"Ngh."

"Quit squirming."

Mako usually had no trouble following Lin's instructions, but this was a difficult one. The tissues being shoved up his nostrils to stop the bleeding definitely wasn't fun, but it seemed far preferable to the feeling of her actually setting the broken bones in his nose. Not that he wanted his boss to know that. "I'm fine."

"Please. Either take something for the pain so I can do this right, or we'll leave it like this, but stop with this fake tough guy act that you can't even back up."

Mako, with wounded pride and wounded face, accepted Lin's demands and drank the small amount of amber liquid from the glass that she'd offered.

He hadn't seen her pour, but the burning confirmed his suspicion of what it was, since it felt like he'd just produced fire from his mouth like the Dragon of the West.

Mako had always made an effort to avoid consuming drinks like that. When Bolin was eight, Shady Shin had offered him ten thousand yuans if he could drink an entire bottle by himself, without telling his little brother that it'd been mixed with cactus juice. He was sure whatever antics his little brother had gotten up to had been funny for the triads, but it was a different story for him. He'd found out about the whole thing the next morning, watching Bolin throw up and crying, not just from the pain of puking over and over, but because he'd thought he'd let Mako down since he'd almost finished it off before passing out, thinking Shin would actually make good on his word.

"This is the last time I'm doing this", Lin warned, ending his reminiscing of the painful memory. "Move again, and you can do this in a bathroom mirror for all I care."

Mako nodded, then relaxed himself, allowing her to place her hands again, the sensation a little less painful this time.

"Ready?"

"Y-"

*Crack*

"Agh." Mako leaned back in his chair and rubbed his nose, which was still sore, but symmetrical again.

"It'll hurt for a few weeks, but it looks the same as it did before."

A stroke of luck, finally. Maybe he hadn't been cursed by the spirits.

"What do you want to do, then?"

Mako knew what Lin meant with the broad question, even if she didn't directly address the Elephant Mandrill in the room. "I don't want to press charges."

"Didn't think you would, but we can have some officers to search for him and bring him in so you two can hash things out."

"I don't want to do that either." That scenario would just make Bolin panic, and escalate an already fragile situation. "Can I just have a few days off to look for him and sort this out?"

Lin paused for a while, considering. "...Alright. But they'll come out of your sick days."

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to talk to a captain about his ship being destroyed."

"Destroyed?" Mako stood up. "What do we know?"

"It was a Varrick Industries freighter bringing Sato Industries mecha-tanks to help Southern forces." He froze at the mention of his girlfriend's company, the realization hitting him like a probending earth disc, but Lin didn't seem to notice. "Happened thirty clicks outside the harbor, so it lands in our jurisdiction. Lu and Gang think the North is responsible, which adds up."

The deductions of those two weren't convincing at all. "We sure? Could be someone trying to set them up."

"If I want hare-brained theories from a beat cop on an investigation, I'll ask for one", Lin snapped, dropping the kind (for her) demeanor she'd had before. "Either go look for your brother, or return to your patrol, but leave the detective work to the detectives, got it?"

"Sorry, Chief."

Mako thanked his boss again for the first aid, then left, grateful she didn't see through his lie. He did want to find Bolin, but it couldn't be his priority right now. Not while the Cultural Center bombing remained unsolved along with this new attack on the ship in the harbor.

He knew he'd need help to look into this, but who could he ask? If he found Bolin, his brother laughing in his face was realistically the best he could hope for. He had no idea where Korra was either, but she'd probably be angrier with him than Bolin was, if that were even possible. And Asami...

He'd been so focused on his brother's reaction that Mako forgot about how important the secret deal was for his girlfriend. She'd told him privately how worried she was about Sato Industries, how the company was hanging by a thread after everything her father had done. It was a precarious, delicate situation, and he had been the equivalent of a Komodo Rhino stampede.

Mako couldn't face her right now, and see the look of betrayal on her face. He'd have to go outside his usual circle of associates. And ask someone he really didn't want help from.

They lived in a neighborhood that wasn't very familiar to Mako, he only knew they lived there because Bolin had visited a few times, not that he understood why his little brother wanted to spend time with them after everything that happened with them.

