And here is chapter five. This chapter will finally have Rai and Asami meeting for the first time. Along with the other members of Team Avatar and a few of the other characters from LOK. I'm working on chapter six right now and hope to have that up soon. Enjoy and let me know what you all think! Read, review and favorite!
Always be Brave, guys. ~BraveGirl
The Avatar and the White Dragon: Book One, Guidance
Chapter Five:
"Welcome to Air Temple Island."
Rai glanced around, taking in her surroundings before her attention settled back onto the airbender, who had introduced himself as Tenzin, standing a few feet in front of them, a smaller group of airbenders on one side of the tattooed master, the Avatar on his other. "Lin, Avatar Korra and I all believe that the mistakes that have been made by you four as just that, mistakes that have been made. It's in the past. Since none of you have guardians, you've been released into the custody of the Air Nation, which includes myself and Avatar Korra. You're here so we can keep all of you safe until the Reformists can be stopped. However, it has been decided that, with your willingness, our key to stopping the Reformists lies within you four. Here you are being given a choice. You can stay, and train with the Avatar and whoever else can be of assistance, or you'll be given the chance to leave Republic City."
The firebender turned her head slightly, waiting for the reactions of her teammates. When no one spoke she directed a short nod towards the airbender, who was patiently waiting for an answer from the four teenagers. "We'll stay and fight."
Tenzin nodded in return, ushering out with his hand towards the two separate buildings that they'd passed walking up from the docks upon arrival to the island. "Those are the dormitories. The one of the left is where you girls will be staying, and the right is for the boys. Some of the airbenders will be showing to your rooms, and we will leave you all to get settled in. Dinner will be ready at sundown, you can join us back here then if you choose."
Korra stepped forward, sending a stern gaze to the four newcomers. "Don't think you'll be getting off so lightly for everything you've done. Lin has also asked me to come up with some form of punishment for you four, which starts tomorrow morning."
Rai smiled slightly as there was a collective groan from Asha and Hayate, who obviously thought they'd be getting off scot free. The adults all let out a chuckle before they disappeared into the main building, the firebender turning to her teammates, who were walking towards the buildings Tenzin pointed out earlier. Asha and Hayate were already engaging in some kind of conversation with the airbenders, something the firebender rolled her eyes at. At least they're making friends.
"Rai! Hold up a second."
The firebender turned at the sound of the voice, raising an eyebrow as the Avatar jogged over to were she was standing, a stack of papers under her arms. "Hey. Lin had one of the lower level officers make copies of everything, so. Also, she called me this morning, said they're heading over to the address you gave them tonight. She's supposed to call again later with more details about what they find. Hopefully they haven't moved any of those kids yet."
Rai nodded, glancing between the letters, the death certificate that the Avatar was holding out to her to the Avatar herself. "So do I. Has Asami seen these yet?"
Korra nodded, thinking back to the hour she sat with her wife at the police station reading over the various letters and papers the young firebender had supplied them with. She also couldn't help but think about how devastated the CEO had been. The tears that she'd shed lasted from the moment she read the first paper until they left, only to lock herself up at Future Industries claiming she had work to do. "Yeah. I told her about this dinner Pema and Tenzin are throwing tonight. To welcome you all to the city and the island. Hopefully, she'll show up. I'm sorry you two haven't had a chance to meet yet."
The firebender shrugged, flicking her wrist out towards the papers. "I wasn't expecting a miracle, Korra. You can keep those. They're of no importance to me anymore."
Korra raised an eyebrow, pulling the papers back to her. "You weren't expecting a miracle? What does that mean?"
The Avatar watched with a heavy heart as the sixteen-year-old's jade eyes, that matched a pair she'd become so familiar with, finally met hers. They were hard, showing no sign of emotion. Something the eyes of a child should never do, in her opinion. "Look at me. I was always meant for this life. I'm used to being alone, and I'm used to that feeling it brings along with it. Don't worry about me, okay? Even if the accident hadn't have happened, I would have most likely ended up here anyway. Alone."
"You're not alone, Rai. You have friends."
