Chapter Two: The Small Council

Earth. Fire. Air. Water.

Only the Avatars can master all four elements, and bring balance to the world.

Finding success in both aspects was no easy task, with the latter being a gargantuan one in itself. It was through their efforts, and with the help of their friends and allies, that peace and prosperity prevailed across the United Republic of Nations.

But that seemed like ages ago.

It now became a distant memory, as Avatar Korra quietly lay in her bed. The back of her hand rested upon the pillow where her husband once laid his sweet head on, her dark brown hair splayed across her own. Her ocean blue shirt and black pajamas, crumpled by the thoughts weighing on her mind.

She began to recall the times they both shared on that very place. From the silliest arguments, to the deepest conversations, to the sweetest of nothings–all the cherished moments spent together. These brought nothing but a new, bitter gush of tears in her eyes, and how much she missed him.

The hand that lay supine on the pillow next to her, began to clench with increasing stress. Her face, as the teardrops flowed, was a pained portrait of a hope lost, and of a desolation she had not felt since…

Her moment of grief was interrupted by a gentle, yet resounding knock on her bedroom door. A prepubescent boy's voice called out from behind it, "Hey, uh, Mom? Uncle Mako's at the door for you."

Korra took a moment to compose herself, wiping her face with her palm, sniffing discreetly. She proceeded to take a deep breath, and gently puffed out before answering her son's call. "Thank you, sweetie. I'll be right there. Just, just give me a minute."

Torin breathed out a silent, but heavy sigh on the door in front of him. Having heard the sadness in his mother's voice, he realized his mother had cried to herself again.

"O-Okay," he responded, before making his way down the stairs. As he held on to the wooden handrail, he morosely glanced at that door a second time before turning his head back, and descended towards the space below.

A somber silence fell over their home since Bara disappeared. They seldom had a chance to spend time together as a family, with their mother out with the numerous search parties. Even so, Korra would always make sure to check in on her children, whenever she came back home to rest–watching over them as they slept. They have noticed their mother's smile and can-do attitude fade over time, despite being able to spend time with them, play games with them, and sharing a laugh or two, every now and then.

Outside, standing by their doorstep, was a man adorned in grey pads on his chest, back, his shoulders, and his limbs, over his red and brown clothing; a small golden pin pressed on his left chest, indicative of the command he holds within the Republic City Police. His jet-black hair slicked up, he had been checking on his watch intermittently, ignoring the harsh orange sheen glaring back at him from its silver rim.

There were matters that needed tending to, and a responsibility to be upheld towards the city, considering his position. But the one thing that has not left his mind since this all started, was keeping tabs on his dear friend, making sure she and her children were safe, not only for Republic City and the rest of the Nations–but for his missing partner. His confidant. His best friend.

The front door opened and Police Chief Mako, having stood to attention at the creak, saw the blue-clothed boy emerging from behind it. He greatly took into account the sadness in Torin's eyes for nearly a second, before seeing him switch to a kind and sunny disposition.

"Mom will be right with you in a few minutes, Uncle. She just woke up from her nap."

"No problem, Torin. I can wait."

Mako had set down his pocket watch, the moment he saw the boy at the door. His impeccable reflexes were vastly contrasted with his skills with small talk. Nevertheless, he made the attempt. "So…how was school today?"

"It was alright, Uncle. My friends and I passed by these plum blossom trees on our way home. They looked so beautiful." Musing at this wistfully, Torin recalled the event in his mind's eye, made vivid by the fragrant breeze that came along with it.

"They sure are blooming, this time of month. Wait 'till they fall out in a few weeks!"

In that time, a festival will be held to celebrate these flowers. People from all over gather to witness the flight of its rosaline petals into the air, signalling the approach of spring–and of new beginnings.

"That sounds awesome! Will you come with us to see them off, Uncle?" His question seemed pleading.

"You can count on that. And I'm sure your aunts and uncles, your cousins, and everyone will be there to see it, too."

The boy was about to say something, when a shrill voice buzzed from behind the door, causing them to wince. "Torin! Mom's on her way down!"

