I apologize in advance to anyone who reads my regular fics and/or knows anything about the Asian mythology that I've liberally butchered. This got weird. It might be the weirdest thing I've written, and that's saying something. Be prepared. Happy Halloween?

Content warning: many characters do not make it through this fic. All deaths are "off-screen."


Asami looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps and wished that she hadn't. The sight of Mako and Korra approaching in their matching Equalist uniforms made her feel slightly nauseated. The way they walked a little too close together. And how long did it really take to go to the pro-bending arena and back anyway? Even her father's most long-winded speeches never lasted more than a half hour. Asami had volunteered to go to the Equalist rally herself, of course—hey, send a non-bender to the non-bender event!—but Mako had insisted they couldn't take the risk of somebody recognizing her. As if his and Korra's own faces weren't peering out of half a hundred Fire Ferrets posters all over the place. Spirits, they'd been the underdog in the championship less than two weeks ago. But in the end she'd agreed. Why fight it? Mako had already made his choice, even if he wouldn't admit it yet.

Asami found herself fingering her necklace again under her jacket and made herself stop. Lately it felt like the red jade pendant was the only thing she had left of the life she'd once had. A life with a big house and famous boyfriend and pro-bending season tickets and a little yellow motorbike she'd rebuilt herself. A father who treasured her more than anything. When she'd fled the estate she'd taken nothing with her besides what she wore. Yasuko Sato's necklace was the only sign Asami still had that anyone had loved her at all.

"You two were gone a while," she huffed as Mako and Korra walked up. Acceptance or no, she couldn't quite keep the acid out of her voice.

"We were doing reconnaissance," Mako replied. Asami rolled her eyes. She was pretty sure most of the "reconnaissance" involved staring at Korra's chest. Like it was hard to miss in that outfit.

"Whatever," she said. Guilt flashed swiftly across her boyfriend's face. Good. At least he knew that she knew.

Mako opened his mouth to retort when a squat figure sprang in between them. Asami jumped. Spirits! It was like he'd come out of nowhere.

"Welcome back!" Gommu chirped at the pair. The wizened old man was dressed in a variety of stained and patched clothing and could have been anywhere from forty to seventy. Supposedly Korra had met him trying to eat a raw fish from that filthy pond in the park. "Team Avatar" had been hiding with him now for two days in his encampment deep within the city while they waited for the arrival of the United Forces. They were unequivocally the worst two days of Asami's life. She knew beggars couldn't be choosers, but she'd never imagined this turn of phrase meant living with actual beggars. A not-so-small part of her was still hoping she'd wake up.

"I hope you worked up an appetite, 'cause dinner is served!" Gommu said brightly. With that he pointed off to the right to where a large steel pot was bubbling over a fire. Thick white steam swirled and danced across the surface. Asami's stomach growled. There hadn't been a lot to eat lately, either. Yet the sight of the pot bothered her. As hard as she tried, Asami found she couldn't remember if it, or Gommu, had been there a moment ago.

She shook her head. That was ridiculous. She'd only been focused on how Bolin was making Pabu do tricks and stewing over Mako and Korra. Meanwhile Gommu had been making them all dinner. How kind.

Bolin made a growling noise and hopped to his feet. "I'm starved!" he shouted. Pabu chittered merrily at his feet.

Gommu grinned his wide toothy grin. "Me, too."

A few minutes later the five of them sat gathered around a cut log and a few crates they'd repurposed as a table and chairs. Asami was doing her best to be civil. Korra for her part seemed rather subdued, and Mako was all but silent. Bolin had obviously noticed everyone's unease and was keeping up a string of largely one-sided conversation to fill the awkward silence. Spirits, if only one of them would have the courage to say something! Asami had told Mako to his face after Korra's rescue that she knew they'd kissed and that his feelings for her were obviously far more than teammates and friends. Instead of apologizing or breaking up with her or anything he'd simply denied it, then said he didn't want to talk about it. Korra had admitted nothing. Even Bolin had only told Asami about the kiss by accident and was now doing his best to pretend nothing was wrong. Deep down, she found she was more disappointed at everyone's deception than anything else. Perhaps if more people in her life had been honest she wouldn't be living in a hobo camp, eating dinner on a box. What could Asami do when no one would tell her the truth? The lies had made her powerless.

