Just Like the Good Old Days

Redbayly: *Angrily pacing back and forth, muttering swearwords*

Toph: Sheesh, calm down, Red, your pacing is giving me a headache.

Redbayly: Sorry, Toph, but I'm just really, REALLY angry.

Sokka: What happened?

Redbayly: You mean you haven't heard? You don't know what Unalaq tried to do in the newest episode?

Aang: What?

Redbayly: He just tried to destroy your granddaughter's soul.

Aang: *Stares in shock before his eyes narrow* Sokka, could I borrow your skinning-knife?

Sokka: Aang…you're not going to do anything drastic, are you?

Redbayly: He also tried to destroy Korra's soul after he forced her to open the Northern Spirit Portal.

Sokka: *Pause* I'll get my sledgehammer, crowbar, and disemboweling tools.

Toph: You mean? *Big grin* We're gonna f*ck him up?

Redbayly: Yep. You wanna groin-stomp him or can I?

Toph: We can both groin-stomp him. It's girls' night, after all.

Aang: Hey, hurry up! If I'm gonna break every code of Airbender ethics, I don't wanna be late.

Sokka: Unalaq messed with the wrong family. You could say he's one una-lucky guy.

Everyone: *Glares*

Sokka: Uh, bad time?

Everyone: *Nods*

Sokka: Right, well, Redbayly doesn't own Legend of Korra. Probably a good thing as what we are about to do to Unalaq in this separate universe could be deemed as "inappropriate for young audience members."

Festival

Korra's POV:

As the attendees of the Peace Ceremony dispersed, I noticed Prophetess Ituha and Shaman Guyapi talking to my parents; I couldn't hear what was being said, but I saw my parents nod in obvious agreement. I wasn't able to think about it for very long before Lomasi suddenly grabbed my attention.

"Well, now that that's finally over with," she said, "you have got to tell me all about what you guys have been up to and you still haven't introduced me to your new friends."

"Oh, right, sorry," I started. "Lomasi, this is Mako, Bolin, and Asami."

She started when I said Asami's name.

"Wait, not Asami Sato the new head of Future Industries?"

"Yeah, that would be me," Asami replied slowly.

"Oh my spirits; my mother talks about you a lot," Lomasi said excitedly. "She's in business and knows about everyone."

"Really? What company does she work for?"

"Dancing Dragon Fashion. She's a vice-president in the company and our family is quite proud of her achievements."

"I should think they would be. I'm actually here for a business meeting myself."

"Let me guess. Looking for the head of the Varrick Global Industries?"

"How did you…?"

"When I say my mom knows about everyone, I mean it." She gave an apologetic smile. "Let's just say that your company's current…uh, situation is not exactly a secret."

"Lomasi," I whispered warningly, "you shouldn't say things like that."

"No, it's okay," Asami said dismissively; though I could tell she was more affected than she let on. "I'm here to save my business and it doesn't matter what people say."

"Well, if you're looking for the head of the Varrick Global Industries I'd be happy to point you in the right direction," Lomasi offered.

"Could you? That would be very helpful."

"Sure." She then turned to me. "I'll see you at the celebratory feast, Korra. You still owe me details of your Republic City adventures."

"And you have to tell me about what you saw on your Vision Quest," I replied.

"It's a deal."

Lomasi then led Asami and Bolin, who had volunteered to be Asami's assistant for the evening, off to wherever that business meeting was being held. As I watched them leave, I felt a very familiar arm wrap around my shoulders.

"Come on," Noak said softly, "we should go check out that festival."

Even though we'd been engaged for six months, that low voice of his still made me get a warm sensation in the pit of my stomach and brought a smile to my lips.

The festival was as remarkable as ever. It would be even better once the sun set and the multi-colored lanterns would be lit, but there was no denying the excitement that filled the air. Unfortunately, I don't think Unalaq would agree with that.

"It's a shame the Southerners have abandoned all connections to the spirits," said Unalaq.

"I wouldn't say all connections," Aunt Kaliska retorted sharply. "If anything, I'd say we're more spiritual than ever. My father told me that when he was young the people of the Southern Water Tribe rarely celebrated any festivals at all. The fact that we've grown and restored what was taken from us thanks to the Hundred Year War is evidence enough that we've reconnected to our spiritual and ancestral roots."

