A/N: Here is the next chapter! I do apologize for the delay, a family member of mine has been in the ICU with COVID so I really wasn't in any mood or shape to be writing. Everything seems good! He has been making steady progress and recently he just came off the ventilator so that was amazing news! Please take care of yourselves too please, I wouldn't wish this virus on anyone.

As always, reviews are appreciated!

"I think I might've said this before-" I huff, staring out of the window to the dimly lit courtyard below us, "-but we really do manage to find ourselves in the middle of everything." My eyes trail over the controls of Lin's airship with mild curiosity, hardly noticing her soft glance as I absentmindedly brush against her.

She doesn't get a chance to answer as Bumi's voice erupts over the radio incoherently.

"What does that mean?" Lin radios back, confusion and worry falling over her, "Are you in trouble?"

"What?! No. We have the airbenders now - bring in the airships." Bumi corrects.

"Copy that." Lin returns, putting the ship to work.

"Why didn't he just say that?" I mutter, jumping into action to get the doors open for the rescue team. In the meantime, Lin maneuvers the ship low enough for the recently rescued airbenders and Bumi to climb aboard. I watch as a final pair scrambles inside, chests heaving from their sprint to freedom.

"That's the last of us." Bumi huffs, out of breath from his own climb up the scaffolding. Turning on my heels, I yell up the ladder to Lin to let her know we're all set, holding tight to one of the ladder rungs as we take off again.

As soon as we're out of range from the Dai Li, I make a few rounds to ensure everyone is injury free. Aside from some severe bruising though everyone seems to have made it out in one piece. It's potentially one of our better rescues.

I rejoin Lin after double and triple checking that everyone really is uninjured. As I climb the ladder I can hear Bumi below in the background trying to recount one of his Navy stories to the group.

"Any word from the others?" I breath, perching myself on the floor at the ladder entrance.

"All clear. We just need to find a spot to regroup."

We finally set down in an abandoned mountain town to meet with Tenzin to discuss our next plan of action. Lin and I stick to the original plan to safeguard Korra, Lin having done everything but stuff Korra in her airship before course, Korra has no intention of returning to Republic City so instead we'll be along with her for the journey to find more airbenders. Meanwhile, Tenzin will take any airbenders to the Northern Air Temple to train.

We make stops every now and then to resupply and rest, Lin grumbling continuously under her breath about how she'd rather have Korra back in Republic City. Korra just ignores her. But even though she'd rather be elsewhere, Lin and Mako listen to the radio for any reports about new airbenders emerging.

Today we're stopped along a river in the mountains, a nice spot Korra chose so that Naga could stretch her legs while we wait for any new reports. I can't help but fight a smile as I watch Naga try to interact with Lin. The ever charming stoic Chief of Police watching and refusing to throw Naga's ball no matter how many times the polarbear dog whines.

I give Lin a pat on the arm before launching the ball myself with a water tentacle. Naga digging up dirt as she turns tail and takes off after it.

"We just got a call about an airbender-" Mako announces, jumping as Asami jolts his arm.

"-in a city called Zaofu, home of the metal clan." She finishes, smiling excitedly.

I blanch at the name of our next stop. Its been years. I look over my shoulder at Lin, my stomach sinking as I catch her staring at me. We break eye contact as korra looks to her.

"Have you been there?" Korra asks, petting Naga as she returns with her ball. Lin shamelessly denies having any ties to the city.

"Well Riya you've been all over - ever hear of it?" Korra's eyes watch me with excited curiosity. I keep my emotions masked, fighting the urge to glance at Lin. There's really no shame in saying yes is there?

"Yea - um, I spent some time there."

"Good you can give us a rundown on it." Asami perks up pulling me to the ship.

"Well I mean it was year and years ago. Things are bound to have changed since then - " Asami won't hear it. Any information is good information to her apparently.

We set off as soon as Naga is safely aboard the ship, Korra using a few jerky snacks to bribe her back in. Meanwhile, Asami picks my brain for details about what to look for and where exactly they should head. After all these years, I still know the way, whether by airship or foot. She and the rest of the group also take the time to ask me all sorts of questions to which I give my best reply, following it up with a simple shrug of my shoulders and saying "But really, it was so long ago."