All the while Gommu muttered over the boiling pot. All things considered, it smelled pretty good. Or at least, it could have been a lot worse. Asami was learning a lot about making do. Still, the hobo camp left her oddly uneasy. It wasn't just the squalid living conditions, or the fact that her whole life had abruptly gone down the toilet, though both those things were far from ideal. Spirits knew she'd shed enough tears. It was something else. A deep, lingering disquiet, like the echo in an empty warehouse or the surface of a lake at night. Yet every time Asami tried to pinpoint the source of her discomfort it slipped from her mind. She was probably just tired. Alone, or as good as, in an unfamiliar place. After all, she was with the Avatar herself. This camp was arguably the safest place in Republic City right now. And Gommu himself had been nothing but kind to them. He'd given her no reason to be afraid.

"Thanks so much for letting us hide out with you the past few days," Korra said as Gommu waddled over with the pot of stew. He thunked it down beside the last empty crate. Then he smiled. Asami dropped her gaze, suddenly uncomfortable. For whatever reason she didn't like looking at his teeth.

"Honored to oblige," she heard him say. Gommu dropped onto the crate, picked up a bowl from the stack at his feet, and handed it to Bolin. The stew followed after, thick and hot. Bolin passed his bowl around the circle as Gommu served out the rest of the dinner. Asami studied it closely, but wasn't quite able to tell what was in it. Then again, it was stew. You probably weren't supposed to know what was in it. She thought of the raw fish from the pond in the park again and suppressed a shudder. At least whatever it was, it was cooked.

"My associates and I heartily oppose Amon's so-called 'Equalist' policies," the old man continued. "We got benders and non-benders living together down here, but do you see us fightin'? No siree; we've figured out how to harmoniously co-exist."

"You are a wise and noble hobo," Bolin replied. He shoved in a mouthful of stew with a satisfied moan. "Mmmm. This is the best-tasting street gruel I've ever had. Seriously!"

Asami figured that was enough of an endorsement and picked up her spoon. Gommu smiled his too-wide smile again as she took a bite.

"I culled it from the finest dumpsters the city has to offer," he said.

Dumpsters? Asami gagged. No. No no no, this was not happening. First her father was a terrorist, then her boyfriend got all interested in his teammate, then they got nearly exploded and chased through the city and had to live basically outside, and now she had to eat garbage? No. She wasn't that desperate. Not yet.

As politely as she could Asami spit the "street gruel" back into her bowl, trying to disguise it as an enthusiastic second spoonful. There was no need to be rude about it. Poor Gommu probably ate garbage every day. But that meant he also had all kinds of bacteria and parasites that helped him not get sick from it. The fact that no one else at the table seemed to be registering the comment… well, Bolin and Mako hadn't been off the street all that long. And Korra was the Avatar. Maybe she didn't even get sick. The way the three of them were tucking into the stew made Asami feel oddly out of place. She looked down at the bowl and sighed. Maybe she really wasn't cut out to be part of Team Avatar. But a girl had to draw the line somewhere. For her, that line was now perfectly clear.

As soon as no one was watching Asami gently dumped her bowl out behind the crate she was sitting on. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Pabu dart out and begin to lick it. Good for him. At least the horrible stew wouldn't go to waste.

"Whoa, you must be hungry!" Gommu exclaimed. He gave her a jolly leer and dipped his ladle back into the pot.

"Oh, no thank you," Asami said. She patted her sad empty stomach. "I'm too full."

"And I'm beat!" said Bolin. He yawned and handed Gommu his bowl. "So tired. But that never stopped me before. Fill 'er up, my friend."

Gommu's lips stretched across his teeth as he ladled more stew into the bowl.


Chapter Management That night Asami had the strangest dream. She was back in her house, in the upstairs hallway just outside her bedroom. The pale blue carpet was deep and soft beneath her bare feet. She padded forward, her long purple nightgown swishing around her ankles as she went. There was something she wanted in another room, something important. She just wasn't sure what yet.

Asami rounded the corner and found herself abruptly in her mother's sitting room. The windows had all been thrown open wide to the sweet summer air. The rippling red and white patterned curtains looked like fields of bright flowers waving in the breeze. Though Asami knew she had to be quiet unless she was asked, the sight of the room still filled her with joy. This was a fun room. Her mother's rooms were all fun rooms, full of laughter.

"Asami," said a familiar voice. Asami whirled, her own laughter on the tip of her tongue. Finally! Her present! How could she have forgotten? Today was her birthday.

Yasuko Sato smiled back at her from a wingback chair framed by the flawless blue sky. Her dark hair—so like Asami's own—was pinned up in a series of elegant loops and swirls. She always looked so pretty. Asami desperately hoped she was half as pretty when she grew up. She'd wear her hair up then, too, and have long flowing dresses and shining drop earrings. She and her mother could go out to the city together and have fancy tea and mooncakes.

