Chapter 87
Yunjin's mother would not allow him to try out the gift Kuvira had sent for him until she was certain that it was safe. Yunjin wasn't totally certain that he wanted to try it, too afraid of being let down if it didn't work the way Kuvira claimed it would in the letter, so he didn't protest. The contraption just looked like a pair of leg braces attached to a back brace, but a lot more elaborate than anything he had ever seen before. It was entirely metal, with some padding for comfort, and according to Kuvira it would keep Yunjin upright without strain, and allow him to walk with the help of some sort of motorized function that reacted based off of the few slight movements he could manage. His walking would still be fairly clunky and restricted at first, but theoretically he wouldn't be confined to a wheelchair, and in time he might be able to remove the braces and walk on his own.
Lin insisted that Ronen look the device over before Yunjin was allowed to try using it. So Ronen spent the next several days testing the leg braces, taking them apart and putting them back together. By the end of the week, he could find nothing particularly harmful, and had even tried it out for himself to make doubly sure that it was safe for his younger brother. But there was no way to know if it would work for Yunjin, and the boy wasn't all that eager to find out. So the leg braces sat untouched in a corner of his bedroom for the next two months. He focused on his physical therapy instead, on regaining his strength on his own, and with the dark cloud that had hung over him abating, he was finally seeing a little bit of progress. Walking was stiff and slow, and he had to take it easy more often than not, but he was walking. Even better, he was beginning to reconnect with his bending again, just a little.
By then, it had been a little over a year since Yunjin had been shot down and his whole life had changed. It was only then that everything began to return to some sense of normalcy, but it was not quite the normal they were all used to. Things had changed since the Red Lotus, and there was no way to go back to how it was before. Yunjin had missed Jeia Rai turning six, had barely acknowledged his own birthday when he and Sora turned fifteen, and he was still trying to catch up on everything else that had been going on while he had been consumed by his own misery. Even though Sora had tried to keep him updated, he hadn't always been listening, and lately it was becoming apparent how much he had ignored or failed to notice. He remembered his aunt Su coming to visit a time or two, and Sora telling him that Kuvira and Junior had gone to Ba Sing Se on their own initiative to try and stabilize the region, but he hadn't known how betrayed Su felt or how well Kuvira was apparently doing at reuniting the Earth Kingdom. He had known that his father had been sending some of the airbenders to help those in need, but he hadn't realized that Sora – despite essentially being a master now – had refused to go along with any of them until she was certain that Yunjin was going to be all right. He hadn't been aware of much of anything that Ronen was up to, and he certainly hadn't noticed that his Aunt Kya was apparently in some sort of relationship with Nira now.
More than just Yunjin's family was having to adjust in the post Red Lotus world. Korra had remained in the South Pole during her own recovery, which according to Yunjin's grandmother, was going well now. Korra was back on her feet and walking with ease. She was practicing her bending mostly, trying to regain her strength, but she hadn't remained in contact with anyone. Tenzin and Ronen had gone to see her just a month or so ago, and according to them she had looked well, but was still struggling with her bending and her connection to Raava. Yunjin thought of writing to Korra himself, thinking that their similar struggles might grant an understanding that could help both of them overcome it, but considering she wasn't even responding to her friends' letters, he didn't think she would answer him either. Ronen said that their cousin Akira was still spending some time in the South Pole, and that she was visiting Korra now and then. Yunjin thought that was a good sign. If anyone was good at cheering people up it was Kya's daughter, though Yunjin didn't imagine she would stay long; Akira had never been fond of her home town as long as Yunjin had known her. Sora thought that Akira was feeling guilty, since she had left the Northern Air Temple just days before the Red Lotus siege. She had remained close to her mother for several weeks after the ordeal, until she was certain Kya was going to be all right. Apparently Akira had also come to the Island to see Yunjin shortly after his surgery, but he didn't remember it.
Yunjin knew he had a lot to make up for. Sora said he had nothing to apologize for, that it wasn't his fault and they all understood why he had acted so harshly towards some of them, but Yunjin didn't agree. He had pushed away family and friends just because he was feeling sorry for himself, and he had hurt them all even if he hadn't meant to. At the time he had thought he was making their lives easier, that they deserved better than to be bogged down by his helplessness. That's the excuse he had used to push away Jinora, even after all the progress they had made, even after he had so recently promised her that he would never leave her again, that he would communicate better than before. Once he had been convinced that he would be a burden for the rest of his life, he felt that he had to save Jinora the heartache and break up with her sooner rather than later. What future could they have if she had to take care of him for years on end? There had been a good possibility that he wouldn't ever be able to have children, and he could hardly dress himself and he was restricted to what he could and could not do in a wheelchair. What kind of life could he give Jinora if he was like that? He knew they were still too young to think too much about all that, that so much could change before they were even old enough to consider marriage or children or anything else, and maybe they would have broken up long before that anyways, but he didn't want to drag it out in the meantime. Even if he eventually recovered – and at the time when he split with Jinora he didn't believe that he ever would – he would be forcing her to live a boring, restricted life with him, and he didn't want to waste any of her time. Especially knowing that she had Kai, Yunjin felt like she would be better off unattached to him. He had wanted to set her free, no matter how much it hurt.
He knew now that he had probably hurt Jinora unnecessarily, that he should have let her make her own decisions about her life. It was too late for him to take it back and he certainly didn't expect her to ever speak to him again, let alone forgive him, but he hoped in time he would find the right words to express his regret. He wished that he hadn't been so harsh, but it had seemed the only way to get her to leave. He hoped that she would be happy still, hoped that she was not too badly upset by his mistake. Sora had told him that Jinora seemed okay, but that the two of them hadn't spent much time together, not with Jinora trying to avoid any mention of Yunjin while living on the same island, and not while Sora was so focused on helping her twin brother. Jinora had been sent on a few missions to bring aid to some people in the Earth Kingdom, and Tenzin said that she had done well, though Yunjin was not surprised by that. He always knew Jinora would do great things.
