Just Like the Good Old Days
Redbayly: Just feel like I need to give a bit of a trigger warning. In this chapter, Kaliska tells everyone why she doesn't want anything to do with the spirit portal by relating the legend of Avatar Gaagii. The story is fairly dark and contains a non-graphic mention of rape. If you are offended by that, please skip over it. I will repeat that it is non-graphic and is merely included as a way of showing how fear of the past can turn to superstition and how the Avatar is still a human being and capable of both great good and great evil.
Sokka: You've really got some issues, don't you, Red?
Redbayly: No more than anyone else in the fandom. Now, do the damn disclaimer.
Sokka: Redbayly does not own Legend of Korra.
Twisted Every Way
Third Person POV:
Many miles north in the Petola mountain range, a young Airbender had entered the sacred sanctuary of the great Southern Air Temple. Ten-year-old Jinora wasn't sure what was going on, but it was as if something was calling her there. Slowly, she climbed up to the highest part of the shrine and looked up to see an elaborate mural on the ceiling. She couldn't make out all the details of the work, but she was able to determine the main images. There was a central circular panel in which was depicted a young man in rustic clothes; the backdrop appeared to be white with swirling, light blue patterns. Encompassing the main panel were four other ones, each holding the image of a young woman from one of the four nations. Jinora looked intently at the images which suddenly seemed to have an ethereal glow about them; the eyes of the man turned white, the Waterbender's eyes a vivid blue, the Earthbender's a luminous green, the Firebender's a piercing red, and the Airbender's a golden yellow.
Jinora stumbled back in surprise and nearly bumped into a statue she hadn't noticed before. Distracted, she turned to see the tall figure of a Water Tribe woman, whose gaze was directed up towards the images on the ceiling.
"Which Avatar is this?" Jinora thought aloud.
There was something very familiar about the woman. She appeared to be dressed in fine clothes, her hair was down except for a topknot held in place by a lotus-shaped crown and hair-loopies like Jinora's grandmother's, and around her neck was what looked like a betrothal necklace engraved with the image of a lotus rising from a crescent moon. Despite the ostentatious appearance, the woman seemed to have a kind face and, even though it was just a statue, there was a very positive energy that surrounded her.
Shaking herself out of her daze, Jinora turned back and decided to return to bed, throwing one final glance back at the mysterious Avatar and the ancient mural.
Noatak's POV:
"Do you even know where you're going?" I heard Chief Kaliska snap at Unalaq.
"Of course I do, woman," he retorted angrily.
"I still say this whole venture is imbecilic. I suggest we turn back now before something happens."
"Typical Southern arrogance. Just ignore the problem and it will go away."
"How dare you! While your ancestors were sitting on their backsides and doing nothing during the Hundred Year War, my grandfather was actually out leading the men of the South against the Fire Nation. Imagine that, a leader who fights his own battles instead of allowing his people to do everything for him. Not that a spoiled little punk like you would understand the value of genuine hard work!"
The two chieftains had been arguing like this for much of the past two days. The only time they weren't arguing was when Tonraq was arguing with Unalaq instead. Korra still hadn't said anything to her father and I was getting rather worried; she never usually keeps things bottled up, preferring to wear her heart on her sleeve and make her feelings known.
But, I digress.
We'd finally set up camp one last time. Tomorrow, with any luck, we would reach the South Pole. I wasn't sure why, but the closer we got to the South Pole, the more I got a strange pounding sensation in my head. It felt like a warning, telling me to go back and forget all about this.
The atmosphere around the campfire that night was more than a little tense. Lomasi kept singing old Southern hymns or folk songs to try and lighten the mood ("It's also supposed to keep bad luck away," she explained). However, the tension finally reached such a point that I was the one who snapped first.
"What's so important about this so-called portal, anyway?" I said, more accusingly than I had intentioned.
I noticed Chief Unalaq give me a disdainful look.
"I mean," I tried to explain myself, "how exactly is Korra going to open it and why would the spirits stop attacking just because the portal is open?"
