plans could very well disrupt the fabric of life itself," Unalaq stated. "If the results could be damaging to that extent, I'm uncertain, but it is a likely possibility and can't be ruled out." He turned his attention from the ex-bender specifically towards Korra. "I think it's important that you come up with a way to convince Hiroshi's spirit helper that Hiroshi's plan is not to it's best interests—or for the two realms for that matter. As the Avatar, it is your job to find solutions to conflicts between spiritual matters and those of this tangible world we live in. Finding the right solution is especially imperative, as it is your friends' lives that are at stake if you can't manage to come up with a feasible plan that works in time."
"I know, I know—the responsibility lies completely on my shoulders!" Korra exclaimed exasperatedly. "What Koh wants from me—and what I have to do to save Asami, and Tahno's friend, and the world—and returning his bending—" She acknowledged Tahno for the first time since they reconvened the lesson, if only for an instant. "—and Mako...it's a lot for me to digest, okay?" She sighed, hastily getting to her feet and then quickly stormed off. The chief and the ex-waterbender watched her depart without calling out for the Avatar to return.
After the Spirit Oasis fell into the splendor of its semblance of peaceful silence, Chief Unalaq got to his feet. He looked down at the ex-bender then. "Why don't you take the rest of the day to build up your strength? I will continue the rest of this with Korra alone, since it appears she's having trouble concentrating on the matter at hand in your presence. And—it's apparent, from what Tenzin informed me—that you also have an important role in this as well."
"Yeah...Hiroshi's expecting me to be here—or he's going to resort to using my friend Shaozu for his plans," Tahno told him.
"Why don't you take some time relaxing here?" Unalaq suggested. "It's peaceful, and you might learn some things from Tui and La while you're out here."
"You're not going to bring Korra back here?" Tahno asked him.
"I think it might be best if I talk further with her in a place where there isn't as much spiritual prevalence," Unalaq stated. "Enjoy the peace and quiet—and try to gain some strength if you're able to." With that the chief departed, leaving the former waterbender alone with the pair of koi fish swimming in the pond a short distance from his feet.
XoXoX
When their lesson reconvened right after lunch, Eska had quietly slipped into the same vantage point she'd taken to watch from as before. Like before, her presence went completely unacknowledged, and went on without interruption.
Their discussion started off a little slow, with both her cousin and the former waterbender apparently distracted by something else—inner mental conflict, Eska could only guess. When he noticed that he had lost the two's attention, her father reined them in and got back down to business.
They talked for a while, with Eska listening ever intently to every word. After it had been going on for a little while, Korra suddenly got animatedly frustrated, getting to her feet in an angry display and storming out of the premises. Korra didn't pay Eska any mind as she passed by her cousin, and Eska didn't try to stop her. After Korra's departure, she turned her attention back towards her father and the young man still there by Tui and La's pond side. Her father got to his feet while the former waterbender remained sitting there. They exchanged words before her father turned to leave.
As Unalaq made it over the bridge and was about to chase Korra down wherever her cousin had run off to, Eska stopped him. Her father looked startled to notice her there, but quickly recovered. Eska figured her father's nerves were rattled by Korra's reaction earlier, hence his reaction to her presence.
"If you don't mind Tahno's presence out here, you can go about your usual afternoon rituals with the spirits if you like," Unalaq told her. "I have to go speak with Korra about something in the meantime." He turned to depart when she reached for his arm, causing him to halt.
"Father, why don't you let me be the one to talk to Korra?" Eska said to him. "She admires you greatly, but I think she'd be more comfortable right now if I was the one to confront her about whatever's bugging her."
Her father suddenly appeared to be relieved of a heavy burden, smiling at his daughter gratefully. "You might be right," he said to her. "And you are knowledgeable about the spiritual matters that are a priority for Korra to learn about at this moment." He continued to speak in a vocal exchange between that of a father to his daughter. "Plus, what she might need most right now is someone to talk to about more personal issues I would be no help with. I believe a lot of her troubles stem from there, if my observations are correct." He looked back at the former waterbender, who was taking up a meditative position by Tui and La's pond. He looked back at Eska before adding, "I will leave you to that. Let me know how it goes with Korra, and if she needs any help from me. I'll be around."
He then left his daughter to watch the former waterbender as he began to meditate. She stood there a moment, eyes transfixed on his peaceful face with his eyes closed, half obscured by his long forward-falling lock of hair. Eska then remembered her promise to her father, and went in search of Korra.