But now that Yunjin was up and about – well, outside of the house, not so much up just yet – there were more opportunities for him to run into Jinora. The Island was only so big, and Yunjin was spending more time in the library than before. With all the down time he had, and all the time he had to deliberate his present and future, he was finding more interest in some of the philosophical texts from the old Air Nation. Jinora had been the one to pique his interest, back when she had briefly accompanied him and his family on their visits to the Air Temples. It had begun simply as an effort on his part to share her interests, to at least try to enjoy reading for a few minutes. He hadn't expected to actually be fascinated by any of it. But especially now that he could actually find the patience and the time to delve further, he was all the more intrigued. Jinora's interest in reading had never waned, so they were struggling to exist in the same space without being dramatic about it. Jinora seemed to want to remain civil even if she was avoiding him, and Yunjin simply settled for not bothering her and keeping his focus elsewhere, even if his gaze did slide in her direction on occasion.
It was Jinora that eventually approached Yunjin, and when she stepped up in front of him, she was cautious but not timid. He had already noticed that she looked more confident these days. He wasn't sure if that was a result of her coming into her own as an airbender, or if she really was better off without him.
"I heard you've been getting better," Jinora said to him.
Yunjin nodded slowly. "I have, a little. Still a work in progress but… I've stopped sulking so much."
She offered him a tight smile for his attempt at levity. "I'm glad to hear it. I noticed you've been reading a lot."
"I've got a lot of time," he replied. "My father says you've been doing really well, with the aid missions and your training."
"I'm glad he thinks so," Jinora said, sounding a little pleased. "Will you and Sora be getting your tattoos soon?"
Yunjin shrugged, still slightly uncomfortable with that subject. "I don't know. Sora won't do it without me and I'm not sure I'm ready."
Jinora seemed contemplative for an awkward moment of silence. "I don't see why you should let anything hold you back. You earned being a master even before all this."
Yunjin wasn't so sure, but he didn't want to argue. "I feel like I ought to start going to lessons with the newbies and relearn all the stuff I haven't been able to do."
"I'm sure they'd be delighted to see you. The mysterious Yunjin Beifong has been a frequent topic of conversation among new airbenders."
Yunjin snorted. "I hope you told them I'm not half as mysterious as they think."
"I was waiting for you to tell them yourself," Jinora said. "I'm assuming you'll pop in soon."
"I'd like to, eventually," Yunjin sort of confirmed. "I just don't want to fall flat on my face the first time I come to meditation."
"Meelo has come to meditation with me a few times," Jinora revealed. "I think he's just hoping you'll make an appearance."
Yunjin grimaced guiltily. "I thought of looking for him, but I didn't want to overstep."
"Well that's new," Jinora teased.
"If you don't mind, tell him he can come visit," Yunjin offered.
"I'll tell him, but I think the whole family would be happy to see you, if you want to come by our rooms. Ji-Ji is getting big, started saying a few words, sort of."
"You… you'd be okay with that?" Yunjin asked haltingly.
"I don't expect you'll ban me from talking to Sora or your father," Jinora reasoned. "I wouldn't do that to you either. No matter the state of – of us, we're intertwined still. We should be civil, and we shouldn't bring our families into it."
Yunjin nodded and said, "Of course," but she sounded detached, in a way Jinora never had been, at least not with him. To others she might be anxious around, perhaps, but never him. She had always been so passionate, always fought him when he was being stupid, always showed her heart on her sleeve. It was jarring for him to see her otherwise. It seemed it was just another of the changes he needed to adjust to. It had been several months since he had so rudely pushed her away; it was only natural that she would have closed herself off from him.
"Well," Jinora said with finality, sucking in a deep breath, "I only wanted to see how you were. I should be getting back."
"Of course," Yunjin repeated numbly, uncertain of what else to say.
"I'm sure I'll see you around."
Jinora turned to leave, but before she could take more than two steps, Yunjin called her name, "Jinora…" She paused, looking back at him with those big, soulful eyes, and he lost his nerve. "I… Friends?"
He thought she might have looked disappointed, but he wasn't sure he could read her anymore. Even so, she nodded and quietly answered, "I hope so."
Yunjin hated to watch her leave just as much as when he had forced her to, but there was nothing he could do, not now, maybe not ever again.
However, he could not allow himself to despair. If he lingered too long on his past decisions, he would only be sucked back down into that dark place from before, and he had already lingered there for too long. It would fix nothing to be sad. All he could do was recover, in whatever way he could.
Which is part of what finally led him to the leg braces Kuvira had sent him. He had to know one way or another if they worked, no matter what sort of disappointment he might face. He had to be able to handle setbacks, and he also hated wondering. The anticipation was probably worse than knowing it didn't work. He still didn't want any witnesses to his potential failure though, so he waited until he was sure that his family had gone to bed. Once he was sure they wouldn't wake, he climbed out of bed, legs trembling as he made short steps over to his closet, leaning heavily against the wall and whatever furniture available. He realized belatedly that he probably wouldn't be able to carry the braces back to his bed, nor would he be able to balance enough to put them on. So he staggered back to where his wheelchair sat, and rolled over to the closet a lot quicker. He pulled the contraption out and placed it over his lap, and then took it over to his bed to study it. Figuring out how to get it on was more difficult than he first thought, and he considered waiting till morning to ask Ronen about it, but eventually he caught on.
The back brace wrapped around him up to the middle of his ribs and forced him to sit up straight. It felt awkward and stiff, but it wasn't too painful as he had feared. The leg braces were much the same, with just enough give to bend his knees. Once it was all attached, he sat there for a moment, shifting experimentally, musing that he was looking a lot more like his mother than an airbender. Then he sucked in a deep breath, braced his hands on the edge of his seat, and stood up. He wobbled at first, unused to being so rigidly posed. He grabbed onto his wheelchair to steady himself, and then took a few seconds to adjust. Then he took one tentative step forward, muscles trembling but held firm by the braces. He paused in bewilderment, and then took another step, and then another, and all the time he walked from one side of his room to the other, he did not need to grab onto the wall or any furniture. Even though he still felt as if his legs would collapse beneath him, as if his spine could not hold him up, the braces kept him upright, kept him strong, and excitement filled him to the brim.
