Just Like the Good Old Days
Redbayly: Ah-ha! I knew Sokka had been Chief of the Southern Water Tribe! I so called it!
Aang: I'm glad you're pleased with the new episodes, Red, but one thing still bothers me.
Redbayly: What is it, Aang?
Aang: Is Toph still alive?
Sokka: Ya know, it was really unclear.
Toph: I'm standing right here, ya know.
Redbayly: But that doesn't answer our question of whether or not you're still alive. I mean, it would explain why you could Earthbend at Sokka. Dead people can't Bend. Anyway, Toph, hit us with the disclaimer.
Toph: Redbayly doesn't own Legend of Korra or anything to do with Avatar. Of course, if she did then Zutara and Taang would have been endgame.
Redbayly: Who's to say Zutara won't happen. Zuko and Katara are both still alive.
Aang: I'm going to ignore this conversation about my widow and my best friend.
Sokka: I thought I was your best friend!
Sudden Departure
Tarrlok's POV:
We had returned to Varrick's yacht, where the billionaire proceeded to inform us of his new enterprise. His plan was to make something called "movers," moving pictures that could talk, to convince the people of Republic City to support the South.
"And I want you kids to help me," he announced. "Bolin, you'll be the star of the movers." He threw an arm around the Earthbender's shoulders. "You'll be playing Nuktuk! Hero of the South! And I'm going to have Ginger play Nuktuk's lady-love."
"Whoooa," Bolin replied in awe
"Tarro, you'll be playing Nuktuk's best friend, the quiet but no less fearsome Tatrek."
While I wasn't sure about going into what was essentially an acting career, I figured I might as well give it a chance. After all, it was to help the South and I did want to be supportive of Bolin as I felt like I was really becoming friends with him. It was a strange concept, as a child in the old timeline my only friend had been my brother.
"What about Lomasi?" I said.
Varrick turned to face the young woman with a bright smile.
"I've decided to cast you as Tatrek's romantic interest, Tikaani, the sweetest young Healer in the South Pole."
I could see Lomasi's expression darkening and took a step back. Lomasi absolutely hated it when people perceived her as weak just because she always looked nice and was generally a fun person to be around. Luckily, the anticipated explosion was averted because of Hachi.
"That's boring," she said, drawing everyone's attention. "It would make much more sense to have Lomasi be the badass Non-Bender warrior of Nuktuk's team. It would appeal to the female demographic and create a character for other Non-Benders to look up to. You could still have her be Tatrek's romantic interest, but play down the relationship so that it's more of a 'you know they're in love, but they'll never admit it' kind of thing."
Varrick thought for a moment.
"I love it!" he announced. He then turned to Lomasi. "Think you can handle that, kid?"
"I'm sure I'll manage," Lomasi replied with a smile. "But, could I just request one thing?"
"Sure, what is it?"
"Can my character be called 'Maralah' instead of 'Tikaani'?"
"Why Maralah?" I asked.
"I just…I like the name." I noticed a slight awkwardness in her posture and she wouldn't look anyone in the eyes.
"I don't see how that would be a problem," said Varrick. He then turned back to Hachi. "What other ideas do you have?"
"You could include some sort of contrived and incredibly convoluted romantic subplot involving Nuktuk and Princess Eska, driving the fans of the show to argue relentlessly about which girl he should end up with and making them become more obsessed with that than the obvious brainwashing you're giving them to support the South against Unalaq," said Hachi. "That being said, it would compel the two factions to fight to the point of near insanity and cause the attendance of the movers to go up dramatically because of the sheer fact that both sides want to see if they got their point across why they wanted their favorite pairing to work, when secretly Nuktuk and Ginger will be destined to stay together from the start."
We all stared in complete awe until Varrick leapt out of his chair enthusiastically.
"That is brilliant!" he exclaimed. "Zhu Li, tell Pong he's fired because I've got a new scriptwriter and director!"
"Who, me?" Hachi inquired. "I was just rambling off the top of my head. I didn't really mean anything by it."
"And that's what makes it so fantabulous! You've got potential, kid. Any other brilliant ramblings off the top of your head you wanna share?"