"You know, Unalaq, that's a very good question," Tonraq added, sending a glare at his brother.
"That is none of your concern," Unalaq retorted. "I am not certain, myself, how Avatar Korra is to open the portal but I do know that giving the spirits access to the physical world will restore balance."
"They already have access to our world, Unalaq," Chief Kaliska said in a low tone. "Some of them at least. I'd wager it's the truly powerful ones who can come and go as they please, but some of them are stuck here to cause problems for us."
"What do you mean by that, Chief Kaliska?"
Chief Kaliska took a deep breath and seemed to glower at a shadowy corner of the cave we were staying in. I looked over at the place but saw nothing and dismissed it.
"I don't understand why you seem so opposed to this mission, Chief Kaliska," Unalaq continued. "The South Pole has been abandoned for far too long and it's important that-"
"Don't talk about things you can't comprehend! My tribe has stayed away from the South Pole because of the bad memories it brings up."
"What bad memories?" asked Korra.
"We have many stories here of bad things happening at that spirit forest. One story is that it was the place of birth for Avatar Gaagii."
"What's so bad about that?"
"I can see you haven't been told of the legend. Not surprising as it's not one we tell lightly."
"Why not?"
Chief Kaliska looked around at all of us with her piercing gaze.
"Avatar Gaagii was called the 'Dark Avatar' and the 'bringer of vengeance' for a reason. His birth was not a happy one and it starts with a woman named 'Kenda.' Kenda was the eldest child of the chief and was, naturally, next in line to become chief herself. However, her younger brother, Akando, was a jealous and bitter man who only wanted power. The night after their father died, Akando entered Kenda's room and dragged her by her hair to the outskirts of the tribe. Out there, away from anyone who could have helped her, Akando did the unthinkable to his own sister while his supporters watched and laughed."
She left what happened unsaid, but the implication was obvious to all of us.
"Akando then told her to run and that if he ever saw her again then he would kill her. He said that no one would believe her and that everyone thought she had murdered their father to gain the chiefdom. Kenda fled onto the tundra, she was out there for months and didn't even realize she was with child until the fifth month when the signs were too obvious to ignore. She continued to wander, barely able to survive, until she reached the very place where we're headed.
"It's said she went into labor as soon as her feet touched the portal to the Spirit World and that wrath and hate were her midwives. When she had delivered her son, she was said to have seen a sea raven flying overhead and named the child 'Gaagii' because of the omen.
"Kenda raised her son out here in the wilderness, where she began learning dark arts, according to some legends, even practicing witchcraft. Her desire for revenge eventually poisoned her son's mind, consuming him with a mad drive to kill the monster who sired him. Avatar Gaagii never travelled to the other nations, choosing instead to teach himself the other elements, and gathered an army intent on overthrowing his 'father.' During one of their battles, Gaagii was fatally wounded and passed the task of revenge on to his daughter, Luyo, a Non-Bender born to one of his followers.
"That is why I fear the spirit portal. I know that something there must have preyed on Kenda's pain and anger, turning her dark and, therefore, corrupting her own son towards the pursuit of vengeance rather than justice. You see, Gaagii's daughter ended up succeeding where he failed; instead of letting herself be blinded by hatred, Luyo wanted only to redeem her family and to depose a tyrant who oppressed and abused his people."
A frigid wind rustled through the cave as she finished her story, sending chills down all our spines. I noticed that Korra didn't look as surprised by the story as I'd expected; perhaps because she had already lived it and hearing it recited only helped her remember it.
"While your story was quite moving, Chief Kaliska," Unalaq spoke up, sounding more irritated than before, "I do not see how you can attribute such a thing to the South Pole itself."
"It's because that place is cursed," Chief Kaliska countered. "Avatar Gaagii's story merely confirms it. People have gone missing or come back wrong after going in there. I'm telling you, it's a bad idea to go poking around in places you don't belong."
"Wise words, indeed," came a smooth voice, causing all of us to jump in surprise. "Of course, I never really listen to warnings myself."