"Teammates. They were paired with me and forced to do whatever I told them to. That's not exactly a friendship, is it?"
The Avatar was suddenly at a loss for words, trying not to break eye contact with the younger girl as she racked her brain for something to respond with. What exactly had these kids gone through at the hands of these Reformists? Or before they joined them? Lin had been able to come up with little information about any the four teenagers. Hayate and Asha both had parents who had been killed during Kuvira's invasion of the city. Kayo had been taken from an abusive father following the death of her mother. But Rai was a huge question mark to everyone. They'd been able to find out that she'd been registered with four different orphanages, all of which she had either been transferred out of or ran away from. All files they'd pulled from each orphanage had said the same thing. "Runaway offender. Unapproachable, quiet and aggressive when approached with force. Refuses to speak or engage with other children or possible families. Lost cause." How anyone could label a child who was clearly broken a lost cause, Korra couldn't understand. Then again, she really didn't understand the teenager standing before her. "Well, you're not alone anymore. Whether you want to admit it or not, you've been inducted into our make-shift family. Everyone here has kind of adopted into roles. Tenzin and Pema are the parents, me and the others are the cool aunts and uncles…and that sounded really incestuous. We're not like that, I promise. Well, actually, Mako and I dated. And he also dated Asami, but that's all in the past. Oh! Mako and Bolin are really excited to meet you!"
The firebender's eyebrows shot up, her hands coming out to keep the Avatar's own arms from flailing out any further. "Who's Mako and Bolin?"
Rai watched as the Avatar's face lit up as she told the girl about the two brothers and their numerous adventures together. Apparently they'd dubbed themselves at "Team Avatar," something the firebender couldn't help but snort at, causing the Avatar to raise an eyebrow and place her hands on her hips. "What? It's a cool name!"
"Sorry, they sound like great guys. I understand how important it is to have people you trust watching your back."
The Avatar followed the girl's gaze as it wandered over the firebender's shoulder, settling on the three other teenagers who stood out when compared to the sea of red and yellow glider suits. "They're more than just your teammates. I know you said they were told to work with you and everything, but do you really think they would have walked out with you if they were just your teammates?"
Korra watched from her spot next to the girl, gauging the many emotions that flashed across the girl's face. Emotions that the Avatar had yet to see since their first meeting in the interrogation room the other night. "No, you're right. They're not just my teammates. They're my family. Just like your friends are to you."
"Which is now your family as well. If you'd have us?"
The firebender glanced over at the Avatar, raising an eyebrow. "What if not everyone wants us to be a part of it?"
Korra instantly knew who the girl was referring to, and she wished, more than anything, that she could vouch for her wife. To tell the sixteen-year-old in front of her that Asami would welcome them with open arms. More specifically welcome her, but she couldn't. Doing so felt like she would be lying to the girl, and the last thing Korra wanted was to hurt this girl more than she'd been hurt already. "I can't speak for Asami. I can't tell you that she was overjoyed to hear that you were still alive after all these years. It's barely sunk in yet with me to know that you are her daughter, and I don't think she's gotten over the surprise either. Give her some time, okay? Maybe she'll come around eventually."
The firebender nodded, dropping her gaze down to the walkway they were standing on. "You know, when I was younger, I would have given anything to have known something, or anything about my parents. And I did give everything. I joined the Reformists because Kwan told me he could help with finding some of that information. I gave up my childhood, if you could even call it a childhood, only to be told that I truly was alone. It was easier, being told versus not knowing anything. Until I found out it was all a lie and I've woken up the past three mornings, with everything coming back at once and I still feel…the same. I thought I'd be happy, knowing the truth, or convincing you that telling Asami was the right thing to do. But now, I think it might have been better if I hadn't told anyone at all. I wouldn't have uprooted anyone's life. She wouldn't hate me, and I wouldn't have put any of you in the danger that I have put you all in."
"She doesn't hate you, Rai."
Rai shrugged, bending down to pick up the bag at her feet before slinging it over her shoulder. "Maybe she should. Thanks for everything, Korra. I hope we don't let you down."