"Tell that to the sailors who've been attacked by angry spirits in southern waters."

"Wait, spirits are attacking ships?" I asked, surprised by this new information.

"I'm surprised the Avatar doesn't know about that."

"We had intended to tell you about it later this evening," Aunt Kaliska said to me. She then threw a scathing look at Unalaq. "However, now that Chief Unalaq has decided to bring it up, it looks like we can't wait anymore. Prophetess Ituha, if you would?"

"Certainly," the older woman replied before facing me. "There have been a number of incidents in which dark entities have attacked fishing ships a few miles out to sea. As far as we can tell from the ancient records and from what Mother Setna has told us through visions it is owed to a certain cosmic event that occurs once every ten thousand years. In recent weeks, the spirit attacks have gotten worse and have even taken place out on the tundra."

"What about the people who've been going on Vision Quests?" I asked. "Have any of them been attacked?"

"No," Shaman Guyapi answered. "Vision-seekers go southwest towards the sacred mountains to meditate in the caves. The dark spirits who have attacked on the tundra have struck only in the southeast, closer to the center of southern spiritual energy. I myself have gone out there and tried to reason with the dark spirits; the only reason I'm still alive is because of this." He pointed to a pendant on the front of his robes; it was similar to the pendant on a betrothal necklace and bore the image of a lotus flower rising from an upward-pointing crescent moon. "According to the texts in the temple library, the Mark of Setna is supposed to ward off danger; the legends say that the dark spirits that once terrorized the early settlers learned to fear anything associated with our tribe's foundress."

"Maybe those spirits wouldn't have attacked if no one had tried to settle this land in the first place," Unalaq retorted.

My Aunt Yue must have sensed an approaching argument, thanks to her years as a diplomat, because she immediately tried to direct the conversation elsewhere. Unfortunately for me, I was the main focus of that subject.

"So, Korra, your mother told me that you're getting married in six months?" she said cheerily. "Have you had time to go looking for a wedding dress yet?"

"Uh, well…" I tried to answer, but she cut me off.

"Great! We can go right now." She then lightly took my arm and tried to steer me away while simultaneously asking my two other aunts, my mother, and Adsila and Hachi to join us. "Obviously, the rest of you would have no interest in coming with us. So, I guess we'll all meet later at the celebratory feast."

"Perhaps my daughter could accompany you?" Unalaq suggested. "Eska?"

I could see Eska grimace slightly before exchanging a look with Desna. I knew Eska would probably rather eat rotten penguin meat than spend time with me and I also knew that she hated going anywhere without Desna standing right beside her. However, she appeared to concede and followed us.

I couldn't help but get a really uncomfortable feeling that I was not going to enjoy this experience.

Noatak's POV:

I suppose, in retrospect, that it was inevitable that Korra would be virtually abducted by her mother, aunts, and cousins; however, it did leave me and Tarrlok in the uncomfortable situation of having to deal with two men who clearly despised each other for reasons known only to them. Shaman Guyapi and Prophetess Ituha seemed to have decided that their presence was no longer needed and had left, as had Tenzin and his family; Korra's uncle Paytah had gone off somewhere (most likely to engage in an eating contest if my memories of him are accurate); and the only people who seemed to be even remotely on the same page as us were Ciqala, Mako, and, strangely enough, Desna.

"By Coahoma's claws," Ciqala muttered, "are they ever going to shut up?"

"How much you wanna bet that Tonraq finally snaps and tries to strangle Chief Unalaq?" Tarrlok asked.

"I believe that I will take you up on that proposition," said Desna.

We all turned to stare at him in shock. He simply looked back expressionlessly.

"I assume that you are astonished that I would do something as base as wagering with you," he continued. "However, I am not blind to the simple fact that my father and uncle have a deep-running rivalry that could very possibly end in violence and the fact that it is far more likely that my uncle will make the first move of attack."

There was a momentary pause.

"Did any of you guys understand anything he just said?" Ciqala asked.

"Not a word," Mako said.

Meanwhile, snippets of the dispute between Tonraq and Unalaq kept drifting our way.

"I am more than capable of instructing Avatar Korra in the ways of the spirits," Unalaq insisted.