We all turned to look at the shadowed corner of the cave that Chief Kaliska had been glaring at earlier. Something, or rather someone, was emerging from the shadows.
"It's been a long time, hasn't it, Kaliska?"
Korra's POV:
I was up on my feet and in a defensive stance within moments. One wrong move and whoever it was would be toast. That's when he entered into the light and I certainly wasn't expecting what I saw. It wasn't a man at all, but a spirit. He was very tall and very skinny with a white-and-dark-blue-striped body. He had appendages at the top of his head that resembled horns, but I figured they were probably ears because they had a flesh-like quality about them. He also had a bushy tail like an arctic fox-coyote. His smile was very unnerving as it seemed to practically split his face in two and revealed very sharp-looking teeth.
"Oh, great, it's you," my aunt said in annoyance.
"What's going on?" I heard Bolin ask in a frightened voice.
"I too would like to know what the nature of your familiarity with each other is," added Eska.
"Kaliska, I am shocked and offended that you haven't told anyone about me," the spirit said in mock hurt.
"Mostly because it's something I'd rather forget," my aunt retorted. "Last time I saw you, Ahote nearly tried to kill me because you convinced him that I was possessed by a Shadow Man."
"Come now, Kaliska, you can't seriously still be upset over a little prank like that?"
"Would someone please tell me what's going on?" I demanded.
My aunt sighed.
"Everyone, this is the Trickster Spirit."
The Trickster Spirit gave a low bow and, suddenly, his head popped off and rolled around the campfire before he picked it back up and reattached it to his neck.
"Sorry about that," he said, not sounding sorry at all. "People always tell me I'm a little top-heavy. Please, call me Trickster."
"What do you want with us?" asked Mako.
"Want? All I 'want' is a chance to catch up with my old friend Kaliska over here." He slung an arm around my aunt's shoulders in a friendly manner, which seemed to agitate her.
"We are not friends, and it's Chief Kaliska now," she said, disengaging herself from the spirit.
"Chief, huh? You telling me that Sokka passed away? That's a shame, I liked him."
"Liked chasing after his daughters, I think you mean." She turned to look at us again. "Every time we came out here to hunt, this idiot would cause untold trouble for us and nearly abducted Yue at one point."
That was when Unalaq decided to step in.
"Perhaps you were simply not showing this spirit the respect he deserves," he said. It was at that moment that the Trickster snuck up behind him and began to make silly faces. "The trouble with people like you, Chief Kaliska, is that you are unable to look past a spirit's actions to uncover the true purpose for their behavior. If you would simply take the opportunity to appease them, you wouldn't be having the problems with the Dark spirits at all."
We were all straining not to laugh as Unalaq continued to lecture, completely oblivious to the fact that Trickster was mocking him the entire time. I was starting to question my decision to learn from Unalaq as his discourse became more critical of the South, when my aunt finally snapped.
"Bilagaana's balls! Will you shut the Naraka up?!" She then glanced at Trickster, who had moved to a seat beside Desna during the distraction (and was doing his best to mimic my cousin's somber expression). "Trickster, do you actually have anything useful to share with us or are you just here as a hindrance?"
"Actually, I do have a reason," the strange being replied. "I happened to hear that you all are on your way to the South Pole. I gotta tell ya, that might not be such a good idea. The Great Guardians are getting restless, Coahoma nearly clawed me to shreds when I teased her about how she wasn't able to stop some of those Dark spirits getting into the physical world."
"You've actually spoken with Coahoma?" I asked. The Great Guardians had always seemed like an enigma to me, something I knew existed but never really understood.
"Of course! I pull pranks on her and the others all the time. It's one of the few things I can do to entertain myself since I was banned from the Spirit World, not that that's ever stopped me from going back there but it's better when the other spirits don't try to kill me on sight."
"Why were you banned?" asked Noak.
"Because most of the other spirits are jerks with no sense of humor," Trickster replied with a pout. "I got cast out a few millennia ago after I pulled this one prank on Agni where…uh, maybe it's better you don't know."
