The ground rumbled. "Keep right," instructed Lin. Liko moved left. "I said keep right!" The earth lifted high enough for him to trip and he stumbled to the ground squawking. She groaned, massaging her temple. He had two left feet but only when it came to bending.

"Well, that could have been a lot worse," he said, still trying to catch his breath.

Lin wasn't having it. "It could have been a lot better," she retorted, resetting the training ground to how it was. She hadn't been in the gym for years. After mastering earthbending at the ripe age of eleven, she moved on to metal. Mostly at HQ where Toph could train her, but there was also a small space in their backyard growing up dedicated to practicing metalbending. And Toph always called her a late bloomer, saying she already invented and mastered metalbending by the time Lin was just starting. Her words only made Lin try harder, master it quicker, which, now looking back, was probably the point. Lin wondered what her mom would say about Liko. He was a Beifong, yes, but only in spirit, not in drive. Aang wasn't even as nonchalant as him, but he was the Avatar. "Let's go again. This time listen."

He huffed but remained on the ground, opting to prop himself up with one hand and look up at her. "I was listening–I just thought… Look, can we be done? Please?"

"No," she said, too harshly for her own liking, and she earthbent him to his feet.

He assumed his fighting stance with little enthusiasm. She threw a rock at him; he slowed it down and tossed it to the side. She threw another with more force. It hit him, but he caught it and balanced himself before tumbling down. Again, he bent it off to the side.

"Hit me!" she instructed, throwing another rock. He caught it and threw it back at her; it barely touched her. "Harder!" He earthbent his own rock and hurled it toward her, but stopped it midway. Lin remembered being afraid to hit her own mom when first starting out; Toph threw a whole bolder at her to get her to retaliate. And so Lin flung the floating rock toward him, as if he were a delinquent out on the streets, not her gentle son. He used his hands to shield himself from the rock hurtling toward him. And then came his scream as he plunged to the ground, his head meeting the ground hard as the rock settled on top of him. "Liko!"

"Ah!" he hissed, struggling to bend the rock off himself. Lin removed it with ease and bent to check on him. She should have known better than to take parenting advice from Toph. "This is fucking child abuse!"

"I'm sorry," she said as his hand rose to check his head. She too looked for any signs of bleeding. "I thought you had it."

"Well, I didn't!"

"You'll live," she assured, helping him to his feet, with no bending this time. His legs wobbled, so she kept hold of him while guiding him to a nearby bench. She sat too, rubbing her forehead; the lights at the gym were just too damn bright sometimes. She turned to see Liko observing her with the same concern as Tenzin.

"This whole Amon thing has you really freaked out, huh?"

"You don't need to be worrying about how I feel," she said after a moment of hesitation. She lowered her head, avoiding his eyes and the lights. She felt like she was about to be lectured by Tenzin.

"It's like… Okay, remember when that perv kept flashing everybody on mainstreet–"

"It is not even remotely the same situation," said Lin as Liko spoke.

"–and nobody could catch him," continued Liko as if he hadn't heard her. "He was gone before anyone could report him."

"Get to the point," she said, partly because she was exhausted–of his blabber and of these damn lights–but she also genuinely had no idea where he was going with all this. And spirits, her head really hurt.

"The point is… eventually you caught him, even when it seemed like you wouldn't," he said. "Like I know eventually you'll catch Amon. Because that's what you do: you catch the bad guys."

It felt like she should have caught him already. And part of her wished she did things outside the law, went in with Saikhan and raided the Equalist headquarters. Arrested every last one of them. She thought she had Amon the other night, and then he revealed he could take people's bending away. It was one step up and two steps back with him.

"And you have Korra to help you this time," Liko added after a moment.

Lin snarled. "She's a kid. And she can't even airbend."

And he turned away, avoiding her eyes. It was always a touchy subject. "You're going fucking insane, mom."

Tarrlok entered police headquarters with a swagger that made all eyes swoon. He carried fresh coffee meant only for himself and the esteemed Chief of Police, the beautiful but abrasive Lin Beifong. Her secretary greeted him with the same speech as always: "Good morning, Councilman. What can I do for you?"

"Is Chief Beifong in yet?" he replied in the most sincere voice he could muster. "I was hoping for a chance to speak with her before both of our busy schedules get the better of us."

"Of course, let me check," he said. Tarrlok waited patiently as the secretary buzzed Beifong out of her office to speak with him.

