A Legend of Korra Fanfic
By Sakura Martinez (aka SMTsukishiro)
Summary:
A promising engineering student. A mysterious woman capable of controlling the four elements. When their paths cross, the resulting collision not only changes their lives and themselves, but the fate of the entire world as well. [Korrasami AU]
Author's Notes:
I...really have no words to say how sorry I am for the long wait. I had this finished for quite a while now, but my Beta had been quite busy, so it took much longer for this chapter to be ready.
Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy reading this chapter, as much as I had fun writing it (especially the parts with Korra and Asami in it).
Dream on; Fly on!
The Legend of Korra:
The Schism
Chapter 48: Free Fall
Korra's idea of sneaking out of the airship dock made Asami queasy.
She wasn't afraid of heights. No, she held no such phobia. After all, she had flown on an airship and had even piloted one. She had even experienced flight, thanks to the Avatar's air-bending and the pact with the Wind Spirits. Even her father's office—which she used to frequent when she was a little girl—had a grand view of the Republic City's skyline, so high up as it was.
But those were poles apart from what the Avatar had planned for them both.
And what that entailed was climbing down the side of the hangar, using the beams, small platforms, and balustrade that held it together. It was dangerous and insane—much like how this adventure with the Avatar had turned out to be. There was no physical harness that would keep her from plummeting to her death. What she had was Korra and her word that, should she manage to slip, the Avatar would come to her rescue.
Perhaps it was a better deal than having an actual harness, but in Asami's mind, she wanted something tangible and familiar.
It didn't help that she was as worried about Korra as she was about herself. After all, the Avatar was still dealing with the throbbing pain in her ankle.
As they began their descent, with Korra taking the helm and going first, the Prodigy couldn't help the wild imaginings that preyed on her mind; 'what if' scenarios where Korra, herself, slipped because of that ankle and the pain kept her from focusing on her bending? What if Asami, herself, slipped and then Korra ended up doing the same? What if Korra was suddenly unable to rescue them both?
Such thoughts, swirling inside her mind, made her grip on the railings that much tighter; made her shut her eyes and take a pause.
It took a moment for Korra to notice that Asami had not moved an inch since. And when she did, she called out, "Asami, are you okay?" just loud enough above the sound of the wind that roared in their ears.
"Y-Yes, I'm fine! I'm absolutely fine!" she called right back. "Just trying not to plummet to my death!"
In a flash, Asami found Korra beside her, looking worried for her sake. At the quickness by which the Avatar had made it to her side, considering where they were, her mind was quick to entertain itself with the thought of comparing the shorter, young woman to a monkey, or a lemur, or a crossbreed of both. It was enough to make her laugh which, in retrospect, wasn't the most ideal thing to do in her situation. Most especially when it only made Korra that much more worried.
"A-Asami?" Korra asked, tentatively. "Are you sure you're fine? We can go back and think of another way to—"
"No!" Asami shook her head. Her eyes were still closed and she still clung onto the metal bar for dear life. "Just…Just give me a moment. Please."
"If you say so…" it was clear Korra didn't really believed that she was fine, though the Avatar did let her acclimatize to the task at hand and did not leave her to go on ahead by herself. "Just tell me when you're ready. Then we can begin our descent in earnest."
Asami nodded and they stayed like that in silence for a while. The Prodigy knew they should probably get themselves back up, but she likewise knew that if they did, she wouldn't want to return to this asinine plan of climbing down the docks. And so, even when she could feel her muscles start to get sore from the death grip she was giving, she opted that they stayed right where they were.
Korra, for her part, continued to give the young woman sidelong glances. Uncertain was she of what to say, seeing as her words seemed to have failed the first time around. Even when she had suggested they turn back, it didn't seem to have the effect she had wanted to see on the human.
When that short while stretched into a much longer one, and when Korra's patience finally reached its end, the Avatar made a decision to put matters into her own hands. In one, quick movement, the Avatar grabbed hold of Asami's arm with one of her own and tugged her from the hold she had of the balustrade.
Having had her grip taken from her, Asami let out a scream which only grew in intensity when Korra swung her over. Her mind, having gone blank, Asami did what she could only think to do at that moment: she firmly grabbed hold of anything her arms could grab hold of. That was how she found herself—upon opening her eyes—on Korra's back, arms wrapped tightly around the Avatars neck.