He was so enthused by the possibilities rapidly arranging themselves in front of him, that he became overly exhilarated and went too fast. His body had not yet become accustomed to so much movement, and even with the help of the braces he was still overtaxed. When he began to pick up speed, his legs gave out, and even though the braces held, the pain was striking, and he fumbled for something to help hold him up and take some of the pressure off of his back. Unfortunately, he was in the middle of the room, surrounded by empty space, and he went crashing to the floor to alleviate the strain on his back. He took the brunt of the fall on his knees and forearms, protecting his face and gasping slightly from the shock. It wasn't all that painful though, not in comparison to the many falls he'd had before, certainly not compared to the one that had so altered him. What actually made him wince was the sound he had made clattering to the floor with clanging metal.
He laid still for a moment, gritting his teeth against the throbbing pain in his spine as it slowly began to fade, and heard the footsteps thundering down the hall. He was only halfway sitting up when the door burst in and his parents appeared, looking half asleep and disheveled, and awash with worry. Yunjin knew he must look a sight, perspiring heavily and flat on the floor, and he started chuckling to himself.
"Yunjin!" his father gasped, rushing over. "Are you all right? What happened?"
"I'm all right," Yunjin assured them, still struggling to hold back absurd laughter. "I just fell. I'm okay."
"Are you hurt?" Tenzin fretted.
"Why were you messing around with this thing in the middle of the night?" Lin demanded.
"I was just trying them out," Yunjin explained, trying to catch his breath. "I'm not hurt. Just got a little ahead of myself."
"Is it okay to help you up?" Tenzin asked, mindful of his son's distaste of being coddled.
"Yeah," Yunjin agreed, taking his father's arm and accepting his parents' assistance. "And help me get this off."
They picked him up off the floor and propped him onto his bed. His parents started removing the braces, and his mother gave him a disgruntled look. "Why are you grinning? Are you sure you didn't hit your head?"
Yunjin shook his head with delight. "No. It worked. This crazy thing worked."
"You know that you fell, right?" his mother pointed out.
"Yeah, but before that it was working."
"If you say so," Lin huffed. "Just do me a favor and don't try it again in the middle of the night."
Yunjin didn't stop smiling, but he did nod and concede, "Okay, Mom."
Lin had never felt more relieved than she did when Yunjin began acting more like himself for the first time since the incident that paralyzed him. He wasn't exactly the same – she didn't think he ever would be – but he was talking and leaving his bedroom and cracking jokes again. That was enough for Lin. She didn't understand his new philosophy obsession, but she was glad something could interest him. She hoped they were finally reaching the end of the miserable state they had all been trapped in. She could already see the improvements, not just from Yunjin but from all of them. Tenzin was no longer so morose, Sora was smiling more than crying, and Jeia wasn't running away from the house anymore. With all that, Lin could breathe easier, even if it did still tear at her to see her son crippled, to see him struggle with even the most minor tasks. She still wished that she could help more, but she had let some of the weight lift from her shoulders. She knew that Yunjin had the potential to lead a great life and do amazing things still, he may only have to do them in a different way. So long as he was happy, she could endure the rest.
Being able to sleep more fully was a huge help as well, and with things finally looking up, Lin allowed herself to relax. She could spend time with the kids without feeling on edge, and she could leave the house herself without feeling guilty or worried. She could walk around the island and talk to people without a cloud hanging over her head, visiting Bumi – without the alcohol this time – and Kya and Nira. She even sat in on some of Tenzin's training sessions with the new airbenders; she kind of liked watching him teach and sometimes she sparred with the more advanced trainees. She started training Jeia again too, and allowed herself to swell with pride every time the six year old's abilities far surpassed earthbenders three times her age, instead of being overwhelmingly concerned about it.
One afternoon, she asked Tenzin to go into the city with her for dinner, and the beaming smile he gave her was almost more pleasing than the delighted awe on his face when he saw her that night. She had actually let Nira and Kya take her into the city earlier that week, to buy a new dress for herself, not because she much liked dressing up, but because she knew how it would excite her husband. With all the gloom and separation they had faced in the past year, she had hoped to invite some excitement back into their lives. Now that she didn't have to feel so guilty and worried and tired, she hoped that they could enjoy a night out together, like old times. So she dawned a dress for the first time in years, one that was not too scandalous but enough to draw Tenzin's eye. It wrapped tight around every curve, not so tight that she couldn't breathe, but enough to accentuate every asset she might have. Tenzin's reaction did not disappoint, and she was smugly pleased for the rest of the evening. She couldn't pretend that she wasn't delighted by the fact that her husband was still so enamored with her when she was well into her fifties.
As Lin and Tenzin left for their date that evening, the kids waved them off, all four of them together and smiling and promising not to cause any trouble. It might have been the first time Lin actually believed them, and the first time she had really left them without supervision. They didn't really need Nira to watch them anymore, and Ronen was old enough to keep the twins in line and look after Jeia. And Yunjin wasn't the trouble maker he used to be, so there wasn't much concern there anyways. It might have been one of the first times that she could leave the house with Tenzin and not feel an underlying sense of unease about leaving the kids behind. It was freeing, in a way, disconcerting in another.
Nevertheless, she would let nothing short of an emergency ruin her evening. They took Oogi into the city, and Lin hung on Tenzin's arm as they made the short trek to the restaurant. She had picked one of his favorites, a small, family owned business. The food was rather bland and the owners too friendly for Lin's taste, but Tenzin liked the charm and the talkative owners. The one bright side, apart from making Tenzin happy, was that the owners liked Lin and Tenzin and were happy to give them a secluded booth in the corner, where they would not be bothered by other people, and it wasn't the type of place they were likely to run into anyone bothersome like Raiko anyways.
