Hope it's not like cringe. I still am on a streak here.


The kids decided they wanted to eat and discuss other things. They caught up on their jobs, allowing Tenzin to continue chiming in about his kids and the Air nation. Tarlok felt uncomfortable. He and Lin didn't fit in, and he saw one of her hands rest on the table while she fiddled around with the food on her plate. He realized she had a real problem.

He put his warm flesh hand over her icicle of a hand, and Lin looked down at it. She glared

Everyone fell silent.

"Don't. Touch. me." Lin barbed a low voice and scared them.

Tarlok moved his hand away. Lin didn't excuse herself. She headed for the lady's room

"Really, why did you even try," Mako said

Tarlok sighed, feeling defeated. He said nothing. His eyes glimmer sadly.

"Maybe in 30 years, she will forgive you like she did Tenzin," Bolin said innocently. It only crushed Tarrlok.

"Ouch, Bolim, that was harsh," Korra said, surprise

"Wha, oh."

"You know we should get an undercover, someone they would want," Korra said

Lin had returned, "what kind of person would they need." Asami pondered out loud

Lin listened to them try and figure it out. She leaned in, " Zhu Li or Wu are some options. They have power and clean reputations, non-benders." Lin said

" Wu did want a singing career," Mako said

" But he's awful at singing," Tenzin said. Pema had told him all about it.

" I know somebody that can train him." Tarlok was back to his old self in an instant.

"Who, are they a miracle worker," Mako said.

"Someone who got a degree in music," it took everything in Lin not to stab him in his robotic hand or neck. His eyes met Lins. He spoke just like those council meetings. He had a shit-eating grin.

" But I thought, you studied-"

" I think we should hedge our bets on Zhu Li," Lin didn't let Tenzin finish. He forgets you can study more than one thing. Her mom had been blind and not too hip on school, so she just had to do one major in something that applied to be a cop.

"Wu is more personable, though," Asami chimed in.

"He's an idiot," Lin said, finally

"We should speak to both and work with both," Mako said stubbornly

"If the prince is tone-deaf theirs not much I can fix," Lin sighed before adding, " Now, if you excuse me, I have a sister to entertain. If there nothing else," she darkly muttered as she flagged down the waiter again. She tells Mako she will be getting a security team on Raiko, bolin oos a little her apparent concern for Raiko.

After Lin paid and tipped, the Krew looked at Tarrlok,

" How involved were you two." Tenzin accused. It made Tarrlok smirk.

That was Tarrlok's cue to leave. He had Asami foot his tab.

Before he left, he said confessed another secret,

"She had a betrothal necklace. I blew it, though."

He walked off sadly to his dwelling, leaving everyone wondering if they felt bad for him or not

When Tarrlok steps out, he feels the gust of spring air. Tarrlok spots Lin still in her disguise getting a cigarette lit by Lighting Bolt Zolt despite her having a higher in her. Tarrlok's eyes narrow. He looks at Lin and her warm color shades as their eyes meet, and Lin whispers something in Zolt's ear before walking in a different direction. He feels tempted to pull her aside. So he follows, shoulder-checking Zolt as aggressively as he can.

"Lin." He says catching up

"Leave. Me. Alone." Lin doesn't look at him. It's unusual.

"Please, I want to know how to make this right," He asked softly

"You, you can't, not anymore" Lin walked into an alleyway so they could talk privately.

"Why."

Lin sighed heavily, dragging the cigarette. She decided to face this.

"Your, His son." She almost whispered

Tarlok sighed, "theirs nothing I can do-"

"You don't understand. Did your pal Haruk not tell you. It seemed like he liked talking about it."

He isn't my pal. I wasn't there, but my brother was disturbed. Something about." He felt something hit him. He halted, his stomach twisted. "Spirits."

"I can't even look at you and not see your dad's face. Think about that, month." Lin realized he had connected the dots. He felt sick.

"I, I'm so sorry. I never wanted to hurt you or do anything to make you relive that day."There were no words. remembering her reaction when he touched her hand, remorse filling him. "I feel like every time I have something good, I choose the wrong thing and lose it." Lin closed her eyes, and she felt the same.

" I don't blame you for what your dad did to me. I just don't think it could be the same," Lin's eyes were still closed.

"I understand that. I do. I want to do the right thing for you. I still wish you would take better care of yourself."

"I'm a fool." If it weren't so quiet, he wouldn't be able to hear her. She sounded hopeless.

"No, your something else, something you can't put into words."Lin rolled her eyes. She was in knots, close to tears.

"I have to go, tarrlok. My sister, we reconnected." She wanted to hold his hand but couldn't do it.

"I was wondering about that. I hope it makes you happy. I think that's all I want. When this is over, I want you to take a vacation and do things that bring you true joy, with somebody that's everything you need." Lin clenched her jaw. She wasn't sure that would ever come again.

He looked at her. He felt disgusting for blood bending her how he must have triggered her.

"I wish, I. I wish it had been different. That I had done it all different and just left with you."

Lin left the dark alleyway. She looked back at him. He looked at the floor dejectedly. She sighed

"I loved you too, Tarrlok" her voice was softer than she expected. She decided to leave him to process all that information. Her body felt like she weighed as much as the avatars dog as she made her way to Air Temple Island.

When Lin came to air temple island, she was a bit drunk, still feeling grim. Su has been waiting with Bumi. Su had complained over breakfast that morning about her impassiveness, so Lin decided to try and make nice

"So what was it you wanted to do, Su." She was acting pleasant even though something in her didn't feel alive anymore.

"I want to dance," Su chirped.

Lin sighed. She honestly rather something else

Bumi notes the rest of them are back on the island and suggests they move the party else were

Tenzin spots them and approaches where the three of them are sitting. Lin decided to look at the clouds knowing Tenzin wasn't happy with her.

"You were going to marry him" it had to be the first thing he asked. It was like he knew where to stab.

"Not your business unless you have come to dance with Su and Bumi. I don't want to hear it."

"You are a liar, Lin."

"Right, and you're not." Tenzin scoffed and changed the subject. He felt hurt even though he didn't know things about Lin.

"Are you going to teach Wu to sing?"

"I don't want to, but if you guys think it's a good idea and he's not tone-deaf, not much you can do there" Su looked at them, confused.

"I'm sure Wu will be excited," Bumi boomed

"He probably will try and ask you out." Su teased, adding how it seemed to happen a lot, even in her sister's old age. Su was excited" it will be just like when our parents were young."

Lin makes a gagging sound

"I'm with Lin on that one," Bumi said, "too old for life-changing adventures."

"I want this to be over already. We just finished with Kuvira, and just like that." Su whined

Lin reached in her pocket for a smoke. "Same old, not the end of the world."

"I thought we were going to dance?" Bumi said

"I just wanted to reminisce. Remember when Tenzin and Lin broke up when Lin was 16." Lin wasn't in the mood for this.

"Yeah, he asked me for advice on fixing it."

Lin slipped and found herself not being able to follow the conversation. Lin was fighting some triple threat triads when she came to. It was three days later.