It's only just reached midday as we finally narrow in on the city, the glittering city reflecting the days sunlight like water on the river. It's almost blinding.

I spare a glance at Lin in back as she makes no move to look at the sparkling city below. I bite my lip, nervous that Lin's mood is coming from the fact that we're currently approaching the city where I had spent a considerable amount of time in a past relationship. I sneak to Lin's side as we begin our descent, the rest of the group too caught up in landing and taking in the sights they could see. Nevertheless Lin and I speak in rushed and hurried tones.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"You don't seem like it."

"Well I am." Lin says a bit too snappy. We both look over to make sure no one heard us, but Bolin is pressed against the glass and taking all the attention at the moment.

I take a deep breath, suddenly feeling too tired to deal with lin's mood at the moment. I just want to get this over and done with so I decide to take the brunt of this...argument.

"Look if this is because we're in the same city where I dated my last girlfriend I-"

"-What?" Lin looks clueless before shaking her head. "It's not that." She snaps back, still keeping her voice low.

"Well what-"

"It's nothing." She turns away, crossing her arms. She sits there unmoving as I watch her, waiting for her to break down and explain. But I know Lin well enough to understand there's no chance of her opening up with Korra and her friends are around.

I frown, muttering a terse 'Fine' as I leave Lin to sit and stew in her feelings. With any luck we'll get a moment together later in the evening.

We land with no issues, Mako catching sight of a few guards and a rather prominent looking man below waiting to greet us as we descend. Korra and her friends are more than eager to exit the ship and explore, but Lin is what makes Korra do a double take as she stays sulking in her seat. Korra even opens her mouth to ask why she isn't moving but Lin just barks an order for us to hurry up and get the airbender.

"And don't tell anyone I'm here." She snaps.

I fight wanting to spare a backwards glance at her but that's a short lived thought. As soon as I see the city in it's full glory before us I smile, suddenly chomping at the bit to get going so we can fit some sightseeing in. Lin's 'orders' wait. The surrounding landscape in the mountains was always one of the highlights of the city and today is a beautiful day - clear blue skies and a nice cross breeze to keep us cool.

The man Mako had seen introduces himself as Aiwei, someone I'm not well acquainted with. After all, I wasn't privy to the business side of Zaofu's leader.

Aiwei leads us on a tour through the city, pointing out the City's more renowned landmarks. We even pass the statue dedicated to Toph Beifong while we ride on the rail system, the metal sculpture bringing up a tidal wave of memories from the first time I was here. That was when I first met her and she gave me a tour of her own favorite spots.

"Hey, you okay?" Asami is at my side, nudging my elbow. I try to hide my jump and clear my throat.

"Just getting caught up in some memories." Asami only nods, letting me sink into my memories again.

A shiver of dread passes through me as the railway cart suddenly veers off the main rail to head farther north of the city, to the Governor's estate. My stomach twists and my chest tightens, the rail cart darkening as we enter a tunnel. Moments later, the space grows light once more as we reach the opposite side, my heart pounding as I see the grounds stretching out on either side of us.

Bolin lets out an exasperated gasp and I smile, grateful for his excited antics as they pull my out of my dread. I silently join the group in admiring the scenery around us as we exit the train car.

When I was first here there weren't as many buildings, just the main house and some extra guest houses...but now? It's like its own sprawling green metropolis. There's still the main house a ways off, surrounded by beautifully manicured lawns and shining buildings that I can only guess are guest houses, security barracks, or even just studios for the Governor's random hobbies.

Aiwei leads us to one building in particular, a gymnasium with large windows to allow for natural light to rain in. We hear the sounds of soft music and the shuffle of feet as a group practices on the mats currently. Based on their movements, I see that it's a dance troupe.

I step lightly, mentally preparing myself to see a few familiar faces soon. It's a feeling similar to being in the lion's den, except the lions have yet to show themselves.

"They're practicing for a premiere next month." Aiwei announces. We watch them finish up their performance, Mako noting the flower in the middle of them all that takes shape as they move - a lily or a lotus. It's made of metal too!

"That's amazing." Asami says.

"That's it for today girls." I hear the familiar voice ring out over everyone else, trying to prepare myself for the worse. Would she yell? Would she be angry? Is she going to scream? Not that I'd ever heard the Governor herself scream during the time I'd known her-

"This is the matriarch of the Metal Clan. Suyin." Aiwei announces, gesturing to the woman beside him.