"O…kay? But, do you know why the Dark spirits are attacking?"
"Not really." Trickster shrugged. "The ones that have been sneaking down here to the South are normally pretty friendly and don't cause trouble. Something's got them angry, though."
"Perhaps it's his presence," Unalaq said, pointing towards my father.
"Nahhh, what Tonraq over there did just peeved a couple of Northern spirits, nothing to do with the South. Besides, the spirits who protect the Northern portal are lazy jerks who weren't doing their job. It was their responsibility to keep the forest safe, they were just upset because Awonawilona found out and punished them."
That certainly surprised me. I looked at Noak who nodded and glanced towards my father. When I looked at my dad he seemed to be conflicted. I suppose finding out that he wasn't entirely to blame for the spirit-attack all those years ago must ease some of his guilt. I was still angry that he'd kept something like that from me, but I wasn't mad about what happened; I know that I've done stupid things in my own life and he'd only been a few years older than I am now when he'd done that.
"I still say that the portal must be opened so that balance can be restored," Unalaq continued. "I happen to be knowledgeable on the subject."
"Your funeral, then," Trickster replied in an uncaring tone. "I'm not telling you that you shouldn't open the portal, just that it's not advisable. While I was wandering around the tundra earlier, I noticed there were a lot of those same Dark spirits waiting for someone to show up. Then, of course, you'll probably have to go up against whatever Kangee, Coahoma, and Bilagaana have done to keep people away from the portal. Those three take their job very seriously."
"We'll risk it," I said. I just had to see what all the fuss was about. "I think we're more than capable of handling anything that crosses our path."
"Don't say I didn't warn you." With that, Trickster faded away, leaving his grinning mouth behind. "Oh, before I go, just think I should give you a little warning." He cleared his throat and began to recite a poem.
"Twas the night before solstice and all through the land,
Something bad was brewing, you must understand.
When the Avatar opens the portal, you see,
It will bring about a great catastrophe.
The sky will be split with darkened lights,
Family squabbles shall become terrible fights.
Brother against brother, husband against wife,
Of course, when you think about it, that's just part of life.
When Chu'mana wends her way through the sky,
That's when you know you could very well die.
And so I will conclude, as I fade out of sight,
Poor old Trickster will see you if you survive tomorrow night."
With a final laugh, Trickster's smile faded away to join the rest of him. I looked around to see the shocked expressions. I could only hope that I wasn't making a horrible mistake in agreeing to open that portal.
Third Person POV:
"Lenmana!"
The young Prophetess-in-training dropped the stack of scrolls and tomes she had been carrying in surprise. As she began to pick everything up, she spared a glance at her mentor.
"Yes, Prophetess Ituha?"
"Leave the documents. We must hurry!"
The old woman grabbed her hand and dragged her towards the main sanctuary. Lenmana sighed in frustration, sometimes she really hated having been "chosen." They met a frantic-looking Shaman Guyapi as they approached the base of the giant statue.
"You heard the call as well, I take it?" he said.
"Setna is sending us a warning, I know she is," said Ituha. "Lenmana, go fetch the incense and ocean sage."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Prophetess! Shaman!" one of the Healers burst into the sanctuary, clearly terrified.
"What is it, Flo?" asked Ituha.
"Some of the patients…They've woken up from their comatose states and have started attacking the Healers! They've been possessed!"
"Subdue them as best you can," Guyapi ordered. "We need to know what Setna is trying to say."
"Yes, Shaman Guyapi." The young woman bowed and quickly ran back out.
"Lenmana! Hurry!" Ituha shouted to her apprentice.
"Here you are, Prophetess." Lenmana handed her the things she requested and stepped back a good distance.
Prophetess Ituha and Shaman Guyapi began to burn the offerings before the statue as they chanted together. As their prayers became faster and more urgent, the smoke from the burnt offerings engulfed them.