When he'd found where they were specifically it didn't take long for him to arrive, but he was thinking about what to say right up until the moment he knocked on their front door.

"It's open."

Mako entered as instructed, to a smaller apartment than he'd expected. Or maybe it just looked that way because of the hot tub taking up half the room, with Tahno as its lone occupant. "Well, you're probably one of the last people I expected to come through that door."

"Who'd you think it would be?", Mako asked. "Part of your entourage?"

"My friends are taking part in a probending charity match to help people affected by the Northern invasion."

Mako privately wondered if Varrick's wallet would be considered a person for the event, but something in the room interrupted the thought. "Is that a marble statue of yourself?"

"It's also a hat rack." He'd never seen Tahno wear a hat before. "I assume you're here for reasons besides questioning my decorations?"

"I...need your help with something." The words left a bad taste in his mouth, like a meal of dumpster gruel Bushi had gotten from one of the more run down restaurants Republic city had to offer.

The smug smirk that had infuriated Mako for years returned to Tahno's face. "Well, this is just an amazing turn of events. First, you show up unannounced looking like that, and now you're cracking jokes."

"I'm being serious."

"That's what makes it so funny", Tahno chuckled. "But speaking of seriousness, why, in the name of Aang, do you think I would help you?"

The entire time he'd known Tahno, the waterbender had an ego bigger than Republic City, Mako just had to find a way to stroke it to get what he wanted. He had been practicing his good cop routine, no better time than now to try it out. "I've always admired how good at probending, I...thought this would be a good chance for us to become friends."

Tahno stared at his fingernails while he spoke, not giving his full attention. "I don't think so. I'm friends with your brother, I'm friends with Korra, I'm even friends with your girlfriend. But you've never been interested in that before."

Maybe bad cop would work better. "Because I didn't forget those times you tormented me and Bolin."

There were plenty instances of his cruel pranks and bullying, but the two memories that stuck with him the most were when Tahno froze them against a training room wall overnight for Toza to find the next morning, and the time he'd stolen their change of clothes while they were in the locker room showers, leaving them to try to get back to their apartment with just the towels they had around their waists. In the middle of winter.

"I admit I was...unkind...to you two in the past. But, when I lost my waterbending...and other with it, my perspective on things changed. Something your brother seems to understand."

Maybe he had a point. Maybe losing his bending had helped him become a better person. But he didn't really care, either.

'I'm not Bolin."

"Obviously", Tahno said. "But speaking of him, I just thought of something. Why haven't you asked him for help instead? Why have you come here to ask me when you don't even like me?"

"I-"

He didn't get a chance to lie or come up with an excuse. "Maybe because you blew the secret deal we had with General Iroh that he wasn't supposed to talk to you about?"

Mako didn't bother with a lie. Tahno had him red-handed, and he knew it. "I guess if he was half as mad as Korra was, it would help explain what happened to your face."

"Where is he?"

"I honestly don't know." Seeing genuine concern from Tahno, for his brother of all people, was weird for Mako. "Is that what you need my help for? Tracking him down?"

"No, I need-"

"To make sure I stay quiet?" Now a different expression was on Tahno's face: One of judgment, almost as infuriating as the smug smirk. "Makes sense, I don't think Asami could take another betrayal."

"Not that either, but you better keep your mouth shut", Mako snarled.

Tahno just laughed at the sudden aggression. "Do you make a habit of threatening people you want help from? I don't plan on telling her anything regardless, but do us both a favor and find someone else to get you out of whatever mess you got yourself into."

Finally something Mako agreed with Tahno on: coming here had been pointless. He didn't want this visit to be a complete waste of time though, so as he left, he sent a fireball into the furnace that was heating the hot tub Tahno was sitting in, enjoying his yelps of pain while he walked out.

(-)

"There it is, the Southern Air Temple! Isn't it Magnificent?"

"It is", Bolin told Tenzin, breaking the silence that they'd had on the Sky Bison.