"And I have told you that Tenzin is Korra's instructor," Tonraq retorted. "Anything else that my daughter can learn about the spirits will be taught to her by Shaman Guyapi and Prophetess Ituha. Your help is neither needed nor wanted."

"It's like they're a couple of children," I said to the others. "Neither one will ever admit he's wrong or back down until he gets his way."

"I am so glad we never fought like that, Noa," Tarrlok said.

All I could do was give him an incredulous look as I had no idea what to say in response to that.

"As much fun as watching two old guys fighting like a couple of preschoolers is," said Ciqala, "maybe we should move o…oh no." He stopped suddenly and darted behind us. "Whatever you do, don't let them find me."

"Who?" I asked.

He pointed towards two young women not far away from where we were.

"It's Liluye and Shada," he whispered. "Please, you can't let them find me."

"What did you do?" Mako asked.

"Nothing. They're just crazed stalkers. That's one of the downsides to being next in line to become Chief of the Southern Water Tribe. Granddad tried to warn me but I thought he was joking. Oh no, here they come."

The two women approached and I could see exactly why Ciqala was so worried. Liluye and her best friend Shada were acknowledged as man-stalkers, only it seemed they'd set their fixation on Ciqala and it didn't look like they'd be giving up on him anytime soon if the banner with "We love Ciqala" written on it was anything to go by.

"Noak, Tarro, it's so nice to see you both again," Liluye said in a sugary tone.

"Noak, is it true that you and Korra are getting married?" Shada added.

"Yes, in six months," I replied. Having to answer that question so many times has really begun to try my patience.

"Oh, how wonderful!" Liluye exclaimed. "It will definitely be something to look forward to."

"Anyway, have you seen Ciqala?" Shada continued. "We've been looking all over for him."

"It's quite rude of him to not make his presence known at a festival. I mean, he's the closest thing our tribe has to a prince."

"Except for the fact that the south doesn't have an established monarchy," I replied, "and hasn't had one for several millennia."

Neither of them seemed to have registered what I said as they simply requested that we let them know if we 'find' Ciqala. The man in question didn't seem inclined to leave his hiding spot until he was certain the two were well out of sight.

"Well, now that that situation was avoided," he said, "what do ya say we go find something fun to do? Some of the guys and I decided to set up a powwow."

"A what?" asked Mako.

"A powwow. They're held to honor the Five Great Guardians. Chief Unalaq may say that we Southerners don't have a connection to the spirits, but he couldn't be more wrong."

"I would be interested in witnessing this alleged gathering," said Desna, startling us as we had practically forgotten he was there.

"Uh, sure. You're more than welcome to come, but shouldn't we tell your dad first?"

"My father would not notice my departure anyway. Shall we go, then? It will be intriguing to discover if you Southerners are not as unrefined and primitive as I was led to believe."

If Ciqala was offended by that statement he hid it well. We followed him to a large circular area that was enclosed by walls of decorated tarps not too far from the fairgrounds; I'd been to this place a number of times in the past as it was used for many of the annual rituals and ceremonies that take place in the tribe.

The powwow largely consisted of traditional dances to welcome the coming of the solstice. Several of the young men had removed the top half of their clothing and had their chests painted with images of their family totems and various symbols of good fortune. There was one man dressed in large artificial wings and a crow mask to represent the spirit Kangee; another man dressed in thick white fur portrayed Bilagaana; while a young woman in a feline mask and tiger-seal skin clothes depicted Coahoma, the Red Panther Spirit. Only two of Great Guardians were not given performers in the dance; Awonawilona, the Great Spirit, cannot be portrayed by a human, and women only dress as Mother Setna in rites that pertain solely to her.

There were various other people participating in the dances. Even young children were dressed in festive attire and following along with the adults. It wasn't as elaborate as what one can see at occasions like the Wolf Festival or the Festival of Ama as those are both times of celebrating Southern heritage and deemed as two of the most important events of the year.

Soon enough, the sun had begun to sink below the horizon and we knew it was time to meet back up with everyone for the celebratory feast. I just hoped that Korra hadn't had as awful a time as I knew she did whenever she had to go shopping for anything other than weapons (that was one thing she certainly didn't mind shopping for).