"Well, it's nothing much, but what if you have someone portray Unalaq like Fire Lord Ozai. You know, completely insane, jealous of his older brother, a tacky goatee."
"Another winner! I can call in my friend Poon-Lam from the Fire Nation. He played Ozai in the Ember Island Players revival of 'The Boy in the Iceberg.'"
"Why do I have the strangest feeling that I've doomed us all?" I heard Hachi mutter to herself.
"Now, who wants to see me shoot arrows at a target blindfolded?"
"What? There's no way you can hit the target blindfolded," said Bolin.
"We'll see about that," Varrick said with a wide smirk.
Noatak's POV:
After the meeting with Vinh, we both headed down to the docks to speak with Varrick. Korra and I both agreed that two weeks would be too long of a waiting time to get the troops to the South. As we walked along the pier, we almost bumped into Asami.
"Hey, in a hurry?" she said.
"Sorry," said Korra. "We have to talk to Varrick."
"Yeah, me too."
The three of us climbed up to the main lounge of the yacht and, suddenly, Korra pulled Asami out of the way just as an arrow almost hit her. We looked over and saw Varrick, blindfolded, with a bow in his hands. The others were there as well, except for Mako, who was still on duty, and Adsila, who we hadn't seen since yesterday.
Varrick pulled off his blindfold and smiled at us.
"Oh, hello," he said. He then elbowed Bolin in a friendly manner. "See, I told you I could do it."
"Sorry I ever doubted you," Bolin replied.
"We can't wait for the Council to act," said Korra. "We need those troops now."
"And my company's about to go under," Asami added. "I have to find a way to make some sales."
"Right, okay," said Varrick. "Got it. Idea storm! Get the supplies!"
Zhu Li scooted off and returned with what looked like a bar to do pull-ups.
"You're about to get an inside-look at how Varrick Global Industries stays at the forefront of imagination innovation. Or as I call it 'imagi-vation'! That's trademarked, pal."
Zhu Li then handed him some sort of ankle-braces, which he put on, and offered him a plate of red chilies.
"Brain-work requires increased circulation." He ate one of the chilies, making his face turned red and his eyes water. "Let's do this!" He then swung up on the bar and suspended himself upside-down while Zhu Li retrieved her notepad. "Okay, here come the ideas. Fast and furious. Pink…mint…lemon…tea! Radio…for…pets! Uhhh…hand-shoes! Hold on a tic, we don't need the Council to go to the South, we just need the troops! Let's go straight to them! If there's one thing I know about troops, it's that they love fighting!"
"I know General Iroh," said Korra. "He might be willing to help us."
"A man on the inside, perfect! And you need to sell some mecha-tanks," he said to Asami. "I know some people who need them. We'll ship 'em South!"
"That's perfect," I said. "That way, you'll make money for your company and help us fight Unalaq."
"It's true," Varrick agreed. "If you can't make money during a war, you just flat-out cannot make money."
"It's dangerous on the seas right now," said Asami. "But I'm willing to try if you are."
"It'll be crazy risky. But I love crazy risky! End storm!" Varrick then swung himself up into the air and landed with a triumphant pose. "Zhu Li, get those other ideas to research and development. I want prototypes by next week."
"I don't understand why it's so hard to get Republic City to support the South," said Korra.
"Don't worry," said Varrick, walking over to some sort of camera device and a screen. "I'm already working on that. As soon as people see this they'll be lining up to fight Unalaq. Zhu Li! Do the, uh, the thing."
Zhu Li flipped some sort of switch on the device and, suddenly, there were moving images of the Northern invasion being played on the screen.
"Don't freak out, it's not real," Bolin muttered.
"I had a film crew documenting the entire Northern invasion," Varrick explained.
A shot of Eska appeared and Bolin screamed.
"AHHHH! Sorry. I keep doing that."
"We're gonna cut this footage together with scenes we shoot of our superstar, Bolin, here playing a Southern Water Tribe hero battling the evil Unalaq. No one will root for the North after they see Nuktuk! Hero of the South!"
Bolin struck a pose.
"I'm Nuktuk," he said. "What do ya think?"
"Does your brother know about this?" I said.