"Mom?" she asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Do you have it?"

Yasuko smiled and shook her head. "No, Asami. You do." Then she reached up and caressed the red jade pendant that lay against her chest. Asami tucked in her chin and glanced down. Sure enough, the little red bird on the fine silver chain also dangled from her own neck.

"For me?" she gasped.

"It has always been yours, my little bird. It is in your blood." Asami looked up to see her mother's warm golden eyes fixed on her. "Trust yourself. Your inner flame knows our ancient enemy for what it is. Only your own eyes deceive you. Hunger has many faces, and yet only one. See it."

Asami's stomach growled. "I am hungry," she muttered.

"Do not eat from it!" her mother snapped. Asami jumped, startled. "Endless hunger only consumes. It does not give. What it offers is meant to come back."

Suddenly it seemed the day grew darker, and she was afraid. Asami wrapped her hand around the necklace. The red jade bird flared hot against her palm, like her own tiny sun.

"What do I do?" she whispered.

"The White Tiger approaches," her mother said. The sky through windows continued to darken. "Fire calls to fire unseen. Bind his wounds, shield his lips, give him wings, and from his red-tipped claws will come peace. In turn, he will be your shelter. Let the hunger find its own."

Asami shook her head. "I don't understand. Mom, what's happening?"

But the chair was empty. Yasuko Sato was gone.


The new day dawned foggy and damp. Asami uncurled stiffly from where she'd laid out her jacket on the ground behind a couple of crates. Everything ached, including her heart. She hadn't realized how homesick she was until she'd been walking her hallway again. The dream was already fading though. Something about her mother, and being hungry. That wasn't all that surprising though, given the circumstances. Asami absently fingered her pendant. White tiger? She shook her head, unsure. Besides, it was only a dream.

Beyond her meager shield of crates the rest of the party was beginning to gather. Today was the day the United Forces were set to arrive. Korra intended to go down to the waterfront to greet General Iroh, whom she'd apparently knew slightly, and together work out a plan for where and how to confront Amon and Asami's father. At least this time it would be all of them going. Asami had made sure of it. It had been bad enough sleeping alone last night while Mako stayed up to talk to Korra because he "couldn't sleep." She wasn't sure she could stand another day sitting idly in Gommu's camp wondering what the two of them were up to alone.

Asami stretched and finger-combed her hair as best she could. It would have to do for whomever this General Iroh was. Maybe the United Forces ships had hot showers? With soap? The thought made her smile for the first time in what felt like days. Asami was pretty sure that she could talk her way onto a ship full of soldiers.

"Pabu!" Bolin called suddenly. "Hey, Pabu! Come on, let's go!"

"He's probably exploring," grumbled Mako. "We'll find him later. We gotta go."

"No, he's not! Pabu always comes when I call him." Bolin looked around frantically as Asami walked up. "Pabu! Hey, buddy! Pabu!"

"Pabu!" Asami cupped her hand to her mouth. It couldn't hurt. "Pabu!"

Nothing happened. The little fire ferret was nowhere in sight.

Korra put a comforting hand on Bolin's arm. "I'm sure he's fine," she said. "But Mako's right. We need to go if we're going to meet General Iroh's fleet. Pabu's smart. He'll come back here later."

"I'll keep an eye out for him!" Asami bit back a scream as a dark shape popped out from behind the crates, all teeth. Except it wasn't. It was only Gommu, his grin wide beneath his patchy gray mustache. He somehow looked even dirtier. Heavy sweat stains dampened his armpits.

Asami pressed her hand to her pounding heart. Why did he keep doing that? No one else seemed rattled though. She found her fingers drifting to the little red bird on her necklace again.

Only your own eyes deceive you.

Asami blinked. What? She wasn't sure where that had come from.

"Will you?" Bolin pleaded. "Look out for him?"

Gommu nodded enthusiastically. "Your fire ferret friend's around here somewhere," he said. "I guarantee it."


The Battle of Yue Bay was short and catastrophic. It was with heavy hearts that Team Avatar returned to Gommu's camp, a wounded General Iroh in tow. Thankfully Korra had managed to pull him unconscious from the wreckage of his ship before he drowned. He was younger than Asami expected, though with a rather taciturn air that made him seem more mature. Even exhausted and wet he was strikingly handsome. More than once she found herself studying the sharp line of his jaw, or the way his dark hair fell damp across his tall forehead. What's more, the bomb blast that had knocked him off his ship had ripped his left sleeve off completely. Even the ugly burn on his bicep couldn't disguise the firm muscles of his arm and shoulders. General Iroh might not be a pro-bender like Mako was, but as far as Asami could tell he was in at least as good a shape.