"You sure you don't wanna come in?" He assuredly checked, hearing the faint set of footsteps thumping on the steps.

"Not right now, kiddo. I have something your mom–and your mom alone–needs to know. Serious Avatar stuff."

"Oh, okay. See you around, Uncle. Send our love to Katara for us!" The boy waved goodbye with a hearty grin plastered on his face, heavily masking the sorrow within, only for the man before him to smile and wave a hand in return.

A moment later, Mako was welcomed by a sullen Korra, who wearily gazed on the floor. Her hair having bundled up into a ponytail that nestled on her shoulder and chest. Her eyes slowly rose to meet his.

"Hi, Mako," she greeted monotonously.

"Hey, Korra. How are you and the kids? You doing okay?" Mako concernedly asked his dear friend.

"Yeah, Torin and Toph have been doing well. We took a stroll down the park the other day. Fed some turtle-ducks by the pond," her unchanging tone changed into a slight cheer when a certain moment crossed her mind, causing her to chuckle.

Mako instantly picked up on that small detail, he could not help but let out a warm smile. "What is it?"

"There was this one turtle-duck that never left Toph's side when she fed it a handful of crumbs. It went with us–with her–all around the park. She even gave it a name, the moment we were supposed to leave. Hoped to bring the little guy home along with us. It was precious."

"That sounds…wonderful," His smile quickly turned into an anxious frown. "Were you followed? Did anyone cause you or your kids any trouble there? Because I can get you an escort when I couldn't be there. What, with the workload and all."

"Thanks for the offer, but you don't need to worry about us," her gaze returned to the doormat, and the leather boots that were stepping on it, once again.

At that moment, an uneasy pause loomed between the two, as they were looking away from each other. Their world without Bara was too painful for them to think about.

Mustering up the strength, Mako took a deep breath, and spoke.

"I…I miss him too, you know? Just as I miss Sukka. Katara misses them both, every single day." His hand gently tugging at her arm, comforting his friend. "But that doesn't mean we can't do something about that, that honors our…that honors the loved ones taken away from us. We have to be strong. Stronger than who we were the day before, and better than who we can be the day after. If not for us, then for them."

Korra had a mindfulness that stirred up within her being. With the words Mako spoke, she could have sworn that she could hear those words out of a certain someone. She chuckled softly at the thought, that she could not help but let out a small smile herself.

"He seemed to have made quite the impression on you, huh?"

"Yeah, well…someone had to step up," Mako proudly proclaimed, lightly huffing his chest, feeling confident that he had raised his friend's morale.

A small laugh and a shake of the head from Korra caused him to wonder why she had reacted the way she did.

"He did say you tend to ruin your own cool moments, sometimes. Even the ones that you think are cool," she passively, yet cheekily responded, having seen the confused look on her friend.

"Oh, boo…" He scoffed. "You both are the worst!"

A light, yet warm exchange of laughs from them seemed to lighten their spirits, that was then followed by another moment of silence. This time, it was Korra who had to break it, having noticed her friend still in his police gear.

"What's going on, Mako?" A serious look came upon her as she asked.

"Tenzin called. Told me to pick you up to meet with him. It must be something serious, if he's bringing Shu in to be with us." He answered, who was curious himself as to the urgency of the Airbending Master's request over the telephone earlier.

"A council meeting? This late in the day?" Korra had thought about spending the rest of her afternoon like she usually did, ever since: visiting the Golden Thread to help out and talk with her in-laws, and meditating in the spirit wilds, hoping to gain a lead as to where her husband could possibly be.

There came a point in her search where she was so anxious and desperate in finding answers, that she once again sought the help of Zaheer from his prison in the mountains. But, like her spiritual findings before it, it bore no results.

The spirit of purpose crept towards Korra, as she gathered herself to make it through the day's comings and goings.

"Okay. Just give me time to get ready…" Her tone, slightly encouraging, as she left the door open, giving her friend some space towards the entrance. "You can come in, if you like. Torin and Toph would love to see you before we go."

