AUTHOR'S NOTES: As is customary every November, NaNoWriMo is in full swing. But, since this chapter and the next are in reserve, this will not affect my update schedule this year. Actions have consequences, for better and for worse, and Korra has to deal with what she's done, whether for her betterment or her detriment.
Happy Reading!
BOOK THREE: WATER
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED NINETEEN: THE MEANING OF PEACEFUL
Still on something of a high from the fighting earlier, Korra raced back to what was left of the igloo, and found one of the snowmobiles missing. Risha must have come back to retrieve it and head down the mountain. Since the other one was still there with the keys still present, Korra made a swift movement to clear any ice or snow off the top, before starting it up and whizzing down the mountain at breakneck speeds. She had to get back and rest.
Korra tried to drown out the notion of bloodbending, using the speed of her vehicle, the upcoming trial for her parents, and the looming Harmonic Convergence as topics to try and shift her focus, but she always found herself coming back to feeling her chi energy all the way down to her fingers, as she manipulated the body of another woman. Being stripped of her own autonomy like that had been horribly traumatizing, and she couldn't help but wonder if Kashni or Risha had felt the same way.
She wanted to find Risha while the incident was still fresh on both of their minds, and see if she was okay after being used as someone else's puppet like that. However, by the time she reached the Tribe, there was no trace of the tracks from RIsha's vehicle; they blended in with the tracks from other vehicles all throughout the city, and so if Risha had not returned to the Winter Waters, Korra would be out of luck.
Her good fortune held, and she found Risha preening in front of her mirror just as before, except this time with her dress still on.
"Korra," she hummed, sounding a little more subdued, "you going to fix the lock on my room or something, or are you here for other reasons?"
"Oh that?" Korra shrugged and flicked her wrist, bending the metal between the door and the lock back to its rightful position, "I'm here about earlier tonight."
"I'm not sure what you were expecting, really," Risha sighed, carefully wiping makeup off her face, "my mother wanted to teach you bloodbending and it sounds like she succeeded."
"It's not the first time I've walked into a trap," Korra shrugged, finding catharsis in trying to help others, and it often helped her take her own mind off of her own issues. "But I'm not here about me. I'm here about you; are you alright?"
"I'll admit…" Risha stretched for a moment with another long sigh, "I did not expect my mother to use me as a pawn that way, but perhaps I should have known better. I was always a piece in her games growing up, and I don't think she ever gave that hobby up."
"If there's anything I can do, let me know," Korra reached a hand out as if to put it on Risha's shoulder, but she maintained her distance, "I've been on the receiving end of that before, and it's… it's awful. There's no nice way to put it, and I'll never be able to apologize enough for having to do that to you."
"You would do that for me, even though I agreed with my mother's motives?"
"Even if the whole thing was a setup that you were in on from the get-go, I would. I forgave the man who attacked me and tried to drive me mad, and now he's living a better life and making a difference in the world because of it. I'm not here to try and tell you how to live your life, Risha. I just want to make a difference myself."
"And what if the person you're helping was in on the whole scheme from the start, and never in any actual danger?"
Korra paused for a moment as she contemplated Risha's question. Was this a confession, or was that just the waterbender trying to question Korra's morals?
"Then it's on them, and says more about their character than mine." Korra replied a moment later with resolution in her tone, "If I do a good deed for someone who turns out to be wicked, is it my fault for them going that way, or is it just an example of treating others in a way that I'd want to be treated were the tables turned?"
Risha was silent for a moment which allowed Korra to contemplate what she had just said. At the end of the day, that was all she really wanted from people—to be treated with the same kind of respect and kindness that she tried to offer all but her enemies. The compassion she carried with her was often a surprise to those who opposed her, and now Risha was the next one on the list to be confused by it.
"You intrigue me, Avatar Korra, and I hope you don't think any less of me for what happened tonight. My mother hasn't changed, and even though I warned you what she'd do, I'm still sorry that you had to go through that."
"Don't worry about me, I'll be alright." Korra shook her head, "I just wanted to make sure you were alright… I've never seen bloodbending so powerful that it could force a bender to use their element against their will. That must have been intense."
"It was definitely something…" Risha sighed, "but I am feeling better now. I don't deserve your consolation or your solace, Korra, but I thank you for it nonetheless."
"It's nothing," Korra shrugged with a smile. "Just stay safe, and don't push yourself too hard. It's been a long night for everyone I think. I'm going home and sleeping until noon or later."