Beifong emerged from her office with Captain Saikhan at her side. Saikhan greeted Tarrlok with a curt nod and eyes of suspicion; they often clashed politically–as did he and Beifong, but he hoped the kind gesture of coffee would change that. At least for this one thing. "Lunch is on me today," Saikhan told Beifong as he left. The esteemed chief waved him off. Was something bubbling?

"What do you want, Tarrlok?" she said as they entered her office. Piles on piles of paperwork lay on her desk, on the metal floor, and on one of the two seats facing her desk. This whole Amon business had her redecorate her office. He handed her the cup of coffee and took the only vacant seat available. She muttered a weary thank you before taking her own seat behind her desk. But she refused to drink it; instead opting to set it on her desk.

"I was hoping to have your help with this new project I'm working on," he said.

"Right," said Beifong, her eyes drifting to the untouched coffee near her, fully knowing why it was offered to her. "This task force you're hoping to create."

He smiled. "Yes. I'm sure you're already well aware of Tenzin's position on the matter. He says it will further divide our city." And she leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms and looking almost suspicious of his words. "A madman is running wild in our city. And forgive me, Chief Beifong, for being so blunt with you, but how many more martyrs must there be before justice is served?" He, of course, was talking about the family of waterbenders. He spoke with a few of their neighbors a few days after the incident. After a few handshakes and picture taking, all the tiresome motions of being on the council, he promised to give them justice. "What if it were the other way around," he continued when Beifong said nothing. "If benders were attacking nonbenders–"

"They do," came Beifong's monotone response.

"Please, I implore you to think of your own son in such a scenario." And she shifted slightly. He resisted a smirk; finally he hit a nerve. "Think of how that mother felt watching her children die, hearing them beg for mercy in their last moments, unable to do anything about it." She gave him a curious look and made to speak, but thought better of it. He continued on: "Now, think of yourself in a similar situation with…" He stopped, unable to recall the boy's name. What was it again, Lee? Lao, maybe? He hardly saw the damn kid anyway. And Beifong lifted her brows, unwilling to tell him and expecting him to continue. "With your own son," he continued after clearing his throat. "A helpless boy, not able to bend, against a gang of tyrant benders." She glanced away, hiding a concerned expression. He could hear her blood flow, the pressure rising. "And you, for whatever reason, were unable to save him. Wouldn't you want a team of experts out there fighting for his right to live, to exist?"

Beifong straightened, then huffed. "Councilman," she said after a moment, "the culprit broke into the victims' home and killed them while they were still asleep. The mother didn't watch her children die because she was already dead. It was an unfair fight right from the get-go. You're blowing this whole incident way out of proportion. And don't bring my son into this–" She winced slightly, then began massaging her forehead.

He felt joy watching her crack so easily. She was old, beyond her prime. Perhaps it was time for someone else to take the reins. "Are you alright, Chief?" he feigned concern.

"I'm fine!" came her response. She took a moment to collect herself before standing. "I don't have time for this."

Tarrlok knew he was getting to her. If he could just catch her at the right moment. "Chief Beifong," he said, stopping her from leaving, "please, the people of Republic City are terrified. They need to know their chief is doing everything she can to protect them."

For a moment, he thought she would leave. Maybe Tenzin had gotten to her first–which was very likely. But she swiftly turned back to him, her arms crossed and her time limited. He had one more shot. "What do you need?"

"Access to the police's waterbending unit," he said. "Fire Chief Amak has already granted me access to his waterbenders. We also have many volunteers lining up to join the cause. They would be enough, of course, but I think it will be good to show that all of us are united in bringing this tyrant down."

Her eyebrow rose. "You talk as if this little task force has already been approved."

"It has," he said. "At least– most of the council members are in agreement that something should be done. I have no doubt this afternoon's council meeting will end with the task force being approved." He laughed, attempting to ease the tension between them, but she continued her frowning. It was like she was made out of pure stone. "I assure you this is all perfectly legal, Chief. I even intend to recruit the very vivacious Avatar Korra."

She rolled her eyes at that, and his heart sank. Of course she hated the Avatar; she nearly destroyed the city–what a terrible play on his part. A knock on the door brought his attention away from her and that secretary of hers entered with papers to add on to her already massive pile. He stood, knowing he lost her; Beifong and her secretary exchanged a few words before walking to her desk; she rummaged through the pile and pulled out another paper, and they exchanged documents.