The Avatar watched as the young girl started off in the direction of the dorms, shaking her head before she called out after the girl. "Rai?"
The sixteen-year-old halted, turning to look over her shoulder at the Avatar. Korra shrugged, letting out a sigh. "If it's any consolation, I think I'm more worried about letting you all down. Don't give up completely just yet, okay?"
Rai nodded before her face scrunched up. "Does this make you my step-mother?"
Korra rolled her eyes, sending a small gust of wind towards the firebender, smiling as the sound of genuine laughter came from the girl as her hair whipped around her from the sudden wind. "Go get settled in."
Without another word, and with a simple, small smile on her face, the firebender took off into the girl's dormitory, walking down the long hall and passed by rooms filled with the chatter and giggles of girls. Eventually she caught up with Kayo and Asha, who were being separated into rooms on opposite sides of the hall. One of the airbender caught sight of Rai, waving her in towards them with a smile on her face.
"Hi! You must be Rai. It's so nice to meet you. I'm Opal."
The firebender took the outstretched hand, nodding once. "Thank you. It's nice to meet you, too. Oh and thanks for showing us around. I'm sure you guys have more important things to do or something."
The airbender, Opal, waved her off, ushering her hand out towards the room next to Kayo's. "Don't worry about it. When I was first brought here, the other airbenders and Korra were really nice. I figured I'd return the favor someday, somehow."
Rai stepped into the room, glancing around as she placed her bag by the door. "You said your name was Opal, right? You're Bolin's wife?"
The airbender in question followed after the girl, nodding when the younger girl looked over at her. "Yes, I am. And you, you're Asami's daughter, aren't you?"
Opal noticed the expression that flashed across the girl's face, but it disappeared as quickly as it appeared, leaving the airbender to wonder what exactly had transpired the events that led up now. What had these pour souls been through? "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought that up. It's just…no one would have ever guessed that Asami would have had a daughter. It was such a shock when she and Korra told us the other night."
"No, it's fine. You can ask whatever you want. You live here."
"So do you. But I'll leave you all to get settled in. Like Tenzin said, dinner is at sundown. If you all want to join us after you're done, we'll be down at the beach with the children."
Rai nodded, plopping down onto the bed with a huff as Opal closed the door to the girl's room behind her, one arm coming up to lay across her face. After a few minutes of laying there, Rai finally pulled herself up and went about attempting to situate herself in the room that she'd been appointed to. What little clothing she'd owned was folded and placed into the small dresser underneath the only window in the room, and whatever little things she'd managed to grab from the compound were placed around the room accordingly. She's just finished setting the small fire ferret that she'd had as long as she could remember, next to the lamp on the bedside table when a knock on the door startled her.
"Asha and I are done, so we're heading out to look around. You wanna come?"
The firebender raised an eyebrow as her former roommate awkwardly looked around the small room. "I thought you weren't speaking to me?"
Kayo shrugged, her eyes finally settling on the younger girl leaning against the edge of the bed, her arms crossed over her chest and that same old unreadable expression on her face. "I just don't understand why you insist that you're always alone."
After what seemed like an eternity of the two staring at each other, Rai pushed herself off the side of the bed, running a hand through her hair before stopping a few feet from the older girl. "I know I'm not alone. I do, I promise. I know that. But you have to understand that I am always going to be terrified of losing you. Losing everybody that I care about. I don't intentionally push you or anyone else away. It just makes being the emotionally detached one a little easier."
"You're not going to lose me."
"And you can't make that promise."
The older girl shrugged, taking a few steps out of the room and into the hall. "Watch me. Are you coming or not?"
"No, you can't back out. You said you'd be here."
On the other end of the phone, Korra could hear shuffling before her wife's voice came through. "I told you I'd try, and work has me tied up. I'm sorry."