After the game of "I Spy" Ikki decided to start while they were over the ocean, Meelo's attempt at "Burp Bending", and Bumi's rendition of "Ninety-nine bottles of Sake on the wall", Tenzin had demanded they play the quiet game the rest of the trip. But that was over now as they saw the Air Temple from a distance.

It was like they'd stepped back in time to hundreds of years in the past. The towers of the temple had a crisp white color, adorned with a blue that reminded Bolin of the sea. He'd never really considered that there'd be Air Acolytes somewhere other than Republic City, but they must have worked tirelessly to restore this place to its former glory, since he could see red, orange, and yellow dots that he recognized to be the telltale robes as they got closer.

When Oogi landed, Tenzin helped Pema and Rohan dismount safely while his other children used airbending to get off, while three acolytes approached them, two carrying a large box.

The monk with free hands spoke. "Master Tenzin, good to see you!"

"You as well, Abbott Shung", Tenzin told him as he and his wife gave a small bow.

"Is there anything you need? Water? Dandelion greens? Perhaps you'd like to re-center yourself by meditating in the gardens?"

Tenzin politely declined the offers, but he was still presented with gifts: an refurbished head shaver that Bolin had no clue of how it would work, and a bouquet of flowers for Pema that were bigger than her, apparently fresh picked from the mountainside.

The Abbott dismissed their "gratitude", saying "Anything for the people who brought us the next generation of airbenders."

Speaking of the next generation, Jinora and Ikki were already back to bickering, this time over a book that had been gifted, while Meelo had found a lemur he wanted to keep, naming him "Poki".

Bumi and Kya got off Oogi next, frustrated that nobody helped him with their luggage. A nearby acolyte apologized, telling them she thought they were servant's, but they piqued her interest when they said they were Tenzin's brother and sister.

"Avatar Aang had other children? The world is filled with more airbenders?"

"We're not airbenders", Kya clarified with annoyance.

The acolyte didn't bother to hide her disappointment, which made the siblings exchange a look that Bolin couldn't quite decipher.

But he was so focused on them that he lost his grip on Oogi. He would've face planted on the ground if he hadn't been saved by a cushion of air from one of the kids. Either way, it got the attention of the acolyte nearby.

"And who are you?" She asked, grabbing his luggage as he got to his feet, before suddenly gasping. "Are you another airbender? The offspring of a secret affair with Avatar Aang or Master Tenzin?"

"No! I'm just...a friend of the family."

"Oh." Then she tossed his bag back to him, followed by Kya and Bumi doing the same with their luggage, unofficially designating him as their porter for their family vacation.

Once everyone's belongings had been put in their respective rooms, the tour began. Tenzin and Jinora took turns explaining areas and landmarks of significance, including statues of important airbenders, such as Monk Gyatso and Monk Kelsang, the caretakers of Avatar Aang and Avatar Kyoshi during their respective youths.

The attendance dwindled over time though, with Pema going to put Rohan down for a nap, then Bumi and Kya went...Bolin wasn't actually sure where they went. They just weren't there anymore as they went into a room filled with statues.

"What is this place?"

"The statue room", Jinora said in amazement. Not the most original name he'd ever heard.

"That's right", Tenzin told his daughter. "Here you will find statues of every Avatar who ever lived. Legend says that all the eyes in the room glow every time the Avatar enters the Avatar state. It's the most sacred place in the entire Southern Air Temple."

Then he noticed people were missing. "Where are your brother and sister?"

A gust of wind from an air scooter gave him his answer. "You can't catch me!" Meelo yelled to Ikki. "I'm the greatest air skater of all time!"

The boast was punctuated with a crash. "Meelo!" Tenzin ran after his son, hoping the statue wasn't of an important Avatar. Jinora didn't pay them any mind, and approached the stone recreation of her grandfather, while Bolin stayed back, wondering how the room got rearranged when there was a new avatar.

Jinora stared at the statue for a while, then wandered off some of the older statues of Avatars he didn't recognize, giving Bolin a moment alone he'd been hoping for.

