Chapter 89
The following day was spent under the watchful gaze of Haito and Taizu, the babysitters Head Councilman Xai had appointed to Tenzin and his family, under the guise of being helpful. Tenzin could see it for what it really was, which was that Xai was already suspicious of them, and they would have to tread lightly if they wanted to avoid being found out. There was the slight possibility that Xai was not what Yumae suspected, but something was clearly off if he wasn't taking the disappearances of his citizens as seriously as he should.
Lin had already made up her mind about Xai, especially now that she felt like she was under house arrest in a strange village, and she tried to get out of going to dinner at Xai's mansion. When the sergeant came to collect them, she insisted she was unwell, that she needed to stay behind and sleep it off, but the sergeant wouldn't hear of it. If Lin pressed any further, she'd only make their situation worse, so she relented and kept the grumbling to a minimum. She had to, with the soldiers breathing down their necks.
Tenzin wasn't certain what they were about to walk into, but he was filled with concern. On the one hand, he had to believe that Xai wasn't foolish enough to try and entrap them, but if he made them leave the city, the investigation would be dead in the water before they even had a solid chance to begin. Whatever his reservations, Tenzin felt a responsibility to get to the truth, to find the missing people and rescue them from whatever they had been thrown into. He couldn't leave them behind now, and it would be exponentially trickier and riskier to let Sora and Asami purposefully fall into the trap if Tenzin and the rest of the family could not be as close by to help. The dinner had to go well, no matter their personal feelings on Xai and the whole situation. Diplomacy required a level of patience and reasoning that some of his family members were sometimes lacking. He loved them for it, truly. Their tenacity and unwillingness to bend was to be admired, but it did make him a bit nervous in situations like their present one. However, so long as nothing provoked them, he had a feeling they would make it through the dinner without causing a national dispute. Lin was better at holding her tongue when it really mattered, Yunjin had matured a great deal in the last few years, and Jeia's quiet hostility could be passed off as shyness at her age.
Even so, Tenzin was sure to advise the three of them to behave just before they entered Xai's mansion, and all three of them gave him the same exasperated look.
The family of five was led into a great dining hall, which was decorated with huge banners draped along the walls. Most of them represented nations within the Earth Kingdom, one of them the United Republic and a few that looked to be of the Fire Nation. But the one that stood out was the one at the center of them all, larger than the rest to encompass the whole wall. As Tenzin and his family entered, Xai rose from his seat at the head of the table, with the backdrop of Kuvira's military insignia behind him.
"Welcome, welcome," Xai said, beckoning them in with a pleasant smile. He was smaller than Tenzin had expected, shorter than Lin and thinner than Yunjin, who was only just regaining the weight and muscle he had lost in the past year. Xai didn't look as if he could have defended himself from an insect, but Tenzin knew all too well that looks could be deceiving. At six years old and apparently rather short for her age – according to her doctor – Jeia could probably crush an entire metal airship with a clench of her fist. There was no telling what inner strength Xai might possess. It was clear that charm was one of his abilities, from the way he greeted the family as if they were old friends, insisting on making them feel welcome, shooing away their military followers.
"I do hope they've been looking after you," Xai said after the soldiers had gone, beckoning for Tenzin and his family to sit as he dropped back into his own seat. "I wish I could have offered you a better guide, but on such short notice, and the soldiers so conveniently available, it seemed a safe choice."
"They have been quite helpful," Tenzin assured.
"If a bit overbearing," Lin muttered.
"We do appreciate the gesture," Ronen said, at Xai's concerned look.
"But we aren't exactly helpless," Yunjin added.
Tenzin thought they'd be lucky to make it through the first course.
"No, no, of course not," Xai said hastily. "That was never my impression. I only wanted to be sure that you had everything you need. I heard of your troubles with those bandits. They've been terrorizing so much of the Earth Kingdom. I thought you deserved some peace of mind."
"That was very kind of you," Tenzin said.
"Some privacy might be nice," Lin grumbled, ignoring her husband's exasperated look.
"I'll be sure to speak to them before you go tonight," Xai promised. "But I'm afraid Kuvira's soldiers are not entirely under my command, you see. This past year has been a learning experience for all of us. The road ahead seemed so uncertain after the Queen's death, but the Great Uniter has forged a better path for us all. I'm sure you, of all people, know all about her work. I hope, when you see her next, that you'll speak kindly of our humble village. I know there is not as much to offer as your Republic City, but we have so many hidden gems. Have you been to Chiyo's Sweet's Shop? Best rice cakes I've ever had. My cook is phenomenal but he just can't replicate them."
Tenzin was momentarily baffled, wondering for a moment if they had gotten it all wrong, or if Xai was simply that good at acting, or if Kuvira really was involved, and Xai feared that Lin's familial relation to Kuvira and Junior meant she was checking in, to ensure Xai was doing what he was supposed to. It was all throwing him for a loop.
Thankfully, Lin was quicker on her feet, and this time less sharp. "I'm sure Kuvira knows the worth of your village. We hear your harvest feeds villages for miles around."
"We give as much as we can," Xai confirmed, "which is usually quite a lot. Our only loss now is those crops we don't have the manpower to tend to. With so many of our farmers bravely serving Kuvira, we've been short a few hands."
"I imagine that's cut into your profits a fair amount," Yunjin surmised.
"It has," Xai admitted, "but we're happy to do our part. We are at war, in a way. But let's not bore ourselves with talk of profit margins. Let's start dinner, shall we?"
Xai waved to a waiting servant, who nodded and went to retrieve the others, and then several platters of food were brought in and placed along the table.
As everyone was being served, Xai turned to Tenzin on his right with a furrowed brow and asked, "Forgive me, but you do have four children, do you not?"
Tenzin nodded with a relaxed chuckle. "Yes, my eldest daughter Sora did not come with us. She's actually heading up a mission with a few other airbenders farther south in the Earth Kingdom. The Air Nation has been coordinating with small villages being harried by bandits in an attempt to help until this whole business with the fractured Earth Kingdom has been resolved."