"I will not be surprised," Korra had the gall to say, and even the nerve to do so with a smirk, "if everyone in the Imperial Capital had heard you just now. I didn't think I could hear a human scream so loudly."
"Korra!" She wanted to punch that smirk off of her face. It was so easy to do, considering how close their faces were now. She even wanted to strangle her for what she did. But Asami also knew that doing so would put her at risk of really falling to her death now that the Avatar had taken their descent into her own hands.
"Relax," Korra took little to no notice of the disdain Asami was certain she had coated her voice with. "I got you. You were taking so long and I didn't think your body could take much more of the burden of hanging so high up."
"You didn't have to yank me like that!" She hissed. "You could have told me what you planned to do!"
"That would have taken you quite a while to actually let me do it." Korra replied matter-of-factly, and when she noticed the glare Asami was giving her, she amended, "It was a jest. Sort of."
That did not placate the young inventor who harrumphed, turned her head to the side to look at anything other than Korra, and with a bite said, "You almost gave me a heartattack!"
Cocking her head to the side as she continued their descent, the Avatar asked, "A…heartattack? I do not know what that is, but I'm guessing it's something bad?"
"It's when your heart gives out because of fright," Asami explained in the simplest way she knew how, and in a way she hoped with get Korra to stop doing these things to her.
"Ah, I see. Well, you're heart is still doing fine, right? No harm done."
'Fine' really wasn't the word the Prodigy would have described how her heart was at that very moment. It thundered in her chest, drumming so loudly she found it hard to believe that Korra couldn't feel her heartbeat as strongly as she did. And though she had a hundred things to say to the Avatar—half of which involved words a proper lady should not be heard saying—she decided to keep quiet and simmer on her own, making use of the silent treatment that was more effective on Korra than any words could be.
It didn't have the effect she wanted it to have on Korra at that moment, however. As the Avatar only took the silence as Asami focusing on anything other than how far they were from the safety of the ground.
With care and precision, Korra made quick work of their descent. Whenever she had to jump from one beam to the other, Asami's arms would tighten their grip around her neck (without actually causing harm to the young Avatar). And though the wind was cold as cold winds could be in the Fire Nation's Imperial Capital, it didn't bother the young heiress as much as it did before, thanks to the warmth Korra's body provided.
Of course, that warmth wasn't the only thing the young woman noticed and felt of her companion as they traversed the dangerous route the Avatar had chosen for their escape. She was once again reminded of how muscular the other young woman was with every movement Korra took and how strong a frame she had to be able to carry both of their weights while hanging on the side of such a tall structure.
By the time they were halfway down, the afternoon sun was paving way to evening and the not-so-cold winds of the capital had grown a bit colder, the winds hitting a bit harsher. It was all Asami could do not to bury herself in the warmth Korra provided.
"Are you feeling better now?" Korra asked, however, when she felt Asami squirmed behind her. It was the first distinct movement the young Sato did in a while, which was why it caught the Avatar's attention.
Even though Asami wanted not to have any sort of conversation with her, she was forced to reply, "It's starting to get cold."
The Avatar hummed to know her answer was heard. She seemed pleased that she answered her question as well, thinking that she was off the hook. And though Asami didn't really ask it of her, Korra suddenly felt much warmer than she did before—something accredited to letting the fire within her spread outwards.
"Is that better?"
Asami nodded. She let her cheek rest on the Avatar's shoulder blade, then asked, "Should you really be pushing yourself like this? You're still recuperating, Korra."
"It is not so bad." Korra replied, not once stopping in their descent. "I wouldn't even call this 'pushing' myself as you put it."
"You're climbing down the side of a metallic structure, with me to weigh you down, and you're doing what I think is—and correct me if I am wrong—fire-bending while you're still supporting whatever that injury on your ankle is. You don't have to act tough about it." The Prodigy pointed out, though her words lacked any real push to it.
Korra sighed. "What is it with you humans and that trail of thought? I do not 'act tough', I am tough. I was built that way; trained that way through the teachings of the Four Elemental Spirits Lords. I may not be used to how the world outside my own works, nor with how weak and frail this body could now be, but that doesn't mean I cannot make use of what I have learned through Alignak and the others. You humans worry too much about me…much more than the people of Nia Bayou do, at least."