Korra's POV:

People say that Naraka is the worst place a person can end up, except for the Realm of Eternal Darkness; clearly those people have never had to go shopping with my mother, aunts, and cousins before. After several hours of this, I was ready to run out screaming and I knew that Aunt Kaliska would be right behind me.

"Maybe, if we're real quiet, we can sneak over to the weapon's store and regain our sanity," Aunt Kaliska whispered.

I nodded and we both began to inch towards the doorway, only to have to stop and feign interest when Aunt Yue turned in our direction.

"Kali, doesn't this remind you of all the trouble we went through to arrange your wedding?" she said.

"Could we not bring that up, Yue?" Aunt Kaliska replied.

"Oh, come on, it wasn't that bad."

"Oh yeah? At least you never had to go through the embarrassment of Dad threatening to emasculate your fiancé."

"Might I inquire as to what you are discussing?" Eska finally spoke up.

"She's just a little edgy because of the circumstances surrounding her marriage," Aunt Yue answered.

"We will not speak of it," Aunt Kaliska said firmly. "I mean it, Yue. You mention that and I bring up the 'fishing incident.'"

I noticed Aunt Yue's eye began to twitch, as though she was having a very awful flashback.

"Hey now, none of that," my mom interjected. "We're supposed to be having fun and the last thing we need is more fighting. It's bad enough that Tonraq can't go five minutes without snapping at his brother, I don't want to see either of you arguing as well."

"I don't see why I should have to play nice," Aunt Kaliska said. "As the eldest, it's in my job description to embarrass the two of you and Paytah."

"You're also a Chief and nearly sixty," Aunt Yue pointed out. "Maybe you should at least try for some maturity."

"Mention my age again and I will press for the Council of Elders to revoke your status as Southern Ambassador to the Northern Water Tribe."

"Oh my spirits!" came a sudden exclamation from Aunt Hien. She darted back into sight, carrying a dress over one arm. "I think I found it."

Before I had a chance to protest, I found myself being dragged into one of the changing booths where I was promptly made to put on the dress that Aunt Hien had picked out.

"Okay, Korra, let's see how it looks," my mother said.

Judging by the rather awed expressions on the faces of my aunts and cousins (even Eska had the faintest hint of surprise) I suspected Aunt Hien had chosen the right dress. I turned and saw a mirror beside me and I myself was slack-jawed at what I saw.

It was a very traditional style, very long at the bottom but with an empire-bust and long, open sleeves. The skirt and sleeves were white, but the top and obi were a mix of light blue and pale purple. The hem, neckline, and sleeves were lined with fur, but not enough to become stifling. It was a simple design, but there was a very distinct elegance to the dress that made me almost unable to recognize myself in it.

"Well, it's getting late," Aunt Kaliska said after a minute. "We should wrap this all up and get to the feast."

After purchasing the dress we began to head out of the store; however, I paused when I noticed that Eska wasn't with us. I turned back around and saw her still standing by one of the dress-racks.

"Um, Eska, are you coming?" I asked uncertainly. I never really knew how to talk to Eska; she and Desna always sort of…creeped me out.

"Pardon?" she said, startled out of her thought. "Of course, yes, we should most definitely be departing for the celebratory feast. It would be very improper for us to arrive past the designated time."

"O…kay?"

Tarrlok's POV:

The grand dining hall was unlike what you would find at the Northern Water Tribe. While it was where the elite of society met for important occasions, it was set up so that nobody was seated above anyone else, not even the Chief. There were several long tables, able to seat large numbers of people; quite helpful as Chief Kaliska wanted all of her family seated together. Bolin, Mako, and Asami were also invited to sit with us, as well as Shaman Guyapi, his wife Honovi, and Lomasi; Honovi was a rather formidable-looking woman dressed in expensive fur clothing with her long black hair tied in waterfall braids, quite different from her daughter in personality despite their similarity of physical traits.

"It's quite undignified that the Chief of a tribe isn't seated separately from the rest of those in attendance," Chief Unalaq said.

"Yes, well, we of the Southern Water Tribe have never cared much for titles," Chief Kaliska retorted. "We believe that for people to cooperate, they must be treated as equals. None of the fancy posturing or aristocratic sneers of some nations."