"Ah, yes. I had heard of the Air Nation's recent support," Xai said, gaze focused on his plate. "That must be quite challenging for you, since you are the only master available to coordinate such an endeavor, and with many of the airbenders only just learning."
"It's no small feat, but Jin and Sora are all but masters themselves, and the rest of my family has been enormously helpful as well. We're happy to help wherever we can. If you're ever in need of assistance here, feel free to reach out. I have a few airbenders who were farmers before they joined us. I'm sure they could be useful during the harvest."
"That is very thoughtful of you. I will have to consider your offer."
As they all began to eat – Lin with eyes narrowed and her chewing slow and measured, as if she expected to taste poison and was prepared to spit it out – the conversation devolved to careful small talk. They numbly discussed the weather that time of year, the typical harvest season in the village, and how Republic City was managing with the spirits these days. The topic of missing villagers never came up, and no subtle prompting from Tenzin coaxed Xai into talking. Just before dinner was coming to a close, Yunjin excused himself to use the bathroom, following one of the servers Xai had beckoned over to help him find it. By the time Yunjin returned, everyone had cleared their plates or had stopped pretending to pick at what was left, and it was clear that the conversation was hitting a snag too.
"I suppose I've taken up enough of your time," Xai said with a chuckle, and when he rose to his feet, the rest of them rose with him. "It was an honor to meet all of you. I hope you've enjoyed your stay."
"We have," Tenzin replied. "Thank you for inviting us to your home."
"Will you be leaving in the morning?" Xai asked, almost sounding curious more so than hopeful. "If you need an escort for the rest of your journey, to help with anymore bandits, I'm sure I could free up some of the soldiers –"
"That's quite all right," Tenzin said. "We don't have much farther to go. But I think we may stay another day. The village has been so lovely, and we are on vacation after all. Assuming that's all right with you?"
"Of course," Xai said quickly. "Why wouldn't it be?"
"Well, when we arrived, one of the soldiers said something about not taking tourists at this time," Ronen answered. "We wondered if there might be something going on."
Xai waved a dismissive hand. "No, no, everything is perfectly in order here. They just say that as a deterrent for any sort of bandits trying to slip through the border. We have to take entry of new citizens a little more seriously these days. But you stay as long as you need."
Haito, Taizu, and the sergeant entered, offering to lead Tenzin and his family back to the inn, but Xai cut them off saying, "Why don't you three stay behind for a bit? I was hoping to have a quick chat, and I'm sure the Beifongs would prefer an evening to themselves."
The sergeant hesitated, betraying a look of surprise, but he inclined his head and agreed, "Of course, Sir."
After leaving Xai's mansion, Tenzin, Lin, and the kids were finally able to speak freely.
First, Jeia said, "That was weird."
"It really was," Yunjin sympathized. "I don't think I'll ever get used to all those fake niceties."
"He was difficult to get a read on," Ronen said with a contemplative frown. "But he was definitely hiding something."
"It almost sounded like he thought we were there to check up on him, on Kuvira's orders," Lin said, voicing what Tenzin had been thinking himself.
"I thought the same thing," Tenzin agreed, "but was it because he doesn't want her to know what he's up to, or he wants her to know how well he's hiding it?"
Jeia squinted up at her mother. "Are we being followed?"
"Oh definitely," Lin said without hesitation.
"One of the soldiers, or someone else?" Yunjin inquired.
"It's Taizu, I think," Lin answered. "He's stealthier than Haito."
"Well, Xai is definitely trying to keep an eye on us," Ronen mused. "If he's not guilty, he's very bad at being innocent."
"Did you sense anything while we were there?" Tenzin questioned Lin.
She shook her head. "Nothing. If Xai is the one kidnapping those women, he's not keeping them at his mansion like Yumae thought. And there wasn't any sort of underground bunker like the Queen's, at least not there."
"I overheard something when I went to the bathroom," Yunjin revealed. "Once I got the servant to go away, I snuck down the hallway and listened to the soldiers talk. Haito was worried we would find out about something, or that we already knew. The sergeant thinks we're oblivious and we'll be gone soon. Taizu said his contact has a lead on some new recruits. Then the sergeant started complaining that he never gets to talk directly to Kuvira."
"So the soldiers are in on it," Ronen surmised. "But does the recruitment have something to do with the kidnappings? Is it a code maybe?"
"It seems like Sora and Asami being picked up is our only hope of solving this," Tenzin sighed. "I don't know how much longer we can stay here before whoever the guilty party is becomes too suspicious."
"Well, considering they've been trailing us since we got here, I'd say they're already pretty suspicious," Yunjin pointed out. "If we don't leave within the next twenty-four hours, I fully expect them to boot us out of here."
"We'll stay through tomorrow night," Tenzin decided, "and then leave the following morning. If Sora and Asami haven't been taken yet, we'll have to make camp a few miles out."
"They might follow us to make sure we actually leave," Lin thought aloud. "We may have to fly farther out and then double back."
"Great," Yunjin muttered, "just what my aching body loves, sleeping on the ground."
"You can sleep on Oogi," Ronen offered.
"I don't want to be the cry baby that sleeps in luxury," Yunjin protested.
"Are you kidding?" Ronen snorted. "I'll be sleeping up there next to you."
"Hopefully we won't be waiting too much longer," Tenzin said. "We won't keep the girls here more than another couple days. We may have to admit defeat on this one."
"We could call in Aunt Su," Ronen suggested.
"Not until we know more about what's going on," Lin quickly refuted. "Especially if Kuvira and Junior might be involved in this."
"If we can't figure this out ourselves, I'll speak directly to Raiko about it," Tenzin assured. "We won't let this go on, no matter who is behind it."
"I just hope Raiko shares your concern," Ronen said. "He hasn't always been helpful to us in the past."
"In this instance we may get lucky," Tenzin assured. "Before we left the city, I called Jun, my old secretary. She's still working at City Hall, and I asked her if she could find any information on Xai. There wasn't much, but he did live in Republic City for a few years, and apparently, he and Raiko were not on friendly terms during their early years in politics. We may be able to play on that old feud to get Raiko interested."