"We care about you, Korra. That's why." Did I really need to say those words to her? "It's not that we don't want you acting tough. It's just that when you do, you tend to not care about your own well-being as well. And, you have said so yourself, you're not as indestructible as you were when you had the Four Elemental Spirit Lords with you. Besides, are you saying you've done something like this before?"
"Something like that," nodded Korra as she switched to yet another hanging beam. "When I was just getting used to summoning the powers of Alignak and the others, they would ask me to do things they said would strengthen me both in mind and body." A wistful smile passed across the Avatar's face. "Vayu and Bai Hu usually worked in tandem. At one point, when I was still a child, they thought it was a good idea to leave me atop one of Nia Bayou's cliffs with no way to return but to scale the cliff walls. They wouldn't even lend me their powers."
Asami couldn't imagine what that must've been like for a younger Korra, to be stranded with no way to return but through her own strength alone. Surely there were other ways that Vayu and Bai Hu could have taught their lessons?
"I guess that's why you don't seem to find scrambling up and down this hulking piece of metal that difficult. Still, that…sounds harsh. I thought the Elemental Spirit Lords were supposed to take care of you? Or did I make a wrong impression?"
"In their own way they did. It may seem harsh to you, but I needed to learn all that they taught me. And taught me well, they did." There was pride in Korra's voice as she spoke. The grin grew larger on her face as she added, "I cannot wait to tell Alignak and the others of our adventures—or misadventures, rather—when I am finally reunited with them. I'm sure they will find it equal parts impressive, appalling, and entertaining."
"Yes, well, let's not get ahead of ourselves and just focus on getting past this hurdle first." She really wanted this part of their journey to be over and done with…despite how comfortable she had gotten on Korra's back and with her warmth…
No. Stop that. She chided herself. Now is not the time. Nor the place…
The Avatar chuckled, which caused a rumbling that Asami felt. "Alright, Miss Sato. There is no need to be testy. Why don't you focus more on the view around us? Maybe that will help you with your fright."
Her pride wanted to argue that she was not afraid. But, who was she kidding? Her grip on Korra alone was enough of an evidence to the contrary. And so she kept quiet once again, and followed on the other girl's suggestion.
The Royal Capital, from the view which she was given, did not look as splendidly breathtaking as Republic City was, but it had its own unique charm about it. Where Republic City, from a high vantage point, was filled with sparkling lights that made it look like you were staring at a loud expanse of a star-filled night sky, awash in various shades of yellowish light; the Fire Nation's Royal Capital was calmer. It was like staring at the reflection of the stars on a pool of clear and tranquil water. It was not at all like the loud, nebulous explosion of colors that the former was, but was like an obra maestro of a skilled artisan, delicately crafted with thought and care where tradition was forefront.
Though it brought a sense of wonder and fascination in Asami, it also made her feel homesick. She missed the nights of simply staring through her window and seeing the hustle and bustle of the Republic.
Even though she missed it, she didn't think she would ever trade anything for all the things she had experienced thus far. The good. And the bad.
She gave Kai a good whack on the head, using whatever her hand managed to get a hold of first (which happened to be an empty water satchel) and thought that he deserved to be hit one more time for good measure. And as Kai winced, he understood. He deserved that.
He had to stop her, however, when she continued to whack him over the head with it.
"Alright, Alright," he said, trying to get hold of her wrist to stop the assault on his head. "I get it! Ouch! I said, I get it, Opal. Stop, you're messing my hair!"
"Your hair?" Of all the— "You're worried about your hair? Did it ever occur to you that we would wind up in this predicament before you let Korra's impulsive and reckless nature rub off on you?"
The predicament they found themselves in was—in Opal's book—no laughing matter.
When Kai had whisked her away and dropped her on Naga's back as the Polar Bear Dog galloped, jumped, and ducked, weaving her way through the obstacles in her path and away from the guard that had heard of the noises they were making, the Avatar's Steward and the Polar Bear Dog continued on making sure every other guard in the vicinity saw them.
And even when Kai had shouted to her that it was for the sake of letting Korra and Asami escape on their own, she still couldn't fathom why they had to show themselves to all of them; or why they couldn't have circled back, grabbed Asami and Korra, and ran off in a haste together.