"I was prepared to deal with Sato's mecha, but not these new high-speed aircraft," he said. The general was seated on one of the crates, his left arm held stiffly out as Korra helped heal his burn as best she could.

"I know," she said. "Every time I think we have an advantage, Amon outsmarts us."

"No matter what our plan is, he has a better one," whined Bolin. To Asami he looked like a cut flower. Pabu still hadn't returned.

General Iroh seemed to take his dejection as a challenge. Something in his posture stiffened. "He may be winning so far," he said, "but we're not out of the fight yet."

Bolin gave him a sad-eyed look and said nothing.

"So how are we not out of the fight?" asked Asami. "None of those battleships are seaworthy. The Equalist pilots knew what they were doing. Even if one or two stayed afloat, they took out the engines deliberately. Only a waterbender of Korra's caliber could move one and even then they wouldn't be able to steer it. They're too heavy. Not to mention, what for? You said yourself the fire cannons don't have the maneuverability to hit airplanes. An overwhelming show of force that just sank didn't scare Amon much, either. So, what good is a battleship? And if not battleships, what are we fighting the Equalists with?"

Iroh blinked at her, clearly surprised. "Um, yes," he said. "Important considerations. But a second wave of reinforcements is on the way. I'll need to warn them regardless. We can strategize after that." He turned to Korra. "Do you still have a way to get a message out?"

Korra looked from Iroh to Asami, then back again. "Sure," she said, a little hesitantly. "I know just the man for the job." She turned to Bolin. "Want to find Gommu with me? Maybe he's seen Pabu."

"Okay," said Bolin, without much hope. Together the two of them walked off. Mako followed them with his eyes, clearly torn.

Asami sighed. "Just go," she huffed. "I know you want to."

"Asami, come on. I don't know what you're—"

General Iroh coughed politely into his good hand. "Actually, I'd like a private word with Asami if you don't mind."

Mako narrowed his eyes, almost as if he was seeing the other man for the first time and sizing him up. Iroh stared back, impassive. Perhaps five seconds passed.

"Fine," Mako said. "See you later." And with that he stalked off after Korra and his brother.

General Iroh followed him with his eyes, frowning slightly, then turned back to Asami. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly. "I'm not sure what all that was about."

Asami nearly laughed. Okay? She was about as far from okay as could be imagined. Then it hit her that Iroh, a total stranger, was the first person to ask her that since Korra had been kidnapped. It made her want to cry.

"I'm fine," she said. Her eyes dropped to the raw red burn on his arm. It looked like it hurt. Waterbending only did so much. "Or at least, I look better than you do today."

The corner of Iroh's mouth twitched. "Indeed."

Asami caught the curious look in his eye and dropped her gaze. "Would you let me put a bandage on that?" she asked quickly. "It'll help keep it clean."

"That's very kind of you." Iroh chuckled softly. "And thank you for telling me. I was about to cut up my shirt." He made a sour face. "Or what's left of it."

Asami bent over where they'd stockpiled a minimum of medical supplies in one of the crates. "We have some things here, you know," she said. "And at least we're safe." Suddenly the hairs on the back of her neck prickled. "Well, more or less."

"More or less?" Iroh asked from behind her.

Asami selected a clean roll of bandage. "Yeah," she said, not looking up. "I bet the food here could probably kill you."


"Now comes the hard part," said General Iroh as Gommu finished tapping out his warning message to the other commander. "We need to ground those aircrafts. Otherwise Bumi's fleet would never be able to retake the city."

Mako pointed at the map of the United Republic the general had laid out on the table. "They flew in from this direction," he said, indicating the area just north of the city. "The airfield must be somewhere over this mountain range."

General Iroh nodded. Asami thought he was doing a good job of not looking annoyed. The man had seen the airplanes flying over the city well before anyone on land and probably knew perfectly well which direction they'd come from. What's more, the area over the mountain range was huge. If that was all they had to go on it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Asami opened her mouth to point this out, then closed it again. Iroh didn't strike her as a total idiot. When she'd mentioned the challenges with the UF reinforcements earlier he'd artfully sidestepped the question. He was perceptive, too; he'd picked up on her tension with Mako immediately. So either he was far, far stupider than he seemed, or he had some other plan and wasn't saying.