"Call me Su." She smiles, brushing a bit of hair behind her as she takes in the sight of our group.

Maybe she doesn't recognize me. I mean, it has been 4 years. Maybe 5?

"Nice to finally meet you Avatar Korra." She beams in her usual cheerful deameanor.

"You're a dancer." I can practically see the intrigue shining in Korra's eyes even as she stares ahead at Suyin.

"Dancer, Leader, Mother, Wife, Collector of rare antiquities." Su lists off, charming the group. I bite the inside of my cheek, anxious for our remaning introductions. "And you must be Mako, Bolin, and Asami." She smiles, stepping forward to brush past them.

"And I always love a visit from Riala." Suyin beams, stepping forward and pulling me into a hug, "I hope you don't mind Riya but its just been too long."

I can feel the sudden influx of eyes on me as Su greets me like an old friend in front of everyone. I shyly slide out of Su's embrace just as she steps back and Aiwei leans over to whisper in here ear. Korra narrows her eyes, her brow furrowed at the sheer confusion. I shrug, ready to explain myself and how Su and I know each other but the Metal Clan Matriarch steps in.

"Why did you lie when you said no one else was with you?"

Korra and I share a final look between one another, my stomach flipping as I look from Aiwei to Su. Korra is the first to offer some attempt to cover our lie.

"I- we didn't. I mean-" I watch her resolve fade away. "How did you know I was lying?"

"Thanks to Aiwei there are no secrets in the city." Su says matter-of-factly. I give Korra a look, silently telling her to tread carefully, both of us aware how much of a mood Lin was already in when we left her. It has no effect on her though and Korra just looks at me regretfully as she tells Su that Lin Beifong was aboard their ship as well.

"Lin's here? I would love to say hello." I side step in front of Su, staring incredulously at her as she says Lin's name so easily. Like a memory suddenly thrust to the front of her mind.

"How do you know her?" I ask, scrutinizing her. How does she know Lin?

"You're joking right?" She chuffs, smirking as I stare pleadingly at her. She tilts her head, confusion and hurt passing over her features. She nods then suddenly, realization hitting her as I continue waiting for her answer. "Lin never told you about me." She stares off sadly.

"Why would she?" Korra asks with a shrug. Yes, why would she? I think to myself, wanting to snap back.

"I'm lin's sister."

'Okay that was not what I was expecting', I think, my mind rushing to find any memory where Lin mentioned a sister or ANY type of sibling.

I take a step back, trying and finding the family resemblance here and there now that I think about it. It's not a big resemblance though, it's something you'd have to look in order to find.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Korra asks. I continue watching Su until I realize Korra is in fact looking at me.

"How was I supposed to know? I knew Su for over a year and she never once mentioned Lin, let alone even having a sister."

"Well, she's your girlfriend." She huffs, throwing her hands up exasperatedly. My jaw drops a fraction as she announces this for everyone to hear. I shut my mouth and glare at her as she realizes what she's done, everyone but her and I reacting in a quiet surprise.

Bolin with his dramatic faces has wide eyes and is pushing on his cheeks with too much force. Mako being ever the reserved young man is desperately trying to avoid making eye contact and as I glance at Asami she stares wide-eyed at the floor as she processes this new information. And Korra? God I can't even be livid at her like I want to be as she puckers her lips with red cheeks and a cringe worth expression plastered on her face.

"Well apparently I don't know her as well as I should." I huff, throwing my hands up and storming out of the building. "Look I didn't mean to upset anyone. But I'd like to see her if I could." I hear on the way out. Great. Even better! I think snarkily.

All my anxiety over seeing Suyin after all these years is nothing compared to how I'm feeling now. How is Lin going to react now that everyone here knows? And now suddenly we managed to meet her sister too? I just roll my eyes and grit my teeth, anxious about Lin and simultaneously angry with her. If she'd mentioned this earlier we could've avoided all this surprise and sudden awkwardness.

The group takes a few minutes to deliberate before they exit the building, giving me time to pull myself together somewhat. I stand quietly off to the side, silently fuming the entire ride back to the airship.