"I'll take you up on that offer. Thanks, Korra." Mako nodded in response as they both entered the house, looking forward to talk and stay a while longer with the Avatars' children.

City Hall.

Two sharply-dressed men walked along the distinguished hallways within the seat of Republic City's government.

One of them, a man of slight bulk–wearing a long, sand-rock coat over his greenish-gray metalbender police uniform and a fedora on his head–reached into his leather saddle-bag, and grabbed a small notebook. He flipped a few pages from it, until coming upon anecdotes he had taken account of, days before, as if boring through its text.

"Come on, Bolin," the man beside him called out. He was only a few inches taller than his partner, and of a lighter build than him, wearing a suit of dark brown over his navy blue waistcoat and matching tie. "Can't the Boroughs case wait until after we're done with this meeting?"

"I don't think I can hold this one down, Hong Li. Something about what that old man said raised some red flags for me. Did you notice the subtle side glances? The light sweat on his temple?" His partner asked.

Hong Li then began to picture all the signs his partner was pointing out to, along with trying to notice any quirks in the man they talked to, that day. "He was trying to hide something from us. Triads extorting, maybe? Someone holding a grudge? Who knows what it could be?"

"I don't know. But whoever's causing those people to go missing, the people he saw could have been involved," Bolin declared as they were closing in on a doorway, where a bald old man, clad in orange and red, stood by it to greet them.

"Good day, and thank you for coming, officers. Your arrival is most appreciated," the man greeted with a soft, courteous bow.

"Hello to you as well, Tenzin. Are we expecting anyone else? Are we late?" Hong Li asked.

"Now that you're both here, we can start right away," the airbending master then turned towards the man who was putting his notebook back into a pocket in his bag. "Are you sure Opal couldn't come with you, Bolin?"

"Ugh. With Yuna in our lives now, chaos has taken over House Bolin, Opal's volunteered to keep her and it taken care of! We intended to get a sitter, though, but…" The exasperation and exhaustion evident in his response. "Don't get me wrong, I love the girl, but her crying's just a scooch too loud to handle."

"And by 'a scooch', he means he's just received some noise complaints from his neighbors. He's actually due for a talking-to with his landlord…and he's not exactly the cordial type of guy," Hong Li chimed in, causing Bolin to turn to him, ignoring the scolding eyes of his partner who told that part to him in confidence.

"We're still nowhere near halfway done with our current case, but…that's for another time," he continued.

"You did say this meeting needed our immediate attention. What's going on, Tenzin?" Bolin had composed himself, reminded of the reason for an emergency such as this.

"We will get to that, I assure you. Come along now, we can't keep the others waiting," Tenzin had begun to hit a stride in his walk towards the twin doors.

As the doors opened to greet them to a plainly decorative, well-lit room, the earthbending duo saw a handful of their closest friends seated on a long auburn table, with Shu, in a light purple suit, sitting at the far end of it. His hair had thinned and greyed out from the pains of his work.

Korra, Mako, and Jinora–having grown into a fine, young woman, adorned in the same manner of clothing as her father–were on the president's left side, and Asami and some spare seats on the other.

Hong Li made his way to the chair next to his wife, holding the hand offered to him as he sat.

"You got the call too, huh?" The woman in her signature, red-black outfit asked, having received her beloved spouse. "I was told about how urgent this meeting was. Any idea what's going on?"

"I don't know, but I'm sure Shu or Tenzin could fill us in," Hong Li answered.

Seeing as everyone had settled in, Shu cleared his throat, rose up from his seat, and straightened his suit. "Now that everyone is here, we can call this meeting…to order." He gently struck the gavel down, before taking his seat again.

"I believe I share the sentiments the room has, in regards to how much of a short notice this meeting was set. But I'll leave it to the man who called us all in, to debrief us." He gestured to the man seated across him.

"Master Tenzin?"

"Thank you, Mr. President," Tenzin nodded his head in acknowledgement before continuing, having taken a deep breath as this was not just any threat to make light of. Its gravity, immeasurable.