Asami's eyes automatically flicked to Gommu. Or at least, where Gommu had been. The little man was gone! But he'd been seated at the makeshift telegraph only a moment ago. Even if he'd gotten up he'd still be in the room. Yet once again, no one else seemed to notice anything strange.

Something is wrong. Asami tried to hold onto the thought even as it threatened to slip from her mind. Something is wrong, something is wrong with Gommu.

"Everyone get ready," Iroh said. "We leave at dawn." With that he filed out of the room, followed by Mako, Korra, and Bolin, until only Asami remained. She looked down at the map again, and at the vast area that somewhere contained the Equalists' secret airfield. She had the vague feeling that something was wrong, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

"It's time to take down my father," she muttered.

"It is." Asami looked up, startled. General Iroh stood in the "doorway" made from hanging sheets, his eyebrows slightly raised in question. "Do you mind if I have a word?"

"No, of course not," she said. "How's your arm? Do you need another bandage?"

He nodded a little. "Not yet, but thank you for asking."

"Then what can I do for you?"

Iroh walked over until he was standing next to her opposite the map. There was no real reason for him to be so close, but Asami didn't move away. She'd decided she liked Iroh, or at least liked him well enough to make Mako jealous. Maybe more than that. She could actually feel the heat baking off him. Firebenders, she thought with a smile. Always firebenders. Then suddenly, fire calls to fire unseen. Asami blinked, startled. That had been a part of her dream last night, hadn't it? She reached up and fingered her necklace. Fire unseen. She still wasn't sure what it meant, if it meant anything at all. Asami's ancestors were from the Fire Nation, but she herself wasn't a firebender.

"I won't mince words," Iroh said, taking her attention. "I respect Avatar Korra, but she's young and no strategist. You're clearly the brains of the group. You picked out the flaws of a seagoing attack immediately. You're also Hiroshi Sato's daughter. You know how he thinks. There's no way I can search a mountainous area the size of Hira'a for an airbase on foot, not even with the Avatar. I know that you know that. So, how do we find it? And we'll have to be quiet. If the aircrafts take off before we can destroy them I think that's endgame. I have some ideas, but I'd like to hear yours."

Asami felt herself swell with pride. So that was General Iroh's plan. To pretend he had a plan long enough to inspire confidence, then ask her for help. Not Korra. Because even though she wasn't the Avatar he valued her opinion. It felt like the first time anyone had seen her as more than baggage in days. Asami looked up into his handsome face and was surprised to see him smiling warmly at her. It was a nice smile, too, with dimples. Nothing like…

Nothing like Gommu.

Abruptly she shuddered.

Iroh's smile faded. "Asami? Are you alright?"

"I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I was thinking of something else." She turned to the map, trying to push the grinning old man out of her mind. "Anyway, I have some ideas on how to find the airfield, but we can't take chances on them taking off and leaving us stranded. We need our own pilots." She looked up and met his eyes. "Iroh, can I teach you to fly a plane?"


Asami watched as Gommu bent over his horrible pot. The flames beneath cast flickering shadows across his face. He had a hunched look about him now, as if he'd been cooking for days instead of just a half hour. The pit stains under his arms had gotten darker, too.

"Funny fellow," said General Iroh. He'd seated himself next to her on a spare crate he'd pulled over with his good arm. Despite some prior acquaintance with Korra he'd stuck mostly with her after their strategy session. Asami didn't mind. It was nice to have someone pay her a little attention. Mako, Korra, and Bolin had been in and out all afternoon. Pabu was still missing.

She dragged her eyes away from the cooking. "Yeah," she said. "Gommu has been really nice. It's a lot to put all of us up, especially since he didn't have much to begin with. We owe him."

"It's lucky that Avatar Korra had such a valuable contact." Iroh smiled his cute dimpled smile again. "And from the smell of it, a good cook as well. I'll be sure to give him my thanks as well."

Panic flashed through her. "Don't eat it!" she whispered.

The general raised an eyebrow. "No? Why not?"

Asami stared at him, bewildered. She wasn't quite sure what to say. She had no intention of eating more street gruel herself despite her own ravening hunger, but for some reason the image of Iroh with his own bowl filled her with dread. The thought of the stew even touching his lips seemed horrible.

"It's rubbish," she hissed.

"I'm sure it's not that bad," Iroh replied. "The food in boot was pretty terrible and I survived that." He gave her an uncertain look. "I don't want you thinking I'm some stuck-up prince, you know."