So they sat close together in the curved booth, like they were young again and couldn't stand to sit apart. Tenzin's hand rested on Lin's thigh most of the evening, and when the mood struck him, he'd lean in and kiss her neck and tell her how ravishing she looked. The food was dry, but Lin would have eaten it a hundred times for Tenzin. She had planned the whole evening for him, which was a little unorthodox for the pair of them. Lin preferred to let Tenzin decide such things, but she liked to surprise him now and then. It was usually beneficial for both of them, so long as she didn't get it wrong, though there wasn't much fear of that as long as they had been together now. Even if Lin had to compromise just a little of her own comfort, it was always well worth it when Tenzin sought to thank her afterwards. They didn't always like the same things, but they could both benefit in some way. For example, Lin didn't like dancing in public, and she didn't like loud music, but she liked to have an excuse to sway close against her husband's chest, and the way it brightened Tenzin's smile, so she found a place that was not so off putting. After dinner she took him to a club on the outskirts of town, one where the tempo of the music was slower and the clientele less obnoxious, and it was dim and private in a way that would ensure that, once again, they would not be bothered. Tenzin looked absolutely shocked when they stepped into the club and Lin offered him her hand for a dance. Most of that shock did not wane for the rest of the evening, and Tenzin was drifting along beside her like he was in a daze.
Even so, her plans had gone well, and Lin was patting herself on the back for making Tenzin's night as they walked together back to where Oogi waited on the rooftop down the street. With one arm around her waist, Tenzin reached his other hand over to press the back of it to Lin's forehead as he asked, "Are you feeling all right? You aren't feverish, are you?"
Lin rolled her eyes and swatted his hand away. "Can't a woman do something nice for her husband without being ill?"
Tenzin chuckled. "Of course, dear. It's just that 'something nice' doesn't usually involve so many activities that might displease you."
"Well maybe I'm becoming more tolerant in my old age." He raised his eyebrow at her in disbelief and she conceded, "Okay, maybe I was just trying to get in your pants."
He snorted. "I think you know perfectly well it doesn't take all this to get that."
"All right fine," Lin huffed. "Maybe you've turned me into a sap. Happy now?"
Tenzin smiled and straightened up proudly. "As a matter of fact, I am."
"I was considered tough once, y'know?" Lin muttered with exaggerated despair.
"I'm sure one or two people still believe that you are," Tenzin teased, fighting laughter when Lin shot him a hostile glare. "It was very sweet of you to plan all this with me in mind, even at the risk of looking soft."
"I suppose my reputation can take the hit, though it may not recover if you keep calling me sweet."
He stopped her on the sidewalk, turning to face her and wrapping his arms around her waist. "What shall I call you then?" he murmured softly, leaning in to drop short kisses on her cheeks, nose, and brow with every word he spoke. "Kind? Loving? Wonderful? Amazing?"
"You don't have to flatter me so much, you know? Lin told him with an amused smile. "I was already planning on letting you have your way with me."
Tenzin chuckled and reached up to brush her hair behind her ear, his fingers lingering there in the soft tresses, and his thumb stroking her cheek. "Is that all you think of? I may begin to feel like a piece of meat."
"And what a shame that would be, for a vegetarian like yourself."
"I suppose I can allow it. Just this once."
"I'm glad to hear it," Lin murmured, leaning in closer, her cheek pressed to his and her mouth close to his ear, "because I've got a few more plans left for this evening." She captured his earlobe between her teeth, and reveled at the way his whole body shuddered against hers.
"Well, let's not waste anymore time," he breathlessly replied, chest rumbling against hers. And without further adieu, a powerful gust of wind swirled around their feet, propelling them up off of the ground and way up into the air. Lin barely flinched, still holding onto her husband, briefly watching the cityscape blur as she was lifted onto the roof in record time. Oogi waited for them there, resting on his haunches, but perking up immediately upon their arrival, shaking his whole gargantuan body and then shuffling over to them.
Oogi carried the pair across the Bay and back home, where Lin went ahead inside to check on the kids while Tenzin said goodnight to his companion and friend, ensuring that Oogi was fed and watered before coming inside. When Lin entered the house, she found Ronen dozing on the couch, several books and papers spread out on the coffee table and his lap. She shook him awake and ushered him off to bed, and then checked in on the other three, who were all asleep in their own beds already. Before Lin left him, Ronen sleepily mumbled that everything had gone fine while his parents were out, that he had made his siblings dinner and played Pai Sho with them until Jeia fell asleep tucked into Yunjin's side. He had stayed awake after the twins went to bed to get some work done, but inevitably fell asleep in the midst of it. He asked his mother not to move his papers, and was asleep shortly after his head hit his pillow.
Lin made some tea while she waited for Tenzin, and by the time it was done she could sense him sneaking in the front door, his footsteps so light she could hardly feel them. She continued with her task until he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, trailing kisses down her neck. His hands roamed her body, burning through the thin cloth of her dress, heating her skin the way the kettle warmed the tea, until she was liable to have smoke pouring from her ears. When his hand slipped inside the V-neck and cupped her breast, her head fell back against his shoulder and she gasped for breath. His expert touch had her reaching back to grasp his thigh, holding on for dear life, her knees feeling weak. She wanted to spur him on, to not waste any time getting to the bedroom, but they weren't in their twenties anymore. They had kids that could walk in at any moment, and their aging bodies wouldn't thank them for anything so impulsive.
She turned in his embrace, and his lips immediately latched onto hers. But she was in a better position to guide him, shoving him backwards towards the hallway. He went without protest, happy so long as he could stay attached to her. It was slow going, especially when they bumped into walls and he used the excuse to press up closer against her. She could feel his excitement in the way his heart was beating out of tune, his passion in the way he lavished her with affection. She had to take a moment to appreciate it all, to feel her own excitement thumping through her veins. It wasn't as if they hadn't been at all intimate in the past year, but it had certainly been different. In their grief and their turmoil, it had been mostly desperation, an aching in their souls, a longing to be touched and held, to feel something other than misery. Now, at last, they could have fun again, make love again, and delight in the time they had to dedicate to one another.