God of all the times I'd talked with lin about my own family and she never said anything. I know things are rough between her and Toph but to completely skip over any mention of her sister? Or even having a sibling in the first place?

This might explain her mood though.

I continue cycling through my thoughts, not noticing as Su sits beside me.

"So you and Lin then?" She whispers, careful not to draw any eavesdroppers into the conversation.

"Yes." I say through gritted teeth, seeing Su out of the corner of my eye as she watches me.

"I'm sorry you had to find out this way." She says suddenly. I frown, staring at the floor of the train car.

"You know I'm not upset with you, I'm upset with Lin." I turn to her, my emotions boiling so close to the surface. "God, the number of times she could have told me-" My voice grows louder and Su puts a hand in mine, turning so her back is to the rest of the car to try and blocking our conversation off.

"I know, I know." She grips my hand, using the other to pet my arm. "Look Lin and I have always had issues, and apparently, she still let's it affect her." I take a deep breath. "You have a right to be mad and - please don't tell her I said that - and you deserve to know more about her."

"No, I know." I sigh once more. "But I also can't believe that I'm still so wound up with people from my past." Su pats my arm affectionately, her eyes conveying how in tune she was to my emotions during our sudden reunion.

"You should've seen your face though when you walked in." Su chuckles. "You thought I was going to hurt you didn't I?" She continues laughing, and whether its the situation or the immense relief flooding me as I realize that she's happy to see me...I laugh too.

"Now here I am dating your sister and I'm still waiting for you to do something." I joke. Su still smiles and holds my hand, shaking her head playfully.

"I've always told my kids that their business is theirs. When you and Kuvira split I was sad to see her upset, but even I knew you two had your different plans. It was for the best in the long run." She gives my shoulder a motherly squeeze. "You finished your waterbending training I hear." I smile and nod at her, grateful to have this bit of closure with her. "Well I'm glad. I just hope you know what you're doing. Lin is not an easy person to get along with." She smirks, shaking her head with a dramatic flourish of her hair.

I nod quietly beside her, thinking about her words. If Lin can't even tell me about her sister then...what? Where does that leave us? Am I being dramatic? I shut that thought out of my head. The least she could have done was say she didn't like talking about her family. She didn't have to cut out any mention of her sister. Something would have been better than nothing.

The moment that Su and Lin meet, neither of them can stop bickering. And I can barely look at Lin without shaking my head and that only seems to make the older Beifong more frustrated.

The mention of Lin's niece is the only thing that makes me perk up. She's the new airbender we're looking for. Oh how cruel fate is. My thoughts drift to my own family currently a hundred or so miles away. I want to be involved in my family's life as much as I can but here Lin hasn't even met her own niece.

"30 years?" I just about yell as Lin let's that little bit of information slip. I walk off the airship to get some space from this disaster family reunion. 30 years she hasn't seen or talked to her sister? I just shake my head as I pace back and forth outside.

Begrudgingly, Lin leaves the ship to join the group and our trip back to Su's estate. I can hardly look at Lin without frowning or making any sort of annoyed face. She knows nearly everything about me and here I hardly know the basics about her. Korra senses our frustrated moods and steers clear of either of us, making sure to stay close to Su as she gives us a tour and a introduces us to her family.

Seeing Wei and Win play power ball gives me a sense of nostalgia. I'd only seen them play once or twice, only just testing their rules and ideas for the game. I give the two of them a wave after Win misses a shot, the boys look confused at first but they're quick to recognize me once they realize.

Next is Huang, and might as well be Lin's son the way he barely acknowledges anyone else. I take a calming breath, aware of how I'm just projecting my own feelings. But really, he hardly gives our group a wave when Su calls for her son's attention. I remember how he used to be a rowdy teen causing trouble with his younger brothers, Kuvira was usually if not always annoyed with them.

Continuing on our tour, Su leads us across the gardens to her only daughter, Opal. Out of the corner of my eye I see Bolin eagerly step forward to introduce himself, the pair of them seeming to get along quite well.

"Great, we found the airbender. Let's take her back to the airship and get out of here." Lin barks, looking anywhere but at Opal and Suyin.

"And the woman apparently trying to abduct you is your Aunt Lin." Su huffs. Despite being called out directly, Lin continues to avoid them, acting as if she didn't even hear her sister.