Asami shook her head vigorously. "No, Iroh, I don't mean it's not good. I mean it's actual rubbish. It's trash. Gommu said so himself, he makes it from the old nasty food he finds in the bins. Who knows what's in it?"

The general wrinkled his nose. "Really? It doesn't smell like that."

"Trust me," Asami said.

"I'm sure it's not—"

"Please!" She reached out and took his hand. "Please, tell me you won't eat it. Be polite, but don't eat it. Mako and them, they're used to it I guess, but it'll make you sick for sure."

Iroh furrowed his brows. "Alright," he said. "I have a strong stomach, but If you insist, I won't eat it. I trust you."

Asami felt something in her relax. "Thank you," she said. "When all this is over I'll buy you dinner. I promise."

The general's expression brightened. "I'd love that," he said. His eyes darted swiftly to the side. "If you're sure that's all right."

Asami followed his gaze to where Mako and Korra now leaned against Naga's side, deep in conversation. Of course.

"It's fine," she said tersely. "I can have dinner with whomever I choose."


"Bolin!" Mako shouted. "Hey, Bo! Dinner!"

"Where's he gone off to?" said Korra.

"Probably still hunting for Pabu," Mako grumbled. "I told him Pabu would come back here. Now I have to go look for them both." He hopped up off his crate, but Korra grabbed his arm.

"No," she said. "It's like Pabu. Bolin knows we're here. He'd never miss a meal. If you go off looking for him and he comes back, I'll just have to go looking for you then."

"He's probably on his way back right now anyway," Asami soothed. Yet deep down she was worried. Mako was right. Bolin could be distractible, but he loved food. The last time he'd missed dinner was because he'd been kidnapped by the Equalists. Her stew sat in front of her, as yet untouched. True to his word, so did Iroh's.

Mako gazed off into the darkened streets. "Asami, he's my brother," he said. "I'm not going to leave him out there."

"You're not leaving him," said Korra. "At worst he just got a bit turned around." She took the bowl of stew Gommu handed her and set it on the makeshift table. "You know I'd never abandon a friend. But our priority is defeating Amon. If Bolin got lost, we'll have to find him later."

Mako shook his head. "Korra, I've known Bo my whole life. You have no idea the kind of trouble he can get into."

Gommu handed Mako his own bowl of stew. "I'm sure your brother is close," he said. "Now eat up."


Asami sat on her crate by the fire, alone. She didn't like it one bit. But dinner had come and gone and Bolin hadn't returned, and even Korra's coaxing couldn't prevent Mako from going to look for him. They'd gone off together—of course—with instructions for Asami to stay behind in case he came back while they were out. General Iroh had gone as well with the intent of doing some light reconnaissance near the waterfront to determine if any of the United Forces ships had been salvaged. Gommu was nowhere to be seen. She liked that one the least. The firelight cast long flickering shadows among the stacked boxes and hanging sheets that almost looked like movement.

As time passed she did her best to distract herself. Asami went over the details of their plan in her head, looking for holes. Naga was still their best bet on finding the airbase—polar bear dogs had incredible senses of smell. She and General Iroh had used the contours on his map to narrow down the likely locations, too, eliminating routes that would require the biplanes to fly too high over the peaks or cut through narrow passes. Once they found the airfield Mako and Iroh would blast through any defenses with fire while Bolin and Korra tore up the runway. If there were any planes already in the air, Asami and potentially Iroh would do their best to commandeer an aircraft and go after them. There were a lot of variables, but she thought they might just have a shot. Once the airplanes were grounded, General Iroh could radio Commander Bumi and—

Something moved in the corner of her vision.

Asami whipped around, her heart in her throat. Gommu stood not ten feet from her. He was even dirtier than before. There were long tears along the seams of his jacket near the shoulders and what looked like dark smudges of earth on the skin beneath. His wild gray hair had snarled into knots. Spirits, it looked like he hadn't so much cooked from a bin as rolled in it. His dark eyes seemed oddly round in the dim light.

"You're not tired, little lady?" he asked. His voice was like metal on gravel.

"N-no," Asami said. "I'm keeping watch. For Bolin. The others will be back any minute, too."

"Any minute," he repeated. His lips stretched into a smile that was far too wide. "And did you get enough to eat? Saw you emptied your bowl. There's plenty 'o street gruel still. I would hate to see you go… hungry."

Asami had, in fact, emptied her bowl behind one of the crates when no one was looking. Iroh had grudgingly done the same.

"I'm f-fine," she said. Her eyes searched the ground for any kind of weapon and came up short. "I had plenty. And thank you for cooking, it was great."