It was thanks to the stunt Kai pulled that they ended up surrounded, their escape routes blocked. They were stuck between a rock and a hard place. Literally. They were right between the rest of the hangar in front of them and the side of a mountain to their back.
"Surrender now," a familiar voice called with the aid of an amplified radio. "There is nowhere left to run."
"Don't tell me…" Opal groaned.
"You have been surrounded. You have no other recourse." The voice went on. "Should you attempt to escape and force your way through, we will not hold back."
Kai looked at her. There must have been something in her expression that made him ask, "You know who that guy is?"
"Not personally," Opal had her head in her hands. How unlucky could she possibly be? "But we have crossed paths with him before."
"We have?"
At the question, Kai peeked through one of the holes of the holes that dotted the tarp and its contents that separated them from the battalion of guards.
"Surrender peacefully, hand over Miss Asami Sato and Miss Opal Bei Fong, and we might even give you a lighter sentence!"
He saw, what Opal guessed, was that same sharp-dressed and neatly combed man. The same one who had led the Coastguards several weeks prior.
"Why does he want us to hand over Asami?" Kai asked, still busying himself with his peephole.
"You remember that whole fiasco with the coastguards, right?" Opal began to explain. When Kai nodded in response, she continued, "That is the same man who led the charge. They received word of Asami's and my 'abduction' by a terrorist."
"Wait, they think Lady Korra and I are terrorists?" It was only then that Kai took his eyes off the hole. Then, on retrospect, added, "I suppose after what we did with their fleet, I could see why they would think that. Of course, there were those pamphlets Republic City was handing out about Lady Korra…"
"And, let's not forget, Korra personally had a hand in dealing with whoever that guy is."
Kai nodded. Remembering the story of the aftermath of that encounter. Unlike the Avatar, who seemed to have let bygones be bygones, there was still a part of him that had yet to come into terms with what Asami had done. To him, that wound was still fresh; too raw to actually let go.
"I repeat," the man continued to speak. "Surrender now. We will not ask you again."
Instead of heeding the voice dotted with static, or showing a semblance of worry (maybe a hint of panic?) the young steward looked indifferent. As though they he was not in any danger and Opal was not about to be forced to return to Republic City.
"How long do you suppose we have been separated from Lady Korra and Asami?" he asked.
It irked Opal just how calm Kai seemed to be. It also made her curious—but at the same time, equally doubtful—if the young man had, once again, something up his sleeves.
"Long enough," she found herself hissing the answer. "Why does it matter anyway? For all we know, those two have made it out of here and are safe already. And unless Naga can fly, I don't see a way out for us outside of surrendering to those people."
Kai grinned. "That's a good enough answer for me."
"What are you up to?" she asked, giving Kai a cursory glare, one that was a mixture of worry, frustration, and surprise. "Don't tell me you actually have a plan."
Kai fished something from his pocket, by way of an answer, and showed it to her. It was a cylindrical, metallic item. In one look, one would mistake it as some sort of tubular dragon statue. On closer inspection, however, it was a strangely-shaped trigger with three buttons on the side. From the looks of it, it was also Fire Nation-made.
"What is that?" Opal asked, looking from the item to Kai, and back again.
"It's something I found lying on one of their boats," Kai nodded, emphasizing that by 'them' he meant the Fire Nation's coastguard. "I figured I would take it as a souvenir or something." He laughed. "I didn't even know what it was until Asami saw me tinkering with it. She said they were small explosives—trigger-based ones. Not too powerful to actually hurt anyone."
"You stole a bomb?" The Historian doubted she could sound even more incredulous.
Kai gave a tut, wagging a finger at her, his Cheshire grin growing wider. "Not a bomb. I had several of them. A whole bag's worth. And I didn't steal them. I was…keeping them safe, you know? In case of another emergency."
Though she dreaded to ask, fearing like she already had an inkling to what the answer was going to be, Opal still laid the question out: "And where are the other explosives? Don't tell me you—"
"If you don't want to know, then don't ask," he replied, cutting her off. "Besides, it's too late now." He looked up at the open-sky, gauging how many hours had passed since they left the Avatar and Asami. In a sing-song voice that sounded way too ominous for Opal's liking, he added, "Any second now."
"What－?"