It wasn't until they were crossing the threshold of their bedroom that Lin remembered, and she tried to mumble against Tenzin's mouth, "The tea…"
But Tenzin was already closing the door and locking it, and since the stove was off and there was no fear of burning the house down, Lin forgot all about tea for some time to come.
In the morning, Lin stumbled blearily down the hall, having been woken by Jeia, who had shaken her mother and said simply, "Breakfast," before retreating from the room. Lin was still half asleep and exhausted, but tugged on her robe and tied it tight around her as she went to the dining room. The smell was enticing, but mostly she was curious about all the noise, too much to simply be her children and Tenzin, who had been missing from bed already when she woke. She didn't expect to walk in and find the dining room filled to the brim.
Aside from her four kids and her husband, there were several more familiar faces crowded around the table. Nira and Kya were both there, arguing about something, but in that odd way they did where neither of them was serious; well, Nira was mostly serious, but not half as annoyed as she pretended to be. Bumi was sat with Yunjin and Amali, who had finally warmed to the exuberant older man, and the three of them were debating the best fillings for rice cakes. Mako was between Bumi and Bolin, dressed in his uniform and looking anxious, trying to leave for work except Bolin kept pushing him back down in his seat and telling him to relax. Opal was next to Ronen, apparently having returned from her most recent aid mission, looking tired but animated nonetheless as she told her cousin all about it. Asami was on Ronen's other side, but she was talking to Sora about some kind of fashion nonsense as far as Lin could tell. Tenzin was at the far end of the table trying to convince Jeia to eat something with vegetables in it while the six year old shot him annoyed looks.
When Lin entered the dining room half bewildered, all thirteen of them turned to look at her. There was a pause, and then they erupted into a chorus of good mornings. Kya teased her for sleeping so late and Bumi made a quip about her unruly hair. As she settled down next to Tenzin, he told her, "Ronen and Asami made us all breakfast."
And Yunjin added, "So we know who to blame if it tastes terrible."
Sora snorted but tried to admonish her twin, "You ought to be more grateful."
"I'll be grateful if it's edible," Yunjin countered.
"Well I make no promises there," Ronen chimed in. "I'm not sure anyone can please your picky palette."
"I prefer to consider my palette refined, thank you," Yunjin sassed.
"We all have our delusions," Opal teased.
A few people around the table snickered, and Yunjin shook his head in mock disappointment. "Y'know, you used to be so sweet and quiet. I think all this time you've been spending in lessons with Sora has been a bad influence on you."
"If anyone here is a bad influence it's definitely you," Sora argued.
"Nah, those days are behind me," Yunjin said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "I'm much older and wiser now."
"If that's true then how come I saw you teaching Meelo how to prank the acolytes just the other day?" Opal challenged, and the satisfied smirk on her face was so much like her mother's that Lin did a double take.
"That's…beside the point," Yunjin dismissed. "Anyways, we were talking about Ronen's inability to cook."
"It tastes fine to me," Jeia mumbled through a mouthful of food, still stuffing her face with gusto.
"See," Ronen said to Yunjin, "a ringing endorsement."
"She must have got the stuff Asami made," Yunjin dismissed.
"Isn't it too early for bickering?" Nira asked.
"It's never too early," Bumi replied.
"Not in this family," Kya muttered.
"It's delicious but I should really be getting to work," Mako cut in.
"Oh, shut up and enjoy breakfast," Bolin cajoled, yanking Mako back down into his seat again.
Mako sighed in aggravation and stabbed at the food left on his plate.
The kids bickered on some more, but Lin turned her attention to Tenzin. "Did you go to mediation this morning?"
He nodded. "Mhm. I was a bit late, but…" his cheeks turned a little pink as he smiled at her conspiratorially. He was such a dork, Lin thought fondly.
"You should have woken me instead," she murmured with a suggestive look.
"Oh, my darling," Tenzin said with a chuckle. "If there's one thing I've learned in all our years together, it's to never wake you for anything less than an emergency."
"I don't know," she said with a shrug, sliding her hand under the table to squeeze his thigh. "I think you could get a few free passes, under the right circumstances."
Tenzin's eyebrows raised with intrigue. "Oh? Well… in that case." He leaned in to kiss her on the lips and then the cheek and whispered against her ear, his hand trailing down her spine. "I will certainly keep that in mind."
Over on her father's other side, Jeia wrinkled her nose and, still vigorously chewing on her breakfast, said, "Don't be gross."
Tenzin chuckled and looked over at Jeia. "I'm sorry, sweetheart."
Lin, on the other hand, scoffed and told the girl, "Hey, I can kiss your father all I want. You ought to be grateful he likes to kiss me, or else you wouldn't exist."
Jeia rolled her eyes and groaned, "Mom. Ugh!"
Tenzin shook his head and smiled at Lin. "You really shouldn't torment her like that."
"Why else have kids?" Lin countered, reaching out to fill her plate with various foods.
She stuffed her cheeks full, and then felt Tenzin's eyes on her. When she glanced over, he was looking between her and Jeia with a stupid smile on his face. Lin furrowed her brow and studied Jeia closely, that familiar little face that was so much like her own, but she didn't see why Tenzin was so amused. And then she spotted it, Jeia's cheeks puffed out, stuffing her mouth with the same hunger as her mother, and Lin rolled her eyes, saying through a full mouth, "Shut up."
After breakfast, everyone dispersed, going off in their own directions, some together, others alone, all of them off to do various things. Opal lagged behind, until everyone had left the dining room except for Lin and Tenzin. She approached them with a tired smile and inclined her head as she greeted them, "Aunt Lin, Uncle Tenzin…"
"It's good to see you've returned safely, Opal," Tenzin replied. "How did things go on your last mission?"
"It went well, for the most part," Opal answered. "Turns out the thieves weren't bandits after all, just some locals in the village. We sorted it out pretty quickly. Kai seems to be doing well too. He's a little headstrong but we knew that."
"Indeed," Tenzin confirmed, "which is why I knew you'd be a good calming agent for him. I take it you two returned only this morning?"