"Really? I've always wanted to meet you, my mother's told me so many stories about you."

My heart aches as Opal steps forward, looking at Lin with so much hope and excitement.

"I'm sure she has." She mutters.

"So I've set you all up in the guest houses for now while Korra trains opal." Su smiles, pride evident in her eyes as she looks at her daughter. Korra is quick to jump in and try to clear up the confusion, but Su is clear and a precise - Opal is expected to stay and train in Zaofu with her family.

"Absolutely not! We're leaving." Lin interjects, looking to her sister finally.

"She's just a little worried that there's a bunch of crazy criminals after me." Korra shrugs,

"If you're concerned about Korra, this is the safest city in the world." Su smiles, the suggestion making Lin glare even harder at her sibling. Thankfully Su ends that discussion and informs us that she'll see us soon at dinner, leaving us a little time to regroup and decompress finally.

"Why do you have such a problem with your sister? She seems nice." I watch Lin turn away from Korra's optimism, coming face-to-face with me. She turns back around, deciding she'd rather put up with Korra instead. I roll my eyes.

"Come on, we can stay a little while." Korra says, earning a growl from Lin before she storms off.

"What a keeper." Korra jokes as I shuffle up beside her.

"Shut it." I warn, quickly following after lin.

We've got a lot to discuss.

Lin and I find the guest houses easy enough, the entire way here Lin seemed to know what was coming, not walking fast enough to lose me but just enough so that I wasn't walking with her. She leaves the door wide open for me once she storms through.

I want to avoid slamming the door in case anyone else is nearby but my grip slips and it slams shut either way, setting me off once more after having been calm during our little tour.

"You have a sister?" I yell, taken aback when I don't find Lin standing in the living room. She doesn't answer from any of the rooms either so I sit on the sofa, waiting to see which door she'll walk out of.

Water runs from a faucet behind a door on my right before she exits, refusing to meet my gaze and entering an adjacent room.

"No we are not." She replies tersely. I jump up and follow her, sad that I have to argue with her rather than enjoy the well decorated guest house and it's four poster bed.

"Lin you completely skipped over the fact that you have a whole sister! You didn't tell me! Me. Your girlfriend." Lin spots our bags by the dresser and starts to unload her's. "You're making me feel like this doesn't matter. That I'm not that important." I continue, still standing in the doorway as she moves around the room. "Is there anything else you need to disclose? A father? Another sibling? Do you in fact know where your mother is?" I scowl, sarcastic and angry.

"Riya, I don't want to talk about this!" She snaps suddenly, throwing her spare clothes into the dresser.

"Well if you did before you could've saved me some embarrassment! Especially when Korra let it slip that we're dating! How do you think that makes me feel when I can't even explain why I didn't know su was your sister in the first place?"

We pause a moment, Lin letting my words sink in while I watch her. She's not reacting fast enough for me and I get my own bag from the corner, throwing my own clothes in a drawer below her's.

I storm pass her, toiletries rattling in my bag as I mutter, "I feel like an idiot."

Doing the one thing I can think of to try to calm me down, I find the bathroom and settle for a hot shower. The steam helps melt away the tension building in my neck for a moment, but then I'm back to cycling through my thoughts and trying to be understanding of Lin. Trying to see it from her perspective.

I'm coming up short though.

I turn off the water once I feel as well as I can be, taking a robe that hangs on the back of the bathroom door so I can move through the living room to get changed.

The sight of Lin sitting on the couch, so nonchalant with her legs crossed as she reads a magazine, sets me on edge again.

I stay silent though, drying myself off before sliding into a blue tunic and a pair of black leggings. I make an attempt to style my hair but I'm so frustrated that I just end up with more kinks than before and throw the comb, tying my hair back into a low bun instead.

Whether it's the situation or the fact that I'm back in Zaofu after being away for so long I start recalling a memory from when Kuvira and I were still together. We were arguing, much like Lin and I are now, although Vira and I were talking to each other at least. But she and I were arguing because I was leaving again and she didn't like how soon it was.

I'd almost rather be fighting with her about that again than this. I try to face myself in the mirror, fighting to keep myself composed. My hair isn't all that bad really. But it's as if a record is playing in my head and I can hear the argument Kuvira and I had all those years ago.