"Good day, Chief Beifong," he excused himself, hiding his anger with a charming smile.

"Fine," came her approval just as he was about to step out the door. "It might be good to have extra eyes out there. But they still work under me. If I need them while you have them diddle-daddling in my city, I'm shutting the whole shebang down. Got it? Call Jiang"–she motioned to the secretary–"after it's been approved."

He bowed politely. A gut feeling told him she was on the brink of shattering. "Of course, Chief Beifong."

Korra tried to clear her head but the image of Amon and those chi blocking punks remained strong in her mind. It was getting hard to sleep. Finding out Amon could take people's bending away, that terrified her. How was it even possible? But it scared her even more knowing she wouldn't be able to do anything about it, not until she learned how to airbend at least. She hadn't even gone into the Avatar state–and she needed to talk to Aang, or Roku… somebody! Just to tell her what to do about all this chaos. She had only been in Republic City for, what? A month? And she was already proving to be the worst Avatar ever. What a legacy.

Her gaze went to Avatar Aang's statue facing her, facing the city with his heroic stance, letting everyone know they were safe under his watch. Except they weren't, because he was now she , and she wasn't capable of anything, except cause chaos. Korra leaned against the rail, watching the ferry pull in slowly. She huffed. What would Aang even tell her? Probably to learn airbending as if he didn't know she was already trying. She would ask Jinora to help her with her breathing exercises when she got home.

"Hey kid," a familiar voice greeted her. She turned to see Liko sitting atop a square metal newspaper stand with the latest issue already packed inside: 'Is Rock the Music of Violence?' He grabbed his book bag resting on the mailbox beside it and jumped down–his feet hit the ground but his legs gave out; he broke his fall with his hands and rolled onto the ground with a slight groan.

She hid a smirk while helping him up. "Hey yourself," she said. "You all right?"

"Yeah," he said, brushing the dirt from his pants. "Just… just a little sore. I'm not exactly "Equalist ready" like you are." Korra frowned, turning her attention back to the ferry now docking. She wasn't "Equalist ready." She should be, but she wasn't. "My mom is making me train… I'm not used to it." His mom? Korra never gave it much thought about who his mom was. All she could picture was someone like Pema: sensitive and caring, a typical housewife type. They were always missing each other; it was like the woman was trying to avoid Korra. Different schedules, she figured. Liko said she worked at the police station. Probably some secretary or something, who knew the severity of the Equalist movement working so closely with Beifong. "She won't admit it, but this whole Amon thing has her freaking out…"

She turned back to him, but was surprised to see a young man eerily close to her. Liko stood behind him, obviously pushed aside, with his leg in the air and his arms flapping in the air trying to keep his footing. "Um… hello?"

"Avatar Korra, as I live and breathe!" came his shrill voice, quickly moving to shake her hand. Her whole arm vibrated. "I thought it was you. I said to myself, "Well, that over there looks a whole lot like the Avatar." And wouldn't you believe it? It was! I've made this route hundreds if not thousands of times since your arrival. Each time hoping to see you." She realized he was wearing a Republic City postal uniform with a mailbag at his hip. He was the mailman. "The name's Shin," he introduced. He was still shaking her hand. "I deliver the mail 'round these parts."

"Hello… Shin," she said, pulling her hand out of his tight grip. "It's, um, nice to meet you." Liko from behind him finally found his balance. He gave Shin a dirty look as Korra was led toward the ferry. "Oh, I can deliver the mail to the island for you, if you'd like."

"Oh, believe me, I wish you could–but this is official government business," he said, patting his mailbag. He waved for her to take a seat on the boat and, to her dismay, he took the seat right next to her. "You see, just as it is your duty to protect our world from evil, Avatar, it is my duty to protect this mail until I can safely deliver it to its proper owners."

Liko wandered onto the boat alone. Korra tried to excuse herself, but he continued his rambling, oblivious to her protests. And at this point, Liko's annoyance faded and he now looked merely amused at Korra's struggles to break free from the conversation. Spirits, the man was like Ikki without all the excitement and innocence. She thought he would stop eventually, make room for breathing, but he talked her ear off the entire ride to the island.

Pema was nearby speaking with a few of the acolytes when they arrived. The kids were there too. But upon seeing Shin, the kids and even some acolytes bolted. Korra even saw Pema trying to slowly backtrack away, but Shin called out her name and she feigned enthusiasm:

"Oh, hello, Shin," she greeted. "You're an hour earlier than we were all expecting…" It seemed cruel to pass him over to Pema, but Korra was glad to be rid of him. She didn't even bother saying goodbye out of fear he would pull her back in.