"The Island City of Zaofu has fallen…and the Red Lotus is behind it."

Everyone in the room, save for Jinora who was told beforehand, widened their eyes at the news.

Mako's hand had clenched into a fist, holding back the anger building up in his gut.

Asami and Hong Li shared the dread on their faces, and looked back at Tenzin.

Bolin was at a standstill, briefly relieved in the fact that Opal didn't come with him, but felt devastated nonetheless.

"Spirits…" Shu muttered, as he slouched back into his seat. His eyes wandering down aimlessly across the room.

Keeping a straight face, flashes of memories past began to flood Korra's mind: her near-abduction with Bara in Zaofu. The battle at Laghima's Peak, which led to her being taken by Zaheer. To her being bound, and releasing the poison into her body–causing her eventual paralysis.

But she had come so far, and accomplished so much, to falter then. In her mind, she was facing an internal conflict. To allow her past and present fears to get the better of her, or find the strength to overcome them and be better for it.

She tried to put herself in Bara's shoes: What would he do? How would he think? What keeps him going when things get rough? She kept to herself, for now.

"How did, how did they manage to do it?" Bolin stammered.

"I don't know. But it must have been done with a weapon of great power, if they managed to fell Zaofu." Tenzin replied.

Having said this, everyone called to mind the sole weapon capable of such force. It was the weapon they managed to stop, before it could even rain down its onslaught upon Republic CIty. A weapon so destructive, that an executive order was decreed to halt and crush the proliferation of any and all means to weaponize such wild, potent energy.

"Wait a minute, let's back it up for a bit here." Hong Li held his hands up, giving the room some semblance of air to breathe after the terrible information they had just received.

"Even if it's the weapon that we think it is…even if that were possible, we'd have detected a disturbance in the spirit wilds. We should have gotten reports. I mean, Jinora could have told us anything if something came up!"

"He's right," confirmed the young airbender, "I would have sensed it if any harm ever came to them, but so far…I felt nothing."

"In that case, it could be that they know how to hide their, uh…'spirit signatures' well, then," Bolin struggled to come up with a better term.

"It's quite early to presume much, isn't it? We barely have enough information to go by," Korra chimed in. "We don't even know where they'll be off to next."

"But we can't just stand idly by, and wait for another city to fall into their hands. There must be a way for us to push them back, and take them down for good," Asami firmly asserted.

"Which is precisely why this rests upon you, Mr. President, to call on the other leaders to hold an emergency meeting in two days. To mount up defenses for all the nations, should the Red Lotus come knocking at their doorstep," Tenzin stated.

"Then, we'll have to double up on our security efforts, in that case. Triple it, if need be," the chief of police determined.

Shu contemplated on this, stroking his silver-grey beard. His council, anticipating a response. "I assume this message has been relayed to all of them?"

"As soon as we received and read it, yes. We only await your authority and approval, Shu."

With a heavy breath of determination, Shu nodded his head, and proceeded in resolute fashion, "Then we meet in two days' time. Chief Mako, make sure to increase the security for the leaders. They'll need all the protection they can get from us. Their routes, their escorts, security details, the whole nine."

"Sir," Mako sharply nodded in reply.

"Can we expect Future Industries to work with Mako and his police force to provide them equipment, should the need arise, Lady Asami?" Shu turned to the raven-haired industrialist.

"Anything that will help them do their job well, is at their disposal, Mr. President. That, we assure you," she resolutely complied.

"This last part, I leave to you and your airbenders, Masters Tenzin and Jinora. And to you as well, Avatar Korra, if you wish. I need you to provide eyes in the sky for me. Call out any would-be assailants, or potential roadblocks. Anything that will get in the way of the summit."

This time, it was Jinora who would speak for the airbenders, having received a nod of approval from her father.

"I believe that I speak for my father and our people when I say that you can rely on the Air Nomads to also keep the peace, and keep those who would break it at bay," she declared, bowing slightly.

"You can count on my help, as well, Shu," Korra added.

"So it is decided, then," the president leaned forward, as he was saying this and finished his piece, "The coming days will be a challenge to the peace we've all worked so hard to achieve."

