Sorry for the long hiatus, my laptop broke and it took literally two months to get it fixed.
Disclaimer: No, I don't think it's mine anymore.
Over dinner—they had to lay extra seats out for the three of us—Korra and I caught up with each other and she agreed to teach me a little air bending that night. She told me she usually trained Opal at that time but—when asked why she wasn't that night—said that Opal was going to an air bending temple soon, and Tenzin would teach her and the other new air benders to master their newfound talents.
"Will you three be seeing Opal off?" Su asked from the center of the U-shaped table.
"Uh…" I cast a look to Eska who glared at me in warning before I turned back to the Beifong, offering her a smile. "Sure!"
Needless to say, I'm pretty sure Eska was trying to think of a way to stab me under the table without bringing any attention to us for the rest of the meal. Desna was also sending a chilling glare my way.
"Kalika, have you given any thought to learning with the other air benders at the Northern Air Temple?" Su questioned, taking a small sip from an old fashioned tea mug.
"Uh, I haven't really thought about it actually," I started. "To be completely honest, I hadn't talked to Korra since…well, I didn't even know there were other new air benders."
"It'd be good for you," Korra said, taking a mouthful of meat. "Learning with other newbies. It'll be hard at first cause you're as impatient as I am but you should be okay after a while."
"Out of the question," Desna interrupted, laying his utensils own on the table in the most polite way he could manage.
"I concur," his sister nodded sharply. "Kalika resides with us. She has no need to learn and subsequently master bending for she will not be in any danger from this moment on."
"It's not…completely out of the question," I stated. "I'll think it over."
… … …
Su had her metal benders seal of the city after Opal left for the avatar's protection. Opal's brothers had all responded differently. The twins were upset—close to crying—while Huan and Bataar Junior remained indifferent. I think Bolin took it hardest of all. He kept mumbling about kale (I honestly have no idea why, but he sometimes muttered her name before he started talking about kale once again).
Eska's eyes seemed to be permanently narrowed in a sharp glare. Sensing oncoming hostility, I decided to excuse the three of us to our rooms, linking my arms with the twins'.
Back at our room—Eska insisted we all share one (she said Desna would be fine sleeping in the bathtub? I don't know what that's about, but he grumbled in affirmation to her statement)—Eska began pacing. I stared at her from the doorway, feeling her anger seeping out of her in waves. Desna shrugged, walking past both me and his sister to enter the bathroom—err, I mean, his bedroom.
"Eska?" I called her softly, closing the door behind me.
She turned on me, positively fuming. Shoving a finger in my face, she hissed out "Did you see the way he stared after her? Why would he be enticed by such a frail being? She's not at all threatening."
"I…I don't know. She seemed nice," I shrugged, offering her a soft smile.
"Oh, so now I am not only losing my mate—whom you said was miserable without me—but I am also losing my only acquaintance to a dainty girl?" she demanded. "I should have frozen her from head to toe."
"Eska, it's not like that~" I laughed. "We can have other friends. And we are friends, after all. Acquaintances? Really? Besides you won't lose me to her. And Bolin was miserable. He was probably just brainwashed—that happens in the Earth Kingdom areas, you know? And anyway—"
I was cut off by screaming coming from outside. "They've got Korra!" someone shouted.
Eska and I shared a look before we shouted for Desna to hurry up and get out here. We came her for a reason and there's no way we're going to fail. By the time we got outside, Lin, Wei and Wing are already out there, fighting by Mako, Bolin, and Asami's side.
We joined the fight, enclosing the four enemies who made up the Red Lotus. "We have you surrounded," one of Su's metal benders announced. "It's over. Release the Avatar!"
For a moment it looked as though they would do what she said, but one of them turned with a sly grin. He threw a soft punch in the air. Lava began to flow towards us—not slow but not very fast either. We all shifted back, taking defensive stances. "Did he make that lava?" I whispered quietly to Desna who nodded slowly.
"No way!" Bolin exclaimed. "That guy is lava bending! That's awesome-" Mako shot him a look and Eska sent a threateningly sharp shard of ice Bolin's way."-ly not good for us."
The Red Lotus began their offensive. Desna and Eska created a thick ice barrier for protection while the Beifongs, Bolin, Asami, and Mako took cover behind a slab of hefty metal. Boling peeked out from the side of the metal and waved over at us, making complicated hand gestures to try and tell us something. "Do you have any idea as to what he is trying to communicate?" Eska asked, cocking an eyebrow at her ex-lover.
"Not a one," I bit my lip, looking over at the earth bender. I held my hands up in a shrug, telling him we don't understand.
He slapped a hand against his forehead before turning back to us. He gestured to himself and the others by him. I nodded. He punched the air and gave us a thumbs up. I returned his thumbs up before turning to the twins. "He said he has to take a dump."
"Are you sure?" Desna asked skeptically. "It seems…stupid to say that during such an emergency."
"It was either that or he was saying they have a plan—" I paused, realizing my mistake. "Oh, that makes more sense…"
"Indeed it does," Eska replied, slapping me over the head.
"So I guess that means they don't need us?" I asked, rubbing the back of my neck.
"Let us go recapture our cousin," Eska stated, dragging us around the battle ground as Desna maintained our defenses. After a few minutes of looking, we literally stumbled onto Korra, who seemed to be waking up.
"Korra," I breathed, running over to where she laid. "Don't sit up; you might have a concussion." I told her as I checked her breathing. "She should be okay, but I can't be sure until I run the proper tests."
"Let's just remove her from the situation," Desna commanded.
"Alright," I nodded. "Can the two of you make a slab of ice under her and follow me."
There you have it~
Sorry for the wait, thanks for reading~
Lots of love, minions!
Yours psychotically,
Vee