Shen walked down the path of Avatar Korra Park. The sun shined upon the park's grassy lawns as turtle ducks waddled in the ponds. Shen pulled his hood tightly over his face to hide it. He wasn't supposed to be out by himself, but most of the police force was quelling protests downtown and Han wouldn't even speak to him.

Shen really messed up the night before, and he knew it. But how could he respond? Every apology he drafted in his mind seemed empty and meaningless. He needed advice from someone he could trust, but who could he trust now? Beware the ones whom you trust. They deceive you, Raava had said. Had Han betrayed him last night? "No," Shen said to himself. "I betrayed him."

Shen snapped back to the present as he suddenly felt his face bump into someone's back.

"Hey, watch it, kid," the man spat, glaring at him.

"Sorry!" He squinted at him for a second before turning back around. He carried a long boom that extended over the crowd of people that had formed. Shen went around the crowd to see what they were staring at.

A group of reporters were gathered at the statue of Avatar Korra in the center of the park, proudly gazing off into the distance as the statue's left foot stepped on the rock in front of it. Through the police tape and the dripping red paint, Shen could read out the words "FUCK THE AVATAR FUCK SHEN" messily sprayed onto the statue's hips and inner thigh. Standing at the base of the statue, loudly talking into microphones, was Chief Lu.

"Whoever did this—this Red Hand—they obviously have no allegiance to anyone. They seem to be not only against the police but also the Avatar. This person believes in no cause, except for chaos and destruction."

"Han…" Shen murmured. He imagined his friend, teary-eyed and angry, climbing up onto the statue's base and shaking the can of spray paint. Shen stared up at the monument of Han's newfound hate for him, his rage printed for all the world to see. In that moment, Shen felt as if there was no fixing their relationship.

He ran away from the crowd, straight towards the bay. "Jinora and Maki," he repeated to himself. "They're all I have left…"

###

Shen stepped off the ferry, where the same Air Acolyte from his last visit was waiting for him.

"Sir, I apologize, but we aren't open for tours today—"

"It's me," Shen said, slipping off his hood.

"Avatar Shen!" the acolyte exclaimed. "I'm so sorry, I almost didn't recognize you!" Dark circles had formed under Shen's eyes from lack of sleep, his face still slightly reddened and puffy from the night before.

"It's alright," Shen replied. "Are Maki and Jinora here? I need to speak with them again."

"Abbess Jinora is busy in the library," the acolyte said, "but Ms. Sato is with the children. Let me escort you to her." Suddenly, an excited Tara leapt from above, landing on Shen.

"Tara!"

"Sorry," Tara said grinning. She helped Shen up and wiped dirt off of his clothes. "Gran-Gran needs you in the library."

"What for?" The acolyte looked skeptical.

"She wanted some tea, I think."

"Can't you do it yourself? I'm busy here," they muttered, gesturing to Shen.

"Well, I don't think you really want me making tea after last time." The acolyte stared off, as if remembering a horrible memory. They rushed straight up the path.

"Bring the Avatar to Ms. Sato!" they yelled back.

"Will do!" Tara exclaimed, waving her hand in the air. She turned to Shen, who had been mostly ignored in that conversation.

"Hello, Shen!" she said cheerfully.

"Hello, Tara…"

"Where's your boyfriend? He was here last time, no?" She looked from side to side, as if expecting to find Han standing somewhere.

"He's… busy," Shen replied, not bothering to correct her.

"Oh, that's too bad. He was cute. Anyway, let's find Maki." She began to make her way down the path leading towards the main compound. Tara made it almost ten feet before she realized she had forgotten Shen.

"Hurry up, slowpoke!" She gestured for him to follow.

She skipped up the brick road, her long brown hair swaying from side to side. Shen struggled to keep up with the Air Nomad's brisk pace. As they approached the courtyard, Tara pointed to a distant figure sitting at the base of a statue.

"That's my great-uncle Meelo. Why don't we say hi?" Before Shen could reply, he could feel the wind whip through his face as she dragged him the rest of the way, barely touching the ground. They both stopped suddenly, and Shen was thrusted forward into the dirt.

"Oops, I keep doing that," Tara giggled. "Sorry about that, Shen!"