"Well, guess it depends on which one of us he despises more," Lin quipped, and Jin and Jeia both snickered. "I still say we go with my plan and start knockin' heads. I bet Haito will crack like an egg. Tie him up to a chair and whisper a few threats in his ear, twist his arm a little and he'll give us everything."
Yunjin snorted. "Is that how you interrogated people when you were Chief?"
"Unfortunately not, but my mother taught me how anyways, so I'm prepared."
"Don't let your mother fool you," Tenzin told his children. "She was very incensed when Toph tried teaching her some mild torture techniques. I had to fly her around on my glider to calm her down."
"I only did that so you'd think I was a nice girl," Lin countered, "and as an excuse to invade your personal space. So, who was really fooled here?"
"Why do you think I suggested flights on my glider every time you were angry instead of on Oogi? It certainly wasn't easier."
"Aww," Yunjin said sweetly, "you guys were so lame."
"Sora would think it was cute," Ronen said.
"That's because Sora is lame like them," Jeia teased.
"Once again, you wouldn't exist if we weren't lame," Lin pointed out. "So, you're welcome."
"Thank you for giving me life," Yunjin said in exasperation. "Now could you also give me some money?"
"For what?" Lin exclaimed.
"I'm starving," he groaned. "That food was disgusting."
"Oh! Me too!" Jeia chimed in. "Mama I'm hungry too. Can we go to the sweet's shop?"
Lin looked incredulously at Tenzin, who raised his eyebrows. "What? Don't look at me. They get that from you."
"You're the one with the sweet tooth," Lin argued.
"Something to scour the taste of onions out of my mouth would be great," Ronen interjected. "Haito was right. They really do love their onions here."
"I don't care what we eat, so long as it's close," Yunjin said with a slight grimace, and Tenzin noticed he was walking with a bit of a limp.
Lin and Tenzin both frowned, and Lin grasped Yunjin's elbow to try and take some of his weight as she said, "You've been pushing yourself too hard. You need to give this contraption a break."
"I can whistle for Oogi when we get back and get your chair," Tenzin offered.
"No, I don't want it," Yunjin insisted. "If something happens, I want to be prepared. My legs aren't as strong when I'm not wearing this. I don't want to be in the middle of a fight and just collapse."
"As willing as Mom is, I don't think we'll actually see any action," Ronen assured.
"But if we do, I don't want to be knocked over," Yunjin reasoned. "I'm okay, really. I just need to take a break sometimes."
"Well, let's find somewhere for you to sit," Tenzin said, holding onto Yunjin's other side for further support.
"Just as long as we aren't out too late," Ronen advised. "When Sora contacts us tonight, we don't want to be sitting in the middle of a crowded restaurant."
Sora had been contacting them late in the evening in her spiritual form, to let them know how things were going, and to avoid contacting them when they might be around others. It wouldn't do for them to have an audience when Sora's spirit suddenly appeared in the air before them.
However, even after returning to their room at the inn, the family did not see Sora for many hours. So many, in fact, that Tenzin was beginning to worry. They were all waiting up, even though it was well past two in the morning and Jeia was falling in and out of sleep laying across her father's lap. Lin was pacing slowly, as if she wasn't quite sure if she was stressed or not. She was itching to go look for Sora and Asami, but she could sense the soldiers outside their door, and getting out of the inn another way would be noisy or destructive or both, and she was waiting on that as a last resort.
"This is good, isn't it?" Ronen eventually said. "If they were captured, then we may just get to the bottom of this."
"Or she just fell asleep," Yunjin mumbled with a shrug.
"But she's supposed to let us know if they're captured," Tenzin said to Ronen.
"She probably just hasn't had the opportunity yet," Ronen reasoned. "She can't risk blowing her cover. I say we at least wait till morning before we panic."
"Yeah, maybe, but who can sleep?" Lin muttered.
"Jeia, apparently," Yunjin replied. "But actually… I could try something."
Lin stopped and looked at him, and Ronen and Tenzin waited for him to elaborate too.
"Try what?" Tenzin prompted.
"Well, Sora has been trying to help me connect more spiritually," Yunjin started. "I don't have the sort of spiritual sense that she does, but I do have a connection to her, and her random lessons heightened that. I can't project my entire spirit across great distances like she does – or any distance for that matter – but I have been able to, I don't know, feel spiritual energies in a way I never could – or ever tried to – before. I was able to latch onto her spirit before and communicate, sort of. It's not all that clear and we were sitting right across from each other, but I might be able to reach out to her, to at least make sure she's all right."
"Are you telling me you guys can communicate with each other telepathically?" Ronen asked incredulously.
"Not exactly," Yunjin answered. "It's more like, I can project my spirit, but only enough to sense feelings, energies. I can't just walk around all incorporeal like Sora does. And I probably wouldn't be able to sense just anybody, not without more practice. I'm not even sure I'll be able to find her."
"It can't hurt to try," Tenzin said, trying not to sound too eager.
Yunjin nodded and readjusted himself on the bed he'd been sitting on, folding his legs beneath him and settling his hands on his knees. He breathed in deep, his eyes fluttering closed as he slowly exhaled. Then he peeked one eye open, and looked around at his family, who were all watching him with intrigue and anticipation. "Er, you guys might want to get comfortable. This could take a while."
Arriving in the village was not easy but not particularly difficult for Sora and Asami. The soldiers were wary, but easily fooled by two young sisters with no other family driven out of their village by bandits. One of the soldiers took them to a nearby Inn, showed them around the eastern edge of the village, and then left them with a promise to have someone check in later. Sora and Asami wandered around a little, and the next person to visit them was a police officer. He acted nice enough, but he was clearly suspicious, asking the girls a lot of questions. Luckily, Sora and Asami both had their stories straight, and they knew each other well enough by now to make it believable. They had never really spent a lot of time alone together, but Ronen talked about Asami so much that Sora could fill in most of the blanks, and Asami had been around since Sora was twelve, so she'd seen the girl grow at least that much.