"The postal service is very unpredictable, ma'am," he said, pulling out the mail and handing it off to Pema.

"Yes… well, thank you," she said, shuffling through the mail as Shin continued his rambling.

Liko stepped off the ferry and Korra made her way toward him. "He's quite a mouthful," he said, crossing his arms, forming a familiar frown Korra couldn't quite place. She laughed, hoping Shin didn't hear them.

And then she remembered what they were discussing before Shin interrupted him. Would he care if she asked? She could ask Tenzin. Liko wasn't a bender, so it might be a touchy subject for them. But before she could even open her mouth, Pema's head shot up and a curious look sprung on her face. "Oh, that's funny," she said, her attention turning to Liko. The interruption finally silenced Shin. "This is for you, dear ." And she handed a small package over to Liko, who looked equally as baffled.

"What?" he said, taking it from her. He examined the package cautiously. There was no visible return address.

"Hey, um, Liko…" Korra began as he ripped open the package. "I was wondering, not that it matters, really, but… who's your mom?"

Liko pulled out what looked like an image of a younger Tenzin. "Oh, fuck off," he muttered, his face turning beet red. He hid the image under his shirt and looked around to see if anyone else saw. Shin had trapped Pema once again, and the acolytes and the kids were long gone. "I'll tell you who she is… she's a fucking psycho, that's who she is." And then he hurried up the steps with the image still hidden away. It was a touchy subject, then. She knew not to ask.

Lightning Bolt Zolt hadn't been seen since losing his bending. Neither had the others. Whether they were laying low or still being held captive by Amon, that was something Lin had to figure out. And figure out fast. She felt like there was a ticking bomb about to explode and she was moving in slow motion. Her forehead throbbed and the radio blasting Liko's music was far from helpful. She metalbent it off–but the silence was no better; she still felt sick.

"Hey!" came Liko's protest.

"Did you do your homework?" she asked.

He waved her question off and avoided her eyes as he fell back onto the sofa. "Didn't have any."

Lin didn't quite believe him, but she wasn't in the right headspace to deal with it. She turned again to the images before her: all the missing triad leaders, and a few others. All presumably without bending. Was it permanent? That was what they were really investigating. Maybe it was like chi blocking; it would come back eventually, after some time. If it wasn't–how would they get it back? Not that Lin was looking forward to handing back bending to criminals; it was the average citizen she thought about. The only other person able to take away anyone's bending was the Avatar. But Korra was still just a kid.

Aang was still just a kid when he first took the Firelord's bending. But… she shook the thought away quickly as she stood from her chair, tossing the mugshots aside near her work folder; the room spun but she ignored it. Aang was different; he would always be different. "I'm going to bed. No music for the rest of the night, all right? My head is killing me. Read a book or something."

"Go to the spa or something," he muttered back to her, sounding like the perfect blend of her and Tenzin. "You're going insane." She did need a vacation, but she would settle for sleep. Maybe once Amon's behind bars. "And hey," he called after a moment. She winced slightly at the change of pitch. "That crap you pulled today with the package wasn't funny!"

She smiled; their little game was the only thing keeping her sane. She entered her room and closed her door, hoping to at least get a few hours of sleep before Jiang or whoever called her in again.

Her head barely touched the pillow when the faint sound of the telephone ringing interrupted her peace. She heard Liko answer it, and then switch on the radio. The Drills again, no doubt. She would never understand the obsession. But she heard no music; instead it was a voice. "Mom! Come quick!" She practically flew out of the room, eager to know what happened.

"–cannot be stopped," Amon's voice spoke clearly. An uneasiness settled in her stomach. "Our numbers grow stronger by the day…"

Liko handed her the phone. "It's Saikhan," he said as Lin brought it up to her ear. Saikhan was saying something, but her focus was on Amon.

"You no longer have to live in fear," continued Amon. "The time has come for benders to experience fear–"

And the radio quickly went static. Saikhan still spoke, but she still could not hear his words, Amon's message still echoing in her mind. She looked at Liko's pale face, utterly terrified. "Yeah, I'll be over there in ten," she told Saikhan and hung up the phone. Her hand moved to hold Liko's cheek, guiding his eyes up to look at hers. "Don't worry about it, kid, okay?"