"It's not me you should be apologizing to, Asami!," the Avatar's cheeks blushed slightly as a few of the heads in the opposite room snapped up, forcing Korra to turn and face the wall, "The girl that I've met so far is broken, 'Sami. She's cold and distant and she's been through so much. I understand that you're hurting, I can't imagine the feelings all of this has brought to the surface, but she needs you. She needs her mom. And besides, don't you think that the hurt you're feeling might heal a little if you see her?"
"I'm not her mom, Korra."
"Oh that's bull and you know it! You're scared, I get that, but you can't keep avoiding her, Asami. She's not some kind of illness that you can ignore and hope it will clear up in a few days. This is a person we're talking about. A teenager that has nothing and I'm so incredibly disappointed in you for acting like this. What happened to the Asami Sato that I first fell in love with? The engineer who put everyone before herself? Who always did the right thing?"
"Korra, please. Don't talk like that. I know she's not something I can just cast aside, that's not what I'm doing. But I can't face her. I've spent the last sixteen years of her life thinking she was dead. I don't know how to just move past that."
"Avoiding her is not the best way to do that. Come see her. You and I both know that sitting in your office and drowning yourself in paperwork isn't going to help anyone. Please."
Silence filled the air around the Avatar and for a second or two, the Avatar actually though that the CEO had hung up on her, until her next statement caught the other woman by surprise. "Let me finish up this last contract and then I'll stop by, okay?"
Punching the air, Korra viewed it as victory. At least it was getting them somewhere. "Sounds like a plan. I'll let Tenzin and Pema know that you'll be here later. I promise you're not going to regret this, 'Sami. She's a pretty good kid."
"I'll see you soon. Love you."
"I love you, too. Be safe."
One of the great things about Air Temple Island is exactly that. It's an island, surrounded by water and completely cut off from the rest of Republic City. There was no constant noise of Satomobile horns, or merchants shouting out in busy markets. Usually those noises were paired with a voice that Rai could never fully shake from her mind, a small whisper that never let her forget her place in the world. Here on the Island, though, the only sounds that could be heard were the crashing of waves along the beach and laughter floating from behind the firebender, where the group of airbenders were all entertaining themselves with trying to keep a ball in the air without using their bending. It looked fun, but Rai took it upon herself to simply walk along the shore. Her hair lifted up around her from the slight breeze, the scent of salt water overtaking any other smells while the tide washed over her bare feet, her shoes having been tossed aside when she first reached the sand.
"You're being awfully quiet. Even more so than you usually are. Are you okay?"
During the ten minute walk along the shore, despite all the overwhelming sounds and sights, the firebender had been acutely aware of her former roommate's present by her side. "Yeah, just thinking."
"About…?"
Rai shook her head, keeping her eyes trained along the shoreline in front of them, knowing that despite being known to show little emotion, her friend could always see what she was feeling should they make eye contact. "Nothing in particular."
Beside her, Kayo rolled her eyes, but kept them trained on the girl walking alongside her. "Nothing wouldn't happen to be a certain CEO that you haven't met yet, would it?"
Kayo managed to catch the way the girl's shoulders tensed, the older girl knowing she'd managed to hit the nail on the head. "Hey, I may not understand everything you're feeling, but I'm always here if you need to talk, okay? You know that, right?"
The firebender nodded, managing to crack a small smile before bumping her shoulder into Kayo's playfully. "I know. Although there's nothing much to talk about. It's been complete radio silence."
"Do you blame her, though? She's been thinking you were dead for sixteen years. That's gotta be really hard to come to terms with."
"I'm not saying it isn't. If anything, she should take as much as time as she needs."
A few moments of silence passed between the two girls, until the firebender stopped, bending down in the sand to pick up a shell that was wedged in the sand. Kayo watched as the younger girl carefully used the coming and going tide to wash off the object before eyeing it and handing it out to her. The older girl smiled as she took the shell, glancing down at the object as memories flooded her brain. "My parents used to take me to the bay all the time when I was younger. We'd spend hours at a time walking the beach trying to find these things."
"I've never seen the beach before until we left the city to come here."
Kayo raised an eyebrow, turning the shell over in her hand as she watched the firebender walk a little further out into the water. "It was never far away."