I tried to turn my attention somewhere else and overheard Paytah speaking to Commander Bumi.

"Hey, Bumi, I won a contest," said Paytah.

"What did you win?" asked Bumi.

"Two tickets to see the Ember Island Players."

"Really? And what did the runner-up get?"

"Four tickets!"

"Dohohoho!"

My attention suddenly snapped back to the other side of the table when Korra spoke up.

"This is a wonderful feast," she said. "Probably the best one we've had in years."

"This is nothing," said Chief Unalaq. "When this festival was founded, the tribal elders would commune with the spirits. People would watch the brilliant displays of light as spirits danced in the sky."

The sudden snorts of laughter drew everyone's attention towards Chief Kaliska.

"Is something amusing to you, Chief Kaliska?" asked Chief Unalaq.

"As a matter of fact yes," she replied. "I just think it's funny that you're trying to preach to us about the sacredness of a festival that isn't even part of our native traditions. Do you even know the first thing about Southern Water Tribe spirituality?"

"I know that there is a great lack of reverence for the spirits here. From what I have seen, the Southerners do not pay much mind to sacred traditions."

"You mean your sacred traditions. Just because one group's way of life is different, it doesn't necessarily make it wrong. Personally, I would have done away with the Glacier Spirits Festival altogether if I wasn't worried about the repercussions. We have our own solstice tradition that has been drastically overshadowed by this Northern festival. Shaman Guyapi, if you would be so kind as to explain?"

The Shaman did not seem at all perturbed about being put on the spot like that; instead, he simply cleared his throat and turned to face us.

"The Festival of Lights," he explained, "has been our Winter Solstice celebration since it was started by Avatar Kachina, the third Avatar born in the Southern Water Tribe. The original rites, however, were abandoned about a thousand years ago, after an…incident nearly caused a young woman's death."

"There you have it, Unalaq," said Tonraq. "Not all traditions should stay the same; especially not if innocent lives are endangered by them."

"Speaking of traditions," Noatak spoke up, "Lomasi, weren't you going to tell us about your Vision Quest?"

"Oh, of course," Lomasi replied. "Well, as everyone knows, the Vision Quest starts on a person's sixteenth birthday and lasts for seven days. I had to travel out to the sacred mountains and sit alone in a cave until I started to hallucinate…"

"I think you mean 'receive the vision,' child," Shaman Guyapi corrected.

"Whatever, Dad. Anyway, I saw a dark blue crow circle six times overhead before darting into the ocean. Out of the ocean came a turtle-seal carrying two warriors on its back. The warriors were locked in a furious battle for dominance and neither one seemed like he was going to win. Then a woman in a fancy parka rode in on a wave and separated the two warriors, ordering them to cease their fighting and go their own ways."

"That's fascinating, Lomasi," I said.

"Not as fascinating as what I've heard about what happened to you guys in Republic City. Did you really stop an evil dictator from ridding the world of Bending?"

I glanced over at Noatak who was maintaining a passive expression.

"Well, I wouldn't say 'evil dictator,'" Korra replied.

"Really?" said Mako. "Then what would call a crazed megalomaniac who bombed out a city full of innocent civilians just to make his point?"

"Uhh…"

"Amon was a seriously nasty dude," Bolin added. "And I hope we never have to see him again."

Korra gave a nervous laugh and I could see that Lomasi was observing her reaction intently. Lomasi then gave a scrutinizing look towards my brother before turning to look directly at me; when our gazes locked, I felt like I was being scanned, like she could see right through my 'disguise' as Tarro. For a brief moment, I was terrified that she would suddenly call us out; however, she simply gave a small smile and returned to the conversation.

"Tell me everything," she insisted.

Noatak's POV:

For the approximate hour that followed, I was forced to relive some of the biggest mistakes of my life. Korra must have sensed my unease because she kept her hand firmly clasped over mine as we recounted what happened in Republic City.