That was all Asami could ask before they saw a large, piece of metallic beam come falling towards them. And it was coming fast.
"Spirits," muttered the Avatar at the sight as another explosion occurred above them, raining down more debris－some small as a coin, others big enough to split their heads open.
Seeing that their safety was now compromised and speed was of utmost importance, Korra gritted her teeth in anticipation of what must be done.
"Hold on tight, Asami," she said, voice low. "And trust me."
The Prodigy needn't be told twice. Nor was she able to give any verbal responses. All she could do at the short time allotted to her was to turn her arms around Korra into a vice-like grip and bury her head on the back of the Avatar's shoulders. Whatever Korra intended to do, she knew it was going to be extremely terrifying and she didn't want to be able to actually see what it was when it happened.
Another loud groaning and strong rumbling and Korra knew it was time. With a powerful kick, she sent herself back flipping, letting go of the relative safety they had hanging on the side of the docks and towards a free fall. Asami screamed at the top of her lungs, though the scream was soon lodged in her throat.
The wind rushed at their faces, whipping their hair about. The ground, dotted with roofs and small towers, eagerly wanted to meet them from below while the large debris trying to flatten them came from above. In a quick series of movements, the Avatar called forth the wind to aid them, her air-bending creating a ball made of wind meant to shield them on all fronts. With it were four small tornadoes that stood sentry around them.
Still, even with the wind at her command, it didn't completely stop their quick descent. Not when gravity already had a great hold of them. With how fast they were flying, Korra likewise knew－even with how fast she could call forth the elements－that they would meet the roofs and towers faster.
All she could do was brace herself for the impact while making sure Asami would feel the least of it; hoping the barrier of wind she had constructed around them would keep herself from having any serious injuries with lasting damage.
The things I do for this human, Avatar Korra thought with a wry smile, despite the number of cuts that had begun to appear on her face and her skin.
Even though one may have thought the Avatar at that very moment was selfless, Korra still worried over her safety. She knew an impact to the ground at the rate they were going was dangerous, and falling face-first at such a height would not leave her without any injuries. Had she not just admitted the frailty by which she had found her body was now, just moments ago?
And so, mere seconds before impact, Avatar Korra flipped herself over so that Asami was no longer clinging on her back in one, fluid motion that the young, raven-haired inventor didn't even realize there was any change on their position.
With Asami safely cocooned in her arms－and with Korra's back turned－the Avatar crashed through the roofs and then some more, the wind surrounding them taking away much of the force from their impact, though it－along with the small debris－still managed to cause some form of bruise and cut or another on both the young women's skin.
Another surprise, however, awaited the pair when they reached the conclusion of their fall. For it was not a hard surface that met them down below as they had expected, but the cold wetness of a very deep pond.
The animals that had been lounging about in and around the pond－from Badgerfrogs and Turtleducks－quickly scampered away, scared off by the commotion. Some stayed just long enough for Korra and Asami to resurface, the two taking big gulps full of air when they did, filling their lungs with oxygen.
When they had regained their breath, both grinned at one another. But even that did not last long as the debris from the explosions finally began to catch up with them. Quickly, Korra took Asami into her arms yet again and air-bended them out of the pond and a good distance away from it. She did so just in the nick of time. No sooner had they flew out of the small, yet deep, body of water, did medium to large chunks of the airship hangar came crashing down at the very spot they had vacated.
The two stared as the pond swallowed everything up as a hungry beast would. Surprise and relief filled them in equal parts. Neither bothered to disentangle themselves from each other just yet. Perhaps not noticing their position.
"That…was close," Asami said after a while. Only speaking when nothing had remained of the wreckage that fell after them and the pond had once again returned placid. "Too close."
"Agreed." Korra replied as she took her hands off Asami and allowed herself to plop on her back, exhausted and aching all over. She didn't particularly care, at that moment, that she was soaked from head to toe. "I hope Kai and Opal got out of that unscathed."
"I don't know about you, Korra, but between us and them, I'd say we got the short end of the stick." The Prodigy stood up and noted the drenched state she was in. She was not amused at all by it.
"Short end of what?" Korra asked, quizzically. "I do not understand what you are implying. There was no stick involved."
"It's just a form of expression, Korra." The young Prodigy sighed as she gave up on trying to dry herself. "It means we got the worse part of the situation."