When the police officer seemed mostly satisfied, he left them alone, but said he'd be back. They went to get some food, with careful conversation in case someone was listening in, and then went to the pub Yumae had suggested for the rest of the evening. There were a lot of police officers there, and a couple of soldiers, and Sora and Asami both knew they were in the right place to attract attention. It helped that Asami was ridiculously beautiful and Sora wasn't half bad looking herself, especially with the make up Asami had put on her to make her look older. Sora felt a little odd trying to use charm as opposed to her bending, but she was learning from Asami, who was clearly used to exploiting people that underestimated her by her looks.
Sora was eager to learn, and eager to blend in, so when Asami ordered a drink from the bar, Sora asked for the same. Sora had never had any alcohol before. For one, her parents would have killed her, and for another, airbenders didn't really indulge in such things, and Sora took the Air Nation rules a little more seriously than her twin brother. Yunjin was all about freedom, and didn't believe that restrictions on what they ate or drank or did were necessary. Sora mostly just liked to follow traditions like her father, though he often veered off in some areas by his wife's influence. Sora's only reservation was denouncing material possessions, because she sort of liked to keep pretty things.
When the bartender sat their drinks down, Asami took a drink from her glass and then not so subtly watched Sora examine her own. Sora sniffed at the drink, and resisted the urge to wrinkle her nose at the potent smell. But there were some fruity notes too that smelled pleasant enough, so she took a tentative sip, all the while trying to look casual. The taste on her tongue was entirely foreign and not all that good, and even worse as she tried to swallow it. It burned the whole way down her throat and she choked, spluttering out a cough that she strained so much to suppress that her eyes started to water.
Asami started to laugh, patting Sora's back. Sora gasped in air and croaked, "Spirit's! What's in this thing? Cleaning solution?"
"It's a bit of an acquired taste," Asami said, still grinning in amusement.
Sora slid the drink away and shook her head. "I don't want to acquire a taste for that. No wonder Uncle Bumi is always so crazy; he's living off Satomobile fuel."
Asami only laughed harder, covering her mouth to try and calm it. "Don't tell your parents I let you drink that."
"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll have plenty of secrets by the end of this mission, most of them kept in the interest of avoiding giving my parents' heart attacks."
"And getting me banned from the island," Asami snorted. "Your mother didn't threaten me directly about keeping you safe, but I could feel it in that stare."
"Nah, that's just her face," Sora assured. "I think she likes you."
"Really?" Asami said disbelievingly. "How can you tell? Sometimes I feel like Ronen just pretends he can understand those looks."
Sora laughed that time. "It takes years of experience, but she's not as difficult to understand as she pretends to be. She's soft underneath all that bluster."
"I think I've seen glimpses of that," Asami said with a nod.
"You'll see more. She's just being tough because you're the only serious relationship Ronen has ever had."
"That's fair. I forget sometimes that he was such a loner."
"We didn't think he'd ever get a girlfriend because it would require him to stop reading long enough to make friends," Sora said with a snort.
"His books are still my greatest competition," Asami joked.
"I believe it. But you don't have to worry about Mom. She won't interfere. She's just intense sometimes. If she ever gets to be too much, just come tell me and I'll tell her to chill out."
Asami smirked. "I appreciate that. I promise to repay the favor. I'll defend your girlfriends when your Mom gets overprotective – or Ronen, for that matter."
Sora smiled in thanks, but she couldn't help the sharp sting the thought brought her remembering Zara. She tried to duck her head to hide the reaction on her face, reaching out for the drink she had pushed away, but Asami had noticed.
"Oh, Sora, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. I shouldn't have –"
Sora shook her head. "No, no, it's okay. I'm just being dramatic."
"Of course you're not." She reached out and squeezed Sora's hand. "You can be upset about it as long as you need."
"It's been over a year now," Sora sighed. "I shouldn't care so much anymore."
"You cared about her very much," Asami said softly. "It's not an easy thing to get over."
"I think I let myself forget for a while," Sora admitted. "With everything going on with Yunjin… it was easy to forget. Now that things are getting better, I've been thinking about her more. Wondering why, wondering if I could have done more."
Asami nodded in understanding. "I know. When my dad… when I found out who he really was… it didn't make sense. I thought I knew him. I thought he was this great man. I thought he was perfect. But I was wrong. And by the time I found out, it was too late to help him. It sounds like you did a lot for Zara while you could, and I think she cared about you a lot, but she thought her mother was different, just like I did."
Sora felt a rush of emotion and grasped Asami's hand in both of her own. "I know it can't fix the betrayal you've felt, but you're a part of us now, so long as you like. We Beifongs aren't perfect by any means, but we're loyal to a fault."
Asami smiled gratefully, but seemed at a loss for words, and Sora wanted to make a joke, like Yunjin usually did in such tense situations, but she was at a loss, and she didn't have the time to think one up before they were being interrupted.
A trio of young police men had approached Sora and Asami, sidling up next to Asami at the bar. The one at the forefront said, "We hear you two are new in town."
"So we are," Asami smoothly replied, undaunted by the sudden intrusion.
After a brief startled moment, Sora felt her excitement spike. This was what they had been waiting for to truly start their mission.
Sora and Asami introduced themselves as Sun and Ami. The three officers seemed to be chatting the two girls up, asking curious questions and vaguely flirting, and Sora had to struggle not to laugh at how easy it was to fool them. Asami had them captivated, and Sora was catching on quick.
By the time Asami and Sora left the pub that night, they had talked with half the patrons in the bar, nearly all police and soldiers. If any of them were responsible for the disappearances, Sora and Asami had certainly made their presence known.
Later that evening, after returning to their room, Sora relaxed into meditation, and contacted her family through projecting her spirit. She was glad to see they were doing all right, a little concerned about their soldier shadows, and eager to hear if they had learned anything so far. They gave her a brief rundown of their day, and then she did the same, assuring them that she and Asami were doing just fine. She promised to contact them around the same time the following evening, and then bid them goodnight.