The rest of the feast passed uneasily after that. Chiefs Kaliska and Unalaq were once again going at each other's throats, and it didn't help that Tonraq was subtly egging them on, finally escalating to the point where Unalaq revealed that the only reason why Korra had been made to train in the White Lotus Compound was because of her father and Tenzin (something that was truly shocking for most of us); I noticed that both Senna and Yue had begun to sink lower into their seats, as if trying to disappear from view and escape the growing conflict. Down at the other end of the table, I noticed that Master Katara was looking rather disappointed at her two eldest children who seemed to be teasing Master Tenzin.

After that, the main dispute again turned towards respect for traditions.

"Oh, of course we need to return to the old ways," Chief Kaliska said in a very sarcastic tone. "Brilliant idea. We can bring back cavorting mystics, the death penalty, ritual mutilation, and human sacrifice. Yeah, that's an award-worthy idea."

"Anyway," Yue spoke up, clearly trying to divert another ensuing argument. "Chief Unalaq, I believe everyone is expecting you to give a speech as one of our tribe's most honored guests."

"Ah, yes, thank you for reminding me, Ambassador Yue," he replied.

He rose from his seat and began to address the assembly.

"As Chief of the Northern Water Tribe, it is my honor to speak at this festival which was founded to bring our tribes together and restore the ancient balance between our world and that of the spirits. But I am saddened to see what it has become; a cheap carnival that celebrates greedy and trivial humans. I fear the time is fast approaching when the north can no longer stand idly by while our southern brothers slip into total spiritual decay. Angry spirits are already attacking ships in your waters. I only hope we are not too late to change course."

I could see that very few people had taken what Chief Unalaq said to heart; however, both Tonraq and Chief Kaliska looked annoyed. The tense atmosphere was suddenly broken by a very excitable man I recognized as Varrick, the head of Varrick Global Industries.

"Chief Unalaq, everybody, always great to have him in town! Now, let's have some fun with Wacky Wooshu's Dancing Otter-Penguins!"

Eventually, the ordeal that was the celebratory feast ended and we were allowed to go out and enjoy the festival, which was now in full-swing. As we walked around the fair with our friends, I noticed Bolin's attention was caught by something; I gave a slight wince when I realized he was looking at Eska and Desna.

"Wish me luck," he said before walking towards them. "Makin' my move."

"Your funeral," Tarrlok said.

"He's actually going to hit on Eska?" said Lomasi. "Is he really that naïve?"

"What's wrong?" asked Mako.

"Thing One and Thing Two over there have a few…issues, I guess you could say."

"They've always creeped me out," Korra added. "They smell like a grandma's attic."

"Now, Korra, that's not nice," said Adsila, who had walked in on our conversation. "I'll have you know that Granny's attic smelled like pelts, seal-jerky, and Grandpa's secret stash of cactus-juice."

"Hey, 'sila, you enjoying the festival?"

"It's pretty awesome. Certainly tops the lame Love Festival we attended in Garsai, right, Hachi?"

Hachi simply nodded demurely. She had always been a quiet girl and often just went along with whatever Adsila said.

"Uh, looks like Bolin's gotten more than he bargained for," Asami said, pointing towards where Bolin was practically being dragged away by Eska. "Do you think we should help him?"

"You go if you want to, but I'm not getting anywhere near the twins if I don't have to," Tarrlok said.

"So, Korra," said Lomasi, "are you planning on going to the Temple while you're here? Dad says that it's past time you entered the sanctuary."

"Actually, it's something I've been looking forward to," Korra replied. "I've always wondered what it was like inside the Temple."

"I go in there all the time, but I always feel like there's something powerful there." She then turned towards me and Tarrlok. "Sorry you guys won't be able to enter for a while."

"Why wouldn't they?" asked Asami.

"Men aren't usually allowed inside the main sanctuary. Only a male Chief, a male Avatar, the Shaman, a man seeking spiritual healing, and the groom in a wedding ceremony can enter. Speaking of wedding ceremonies, Korra, I hope I'm still welcome to be one of your torch-bearers at your wedding."

"Of course you are," Korra insisted.

"What's a torch-bearer?" asked Mako.

"I think in the mainland you call them 'bridesmaids,'" Lomasi answered. "Only they're more integral to the wedding rites."

"Well, it would be great it if you'd be one of my torch-bearers, Lomasi," said Korra. "And, Asami, it would mean a lot to me if you would be one as well."

"Of course, Korra," Asami said with a smile. "I'd love to."

