"So there I was, all alone in the frozen tundra, my friends captured behind enemy lines, and for all I know they're dead or being tortured." Bumi leaned over the table, staring at Kuvira with as serious and determined a storytelling face he could muster. "Naturally, it's up to me to save them all, whatever the cost! Now, since I figured out the spirits have a certain liking for music, I used my flute to tame fifty of them and sneak into the encampment. You'd think it would have been easier from there, but you'd be wrong! Because no sooner than I get into the camp, a massive blizzard hits! I'm talking winds so fierce it could sheer the skin from your bones, and as if that wasn't bad enough, the other spirits in the camp didn't like my music it all! Chased me clean through the storm—I thought I was a goner!"

Bumi whirled his arms, springing to life a miniature tornado on the top of the table. "To make matters worse, no less than three ice tornadoes sprang to life right in the middle of the camp and nearly sucked me into a frigid vortex! But I hung on for dear life, because I knew if I failed here then my friends were done for, and they needed me! So once the tornadoes started to die down..."

Kuvira drowned out the rest of Bumi's story. Her eyes glazed over, staring at the man with disinterest twisted across her face. This had been going on for hours now, each one of Bumi's stories more ridiculous than the last. At first, they hadn't been so bad. His stories had at least been something to listen to, a way to pass the time. Now, she wished for the previous silence of her prison cell. Each new story brought more and more outrageous exaggerations, swiftly destroying any possible amusement.

As Bumi continued to drone on—something about fighting off a colony of tiger seals with his bare hands—she let her focus wander around the enormous atrium of the airship. Bolin and Opal sat with each other on one of the cushioned seats near the windows, reading a book together. At the central table, Lin and Kya had set up a Pai Sho board. From the way Lin was scowling, Kya was likely winning. As far as Kuvira knew, Korra had gone up to the viewing deck on top of the airship so she could meditate, while Asami piloted from the cockpit. Anraq, meanwhile, had been napping on one of the couches for the past couple hours after his latest healing session with Kya. As for Toph, there was no sign of her. The old woman had disappeared somewhere in the airship shortly after takeoff and hadn't been seen since.

Moments later, Kuvira noticed Anraq stirring on the couch. She immediately pushed away from the table and stood up. "This has been fascinating, Bumi. Truly. But I'm I need to stretch my legs."

"Oh sure, no problem," the former commander replied. He leaned back in his chair and kicked his feet up on the table. Bum-Ju fluttered up and landed on his shoulder. "Just be sure to hurry back. I'm almost at the part where I rode a pack of otter penguins into the ocean!"

Kuvira hurried away, only stopping when she reached the couch beside Anraq. With a tired huff, she flopped down onto the couch and slumped forward.

"Well, you look like you're having a blast," Anraq said, stretching his arms out with a yawn.

"I don't know how many more of Bumi's stories I can take," she muttered. "They might not be so bad if he didn't butter them up with so many ridiculous exaggerations, but I swear he's going to drive me insane."

Anraq sat upright and kicked his feet up on the table in front of the couch. "Don't sweat it, we're not trapped on this airship with him for too long. You'll survive."

"If you say so." Her gaze lingered, studying the outfit Anraq wore. It was a traditional Water Tribe warrior uniform, blue and white in color, fringed with a bit of fur with armored bracers and shin guards. Incredible how different he looked, outside of his usual guard uniforms. "So, I don't think I mentioned before, but you look good."

Anraq chuckled. "Don't I always?"

"I mean the outfit," she said. "I've only ever seen you in Republic City's police uniform, or Zaofu's guard uniform, but this is... I mean, it looks nice."

"See, I told you I look way better in Water Tribe blue," he said, with a matter-of-fact nod. "But thanks. This is actually an older style warrior uniform. I've always liked the way it looks, though."

She smiled. "Well, I like it, too."

Anraq's own smirk widened. "Why Kuvira, are you trying to flatter me?"

"So what if I am?"

He laughed again, shifting a glance towards Lin and Kya at the atrium's central table. "Anyway, Kya told me to see her when I woke up. Still quite a bit sore, but one more treatment and I should be good as new."

"Take it easy, Anraq," she said, giving him a parting wave.

When he was gone, she looked back to the table she'd been sitting at before. Bumi sat engaged in apparent deep conversation with his dragonfly bunny spirit friend. Good a chance as any to slip away unnoticed, before he could rope her into another story. Keeping a close watch on the former commander, she slinked away from the couch towards a nearby ladder that led up to the second deck balcony. When she was sure she was out of sight, she clamored up the ladder and ducked behind the balcony railing. A relieved sigh eased from her throat. Maybe now she could find some peace.