Shen grumbled a muffled "It's okay" as Tara helped him up again. She grabbed his arm again and dragged him to the person they had seen before. He was an old man, his bald head covered with blue airbender tattoos. His large eyes peered at the unfinished statue as he chipped at the stone.

"Uncle Meelo," Tara called. The man didn't respond.

"UNCLE MEELO!" she shouted again. The man turned.

"Eh? Oh, hello, Tara!" he smiled widely, revealing a set of very large teeth.

"This is the Avatar," she said, gesturing towards Shen. He waved, smiling as best he could.

"Eh? You don't look like Korra…"

"No, Uncle, this is—"

"Shen!" From under an archway on the other side of the courtyard, Maki called to him, surrounded by a group of children. She dragged her feet towards them, as two toddlers held onto her ankles. When she finally reached the statue, she was panting.

"Tara…" she said tiredly. "Could you take your cousins somewhere? I need to talk to Shen."

"Sure!" Tara replied cheerfully. She put her fingers in her mouth and whistled loudly. "Everyone! Let's play with the baby bison!" The children cheered and ran off with her.

When Maki walked up to Shen, she was still panting heavily. "Meelo's grandkids… are always… such trouble."

"Those are all Meelo's grandchildren?" Shen said, glancing at the dozens of children who were running off.

"Well…" Maki began, "those are the ones we know about." She winked. "Anyway, what happened? You look upset."

"What do you mean? I feel fine." Shen made a weak smile.

Maki frowned. "You really think I can't tell when someone isn't feeling well? Come on, let's sit somewhere private."

###

Shen and Maki were sitting in the parlor, sipping tea.

"So," Maki began. "Where's Han?"

"Things…" Shen felt a lump form in his throat, "haven't been going so well for us."

"Relationship problems?"

Shen froze. "We're not—"

"Come on," Maki said chuckling. "It's obvious. When you came here the first time, the two of you stared at each other's eyes deeply in the hall."

"Well," Shen said, blushing, "even if we were… do you have any advice for that?"

Maki smirked. "Ask me some hypotheticals."

"Hypothetically…" Shen began, "if one person wanted to be in a relationship, but the other was scared to… how do you work things out?"

Maki paused to think. "You have to be honest with how you feel. Cliché, I know. But, if one of you isn't prepared for it, then it won't be enjoyable for both of you."

"So it wasn't bad of me to let him down?"

"How did you let him down?"

Shen shrank into his seat. "I kinda… told him I hated him."

Maki cringed a little. "That's uh… not good."

"I know!" Shen said, throwing his hands in the air. "But how do I fix it?"

"Apologize."

"How do I apologize and not sound tacky?"

"Be honest, and tell him how you feel."

"That would never work," Shen said, slumping into his sweatshirt.

"It worked for me," she replied, smiling.

He looked surprised. "It has?"

Maki nodded. "When I first met Akna, I was just eighteen years old. I went with my mom, Avatar Korra, to the South Pole for a diplomatic mission. She worked in the chief's mansion, where we met. I thought she was a gorgeous, intelligent girl. We stayed there for several months of negotiations, and after a… passionate night, she told me she wanted to be with me. Now I wasn't so sure, but she persuaded me to talk to my mother.

"So I asked her if I could stay in the South Pole, with Akna, and she allowed us to. And—" She adjusted the hood of her maroon parka she was wearing to reveal a blue necklace. "We've been together ever since."

Shen still looked surprised. "So it's that easy to get in a relationship?"

"No," Maki shook her head, chuckling. "I think you missed the point. You have to be honest, and you shouldn't be afraid to do the right thing. If it works out, it works out. If it didn't, at least you were honest to yourself."

He nodded his head. "I think I get it now."

Maki smiled. "Great! Now wash your face, you look like you've been hit by a truck."

Shen chuckled and nodded. "Yes, ma'am!" He sat up from his seat and walked into the bathroom. He stared at himself in the mirror. It had been a while since he had actually looked at himself. He looked years older—Republic City really aged him. His green eyes seemed duller now, and he lost weight—his cheekbones were visible through his brown skin.

Shen thought about Han's eyes, like garnet crystals that shimmered under light. He was going to make right by him. He was going to fix things. He turned on the faucet and splashed the cool water into his face.