Can't it wait just another week or two?

No, the sooner I do this the sooner I can come back.

You'll just have to leave again then. She'd said it so spitefully, I recall.

I blink, watching my mirror self stare back at me with distant eyes.

"What?" Lin startles me out of my daze, her eyes still blazing with anger. But suddenly her eyebrows furrow as she seems to sense a shift in my mood.

I take a deep breath and shake my head. Spirits, please just don't let us be like that relationship. I turn away from the mirror, folding up my clothes from today and setting them aside.

Still sensing Lin is in the doorway I try to pretend I'm busy by refolding my clothes I'd thrown into the dresser. I know she's too stubborn to let it go though.

"Lin I just - God why didn't you just tell me." I breath, feeling angry from everything that's happened today and from being sent reeling so far as to remember a fight from mine and Kuvira's relationship. I sit on the edge of the bed, head in my hands and holding in my tears. "I just don't understand you sometimes and I don't - I mean - I'm trying to be understanding but Lin..." I shake my head.

She's sitting beside me in half a second, the bed dipping as she pulls me to her side.

"Riala I just wanted to get in and get out, I didn't want this to become a long stay." I lean away from her, her words doing nothing to understand me, let alone calm. "No just - just listen." She takes my hands in her's, weighing her words. "I didn't expect this to all happen this way. If I was going to tell you about Su it was going to be on my terms. I didn't get that, and now we're stuck here for a while and I can't stand her and I can't stand it here."

"That still doesn't answer my question. Why didn't you just tell me about her?"

She shakes her head.

"So that's your answer then? Just a-" I shrug exaggeratedly, "-then?" Lin rolls her eyes, her hands sliding out of mine.

I growl in frustration.

"God why is it so hard to talk to you?" I dig my flats out of my bag and slide them on. "Look. Let's just get through dinner."

Lin is right behind me as I leave the bedroom.

"Fine?" I snap, tossing the question over my shoulder.

"Fine." Lin seethes, storming out as we make our way to su's house in silence.

Dinner is a very...tense affair. Of course with me sitting at Lin's left side and Su sitting on her right, what should I have expected?

"Wow, five kids - what a nightmare." Lin jokes, her lip curling in disdain. I resist the urge to kick her shin under the table, settling for a well timed stink eye.

"No, my children are a blessing." Su answers, whether or not she gets the quip Lin was trying to deal her - I don't know.

"Yea, that's what mom used to say." Lin continues.

I take a few drinks of my wine, embracing the slight bitterness at the back of my throat. The conversation quickly turns to the Earth Queen and I'm grateful for the change of conversation.

"She thinks she can do whatever she wants." Su huffs.

"Sounds familiar." Lin interjects, suddenly I'm back to reaching for my wine glass. "Hey everyone, my little sister is now an expert on world affairs." She continues, her voice dripping with sarcasm. I watch as Su turns to face her sister, eyes narrowed to glare furiously at her.

"You want to talk about what's really bugging you because I'm right here." She snaps. I look at a corner of the ceiling, trying to block out their increasingly heated argument.

Miraculously, Lin stays quiet - but only because a Varrick and Zhu li enter the dining room suddenly. The eccentric entrepreneur ordering Zhu Li to flip a switch that suddenly attracts all of the metal in the room to the contraption of a suit he's wearing. Lin and I simultaneously set aside our argument for a second, the thought of an escaped prisoner in our midst crossing both our minds.

"Alright, enough! I'm trying to keep the avatar safe and you're harboring a criminal!" Lin yells, fist landing on the table so hard that it rattles the nearby silverware.

"Ease up Lin. People change." Su tries, her voice soft and calming, a huge contrast to Lin's harsh yelling.

"You haven't!" Lin throws her chair back, knocking it to the floor before she storms off, door slamming behind her.

I rub my temples as Korra yells after her, downing the remnants of my glass.

"Just let her go." I mutter, taking lin's drink and working on emptying it myself.

With our dinners scattered across the floor from Varrick's impromptu invention exposition, our meal runs late. Despite the late hour, Su invites Korra and I for a talk in her office, explaining how Toph was a distant parent, too busy with being Chief of Police and instead giving her and Lin all the freedom they could want.