Somehow Gommu's smile kept on growing. Asami watched in silent horror as it split his cheeks. Blunt teeth filled his mouth, more and more of them as his smile grew into something no human could wear. It stretched from ear to ear like a shark. His filthy hair twisted into the suggestion of horns as the top of his face crumpled. His bottom jaw lolled open obscenely, six inches, eight. At the same time the dirt smudges between his shoulders and his armpits blinked open. Gommu closed what had been his human eyes and stared back at her anyway. Its expression was hungry, endless.

"What are you?" Asami whispered. She felt sick. The thing-that-was-not-Gommu was too horrible for her to remember to be afraid. The very sight of it burned. She had a feeling she knew what had happened to Pabu now, too. And Bolin.

For the first time, the Gommu-thing hesitated. "You see me?" it growled in a voice as ancient as it was nauseating.

Asami nodded. As she did, her mother's pendant flared hot beneath her shirt. She reached up and pulled it out. The red jade bird at the end of the long silver chain was glowing.

The reaction was immediate. "Zhūquè!" the Gommu-thing hissed. It scrabbled backwards on its long claws, spitting. Asami had no idea what that meant but she pressed her advantage and held out the pendant. The monster flinched but held its ground. Then it opened its black jaws and inside it was nothing, just yawning emptiness and eternal night, and this time she screamed.

"Asami!" The pounding of footsteps. Then General Iroh stood before her, panting. He looked around frantically for some kind of threat. Both his hands were on fire. From his red-tipped claws…

And Gommu was gone.

Asami let her mother's necklace fall to her chest. Then she hurled herself at Iroh. He gave a startled gasp as she buried her face in his neck. A moment later she felt a hesitant hand rub her back.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "Asami, tell me what's wrong. I don't see anyone."

Asami took a moment to gather herself. She could tell Iroh about the enormous mouth masquerading as a helpful hobo, but he would only think her crazy. Maybe she was crazy. The past few weeks had turned her life completely upside-down. What if she'd lost it completely? But if that was the case, there was no way Asami could go after her father tomorrow. General Iroh wouldn't compromise such an important mission by taking along a girl having a nervous breakdown. Yet he needed her. Republic City needed her. And her father had to be stopped.

"I-I thought I saw something," Asami said. Already the memory of exactly what she'd seen had started to fade. It must be part of the glamor. Asami couldn't say she was sorry. "A pigeon rat," she added. "I hate pigeon rats."

Iroh hummed a little. "No pigeon rats," he said soothingly.

"Stay with me anyway? I don't think I can sleep. Not with the… the pigeon rats around. Someone should keep watch."

The general gently pulled back. "I think it's important we all get our rest," he said. His brows knit together as he studied her face. "But if you're really that worried, okay. With five of us it's easy enough to take shifts. Six if Mako finds his brother."

"Not Gommu," Asami said, her pulse quickening. There was something there, something wrong. She just wasn't sure what. "He's hosting. Don't let him take a shift, please."

"That's fair." Iroh gave her a long look full of concern, then reached into his pocket. "Oh, I almost forgot," he said. "Here. Since you didn't eat that soup. I'm sorry it's not more." He held out a package of sesame-dried sticks. Asami took them with shaking fingers. It suddenly struck her that Mako hadn't even asked how she was handling life hiding out in a hobo camp, let alone done anything to make it easier.

"Don't tell the others," he added. In the firelight she thought the general's cheeks looked faintly pink. "I could only get the one. I didn't have much to offer in trade."

It was maybe the most thoughtful thing anyone had done for her in weeks. Yet Asami had never been less hungry in her life.

"Split them with me?" she asked. "You didn't eat anything, either."

"Are you sure? I got them for you."

Asami nodded. "Just keep me company, will you?"

Iroh smiled and plopped down on an empty crate. "With pleasure," he said. "But Asami, I promise you, there's nothing here."


Asami, Mako, Korra, and General Iroh gathered around the fire in the gray light of dawn. Nobody spoke much. True to his word Iroh had insisted on setting a watch, and no one had slept much at that. Even with the new plan there was still a good chance they would fail to find the airfield, or to ground the Equalist aircraft if they did. There was maybe an even better chance one or more of them would be seriously injured in the attempt. But they were out of ideas, and out of time. Each of them knew it was now or never.

Bolin was still missing.