Opal nodded. "Just about an hour ago. We were eager to get home so we flew through the night. I let Kai sleep most of the way and we gave Nira our briefing as she was leaving mediation. She invited me to breakfast so I'm probably due for a nap now. But I wanted to talk to you first."
"Is it about the mission?" Lin asked.
"No, it's about Mom," Opal admitted, and Lin frowned. "I don't think she's doing very well, but it's hard to tell through her letters. I know I'll see her in a few days for the new year celebration, but I was thinking I should go home with her afterwards, just for a little bit, maybe a week. I know things are hectic now and I shouldn't be asking for time off, but she and Dad took it really hard when Junior left and I just want to make sure they're okay."
Tenzin reached out and squeezed his niece's shoulder reassuringly. "Of course you can go. I'm sure your mother would be delighted to see you home for a few days, and don't worry, we can manage until you get back."
"Thank you, Uncle," Opal said with a relieved smile. "I promise not to be gone too long."
"Get some sleep, kid," Lin said gruffly. "We'll talk more about it when you've had some rest."
Opal lunged in to hug Lin and Tenzin both, and then hurried off to do as her aunt had told her.
Once alone, Lin turned to her husband, still frowning, and admitted, "I think I should go to Zaofu too. I've been away too long. I should have checked in on her sooner." With everything that had been going on with Yunjin, she hadn't had as much time to focus on her sister. Now that she could leave without worrying that her son would starve himself while she was gone, she felt like she owed it to Su to be there for her.
Tenzin put his arm around Lin's waist and tugged her into his side. "We'll all go. I'm sure the kids need a vacation just as much as we do, and it might cheer Su up to have all of us there. We should all be supporting her now, just as she's supported us in the past."
"Are you sure it's not too soon?" Lin questioned. "For Yunjin, I mean. I know he's doing better, but that's a big trip to expect out of him."
"I think he'll be glad to get away from here for a little while," Tenzin said. "It'll be good for all of us."
"Yeah," Lin murmured in agreement, but her focus was elsewhere, thinking of her sister. She let Tenzin pull her closer, let her head rest against his chest, but she wouldn't feel better until she saw her sister face to face, and knew for certain that Su was going to be all right.
Su wasn't all right.
Lin could tell from the moment her sister arrived, though Su did her best to hide it from everyone else. She didn't mention Junior or Kuvira, or the Earth Kingdom in general, and if anyone brought it up Su was adept at deflecting to a different topic. She didn't seem bothered, but Lin could see through the façade. All her boasting about Zaofu flourishing and life being just as grand as ever wasn't fooling anyone. But they all let her pretend, let her believe they were convinced of her happiness, or at least her indifference. Lin waited before confronting Su about it. They were all trying to have a good time, to celebrate putting the past awful year behind them, and Lin didn't want to spoil the mood.
They all had dinner in the dining hall with the acolytes – Lin, Tenzin, Sora, Ronen, Yunjin, Jeia, Nira, Kya, Amali, Akira, Bumi, Mako, Bolin, Asami, Jinora, Kai, Opal, Su, Wei, and Wing. Su made excuses for her husband, who claimed to be too busy with his work to leave Zaofu, and Huan, who never went anywhere. Akira had come from the South Pole to spend the new year with her mother and everyone else, and she brought with her word on Korra, who was still improving but not yet ready to visit her friends, even at Akira's insistence. Pema and her whole clan were there too, mingling in even as Yunjin and Jinora deftly avoided each other. Baby Ji-Ji, about a year and a half old now, was passed around the table, with Kya, Su, and Nira delighting over the cheerful baby, before she inevitably ended up in Yunjin's lap. He hadn't been happy at first when Pema and Anil had told him that the girl had been named Jiyun after him, but now that he was coming to grips with his situation, he was more receptive to the gesture, and he and Ji-Ji seemed to be fond of each other. From what Lin had observed, the kid didn't like to sit still for long, but she'd sit with Yunjin longer than she would anyone else.
Dinner was loud and chaotic, and they all lingered in the dining hall for a while, until it was time for Ji-Ji to go to bed. Anil took the little one back to their room, but Pema stayed because Meelo and Ikki begged to stay awake until midnight with everyone else, and Anil was happy to let his wife continue mingling with the others. The twenty-three of them drifted outside for the rest of the evening, settling together around a roaring fire, talking and laughing and playing games, the kids shouting out how much time they had left in the year every so often.
Lin lingered at Tenzin's side for most of the night, with Su and Opal close by and her own kids coming and going, but before the new year could begin, she strode around the circle to chat with some of the others. She stopped to talk to Kya and Nira for a while, having neglected her two friends for quite some time in the past year, and the three of them made plans to get together in a few days. As Lin walked away from the pair, she teased, "That is, if the two of you can stop making eyes at each other for ten minutes." Both of them made a face like they were annoyed and Lin just laughed.
She came across Pema next, who was bent over trying to clean chocolate off of Meelo's face while the boy squirmed. Eventually, Pema gave up with a sigh saying, "All right, all right, go on, I'll clean you up later."
Meelo ran off with a cheer, rejoining Ikki, Amali, and Jeia, and Pema just shook her head.
Lin stepped up next to the younger woman and commiserated, "Yunjin could get food on his face five seconds after a bath. I started to suspect he was doing it just to spite me."
"I know Meelo does it just to spite me," Pema said with a snort, watching with fondness as her son chased the girls around the circle.
Lin cleared her throat and steeled herself with a deep breath, staring into the fire as she murmured, "I never said thank you."
Lin could feel Pema's eyes on her but she didn't turn to meet them. "I'm sorry," Pema said, "what was that?" Lin did look sharply over at the other woman then, and Pema chuckled. "I'm kidding. You don't have to thank me."
"Sora told me what you did," Lin went on. "If she had taken that hit instead of you… Well, let's just say I'm glad she had you there to protect her when I couldn't."