It was a little weird going to sleep for the first time in a weird place without any of her parents or siblings. Sora had never traveled anywhere without them, and even though she knew they were in the same village just a few kilometers away, it felt like much farther. Between that unease and the thrill of being on her first real mission, she had troubles falling asleep. She wasn't all that rested when the sun began to rise, but she was young enough and energized enough to get out of bed without much difficulty.
The police officer that had visited Sora and Asami the previous day returned to check on them bright and early. He didn't linger as long that time, but insisted they go to the town hall and fill out some paperwork if they intended on staying. Asami and Sora decided to put that off for a few more days, to see how their mission went, and spent the rest of the day visiting as many places as they could, and they were careful about not being too shy or too sociable with the locals. That night, they returned to the pub.
In those two days, Sora had not developed a taste for alcohol, but she had managed to tone down her reaction to it. She still got a drink from the bar to keep up appearances, but she sipped at it lightly, hardly finishing it after hours of nursing the same drink, and let Asami joke to the guys that asked about it that her little sister was a light weight. Some of them were pushy about trying to buy the two girls drinks and coaxing them to drink faster, but Asami was good at fending them off.
Since Sora drank so slowly, she never really felt any effects aside from the burning in her throat, until late that second evening. She had finally finished her first drink – though Asami had consumed most of it so Sora wouldn't have to – and had only taken a few sips of a second when she eventually started to feel something. It started with a sense of lightheadedness, followed by a giddiness she wasn't quite faking. When one of the younger soldiers started flirting with her, she felt oddly emboldened enough to loudly proclaim, "Sorry boys, but I prefer women!" And when a female police officer swaggered over at the news and gave Sora a very intense smile, Sora actually leaned in with interest for half a second.
Until Asami grabbed her by the elbow and steered her away. She was smiling at Sora, but she looked tense as she hissed through her teeth, "What are you doing?" She noticed the drink in Sora's hand and furrowed her brow. "How much of that did you drink?"
"It's actually not that bad," Sora said before taking another gulp. "It doesn't even burn anymore."
"I think you've had enough," Asami said, snatching the glass away and taking a huge drink from it herself. She shuddered and then held the cold glass to her forehead for a moment, looking stressed. "Spirits," she seemed to mutter to herself, "how did I let this happen?"
"It's okayyy," Sora drawled, mostly just because her tongue felt funny. "Relax, would ya?"
Asami just looked horrified. "Your mother is going to kill me."
"Nahhh. She wouldn't hurt a – a – is that fire flakes?" Sora was distracted by a bowl of food and tried to walk in that direction, but her legs didn't seem to be working right and she staggered. She held herself up, but she wobbled several steps before she felt Asami grabbing onto her again.
"Time to go," Asami declared, steering Sora in the direction of the exit, and Sora was torn between wanting to stay and feeling kind of tired.
"Aww, but we just started having fun," Sora protested weakly, remembering belatedly that they weren't really supposed to be having fun, and spirits her mouth was dry.
"Hey, where you two going?" one of the guys asked, blocking their path.
"I really need to be getting her back to our room," Asami explained, and Sora couldn't tell if she was trembling, or if Asami was. The guy tried to argue, several others chiming in to coax the girls to stay, but Asami was determined. "My sister isn't feeling well. I'm sorry, everyone. We'll be back tomorrow."
"I'm fine," Sora insisted, but it sounded weird coming out of her mouth and, now that Asami mentioned it, she was feeling a little unwell.
Asami shoved past the guy in their path and hurried she and Sora out into the night. The chilled air blasted them in the face, and Sora felt simultaneously comforted and bothered by it. Asami dragged her along and Sora started noticing just how off her balance was and how dizzy she felt. She clutched at Asami's arm in desperation, but she still felt like she was going to fall over.
"Asami," Sora said with some trepidation, her breath catching in her throat. "What's wrong with me?"
"They drugged us," Asami said bluntly, and Sora noticed Asami seemed to be struggling to walk now too. "I think we're about to be taken."
Even though it was what they had been hoping for, Sora still gasped, and her heart rate quickened, and she stopped Asami in the middle of the street. But she couldn't quite see the older girl because her vision was blurring. "They drugged us? But – but – I thought –" She didn't know what she had expected, but it hadn't been this. She had thought maybe there would be a fight, maybe a threat to force them to go, but not losing control of her senses like this. She was breathing too fast and she felt like she was going to pass out, though that was probably thanks to the drugs, but Sora had never been drugged before so she couldn't say for sure.
"Sora," Asami said firmly, squeezing Sora's shoulders and shaking her slightly. "Sora, listen, if you want out, it's okay, but you have to tell me now. I can hide you, distract them so they only take me and you can come find me when you wake up. But you have to decide before I collapse. Do you understand?"
Sora only half understood, but what she did understand made her shake her head, forcing herself to suck in a deep breath and calm the panic. "No. No, I'm with you."
"Don't worry," Asami said shakily, so far out of focus that Sora could only see a dark mass that might have been her hair. "I've got you. We stick together."
Sora tried to respond, tried to nod in agreement, but she wasn't sure she managed either one. Blackness was encroaching on her vision, and she would not recall anything else as she succumbed to the drugs' power and collapsed.
Yunjin's eyes opened at once, and he found his parents and Ronen hovering over him. He jerked backwards slightly in surprise and then gave them an annoyed look. "Spirits, give me some space, would ya?"
They didn't apologize, but they did lean back slightly as they bombarded him with questions. He could barely tell what they were saying because they were all talking at once, but he got the gist, their worry for Sora and Asami and whether or not he had managed to find Sora. He noticed the sun was beginning to peek through the curtains behind Ronen and his parents, and that Jeia was stirring awake on the bed across from Yunjin.
"They're fine," Yunjin placated, loud enough to be heard over his family's persistent voices, and they quieted at once to listen. "They've been taken, but they're okay. They were drugged, so Sora's head is still fuzzy. That's why she didn't reach out to us, and I couldn't quite figure out all that she was trying to tell me, but they're not hurt, I could comprehend that much. And they were traveling for a while – or they still are? I don't know. She isn't sure where they are yet."
"But they're okay?" Tenzin asked worriedly.
"They're okay," Yunjin repeated, and his father seemed to relax just a little.