Korra merely hummed in response and Asami belatedly thought about kick-starting the Avatar's education in worldly matters once again. Though she acquiescent the fact that such an undertaking cannot be done alone. Not that now was the right time for that.
"So, what now?" She asked after surveying the havoc wreaked upon the unsuspecting dock workers once more. They didn't have any plan to go by. Everything since their landing had been spontaneous. "We can't really stay here much longer…even if it is only to dry ourselves and appear less inconspicuous."
The Avatar, who had not moved a muscle since lying herself, exhausted, glanced at the aspiring, young Inventor. With as minimal movement as she could muster, Korra moved her hands and arms that sent a warm and gentle breeze at Asami.
At first, Asami thought Korra was just messing with her. She gave the shorter girl a withering look－one that was answered with a baffled tilt of the other girl's head. It was only when the young heiress noticed herself no longer clammy that she realized the Avatar's considerate gesture for what it was.
But the time to show appreciation for the act had passed, and before Asami could remedy the mistake, Avatar Korra had already decided to move away from that moment.
"You're right," Korra grunted as she sat up, her hair, skin, and clothes being blown dry as well. "We can't stay here for long. With the ruckus Kai caused, it would not surprise me if the guards come rushing here soon to survey the damages." She scrunched her face. "I am at a lost as to what we should do now, however…"
A smile tugged the corners of Asami's lips－one that the Avatar did not fail to notice and made the creases of Korra's forehead deepen.
"What is it?" The question lacked the annoyance Korra would have liked it to have, for even before she asked, she had a feeling the answer was going to be on the teasing side. The look in Asami's eyes promised as much.
"It's nothing," the Prodigy shook her head. "It's just…I never though there would really come a time when you would readily admit not knowing what to do without making too much fuss about it. You've really changed, Korra."
That resulted in Korra scowling and grumbling about "annoying humans", which Asami knew she meant nothing by.
Much as she wanted to see how much further she could push the chocolate-skinned girl without worrying about repercussion, Asami also knew that it was not the best time. So, instead, she asked in a worried tone, "Kidding aside, are you alright? We had quite a fall and you took the brunt of it."
"It's not so bad…" Yet even as she said it, her back seemed to protest. Korra opted to ignore it. "I am much more worried about you. You were screaming so much I thought you might end up biting your tongue…or passing out."
It was said without a hint of jibe, but Asami couldn't help feeling irked by it. Surely no one could fault her reaction to the stunt Korra pulled? Perhaps that was the reason her "I'm fine" had more bite to it than was necessary－something the deity-turned-human noticed.
"I wasn't trying to make fun of you, Asami," the Avatar sighed. "I was just stating the truth of how I felt. I was truly worried for you."
Those words placated Asami just enough, though she still gave the other girl a good glare and said, "Just keep what happened to yourself. Opal and Kai wouldn't let me live it down if they knew."
A grin escaped Avatar Korra's lips. For some reason that was lost to the young heiress, her words served to please the other girl. Not knowing why, Asami waved it off as another one of Korra's eccentricities.
"You have nothing to worry about!" If the Avatar could show any hints of giddiness, Asami believed the sudden pep would be it. "My lips are－as you humans like to say－sealed."
Asami rolled her eyes at Korra, and how proud she seemed to be at having managed to say the expression correctly. For a moment, both seem to forget the predicament they were in. If they had remembered, they wouldn't have used their time to dawdle at that spot.
There were a few things that can get someone of her upbringing and stature riled up. Ranking high above that list was incompetence－something that, to her, seemed abundant that day.
Everything had been going smoothly. It wasn't as though they had anything to worry about where their guest was involved. True, the young man was a pretty famous Mover Star and the son of an even more well-known businessman and inventor, but as far as she had been made aware, the only problems they should have been worried about were unruly fans of the boy who would go through such lengths as to get his autograph. Nothing in the briefing she received prior to Bolin's arrival spoke of a possibility of an attack of any kind. Most especially one that would threaten to destroy their airship docks and derail whatever businesses might take place there.
Much to her vexation, that was－exactly－what had happened. How such a damage could even be done when her father had already doubled the guards patrolling the area, Fire Lord Izumi did not know. She couldn't even begin to conceive what group (for she doubt a single person could be capable of such an act by themselves) could manage to get pass their defenses! They were the Fire Nation! They were known for their military might!