"I'm not going to lie, it was pretty painful, and kind of scary when I started thinking I was about to die, but it was the least I could do. After what your family did, to protect my family and the airbenders, I couldn't have lived with myself if I just stood there and let them pummel Sora into the ground." She frowned, and there was an anger on her face that Lin understood all too well. "Those Red Lotus were monsters, and I'm onlysorry that I couldn't do more to stop them."
"Yeah, me too," Lin muttered, her gaze drifting unconsciously over to where Yunjin sat. The boy did look better, his hair cut a little shorter but no longer unkempt, back to its usual luster and braided as he liked it. He was smirking as he talked to his older brother, sitting casually in his wheelchair and not slumped over. He was still regaining weight and strength, but he didn't look frail or sickly, no longer did he have dark shadows under his eyes. Lin still didn't trust the leg braces Kuvira had sent for him, but they did appear to be working. Yunjin was improving more and more each day, at a faster rate than before. The physical therapist didn't want him to become reliant on the leg braces, but couldn't deny that it was a huge help for him to strengthen muscles that had gone unused for so long, and it aided in rebuilding the boy's confidence. He could walk most of the time now with the braces. He only used the chair to give himself a break, or when he knew he would mostly be sitting anyways. Lin knew that it was a miracle he was walking at all, that he was improving and recovering, but it had been a long road getting there, and Yunjin had been so deeply changed by it, and she would forever wish that she could have prevented it.
"It's good to see him like this again," Pema said softly.
"To be honest I thought you'd be pissed," Lin admitted. "He and Jinora didn't end on very good terms. I know the girl must have been heartbroken."
"She was devastated," Pema confirmed with a grimace, "but I think deep down she knew as well as the rest of us that he was in a bad way. I don't like to see her hurting, but I couldn't be angry at Yunjin for it. He's been through a terrible ordeal."
"He feels guilty enough about it already," Lin revealed. She knew her son well enough without him having to tell her so. "Hopefully they can sort it out and at least be friends. She's good for him, listens to her better than me most of the time."
"If there's one thing I've learned about those two, it's that it's impossible to keep them apart for long."
And Lin could not argue that.
From there she moved on to her sister again, settling back down between Su and Tenzin and focusing on her sister for a moment. Opal's attention had been diverted across the circle, where she had gone to talk to Asami, and Tenzin was talking to Bumi next to him, so Su was looking into the fire and essentially on her own.
Lin scooted closer to her and quietly asked, "So how are things really going at home?"
Su blinked lazily and slowly turned to face Lin, brow furrowed in confusion. "Whatever do you mean?"
"Come on, Su," Lin pressed. "You don't have to play that game with me."
"What game?" Su questioned, still acting oblivious. "I told you everything is just fine. It's been very busy, actually, with building new airships and training new guards, and we've had a lot of people come to Zaofu seeking new homes, what with all the chaos in the rest of the Earth Kingdom. It's a bit exciting, almost like when Bataar and I first built the place."
Lin huffed in frustration and opened her mouth to continue badgering Su, to get the truth from her sister, but she caught herself and shut her mouth instead. She didn't need verbal confirmation of Su's struggle. She didn't need to force her sister to talk about it just then.
"Well," Lin said, reaching out to squeeze Su's shoulder, "I look forward to seeing the progress you've made. We'll finally be coming to Zaofu for a little vacation."
Su actually looked delighted by the prospect, brightening up as she eagerly asked, "Are you really? How long will you be staying?"
"No set time frame really," Lin answered with a shrug. "A week or two, maybe. Just until you get sick of us or things start to fall apart here."
"Can Tenzin be gone that long? Who will look after the airbenders? Are you sure Yunjin will want to make the trip?"
"Nira and Kya can handle it for a while, and yes, Yunjin wants to come," Lin assured. "We'll all be there."
Su smiled, and for once it actually looked genuine. "I'm so glad. It's been too long since we were all together, and you're really in need of a vacation, and –"
She paused as Opal returned, sitting down next to her mother with a smile and curiously asking, "What'd I miss?"
"Your Aunt Lin and the family are finally coming to Zaofu for a vacation," Su replied.
"That's great," Opal said brightly, "and it reminds me. I'm coming home too. I already cleared it with Uncle Tenzin."
Su looked half prepared to cry tears of joy, hurriedly pulling Opal into a hug and expressing her delight.
Then, a clinging of metal against glass and Kya's voice calling across the circle suddenly lifted everyone's gaze in that direction.
Kya was standing, with Nira and Amali sitting next to her, and her hand on Nira's shoulder. The three of them were smiling at each other like they had a secret, and everyone hushed to listen to what Kya had to say.
"I just wanted to say a few words before we start the new year," she began. "There have been quite a few changes over the last few months and a lot of us have been a bit of a mess, but since we're finally sorting ourselves out, I think this is as good a time as any to pat ourselves on the back, myself especially."
"Wow, what a riveting speech," Bumi teased.
"And so humble too," Tenzin added
"Hush, let me finish," Kya told her brothers, with a sharp look for each of them. "I'm not trying to boast about my yearlong success at being a more reliable, sober person. I'm only up here to thank the people that made it possible."
"You're welcome," Bumi said, raising his glass of liquor and smiling cheerfully.
Kya rolled her eyes and continued, "Of course I love all of you so I'm not gonna name all twenty some or whatever that there are. Mostly my daughter Akira, who has kept me going all these years, and Amali, who reminds me every day to be positive, and Nira, the most beautiful and wonderful person I've ever met. I know there's been some speculation about Nira and I, and we've been pretty silent about it while we were figuring things out. But now, in front of family and friends, we'd like to finally admit that yes, we are in a committed relationship, so please let everyone know that I am a kept woman now. I know they'll be devastated to hear I'm no longer on the market."
"Boring! Tell us something we don't know," Bumi heckled.
Tenzin, on the other hand, exclaimed, "You and Nira are what?!"
Everyone turned to look at him in confusion, as if expecting him to be making a joke, but his eyes were genuinely widened in surprise.
Ronen asked his father, "You didn't know?"
"How did you not know?" Sora questioned.