The firebender shrugged, squinting at the reflection of the setting sun on the water. Even from here, the city could be seen, although it was nothing more than buildings that looked so much smaller than Rai knew they were. "I never had a reason to go."
"Well we live on an island now, so you can come see it whenever you want."
The water was barely past Rai's ankle, and the firebender nodded in response to her friend's comment, continuing to stare out at the city. Eventually, when the sun had begun to disappear over the horizon, the firebender could hear their names being called from the direction they came, almost like a chant.
Letting out a chuckle, Rai turned to walk back down the shore line, but stopped before she could take a step. She'd always thought her former roommate looked beautiful before, even when passed out after back-to-back missions, but standing here, with her hair lifting and falling around her shoulders and the hues of the setting sun contrasting with the grey-blue color of her eyes, the firebender was at a loss for words. Even with the still faint tint of bruise along her cheek, she was breathtaking.
"What are you staring at?"
Blinking rapidly, Rai tore her eyes away from her friend, pointing down the shore to where the group of airbenders and her team could barely be made out. "We should…dinner…food."
Hearing the laughter coming from her friend, the firebender walked off, her cheeks burning with enough intensity that it wouldn't surprise Rai if they actually were on fire. They caught up with the group moments later, Asha and Hayate chuckling at the flustered sight of the usually stable firebender. They both knew that there was only one person who could cause the young girl to fluster so much, and only one reason why said person was able to do so.
Together as a group they made their way up to the main building, the airbenders racing down the halls and shouting out something about seating arrangements, Asha and Hayate running along after them. Rai rolled her eyes at the pair, opting to walk with Kayo and a few of the older airbenders. When they reached the dining room, Rai managed to see Asha and Hayate standing alongside some of the younger airbenders, shoving rice in their face.
"What are you guys? Two-years-old?"
Both of them shrugged at the firebender's words, causing her to roll her eyes again before facing Pema, who was holding out a bowl of rice to the girl. Rai took it, smiling slightly. "Thank you. For everything. And I apologize for those two over there. They obviously don't know how to use their manors."
Pema shrugged the girl off, telling her that the two enjoying her food was enough thanks before she joined her husband at the table. Most of the adults were already seated, discussing something that had to do with their training. Rai noticed there were a few new faces she didn't recognize from when they first arrived. Upon seeing them, the firebender automatically looked towards the Avatar for conformation.
"Oh! This is Mako and Bolin." Korra pointed towards the two men sitting side-by-side on the opposite end of the table. The firebender nodded politely, not bothering to wait for a response before joining the other children and her teammates against the wall.
Dinner was quiet, the adults making light conversation while the children continued with the conversation they were having outside, laughter often interrupting one of them. Rai attempted to follow along with whatever Kayo was speaking to her about, but the firebender's attention was resting solely on the Avatar. Korra seemed to be the quietest out of all the adults, her responses short and often one-worded while she glanced back and fourth between her food and the door to the dining room.
"Hey, are you even listening to me?"
Rai pulled her attention away from the Avatar, wondering what could have the woman so distracted. "Uh, yeah. I was, I'm sorry. I just got distracted."
"What has you so distracted?"
The firebender shook her head, staring down into her bowl of rice, not knowing what to say. She didn't know why the Avatar's behavior was distracting her, but she was beginning to get that feeling in the pit of her stomach, the one that the firebender used to direct the paths that she took. It was the same feeling she had when Kwan first introduced himself to her. She felt it again whenever she'd figured out who they'd been sent to watch at the University, when she'd found those files in Kwan's desk, and when she'd told the Avatar and Chief Beifong about the Reformists. Rai couldn't pinpoint if it was a good or bad thing, it seemed to alert to both kinds of those situations, but she could tell that something was going on. Something that had to do with her, and no one, mainly the Avatar, had informed her about it.
For once, Rai had wished the feeling and herself could be wrong for once. But tonight was not that night, because the sound of a fog horn indicating the arrival of a boat at the dock had the Avatar practically jumping from her seat at the table with a small gust of air to help before she was out the door, leaving everyone sitting in the dining room confused and wondering what was going on.