"Um, hi, your Avatar-ness." His nerves were already starting to get the better of him. "My name's Bolin. I don't know if Korra's mentioned me, or if you already knew about me, I'm not sure how the whole past lives thing works. Anyway, I kinda screwed the polar bear dog, and now she's really mad at me. I know she's had trouble talking with you and all, but if you could figure out a way to help me out, I'd really appreciate it. I'll try to cut back on meat, and act more spiritual-like, too."

Bolin couldn't think of anything else to add, so he did an awkward bow and left. There were air acolytes waiting outside that directed him to where they were staying and he fell asleep for the night.

The next morning, he went outside to be with the family, but only the adults were there, aside from the infant Rohan. Kya was feeding the lemurs, while Tenzin sat with his wife, watching the Sky Bison chew on some bushes that were growing on a nearby mountain.

"Ahhh", the airbender sighed in relaxation. "I haven't felt this at peace since-"

"Good morning, universe!"

"Aaaand it's over."

"Bumi please!", Kya yelled, covering her eyes. "The whole point of bathrobes is that we don't have to see that!"

But he took no action to appease his younger sister. "Good to see 'Vacation Tenzin' has finally decided to join us!"

"Yes, he has." Tenzin held Rohan for a while and cooed in his face for a moment. "I'm glad you two came along. Brings back memories of those great vacations we went on with dad?"

"I think your memory might be a little fuzzy there, Tenzin", Kya told him.

"What do you mean? Don't you remember that time we went to Kyoshi Island to ride Koi fish?"

"Wasn't fun for me", Bumi grumbled. "That Unagi almost ended up having me for dinner."

"To be fair, I do remember Dad telling you not to try and ride it", Kya pointed out, before frowning herself. "Not that I got to go, since I had healing lessons with Mom."

"That can't be right. What about when we went to Ember Island and built all those amazing things out of sand?"

"I never saw the place", Bumi reminded him. "I was in United Forces boot camp when you took that trip."

"And the only reason we went was to celebrate you being able to air scooter", Kya added. "Seriously, he spent the whole time fawning over you."

"I could've sworn..." Tenzin's voice trailed off, but he didn't get more time to think back, with Jinora and Meelo approaching on air scooters of their own.

"There you are!", Pema said with relief and exasperation. But she noticed someone was missing. "Where's your sister?"

"Who?"

"Ikki", she told Jinora, putting a hand at waist level. "About this tall, talks super fast. I'm sure you remember her."

"Uhhh..."

"There was a big lemur fight!", Meelo interrupted. "But the bison told us not to worry because a giant was coming. Then we almost got eaten by a shark-squid!"

"The shark-squid? He's here? It appears my old nemesis has found me."

Pema didn't give Bumi's fear any acknowledgement. "Jinora, were you and Meelo teasing your sister again?"

"I don't know. Maybe. Yes."

"She ran away", Meelo clarified.

Pema got red in the face. "We haven't even been here twenty-four hours! I don't understand why you kids can't just get along!"

Spoken like an only child.

"I'll find her", Tenzin told his wife while passing her Rohan. "Ikki can't have gotten far."

"All right", then Pema turned back to her present children. "No airbending until they come back. And you better be ready to apologize when she does!" Jinora and Meelo weren't happy with the punishment, but they knew better than to complain.

"Why don't we look for Ikki together?", Kya suggested.

"Commander Bumi reporting for duty!" The retired military man emphasized his dedication with a salute. "Search-and-rescue missions are my specialty."

"Why not?", Tenzin agreed. I'll take all the help I can get."

"Do you want me to come help you?"

"Why would I want that?", Tenzin replied.

"You just said you'll take any help. Never know when an earthbender might come in handy."

"Great, more bending", Bumi griped.

"Fine, come if you want", Tenzin told Bolin while he walked down the path his children arrived on. "Just...don't make too much noise."

(-)

Asami was running out of time. She had to find help, and fast, but she had no idea where Varrick, Mako, Bolin, or Korra were. She was heading to Tahno's apartment to see if he knew how to track any of them down, but when she got close, she saw...her boyfriend?

"Mako?"

He looked at her, just as surprised as she was, but her face shifted to concern when she saw his.