"Everybody knows," Yunjin added.
"You knew about this," Lin insisted.
"No, I did not!" Tenzin argued.
"I definitely told you about them sleeping together, like, an eternity ago," Lin countered. "You must have forgot."
"I very much doubt that I would forget you telling me that my sister was sleeping with Nira."
"Okayyyy, this conversation is veering off in the wrong direction," Kya interjected, while Nira covered her face with her hands and shook her head.
"No, this is the absolute right direction," Bumi disagreed with a grin.
Lin was starting to think she had actually forgotten to tell her husband about Nira and Kya, but even so. "You didn't notice from the way they've been acting?"
"How were they acting?" Tenzin shrilly demanded.
"Spirit's, Tenzin," Su said, "I was only here a handful of times and even I noticed."
"It's a good thing Tenzin isn't the detective in the family," Mako said.
"Wow, Mako," Bolin chuckled, "that was almost a funny joke."
"I thought Aunt Lin told you about it," Opal said to her mother.
"It was you I told!" Lin realized, whirling on her sister, and then turning just as quickly back to Tenzin. "Sorry, Tenz, apparently I told Su instead of you."
"I told you that in confidence," Nira grumbled to Lin. "You weren't supposed to tell everyone."
"I didn't tell everyone," Lin defended. "I told Su."
"So you told everyone," Kya surmised.
"Hey! I am not a gossip!" Su protested.
"Right, and I'm not an alcoholic," Kya deadpanned.
"Well, not anymore," Bumi muttered, almost sounding disappointed.
"I really love coming here," Akira sighed happily. "You can't get this kind of free entertainment anywhere else."
"I can think of a hundred other things that people would find more entertaining," Ronen joked.
"Yeah, but I'd take this over the opera any day," Asami said.
Yunjin wrinkled his nose. "Does anyone actually like the opera?"
"I do," Sora huffed.
"Of course you do," Yunjin said.
"There's nothing wrong with the opera," Jinora defended Sora. "It's quite beautiful."
"You two are such nerds," Kai snickered, ducking away when Jinora tried to punch him in the shoulder.
"Well regardless of who knew and who didn't," Su cut in through all the chatter, raising her glass and tipping it in Nira and Kya's direction, "we're all very happy for the two of you."
"To Nira and Kya," Pema concurred, raising her own glass with a smile.
"I'll drink to that," Bumi agreed.
"You'll drink to anything," Lin pointed out.
As Kya was sitting back down, smiling and thanking everyone that toasted to her and Nira, Tenzin rose to his feet, holding aloft his glass of water and saying softly, "Even though I had no idea any of this was going on, so long as the two of you are happy together, I am happy too. I wish you many great years together. I had actually intended to say a few words myself –"
Bumi immediately groaned; and Jeia, Ikki, and Meelo called, "Only two minutes left!"
"I'll be quick!" Tenzin promised. "We went into this year on unsure footing, and there were times we thought we'd never make it to the other end, but we approach this next year with brighter promises ahead. I just want to thank all of you for the support and love you've given, and I especially want to recognize my children and my wife. To Ronen, the glue that has undoubtedly held us all together. And Sora, who's compassion and dedication inspire me every day. To Yunjin: you are the strongest person I have ever met in all my years. And Jeia, my darling girl; I thank whatever earth spirit brought you into our lives –"
"Pretty sure that was me," Lin muttered.
"And," Tenzin continued, turning a beaming smile onto Lin and grasping her shoulder, like Kya had held Nira's earlier, "to my wife, for giving me this wonderful –" his voice cracked with emotion and his eyes were looking suspiciously wet – "wonderful life."
"Are we sure he's not drunk?" Yunjin asked his siblings, who laughed along with most of the people around the circle.
"I could go on," Tenzin offered.
"Please don't," Bumi replied.
"You've embarrassed us enough," Ronen teased.
"Thirty seconds!" the younger kids declared.
Everyone around the circle began to rise in anticipation, and Lin rose with them, wrapping her arms around Tenzin's waist and smirking up at him. "You old softy. You're getting worse with age."
"I love you more than words could ever express," he murmured, his own arms curling around her.
"You really are drunk, aren't you?" she jokingly accused.
"I may be slightly delirious," he admitted. "It's far past my bedtime."
Lin tipped her head back and laughed as the final countdown began.
"Five! Four! Three! Two! One! Happy New Year!"
The assembled group all cheered and hugged or kissed or tipped back a shot of liquor. Lin took Tenzin's face in her hands and dragged him down to meet his lips with hers. She only pulled away when she felt something crash into her side, and she and Tenzin both looked down to see Jeia staring up at them.
"Can we go to sleep now?" she asked, and just like that Lin was laughing again, Tenzin along with her.
"That sounds like an excellent idea," Tenzin replied, pulling Jeia into a one-armed hug. "Now I am certain that you're mine."
Lin snorted. "You weren't before?"
A sudden hush fell over the group, which was exceptionally odd considering how rowdy most of them had been three seconds ago, and Lin craned her neck to look around Tenzin and see what everyone had quieted for.
"Sorry to interrupt," a weirdly familiar voice said, as a shadowy silhouette drew closer to the fire and slowly became more recognizable. "I just arrived and thought I'd sneak into an empty bed for the night. I didn't realize it was only just midnight."
Lin scrutinized the features of the newcomer, but couldn't place the woman in her mind, not until she felt Kya's heart rate pick up from across the fire, and heard the shocked exclamation of "Yumae?!"
Everyone was silent for a stunned pause, until Bumi's voice broke through with a cackle as he crowed, "Bet you wish you still drank now."
-My sincerest apologies for the long wait, my dear readers, but you know how the holidays are. Between my brother visiting and work being crazy busy and all the other nonsense, I didn't have much time to dedicate to this chapter. But I stayed up all night and finally finished, and I hope you all enjoyed. Up next, Kya's ex-girlfriend is in town and the Linzin family take a detour on their way to Zaofu. I look forward to your reviews, and Happy New Year to you all!