We all slowly dispersed throughout the fair; Korra and I ended up at one of the game booths and I was certain that I saw Asami lead Mako off to get their photo taken.

"Happy to be home?" I asked.

"It's great," Korra said.

"I'm sensing there's a 'but' in that statement."

"It's just…at dinner, when Unalaq pointed out that it was my dad and Tenzin who kept me locked up in that compound. It just…it makes me feel…"

"Like they don't believe in you," I finished for her. "I suppose, on the other side of the spectrum, it could be just as bad. Look at me, you know who I had for a father."

"It's not the same thing, Noa."

"You're right. Because, unlike my father, your father and Tenzin actually care about you."

After Korra won at the gaming booth, walking away with a stuffed sky-bison, we continued to talk and look around the festival.

"You heard what Unalaq said: the South is spiritually unbalanced and it's the Avatar's job to fix it," she said. "But my dad won't even let me think about Unalaq teaching me. What do you think I should do?"

"Well, your dad doesn't seem averse to letting Shaman Guyapi and Prophetess Ituha teaching you about spirits. Maybe you should look to them first? After all, this whole problem has to do with Southern spirits and they probably know more about that area of spirituality than Unalaq."

"You're right. Maybe I'm just overreacting."

"Well, I do think you have every right to be annoyed at your father for keeping you shut off from the rest of the world, but remember, even though Unalaq said that every Avatar before you travelled the world to learn, most of them were at least sixteen when they started; the only really well-known exception was Avatar Aang. But I believe you're more than capable to deal with whatever comes your way, and I'll be right there with you in case you ever need help."

I was caught off-guard when she suddenly threw her arms around me.

"Thank you. I am so lucky to have you here to help me."

"It's not like you wouldn't be doing just fine without me," I replied. "And if anyone is lucky around here it's me."

She placed a light kiss against my lips.

"Love you."

"Love you more."

*Redbayly and Sokka are watching as Aang and Toph beat Unalaq senseless*

Redbayly: Hey, Sokka, I watched Phantom of the Opera over the weekend.

Sokka: Yeah?

Redbayly: And I kept thinking about Amon and Korra all throughout it.

Sokka: Red, you already made a chapter dedicated to your insane crossover.

Redbayly: I know, but I was thinking of maybe titling some future chapters after songs from the musical.

Sokka: As long as there's no singing.

Redbayly: *Pouts* Killjoy. I'm also thinking of upping the rating on this story.

Sokka: Why? It's not like there's any sort of content that would require an M-rating…ohhh, I see what you're saying.

Redbayly: *Grins wickedly*

Sokka: Do me a favor. When you include scenes that involve sex could you let me know so that I can avoid being present?

Redbayly: Why? Are you a prude or sexually-repressed or something?

Sokka: Pfffft, I'm a Water Tribe man. I'm as prudish as a hyena-donkey. I just don't relish the idea of watching my granddaughter in an…intimate moment.

Redbayly: Right. Anyway, if any of my readers are confused about why Korra doesn't refer to Unalaq as "Uncle Unalaq" like she refers to Kaliska as "Aunt Kaliska"; well, that was intentional as Korra's maternal relatives had more direct contact with her growing up and her experience with her father's side of the family is far more limited.

Sokka: Also, please send in reviews. It helps Red improve her writing. Are there any of her OCs that you like? Is she maybe going a little overboard on the Southern Water Tribe traditions and stuff?

Redbayly: Now, here's an Omake for my fellow lovers of Tonraq and Senna:

Omake [Basically an extra/deleted scene]

Little Korra ran over to her father, clutching a letter in her hand.

"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!"

"What is it, Korra?"

"Mommy asked me to give this to you."

She handed him the letter and Tonraq's eyes widened at what he read.

To my dear husband,

I was let out of work early today. I am currently in our bedroom, and I am naked.

What happens next is up to you.

Love,

Senna

"Daddy, why is your face so red? Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine, Korra. Why don't you and the boys go and play for a couple hours? On second thought, better make it at least five."

"Okay, we can all go penguin-sledding!"

"You do that, sweetie."

He watched his daughter run out of sight to go find the two boys he had come to think of as sons before turning around and running back to the igloo as fast as he could.