"I'll never understand how you do it, Korra," Risha shook her head. "You don't need to explain, but the fact that you've got mercy and compassion even for sinners like me and other former Red Lotus insurgents shows an incredible emotional resilience I haven't seen in anyone else before. I'd elaborate but honestly there's nothing else I can really add."
"I'm not here to be the judge of your life or what you do with it, but I'll tell you the same thing I told the man who attacked me and left me with several different scars," Korra looked Risha right in the eye, "if you want to stick it to someone, you only need to show them that they have no control over you."
"That was basically what my mother did to you though," Risha pointed out, causing Korra to pout as she likely hid a streak of frustration. "And while I can't say for certain, I think I am starting to see the reasoning behind her motives."
"It wasn't right," Korra interrupted her with a gesture from her arms, "stripping someone of their autonomy like that is never right."
"I'm not here to argue right or wrong, Korra." Risha shook her head, sitting back down and rummaging through a drawer, "But my mother and I both agreed that you are a terrifying force to be reckoned with. You're unorthodox and you march to your own beat… and honestly I feel like a lot of people—she and I included—simply don't know what to make of you."
This stopped Korra in her tracks as she recalled Nakkoa's words from the spirit world.
"None of us really know what to make of you, Korra…"
She wasn't sure how she felt about this, especially given that prior interactions with different past lives used similar phrases to describe the Interregnum Cycle, but at the same time she knew she couldn't run from it forever. Fortunately, running from things was usually not Korra's preferred choice of action anyways.
"Well they'll have to find out what to make of me, or they'll just have to deal with it," Korra shrugged a shoulder, "your mom apparently thought it was important enough to force my hand as a bloodbender, and so if she doesn't know what to make of me after that, it's on her. If my power strikes fear into people, then they'll have to overcome that fear, the same way I've had to overcome mine. It's not my job to regulate anyone else's emotions but my own."
"Heh," Risha chuckled, "well said, Avatar. That being said though, I wouldn't want to keep you… dear Asami must be worried sick about you."
"Hopefully not, but that's a good point." Korra nodded, "stay safe, Risha."
"I will," Risha promised, flashing Korra a coy grin as she began to unzip her dress again, "don't lose too much sleep. I don't imagine you want to bloodbend the kangaroo court in a couple days, but it's always an option."
Korra did not respond verbally, and made a swift departure the moment she saw Risha's undergarments again. She had nearly forgotten about her parents' trial, and while Risha had said it in a very roundabout way, Korra did suspect foul play, and let these thoughts and the events of earlier that evening weigh on her mind all the way home.
She found Asami with her nose in a book, but otherwise looking rather calm for the moment. This changed when Korra walked in.
"Love, what happened?" She stood up immediately, and Korra saw that she was still fully dressed even. Korra looked down, and then realized she still had a string of blood trailing from the right corner of her mouth down her chin.
"Oh this," she pointed at the cut, "just a scratch. I came out on top but a lot of crazy shit went down. Are you doing okay?"
"I'm doing fine, albeit worried for you," Asami helped Korra out of her coat and made her sit down. "There's that look in your eye that something happened. No more secrets, Korra."
"I wasn't going to keep it a secret," Korra shook her head, sit down and get comfortable. I wanna play with your hair."
The way Korra said this was a cue to Asami at this point that she wasn't trying to be flirty so much as needing something calming and therapeutic, and so she complied with a smile and a nod. Korra launched into an explanation of the evening's events, from Risha's suspicious behavior all the way down to Kashni's machinations and forcing her to use bloodbending.
"That explains why you're upset," Asami sighed, "but what happened to Risha and Kashni?"
"I'm still not sure if Risha was in on it or not, since Kashni used her as a puppet to attack me," Korra explained, stripping from the waist up and getting comfortable. "But Kashni escaped into the tundra somewhere."
"You let her go?!" Asami gripped Korra's shoulders unintentionally tightly, before relaxing again and resuming her effort to loosen Korra's muscles.
"Not purposely," Korra shook her head, "but she's a waterbender in the South Pole under a full moon evening on a winter solstice surrounded by ice, snow, and a frigid sea. That's pretty much about as ideal of conditions for a waterbender as you can get., and I didn't want to cross her."
"Why didn't you want to cross her" Asami was trying to follow Korra's logic, "you shouldn't be bowing to anyone, Korra—not with your type of power. Don't negotiate with terrorists."