Her relief vaporized when she noticed the person lounging on a padded seat near the balcony window. Toph. Kuvira's insides somersaulted, spinning upside down so fast she nearly doubled over. The old woman lay on her back, hands folded across her chest, eyes closed. At the very least, she didn't seem to be moving. Maybe sleeping? That would be for the best. The last time she and Kuvira had interacted had been eight years ago during the Earth Empire fiasco, back when Kuvira had taken the Beifong family hostage. Compared to any possible conversation with Toph, she might entirely prefer Bumi's outrageous stories. If she could stay quiet, she could slip back down to the lower deck without being noticed.

No such luck.

"I can feel how tense you are from over here," Toph muttered, opening one of her eyes. Not that she could see with that eye, but it let Kuvira know she was awake. "If you have something you want to say, just spit it out already."

Kuvira's heart leaped into her throat. So much for getting away unnoticed. Her thoughts swam, searching for something to say to the old woman. What could she say? According to Toph, Kuvira 'gave metalbenders a bad name', and rightfully so. When Toph had last seen her as the Great Uniter, she'd been shame to metalbenders everywhere.

"Well? You going to say something, or are you just going to sit there stewing in your own misery?"

Kuvira forced out her breath. Well, no sense in running away now that she'd been noticed. After a moment's pause, she made her way over to the couch and sat down next to the lounging old woman. "Toph, I just want to officially apologize for what I did to your family five years ago." She stared at the floor, shoulders slouching. "I made so many mistakes back then, and I lost my way. I'm sorry. It was never my intention to hurt anyone the way I hurt them. The way I hurt you. And Su."

"Hmph, so you feel bad, that right?" Toph heaved out a gruff breath and closed her eyes again. "Big whoop, get over yourself."

A sharp pang of guilt shot through her chest. "Excuse me?"

"You screwed up and people got hurt because of it. Yeah, it sucks, but it happens all the time. You know what else happens all the time?" Toph opened both her eyes now, and turned her blind stare towards Kuvira. "People learning from their mistakes. Seems to me like you've learned quite a bit from yours."

Kuvira scrunched her eyebrows. Where was this old woman going with this? Did Toph hold a grudge, or was she trying to be encouraging? For the life of her, she couldn't tell which. "Well, I—I mean, I've tried."

"You know what your problem is? You're so worried about what other people think of you, and whether or not they can move past the things you've done, that you can't move past it yourself. How do you expect anyone else to treat you differently when you're still stuck beating yourself up over your past mistakes?" Toph scoffed, letting her head fall back against the seat cushion. "Suck it up already and let it go. Yeah, you screwed up. You made mistakes. You hurt people. So what? You learned from it, and now you're a better person because of it. Once you realize that yourself, other people will, too."

Kuvira sat straighter. So, Toph was being encouraging, then? In her own way. But what kind of sense did that make? If anyone would still hold a grudge against her, she'd expect it to be Toph. "How can you be so sure of that?"

"You do realize who you're talking to, right?" Toph sat up in her seat, a frown creasing across her wrinkled face. "I can feel these things. I know you're being sincere. Believe me, I could tell if you were trying to pull one over on me. But I'm not the only one who could see it. Su saw it, as did the rest of her family. They forgave you and welcomed you back, and if they forgave you, I don't have any reason to hold a grudge, especially since you're not the same person you were back then."

"You don't think so?"

"Of course not. The dictator I encountered back then—she was tense, on edge, rigid like a metal beam, always trying to hide her emotions behind a wall of stone. But you?" Toph turned her head and sniffled in a breath. "You feel entirely different now. You're softer, looser, like grass blowing in the wind. My point is, I can tell just by you sitting right next to me that you're not hiding behind that wall anymore. So no, you're not the same person. At least, not in my eyes."

Toph fell back on the couch, cackling at her own joke. When she settled down, she huffed out a deep breath and rested her hands on her abdomen. "In any case, you've earned a second chance, I'd say. Heck, if we could give Zuko a second chance back then, after he chased us across the world, tried to kidnap Aang and kill us more times than I can count, and hired a combustionbending psychopath to assassinate us, I'm pretty sure we can give you one, too."