"What happened to you?", she asked, running up to her boyfriend and cupping his face, careful to not irritate any of his injuries. His nose looked red and swollen, with tissues stuffed with tissue paper, and bruising starting to form under his eyes.

"I'm fine, it looks worse than it feels." Then he gently moved her hands away. "A guy I was chasing caught me by surprise with a dirty elbow. Lin gave me a few days off in case I had a concussion. What're you doing here?"

"I came to talk to Tahno. I've been looking for anyone."

"I just saw him, he's...busy right now. What do you need?"

"Someone to help me with the shipment of my mecha-tanks that just got attacked." Asami's frustration with the issue boiled over for a moment, but she calmed herself before talking again. "I was at the police station a little while ago, but the detectives there only talked to me for a minute, and it sounds like they made up their minds already without investigating."

"Yeah, that sounds like them", Mako agreed. "I heard about that attack before I left, how bad was it?"

"The whole shipment was stolen. If I don't get a sale or recover what they took soon, Future Industries is finished."

"Why do you need to find the tanks? Wouldn't insurance cover the losses?"

"No. Or at least not as much as they're worth." Asami could've had gone for a plan that would have fully covered any damage or stolen goods, but she'd have needed to cut worker wages or benefits to do it, and she wasn't going to screw over the one part of her company that hadn't abandoned her when everyone found out the truth about her father.

"What do you want to do?"

"I'm not sure." Asami was starting to panic. "This whole thing was part of a secret plan we had, but I don't know what's going with it, so I've been trying to find Varrick to figure out what to do, and-"

"Forget about Varrick." Mako's voice was...unusually soothing. "What can I do to help?"

Asami realized she'd broken the agreement she'd made with the others to stay silent about their idea to help the South, but she needed to trust Mako right now. "I want to set up a trap to catch whoever stole my shipment. I can get Varrick to lend us a ship to do it, but we'll need people. Have you seen Bolin and Korra?

"They're...out of town."

"Then do you think you could convince Chief Beifong to have the police help us?"

Mako shook his head. "Even if she didn't tell me to go home and rest, I'm not supposed to be anywhere near this case. I could get kicked off the force if she finds out I went behind her back."

"We need more than the two of us to make it work, though. Mako, please. My mom's gone and my dad..." It felt wrong for Asami to still call him that out loud. "Future Industries is all I have left of my family."

He paused for a while to think. "Alright. I have an idea, but I need to go over some things first."

"Okay."

"On our way and when we get there, don't make eye contact or stare at anyone, don't pull out anything expensive, and let me do all the talking."

"Where are we going?"

"Some people I know from when I ran with the Triads", Mako confessed.

"Are you sure?"

"No. But I can't think of another option."

Asami offered to drive them there by Satomobile, but Mako told her it'd get stolen or scrapped for parts if they left it unattended for more than a few minutes, so the couple traveled by foot instead. And although it took a lot longer, walking down the streets on Mako's arm reminded her of one of the dates they'd gone one a few months ago.

At least until they got to the slums. Asami had never been in this kind of neighborhood in person before, but it fit the descriptions of stories her father had told her of when he'd been young and poor. Many buildings were in disrepair, and the clothes of people they passed by were usually faded and ragged. Eventually they got to a street that was less run down than the others, and was absent of people, except for a young boy wearing a hat that gave a whistle when he saw her and Mako approaching.

"Skoochy. Been a while."

"Good to see ya, Mako", the boy told him. "What brings you back to this part of town?"

"Business." He pointed a thumb in the direction of the warehouse. "The guys all in there?"

"Maybe." Mako seemed to expect that kind of noncommittal answer and placed yuans in his hand as soon as it was outstretched. "Viper and Shin are in there, but the big guy is at his place on the other side of town."

Asami realized that area was where her estate was, with other mansions nearby.

"Thanks."

"Thank me by not causing any problems. If you do, I'll be the one in trouble."

Mako went to the door of the warehouse, and knocked five times, in a manner different from the common rhythm. A slot on the door slid open, and a pair of eyes glared at them.

"Mako. You got a warrant?"

"Not here for anything like that. Got a proposition for you guys."