Lenmana watched, terrified, as the two spiritual leaders seemed to vanish. She knew they would be perfectly safe as they had done such rituals before, but she was dreading the day she would have to experience it for herself.
After little over half an hour, the two reappeared looking more shaken than anyone had ever seen them.
"This is dire," Guyapi said at last. "And there is no way to stop what is to happen."
"The path of Chu'mana is about to open," Ituha added somberly. "The Serpent Maiden rises in the North to make ready for the End of Days. Only the Avatar can stop this, but she is fooled by the lies of the Dark. What can we do, Guyapi?"
"We can only hope that Avatar Korra will see through the deceptions before her and keep the nightmare from being unleashed."
Lenmana listened to the two ramble about unspeakably horrible things to come and that the fate of the world rested on the shoulders of the seventeen-year-old Avatar. It was moments like these that made Lenmana really want to reconsider her vocation.
Korra's POV:
Things were looking bad and I was seriously starting to consider turning back. We'd been getting closer to the South Pole when we were suddenly attacked by spirits. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but our supplies were destroyed. My dad and my uncle got into an argument and something in me finally snapped and I told my dad to go home. I actually felt bad about it afterwards, it's just that I had to yell at someone and my father's lack of faith in my abilities as the Avatar just made me decide to lash out at him.
Noak was looking at me in that "I'm not going to say anything, but I'm really very disappointed" kind of way and that only made it worse. Tarro wouldn't say anything either, but that was probably because he looked too cold to say anything as the spirits had ripped up his parka during the fight. Lomasi was acting…odd, I guess I should say; she kept glancing up at the sky fearfully, as though she expected it to fall when we least suspected it. Aunt Kaliska kept glaring at Unalaq, then shooting a look at me and nodding in such a way that clearly implied "he's up to something, don't trust him." Truth be told, I wasn't sure why I was still going through with this when every part of me was screaming that something was wrong; it's just that it was like there was some small part of my subconscious whispering "you must do this, it is imperative that you do this, they just don't understand."
We continued on our way for another hour or so before reaching what appeared to be a forest frozen in ice.
"It's just like the forest Tonraq destroyed in the North," Unalaq said.
"So what do I do?" I asked.
"You must find your way to the heart of the forest where the dormant spirit portal lies. From here, you're on your own."
"Wait a second, there's no way she's going alone," Mako protested.
"Yeah!" Bolin agreed. "If she goes, we go too!"
"The Avatar must go alone," Unalaq insisted.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Noak said. "What if something happens? You heard what Trickster told us about the Great Guardians putting protections in place. Obviously, they wouldn't do that if they wanted people to walk into the forest and come back unscathed."
"I have every confidence that Avatar Korra can look after herself. Or are you suggesting that she is dependent on you to fight her battles for her?"
"I wasn't saying anything like that!"
"Enough," I said. "I'm going in there." I placed a hand on Noak's shoulder. "If I get into trouble I'll send up a flare with my Firebending, okay?"
"And I'll come running," he agreed with a nod. "I trust you."
I smiled and turned towards the forest.
"Korra, wait," Lomasi spoke up. She pulled something from out of the satchel on her belt and pressed it into my hand. "Keep it with you. It could very well save your life."
I looked at the object and saw that it was another of the talismans showing the lotus rising from a crescent moon. I slipped it up my sleeve, securing it around my wrist, and thanked my friend before advancing towards the forest, dread growing with each step.
Walking through that forest alone was both terrifying and exhilarating. There was something so familiar about it I could practically here the voices of people from the past who had entered. The voices were soft, barely above a whisper, but they were unmistakable.
"We're almost there, Cheveyo, just hold on."
"Ehane, I'm so tired. Just leave me here."
"No, I won't give up on you. There's the exit! Come on, we can make it!"
I recognized the voices. They were part of my memories of when I'd been in here. My train of thought was suddenly interrupted by a terrible screeching and I only just managed to avoid being struck by some sort of snake spirit. I ran deeper into the forest, barely escaping capture by more of the monstrous things. I managed to send up a wall of ice to keep the snake spirits from capturing me, when I realized I had reached my destination. There was a large space of glowing, white energy trapped beneath a layer of ice that didn't move when I tried to Bend it or melt when I sent fire at it.