Kuvira watched the wold woman with an air of confusion. Of all the words she'd have expected Toph to say to her, she never could have imagined that. Surely, it was some kind joke? In what world could someone as highly regarded as Toph Beifong believe she deserved a second chance, when so many other people still hated her? She sighed, letting her gaze fall to the floor. "Some people don't seem to think so."

"Well of course not," Toph replied. "You can't please everyone, no matter what the situation. There's always going to be people who hate you, just like there's always going to be people who love you. You think everyone in the world loves everything the Avatar does? Heck no. Whatever decision she makes, there are people who will like it, and people who won't. You're no different. There are people who will hate you because of the things you've done, but there are also people who will love and forgive you. The sooner you realize you can't control that and accept it, the sooner you can move forward." The old woman rolled over onto her side and curled up, head resting on the cushioned arm of the couch. "So stop moping, start forgiving yourself, and stop worrying so dang much about what other people think of you."

"I..." Kuvira exhaled another breath, closing her eyes. "I'm trying."

"Well, try harder." Toph raised a hand and waved her off. "Now give me some peace and quiet. I need a nap."

Korra made her way up the stairs leading to the cockpit with a deep yawn, and lengthy stretch of her arms. She hadn't meant to meditate for a solid three hours, but the session had done wonders in leaving her refreshed. After the turmoil of the past few days, she'd needed it. Making her way into the cockpit, she stepped behind the pilot's chair and rested her hands on the back of her girlfriend's shoulders. "So, how far out are we from Ba Sing Se?"

"Should be arriving some time tomorrow morning," Asami replied, maintaining her focus on the windshield ahead of her. "I'll probably stay up and fly us the whole way, then sleep when we get there."

"Doesn't the airship have an autopilot?"

"It does, but I need something to keep my mind occupied."

Korra's gaze wavered, looking over the edge of the cockpit balcony into the atrium down below, where she noticed Kuvira climbing down the ladder from the second deck balcony. No need to question any further what Asami meant. "Right, sorry."

"I'll be fine," Asami said, with a simple shrug. "Oh, and I just got off the long range radio with Ba Sing Se. According to what they told me, all three Earth Republic prime ministers have gathered there for their annual council summit in a few days."

Korra's nerves pulsed. "All three?"

"Yeah, including their special advisers, and anyone involved in the governing body of the Earth Republic." Asami's stare hardened. "You thinking what I am?"

"That Zaheer is definitely going to be making his attack during the meeting?" Korra nodded. "Yeah, I'd bet the Avatar Cycle on it. Why waste time running around the nation to attack them individually when you could take them down all at once?"

"Exactly. We'll need to be at that meeting."

"I'll make sure we are. When Zaheer makes his move, we'll be ready to stop him." Korra punched her fist into her palm to emphasize the point. "I'll go let the others know about the plan."

"Alright." Asami turned a knob on the dashboard, and eased up on the controls. "I'll be here if you need me."

Yao let out a tired yawn, as he pressed the button to allow the next vehicle through the outer wall of Ba Sing Se. Damn gate duty. Of all the jobs he'd ever been assigned, this was by far the most boring. Nothing ever changed. Check people's credentials. Let them in or not. Send them away. All. Damn. Day. The only excitement ever came when they had to detain suspicious individuals to question them, and those instances were few and far between. Oh well. At least it was an easy job, if nothing else.

A large delivery truck rolled up to the gate, prompting Yao to sit up seat and stretch out his arms. Deliveries meant he'd actually get out of his seat for a few minutes. Looking into the driver's window, he repeated the same line he said to everyone who came through the gates. "What business do you have in Ba Sing Se?"

The man in the driver's seat looked him, but kept his head tilted low, the brim of a large rice hat covering the upper half of his face. "Just making a delivery."

Yao tapped his fingers against his desk. "What's your product?"

"Rice."

"I see." He looked beyond the man towards the passenger's seat. A young girl with long dark hair falling straight down to her mid-back sat there, dressed in Earth Republic garb. Couldn't be much older than seventeen or eighteen, from the look of it. "And what about her? She looks a little young to be working deliveries."

The girl scoffed. "Please, I'm almost twenty. Hardly too young to have a job."

The man grunted, turning a side-eye towards the girl. "She's my daughter. Take your kid to work day, you know how it is."

"Ugh, don't use that as an excuse not to pay me," the girl said, folding her arms indignantly across her chest. "It's the least you can do for bringing me with you. Honestly, your job is so lame. Why couldn't you have done something interesting with your life, like Mother? She's a United Forces commander. Now that would have been a fun day."

"Don't bring your mother into this..."