I just listen, hearing more from Su than anything Lin ever told me.

"Lin followed in Toph's footsteps, but I was more of a rebel." Su states, staring off as she talks. One thing that both sisters seems to have in common though is that they both call their mother by her first name.

"Mom wasn't too happy how either of us turned out." She explains, diving in to how she came to realize she wanted a family. And so Su finally settled down and bought this land, creating her own safe haven. "I always wanted Lin to be a part of it." She trails off.

I sigh to myself, earning the attention from Su and Korra. "I don't know what to do. She won't talk to me. She won't tell me what's wrong." I admit, although I'm embarrassed about revealing this part of our relationship to her estranged sister and Korra.

"I can't say I know my sister, but give her time. She might as well be a bomb at this point, you never know when she'll go off."

This isn't what I want to hear, but I know it's true. Maybe we both need time to adjust.

Korra takes her leave as she realizes Su and I are having a heart to heart, the wheels in Korra's own mind turning. I can't imagine what she's up to.

I stay with Su for a little while longer, the both of us agreeing to a brief stroll across the grounds. As we walk she greets any guards by name as we pass them. I tell her all about my time in between visits to the City, and I even admit that I did miss some parts of the city.

"Some?"

"Granted this city is safe but I mean you're closed in at night. Like a cage." I shrug, wriggling my fingers with mock fright.

"You can always travel outside for the night if it really bothers you." Su jokes.

"Still, I think you should look into that." I smile, grateful for our playful banter.

We're nearly finished with our walk when we hear hurried footsteps coming from behind.

Su and I turn and watch Opal run into her mother's arms, crying. I hear her muffled voice saying she tried to talk to Lin but her aunt wouldn't have it. I share a nervous look with Su before she leads Opal home to calm her down.

I stand there watching the pair of them leave, Opal's sobs quieting the further away they walk. The thought of going to Lin after she'd sent her niece crying isn't ideal and I'm not looking forward to facing her. Nevertheless, I walk to our guest house, full expecting to find a furious Lin - or even an empty house if she was off trying to let off some steam.

When I arrive though, she's in neither scenario. In fact, it's the first time I've ever seen her with her head in her hands, her shoulders wracking from stifling her sobs.

She cuts off her tears and bottles everything up as she senses me, the door clicking softly behind me.

"If you're here to yell at me, Korra already beat you to it." She mutters, wiping away her tears as stealthily as she can.

"Sh Lin." I whisper, urging her to stand, "Come on, let's get you ready for bed."

"I can walk." She growls, pulling her arm away from me to storm off to the bathroom. My anger flares up and whatever tenderness I felt seeing her cry is squashed.

"Fine." I breath, quickly going to change into my pajamas so I can comfortably read the paper on the coffee table.

Lin is taking her time in the bathroom, probably having a shower by the sound of it. But that's fine with me, the longer she's in there the longer I have to myself.

Reading usually manages to help lull me to sleep so long as I'm not invested in what's happening. Thankfully it's just bland political happenings. New education programs, updates to the monorail, blah blah blah. But the last page is what makes my heart stop - Kuvira's face is staring back at me, a confident smile gracing her face.

She's barely aged!

The paper itself is reporting on her as Zaofu's new guard captain, her own dream come true finally.

"Finally got what you wanted." I whisper, setting the paper aside with a yawn. I stare at the couch underneath me, the firmness of the cushions already making me uncomfortable. I had intentions to sleep here tonight, but with Lin still in the bathroom I think I could solidify my spot in bed.

If it made her uncomfortable then she could sleep on the couch.

I lay in the dimly lit room, the light of the moon streaming in while I desperately try to settle in. The sound of the bathroom door opening sends my heart racing though, Lin padding quietly into the room and opening a drawer to change into her pajamas. There's a few more moments of quiet noise as she readies herself for bed in the dark, the smooth sounds of a brush running through hair, a drawer closing softly.

She surprises me as the bed dips under her weight, the blankets rustling as she slides in bed. I grip the underside of my pillow, biting the inside of my cheek as my heart suddenly feels broken and tired from the day.

"Riya stop thinking and go to sleep."

I flip to my other side, tiredly glaring at her in the dark, the outline of her falling and rising as she breathes. A few more seconds of watching her back eases me into a tired stupor, the scent of her body wash wafting over my senses. Lavender, the one I had bought to help her sleep. It only makes me miss her in the midst of all this tension and arguing.