That's when I heard a low growling behind me. I turned just in time to see a large, cat-like creature leap at me. It started to claw at my parka and attempted to bite at my throat. I pressed my own hands to it and tried to force the thing off of me, inadvertently allowing my sleeve to hitch and exposing the talisman. The creature caught sight of it and immediately backed off of me, darting into the trees.
Just when I thought things were starting to look up, the snake spirits from earlier had merged together and somehow found their way into the clearing, snatching me in a bone-crushing grip. Below me, I saw the cat creature jump back out and reach up; it looked like it was trying to claw at the snake things and help me. Just when I began to panic, I managed to get into the Avatar State, causing the snakes to loosen their hold. I reached towards the portal, straining with all my might, until…
As soon as my finger touched the ice, a wave of energy shot past me and a beam of light went up. I found myself falling to the ground with a thump as the snake spirits disappeared. Smiling at my success, I turned to leave when I noticed the cat creature sitting in front of me.
"What have you done?" the being said before vanishing.
Tarrlok's POV:
When those strange, green, winding lights entered the sky I knew something was up. I have seen the Southern Lights before and those seemed to be some kind of twisted imitation. This did not bode well. I almost missed when Korra suddenly emerged from the forest, shaken but otherwise fine.
"Hey, Korra, you're back!" Bolin exclaimed, rushing forward to greet her. "Hey, Korra's back!"
Noatak and I followed quickly after him, reaching Korra just as Bolin hugged her. His friendly welcome was short-lived, however, as Eska suddenly Bent a wall of ice to direct the young Earthbender's attention to her.
"Why are you initiating physical contact with another woman?" she said in a threatening tone.
I could only feel sorry for Bolin and what was going to happen to him. After a quick reunion, we all began the long trek back to the tribe. Korra seemed uneasy about something, but she wasn't sharing it with the rest of us.
"Something's not right," Lomasi said behind me. Since the snowmobiles were destroyed, I offered to let her ride behind me on the artic camel I was using. "Those weren't the Southern Lights, Tarro."
"I know," I replied. "The Southern Lights are not that color. Whatever those are, they make me think of snakes."
She gasped.
"That's what Trickster meant by 'When Chu'mana wends her way through the sky.' You remember that Chu'mana is the Snake Maiden in the ancient zodiac that appears in the stars when something bad is going to happen."
"I do. We should tell the others."
"Not with Unalaq around. I don't trust him and he'll only try to excuse away our concerns."
"Right, we'll wait until we get back."
For some reason, the journey back to the tribe took much less time, only about two days. We got back just as the sun was starting to rise. Unfortunately, we did not return to the welcome we would have liked as our attention went towards the fleet of Northern Water Tribe ships entering the harbor.
"What in Naraka is this?!" demanded Chief Kaliska furiously.
"Yeah," said Korra suspiciously, "what are all your Northern troops doing here?"
"Opening the spirit portal was only the first step in getting the Southern Water Tribe back on the righteous path," Unalaq replied. "There's much more difficult work to be done before our tribes are truly united."
Sokka: I swear, I am gonna rise from the grave and beat the sh*t out of that bastard Unalaq. How dare he invade my tribe?! He has absolutely no right! *Continues in an angry rank*
Redbayly: I guess Kaliska takes after her father in that regard. Well, anyway, here're some omakes. Enjoy!
Omake (Tonraq's marital advice):
"Um, Tonraq, do you mind if I ask you something?"
"Go ahead, Noak."
"How have you and Senna managed to stay together?"
"Um, well…"
Seventeen years earlier…
Tonraq tried to scream through the gag and struggled against the ropes that bound him to the bedposts. Senna was smiling down at him, dressed in an outfit made of fur that left little of her figure to the imagination, and winding a bunch of leather cords around her hands.