He nodded, but still looked unconvinced.

She sighed and pulled her hand away. "Get your things. I'm dropping you off on the island."

"Can't I just stay here for the night?" he said with a groan.

She was already heading toward her room to grab her armor. "No."

"C'mon, I'll… sleep with a knife under my pillow."

"Oh, in that case," she said after she returned wearing her armor, and he perked some, "no."

It was in the papers the next morning, Amon's speech. Lin went down to the radio station to investigate, which made Tenzin wonder if Amon had a man on the inside. Perhaps they just found the frequency. He knew placing blame on possibly innocent workers would simply divide the city even more. That was exactly what Amon wanted.

And what Tarrlok wanted: to divide benders and nonbenders. To divide them, and then be the hero who brought them together again once this whole Equalist conflict was resolved. He already had Lin, Chief Amak, and the other councilmembers in on his scheme; Korra would be next, he knew, and she never said no to a fight.

"Probending seems to be a main priority of yours, but I wonder, Avatar Korra, what are your plans for facing Amon? Do you plan on facing him?" Hikaru asked. A nonbender with fire nation and northern water tribe blood.

"Well, I–" Korra stumbled with her words, looking at Tenzin for guidance.

"Avatar Korra's main focus right now is mastering airbending," Tenzin said. "Chief Beifong and… Councilman Tarrlok are doing everything in their power to capture Amon and bring this whole Equalist phenomenon to an end." They had always been well acquainted–Hikaru was honest, true, and a reliable source–but their friendliness dwindled about ten years ago.

"Phenomenon," echoed Hikaru. His focus went back to Korra. "Amon's message last night left benders and nonbenders confused, scared, and unsure about what's to come. I would specifically like to focus on what he said at the end." And he flipped through his notes. "'You,' referring, of course, to nonbenders ,'no longer have to live in fear. The time has come for benders to experience fear.' What are your thoughts on all the nonbenders out there who do live in fear because of the power imbalance existing between benders and nonbenders?"

"Um, I'm sorry they feel that way," she said as Hikaru jotted her words down in his tiny notepad. "I always saw benders as the protectors of nonbenders. I guess I never knew they felt so outmatched. But taking people's bending away shouldn't be the answer to equality!"

"Why?" questioned Hikaru, and Tenzin's brow rose. "For them, no bending means everyone is equally matched."

Korra slammed her fist onto the table. " What? "

"I am merely looking at this from their perspective, Avatar Korra," he said calmly. Tenzin believed him; he was no equalist supporter, but very radical compared to the other journalists, especially when discussing Amon and the Equalist uprising. "In your own words, why is taking people's bending away not the answer to equality?"

"Well, because… because bending is–it's a person's identity," she said. And Tenzin finally understood. Benders and nonbenders did not understand each other. They were divided because of their differences. They needed a middle ground, and Korra was the person to unite them. "You take someone's bending away, and you take part of their soul. You're not equalizing anyone, you're… you're destroying them."

"But you too as the Avatar have this ability," Hikaru persisted. "Avatar Aang–"

"Avatar Aang only took people's bending away as a last resort," Tenzin interjected. He turned to Korra to reassure her, but she was already standing to leave. He felt the wind around them blow–was it Korra, or his own anxieties taking over?

"That's enough," she said coldly. "I'm done answering your questions."

Tenzin watched Korra storm away and sighed. He recalled Uncle Sokka calling her stubborn. At the time, he disagreed; he saw only the sweet little girl who wanted rides on Oogie. But Sokka spent more time with her, back in those days. Now that he had the chance to actually know her, he would agree that she could be… difficult at times. But Tenzin had plenty of experience with difficult women. "I'm sorry, Hikaru," said Tenzin, turning to the man now packing up his things. "Perhaps we can reschedule for this weekend. Are you free sometime this Saturday?"

"Story's due Friday," he said. "But I should have enough to muster up something."

They both stood and Tenzin walked Hikaru to the door. "Please don't think of Korra as uncaring," he said. "She cares very deeply for the people of Republic City, but she has a lot on her plate right now. And she is just a girl."

"Tenzin," said Hikaru, stopping suddenly, "she's the Avatar."