"Uh, were we expecting someone or something?"
All the adults glanced between themselves, wondering if Korra had mentioned anything to any of them. Pema was the only one to speak up, standing from her spot next to her husband. "Korra informed me earlier that Asami would be joining us at some point. That must be her."
Feeling all of the blood in her face leave, Rai's eyes automatically glanced over at the door where the Avatar had disappeared, her heartbeat quickening. Korra didn't mention this earlier!
Suddenly, the panic subsided when the firebender felt a hand place itself over the one that was gripping the leg of her pants, forcing her fingers to release the fabric before they intertwined themselves with hers. She didn't need to look to know that it was Kayo's hand. She'd held it enough times to identify that kind of calming sense that always washed over her whenever the two's skin touched.
"Did you not know she was coming?"
Shaking her head, the firebender tried to find anything else interesting to look at, opting to just stare at the rice in her bowl. As calming as the other girl's presence and hand were, it didn't stop the inner voice inside of Rai. It was screaming run over and over, and she was tempted to listen to it. If she ran, she could prolong this for a little while longer, but she was no coward. So she sat, tense and attempting to school her features in the few minutes that the Avatar was missing.
The muffled sound of voices entering in the main building brought the whispering conversations taking place around the table to a halt. Rai hadn't even noticed that they'd began until they could no longer be heard, and knowing that they'd been whispering about what was fixing to happen forced a deep blush to the firebender's cheeks. Stabbing at the rice in the bowl with her utensils, Rai forced herself to keep her eyes cast down as the sound of footsteps drew nearer, paired with the sound of Korra's laugh ringing in her ears.
Eventually, the muffled voices stopped completely, and then Korra's voice sliced through the silence that followed in that brief moment. "Hey, guys. Look who's here."
Every head in the room snapped towards the Avatar, most of the familiar faces smiling or simply waving. Those who weren't so familiar kept quiet, save for Rai, who was still refusing to look up from her bowl. Not that it surprised Korra. It seemed to be in the girl's nature to shy away from anything that would put her in the spotlight. Maybe their first meeting shouldn't have been this public.
"Uh, I guess we should all…introduce…each other. Who wants to go first?"
From next to the firebender, Kayo rolled her eyes. Who would have thought the Avatar wasn't good with speaking on behalf of other people? Standing up, the older girl smiled politely, reaching her hand out to the woman standing next to Korra. Looking at her as a person, versus a picture in the news-clippings she'd seen, it was painfully obvious that her favorite firebender shared some of the same genes as the CEO did. Their only differences were their hair colors, and even that was the same shade of black save for the few white streaks in Rai's. It was like looking at an older, more mature version of her best friend. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Sato. My name is Kayo. Korra has spoke very highly of you since we met the other night."
The CEO smiled, quickly shaking the girl's hand. She could feel the calming presence of Korra's hand on her lower back, rooting her to the spot. She had told Korra she'd be here, that she'd try. This was her trying, right? "I'm sure she has. And please, call me Asami. Mrs. Sato is too informal and reminds me of my secretary back at Future Industries."
Kayo glanced behind her, motioning to the other two members of their team who were shoveling their food in their face, acting as if this wasn't one of the most awkward conversations they've observed. "Those two are Hayate and Asha. You'll have to forgive them, they haven't matured yet."
Looking around the room, the CEO took in all the other adults, who were watching the introductions with curious faces, nothing that only the children seemed to still be eating. "No, it's fine, really. I'm late, I know, but please don't halt dinner on my behalf."
Once everyone had resumed their meals, and some of their conversations, the CEO turned back around, smiling at the young girl that was obviously trying to reduce the tension that had built up when her and Korra had arrived. The young girl smiled back, glancing back over her shoulder. Following the girl's gaze, the CEO's eyes landed on the form sitting silently against the wall, fumbling with whatever was in her hands and refusing to look up.
"Rai."