"Just a little bit of advice, sweetheart," she said in a sugary tone that didn't fool him for a minute, "if you ever try to run away from me, I will have to hunt you down like an animal, beat you senseless, and gut you with my hunting knife. Now, let's play a little game…"
"Uh, Tonraq?"
"Hmm?" The man snapped out of his flashback and regarded his future son-in-law. "Oh, straightforwardness, tolerance, and understanding, yes, those are the three things that have kept us together."
Tonraq took another sip of his drink as he and Noak sat together at the bar. The older man shuddered internally at what awaited Noak; Tonraq dared not think what Korra would be like what with the mix of both Senna's genetics and all those past-lives.
Korra, meanwhile, was the reluctant shopping companion of her mother and aunts. Luckily, years of ignoring authority figures had enabled Korra to tune out the perverse and twisted conversation about sex going on between the older women while Korra herself thought of more tranquil things like penguin-sledding and seal jerky.
Omake (what if Korra got words of wisdom from Aang):
"Avatar Aang, I need your help to stop spirit-monsters from destroying the South. What should I do?"
"Hmm, this reminds me of a similar instance in my youth when I was up against a spirit-monster." He pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to her.
"An acorn?"
"Trust me on this, Korra."
Later, when Korra was up against one of the Dark spirits.
"Here, have this plot-solving acorn," she said.
The creature accepted the offering and made its way back to the spirit forest.
"Well, that wrapped up nicely," Korra said. "Who wants to go for ice-cream?"
"It's the dead of winter," Mako said with disbelief.
Korra, Noak, Tarro, and Lomasi all gave him a sideways look.
"Tourist," they muttered together.
Omake (flashback moment, don't take seriously):
"Lady Kenda, are you alright?" asked one of the supporters of the rebellion.
"Quite, I simply had the odd sensation that someone thousands of years from now is walking over my grave. Oh well, back to planning the demise of my brother who was the reason I gave birth in agony to his bastard child."
"I'm right here, Mother," said Avatar Gaagii.
"Yes, and your presence reminds me every day of the atrocities I suffered. Go practice Bending the other elements, Gaagii; Mommy has a rebellion to plan."
"I don't see why I couldn't travel the world to learn-"
"Because I need you to help me murder your father, uncle, whatever; now go."
"Yes, Mother," Avatar Gaagii said with a defeated sigh.
Omake (I had entertained the idea that, instead of Suki, Sokka married…someone else):
"What do you mean you're going to lock my granddaughter up in a compound in order to turn her into a weapon?"
"We-" the White Lotus representative started.
"No. My grandchild shall learn her own way, OR I'LL ROAST YOU LIKE A PIG-CHICKEN!"
"Yes, ma'am," the man said in a quiet voice.
IIII
"Korra."
"Hi, grandma," the five-year-old said cheerfully.
"Today, I'm going to teach you how to use Firebending to deal with pathetic underlings who annoy you."
"Mom, do you have to train my daughter to become a fire-blasting lunatic?" asked Senna.
"Yes, Senna, I do. Now, Korra, you'll be meeting family from the Fire Nation in a few weeks. Remember what I told you about how Fire Nation royalty greet each other?"
"With a fireball to the face?"
"Perfect. Your great-uncle Zuzu won't know what hit him."
"Yaaaaay!"
IIII
"WHAT DID YOU SAY TO ME, YOU NORTHERN PUNK?!" screamed Chief Kaliska, fireballs forming in her hands. Her mother had taught her well and, after a few scuffles were resolved years ago, the South had been just fine with appointing their first ever Firebending chieftain.
"I said that you Southern peasants have no comprehension of-"
Whatever Unalaq was about to say was cut off by a barrage of fire-blasts that came from the enraged woman. Somewhere in the Spirit World, the late Princess Azula smiled as she sensed her daughter protecting family honor; she also sensed her favorite granddaughter kicking some poor sucker's ass in Republic City in much the same manner and felt a surge of pride that there were at least two women left in the world who possessed her remarkable people skills.