"Pfft, no, just like you didn't know Tarro will be playing my fellow Water Tribe hero, Tatrek."
Bolin slung an arm around my brother's shoulders. Tarrlok gave me a small, awkward smile.
"Sounds like fun, you can count me in," said a voice from above.
We all slowly looked up to see a grinning face looking down on us from above; and I mean only a face. The face was quickly followed by the materialization of a familiar spirit.
"Trickster?" Korra exclaimed.
The striped entity bounced down from the ceiling and landed gracefully on the floor. Varrick ducked behind his assistant.
"Zhu Li, get rid of the evil spirit monster," he said.
"Relax, it's only Trickster," I said. "How on earth did you get here?"
"Stowed away on your ship," Trickster said with a wide, sharp-toothed smile. "Been waiting for a chance to make my presence known." He walked over to Varrick and offered his hand. Varrick reluctantly shook it, resulting in Trickster's hand popping off. Surprisingly, Varrick started laughing.
"That's great," he said. "What other things can you do?"
"Well, I can shape-shift." Trickster jumped up and spun really fast in the air. There was a slight popping noise as an ostrich-horse now stood in his place. Pop! He turned into a tiger-seal. Pop! He turned into an old woman. Pop! He turned into Varrick.
"I love it!" the real Varrick announced. "I need special effects artists like you to help me make my movers."
"That sounds fantabulous," said Trickster-Varrick. "I've been dying for a chance to demonstrate my talent." He shifted back into his original form. "The other spirits find my abilities annoying for some reason."
"I don't know about this," said Lomasi. "Trickster has a long history of stirring up trouble. Especially if there are young women around."
"Can I help it that I find human women attractive?" Trickster protested.
"I hope you guys have fun," I said. "In the meantime, Korra and I have things to do."
Third Person POV:
Mako was sitting on the couch at his and Bolin's apartment. Asami had offered to let them stay at the Sato mansion with her and the others, but Mako's sense of pride had gotten in the way. He was currently looking through a catalogue of photographs of known criminals, desperately trying to find the guy he'd seen the night before when the Southern cultural center had been blown up. He didn't look up when he heard the door open and Bolin walked in.
"Oh, man, you should've seen Varrick today," Bolin said. "That guy is a genius."
"Uh huh."
"He's gonna help Asami sell her mecha-tanks to the South and he came up with this great idea for Korra to get General Iroh to fight Unalaq without the Council ever even knowing."
"What?" said Mako. "That's a terrible idea."
"And he's going to put me in the movers as this hero Nuktuk! He's a man of action! But he's got a heart of gold. He was born in the tundra!"
"Look, I'm trying to do something that's actually important here."
"Oh. Oh, sorry, that…sure. What is it?" Bolin took a seat next to his brother.
"Something doesn't make sense about this bombing. I just don't buy that the Northern Water Tribe is behind it." He showed Bolin the book and the Earthbender turned the page. Mako suddenly pointed at one of the pictures. "Wait a second! That's him! That's the guy that attacked the center! I gotta go show this to Bei Fong."
"Glad I could help," Bolin called after his brother as he left. "Nuktuk saves the day again!"
That's when something fell out of his sleeve. It was the phone number of that girl, Lilim. Bolin thought for a moment and a smile lit his face. He rose from his seat and walked over to the telephone.
Korra's POV:
Noak and I hurried over to where the United Forces fleet was docked. It didn't take long for General Iroh to agree to a meeting, and I was deeply grateful for that.
"Thank you for seeing us, General Iroh," I said.
"What can I do?" he asked.
"The South needs military support before Unalaq wipes them out completely, but the Council is at a stalemate and can't give the order. So we decided to come to you directly."
"I see." He looked thoughtful. "Well, suppose I were to take the fleet South on some 'routine training maneuvers.' And let's say we were to accidentally run into a hostile Northern blockade. We'd have no choice but to defend ourselves, wouldn't we?"
"I guess you wouldn't," I said hopefully. "Thank you."
"Swapping old war stories?" said a voice behind me. I immediately knew it was bad news when I turned and saw Councilman Raiko approaching.
"Councilman," General Iroh greeted with a salute.
"I hope you're not planning to take any military action without an order from the Republic City Council?"