I fight the urge to sleep unintentionally, my brain running a few more scenarios of how our argument could have gone. I feel as if I'll never get sleep at this rate, wanting so desperately to argue with Lin, to talk with her, and at the heart of it all, just get her to open up to me. But soon enough, morning arrives and my eyes drift open lazily, my muscles tensed all over from my pent up feelings.

I sigh aloud before almost jumping as I realize Lin's warmth is pressed against my back, her arm wrapped around my waist. She takes a deep breath in my ear, the same noise, I realize, that I heard before and woke me up in the first place.

I savor the feeling of being wrapped in her arms a moment longer, Lin pushing herself into a leaning position. She seems to pause, surprised to find her and I tangled up with one another. Her arm flexes around my waist, drawing me closer so she can softly nuzzle her face into my hair. I try to keep as still as possible so she doesn't realize I'm awake, although knowing her she can probably sense it. But whether she's knows or not, she doesn't acknowledge it. Instead she kisses my temple, a brief and quiet sign of truce for now, showing me that even though we're fighting she still cares.

She slides away, softly and slowly so she doesn't rouse me further from my sleep.

Once she's dressed and gone, I stay in bed, too drained to get up but too awake to fall back to sleep. Instead, I wallow in the dread of seeing Lin in the daylight, fully conscious, with any truce from overnight now gone. I groan into my pillow, wanting nothing more than to fall asleep again so I can just avoid my feelings.

Eventually, I find the courage to get out of bed, not wanting to waste the day moping around. I run into Su and her family as they sit down for breakfast, Lin nowhere in sight. With Su's permission, I opt to spend my day at the training grounds so I can let off some steam.

As I arrive I'm greeted like an old friend as some of the guards remember me, yelling and waving me over. It's a nice reunion, one that I wasn't expecting to go so well, but they let me jump into their own training exercises. We spend time sparring with one another and I'm glad considering I get a chance to brush up on my own waterbending defenses, going head-to-head with one of their metalbending rookies.

It also seems like word has spread around the training grounds, bringing in a playful crowd eager to see how their security holds up against another bending type. The watch off to the side, whooping and hollering as the we duck and dodge one another's advances.

The woman, Alana, knocks several fractures into the ice walls I throw up to defend myself but they hold. Prompting me to crumple the ice into shards. In the same hour I've been faced with the choice of pinning my opponent to the ground with the well aimed ice shards, but I hold back, wanting to draw her stamina out more. Instead, I lob the shards three at a time while she ducks and bobs to avoid them, the earth beneath her sliding her out of the way to help her dodge my last trio.

"Oh come on! I know you've got more than that in you!" The woman's voice is playful yet commanding, booming over the rest of the crowd. My face heats up from panic and embarrassment but I keep my focus, desperate to end this sparring session.

Alana moves, slices metal through the air, forcing me to side step until I catch sight of Kuvira, excited and smirking as we lock eyes. A bubble of annoyance rises in my chest as her lip quirks even higher, her head tilting cockily to the side as she watches the realization dawn on my face. Spurred by her unimpressed gaze, I dodge Alana one more time before advancing, going from distanced fighting to hand-to-hand. Her eyes widen at the quick approach but she adjusts and draws back a fist. My hand is there to meet her's, encasing it in ice while I slide my leg behind her's, her eyes widening as she realizes I'm leveraging her, pushing her back and watching her flop onto her back.

She takes her loss like a champ though, smiling and vowing to get a rematch eventually. I shake her hand, watching her and the onlookers disperse for lunch, all save for one person in particular.

I turn around, facing my ex-girlfriend for the first time in a while. Her arms are crossed over her chest, standing proud and tall, dressed in the traditional fatigues befitting a Commander of Zaofu's guard. As with Su, I brace myself for anger and yelling, but she breaks into a smile.

"Good to see you Riya."

I fight my surprise, returning her smile as well, glad this won't turn into a harsh shouting match.

"You too 'Vira." I breath relieved.

A/N: Long chapter so hopefully makes up for my delayed update! Let me know what you think! I know this is definitely angsty so I hope you're enjoying the ride!