"Adversaries have come and gone, but here we stand. Hardships, falsities, and tragedies have tried to break us and yet, here we stand. What is to come shouldn't be any different from the rest of what came before. We will overcome them. We will triumph over them. But most importantly, we will stand. Strong, tall, and proud."

For a man who has held two separate terms in office, one of them at the present, Shu had grown wiser and steadfast in his role as leader of the United Republic. His ideals, his code, all tempered and tested over time, through adversity and circumstance. He had hoped to live a life worthy of his people.

A people which he had a great responsibilty–and a personal honor and pleasure–to serve.

His words did well to bolster the morale of the room, encouraging them.

"I don't mean to be a downer, but it's just not the same without Bara," Hong Li had broken the silence.

"He'd know what to do, wouldn't he? He always did," Asami joined in.

"It appears that this very event has presented a challenge for all of us. Even without Bara, we will have to be ready for what may lie ahead," Tenzin declared as he rubbed his temple.

"Then it's a handicap we'll have to live with, if we're going to make it through this," Shu asserted. "Still, we're not without an advantage. We still have our Avatar to guide us through it all."

The room's eyes were set on Korra, nodding in acknowledgement of her. Empowered by Shu's words, she felt determined to not let her friends, her family, and the people of Republic CIty, and that of the rest of the nations, lose hope.

"I won't let you all down," the Avatar assured with a resolute look on her.

Moments later…

The meeting had ended, and everyone had left the room. Some of them still held conversations with one another as they were walking down the hallway, with the exception of Korra, as she silently walked away from all of them.

Noticing her absence, Jinora tried to run after her friend, and managed to catch up to her.

"Korra, wait!" She called out to the woman in her usual blue clothing. This caused the Avatar to stop dead in her tracks, and turned to face the airbender.

"It's been some time since you've visited Air Temple Island. How are you doing?" Jinora walked up to Korra. She received nothing but dead silence and a cold shoulder in response.

"I know things haven't been easy for you. But as your friend, please know that I am here for you. To listen to whatever's troubling you. You know that, right?" pleaded Jinora, hoping to get through to her somehow.

Korra knew this to be true, but in the deep recesses of her mind, she knew this was something she had to go through on her own. A burden she alone could only hope to bear, and spare everyone else the trouble.

With that resolve planted in mind, she faced her friend with a softly feigned smile, "I appreciate the offer, Jinora, really. But, I'll be okay. Don't worry about me."

"I will always be worrying about you, all of us will…" the airbender looked away, choosing her next words carefully. "You won't be alone in this, Korra. We'll find Bara, no matter how many more times we'll have to try."

Seeing her walk away as she finished–how she easily brushed off her help, and her own pains like that, cut a wound into Jinora's being.

She knew Korra has not been the same since losing him. She knew she had been hurting inside since then. Having heard no good news from the search parties they have constantly sent out to find him, certainly did not help.

She toyed with the idea of going after her friend, and have her come to her senses. And it dawned on her that it was not like her to do that, knowing that it would only allow Korra to close herself up even more.

She noticed that she had unconsciously taken a few steps to come after her, but stopped. Feeling reluctant with having to let her go, she turned back to join the others, but saw her father waiting by the door instead.

"How is she?" Tenzin asked, a resigned look on his face.

A shake of the head was the only answer his daughter could come to, as if at a loss.

He walked closer to her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"It's good that you still tried to reach out to her, Jinora," he reassured. "But the most important part is left to her: she'll have to come and open up, and let us in, of her own accord."

"No matter how long it takes?" she anticipated.

"Regardless of how long it takes," he confirmed. "She's strong, but with this, I…I believe Korra will come around."

In hindsight, Tenzin had hoped that Korra would be able to bounce back from her loss, somehow. With the promise of a new advent for the Red Lotus looming on the horizon, they could use the Avatar's help in guiding them to what appears to be an uneasy, uncertain path.

"She'll have to," he finished, looking at the Avatar walking further away from him and his daughter.