"And why not? It's your fault she left us, you know. If you hadn't been fooling around with that waitress in Omashu..."

A deep frown twisted across the man's face, fingers tensing around the steering wheel. "Well, perhaps if your mother had ever been home, instead of always stationed elsewhere, I wouldn't have had to seek comfort in the arms of another woman."

"Uhhh, okay..." Yao cleared his throat and stood up, making his way out of the gate booth. Probably best to get this over with. Family drama was so not his thing. "Anyway, I'm going to need to see your papers and check your shipment. Standard procedure."

The man handed over a couple slips of paper. "Of course, here you are."

Yao took the papers and flipped through them. Seemed legitimate enough, from what he could tell. Not like anyone would need to forge a delivery for rice. When the papers checked out, he made his way around the back of the truck and opened the rear doors to find several crates within. He opened the two nearest him, revealing dry white rice stacked to the brims. Satisfied, he closed the crates, closed the doors, and returned to his booth. "Alright, looks like you're all set. Enjoy your day."

"As if I could enjoy myself with him," the girl muttered, with a disgusted groan.

When the gate raised, allowing the truck to pass into Ba Sing Se, Aoi hummed out a confident breath. "You see, I told you I could act. This isn't the first time I've infiltrated Ba Sing Se, after all."

"Is that so?" Zaheer pushed the brim of his rice hat up and glanced at her. "And when would you have done that?"

"Oh, I don't know, quite some time ago," she replied, with a shrug. "Don't remember exactly."

When the truck rumbled into the Lower Ring, Zaheer turned down onto a side street. No one gave them a second glance. "You seem to have accomplished quite a lot for someone so young."

"What can I say? I've been around."

"Or you make empty boasts in an attempt to elevate yourself in the eyes of your peers."

Aoi's brow lowered into a glare "Are you calling me a liar?"

"Are you?"

Aoi scoffed, turning to look out the window. "Well, if I were, I certainly wouldn't tell you."

Zaheer parked the truck at the mouth of an alley and uttered a tired sigh. This girl... "Aoi, you're still young, but you're already very talented. You don't need to exaggerate your feats to gain standing in the Red Lotus. You already have that. And with us, you will accomplish more than you ever dreamed of."

"Oh, I doubt that," she said, pushing her door open. "But I suppose I'll take your word for it."

The pair made their way around the back of the truck and opened the doors. Two of the crates inside shifted, lids bursting off. Sprays of rice scattered throughout the back of the truck as two forms emerged—from one of the crates, Yuruk, and from the other, Avan.

Yuruk spat out a mouthful of rice and brushed his hands through his hair. "Well, that was unpleasant. Explain again why you had to stuff us into crates to get through the walls?"

"Like I said before, an innocent delivery is far less conspicuous than four unknown travelers looking to visit Ba Sing Se," Zaheer replied. "The guards would be far less likely to ask us questions, and look into our backgrounds. The less suspicion we raise, the better."

"Still, did it have to be rice?" Yuruk blew out another few grains from his mouth. "I'm going to be picking this shit out of places I didn't even know I had."

Avan climbed out of his crate with a simple grunt, and hopped out of the truck. "Complain if you want, but it worked."

"Yeah, yeah," Yuruk muttered. He cleaned as much of himself off as he could before following out of the truck. "So we four got in okay, but what about the rest of our members? We're going to need them to attack the state house in three days."

Zaheer looked to the former Dai Li commander. "Avan?"

"The new state house is located in what used to be the royal palace, in the Upper Ring," Avan said. "There's a tunnel system that runs beneath it, and stretches throughout most of the city."

"Of course there is," Aoi said, with a roll of her eyes. "You Dai Li and your underground hideouts. Like a pack of creepy badger moles, I swear."

Avan turned a brief glare towards her before continuing, "The tunnels were caved in back when the Dai Li was disbanded, but in the three days until the council summit, I should be able to clear a path from the city to Lake Laogai. Our members can make their way to the city from there, once they enter the Agrarian Zone through the hidden gap in the Outer Wall I marked for them."

Aoi raised a brow. "I thought the caverns beneath Lake Laogai were flooded?"

"They are, which is where Yuruk comes in."

Yuruk frowned, as the other three turned to him him. "Oh, so I just have to drain an underground lake, is that all? Yeah, that'll be fun."

"The sooner we get started, the better," Zaheer said. "We only have a few days."

Avan nodded towards one of the nearby streets. "The closest entrance to the tunnels is in the Middle Ring, near the market. Follow me."