"That was faster than I thought," Lin muttered, looking away as she seemed to consider the news.
"I guess we'll be getting the answers we need then," Ronen said, "but if they're still traveling, I think we can definitively rule out any locations here in the village."
"Unless they're only just now being transferred," Tenzin pointed out. "It's possible they were just kept somewhere for the night and are being moved across town."
"I don't know," Yunjin responded. "I couldn't get a good answer on that. It was –"
A knock at the door interrupted them, and they all turned abruptly at the sound. Jeia was fully awake then, sitting up blearily, her hair a wild mess around her face.
Lin went to answer the door, looking annoyed before she even wrenched it open. Before the visitor could so much as open their mouth, Lin had grabbed them by the arm and yanked them inside, peeking her head out to make sure no one else had seen, and then hastily closing the door. Then she whirled on Yumae with barely suppressed rage and hissed, "What are you doing here?"
"I hadn't heard from you in two days," Yumae defended. "I wanted to know if you had learned anything yet."
"Where are the soldiers that were sitting outside?" Lin snapped. "Did anybody see you come here?"
"Nobody followed me," Yumae huffed. "The soldiers are distracted by some of the village people. We've got time."
"You need to leave before you blow our cover," Lin said forcefully. "We told you that we would contact you when we had any answers. We don't have anything definitive yet."
"People are getting restless," Yumae resisted. "I'm getting restless. We need answers now. Haven't you figured anything out yet? Weren't you just at Xai's last night?"
"So you're following us now too?" Lin scoffed.
Ronen interjected, "Sora and Asami have been taken. But Sora doesn't know where they are yet."
"Did you check Xai's mansion while you were there?" Yumae pressed.
"I didn't sense anything or anyone there that was out of the ordinary," Lin said through gritted teeth, clearly irritated.
"We aren't certain Xai is entirely behind it," Tenzin added.
Yumae scoffed. "Are you kidding me? Of course he is. Don't tell me he conned you too –"
"Nobody cons us," Lin spat.
"We're just considering all possibilities," Ronen explained.
"Xai is definitely suspicious," Tenzin placated. "We just aren't sure why."
"Because he's stealing girls!" Yumae exclaimed in frustration. "He has them. Maybe not in his mansion but he knows where. We need to find out, before he can torture them any longer. There's enough of us to fight back against his police now. If you help us –"
"Hold on," Ronen cut in sharply. "We can't just be starting a civil war –"
"We just need to be patient a little bit longer," Tenzin insisted.
"Give Sora a chance," Yunjin reasoned. "She and Asami will be able to tell us where they are soon."
"How soon?" Yumae demanded. "How do you know she'll be able to contact you again?"
"If she doesn't reach out to us soon, I can reach out to her," Yunjin told Yumae.
Yumae seemed confused, but didn't question it. They had told her about Sora's spiritual abilities, and she had accepted that even though it didn't make much sense to her either. "Well what did she say when you spoke to her? Did she say who took her? Or where?"
"Not exactly," Yunjin admitted. "She was drugged so it was difficult for us to talk. She's still recovering and her head was fuzzy."
"Well what if these people keep her drugged?" Yumae questioned impatiently, and Yunjin hadn't really thought of that. "How is she supposed to tell you anything useful if she's sedated most of the time?"
"Then we'll find her," Lin asserted. "We have back up plans in place."
"And Sora and Asami are resourceful," Ronen defended. "If they know the mission is becoming too dangerous, they'll find a way out."
"You all may have faith in them," Yumae said, shaking her head, "but the people here want answers. They want to take action. I don't know how much longer they can be held off."
"Well figure it out," Lin snapped.
"This won't end well if you start attacking Xai and the police," Tenzin implored. "Innocent people will be hurt."
"Innocent people are already being hurt," Yumae countered. "My sister has been gone two weeks. Several women before her even longer. This can't go on."
With that, Yumae spun on her heel and stormed out the door before any of them could stop her.
There was a moment of stunned and contemplative silence, and then Lin started hastily tugging her shoes on as she declared, "I'm gonna go follow her. If the villagers are gearing up to attack Xai, I need to try and stop them. An upheaval is just going to make it harder to find the missing people, and I'm not risking Sora and Asami."
"I'll come with you," Yunjin decided, starting to rise from the bed, reaching for his braces, but his mother stopped him.
"No, you need to stay here, in case Sora tries to contact you. If you don't hear from her, keep reaching out, find out where she is. We may need to get them out of there sooner rather than later. Ronen will stay with you."
"So I'm going with you?" Tenzin guessed.
But Lin shook her head. "No, you'll have to distract the soldiers. They're gonna wanna know where I went and they can't be here if Sora manages to show up."
"So I'll go with you," Jeia decided as she clambered off of the bed.
"I don't know, kid," Lin hedged, looking resistant. "It's gonna be too dangerous."
"It's dangerous everywhere," Jeia countered, going to put on her own shoes.
"She might be useful," Ronen told his mother. "If Yumae is really about to storm Xai's mansion, you can wave Jeia around, make them consider the children that could be caught in the crossfire."
"Or I can beat 'em up," Jeia offered with a shrug.
"Let's leave that as a last resort, shall we?" Tenzin urged.
Lin sighed and relented, "All right, you're with me, but you gotta listen to everything I say."
"Don't I always?" Jeia scoffed.
Lin rolled her eyes, but Tenzin said, "Of course you do, sweetheart." He walked up behind Jeia and gently smoothed down her wild hair, tucking it behind her ears and then leaning down to kiss the top of her head. "Be careful, please."
"Okay, Daddy, I'll try," Jeia acquiesced, turning around to give him a quick hug.
Afterwards, Tenzin reached into his shirt and pulled out his bison whistle. He removed it from his neck and placed it in Lin's hand. "Take this," he insisted. "If anything happens, Oogi should be near enough. He'll come and get you."
Lin nodded and threw the necklace on, leaving it hang over the top of her shirt. She and Tenzin exchanged a quick kiss, squeezed each other's hands, and then Lin and Jeia were leaving.