Liko tugged at his collar. He felt humiliated walking in with them. Dressed in green to their yellow and orange, he stuck out like a sore thumb. He would have been perfectly happy staying on the island with the White Lotus, perhaps joining in on a pai sho game or two, but Tenzin ordered him to go after Meelo too refused to attend the gala. He called Liko a headache and the ride there on Oogie was spent in angry silence between the two.

The only upside was seeing mom there, sulking near the bar with a few officers at her side. She looked unwell and angry, and ready to burst. Not the safest energy to be around. She really needed to chill, to take a break at the very least but she never listened to him. Not really wanting to deal with her inevitable explosion, and not wanting it to be him she explodes on, he decided to follow Korra, who was being dragged away by the annoying ponytail man. He was always kind to Liko but something always felt off about him. Mom called him a self absorbed asshat, too power hungry to truly care about the wellbeing of people around him. Korra seemed to like him.

Unsurprisingly, Tarrlok did not introduce Liko to the man Korra was now acquainted with, but he was still just lingering. Perhaps he should move on, find a dark corner to hide in for the remainder of the party. He looked around: Tenzin was trying to pull a pantless Meelo out of the fountain in the center. Jinora and Ikki were dancing together on the dance floor. And Pema was with a gaggle of her girlfriends, laughing about who knows what. Maybe he should wander upstairs, find the first empty room and hide. Nap and hope they all forget about him. Begin a new life in the earth kingdom or something. Mabe finally visit Zaofu.

He began to inch away as more people approached Korra. It sounded like her teammates because they started talking about probending. And whatever they said made Korra upset. But then he spotted the stoneface glare in the distance stomping toward him. His heart sank, wondering if his teachers finally called to tell her about all his missing assignments. To his relief, she walked past him and over to Tarrlok, who, like an idiot, was happily beckoning her into their conversation.

And then came the boom: "Just because the city's throwing you this big to-do, don't think you're something special." Liko cautiously made his way back near them. "You've done absolutely nothing to deserve this."

He covered his mouth to hide his amusement. It was funny when mom's target was someone else. Poor Korra, though, stuck on the tracks with an unstoppable train heading straight toward her at full speed. There was nothing anyone could do except let the engine blow. "Hey mom," he said after a moment, poking his cheeks to pop his grin.

"Hey kid," she greeted, not even looking at him, before walking away.

"Wait–mom?" said Korra. She paused to do the math in her head. "If Chief Beifong is your… and Tenzin's your–then that means…"

"Sound it out," said Liko in a teasing tone.

"But you seem so nice," said Korra.

"Recessive genes," he said. "Future advice: stay away from her when she has that look. I call it her stoneface glare."

"What's her problem?"

Liko shrugged. "She always gets like this when she's stressed about a case. This whole Amon thing has her freaking the fuck out." Korra frowned. Mom was near Saikhan now. He said something and then he laughed; mom did not–Liko felt an uneasiness settle in his stomach. And before Liko could say anything else, Tarrlok was pulling Korra away again. Liko chose not to follow this time. Instead he observed Saikhan gesturing toward the exit and watched as they left the party without so much as a glance in his direction.

"Liko! Liko, can you please watch him for a moment while I fetch Pema," said Tenzin desperately, suddenly appearing beside him. He carried a wiggling Meelo, now wearing his pants, with both hands. Upon seeing Liko, Meelo happily airbent himself on his brother's shoulders. "And please make sure he keeps his pants on ."

"You didn't need to drive me home."

"I think I did," said Saikhan as she unlocked her front door. "When you're threatening the Avatar, then I know it's time to go."

"I didn't threaten her," she said.

"You didn't exactly make her feel welcome." Lin huffed, opening her door. That girl had been nothing but trouple since the day she fucked up Roku Street. She was a menace, and Lin wasn't sorry for speaking the truth. "How many drinks did you have?" he continued as they entered the living room.

"One good one." She avoided turning on the lights. The room spun, but it was okay; she was used to it and she could maneuver herself around anything. Her head pounded, as if it had its own heartbeat, and she rubbed it to ease the pain, hoping that the darkness would hide her obvious discomfort. But she groaned after one particularly annoying heartbeat and he asked if she was okay.

"I'm fine," she told him.

Putting blame on the liquor or the darkness, or both, she stumbled halfway to her kitchen, tripping over Liko's discarded bookbag–and firm hands caught her before she fell. He guided her to a chair and went to fetch her a glass of water. And then he began rummaging through her cabinetes.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Where do you keep your medicine?"

"Top cabinet."