"It wasn't a negotiation…" Korra was still trying to piece it all together, "Once she saw me bloodbend she basically abandoned all of her attacks and made a clean break for it. I made it abundantly clear that she would beg for death if she laid a finger on you or anyone else, and she seemed to accept that before disappearing into the night. If that's what it takes to keep you or the brothers out of a bloodbender's clutches, I'll appease whoever it is."
"I'm half-surprised you didn't try killing her," Asami mused aloud.
"I considered it, but it wasn't like Nakkoa or Noatak. She wasn't so much trying to see me dead as much as simply force my hand. The moment she did, she dropped the pretense and ran."
"What in oblivion was her motive then?" Asami's brow furrowed. "She saw you bloodbend, but so what? I don't imagine you're going to use that ability at all unless you are literally out of other options, if even that."
"I have no idea. The Red Lotus scares me because of that. At least with Amon he had a clear motive, and with my uncle, he seems to have one too. For all the lessons and spiels Zaheer gave me on freedom during my sojourn there, that didn't seem to be his motive either."
"I hope I'm not trying to pick you apart too hard, love," Asami took a deep breath, "No more secrets, I said, so I'll let you in on what's been happening over on my end. Varrick's been missing for a while, and there seems to be mounting evidence that he's bankrolling some of these rebellions. War is good for business, and he's exactly the type of person that would capitalize on that if he thought he could get away with it."
"I'll beat him senseless too if I have to," Korra's fists clenched for a moment before Asami coaxed her to calm down again.
"We're supposed to strike a deal tomorrow, and that was after a great deal of screening to make sure he wasn't going to use Future Industries equipment to start a war." Asami clarified,and isn't your mother's hearing the day after?"
"It is, so I'm happy to come with you if you want. I'll be restless otherwise, and I'm not about to practice bloodbending or anything."
"Sounds like a mutually beneficial arrangement." Asami smiled, planting a kiss on Korra's shoulderblade, "I'm happy to have you at my side, love. Thank you."
"I could say the same and more, babe. Don't get me started or you know I won't shut up."
"I find that cute, you know. But more than that, if there's anything I can do to help you, I want to be the same support you are for me."
"If you're with me at the trial that's all I can ask for at this point. As much as I love you at my side, I'm really glad you weren't with me when I confronted Kashni. She's exactly the type of person that would have weaponized you against me instead of her daughter. Risha's a friend, or close enough to one, but manipulating her was a necessity—and not something I think I could have had the heart to do to you if that had been you."
"I'll admit that's a frightening thought, although I could never see you doing that to me out of malice—or anything other than absolute necessity."
"You seem so calm about it, babe. It's… it's horrifying."
"I have no doubt, Korra." Asami hummed, "But that's how much I trust you. You've come a long way from being that volatile powder keg back in the early days after the whole ordeal with Shenzi. Not that I blame you for it, but don't downplay your own growth and resilience."
Korra turned around and threw her arms around Asami, nuzzling into her luscious hair. "The fact that you trust me that much means the world to me, Asami." she whispered, holding her tightly, "I don't want to entertain the idea of bloodbending anymore, but still… thank you."
"You are a peaceful woman by nature, Korra." Asami softly rubbed her back, "even without bloodbending, you still know deadly abilities like combustion, lavabending, air spheres, and ice spikes, and yet you opt for peace. You carry with you an immense amount of raw restrictive power, and that's what makes you peaceful."
"How does that work?" Korra only saw an oxymoron, at least on the surface."
"To be truly peaceful you need to be capable of immense destruction." Asami explained, "if you are 'peaceful' because you don't have the power to be a threat, you're not actually peaceful—you're just harmless. When you have the power to alter the landscape, to weaponize the water around you, blow things up with your mind, or manipulate the very water in someone's body, you are capable of great destruction. The fact that you don't wield these abilities with impunity or at the slightest provocation means that you are peaceful—someone capable of mass destruction who refuses to do such things."
"I could say the same about you, love," Korra pointed out. "You might feel helpless against some powerful benders, but you could probably weaponize about 200 different things in this room including the room itself, and when you're behind the control panel of a vehicle of any sort, you're a force of nature all on your own—or of artifice, if you prefer."
"Hmph," Asami gave a light chuckle and ruffled Korra's hair. "That doesn't make you any less of an all-powerful Avatar, but you make a fair point. Now, close your eyes and relax, and let's fall asleep in each other's arms. We've got a crazy day or two ahead of us."
Korra nodded, and let herself relax as she and Asami bantered for a little while longer. She was unsure when either of them dozed off, but it happened at some point or another, with the two of them still in each other's arms.