The sitting form suddenly tensed, her hands stalling in their uniform movements. Slowly, but surely, the firebender glanced up, meeting the gaze of her best friend. Silently, the older girl raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms over her chest. Letting out a sigh, the firebender stood, smoothing out nonexistent wrinkles in the fabric of her pants to give her shaky hands something to do instead of simply hanging by her sides.
After gathering enough courage, the firebender forced herself to look up, her eyes automatically meeting a pair that felt unfamiliar, but familiar all at the same time. Much like Kayo, she'd seen pictures of the CEO in the papers, and caught a glimpse of her here and there while staking out the University, but they hadn't given the woman justice. There were rumors of the CEO's beauty and brains, and the firebender couldn't help but find it funny that the first thought upon meeting her mother was at least my genes are good.
Feeling a nudge, Rai blinked away the ramble of thoughts in her brain, shooting Kayo a glare as she glanced sideways at her. What was with everyone and pushing her out of her comfort zone? She'd been forced into this meeting without knowing about it, and the least she could was try and maintain some kind of power. She'd say something when she wanted to.
"Now that I'm getting a good look at the two of you, it's obvious you didn't inherit Asami's height. Her looks, yes, you two could pass as twins, but you're kinda short, kid."
The firebender rolled her eyes at the Avatar's words. She was obviously trying to fill the silence with some kind of conversation. On her part, Rai couldn't think of the right thing to say. Saying 'hello' seemed too passive, as if this whole situation wasn't taking place and mother and child weren't reuniting after sixteen years of thinking neither existed anymore. Rai couldn't speak on her mother's behalf, but the older woman seemed to be at a loss for words as well. Her expression was neutral, but Rai could see the pain and some other kind of emotion the girl couldn't pinpoint swirling in her eyes. Now at least she understood what Kayo said when her eyes gave way to her feelings.
Another nudge to her shoulder had Rai sighing, shaking her head. "I was sick…when I was younger. That's why I'm so small."
Silence followed the firebender's words, only to be interrupted by the sound of someone clapping their hands, forcing all four women to jump slightly and turn their heads towards the source. Tenzin was standing at the head of the table, wearing a forced smile and had Rai suddenly remembering that her first meeting with her mother had an audience. All the other adults seemed to be wearing awkward looks of their own. "I apologize for cutting this reunion short, but I do believe that everyone is feeling a little emotionally run-down following the past few days events. Perhaps it would be best if we finished dinner and turned in for the night?"
Korra nodded her head, grabbing her wife's shoulders before smiling at the two teenagers, thankful that someone had finally broken the tension that had been building. "Tenzin's right. We are going to eat and you all should get some rest. You've got an early morning tomorrow."
Feeling her friend pull her backwards, the firebender let out a relieved sigh, letting herself be dragged away from the two women as the rest of the children scampered out of the room. Apparently she wasn't the only one wishing this awkward moment was over. She gave one slight wave, frowning when she turned around, silently cursing herself for doing something so stupid such as waving.
When they'd made it out of the dining room, Rai felt an arm wrap around her shoulders as she let out a groan, rubbing at her face with her hands, trying to be mindful of the bruised cheek and split lip she was still sporting. "What the hell just happened?"
From beside her, Rai heard her friend chuckle lightly, the hand gripping her shoulder moving to rub and down her arm in a soothing, comforting motion. "You just met your mother."
"I didn't even say hello. I waved. I waved, Kayo."
"I know. Are you okay?"
Shrugging, the firebender slowed her pace, waiting until she could no longer see or hear her fellow team mates and the other children, allowing her to be able to talk freely to her best friend without the fear of embarrassment. "I don't know. I guess I'm glad that we finally met. It kind of takes the pressure of it off, but I'm not sure that went very well."
The older girl nodded, looking out past the edge of the island at the barely visible waves crashing against the dock. "You'll have plenty more time to act stupid in front of her. Now come on, we've gotta report to Korra at sunrise."
Rai let out another groan, remember the Avatar's words from earlier. Her pride and self-esteem had already taken a beating from this meeting, and she had a feeling that tomorrow was going to be even more tasking that the past few days combined.