"Of course not, sir."
"Good, because if a single vessel leaves this harbor without the Council's say-so, you'll be court-martialed. Am I clear?"
"Crystal, sir."
Raiko then rounded on me.
"Your activities here are bordering on insurrection. The Avatar does not command the military of the Republic. Don't try to go behind the Council's backs again. As you were, General Iroh."
He left slamming the door behind him.
"I really don't like him," Noak said. Personally, I hated Raiko. "How on earth did he get on the Council?"
"I'm sorry," said General Iroh. "My hands are officially tied."
"I understand," I said. "Thanks anyway."
"But you should talk to the Fire Lord. My mother and grandfather have always been good friends to the Avatar and the Southern Water Tribe. I'm sure they'll be willing to help."
"Thank you, General."
Noak and I left after that. I was disappointed that we hadn't been able to get the United Forces to help us, but at least there was a chance to get the Fire Nation's help. I remembered meeting Lord Zuko when I was a child, it was ages ago but it was still pretty clear in my memory. He was an odd guy who tried to think up proverbs and metaphors that didn't really make much sense to me. I always figured it was because he wanted to sound like some sagely old man but was just trying too hard at it.
"If we're going on a trip like this, we should probably ask the others to watch Naga," I said. "Where are they, again?"
"I think Varrick said they were going to be at his movers studio to start work on 'Nuktuk,'" Noak replied.
Tarrlok's POV:
I had never felt more humiliated in my entire life. Bolin and I were currently wearing some kind of pseudo-Water Tribe getups that were clearly designed more to show off our muscles than be culturally accurate clothes. Trickster was lurking about, looking at the female actors with more interest than he should. Of course, it would probably have caused a panic amongst the cast and crew if they knew an actual spirit was working on the set, so Trickster had taken on the appearance of a human.
"Wouldn't we be cold wearing these outfits in the snow?" Bolin said to Varrick.
"Bah, Nuktuk and Tatrek are never cold!" the man exclaimed.
Just then, Ginger walked by in her own somewhat revealing outfit and I saw Bolin's eyes go wide.
"Ooh, hey, Ginger," he said.
The woman gave a swish of her clearly dyed hair.
"How 'bout that, huh?" said Varrick. "It's the latest product in my Varri-manageable hair line. Varri-dye! We get some shots of her using it before Unalaq kidnaps her, I guarantee we'll sell a million cases in week one."
"Everyone, quiet on the set!" Hachi said through a megaphone. It startled me for a moment because of how shy and quiet the girl usually was. "We are about to start!"
Just then, the studio door burst open and my brother and Korra entered with Naga.
"Guys, we need you to watch Naga while we're gone," said Korra.
"Where are you going?" I asked.
"The Fire Nation," Noatak replied. "We're going to try to get them to support the South." He turned to Varrick. "We'll need to borrow a boat."
"What happened with General Iroh?" said Varrick.
"He was going to help, but then Councilman Raiko showed up," Korra explained. "Someone must've tipped him off, but I can't figure it out. No one knew about it except for us and Asami."
"And Mako," Bolin interjected.
"Mako?!"
We all turned to stare at Bolin.
"What?" he said. "There's no way Mako would've told. Right?"
"Noak, you go get the boat ready," said Korra. "I'll be along shortly."
"Where are you going, Korra?" he said.
"I just need to have a few words with our good friend Mako."
The two left, leaving behind Naga.
"Hey, I'm ready," said Lomasi as she exited the makeup booth. "Did I miss anything?"
She was dressed up in an eclectic assortment of furs and various animal fangs, making her look like some kind of primitive huntress. Of course, like us, adjustments had been made to her costume to make her more physically appealing to the audience. As she came over to us, she caught sight of me and just sort of stopped and stared.
"Korra and Noak are on their way to the Fire Nation," I explained. "The plans with the United Forces kind of fell through."
She didn't move and just continued to stare at me.
"Lomasi, are you alright?"
She kept staring and I was beginning to feel very uncomfortable.
"Lomasi? Lomasi, your nose is bleeding!"
"What?!" she exclaimed, snapping out of her daze and pressing her hand to her face. "Oh, spirits!" She bolted from the room to take care of the problem.