If that was not a source of headache enough, her Advisers were all clamoring in panic. None provided her with a viable course of action. It didn't help that her father was still off somewhere entertaining Iknik Blackstone Varrik's son.
Really, she wondered just what her father's priorities were. Even after all this time, he was still a great big enigma to her sometimes.
It was because the Fire Lord's patience had run out that she decided to take matter into her own hands－even if what she was about to do went against the advice of her inner circle.
"You're the Fire Lord, Milady!" one of them had argued. "If this truly is an attack on our sovereign nation, it is of utmost importance that we get you to safety!"
"No word yet on the capture of whomever perpetrated this attack, Fire Lord Izumi," another had said. "We cannot allow you to go to where the danger is most present!"
Many others voiced the same line of thought, but Fire Lord Izumi could not be deterred. She wanted to see the extent of the damage herself. She wanted to get a feel of the ground, and to be able to take command of the people there; to ensure them that the Royal Family would not back down from this challenge. Her father taught her that much.
Though, if she was being perfectly honest with herself, she was also worried about her son's safety.
That was why she was walking through the now-cramped streets leading to the docks, the Royal Guards escorting her ensuring that her subjects would not accidentally check her shoulder or push her, especially when so many of them were rushing away from the chaos of falling debris.
She didn't plan on getting too close to Ground Zero, however. She knew that was foolishness. And Fire Lord Izumi was anything but foolish. Still, that did not stop her from halting in her footsteps and thinking of the most foolish of things when she caught glimpse of something in her periphery－a blur of people making their way from an alley right next to where most of the debris had fallen.
It was so quick one could have failed to take note of them. But thanks to the training her father had put her in (which, subsequently was the very same training she had put her son in), she was able to take a snapshot of that moment.
It wasn't the running nor the place where the pair had emerged from that had her momentarily forgetting the reason she had left the safety of the palace. Rather, it was what one of them looked like that had her rooted on the spot, surprised, her mind racing.
It was the fact that she knew who one of them was. Knew it from the number of missives she had received from Republic City; from the number of times her son had glared at the rough sketch and had day in and day out considered having that sketch blown up and the public made aware of how dangerous that person was.
In retrospect, however, she should have expected to see her there. After all, the reports that came concerning sightings of this dangerous, young woman had become abundant.
Still, Fire Lord Izumi saw this as their best chance to capture her. It was with that mindset that the ruler of the Fire Nation decided to pursue them, ordering her Royal Guards to detain the young woman and her companion at all cost.
The banquet that had been jovial turned sour the moment the consecutive explosions rattled everyone in attendance. There were questions asked in the midst the uproar that no had answers to. There was confusion on whether they should leave the banquet and find some place safe to coop themselves in－as though the room they currently occupied provided no such comfort. The only person who was not making a fool of himself was the host.
While everyone was in a state of panic, Lord Zuko had a contemplative look on his face as he gazed through the window and to the source of the explosions. Dark smoke rose from the airship docks from whence they had come from, heavily blanketing the area and making it difficult to discern the extent of the damages.
That, however, did not mean he couldn't see that which was most important at the moment. Though perhaps it wasn't seeing but feeling it. That familiar sensation that could only mean one thing.
It is time at last.
Host as he might be to the banquet, he gave up on trying to be a good one to the Mover Star and his entourage. Without letting them know, and using the tumult to his advantage, Lord Zuko slipped out of the room and made his way to where he felt the presence strongest.
He had no idea what the person he had come to meet looked like. All he had was the knowledge of who it was.
It is time to give the Avatar a proper welcome.
Smoke billowed from within Republic City's seat of power. Sirens wailed throughout the city, causing people to rise from their sleep in confusion and panic. Their fear escalated when they saw armed men and women－their identities hidden behind masks－and large, mechanical and weaponized suits of armor marching through the city streets. Above, airships bearing a strange and foreign insignia floated as sentries hovering above the capitol.
No one knew how it had happened or who perpetrated it. All they knew－even before the city-wide speakers announced it－was, Republic City had fallen.
Post Author's Notes:
Comments, faves, bookmarks, and what-have-you are very much appreciated.
I always enjoy reading what you guys have to say, after all! :)