He opened the top cabinet and pulled out the green alcohol bottle. "This is liquor…" he said, putting it back, much to her disappointment. "No, where's your actual medicine?"

"On top of the icebox, I think," she said.

And he brought the basket of herbs and medicine down onto the counter. After rummaging through it, he pulled out a small bottle and poured it into her glass of water. "Where are your spoons?" he asked

"Give it here," she said with a sigh. She mixed the medicine and water with her finger, then took a few small sips. It tasted bitter–she gave it to Liko when he complained of headaches and whatnot and he always made sour faces when drinking it. She hardly used the stuff for herself, though; it was easier taking care of other people than herself. And it didn't even help. Her head still hurt, her body still ached.

Lin sighed, standing. She just needed to sleep it off. Saikhan was there to help her, guide her to her room–but he didn't know what room to take her. Had he even been in her house before? Maybe for that party a few years back. But he had definitely not ever been in her room before. She stopped in the hallway, suddenly realizing the implications. His hands immediately let go of her, perhaps also realizing the implications.

"Look, I'll see you Monday, Chief," said Saikhan after a moment.

Monday? It was only Friday. But she was too tired to explain anything to anyone right now. He made to leave, but Lin, like an idiot, stopped him. Why did she stop him? Her body still ached–that medicine was garbage–and the room still spun, and she kissed him–a peck on the lips. Nothing more. But he deepened it.

There were many things to worry about: Amon and the ever growing numbers of nonbenders joining his cause; Korra, who was currently being hypnotized by Tarrlok's misguided ways; Liko and his teenage rage; and then, finally, there was Lin, who did not answer any of his or Liko's calls the entire weekend. It was Sunday night now, and still no peep. She usually checked in with Liko at least by Sunday morning. Tenzin assured Liko not to worry as a way to mask his own worries about her. Not even her secretary knew of her whereabouts.

Liko was in a frenzy the entire day and finally he just decided to take the ferry and go home, investigate it on his own. And Tenzin quickly followed him on, not wanting him to venture around the city alone in the dark, even if Tarrlok's task force were guarding the streets now.

When they arrived, the door was locked and the lights were off. Liko earthbent a specific spot near the door and a key appeared. He unlocked the door and they entered quickly.

"Mom!" said Liko as he entered every room and turned on every light he could find. Tenzin was following close behind, his own eyes searching for her. Next they would check in at the police station. Maybe she had been compromised while working undercover trying to find Amon. What if–his heart sank, not even daring to think such things. At least not yet. "Mom!" said Liko again as he opened the door to her bedroom. He switched on the light and Lin, who they found sleeping soundly in her bed, winced at the sudden bright light. She covered her face with her pillow.

"Oh thank the spirits," Tenzin said softly, the aching feeling in his stomach settling some.

"What?" came Lin's tired annoyed voice.

"We thought you were dead," said Liko, sitting down beside her on the bed.

Lin sat up, rubbing the sleep from her face. "Dead? Why?"

"You haven't answered any of our calls," came Tenzin's voice at the door. Liko and Lin both looked at him as if he were an outsider. And… he was the outsider, suddenly he realized. This was their home. Not his. He hadn't lived there for years, but it still looked the same; it still had that familiar scent he remembered coming home to everyday after work. "I'll, um, wait out here," he told them, closing the door behind him.

Tenzin made his way back into the living room where he noticed Liko's book bag spilled out onto the floor. He quickly made to tidy it when he noticed a few of the papers had red marks on them. 'Incomplete,' one read. Another was just blank with exes where answers should be. He decided not to intervene. Not yet anyway.

Lin and Liko emerged together from the bedroom and Tenzin held the book bag in his hands. Lin darted for the telephone to call headquarters. Tenzin and Liko's eyes met briefly before drifting to the book bag. He could say something to Lin, but he didn't want to worry her; she had quite enough to deal with already. He would make more of an effort, he quickly decided, to help him while they were together on the island.

"This was on the floor," he told Liko, gesturing to the unzipped bag in his hands. Lin was still busy on the phone, so he decided to speak up on the matter: "Liko, if–"

"I'm fine," said Liko, yanking the book bag from his hands and storming off toward his room. His door slammed and both Tenzin and Lin's eyes met. Lin shrugged. He bid her farewell and showed himself the way to the door. It was no longer his home, no matter how familiar its scent was to him.

A/N: Thank you so much for reading, lovely reader. Hope you enjoyed!