"Everyone, into your places," Hachi announced. "Where did Lomasi go?" she said to me.
"She had a nosebleed to take care of."
"Oh, that's just perfect." The sarcasm was very pronounced in her tone. Then she got a thoughtful look. "Wait! Have her come back out here. A nosebleed would fit right into her big hand-to-hand fight scene with the Northern invaders." She held up her megaphone again. "Lomasi! Get back out here, now!"
"We still need someone to play Princess Eska," Varrick thought aloud while Hachi continued to order Lomasi and some of the other actors around.
"I think I know someone who could play the part," Bolin spoke up. "She might need some prompting on how to act evil, but I'm sure she'd be happy to help."
"Who?" I asked.
"You remember that girl who gave me her phone number last night…?"
Noatak's POV:
While I waited at the boat for Korra to arrive, I remembered the scroll that Guyapi had given to me. I pulled it out of my bag and opened it. There were several sections on prayers for the dead and a number of other things, but one part caught my eye in particular.
Spirits have the ability to possess humans or to take on a human form if they are powerful enough.
Spirit possession can often result in the death of the human vessel if it is for a prolonged period of time. Possession can be dealt with by using certain rites of exorcism, though the ritual can be incredibly dangerous depending on how long the person was possessed, how powerful the spirit is, and whether the possession was voluntary, by coercion, or the result of force. Several kinds of spirits that most often take possession of a human are: Higher Beings, Shadow Men, wendigos, and guardians.
Higher Beings rarely possess others as they are generally benevolent, but they also can bond their energies to humans in order to grant that human some form of power. This act is often done if the spirit in question has a task that can only be performed by a human.
Shadow Men possess humans in order to create chaos and to feed off of the life-force of their victims. Such possessions can be counteracted by an exorcism, unless there is a strong negative energy empowering the Shadow Men.
Wendigos cannot be exorcised as any body they possess is already dead. The only way to kill a wendigo is by burning the corpse it has possessed.
Guardians are a fairly common kind of spirit, but they are also very temperamental and, when angered, can cause great amounts of trouble. They usually leave the victims of their possession before said victims die from the experience, but the side-effects are often horrible. Guardians can also be exorcised, but the results are often the same as when they leave of their own volition.
It then contained detailed instruction on how to perform an exorcism.
Spirits that take on human form are a different matter. Only certain spirits can take on the identity of a human: Higher Beings, spirits of the dead, Snow Wolves, corrupter spirits, and the spirits who serve Higher Beings.
Higher Beings, as the elite of the spirits, can go between human and spirit forms as they please. However, their human forms are generally zoomorphic, a cross between human and whatever animal they look like. This makes it harder for them to move about in the human world, sometimes resulting in them having humans do tasks on their behalf. The only Higher Being that can take on a completely human appearance is the Trickster. As one of the children of Awonawilona, he has more power than most spirits.
That explained how he was able to shape-shift so easily. Though I never would have guessed the lecherous, prank-obsessed entity was a Higher Being.
Spirits of the dead are already human and can appear in the form they had in life, but they often take on the guises of animals or other creatures after death as a reflection of their souls.
Snow Wolves, according to legend, are the spirits of early Southern settlers who were abducted and enslaved by the demoness Hakidonmuya before Avatar Setna banished her back to the Spirit World. As Snow Wolves were human originally, they can retake their human forms in order to break free of Hakidonmuya's control, but only at certain times and under special circumstances. If they can return to their human forms, then a Shaman can help their souls move on to the Realm of the Dead.
Corrupter spirits are the beings who most often take on human form. Their objective in doing so is to seduce human males by assuming the guises of human females. Once her intended victim gives in to her advances, the corrupter spirit will then devour his head and move on to her next target. The corrupter spirits also have a second motive. They try to ingratiate themselves into their victims lives so that they can stir up conflict, often alienating their victim from his friends and family.
"Hey, I'm here," Korra announced, jumping into the speedboat with me. "Let's go."
I noticed something looked off about her. She seemed angry.
"What happened?" I asked.