Tenzin was next, telling Yunjin and Ronen that he would keep the soldiers away as long as he could, telling them to be safe, but Yunjin only registered half of it because there was a ringing in his ears. The room began to blur around him, and his breath was coming out weird, too short, too fast. He couldn't get enough air into his lungs and there was a sharp pain in his spine, lancing out in every direction, and he was falling, falling, and everything was dark and he couldn't move –
Yunjin.
Listen.
Breathe.
Safe.
Yunjin.
"Yunjin!"
He jolted, and blinked, and when his vision cleared he saw Ronen bent over in front of him, staring worriedly, clutching his arms. Yunjin furrowed his brow, confused, swallowing and trying to suck in a deep breath
"That's it," Ronen encouraged, "deep breaths. You're okay."
"Wha – what happened?" Yunjin stammered, looking around as if he expected to find the source of his sudden discomfort.
"I think you were having a panic attack," Ronen said carefully. "Was it a flashback?"
"No, I – I mean yes – I mean – I don't…" Yunjin shook his head. "I don't have panic attacks."
"They're not typically expected," Ronen said, slowly moving over to sit next to his younger brother on the bed, still holding onto one of Yunjin's arms. "Something must have triggered you. If I had to guess, probably something to do with the urgency and everyone running off in different directions. You haven't been in a situation like this since the Red Lotus took the Temple."
"But I wasn't even thinking about that," Yunjin argued, feeling frustrated and off-kilter now.
"No, but our minds have a way of putting things together before we even consciously realize it. It's nothing to be ashamed of."
Yunjin frowned. "This isn't something that's going to keep happening is it?"
"That's difficult to say," Ronen admitted. "Could be a one time thing, but I think with the trauma you experienced it's just as likely to affect you for longer. Talking about it helps though, learning what triggers you and overcoming it."
Yunjin sighed in exasperation. "Do me a favor. Don't tell Mom and Dad about this. They worry enough as it is."
"Well, I won't tell for now," Ronen hesitantly relented, "but if it persists you should. This isn't the sort of thing you can recover from alone."
"I've got you, don't I?" Yunjin reasoned.
And Ronen softened, smiling a little reassuringly. "Of course. I'm here for you. Always."
Lin and Jeia followed Yumae at a steady pace through the village, mostly using seismic sense to track her, in part to keep enough distance to avoid detection, and also so as not to lose her in a crowd. Lin was mostly letting Jeia lead the way, using the experience as a teachable moment, to hone Jeia's senses and see how the girl did under some slight pressure as opposed to training at home. Seismic sense was one of the things Jeia had struggled with not that long ago, but once she had finally relaxed enough to let herself be immersed in the sensations of the earth beneath her feet, she had excelled as she did in most aspects of earthbending. Jeia still preferred metal, and Lin was certain she had never seen anyone manipulate it so easily and so well before, but the girl was beginning to better learn the base of her element now too.
When Yumae arrived at her destination, Lin and Jeia had to be extra careful about getting closer because they were farther out of town and there weren't as many places to hide. Yumae had gone into what appeared to be an ordinary house, and Lin could sense several other people inside. It was clearly a meeting of some sort, and tensions were high if their heart rates were anything to go by. It was just as Lin expected, and she didn't feel at all relieved when they all dispersed. They were going different directions, but with clear purpose in their movements, and they were too scattered for her to stop all of them without doing something that might incite them to attack her in defense. She should have just stormed into the house, but she had been worried about getting attacked that way too. She knew what an angry mob could do, and even though she had followed Yumae with the intent to stop them, she wasn't certain that she could, even with Jeia there to guilt them. They were already determined, and Lin could hardly blame them. If Sora had been missing for that long she would have already torn Xai's mansion to the ground.
Nevertheless, she had to do something. There was a lot at stake, and these people were about to blow the whole thing up before they even knew who was truly to blame. Lin couldn't let them do it, and she couldn't let her family get caught in the crossfire.
She looked down at Jeia and said, "Follow my lead," and then she ran out into the open and thrust up her arms. A rock wall erupted from the ground, spanning across several meters to try and cut off every one of the villagers heading away from their meeting spot. When Jeia saw what her mother intended, she stepped forward to help, until every route of escape was cut off and the villagers were forced to stop. As Lin had expected, some of them immediately whirled around and started hurling boulders at her, thinking they were under attack. Lin stopped most of the oncoming projectiles and thrust them back down into the ground, letting the rest miss her, while Jeia sidestepped and found a safe space up close to her mother to stand. There were shouts of confusion and a few more boulders that Lin had to swipe aside, but eventually the villagers seemed to realize that they weren't being attacked, and Yumae's shouts of, "Wait! Stop!" finally broke through.
Yumae stormed up to Lin and Jeia, all the while waving her arm at her fellow villagers and telling them, "Stand down! This is Chief Beifong!" But she wasn't thrilled to see Lin again so soon and demanded, "What the hell are you doing, Lin?"
"What the hell are you doing?" Lin countered, with just as much hostility. "I thought you called us here to help, and three days in you're ready to start a mutiny."
"It's not my decision to make," Yumae said. "It's all of ours. We can't let this go on. I thought that you would confront Xai, not defend him. We don't want to wait."
"Nobody is defending Xai here," Lin argued. "We're just trying to find the truth. Xai could just be a power-hungry asshole that has nothing to do with it, or maybe he is responsible for the kidnappings and the second you storm his mansion he orders the women be killed or sent off to where you'll never find them."
"He'll tell us where they are," Yumae said with certainty. "Once his defenses are gone, he'll crumble like the coward that he is."
"Come with us!" someone from the crowd called to Lin. "Help us destroy this corrupt system!"
"You don't even know who's corrupt!" Lin shouted back in exasperation. "How many police officers will you punish that are simply following orders? How many –"
A sudden rumble in the earth beneath them all cut her off, and Lin looked up to see several police officers rising above the rock wall she had erected herself. There were a lot of them, along with a dozen of Kuvira's soldiers, and Lin knew that the villagers that had amassed to storm Xai's mansion were not enough to break through the trained forces now looming above.