Mako and Korra had come back to the camp not long after Iroh returned. This time Asami hadn't bothered asking them what had taken so long. There wasn't much point. What mattered was that when Mako had needed help he'd turned to the Avatar and not to his girlfriend, and when Asami had been alone and afraid he hadn't been there. When they'd finally turned in for the night Mako hadn't even tried to sleep near her. There might still be something left to salvage of their relationship when they both had time to talk, but that day wasn't today. There was work to do.

Of Gommu, however, there'd been no sign. Asami felt uneasy whenever she thought of it. But he'd lived in this camp for ages and had a way of appearing and disappearing whenever he wanted. He'd turn up sooner or later.

Finally Iroh stood. The fresh bandage Asami had put on his arm this morning crinkled slightly. He looked tired but determined. It made sense though. The fate of the whole second division hung in the balance. Asami wasn't the only one with a personal score to settle today.

"Time to move out," he said as the others followed suit. "With any luck we'll find the airfield by mid-day."

"Wait," said Korra. "I'm sorry, but I'm not going with you today."

"What?" said Mako.

"Why not?" Asami gaped at her. How could she not be coming?

Korra planted her hands on her hips. "I'm sick and tired of hiding from Amon," she said. "It's time I face him."

General Iroh looked just as bewildered as Asami felt. "That's not a good plan," he said firmly. "We need to stick together."

"I'm not waiting for him to hunt me down," said Korra. She stamped her foot a little. "My guts tell me it's time to end this, on my terms."

"Korra, this is not a mission you should be handling alone," Iroh replied.

Suddenly Mako stepped forward. "She won't be," he said, then looked at Korra with a face that told Asami everything. "I'm going with you."

"You don't have to do that," said Korra.

Mako set his jaw. "Yes, I do."

Iroh cast a glance at Asami, then rubbed his chin in thought. "My grandfather would respect the Avatar's instinct," he murmured. "So will I."

"Good luck," said Korra. "If you're going into the mountains you should still bring Naga." She walked over and gave the huge polar bear dog a pat. "And keep an eye out for Bolin, will you?" Naga huffed out a deep woof in reply.

Asami looked from Mako to Korra and back again, seething. Of course. Of course he was going with her. Never mind that there was a whole plan that had, until a moment ago, hinged on there being at least two firebenders and an earthbender. Never mind that Asami herself was standing right here and that the last few days had been the absolute worst of her life and that Mako hadn't lifted so much as a fucking finger to make it better. And never mind that she herself was about to go off into certain danger without any bending or weapons or anything, and that her supposed boyfriend seemed perfectly okay to trust her to the care of a one-armed general he just met so that he could go protect the fucking Avatar , perhaps the most capable fighter in the whole world, instead. It was fine. Asami would take care of herself. Because that was what she did.

Then she thought of the sesame-dried sticks, and a comforting hand on her back. She glanced back at Iroh. The general was making a point to be looking elsewhere and doing a poor job of it. Well, at least someone valued her. And he really was absurdly good-looking. If they still had Naga, there was no reason their plan couldn't work with two, either.

Asami walked over to Mako. He looked down at her with his sad copper eyes as if he was somehow conflicted.

"Asami," he said softly. "I'm sorry things got so messed up between us, but whatever happens today, I want you to know how much I care about you."

She gave him a thin smile. "I care about you, too," she said.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Gommu pop out from behind a stack of crates. He gave Asami the tiniest, most imperceptible nod. She shivered and turned away to where Iroh waited for her astride Naga.

As Asami settled in behind him and wrapped her arms around the general's waist she heard Gommu call after them.

"Good fortune and success to you both, valiant heroes!"

When she turned back the little man was following Mako and Korra. With a grim smile, Asami let him. She and Iroh had work to do. And with her help, from his red-tipped claws would come peace.


A/N: Since it's likely not obvious, both from putting my owns spin on the mythology and from my desire to keep things a little vague, Gommu is a taotie. The taotie is a mythical creature that appears in Chinese mythology as one of the "four evils" representing greed and gluttony. It's name literally translates as "hunger." The taotie is most often depicted as a large mouth with horns, claws, and large round eyes on its shoulders. According to legend, the taotie is so hungry that it eats anything it can, including itself. The taotie and the other three evils are often set opposite the "four guardians," which include both the vermillion bird, or Zhūquè, representing beauty and fire, and the white tiger, head of armies and champion of peace. The white tiger of the west - which is often depicted as a kind of dragon - is sometimes paired with the vermilion bird. The idea that elements of these creatures could be partially or entirely passed on to humans, as well as Gommu's use of glamour, are entirely invented by me and have no basis in mythology.