"Mako told Raiko about us going to speak to General Iroh," she replied with a huff. "We kind of got into a shouting match and I trashed his desk." She took the steering wheel and started the ignition.
"You sure you don't want me to drive?"
"I can handle it."
"I never said you couldn't. I was just concerned."
She ignored my comment and steered the boat out into the water. I had a brief more of discomfit as I recalled the last time I was in a speedboat. An uncomfortable weight settled in my stomach, like something bad was going to happen. The sky was darkening like there was going to be a storm and the water was a bit rough.
"Korra!" I called over the roar of the engine. "Are you okay?!"
"I'm fine!" she yelled back. "I'm just really angry at Mako! I don't want to talk about it right now!"
Suddenly, there was a thump against the back of the boat. We both turned around and saw two figures on jet-skis getting closer. Water started shooting up on either side of our boat.
"YOU RUINED MY WEDDING!" one of the attackers shouted. Korra and I exchanged a look as we recognized the voice. It was Eska.
I jumped into the back of the boat as Korra continued to steer. I began to send blast after blast of water at them, trying to knock them out, but they kept dodging. Finally, I took down their jet-skis but Eska and Dena just started Waterbending themselves towards us. How they knew where we were I couldn't even begin to fathom, but it was clear they meant us harm and that made them enemies. They pulled up on either side of the boat.
"NO ONE STEALS MY BOLIN!" Eska screamed, sending a blast of water right down on top of us, forcing both Korra and myself out of the boat.
Of course, Korra and I were able to rise up on pillars of water. Korra tried to throw them off with fire-blasts while I kept making ice to block their way. I know I could have easily taken them down with Bloodbending, but I swore not to use it unless I was certain there was no other way. While the twins were both very capable Waterbenders and dodged our attacks with apparent ease, I knew they would eventually tire out as they were putting too much energy into their attacks. Korra and I combined our defense, creating a giant pillar of water which we both remained atop of that trapped Eska and Desna in its wake. However, things took a bad turn from there.
The twins suddenly withdrew from their pursuit as a strange, glowing, green light appeared beneath the surface of the water. Korra and I separated our pillars of water in time to see her two cousins fall back. Just as we lowered ourselves to hover just above the surface of the water, a giant, dark blue spirit with glowing green markings shot out of the water.
It struck at us and we tried to dodge its blows. That's when Korra was knocked into the water. Before I could even attempt to dive down to save her, she rose from the frigid depths, her eyes glowing with the light of the Avatar State. Slowly, she began to Bend the water around the spirit like Unalaq had done. The water glowed and the spirit became engulfed in its light. Just as the spirit began to calmly sink back into the water, it broke free of Korra's hold and let out a blood-chilling cry. I sped to Korra's side just as the creature lunged.
The last thing I remember before it all went black was Korra shooting a blast of fire at the spirit just as I reached her side.
Sokka: Damn you, cliffhangers!
Redbayly: I finally got this chapter done. Soon we'll be at the chapter I'm most looking forward to.
Toph: The one where Korra kicks Unalaq's ass?
Redbayly: I was thinking more about the one where I rewrite the story of how the Avatar was created. Don't get me wrong, I like Wan's backstory, but, as I have mentioned, I already had a headcanon for how the Avatar was created.
Toph: Yawn. Wake me up when there's violence.
Redbayly: Fine. Anyway, here's a little Omake.
Omake (the night Korra was born):
"Katara! Aang!" Sokka shouted gleefully as he rushed into the next room, carrying his new grandchild. "It's a girl! Senna had a daughter!"
As soon as he entered the room he could tell something was wrong. Katara was kneeling down over a figure; a figure in yellow robes.
"Katara…" Sokka half-whispered.
She turned to look at him, tears steadily falling down her cheeks. Sokka drew closer and saw that his worst suspicions were realized. Aang lay there, motionless; his eyes closed; a look of peace on his face. Sokka hadn't realized that he'd begun to cry as well until a tiny hand patted lightly against his face. Little Korra was looking up at him, an expression of concern on her cherubic face. Sokka hugged the little bundle closer and knelt down beside his sister who leaned her head against him and openly sobbed into his parka.
"He's gone, Sokka," she said through her tears. "Aang's gone."