"Nobody move!" the one with the sheriff's badge called down to them. "You are all under arrest! Surrender mow and we'll all go to the station peacefully!"
"There will be no peace until Xai's reign has ended!" one of the villagers spat.
"We'll never surrender to you!" another called.
And then the battle was on.
Lin grabbed Jeia's hand and they both walked quickly backwards, away from the fray. Lin grabbed for the bison whistle around her neck, but she didn't make any sudden movements, fully sober on this occasion where she was on the wrong side of an encounter with the police. All she had to do was explain who she was, what she was doing there, and hope for the best. But she still blew into the whistle to call for Oogi, just in case. If she needed to make a quick getaway, she would need his help.
The villagers were fighting tooth and nail though, and it was exactly the sort of thing Lin had wanted to avoid. People were being dropped left and right, villagers and officers alike, people of the same town pitted against each other, fighting with a vengeance. Lin hoped that maybe she could back away without being spotted, her palms starting to sweat as she considered Jeia at her side and how to get the kid to safety, but Jeia was not thinking of herself. Like all of Lin's children, she had a mind of her own, and each of those minds tended to react like their parents', much to Lin's chagrin.
Yumae cried out as she was struck in the thigh and went down, and an officer descended upon her immediately, forcing her face first into the ground and roughly yanking her arms behind her back. She was wailing in pain just a few paces from Lin and Jeia, and it wasn't like they could just stand there and do nothing.
Jeia reacted first, thrusting her hand forwards, and the metal armband she wore shot across the distance and clamped onto the officer's wrist. Jeia yanked her hand upwards, and the officer yelped in surprise as he was suddenly yanked up into the air and thrown several meters away.
Lin and Jeia went over to Yumae, even as all of Lin's senses were telling her to leave, to protect Jeia at all costs. But they crouched next to Yumae instead, helped her sit up as she clutched at her leg. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she was staring at the bleeding gash in horror.
Jeia said, "It's not that bad," but it looked pretty bad to Lin.
Three officers came running over, shouting at them to, "Get on the ground! Hands behind your head!"
Lin raised her hands in a placating gesture as she said, "Just hang on a minute! We don't wanna fight you. I'm former Chief Beifong of Republic Cit –"
"Shut up and get down!" one of them cut her off, and Lin sighed in aggravation as she had to deflect a direct assault.
Jeia simply swiped her hand in response, and a motorcycle sitting in the driveway came flying, crashing into the three officers and knocking them backwards. The officers weren't too badly hurt from the blow, and they, along with the one that had hit Yumae, scrambled up and really set their sights on Lin and Jeia then.
"Get the kid!" one of them snarled, and Lin immediately surged to her feet again.
She stepped in front of Jeia with clenched fists and a firm stance as she growled, "Don't you fucking dare."
The village police didn't try to get close that time, hurling one attack after another at Lin, who had a hard time standing in one place. She couldn't roll away or dodge any of the bombardment without risking Jeia and Yumae behind her, so she had to grab every projectile and force it aside. Some she managed to throw back at the police, but she didn't have the time to focus on aiming when she had four people attacking her at different intervals. She was forced into the defensive, with little chance to fight back. If she could just find an opening, she knew she could throw all of them back at once. They weren't giving her a free second yet, but she knew it would come. One of them would falter, one of them would get tired, and the second they did, she would –
A fifth attacker came from the side, one of Kuvira's soldiers. Lin sensed him coming, sensed him gearing up for an attack, and sensed Jeia rising up to intercept it. When fire came roaring towards them, Lin was instantly distracted because she hadn't been expecting the change in bending and fire was a lot trickier to manage than what the earthbending police officers had been throwing at them. Jeia had never really learned much about fighting with fire. Lin had taught her the theories, but she had been hesitant to let anyone actually throw it at the kid. Mako was the only firebender they had around and he seemed just as hesitant to spar with Jeia when Lin was breathing down his neck. So Lin was worried, and she turned her head, and that was all the opening the police needed to finally hit her in the ribs and knock her to the ground.
Of course, Jeia managed to shield them all from the fire with no problem, and even sent her earth shield flying forward to smash into the soldier.
But Lin couldn't get back up, not yet. The blow she had needlessly taken had punched the air out of her, and her ribs were definitely bruised if not slightly worse, considering she hadn't been wearing her armor. In the time it took her to struggle up onto her knees, the police had begun to converge on them. Only Jeia was standing to take them on, and Lin reached out a desperate hand, prepared to do the worst to protect Jeia –
And then the air shifted in a way even Lin could feel, and relief rushed through her as Oogi came swooping down from above. He slammed into the ground between Jeia and the officers, stamping his feet threateningly and turning, thrashing his tail into the ground to create a powerful gust of wind that blew the officers away.
Jeia whooped in delight and went over to stand next to Oogi, patting the great beast on the head and hollering at the officers, "Take that!" And Oogi bellowed as if in agreement.
Lin struggled to her feet and over to Jeia, hurriedly urging the kid up onto Oogi, who nudged his head against Lin in greeting. She had rarely been so glad to see him, and she offered a tired smile as she patted his thick fur and breathlessly murmured, "Thanks, big guy. You came just in time."
Oogi dropped down to make it easier for Lin to climb up, probably sensing she was a little injured and needed the boost, but before she could, she had to go back for Yumae. Lin groaned as she lifted the other woman up, her ribs straining with the effort, and Yumae nearly collapsed when she put weight on her injured leg. Oogi shambled over so they wouldn't have to walk to him, but they never had a chance to climb to safety.
Jeia cried out, "Mama, look!"
She was pointing up at the sky, and Lin followed Jeia's gaze to see four shiny, great masses approaching. They were clearly militarized airships, and as they drew closer, Lin's stomach sank at the sight of Kuvira's military insignia emblazoned on the side.
-Probably just one more chapter or so to close this up and visit Su in Zaofu, and then the beginning of season 4 shall soon be upon us. It only took 90 chapters to get there lol. Thanks to all of you for hanging in there, and your encouraging reviews. Hope you enjoy, and until next time!-