"Let him in." It was a different voice from the one guarding the door. The slot closed shut again and Asami could hear the sound of locks turning and objects being hidden before the door opened completely. They were led inside to a room where she and Mako sat in fancy chairs in between a small table, and facing a man in a seat more elegant than theirs.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Mr. Law and order himself. And he even brought his girl with him to meet the family."

"I think we're both a little busy for small talk, Shin", Mako told the man in a blunt manner. "I'm running an off-the-books operation, and I thought the Triple Threats might be interested in helping out."

"What kind of operation?"

Mako looked over to Asami, and she recognized the signal to start explaining the plan. "It'll be a sting. We're going to use a bait ship in the open ocean loaded with dummy equipment, then capture whoever attacks it and get back what was stolen before."

Shin pondered the idea. "Sounds solid, but we'll need something in return to go along with this. Perhaps some things in the police station evidence locker could go missing."

"I'm not doing that", Mako dismissed. "Besides, don't you already have dirty cops on the force to do that for you?"

"We did, until 'Little Miss Ceo's' dad here started blabbing about the bribes he'd made. Apparently all our contacts were looking for handouts from the billionaire too."

Asami's discomfort at hearing her father's name didn't go unnoticed by Mako. "I've got a better offer anyway. Since I'm personal friends with the Avatar, I could probably convince her to give you, Zolt, and Ping your bending back."

That part of the plan hadn't been discussed. Asami had no doubt that when these men had been able to bend, they'd used it to do horrible things. Would Korra be willing to give it back just for them to return to their old ways"

Shin appeared to be concerned about that too. "Bolin's girl? Why should we believe a goody two shoes like the Avatar would be so eager to help some misunderstood folk like us?"

Asami smiled a little at the idea of Korra being anything remotely resembling a "goody two shoes", but Mako just leaned forward with a glare. "I can't think of another way you'd be able to waterbend again, Shin. And based on how no police informants have said anything about what happened to you and Zolt, I'm guessing you're trying to keep what happened with Amon a secret, and pretty desperate to get your bending back before a rival gang finds out and makes a move on your territory."

All the eyes that had been watching them when they came in bored into Mako.

"You overgrown street rat, do y-"

Shin held up a hand to silence his associate. "When did you get so cocky, kid?"

"I didn't get cocky. I'm just not eight years old anymore."

The gang member was silent for a while, then he cackled. "You really are something else."

"So do we have a deal?"

"Sure. We'll pull this off tomorrow night."

"Are you kidding me?" The man in a bluish gray suit and hat had an issue with the plan. "You gonna figure out what's in it for us before you agree for everyone?"

"The boss'll get his bending back, what more reason do you need, Viper? Think about what's good for the Triads."

"Good for the Triads, or good for you?", Viper challenged. "Everyone knows you've been eyeing the top spot, and now it looks like you'll let this pig chicken play us to do it!"

The two gave each other withering stares, so Mako took this as their cue to exit. "We'll...meet up with you tomorrow night at the docks. Looks like you two have some things you need to talk about."

Shady Shin agreed. "Good idea. This ain't something a lady like her should witness."

Asami almost felt obligated to object to the comment, but she remembered what Mako said and stayed silent while they left. They had their help they needed, but now they had to be careful to stay out of some much bigger.

Notes: A little bit of Lin being a grumpy mom to Mako, since I too subscribe to the belief that he is the son she never had. I also enjoy writing from his perspective on occasion, since I enjoy his character, but I believe he was misused early on. Much like Tahno, who gets to mess with Mako to his amusement (at least for a while).

And in this chapter we get to see Bolin grovel to statue Aang, and a more nuanced take on the father he was to his kids. This was my biggest issue with the show, since I can believe he might not have been able to spend as much time as he wanted with them, and Tenzin's airbending ability might have led him to prioritize his youngest to preserve his culture, but they made it out like he was almost intentionally neglectful of Kya and Bumi with how they were excluded from vacations.

Then we finally get another Asami perspective. I want to apologize since she's not in the story right now as much as I'd like her to be, but I promise that'll change when I get to books three and four.